The Nation May 17, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

News One dead, 15 pupils hospitalised in Ibadan bus crash P8 Sports Keshi drops hot shot Yakubu from Eagles squad P24 Business Naira falls to two-month low on dollar demand P4 www.thenationonlineng.net

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VOL. 7, NO. 2126 THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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NJC to stand by decision on Salami •Justice minister: I’ve not been briefed From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

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ONTRARY to expectations, the crisis in the Judiciary remained unresolved yesterday.

Court of Appeal President Isa Ayo Salami is yet to return to his job, almost one week after the National Judicial Commission (NJC) reinstated him. But NJC members plan to resist any plot to review their decision to reinstate Justice Salami, The Nation learnt.

The NJC is yet to serve Justice Salami and the acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dalhatu Adamu, the notice of its decision to reinstate Justice Salami.

A Presidency source said last night that President Goodluck Jonathan might bow to the rule of law instead of political sentiments in deciding the matter.

Another source spoke of how anti-Salami forces “have been going about seeking a court order to tie the Presi•Triumph of truth •Waiting for Jonathan dh eannc yd ’ ”s Editorial/Opinion, pages 19, 21 from reContinued on page 4

•DEAD END: The scene of an accident which caused a massive traffic jam on the Oshodi Apapa Expressway in Lagos…yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

2015: ACN joins Buhari’s CPC to attack Presidency If the Presidency and the PDP have no intention to rig in 2015, why are they so worried about the consequences of such action?

—ACN

We insist that it is never ignoble to lose elections because President Abraham Lincoln... was known to have lost elections several times —CPC

I cannot speak for them. I don’t know why they said so. God determines everything. God determines our tomorrow, even our tonight —ACF

Arewa Forum on row: power belongs to God

M •Gen. Buhari

ORE missiles were fired yesterday in the PresidencyGen. Muhammadu Buhari

battle.

Two leading opposition parties queued up behind the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential candidate in last year’s election in his scathing attack on the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Buhari had warned of dire consequences, should the PDP rig the 2015

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

elections “the way it did in 2011”.

But the Presidency and the PDP fired back at him. The PDP described Gen. Buhari as “blood thirsty”. The Presidency said he is “a sectional leader” and “a serial loser” always encouraging violence.

Yesterday, the CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) rose in defence of Buhari.

The AC N said Buhari’s caution was “timely and in order”.

The CPC said the Jonathan administration is “the political Boko Haram”.

The ACN denounced “the crude, vitriolic and impudent verbal attack” on Gen. Buhari by the Presidency and the PDP for no other reason than his timely warning against election rigging in 2015.

In a statement issued in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the statement for which Gen. Buhari is being sav-

aged was nothing but a warning against those who may be planning to rig the 2015 general elections.

It said the viciousness of the seemingly co-ordinated attacks by the Presidency and the PDP raise a lot of concern regarding their plans for the 2015 elections. ‘’We hold no brief for anyone. But it is true that if elections are rigged, as they have been so shamelessly and brazenly done by the PDP since 1999, Continued on page 4

•SPORTS P23 •EDUCATION P25 •POLITICS P43 •E-BUSINESS P48

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

2

NEWS

Concern over The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) used to control ten per cent of the global market share. It has dipped to between seven and eight per cent. There are fears it may dip to five per cent, if its growth plans are not accelerated, writes Assistant Editor (News) OLUKOREDE YISHAU •Abia Governor Theodore Orji (middle), Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brig-Gen. Nnamdi Okere-Affia (right) and Abia Co-ordinator NYSC Mrs. Victoria Okakwu , during the 2012 Annual Management Conference of the NYSC at the Hotel Royal Damgrate, Umuahia...yesterday

•Acting Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar (right), DIGs Marvel Akpoyibo (left) and Sulaimon Fakai...at the inuaguration of the Police Foka Savings and Loan Mortgage Bank’s board in Abuja...yesterday.

F

ORMER Head of Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, was in a mixed mood on Tuesday. Shonekan was happy; he was also sad. Happy that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project, which he helped midwife, last year alone, among others, generated not less than $10 billion; sad that the growth of the company, of recent, is being stalled for unclear reasons.

Shonekan, who expressed his mixed feelings during a visit to the company’s Finima, Bonny Island, Rivers State facility, said: “With the success of Nigeria LNG Limited on Bonny Island, doubts about Nigeria’s capability to successfully see a project from construction to operation have now paled into insignificance. Also, doubts about Nigeria LNG Limited’s ability to grow and expand have been similarly wiped out by its glowing records of achievements of prompt delivery and of meeting its contractual obligations to its numerous customers around the world. The question now is: will it be able to reach its full potentials and also remain a beacon to the rest of Africa?”

Shonekan is not alone. Stakeholders in the gas sector and analysts are also worried. They feel the company, and by extension the country, should have developed its potentials more than what it is now.

Their worry makes sense when juxtaposed with facts. When the NLNG started, it was with only two trains, which had a capacity to produce about six metric tonnes of LNG per annum. In less than a decade, the Nigeria LNG project grew to a sixtrain operating plant producing 22 million tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas per annum.

Five years ago, it signed sales and purchase agreement for its seventh train intended to raise production to about 30 million tonnes of LNG. But up till now, the seventh train is still a dream.

Left behind by other countries •National Auditor, National Association of Nurses and Midwives Salihu Muye, the association’s Deputy President, Alhaji Olufemi Tonade, National President, Lawal Hussein Dutsinma, Director of Nurses, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Okodugha Mojisola and Zainab Mamu during the news conference to mark the 2012 International Nurses day in Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

•Former Ivorian Minister Of Transport Mr Adama Coulibaly, representative of Aliko Dangote Group Joseph Makoju and Head of Ghanaian Revenue Authority George Blackson at Borderless Conference in Abidjan...yesterday

The inability of the country to improve on its LNG production capacity has seen some countries overtaking it as the leader in the market.

More have also put in place plans that may further see the country’s slot slip further.

This development has ensured that the Nigeria LNG Limited, once the fastest growing facility in the world, has slipped from controlling 10 per cent of the market share to about 7 per cent. Qatar and Australia are now the leaders. Qatar has moved its output from 20 million metric tonnes to 80 million metric tonnes.

Australia, from its previous 20 metric tonnes, now churns out 81 metric tonnes annually. NLNG is stuck at 22 million metric tonnes. Australia has 10 LNG projects, with 20 trains and $215 billion worth of final investment decision. Yet, Australia has only 60 percent of Nigeria’s gas reserves. Nigeria has gas reserves estimated at over 160 trillion cubic feet.

The United States (U.S.), formerly

a major LNG export destination, plans to become a net LNG exporter by 2016, with 1.1 billion cubic feet per day, projected to rise to 2.2 billion cubic feet per day in 2019.

China, with an estimated gas reserve of 1,275 trillion cubic metres, is also planning big for the LNG market. Mozambique too is warming up for a fair share of the market, with plans to build a two-train facility at advanced stage.

Way forward To Shonekan, the starting point to regaining its market share is for its seventh train to be approved by the Federal Government and shareholders. Nothing much can be done without the consent of the government, which has 49 per cent of its $13 billion assets through the NNPC. The remaining 51 per cent is owned by Shell Gas BV, Total LNG Limited and Eni International.

The seventh train has the potential of increasing the plant’s capacity to 30 million metric tonnes.

The former head of ING said: “Nigeria no longer has the luxury of deferring major decisions or of picking and choosing developmental projects to do and in what order. The LNG market is tightening. Other nations are not staying idle…

“That Nigeria is still flaring gas is an unacceptable fact in today’s world, not only from a health and environmental perspective, but also for the basic fact that the perpetrators are burning cash. Again, as a former captain of industry and a statesman, I find it detestable that our country not only still leaves value on the table and walks away, year after year, but also continues to literally pour money into flames by flaring gas!

“These are some reasons that you must get on with Train Seven immediately... The NLNG has a very strong balance sheet and therefore does not need money from the federal purse to expand. It only needs government approval and support of its shareholders to build train seven.

“I am not entirely sure about what is delaying train seven. I gather that sales and purchase agreements for it were signed five years ago with buyers. Whatever might be delaying train seven, I call on the government to step in and ensure that the construction of that train takes off immediately. The time for it is now!

“This is why I call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to immediately order the acceleration of these gas projects in the interest of this country. Train Seven is a low hanging fruit. I urge the government to immediately pursue that.

“From the stand point of investment: it will cost Nigeria nothing; it will be built with third party loans.

Nigeria LNG Limited has solid credit ratings and can raise funds with relative ease.”

NLNG Managing Director, Babs Omotowa, also believes the seventhtrain will help shore up the country and the company’s fortune. He said

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

3

NEWS

Nigeria’s ‘loss’ of LNG market

•NLNG ship: Any hope for more supplies to the global market?

‘We account for eight per cent of global LNG supplies’ The Managing Director of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Babs Omotowa, in a speech on Tuesday while receiving former Head of Interim Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, admitted the company has slipped from controlling 10 per cent of the global market share . Excerpts: from gas as from oil, NLNG has successfully pioneered gas monetisation. It is the most significant arrow-head in government’s quest to end gas flaring in the country with the attendant environmental benefits. It is also the biggest single contributor to government’s efforts to diversify the Nigerian economy and income portfolio.

The Nigerian government has reaped over $9 billion in dividends from Nigeria LNG Limited from 2004 to date. The project today has assets worth over $13 billion. 49 per cent of this belongs to the country through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The company contributes – in revenue terms – over $9 billion yearly to the national GDP. But NLNG is more than hard and cold facts and figures. Whilst making so much money for its share-

NLNG currently accounts for eight per cent of the global LNG supplies; it used to be 10 per cent!

‘

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IGERIA LNG’s current 6-train facility has a capacity for 22mtpa of LNG, and up to 5mtpa of Natural Gas Liquids (NGL).

The company has rapidly grown from its well-earned reputation as the world’s fastest growing LNG plant to a stable production operation with buyers across the Atlantic Basin and Asia Pacific regions, sending one cargo of LNG everyday down the Bonny River to buyers all over the world safely, timely. NLNG currently accounts for eight per cent of the global LNG supplies; it used to be 10 per cent!

Since October 1999 when the first LNG cargo was loaded for delivery in France and following a Final Investment Decision by the shareholders in November 1995, Nigeria LNG Limited has brought significant value to Nigeria. In line with government’s vision of generating as much revenue

‘

•Omotowa holders, generating considerable Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for Nigeria, and creating jobs (18,000 at the peak of construction activities),

THE FIGURES

THE FACTS

22m •Total metric tonnes produced annually by NLNG 81m •Total annual metric tonnes by Australia 80m •Total annual metric tonnes by Qatar $2.2b •Dividends expected from NLNG seventh train •Number of NLNG projects in Australia 10 $9b •The country’s dividends from NLNG delay in the progress of LNG projects may dip Nigeria’s market share in the global liquefied natural gas supply by a marginal 5 percent in 2017.

Omotowa, while speaking at the 2012 edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG-12) conference in Abuja, said output has stagnated at 22 million metric tonnes per annum.

He said: “Looking at the market share dip to 10 percent in 2008; which is now 8 percent and will be 5 percent by 2017. Accelerated progress on Train 7 and other LNG projects

will help build a better Nigeria.”

But going by a statement recently credited to the NNPC Group Managing Director, Austen Oniwon, the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Train 7 may wait till next year.

He was quoted to have given hint of this at the NOG-12 conference.

At a meeting with the NLNG management in his office in February, Oniwon said: “We believe that like the Brass LNG, the NLNG’s Train 7 is also viable. And we will continue to support its success. I want to en-

NLNG remains at heart a human and humane company. We are driven by the understanding that a good corporate citizen must be a responsible

• Australia - 10 LNG projects, with 20 trains • Qatar- Aggressive second largest supplier • Mozambique- Set to challenge Nigeria • United States- plans 1.1 billion cubic feet per day • China- with 1,275 trillion cubic metres gas reserves • Nigeria- LNG projects help reduce gas flared • Over $8 billion FDI from NLNG seventh train • Nigeria has over 160 trillion cubic feet reserves • First phase of Brass LG to generate 20m m/tonnes • No firm decision on OKLNG yet

courage you to continue to do all pre-FID activities at minimum cost so that as soon as we are through with Brass, we can quickly move to Train 7.”

Benefits of Train Seven, other LNG projects Industry watchers are of the opinion that building the seventh train of the NLNG plant will bring in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) estimated at over $8 billion and help

reduce flared gas, and improve the country’s revenue profile. The country will also reap an additional $2.2 billion annually in dividend.

With Train 7, the NLNG, said industry watchers, will provide about 10,000 jobs. Since it opened shop in Bonny, NLNG Limited has provided over 2,000 jobs each construction year and 18,000 jobs at the peak of construction.

The country, which invested in the company through the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation

and caring member of the society in which it operates. We believe that a company cannot morally lay claim to success if it operates in a failed society, hence our deliberate policy on, and approach to, sustainable corporate responsibility.

A major part of our Nigerian content programme is the Nigerianisation scheme. 93 per cent of our workforce is Nigerian, a substantial achievement considering the relatively few years of operating such a pioneering engineering business in Nigeria. NLNG is also at an advanced stage with the ship management knowledge transfer with our ship managers STASCo and Anglo Eastern. Under the arrangement, we have already taken over the management of four LNG vessels. Nigerianisation has also yielded six LNG ship captains and four chief engineers.

(NNPC), they said, also stands to get more dividends. It has so far received $9 billion as dividends from the company.

The Brass LNG, The Nation learnt, is about to take Final Investment Decision for 20 million metric tonnes. In the case of the OK LNG, located between Ondo and Ogun states, Nigerians may have to wait till 2014 to know what direction it is moving.

Like Shonekan noted, these efforts at developing the country’s gas reserves are grossly inadequate, given the fact that a country like Australia with less gas reserves now have an LNG output of 81 metric tonnes. He also believes the country has a capacity to undertake more than one LNG projects at once, which suggests he sees no sense in NNPC’s position that the seventh NLNG train has to wait for the Brass LNG. Omotowa believes the delay in progressing the NLNG Train 7 project, the Brass LNG and OK LNG projects, has deprived Nigeria of raising its LNG production to 52 million metric tonnes per annum.

But if the words of Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, are anything to go by, things may change soon. The minister, at an award ceremony in Howard University, United States recently, said the nation’s capacity in LNG production would increase to 46 metric tonnes annually.

4

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

NEWS Naira falls to two-month low on dollar demand

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•From left: ACF Chairman Gen. Useni speaking with reporters at the Presidential Villa...last night.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

AIRA fell to its lowest level in two months against the U.S dollar on the interbank market yesterday, on strong dollar demand from investors repatriating their dividends abroad, traders said.

The naira closed at 158.90 to the dollar on the interbank market, the lowest since the middle of February, compared with the 158.03 naira it closed at on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

“The market was hit by large demand for the dollar with which it could not cope with due to lack of dollar

NJC to stand by decision on Salami I’ve not been briefed on PCA, says Adoke

Continued from page 1

storing him.

Three options are being weighed on Justice Salami’s fate, it was learnt last night.

These are: •upholding the NJC recommendation to end the crisis, in spite of the bitterness of some members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); •using a matter filed in court on Tuesday by Noah Adejare as a subjudice alibi to delay Justice Salami’s reinstatement; and •rejecting the recommendation of the NJC by the government and a demand for a review of the decision.

It was gathered that some anti-Salami forces prefer a review of the NJC’s decision to enable a fresh lobbying against the judge.

President Goodluck Jonathan can reject the NJC recommendation based on legal grounds, security reports, and alleged ambiguity in the recommendation because the Council had earlier

M

INISTER of Justice and AttorneyGeneral of the Federation Mohammed Adoke said yesterday that he had not been briefed on the National Judicial Council’s (NJC’s) recommendation to President Goodluck Jonathan to reinstate Justice Ayo Salami.

Adoke said he returned to the country from a trip on Tuesday night.

He said: “I have not been briefed. I just recommended the retirement of Salami.

But The Nation learnt last night that influential NJC members plan to resist the review option.

Some NJC members, who spoke in confidence, confirmed that they will resist any plot to review their recommendation.

One said: “The truth is that we will not accept any excuse to review our position on the reinstatement of Justice Salami. We have had enough of this crisis; we want to move forward.

“I can tell you that if the government brings such a re-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

returned to the country from Addis Ababa last night (Tuesday). Attorney-Generals don’t just talk. Until when I am briefed and I see the letter, I can’t be reacting to a mob action.

“Believe me; honestly, I can’t mislead you.

I think Reuben Abati (presidential spokesman) has told you that the President has not received the letter. I am waiting to be briefed.”

quest, it will not fly because it will amount to dragging the judiciary into the abyss.”

Another said: “The mood of the NJC members does not favour any review of our decision. I think we are resolute this time around to assert the independence of the Judiciary.

“We also want to put the past behind us because the crisis is attracting international odium.”

Yet another source added: “Ordinarily, the President has not much business with the reinstatement of Justice Salami since the NJC has spoken. The Council’s decision

should have been sufficient for Salami to take over from the acting PCA. “But the constitutional complications surrounding NJC abracadabra on Salami dragged Jonathan into the matter. The President got involved in the first instance when the NJC recommended to him to retire Justice Salami and appoint an acting PCA (Justice Dalhatu Adamu).

“Constitutionally, the President or the government is only expected to act on the recommendation of the NJC. The consultations going on are certainly unnecessary.

“We will also resist any attempt to politically hijack the NJC.” As at press time last night, neither Justice Salami nor the acting PCA had been notified of the NJC’s resolution to reinstate Justice Salami.

A Court of Appeal source said: “The development has shown that there is much to this crisis. When Justice Salami was suspended, he was immediately served a letter and the acting PCA instantly got a letter from the NJC to assume duties.

“Almost a week after this decision was taken; neither of the parties has been told. I think some forces are looking for loopholes in NJC’s recommendation to hang Justice Salami.”

But a Presidency source indicated last night that President Jonathan might bow to the rule of law instead of political sentiments.

The source said: “The President is likely to allow the rule of law to have its way Continued on page 61

flow, putting pressure on the naira,” one dealer said.

Dealers said several foreign investors are taking profit on their investments, increasing pressure on the local currency.

The naira had traded around the 157.10-157.90 naira to the dollar band for the better part of the last two months on the impact of dollar sales by oil companies and offshore investors who are investing in Nigeria’s short-dated debt notes.

“We see the naira depreciating further in the coming days unless the central bank intervenes to calm the market,” another dealer said.

The local unit remains within the central bank’s 150-160 target band.

On the official window, the central bank raised its supply to $200 million and sold at 155.70 to the dollar, compared with $150 million sold at 155.70 to the dollar on Monday.

•CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi

2015: ACN joins Buhari’s CPC to attack Presidency ACF on row: power belongs to God

Continued from page 1

naturally, people will react, and in doing so it is impossible for anyone to predict how far things can go. This is what, in our opinion, Gen. Buhari warned against. If the Presidency and the PDP have no intention to rig in 2015, why are they so worried about the consequences of such action?’’ ACN queried.

The party said “the 2011 general elections remain the most systematically-rigged polls in Nigeria’s history, irrespective of the so-called endorsement by some visceral foreign election monitors. ‘’The 2011 elections also left Nigeria divided along ethnic and religious lines, more than at any other time in the history of Nigeria, hence no one should tell us about the polls being the best since Nigeria returned to civil rule, just because some self-acclaimed monitors said so.’’

The party also expressed concern at the growing propensity of the Presidency, in particular, to use intemperate language in its response to any statement it perceives to be critical of its principal. ‘’We have said it before and we will like to repeat it: any statement emanating from the Presidency must be pres-

P

OWER belongs to God, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) chairman Gen. Jeremiah Useni said last night, in reaction to the war of words between the Presidency and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Gen. Useni said nothing showed that a war; going on but only disagreement.

“I don’t think there is any war going on; if you say anything and I disagree with you, it does not mean we are fighting, we are not fighting anybody.

“I cannot speak for them. I don’t know why they said so. God determines everything. God determines our tomorrow, even our tonight.”

Gen. Useni spoke at House 7, a Presidenidential through the use of civilised and elevating language, rather than beer parlour and unguarded phrases.

This is because such statements are read all over the world, and provide a window into the minds of those overseeing the affairs of state. ‘’The voice of the presidential spokesman is the voice of his principal, the President.

That is why his statements must be sober and guarded, in addition to reflecting deep introspection. The insults heaped on Gen. Buhari, a former Head of State - for merely exercising his right to

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

tial Guest House at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He led a delegation of ACF leaders to a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan after which he pledged Arewa’s support for the government’s action against the Boko Haram insurgency.

“We came here to advise the government. We always advise the government, we represent the North, we are a very strong group,” he said.

Gen. Useni expressed happiness with government’s willingness to dialogue with Boko Haram. “The happiness is that the Federal Government has agreed

freedom of speech is totally unacceptable and run against the tenets of decorum and mature political discourse,’’ it said.

ACN said, however, that it is not surprised at the response of the PDP, since it is becoming increasingly clear to all that nothing good can come out of a party that has wasted all the opportunities that could have made Nigeria a proud member of the international community in the past 13 years.

The CPC yesterday vowed to ensure that the Federal Government come to terms

to dialogue with the group. It is not a new thing even when you are fighting somebody, you have to sit down one day to talk.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, also said the ACF pledged to back the Federal Government against Boko Haram.

He said ACF elders informed President Jonathan that they had already taken action by setting up a committee. The report will be given to the government.

He said the government team led by President Jonathan, promised that their doors were always open for consultation. They are ready to work with them to stem insecurity and other issues affecting the country.

with the fact that the PDP administration is linked with the Boko Haram sect.

Listing the events and accusations from various quarters, it said: “General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) was quoted as saying that the Jonathan-led Federal Government is the greatest BokoHaram. Understandably, this elicited awful response from the President. In a jejune, puerile, and very pedestrian communication, the presidential spokesman defined Boko-Haram as “Western education is sin” and went on to posit the administration’s

investment in Education.

How awkwardly inane could that be?!

“It is common knowledge that Boko-Haram has become the euphemism for subtlety in devious schemes that cause mass killings of the innocents! As GMB aptly stated, Boko Haram has three variants, with varying degrees of severity and murderous content: the original Boko-Haram that seeks to avenge the extra-judicial killing of its Leader by the Nigeria Police; the Boko Haram that pursues criminality for monetary gains and, of

course, the Political Boko Haram that is bent on setting the stage for ethno-religious pogrom in the Nigerian nation. It is the Political Boko Haram, with its extremely lethal content, that the Jonathan-led Federal Government represents!

“In January 2012, Dr Goodluck Jonathan told a bewildered nation, still smarting from murderous bombings, that his government has been infiltrated by Boko Haram. In February 2012, a serving PDP senator from Borno South (Mohammed Ali Ndume) was arrested for being a member of Boko Haram.

“In March 2012, Ndume deposed to an affidavit before a Federal High Court wherein he stated that VicePresident Namadi Sambo was aware of his activities with Boko Haram. In April 2012, General Andrew Owoeye Azazi , the National Security Adviser, averred that there was indisputable proof that Boko Haram is PDP. As things stand, President Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of PDP. “In April 2012, Henry Okah (while standing trial on terrorism charges) deposed to Continued on page 61

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

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

5

NEWS

JAMB seeks EFCC’s help to curb exam malpractices

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HE Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB), Prof. ’Dibu Ojerinde, yesterday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to assist the agency in curbing examination malpractices.

He said JAMB would soon introduce e-testing as part of steps to check examination fraud.

Ojerinde ,who made the appeal in Abuja during a courtesy call on the EFCC chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, said JAMB is worried about increasing examination malpractices.

He said in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), two individuals, who designed bathroom slippers that ac-

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

commodated handsets to receive answers from outside, were arrested.

The slippers, he said, were designed specially to cheat during the examinations.

A statement by the EFCC’s Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, quoted Ojerinde as saying: “There is this particular case of a woman in Ikirun, Osun State . During the examination, a search was conducted on her and the scanner gave indication that there were foreign metal objects in her body.

“All entreaties to her to bring out what was on her failed until a woman supervisor had to take her

to a closet and undress her only to discover that a handset was prepared just like a pad in her private part. It was that bad. If we had not used the scanner, we couldn’t have detected it. Even at that, I am sure there were people that still went away with it.

“We realised that we in JAMB don’t have this special Eagle Eye to detect some of these things. We have come to solicit for your assistance on how we can work together to exterminate this problem.”

He said candidates would be allowed the option of paper/pencil examinations or e-testing.

Ojerinde added: “In that way, children will write their examination electronically and at the end, the candidate will submit and the

scores will appear immediately and the candidate will go home with his/her scores; but the national standardisation will still take place.”

He said the Board was perfecting the idea and working out modalities with the supervising Ministry and relevant agencies.

The EFCC Chairman expressed regrets that some parents have been aiding their wards to engage in examination fraud.

“It shows the level at which the value system has deteriorated,” he said.

Lamorde said the Commission would always be available to handle any issue referred to it.

He said: “We would always intervene not only during examina-

tions, we would also like to beam searchlight on personnel of JAMB to know how the questions get to the candidates.”

The EFCC chairman also suggested that efforts should be made to de-emphasise paper qualification in Nigeria .

He said: “Even in the western world, there are people who have done wonderfully well without having a university or a polytechnic degree. These people have contributed meaningfully to the society.”

In the entourage of JAMB’s Registrar were Hamzat Balogun, Director of Accounts; Sulayman Y. Muhammad., Director, Corporate Services and M. S. Ibrahim, JAMB’s Legal Adviser.

Jonathan urged to sign Tobacco Bill

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. From left: Lagos State Auditor-General for Local Governments, Mubashiru Hassan, Chairman, Board of Audit, Investigations and Forensic Accountancy Faculty, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Francis Medessou and ICAN Vice President, Doyin Owolabi, during the third induction of Forensic Certification Training Programme at ICAN Annex, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

Reps chide Accountant-General for shunning queries

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HE House of Representatives Committee on Public Account yesterday expressed disappointment over the refusal of the Accountant General of the Federation, Jonah Otunla, to respond to the queries from the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The queries, which include those of 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, have to do with financial misnomers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the Federation Accounts.

The Chairman of the Committee, Solomon Adeola said the AGF has refused to appear before the committee, despite numerous invitations sent to his office.

He said the committee has been getting various excuses from the AGF’s office on the matter.

Adeola said: “There are discrepancies between what agencies were to get and what was released. There were many cases of grants and aids that were not accounted for. We’re not doing the nation any good by having queries from the AuditorGeneral lying unanswered.”

The committee said by not responding to the summons of the Public Accounts Committee, he stood the risk of being jailed for three months.

A member, Asita Honourable

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

said: “We asked you to bring documents to respond to audit queries from the Auditor-General and to appear before the committee but you refused. The law stipulates a fine of N50 or a jail term of 3 months. You have contravened the law which makes for fine or imprisonment. If big men like you disrespect the Parliament, what are the ordinary folks expected to do?”

Another member, Odeneye Olusegun, said the attitude of the AGF to the House was intentional.

His words: “It is intentionally that

the AGF did not want to appear before the committee. He is not taking us serious and this is not the first time. He doesn’t seem to know the importance of his office. It is clear now that all the bad presentations from the Ministries, Agencies and Departments are from the AGF’s office. Because if the AGF doesn’t take the Public Accounts Committee serious, what do you expect from others.”

The AGF’s crew, however, brought some reports meant for the Senate Committee on Public Accounts for the House Committee causing another round of protestation from the lawmakers.

On the quality of the presentation brought before the committee, the Chairman said: “This is far below expectation and any officer who was charged with this responsibility has failed woefully.

Otunla tendered an unreserved apology to the committee.

He said: “I take full responsibility for every lapse or mistake made here and I want to tender an apology for the shortcomings. I cannot disown the reports. I plead for one week to rectify the perceived errors in the report.”

However, both the committee and the AGF’s office agreed to find time to work together in order to

HE Environmental Rights Action (ERA) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the National Tobacco Control Bill into law.

The group said it would do the country good as governments and public health advocates plan towards this year’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

In a statement issued in Lagos by its Director, Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the organisation urged Jonathan to sign the Bill to celebrate the global event.

ERA/FoEN also urged Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu to get the president to assent to the Bill.

Oluwafemi said: “Countries all over the world have made specific and strategic efforts to combat the dangers of smoking especially among the youths by putting laws in place to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products.

The enactment of national laws and the domestication of the World Health’s Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are singular efforts in this direction.

“Nigeria has made giant strides in fulfilling our international obligations by attempting to domesticate the FCTC through the National Tobacco Control Bill, but we are afraid these gains that we have worked for as civil society organizations, legislators and the Ministry of Health will be reversed if the President does not sign this bill to commemorate this year’s WNTD. “The theme for this year, Preventing Industry Interference in Tobacco Control policies is very instructive because Nigerians are worried that the bill which was passed with overwhelming public support is yet to be signed into law by the President.

This is a bill that would have direct impact on Nigerians. It is the dividend of democracy for Nigerians.”

Akinbode said: “ The President cannot allow the tobacco industry to influence and derail his transformation agenda by providing qualitative healthcare for Nigerians. The whole world is waiting for Nigeria, the African continent is awaiting our leadership.”

ACN chair Akande mourns Dele Ige

T

•Chief Akande

HE National Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, has expressed shock at the death of Sir Dele Ige, the younger brother of the late Chief Bola Ige. Speaking from Los Angeles in the United States, Chief Akande, a former civilian governor of Osun State, said the news came to him as “a rude shock”.

He said: “The news of the death of Sir Dele Ige came to me as a rude shock, being almost the most

shocking of all pieces of news coming from home in the last few weeks.

“Coming from an illustrious family that never shies away from the service of humanity, Sir Dele Ige was never lost in the crowd in the fight for the emancipation of the oppressed both as a lawyer and as a politician. Indeed, he was always in the driver’s seat.”

He noted that the late Ige, who served as Pro-chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University

(LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, was a member of the House of Representatives during the Second Republic, adding that he had earlier in the 70s won an election to serve his local government on merit rather than on party platform. This, he said, was a measure of his popularity among the grass root who would miss his generosity and community involvement.

Akande prayed to God to give his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

6

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Court restrains elected Ikeja NBA executives

Police women free to marry without permit, says Court

By Bisi Onanuga

A LAGOS High Court has restrained the newly elected executive of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, from parading itself in that capacity.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo also restrained officers who were elected in May 9.

Her interim order, she said, would subsist until the hearing and determination of a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed by Mr. Yinka Farounbi a chairmanship contestant in the election.

Farounbi, who lost the chairmanship election to Monday Ubani (3rd defendant/respondent) sued the chairman alongside the out-going chairman of the association, Adebamigbe Omole, on behalf of the executive committee of the branch.

Farounbi sought an interim injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants from swearing in the officers elect. Joined as codefendants in the suit are the chairman, electoral committee, Dosu Ogunniyi (1st defendant); Adesina Ogunlana (4th defendant); Carolyn Ibeh (5th defendant); Adesina Adegbite; Titi Osagie (7th defendant); Memuna Esegine (8th defendant) and Nelly Silver-Ajalaye (9th defendant).

Farounbi's application was supported by a 34 paragraph affidavit and an affidavit of urgency with a written address.

Granting the injunctions, Justice Taiwo cited relevant cases of the Supreme Court supporting the principles for granting or refusing interim injunctions.

Justice Taiwo said in line with the principles, she was satisfied that the claimant had satisfied the said conditions for the injunctions.

"It indisputable that the applicant has a legal right in the subject-matter. He stated in the affidavit of urgency and affidavit in support that he is a member and the incumbent 1st Vice Chairman of the NBA Ikeja Branch at the elections of May 9," she said.

Traditional medicine council dissolved

By Risikat Ramoni

THE National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, NANTMP, has dissolved its executives and appointed a caretaker committee.

NANTMP, the umbrella body of all Nigerian traditional medical associations in Nigeria, took the action on May 8, at a meeting in Abuja.

A statement by its assistant national secretary-general, Mr Sulaimon Awoyemi said the 16member committee appointed would serve as the implementation committee for the plans and programmes of the traditional medicine boards at the state level.

The statement reads: "The committee is mandated to reconstitute and establish the caretaker committees at the state and local government levels with a view to resolving all pending problems and conflicts."

P

OLICEWOMEN can now marry without the consent of their commissioners, Federal High court ruled yesterday.

Justice Stephen Adah declared unconstitutional Regulation 124 which mandates policewomen to seek permission in writing from their commissioners before getting married.

He was ruling on a suit filed by the Women Empowerment and Legal Aid Initiative (WELA) challenging the constitutionality of

By Adebisi Onanuga

the regulation made pursuit to the Police Act (Cap P19), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

The act stipulates: "A woman Police Officer who is desirous of marrying, must first apply in writing to the Commissioner of Police for the State Command in which she is serving, requesting permission to marry and giving name, address and occupation of the person she intends to marry.

"Permission will be granted for

the marriage if the intended husband is of good character and the woman police officer has served in the force for a period of not less than three years."

In his ruling, Justice Adah declared the provision illegal and unconstitutional.

In her submissions, WELA Executive Director Mrs. Funmi Falana argued that it was illegal to ban a woman police officer for three years before entering into a marriage.

Mrs Falana contended that seek-

•From left: Abowa of Agbowa, Oba Joseph Odumeru, Chairman, Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA, Prince Segun Adetola, and Alaketu of Ketu, Oba Adegboyega Adefowora, at the opening of a block of six classroom at the Anglican Primary School, Museju-Mutaku, in Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA... yesterday P HOTO: Y INKA ADERIBIGBE

ing permission of a Police Commissioner is an infraction of a policewoman's right to dignity and freedom of choice.

She noted that since a male police officer is not subjected to the same inhibitions, Regulation 124 is inconsistent with Section 42 of the Constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights which have prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex.

Mrs. Falana urged the court to expunge Regulation 124 from the Police Act as it is not reasonably justifiable in a democratic state like Nigeria which has domesticated the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The Attorney-General of the Federation through his counsel, Mr. B.R. Ashiru, maintained that Regulation 124 is designed to protect women police officers from falling into the hands of criminals.

Ashiru said the purpose of the law is to prevent women police officers from marrying men of shady character.

He also defended the three-year ban on the ground that it is meant to ensure that a woman police officer is not pregnant "during the rigorous training she must undergo after her employment."

Justice Adah rejected the arguments of the Attorney-General.

He upheld the submissions of Mrs. Falana and held that Regulation 124 is illegal, null and void because of its inconsistency with Section 42 of the Constitution.

The judge also annulled Regulation 124 by virtue of Section 1(3) of the Constitution.

Sofoluwe wasn't poisoned, say family, Unilag

T

HE University of Lagos (UNILAG) and family of its late Vice-Chancellor (VC),Prof Babatunde Sofoluwe, yesterday dispelled speculations that the late VC was poisoned.

They also unfolded the funeral plans for the late VC, whose remain will be interred on May 31.

Briefing reporters at UNILAG yesterday, the late VC's elder brother Mr Dehinde Sofoluwe, said the family had at no time alleged that he died of poison.

He said: "There was no time the Sofoluwe family discussed or said that the death of our brother was due to poisoning or any external forces, all we know is death can come anytime."

He said the deceased would be

•VC for burial May 31

By Medina Kanabe and Fisayo Ige

buried in Lagos.

According to him, the decision to bury him in Lagos and not in his home town in Ogun State was because it came as a shock to the family.

Chairman of the Burial Committee and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), Academics and Research, Prof Babajide Alo, said it was confirmed that the late Sofoluwe died of heart attack.

Narrating how he died, Alo said: "He went to his personal office after the day's work to relax, but started feeling unwell and called his personal doctor, Charles Ibeziako, who

is also the resident doctor at the health centre of the university.

"The doctor came immediately to his rescue and he was given proper attention. He was later taken to Lagos State University Hospital (LASUTH), where he had another heart attack and died. The autopsy report confirmed that he died of cardiac arrest."

He said there would be a special prayers on May 25, at the school mosque at 1pm, and at the Main Chapel of Christ our Light and St Thomas Church on May 27.

"On Monday, different church societies which he was a member will have singing and prayer sessions for him. Then on Tuesday, May 29, there will be service of songs at the

main auditorium, main campus, Akoka, Lagos.

"Wednesday, May 30, wll be the lying-in-State at the Multi-Purpose Hall by 8am and special Senate Session at the Senate Chamber by 12pm. This will be followed by a wake-keep at 5.00pm at the MultiPurpose Hall.

"On Thursday, May 31, 2012 there will be a lying-in-state on the campus, followed by a burial service at All Saint Church, Montgomery Road, Yaba. This will be followed with an interment at the Vault and Gardens, close to the Ikoyi Cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos and a light reception at the Multipurpose Hall.

"The family will hold an outing service on Sunday 3rd June, 2012 at the All Saint Church by 7am."

Lagos backs down on eviction of sacked doctors

T

HE Lagos State Government yesterday, promised not to evict the sacked doctors from their official quarters pending the determination of a suit filed by the doctors challenging their sack, among others.

The state's Attorney General, Ade Ipaye, gave the assurance at the resumed hearing of the suit before the National Industrial Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He denied allegation by the counsel to the doctors, Bamidele Aturu, that the state was arrogant

By Eric Ikhilae

in its handling of the dispute between the state and its doctors.

Ipaye told the court that it was that the doctors who were uncooperative with government, which opened its doors for dialogue.

"I want to correct an impression that the government is arrogant.

What is happening is that the doctors have maintained the same positions all through the period we have been negotiating," Ipaye said.

At the commencement of proceedings, Aturu told the court that

he filed a new motion on May 10, "to evoke the punitive jurisdiction of the court against the government for disrespecting the court process."

Responding to the presiding judge, Justice Benedict Kanyip's question on whether the parties had not engaged in dialogue to settle the dispute, Aturu said the government shunned interventions made by well-meaning Nigerians and organisations for amicable settlement.

Aturu said: "As at 4pm to 9pm yesterday (Tuesday), the Nigeria

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

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

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

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

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

Medical Association (NMA), was trying to broker a truce, but the government said there was nothing it could do. The level of arrogance on the part of the government is frustrating the settlement of the matter. I don't understand where this arrogance is coming from."

His new motion could however, not be heard as a result of a request

by Ipaye asking for time to respond to it. This prompted Aturu to apply for "an interim order" directing the state to reinstate the doctors, pending the hearing of the application, a prayer Kanyip rejected, saying, "I cannot make such order without hearing the application."

Justice Kanyip promised to give the matter an accelerated hearing, but urged parties in the matter to dialogue with a view to settling the dispute. He said: "Meanwhile, as an institution, section 20 of the National Industrial Act, 2006 encourages us to let parties adopt reconciliation."

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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Witness' illness stalls Abiola's son's trial

T

RIAL of Deji, son of the late business mogul, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, for alleged N35.5 million theft was stalled yesterday by the illness of a witness, Mr Babajide Jose.

Jose took ill in the witness box while testifying before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Ikeja High Court.

He started shivering while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel. Mr Adebola Omeiza.

His illness prompted Justice Onigbanjo to adjourn the case June 21. Earlier Jose told the court how Deji swindled his company, Nurudeen Printers Limited, Okota, Lagos.

He claimed that sometime in March 2008, the company decided to buy a used Speed Master CD105 printing machine and he was introduced to Abiola.

Jose said: "The accused told us that he had it and can get it for us and that the machine was in Switzerland.

"On May 10, 2008, he sent me an estimate of the machine that it will cost N118 million."

Deji, Jose said, told them that payment would be made in three instalments.

•May opt for out-of-court settlement

By Adebisi Onanuga

"The accused said that we will deposit 30 percent of the money to show that we are serious about the transaction, 50 per cent to be paid after inspection while the remaining balance of 20 per cent will be paid before the machine is dismantled for shipping to Nigeria," Jose said.

The witness said Abiola promised to help him secure a visa to Switzerland for the inspection of the machine.

He claimed that on May 16, 2008, he issued a First Bank cheque of N35.5 million to Abiola, to cover the 30 per cent deposit. " After paying the money, I did not hear from him again for weeks and when I finally did, he told me that the machine was no longer in Switzerland, but in Sweden."

The said that Abiola wrote him that the machine was going to cost more and requested for another 30 per cent deposit, which he refused to pay.

"I became uncomfortable with the arrangement and I wrote him back for a refund of the initial deposit of N35.5 million, but he has not done so up till now," Jose said.

He said Abiola after failing to help him procure the visa in December 2008, told him that the initial deposit had been lost because they did not inspect the machine.

"I cannot give N35.5 million to somebody and you just tell me that my money is gone because we did not carry out inspection," the witness said.

The businessman explained that Deji's attitude made him to petition the EFCC on April 17, 2009 before the matter was taken to court.

He, however, said there was renewed attempt by Deji to settle the matter out-of-court following his arraignment on June 30 last year.

Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, the witness said, is one of the people who mediated in the matter.

"After going to the EFCC, the Oba of Lagos called a meeting between my daughter and his brother where he advised us to settle the matter amicably.

"We told him to pay us N20 million and take N15 million but nothing happened after that.

"Just last week, he promised that he will pay N10 million and this morning (Wednesday morning), his counsel, Chief Philip Jimoh-

electronic-C of O takes off in Sept.

• Lagos generates N11b on land administration

T

HE issuance of electronic certificate of occupancy (C of O) will begin in Lagos in September, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Hakeem MuriOkunola said yesterday. The ecertificate will replace the existing one has been in use since 1978.

Muri-Okunola said the Bureau realised N10, 955,933,272.35 billion on land administration last year.

According to him, the e-certificate is designed to prevent the perpetration of unwholesome activities by fraudsters and to de-

By Miriam Ndikanwu

liver to the people an internationally acceptable format.

Breaking down the Bureau's income, Muri-Okunola said N3.5billion was generated from processing governor's consent, which he said witnessed a significant drop compared to the over N13 billon generated in 2010.

He said the shortfall arose from the fact that almost all the government land schemes were fully subscribed and closed for further allocation.

He said: "This challenging situation notwithstanding, I want to

assure you that the Bureau is poised to improve its revenue performance through a number of new land schemes and other revenue-enhancing programmes that will come on stream."

The Permanent Secretary criticised individuals and communities that engaged in indiscriminate sale of large-scale acquired government land.

Muri-Okunola said: "It has been discovered that these dubious land speculators with the active connivance of some traditional rulers sell government land to unsuspecting members of the public."

Lasisi, showed me a N10 million bank draft.

"The lawyer said I will be given the money if I write to the EFCC that I am withdrawing the case so that they can inform the court that they want to discontinue the trial," Jose said.

The court admitted as exhibits, copies of the estimate sent by Abiola to the complainant and the N35.5 million First Bank of Nigeria Plc cheque issued in his favour.

It was while under cross-examination by Jimoh-Lasisi that Jose began to shiver and he could no longer respond to questions.

Jimoh Lasisi promptly informed the court about his client's health, saying that there was no need to continue with the cross-examination. He added that both parties were already committed to out-ofcourt settlement.

He said: "The complainant (Jose) has already signed a compromise terms with my client and what remains is for him to write to the EFCC. The bank draft is with me and on my honour, I am willing to give it to him immediately the case is discontinued."

Jimoh-Lasisi that only the EFCC has the discretion to tell the court that it wants to discontinue with the matter.

He said such criminal activities were going on in Omole Scheme II and Magodo 'B' series, along the canal and Cemetery area of Magodo among others.

He warned the public to be wary of fraudsters who go about with fake land titles and false claims that acquired government land belongs to them and their families.

The encroachment on some parts of government schemes, he said, has prevented allottees from taking physical possession of their land.

He said the government has completed comprehensive digital survey and mapping of the state, needed for the creation of Geographic Information System database.

Stewards defrauded boss of N9m, court told

A

LAGOS High Court at Igbosere, yesterday, heard how two stewards impersonated their employer and defrauded him of over N9million.

Elijah Williams and Michael Uchechi were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with alleged conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence.

The prosecutor, Mr Kayode Oni, said they defrauded Mr JeanMichael Alberton while working as his stewards.

Uchechi had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud. He was sentenced to four months imprisonment after a plea bargain.

He was said to have returned some of the stolen money.

Williams, however, insisted that he was not guilty. At his trial yesterday, before Justice Morenike Obadina, a witness, Mr Chike Nwibe, who works in EFCC's Intelligence and Special Operations Section, said Williams stumbled on Alberton's bank details written in French language while doing his chores as a steward.

The accused, according to the witness, got a Togolese to translate the document.

Nwibe said: "In October 2007, my team got a petition. It was a complaint bordering on fraud.

The complainant alleged that someone falsified his identity to make withdrawals from his account domiciled in Access Bank.

"We liaised with the bank and

By Joseph Jibueze

got details of the account. On November 30, 2007, one Michael Uchechi, went to withdraw money from the same account. He was then arrested at the bank.

"On interrogation, he admitted that he was not alone and that he was acting in concert with Mr Elijah Williams and another unnamed

Togolese, who is still on the run.

"We brought in Mr Williams and during interrogation, we discovered that he was a house-help. In the course of doing his chores, he came in contact with the complainant's bank details.

"They were written in French, so he had to engage an interpreter, a Togolese. Subsequently, he started to withdraw money using fictitious

letters purportedly signed by the complainant. He withdrew a total of 45,149.90 Euros (about N9, 298,840) from Mr Alberton's account."

EFCC said the offence contravenes Section 5 (a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 (amended).

Justice Obadina adjourned the case to July 4.

•Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources Engr Taofiq Tijani (right), briefing reporters the activities of his Ministry. with him from left are G.M. Finance and Administration of the Ministry, Mrs Jokotola Ogundimu and G.M. Lagos State Electricity Board, Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi... yesterday PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

7

Lagos gives relief materials to Itire-Ikate flood victims

BY Miriam Ndikanwu

THE Lagos State government has given relief materials to residents of Itire-Ikate ins Lagos State affected by the February 13, rainstorm which wrecked havocs in some parts of the state.

The General Manager/CEO, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who presented the materials to beneficiaries, said the gesture was the government's commitment towards addressing the sufferings of the people.

Osanyintolu, who described the materials as "palliative" said they would complement, other assistance already given by the local government and other public spirited Nigerians.

"We are giving this token to complement your council's gesture. But you must henceforth, be safety conscious. Although the disaster was natural, don't engage in anything capable of causing disasters like flooding," he warned.

The Ministry of the Environment, he said, continued to clear drainage and canals to avert disasters associated with flooding. He urged residents to cooperate and complement government's effort by clearing their drainage to allow free flow of water during flooding.

Earlier, the Executive Chairman, Itire- Ikate Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Akeem Adisa Bamgbola, said the council distributed relief materials to all the affected residents, as well as churches and mosques.

He said the council would continue to sensitise residents on issues relating to sanitation and flooding.

Ladipo traders' suit adjourned

By Precious Welundu and Fisayo Ige

ABSENCE of the magistrate yesterday stalled the trial of the leaders of Aguiyi Ironsi International Market in Ladipo, Lagos for alleged illegal possession of firearms.

The magistrate, sitting at Igbosere, Ladipo, was said to have gone to seek medical attention. The matter was adjourned to June 20.

Magistrate A.A. Adefulire had, at the last adjourned date, ordered the Ministry of Justice to invite counsel in the matter to a round-table on how to resolve the issue.

Adefulire's decision followed the legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), which said there was no prima facie case of illegal possession of firearms against the accused.

Jonathan Okolie, the market chairman, Isaac Ude, Anslem Emecheta, Oluchi Eze, Ernest Anajemba, Ifeanyi Oguguo, Obina Okafor, Chukwu Daniel, Nwodo Friday, Ejike Okafor, Chinedu Okafor, Obinna Nwankwo, Chukwujekwu Izueke and Chukwuebuke Okafor, are standing trial on a three-count charge of unlawful possession of firearms, threat to life and malicious damage.

The accused were alleged to have in their possession one Mossberg pump action gun with no D325601, one Falcon Delux pump action gun no. 8783, and seven live cartridges which they openly brandished inside the market on November 4, last year.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

8

NEWS Igbo community backs Ajatta

One dead, 15 pupils injured in Ibadan road crash

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

MEMBERS of the Igbo Community in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, yesterday joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The new members, who were led by Chief Jonathan Duruchukwu, backed the governorship aspiration of Dr. Jaiyeola Ajatta.

At a rally held at the party’s Secretariat in Ore, Duruchukwu said the Igbo in Ondo State have been excluded in governance, unlike their counterparts in Lagos State, who are appointed into public offices.

He said the Igbo community is supporting Ajatta because of the programmes he has for them in his manifesto.

Ajatta, who received the Igbo community into the ACN, said he would involve them in governance, if elected.

He urged the people to contribute to the state’s growth and support the ACN, so that they can enjoy the dividends of democracy, which he said the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko has failed to deliver.

Umuahia group to honour Orji

•State govt picks hospital bill

A

BUS conductor was killed yesterday in an accident in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Fifteen pupils of Summit Comprehensive College and Mary Group of Schools were injured.

The pupils and the driver, who is said to be in a critical condition, are on admission at St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Eleta.

It was learnt that the commercial bus, marked Lagos XG 754 LSD, was taking the pupils to school about 7:30am, when the vehicle’s brake failed near Ogbere Bridge.

Eyewitnesses said the driver swerved into a make-shift cement shop to avoid plunging into the river.

Blood stained books and other items belonging to the pupils littered the scene.

The Coordinator of the Ibadan Catholic Health Mis-

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

sion, Rev. Father Clement Emerue, said the pupils are responding to treatment. He said the conductor was brought to the hospital dead.

Some parents at the entrance of the hospital...yesterday.

The state government commiserated with the parents of the deceased and the pupils.

It also said it would pay their medical bills.

House of Assembly Speaker

Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu; Commissioner for Health Muyiwa Gbadegesin; and the Chairman of the Hospitals Management Board, Alhaji Olaide Abass, visited the vic-

Mimiko is jittery, says Agunloye

F

ORMER Minister of Power and Steel Dr. Olu Agunloye has conBy Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie demned the alleged destrucTHE maiden Annual General tion of bill boards, posters and Meeting (AGM) of the campaign vehicles belonging Umuahia Premier Club to the opposition by agents (UPC) will hold in Lagos on of the Labour Party (LP) in Saturday at the Mobil Ondo State.

Pegasus Club, Apapa, by The former Head of the Fed10am. eral Road Safety Commission Highlights of the meeting (FRSC) and governorship asinclude the election of pirant of the Action Congress members of the national of Nigeria (ACN) said the alexecutive council and the leged attacks are signs that the conferment of honorary LP government is jittery. membership on Abia State Agunloye spoke with reGovernor Theodore Orji. porters yesterday at his Bodija The socio-cultural group home in Ibadan, the Oyo State was formed 22 years ago. It capital. is a community-based orHe said no amount of unganisation committed to the provoked attacks would dedevelopment of Umuahia ter Ondo people from voting communities. out the LP administration on October 20.

Agunloye urged the people

Oyo removes bad billboards

THE Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency has begun the removal of dilapidated billboards and posters on major roads across Ibadan, the state capital.

Director-General of the Agency Mr. Yinka Adepoju said the exercise, which began on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, will last for five days.

He said: “We want to rebrand Oyo State by improving its aesthetics. Indiscriminate display of billboards at road junctions and roundabouts would no longer be allowed.”

Adepoju advised advertising agencies to register with his agency.

•INSET: The remains of the bus...yesterday.

•Flays alleged attacks on opposition From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

to be resolute in their determination to effect a change in government.

He said: “Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration has spent a lot of money, which could have been used to develop the state, on media propaganda. It has created a sense of progress outside Ondo State using the media, but that is not the true situation of things in the state.

“Go to Ondo State, interact with people in the market and on the streets, and you will realise that the Mimiko they know is not the same Mimiko you see on the African Independent Television (AIT), Channels and so on.”

Agunloye alleged that Mimiko has spent over N300 million of public funds on the acquisition of 54 awards and “wasted N420 billon on the dressing of projects that were executed by former Governor OluSegun Agagu”.

He said: “What is the essence of being awarded the best governor of the year; the best swagger governor of the year etc, when you have not impacted positively on the life of your people.

“Instead of wealth creation, Mimiko has done what can be described as wealth cancellation and annulment. He met N420 billion in the state’s coffers and spent it without creating any industry, farm settlement or creating jobs.

“The effect of this is telling on our young people, who are carrying arms everywhere. All he has done are oju aiye (cosmetic projects). It is the same with the mega schools, mega hospitals and so on. They all smack of mega fraud.

“If Mimiko believes he will win the October 20 election, he will not be destroying the posters, bill boards and campaign vehicles of other candidates.

“Three of my campaign buses were destroyed on April 28 on my way to a rally in Igbokoda. That is not something people who are winning will do. The brains behind LP have defected to the ACN and many LP members will still do so.”

We’re not owing workers, says Ekiti Govt

T

HE Ekiti State Government has denied •Approves N138m electrification projects owing workers councils were responsible out by some of these eleApril salary. for the delay. ments to prevent them from It said it has paid the salary Afuye said 12 of the 16 of workers across the 16 lo- councils have paid their paying the workers.

“In Ekiti East, the salary cal government areas, but workers, but said an official some “elements” in the coun- of the Nigeria Union of Lo- documents were seized. In cils are preventing their cal Government Employee Ilejemeje, the NULGE Chairworkers from collecting (NULGE) in Ilejemeje, in a man issued a letter to the bank to stop the payment of their salaries. letter, told a bank manager Speaking with reporters not to credit the accounts of salary.”

The commissioner said after the State Executive the council’s staff. those responsible for the deCouncil meeting in AdoHe said: “We are bringing lay would be punished. He Ekiti, the state capital, the it to the notice of the public Commissioner for Informa- that in some local govern- said the Commissioner for tion and Civic Orientation, ments, Ijero for instance, the Local Government and Mr. Funminiyi Afuye, said people who are supposed to Community Development, some officials of a few of the pay the workers were locked Chief Dayo Fadipe, has

started meeting with the NULGE leadership to prevail on the situation.

Afuye said the government has approved the contract for the installation of 20 transformers in Ado-Ekiti and the Government Technical Colleges in Ikole and Ado at N138,547,639.15.

He said the contract includes the installation of some of the 100 transformers that were earlier procured by the administration.

Afuye said the project would ensure regular power supply and encourage small and medium scale industries.

PDP chieftain, LP members join ACN in Ondo

M

EMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

and the Labour Party (LP) in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The defectors, who were led by a former PDP chieftain, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa,

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

called for a change of government.

Aiyedatiwa, a financial consultant, lamented the poverty level in oil producing communities.

He said: “Governor Olusegun Mimiko might believe he is giving his best, but

that is not enough for the people of this community.

Our people cannot continue to live without potable water, schools, roads and electricity, among others.

“The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), which is expected to attend to the needs of our people,

has been collapsed by the present administration.

Since the exposure of the commission’s shortcomings was initiated by the ACN, Ilaje sons and daughters have decided to support the party.”

The former PDP chieftain lauded the ACN’s regional integration initiative. He

said it can be achieved, if Southwest states have the same social and political ideology.

Aiyedatiwa said: “Ondo State cannot be left out in these development agendas.

The only way Ondo can key into this programme is by allowing ACN to manage the affairs of the state.

tims in the hospital yesterday.

Describing the incident as “unfortunate”, the government officials thanked God that the children were not killed in the accident.

Ibadan PDP chieftain joins ACN From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

A

CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibadan,

the Oyo State capital, Mr. Wasiu Olafisoye, and his supporters yesterday defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Olafisoye, who was the chairman of Lagelu Local Government during the administration of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, led his supporters to the Governor’s Office yesterday to declare his support for the ACN. He said he dumped PDP because it lacks internal harmony and has failed to deliver good governance.

Olafisoye said: “PDP is unable to manage its internal crisis and the party lacks discipline. Members are doing as they please and there is no central leadership. Any wise person would know that now is the best time to abandon a ship without a captain and join a better one like the ACN in Oyo State.

“Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration has embarked on several projects that we could not execute when the PDP was at the helm of affairs. Look at the Mokola flyover, the free health mission, the building of several roads and bridges, and the rehabilitation of schools, to mention a few. It is only right to join a progressive train and play my role in developing Oyo State at this time.”

Olafisoye was accompanied by a member of the House of Assembly, Mr. Olatoye Temitope, a.k.a.

Sugar, who recently defected to ACN from the Accord.

They were received by Deputy Governor Moses Alake Adeyemo; ACN State Chairman Chief Akin Oke; Secretary Mojeed Olaoya; Commissioner for Information Bosun Oladele; and members of the State Executive Council and party leaders.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

9

10

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

NEWS PASCHAL BAFYAU (1947-2012)

Ex-Labour leader, Bafyau dies at 65

NOA condoles with NLC From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

T

HE Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri, yesterday sent a condolence message to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the family of the late Labour leader, Paschal Bafyau.

He said Bafyau’s life was a testimony of service to his fatherland.

In a statement in Abuja by NOA Chief Press Secretary, Paul Odenyi, Omeri said: “I write on behalf of the management and staff of the NOA to convey to the officials of the NLC and the family members, our condolences on the sudden death of the former NLC President, Paschal Bafyua.

“Comrade Bafyau was a foremost labour leader and politician who lived a purposeful life in the service of our nation and was truly dedicated to the emancipation of the common man, especially the workers.”

He was patriotic, says Mark From Onyedi Ojiabor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

S

ENATE President David Mark yesterday said he was shocked to hear of the death of the former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pascal Bafyau.

Mark, in a condolence message to the family, government and people of Adamawa State, said the late Bafyau till death was a “patriotic and selfless Nigerian.”

He added that his “non-violent labour campaign endeared him to many Nigerians.”

Mark urged the family to see the death as the will of God.

Oshiomhole: it’s labour’s loss

E

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has described the death of former President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Pascal Bafyau as “a singular colossal loss to the Labour Movement”.

In a condolence letter to the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Oshiomhole, who succeeded Bafyau, said: “Comrade Pascal appreciated the limitation of “bread and butter” struggle of trade unionism.

“He was convinced that organised working men and women must be politically relevant through party formation and contest for political power if they will truly overcome exploitation and ensure equitable distribution of state resources.

“His tenure witnessed labour struggle against military dictatorship and official attempt to divide the labour movement.

His indelible marks I took over from as the fourth President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in 1999 are significant and numerous to list.”

•The late Bafyau

F

ORMER President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Paschal Bafyau is dead. He died on Tuesday in Abuja at 65.

Sources said Bafyau returned from a meeting before he was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Abuja, where he passed on.

The sources said he returned from Yola to Abuja on Tuesday.

According to them, Bafyau,

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

who was very active till his last days, attended the May Day symposium.

The ex-labour chief was also in Benin City during the NLC condolence visit to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, whose Principal Private Secretary was assassinated.

NLC President Abdulwaheed Omar described the death as a big

blow to the labour movement.

In a statement Omar said: “Comrade Bafyau was the Congress President from 1988 to 1994. The five years he was NLC President were the turbulent years of the Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha regimes.

“He was elected NLC President in December 1988 after a 10-month seizure of the Congress by the Babangida regime. His Presidency ended in 1994 when the military under Abacha again seized the Congress.

“Despite this turbulent period in the country’s history, which included the June 12 crises, Comrade Bafyau made remarkable achievements as NLC President.

“These include the building of the 12-storey Labour House in Abuja, establishment of the Labour Transport Service (now Labour City Transport), the founding of the now defunct Labour Bank (LACON), and the establish-

ment of the old Labour Party in 1989.

“But perhaps what he would be best remembered for was the strive for a strong and united Labour Movement.

“This, saw in 1988, the uniting of the two factions of the NLC, the Democrats and Progressives, which were engaged in a fratricidal ideological struggle.

“Bafyau was Board Chairman of the National Mass Education Commission from 2009; member of the 1986 Political Bureau and the 1987 Constituent Assembly.

“He lived in the best traditions of the Labour Movement. He worked hard for sustainable democracy in the country. He also shunned material things; despite the height he attained in labour and politics, as at the time of his death, he lived in a rented house in Abuja.

“His death is a big blow to the Labour Movement and the democratic process in the country.”

Jonathan, Chime mourn passionate labour activists

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has described the late Pashal Bafyau as “an unassuming man,” who was passionate about labour issues and the interest of workers.

In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media), Jonathan said: “Bafyau displayed level-headedness, pragmatism and a good sense of reason while negotiating with government officials over the welfare of Nigerian workers.”

The President praised Bafyau’s stint in politics at both national and state levels and his contributions to the sustenance of enduring democracy.

He commiserated with the Bafyau family, the labour community and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , urging them to take comfort in the fact that the late comrade was a leading figure in the country’s labour movement.

Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime

has said the nation has lost yet another patriot and a true believer in national advancement.

Chime, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife, said the late labour leader fought for the cause of the common man.

The governor urged the family and Organised Labour to find solace in the positive contributions he had made to the development of the nation.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

The inevitability of taxation as a tool for economic transformation cannot be over emphasised, most especially when resources needed to carry out development projects are scarce and inadequate to cover all the areas requires attention.

- President Goodluck Jonatahn

Shell begins repairs of Nembe Creek Trunkline

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

T

HE Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture has started repairs of Nembe Creek Trunkline (NCTL) after shutting it on May 2 because of incessant crude theft.

On May 13, SPDC’s pipeline repairs team disconnected two six-inch lines through which thieves were stealing crude from the 97kilometre line. The team will tackle eight other illegal bunkering points as it continues to re-assert the integrity of the facility, which was inaugurated in 2010 for $1.1 billion to replace an older pipeline, the company said.

In a statement issued by the Corporate Media Relations Manager, Tony Okonedo, Mr Tony Attah, Vice-President, Health, Safety and Environment, Shell Sub-Saharan Africa said: “This is a difficult work requiring careful planning and digging up several sections of the line in swamp and land, investigating illegal bunkering points and deciding whether to clamp them or do sectional replacement.

“When you add the cost of repairs to the facility downtime and loss of revenue, it becomes clear how crude theft has denied Nigeria of badly-needed revenue.”

In December last year, the NCTL was shut for one month to repair leaks caused by crude thieves. The latest closure has led to the declaration of force majeure on export of Bonny Light.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (3rd left); CEO, Africa Renaissance Capital Mr Clifford Sacks (2nd left); Deputy CEO, Renaissance Alexander Mezzledko (left); CEO, West Africa Renaissance Capital Mrs Yvonne Ike (3rd right); Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Mrs Sola Oworu (second right) and Commissioner for Budget, Lagos State, Ben Akabueze at the Third Annual Pan-Africa Investors Conference at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos ... yesterday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

Sovereign Wealth Fund illegal, says Fashola

L

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) yesterday said the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) lacks the necessary legal backing, thereby making it difficult for governors to key into it.

He explained that until the controversial issues surrounding the fund are addressed, it will continually be seen as a high risk issue for investors.

Speaking at the Renaissance Capital’s Third Annual Pan-Africa Investor Conference in Lagos, Fashola said governors’ opposition to the SWF is borne out of distrust for the Federal Government’s ability to judiciously manage the funds and use it for what it is meant. “These

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$123.6/barrel Cocoa-$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N6.503 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -12.6% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -14.18% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $34.6b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 245 $ 156.4 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 241 RIYAL 40.472

By Collins Nweze

really are the issues. It is not that the governors are up in arms against the idea of savings. But we are asking what the rules of engagement are and do those rules of engagement work within the rules that bind all of us?” he asked.

He said: “Which funds are you saving? Are they yours or are they mine? Before you save on my behalf, there is also the need to address the issue of trust. How efficiently have you managed the funds that the federation has put in your trust? And what makes you the better saver and better investors.

And is the saving done within an expectable frame-

work of the constitution?

“Those are the issues surrounding the Sovereign Wealth Fund. For instance, the excess crude account has no constitutional legality.

And I think in trying to find a way around that, we create another solution that will be subject to constitutional scrutiny.

And, indeed, can we therefore build an economy whose constitutional scrutiny is questionable.And until these issues are resolved, there are risk issues for investors.” He said within a democratic environment, the process is as important as the result, adding that the law cannot be broken, in order to enforce the law.

“Now, even in our domestic economics that we do in our homes, it is known that you cannot consume everything that you produce. There must be some sense of savings and investments. Before you save on my behalf, there are also issues of trust. How efficiently have you managed the one that the federation has put in your trust and what makes you the better saver and the better investor.

And is this a savings that is to be made within the acceptable framework of the constitution? Those are the issues around the SWF and I think people should understand them,” he said.

Continuing, he noted: “What is the legal regime?

What is the financial regime

and what is the political regime? And, therefore, if for example, the excess crude account is something that is managed at the whims of certain leaders and there is no predictability.”

Fashola also wooed foreign investors present on the need to invest in Lagos, saying the government is putting in place some measures that will make the state attractive for investment. He called for specialised investment in the textile industry, saying this would help bring about the much-needed revival of the sector.

According to him, what is needed to drive the revival of the sector is not just funds but the necessary management capacity and knowledge.

Why GSM services are poor, by NCC

N

IGERIAN Communication Commission (NCC) has attributed poor telecoms services to the unusual growth of the sector in Nigeria. NCC’s Executive Vice-Chairman,Eugene Juwah, who spoke yesterday at a session with the Senate Committee on Communication, explained that the problem of quality of GSM service could be attributed in part to the fast growing telecoms industry in the country.

He said for over five years the country has become the fasted growing telecoms market in the world.

The NCC boss said the growth has consequences, especially on poor planning by the operators.

He said: “The problem of poor quality of GSM service can be attributed in part to the astronomical growth of the telecommunications market in Nigeria.

“For five years running, Nigeria was the fastest growing telecoms market in the world.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

As we are speaking today, Nigeria is the fastest growing telecoms market in Africa.

This growth has consequences and the consequences were low plan by the operators which we are seeing today that has resulted in poor quality of GSM services.

At a session, the lawmakers wondered why NCC has continued to condone poor services by the Global System of Mobile Telecommunications (GSM) in the country.

The lawmakers also demanded to know whether the GSM operators have paid the N1.1billion fine imposed on them.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gilbert Nnaji (PDP Enugu East) noted that the perennial worsening quality of GSM services in the country showed that both the regulators (NCC) and the operators have lost control.

Nnaji said to assist NCC to

execute projects aimed at improving infrastructure and enhance the quality of service, the Senate has approved funds for major projects of the commission.

The Committee chairman lamented that the sorry state of the prevailing telecoms quality of service leaves no one in doubt that these projects seemed not to be yielding any results.

He said: “This has attracted the attention of the Senate and Nigerians and our committee has been mandated to investigate the effectiveness of the service provided by the GSM service operators in order to get to the root of the recurring problem of poor quality of service.”

He added that in the near future the committee would conduct a public hearing and embark on over-sight visit to the facilities of the NCC and those of the GSM operators.

The Committee Chairman mandated the NCC to take steps to ensure that the GSM operators paid the

N1.1billion fines as directed.

He said such measures would serve as a deterrent on the service providers to improve the quality of their services to Nigerians.

Nnaji said the committee was not prepared to see Nigerians suffer in the hands of GSM operators in the country.

Responding, Juwah said NCC is very mindful of its duties as far as quality of service is concerned, adding that the regulator must act within the law.

“So, the law permits the regulator to make regulations that pertains to quality of service issues and I am happy to announce that we have been able to successfully gazette this regulation in January this year.

“Following the gazette I am happy to announce that we have clamped down on major operators with serious penalties and actions.”

He defended a budget of N48billion for this year with a projected N41.6billion revenue for the year.

According to Juwah, the recurrent expenditure would gulp N13.9billion while capital expenditure stood at N31.9billion.

He added that the NCC would also make a statutory transfer of N6.3billion spectrum fees to the federation account and N10.6billion contribution to the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

He stated that the NCC would soon complete work on the provision of a three digit emergency response code which has become very important in view of the security situation confronting the country.

He said the late gazetting of the NCC regulations made it impossible for sanctions to be applied in the past for poor quality of services.

On the payment of N1.1billion fine it imposed on some telecoms operators, he said some of the operators have responded with written requests for a meeting with NCC.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

12

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

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

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

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

nation’s waterways.

Briefing reporters at the end of yesterday’s meeting, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the aircraft would help the Customs border patrol capabilities, especially border routes that are not well-established and so easily used by smugglers to bypass official customs border posts.

He said: “Apart from plugging some loopholes in government’s anti-smuggling strategies, acquisition of the aircraft has become even more important as current security challenges in the country are also traceable to cross-border movements.”

The Council also approved the immediate implementation of the

African Union’s Green Wall Convention through the resuscitation of the National Council on Shelterbelt Afforestation, Erosion Control and Coastal Zones Management.

The Green Wall programme is aimed at reclaiming forests and flora in northern Nigeria and Africa lost to deforestation, and also to avert or reduce “environmental wars” among communities arising from desert encroachment in those areas.

The programme proposed by Nigeria in 2005 during an AU summit in Burkina Faso, and adopted in 2006.

The programme will cut across from Senegal to Ethiopia, and in Nigeria. It will span 1,700 kilometres from Kebbi to Adamawa State.

12.15 12.45

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

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

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 08.00 18.00

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

FE Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) has started a mango plantation aimed at generating no less than $15 million yearly. The mango plantation, which started last year has five mango species of 500,000 mangoes on the farm.

Speaking at the inauguration of a bridge that leads to the plantation, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, commended the agric initiative and reiterated the commitment of his administration to generating at least 50 per cent of its Internally Generated Revenue from the sector, adding that the Afe Babalola initiative is worth emulating.

Dr. Fayemi said the recently launched Youth Commercial Agriculture Development programme was aimed at repositioning the state as the food basket of the Southwest as well as generating employment for the unemployed, but creative youths in the state.

He said the effort of Babalola in committing such resources to the development of the state is laudable, describing it as “an uncommon commitment to humanity.”

He said ABUAD represents a clear departure from the disconnect between town and gown.

“When an individual, but an individual of no mean repute, commits his resources to something that is in the overall larger interest of not just our state but also the country, it speaks volume about the character and quality of that individual and not just about the resources because we know that there are several Nigerians that are endowed with resources but they dont put the resources in this kind of thing for benefiit to the community”, he lauded.

Madueke deploys experts to field over gas to power

09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

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

LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

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HE Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) has received Federal Government’s approval to purchase a surveillance aircraft to monitor the country’s numerous borders.

The aircraft, Cessna Citation surveillance aircraft, which will cost N1.73 billion, has a delivery period of four months.

The decision was reached yesterday at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

This is the second time in one week that FEC is devoting resources on NCS to boost its operational capacity. Last week, a N3. 073billion contract was approved for the NCS for the purchase of two new KND P.249 aluminium high speed boats to combat the security challenges on the

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40

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

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik

to Customs gets N1.73b for ABUAD generate $15m from mango surveillance aircraft A T

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

•Chairman, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kolawole B. Jamodu (middle)flanked by MD/CEO, Mr Nicolaas A. Vervelde (left) and Company Secretary/Legal Adviser Uaboi G. Agbebaku, during the company’s 66 th Annual PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE General Meeting (AGM) at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos ... yesterday.

NERC urges DISCOs to submit metering plans

T

HE Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday directed the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Limited to submit their metering plans.

NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, gave the directive during an oversight visit to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), one of the PHCN firms in Zone 4, Wuse Abuja. He said the distribution companies are expected to complete the metering process between 12 and 18 months.

The impromptu visit, he stated, is in preparation for the new MultiYear Tariff Order(MYTO) scheduled to start next month.

He said: “ The other issue is about

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

the metering plan. We told them that between 12 and 18 months we should be able to meter all customers. The idea is that they are not going to use their money. Even if they take a loan there will be a process for repayment. So, we expect them to refer to us their metering plans. If you are going to say for one month, we are going to meter 100 customers, you tell us where those customers are, so that we can go and cross check. Nigerians should understand that we are not going to meter everybody in one day. “ He said the tariff is yet to take place, stating that an announce-

ment would precede the takeoff date.

He explained that though the distribution company knows what the new tariff is, it has not been officially given; therefore, nobody can charge the new tariff until the order has been signed and sent to the company.

Amadi said the chief executive officers of the distribution companies have been instructed to publish their business units, including their telephone numbers, emails and customers’ care units.

He further noted that the energy users have the right to forward their complaints to the distribution firms and if they are not satisfied with the reaction, they could then complain to the commission.

Reps orders NITEL to remove obsolete cables

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HE House of Representatives has urged the troubled Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) to remove its obsolete cables from major streets across the country.

The lawmakers also advised telecommunication service providers, especially providers of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to ensure that laying of underground cables, where necessary should be carried out in line with international best practices.

Sponsor of the motion, Segun

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

Williams (ACN, Ogun), regretted environmental hazards the advent of GSM and the sloppiness of NITEL has caused the people.

He said: “Ten years of GSM and CDMA operations, streets in the country are still being littered with these NITEL cables, erected on wooden and rotten poles loaded with intertwined cobweb of overhanging dirty wires.

“Major streets across the country are replete with intertwined, obso-

lete, analog, and unused NITEL cables. The frequent collapsing of wooden poles pose health and safety hazards as well as contributes to the defacing of our urban centers”.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was, however, urged to initiate measures to remove NITEL obsolete cables nationwide.

The motion was referred to the House Committee on Communication for further legislative input and report back to the House without delay.

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N furtherance of her 12-month Gas Emergency timeline to improve gas supply to power generating stations, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has directed a team of gas experts to start a week-long tour of gas installations and projects listed for the production of additional gas under the Gas Supply Emergency Programme.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC), Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, in a statement yesterday, said the tour which tees-off from Utorogu Gas Plant in Delta State, today, is geared towards eliminating bottlenecks in the drive to ensure adequate gas supply for power needs.

He said: “This is a very crucial task; that’s why the minister has directed the Group Executive Director in charge of Exploration and Production at the NNPC, Andy Yakubu, to lead the inspection. The team is expected to report back to the Minister on a project-by-project basis.

Nigeria to sell N126b in treasury bills

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IGERIA plans to auction N126.33 billion ($800.19 million) in treasury bills ranging from three-month to one-year maturities at its regular monthly debt auction on May 23, the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) said yesterday.

The apex bank said it would issue N30.65 billion in 91-day paper, N45 billion in 182-day bills andN 50 billion in 364-day bills next week Wednesday.

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

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INDUSTRY

Reps can’t probe firms, says private sector

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HE House of Representatives planned investigation and tax audit of about 180 companies is unconstitutional, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) has said.

Speaking with The Nation at a press briefing in Lagos, the Chairman, Dr. Ademola Ajayi, said industrialists are disturbed by the move.

He said OPS had instructed its members not to comply with the directive.

By the move, the House is over reaching itself said Ajayi, who is also President of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

"We have instructed our members not to allow the House Committee on Finance or firm of Olusola Adekanola & Co, to carry out a tax audit of their companies.

"We believe the said advertorial

Stories by Toba Agboola

by the committee should not compel any company in the private sector to open its doors for any form of audit/investigation not backed by law "This is an over function by the House and we urge them to allow the private sector thrive,” he said.

Ajayi said the issue is still in court.

"Good enough , a motion against this action has already been filed in the Federal High Court in the interest of civility, orderliness and sustenance of our nascent democracy. We all look forward to the pronouncement of the court on this land mark case, which we hope will resolve the controversy over the scope of the oversight powers of the National Assembly."

According to him, Nigeria is operating a Presidential system of government, which is anchored on

the principle of separation of powers , adding that what the lawmakers are seeking to do by reason of their action is an executive responsibility being discharged by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which has the statutory responsibilities to assess , collect and account for taxes, conduct audit of the books of tax payers and penalise defaulters.

"We hope that the law makers will act intelligently on this issue," Ajayi said.

Meanwhile, Ajayi, has faulted the Federal Government over the clamp down on illegal refineries .

He said the development is counter-productive.

The government through the Joint Military Task Force recently sealed off about 1,000 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region.

Last month, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned four persons before a Federal High Court in Uyo on four count charge of conspiracy, illegal dealing and refining of petroleum products.

Ajayi said the action of the Federal Government would further compound the sector’s supply chain of petroleum products.

He said: “We believe the Ministry of Petroleum Resources rather than destroying these illegal and stubborn stakeholders/operators involved should come up with regulations spelling out the criteria to make such illegal refineries become legal.

“If this is effectively done, it would boost local supply capacity of petroleum products, creating jobs and invariably may also reduce prices when competition fully

takes its course.

To ensure strict compliance to the laid down criteria, there is the need for the Department of Petroleum Resources to assume effective supervisory role.”

Ajayi also spoke on the plan to list the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on the Stock Exchange market, saying the development will enhance service delivery to the citizens.

He advised that all public utilities should be privatised to ensure better operational efficiency in line with private sector-led policy.

He also advised that the Bureau of Public Enterprises should re-examine and review all the failed leases and concessions in order to determine the gray areas and revoke those that are not performing.

Aganga: SMEs employ over 31m

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INISTER of Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga has said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have risen to 17 million, employing over 31 million Nigerians.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aganga said MSME account for over 80 per cent of the total number of enterprises in Nigeria and employ 75 per cent of the workforce.

In a statement issued by the Minister’s Senior Special Adviser on Communication, Yemi Kolapo, Aganga said in the last one year of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the results of new SMEs policies and schemes in terms of job creation had shown that if given the necessary support, SMEs would provide the foundation for sustain-

able growth and poverty alleviation .

“But their contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is still relatively low due to major constraints in the operating environment which has limited their abilities to create jobs and perform the vital role of enhancing economic growth and development,” he said.

He said in the next three years, Nigerians should expect more SMEs with enhanced productivity.

He said a national database had been developed in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics which was the first step in the effective tackling of the problems of the sector.

Aganga said a committee, comprising experts in the various fields relating to the major bottlenecks in the sector was already being set up to ensure that the country achieved a turnaround before the end of this administration.

‘40% cassava-in-bread policy may fail’

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ILL the cassava bread policy fly? Less than two months to its take off, stakeholders in the bakery and confectionery sector are doubtful about the success.

While admitting that the policy had immense benefits, operators said store of logistic and operational challenges have yet to be addressed.

These, they said, would combine with poor psychological reorientation of the consumers in accepting the bread.

The President, Association of Master Bakers, Confectioners and Caterers of Nigeria, Mr Bayo Folarin, said the government is yet to show bakers the recipe required to make the policy fly, despite facing its take-off date for July 1.

He said: “In the first place, the government, which is the driver and promoter of the new policy, has not imported any of the required equipment . We are bakers; all we do is to go to millers to procure flour. In the case of wheat flour, it has always been easy. But shifting and moving away from this through the new policy entails many things, including total restructuring of our machinery in the areas of bakery and cassava processing into the required flour standard

“Till date, the Federal Government has not brought in any of the new equipment that will be needed, in the processing and blending that will produce the expected 60 per cent of wheat and 40 per cent of cassava in bread.”

Besides, he said bakers had yet to receive training on the new baking techniques that would be involved in the production of the final product.

Folarin recalled that the policy actually started in the dying days of the military in governance in the country, adding that former President Olusegun Obasanjo took it up and passed it to the current administration.

He said the implementation of the policy failed earlier due to poor preparation, deficient logistics and lack of the techniques involved.

Folarin said: “This is the third era this same policy will come up. A military administration put the percentage of cassava in bread at six.

Later, Obasanjo said it would be 30 per cent, which was later reduced to five per cent; but all these did not work because of these challenges.”

“We are waiting to see how the 40 per cent inclusion of cassava in bread will work.

•From left: Member of the Executive, NACCIMA, Mr Dimeji Owofemi, Ajayi and Director-General,NACCIMA

Mr John Isemede, at the briefing.

`PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

•From left: Managing Director/CEO, UBA ,Mr Phillip Oduoza, Board Member, Nigeria Economic Summit

Group (NESG), Udeme Ufot, Chairman , NESG, Mr Foluso Phillips and Secretary, NESG, Omolayole Fagbure, at the NESG Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja.

Foreign Direct Investment to Nigeria, others hit $554b

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ETWEEN 1998 and 2010, Nigeria and other African countries attracted $554 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), according to a report just released by KPMG Africa.

The report was released at the World Economic Forum on Africa, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The report entitled: African Emergence—The Rise of the Phoenix, revealed new themes around the three mega-

trends shaping business in Africa, specifically high demand for natural resources, increased consumerism by an emerging African middle class and large-scale investments in infrastructure.

Though the report stated that FDI in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries increased dramatically over the last decade, from $110 billion at the end of 1998 to $554 billion at the end of 2010, it noted that the

overall FDI was still relatively small compared to other emerging market economies.

According to the report ,China attracted $578.8 billion at the end of 2010, more than all African countries combined, while Brazil had FDI worth $472.6 billion within the same time.

The report said empirical evidence has indicated that in a few years time, South Africa may no longer be the largest economy on the continent, as

Nigeria and other countries are likely to close the gap.

Commenting, the Chairman, KPMG Africa Limited, Yunus Suleman said: “FDIs are essential components of Africa’s sustainable, positive future.

And it’s good for investors too. There is undoubtedly money to be made in Africa, which is recognised today as one of the world’s most attractive high growth markets.”

Suleman said improvement in the

business, political and macroeconomic environments across the continent have made African economies more attractive for FDIs than ever before.

He said the end of the cold war, which ended more than two decades ago brought new freedom to Africa, adding that people started to demand political representation, besides calling on governments to be more transparent.

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INDUSTRY Firm introduces products

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•From left: Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji; his Trade and Investment counterpart Olusegun Aganga and Chairman Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during a workshop on enhancing the productivity of industries, organised by the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry in Lagos.

Ogun to provide enabling environment for investors

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GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosu has assured investors of an enabling environment.

He pledged the formulation of a framework which will open the state for business.

This, he said would result in long term benefits for the investors and the people.

According to him, his first step is tackling insecurity which the government was confronted with and on which it has so far spent not less than N4 billion.

Amosun said his administration has embarked on the construction of new roads and rehabilitation of old ones to foster economic growth.

“This has seen to the fixing of semi-urban, urban and rural roads in the nooks and crannies of the state in addition to some roads which cut across neighbouring states.

“The Ogun State government is also in the vanguard of the call

for the review of the concession agreement entered into by the Federal Government and a private construction firm over the refurbishing and expansion of the decrepit Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the handover of the work to governors of the old Western Region.

“Knowing that key to the anticipated economic growth of the state is a friendly climate with prompt response to enquiries the government created the Trade and Investment department as well as a one-stop shop that will reduce bureaucratic holdup for investors, “he said.

In realisation of the fact that land plays a key role in production, the government also announced very generous rebates for those interested in purchasing land for various purposes.

Discounts offered are 80 per cent for agriculture, 60 per cent for manufacturing, 40 per cent for commercial and 75 per cent for community and religious

use.

Convinced that it had taken the right steps that would engender the needed friendly atmosphere for business to thrive, the state government between March 26 and 27 hosted entrepreneurs, policy makers, diplomats, business men and women among others to an investors’ forum where it reeled out the potentials of the state and how ready it is to give prospective investors value for their money.

The keynote address by the former Taoisearch (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, Mr Patrick Bartholomew Ahern gave impetus to the efficacy of the economic policy thrust of the government.

Ahern fondly called Bertie, served as the longest head of the Irish government and also functioned at various times as minister of industry and commerce as well as labour and finance. He was also the president of the European Council in 2004.

Steel manufacturers worried over importation

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ANUFACTURERS of steel have expressed worry over the Federal Government’s policy on duty-free importation of steel , saying it will affect local producers.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos at an infrastructure and construction exhibition, the General Manager of Phoenix Steel Mills Limited, Mr Prasoon Kashyap, stated that local manufacturers faced massive challenges in the country.

“Our locally manufactured steel is cheaper than imported steel, despite government’s fairly substantial ef-

By Toba Agboola

forts to kill the domestic industry by allowing duty-free import of steel.

We have challenges in this country to run our industry. The industrial process is not fully developed.

"We cannot be compared with people operating in Ukraine, China and Germany and compare us on cost. I don’t know whether the policy is well-intentioned or not. I cannot comment on that but the net effect of that duty-free import has been to kill the local manufacturers or reduce the quality of their products,” he said.

On his company’s efforts on local capacity building, Kashyap said 1,200 Nigerians are working at all levels of the company, adding that they are all versed with the operation of the plants.

He, however, noted that the company’s technology was not an inhouse technology but a technology known worldwide.

Kashyap however said that value additions from scrap to iron rod is about 200 per cent, adding that local content in scrap, in terms of cost, is 40 per cent of the cost of the rod.

Classic industry produces black soap

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LASSIC soap industries , an Indian soapmaking company, has started the production of MediBath black soap.

Managing Director, Classic Soap Industry, Mr Murli K. U. in Lagos at the official launching of the product said the soap is produced to fight enzymes, body rashes and odor.

According to Head Of Marketing,Kamal Somwani, the company has made an impact in

By Oluwakoya Paul

Nigeria since 2005 since the Federal Government banned importation of soap.

“We are the first company that started manufacturing soap in Nigeria after the Federal Government put an embargo on soap importation in 2005 and we are very proud of producing giant brands. This new soap is an anti-acne and anti-irritant product which marks a rare difference, “ he said

Said Somwani: “The company is proud of producing giant brands such as medisoft medicated soap, medibath anti mosquito soap, medibath family antiseptic soap, classic white soap, olive beauty soap and dora beauty soap.

All the brands have reached new heights only because of our valued customers that have shown support and confidence on classic products. The soap is NAFDAC approved,”

HE management of Hardis and Dromedas Limited, makers of the popular Royallux range of beauty products, has introduced a new formulation of antiseptic cleansing astringent, Royallux Classic, into the market.

This was disclosed to journalists by the Chairman of the company, Mr Chike Obidigbo at a briefing in Lagos.

According to him, the rationale behind the new offering is in line with the commitment of the company to meet the ever changing need of its consumers alongside the desire to reinforce its strength as a local brand.

He said: “The essence is to meet with the needs of our consumers. Having identified this need, we deemed it fit to bring a product that would meet their yearnings.

“That is the reason we are taking it upon ourselves to introduce this new product.

“Our drive is to fill all existing gaps in the market. We want to

ensure that a wide spectrum of users are accommodated based on their different skin texture.

Our 26years of experience in the business of skin beauty has placed us in good stead to know what would best suit the interest of our consumers.”

He said the product offers a new process that leaves the complexion more clearer and healthier.

Obidigbo urged the government to give serious attention to indigenous manufacturers while also providing the enabling infrastructure that would make them thrive.

“I believe if the government can provide the necessary support for indigenous firms, some of the businesses will create a brand that can stand any form of competition locally and internationally.

“In the long term ,small scale businesses will have the capacity to create opportunities for young people to be employed,” he said.

Stakeholders seek intervention fund for tourism

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TAKEHOLDERS in the tour ism industry have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently set up an intervention fund for the sector, to enable it leverage on the boom it is witnessing.

They made this call in Lagos at the weekend during the maiden edition of the Nigerian tourism investors’ dinner with the theme: ‘Towards Increasing Tourism GDP. Essential Interiors magazine, Nigeria’s premier interior design magazine, and Palm3 Concepts, a leading Pan African strategic communications firm specialising in Southern and Western Africa emerging markets, organised the event, which attracted stakeholders across the country.

A book titled: “Luxury Hotels and Hotels in West Africa,’ authored by Titi Ogufere, publisher of the magazine, was unveiled to the public at the event.

In his remarks at the occasion, former Governor of Cross River State and Chairman of the occasion, Mr Donald Duke, said the call has become necessary because investors in the Nigerian tourism sector are currently grappling with challenges, one of which he noted, is absence of long-term funding opportunities.

Cheap funding at concessionary interest rates, will help drive down the perceived high cost of accommodation in luxury hotels in the country, he added.

Tourism, he explained, is driven largely by foot traffic, pointing out

that a city such as London developed through tourism.

Duke said the Federal Government should strive to create an enabling environment to encourage more investments in the tourism sector, which he described as the gateway to the nation’s economy.

The Lagos State Minister of Tourism, Mr Disu Halloway, who was special guest of honour at the event that was attended by stakeholders in the hotel business, assured of the government’s readiness to create an enabling environment that would support investments in tourism.

According to him, the biggest role of the government is ensuring safety of investments and putting in place adequate infrastructure, particularly electricity.

Explaining the motivation for convening the forum, Mr. Ndiana Matthew, President, Palm3 Concepts said: “This potentially dynamic sector has not been successful in securing incentives for proposed investment despite its potential. Funding through the financial sector still poses a daunting challenge as well as the management and new development of key tourism infrastructure around the sub region.”

He expressed regrets that even though Nigeria attracted the largest investment in hotel infrastructure on the African continent ahead of South Africa and Kenya, last year, the nation has yet to tap fully into her huge tourism potential.

SMEDAN pledges support for NEPAD

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HE Small and Medium En ter-prises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has pledged its support for the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) on its upcoming Global Partnership Week and other activities related to the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The Director-General, SMEDAN, Alhaji Muhammad Nadada Umar made the remarks when the NEPAD Business Group’s Executive Secretary, Aniebo Roberts and members of his team visited him in Abuja.

While praising the NEPAD Group for their passion to effect

desirable change in the economy through the development of the private sector, Umar promised to bring other relevant agencies of government on board to make contributions toward achieving the set objectives of the group.

“SMEDAN supports these partnerships with the belief that better results and efficiency can be achieved in SME development,” he said.

Earlier, Roberts had said the purpose of their visit was to notify the agency of the proposed global partnership week in celebration of the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) and seek areas of partnership and support from SMEDAN.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Triumph of truth •President Jonathan should immediately restore vindicated Justice Salami

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N a complete reversal of its decision to suspend the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Ayo Salami, in August 2011, the National Judicial Council (NJC) last week directed that he should be reinstated. The council has notified President Goodluck Jonathan to that effect. The decision is an unambiguous personal triumph for the beleaguered PCA, as well as a decisive victory for the rule of law and efficacy of due process.

Salami had been embroiled in a highstakes scandal that reached the highest levels of the nation’s judiciary. He had courageously exposed alleged attempts of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, to get him to influence the outcome of an electoral tribunal judgment in Sokoto State. His refusal to play along had led to his forced promotion to the Supreme Court of Ni-

‘There can be no excuse for any pretence at deliberation since the NJC’s decision to reinstate Salami was clearly unambiguous. The president cannot now be contemplating long-winded procedures that he refused to consider when the shoe was on the other foot.

Not only does it offend notions of natural justice to Salami as the injured party, it also jeopardises the president’s default status as an impartial figure standing above judicial fray’

geria, a Greek gift that he had naturally refused, given its suspicious provenance and the fact that, as PCA, he was, in any case, of equal rank with a Supreme Court judge. His forthrightness was met with an inexplicable suspension by an NJC panel of enquiry that had clearly declined to consider all the evidence before it and had suspended him in defiance of a court order instructing it to stay action on the matter.

While it lasted, the suspension saga showed the Nigerian judiciary at its disgraceful worst. There was an outgoing chief justice whose personal integrity was in doubt, an NJC that seemed to be more interested in preserving the status quo than in getting to the root of the matter, and a Presidency which appeared to be determined to protect its own partisan interests rather than those of the nation.

As is typical of most things Nigerian, however, the NJC’s decision to reinstate Justice Salami has raised more questions than answers. Perhaps the most pressing of these is the seeming reluctance of President Goodluck Jonathan to act with the speed that he demonstrated when he confirmed the NJC’s decision to suspend Salami. According to reports, the President is studying the report in order to be properly appraised of the options open to him.

He is said to be wondering, for instance, whether Salami’s restoration should be made via the Presidency or the Senate.

This action, if true, would be laughable if the situation were not so serious. There can be no excuse for any pretence at deliberation since the NJC’s decision to re-

instate Salami was clearly unambiguous. The president cannot now be contemplating long-winded procedures that he refused to consider when the shoe was on the other foot. Not only does it offend notions of natural justice to Salami as the injured party, it also jeopardises the president’s default status as an impartial figure standing above judicial fray. That could have grave implications for public perceptions of the Presidency. As the executive part of the country’s three arms of government, it must assiduously avoid any actions which could create the perception that it is attempting to interfere with the operations of any of the other arms.

The NJC’s decision also raises the question of what is to be done about the issues that gave rise to the suspension saga in the first place. Justice Salami had made serious allegations against the then Chief Justice of Nigeria. In an attempt to resolve the matter, the NJC had ordered him to apologise. He refused, insisting on the truth of his allegations, and was suspended by the council as a result.

If the NJC has now seen it fit to ask that the president reinstate him, it follows that his initial accusations must have had some merit. It is vital that all attempts to sweep the matter under the carpet be strongly resisted, because the implications for clean elections and a durable electoral litigation process are too dire to be contemplated. The innocent have been exonerated; it is now time to identify and punish the guilty.

House of cards •Court throws out Governor Yari of Zamfara State from his house of dubious ownership

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HAT do we put this down to?

Was it dubiety, ignorance, impunity or the sheer rascality of the people of power? For whatever we may say, all these elements are complete in this dramatic tale of a governor and what is clearly his house of cards. The thrust of the story is that Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has been thrown out of an Abuja residence he used to call his home.

A high court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had declared, since June 11, 2010 that the Zamfara chief executive was occupying the house illegally. But having delayed (or refused) to quit after nearly two years, the court ordered his eviction from the house recently. Governor Yari was said to have rented the five-bedroom duplex in high-brow Asokoro area of Abuja in 2008 when he was a member of the House of Representatives. Two years later, he was said to have purchased it from a certain agent said to be on the run now.

However, the bona fide owner, Sir Ernest Elochukwu, had gone to court to seek redress and this he got when the presiding judge signed an eviction order in 2010 sending Yari packing. The judge also ordered Yari to pay the sum of a little over N10 million representing profit from two years rent for the house. Having not complied with the order of the court, Yari was late April evicted and his personal belongings fifaed by the court.

If Yari was not a governor and be-

fore then, a federal lawmaker, this matter would probably have been dismissed as one of such numerous property scams that are commonplace in big cities. If he was not an educated and prominent public servant, he may have been excused for perhaps acting out of ignorance. But this is clearly a case of conversion of property; besides, this transaction was consummated when Yari was in the House of Representatives. He had rented the property from the lawful owner and down the line he had sought to acquire the property in a most curious manner without recourse to the bona fide owner.

As if taking the rightful owner through a tortuous court process was not enough, Yari would not obey a court order for nearly two years even when he evidently did not appeal the judgment. Not even the fact that he became the governor of a state swayed him to respect the courts of the land and act with decency and decorum.

It seems he would rather face the odium of forceful eviction than act in a manner that is in tune with civility and his high office.

In better ordered societies, Yari would not have lost only his so-called Abuja home, he would surely have his high position dangling on the line by now if he doesn’t get a jail sentence to boot. Yari had committed a criminal act by converting someone else’s property and in addition, he had displayed untrammeled impunity

and a scant regard for the court of the land and the rule of law.

It is apparent that Yari is not in any mood to obey the law or respect the judgment passed by the court; but we must remind him that having immunity as a sitting governor does not make him above the law. We advise that the matter must be kept in view until he is out of office whereupon he would be arrested and committed to prison until he has obeyed the court to the letter.

If this gives an inkling as to how Governor Yari runs Zamfara State, then we have nothing to add than to offer our prayers on behalf of the indigenes of the already vastly denuded land. Someone in such high office owes the society a duty to exhibit a more exemplary behaviour than we have witnessed.

‘If this gives an inkling as to how Governor Yari runs Zamfara State, then we have nothing to add than to offer our prayers on behalf of the indigenes of the already vastly denuded land. Someone in such high office owes the society a duty to exhibit a more exemplary behaviour than we have witnessed’

Europe needs Germany to lighten up

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T MAY ALREADY be too late to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debts and leaving the euro, Europe’s common

currency. But there still may be time to prevent Greece’s woes from dragging down the rest of Europe, and the world. For that to happen, though, Europe’s leaders must think clearly about the issues before them, especially the great “austerity vs. growth” debate.

When European and, indeed, U.S. critics condemn austerity, what they usually have in mind is the combination of tax hikes, spending cuts and structural reforms that Germany and other surplus-earning countries in the northern half of the continent, as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are imposing on the debtors in the south, in return for financial support.

In their demand for growth, however, the critics fail to explain how to fund it. Countries such as Spain, Italy and Portugal have lost credibility in global bond markets — and competitiveness in the global market for goods and services. Under any reasonable scenario, even one in which Germany and the IMF relaxed deficit-reduction targets, these countries would still have to shed wasteful government programs, improve tax compliance and, most of all, make their labor markets more flexible.

What deserves more attention is the threat to Europe from austerity in the surplus countries.

Despite its super-competitiveness with respect to its neighbors, Germany (and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands) continues to slash budget deficits and restrain wages. Between 2008 and 2011, Spain cut unit labor costs by 8.5 percent, compared with the rest of Europe. That’s great — until you consider that Germany also cut its labor costs by almost 2 percent, maintaining its wide lead over everyone else. If this keeps up, the debtors will never be able to boost exports, which is their least painful path to growth and solvency.

Only in Germany, perhaps, could irresponsible policy take the form of self-denial. As economist Simon Tilford of the Center for European Reform puts it: “Any attempt to permanently lock-in [German] competitiveness gains will simply perpetuate the crisis.” Germany cannot demand sacrifice from its European partners without also conceding to them a share of the market and enabling increased German demand for imports.

By the way, there’s some justice in this, since German banks loaned Spain et al. much of the money they spent on German products during the boom.

Fortunately, there are signs that Berlin is waking up to these facts. The German government recently approved a 6.5 percent pay increase over two years for public-sector workers; Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also backs higher wages for German private-sector workers in the current round of collective bargaining. Mr. Schaeuble specifically cited the need to “reduce imbalances in Europe.” Germans have even begun to debate the sensitive issue of allowing a modest degree of inflation in their country, which is the natural way to offset deflation in the southern reaches of the euro currency union.

A more import-friendly stance will be resisted in Germany, by the country’s powerful export industries and by inflation-wary consumers. It is hardly a sufficient condition for European recovery. But it is a necessary one. For the good of Europe, the Germans are just going to have to grit their teeth and throw themselves a party.

– Washington Post

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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IR: I have been going through some national dailies for the past one week or so to see if the Osun State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) would praise the state government for sponsoring 98 clinical students of the state university to Karazin University, Ukraine, to enable them complete their studies. The affected students, as we learnt, are in 300, 400 and 500 levels and could not continue their medical training for the past three years as there is no accredited teaching hospital in UNIOSUN where they could be trained to become qualified medical doctors. The state government then decided to take the bull by the horns by setting aside about N146million for the medical programme which would last for two years.

Ordinarily, one would have expected the opposition party to hail the move. Surprisingly, I have not come across any report where it did. No, expectedly, it would neither condemn the action as a

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Osun PDP: How not to play opposition politics waste of scarce resources since it was the PDP maladministration in the state that caused the problem.

To me, the PDP’s deafening silence now is hypocritical for an opposition party with eye to see everything evil in the action or inaction of the state government.

Of recent, the party raised the roof over the Cuba trip and the so-called security report, saying that the planned sponsorship of about 50 people to Cuba was an attempt by Governor Rauf Aregbesola to give military training to some people that would be used to forment trouble in the state. They even went as far as sponsoring false

publication that SSS had stopped the Cuba delegation at the Lagos Airport. I was taken in just like other gullible Nigerians.

I was not a little surprised to read it in some newspapers few days later that the delegation actually made the Cuba trip. The 50-member delegation was said to comprise eminent indigenes of the state like traditional rulers, commissioners, traditional religion practitioners, women leaders, market leader, government officials, medical doctors and members of collaborating political parties! So who is fooling who? Are these eminent personalities the same

youths billed to undergo military training in Cuba?

To clear the air, the state government had told Nigerians that their mission in Cuba was to study the organization of cultural tourism in which the Cubans have perfected and transformed into economic mainstay.

If they could learn and replicate this here, won’t it be another source of revenue to the state and the country at large? So, why embarking on unnecessary propaganda to truncate such a laudable objective ? I guess the opposition party is into all these lies to set the people against the

Governor Obi: Wonder worker of Awka North

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IR: Once upon a time, there lived a people forgotten by their leaders who gave them the impression that they did not belong to the state. Those people lived and still live in a place called Awka North, comprising several rustic communities. They had no access roads to their place and teachers refused postings to those areas.

When it rained, the bad roads leading to the areas became worse, leaving people with no option than to use boats with the attendant dangers. Yet these people represented the food basket of the state.

But when the Awka North people

had lost all hopes of salvation, Peter Obi came calling. He embarked on a rescue mission to bring the marooned communities of Awka North back to civilization. He faced the abandoned broken down bridge at Amansea/Ebenebe after tarring the road leading to it.

He commissioned an Egyptian company renowned for its prowess to construct the bridge. When some natives doubted his sincerity, he took one of their traditional rulers and others, including a journalist from the area to see firsthand the construction of that bridge in Egypt.

They went, saw and believed.

In September last year, the bridge was brought home to a heroic

welcome. Today the bridge has been placed across the river and vehicles can now pass over there.

People no longer have need of canoes and the dangers associated with river crossings are gone forever!

Obi then faced the Mgbakwu bridge and urged the contractors to give it their best. Mgbakwu is the other gateway to Awka North from Okpuno in Awka. Today I passed there and what I saw was simply bewitching. I saw a beautiful bridge and what more the road across it and leading to Mgbakwu is being tarred. It is really a sight to behold.

I learnt that the crowds of people I saw there daily gather to make sure

that what is happening is not a dream.

What Obi is doing at that place is what he is doing in many rural areas, a development that has made Anambra the state with the best road network. While other states are whited sepulchres with only the townships looking good, Obi remembers that there are human beings living in the rural areas. These are the people ignored by past regimes but saved by Obi. I advise those who haven’t gone to see the Mgbakwu wonder to go and see it now. Its beauty will add a day to your lives, certainly.

• Paul Ezedum, Abagana, Anambra State

Aregbesola administration so that there would be riot, chaos and total breakdown of law and order in the state. They must have thought that it is only by doing so that they could capture the state in the next election.

Let it be sounded loud and clear that violence is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. We have seen what happened in the First republic; the old Ondo State in 1983 and the bloodbath currently going on in Somalia.The genesis of all these is nothing but propaganda.

My advice to PDP is to bridle its tongue and shelve its plan to turn Osun State into Somalia.

• Lai Adeyemi, Iwo, Osun State.

Onabanjo Varsity needs Amosun’s attention

S

IR: Governor Ibikunle Amosun should come to our aid in Olabisi Onabanjo University,Ago-Iwoye,Ogun State.

The problem of transportation, inadequate library facilities, astronomic increase in school fees and many more are alarming and worrisome as many students quit their academic pursuit due to financial constraints. Others left in the school are struggling to learn in a proper and conducive academic environment.

We urge the state government to urgently intervene before the situation becomes degenerates to a disaster.

• Longe Omolaja, Mass-Communication Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

21

EDITORIAL/OPINION

Nigeria: a secular or multi religious state - 2

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N this issue, even though one can understand why Muslim women and girls may want to cover themselves up on religious basis, every effort must be made not to abandon the concept of a secular state because Nigeria cannot survive a religious conflict and we do not need to re-invent the wheels in this particular case of a secular state because the history of Western Civilization has proved conclusively that secularity works and is the best way in a religiously plural country. The alternative of religious, conflicts and confrontation, is not in the interest of social and political stability of any country. Secularity does not conflict with individual practice of religion. The way we in Nigeria have practiced it by giving free rein to the two monotheistic religion of Islam and Christianity is the best way forward, but on no account must religion be allowed to creep into governance, if it does, it would be a recipe for disharmony and disintegration.

In recent times, there has been a lot of criticism of Governor Rauf Aregbesola because of perceptions that he has elevated Islam to higher level, of recognition a level where historically and because of our colonial history, Christianity occupied. In the history of Yoruba land, Islam had always been part of its religious configuration. Before the collapse of the Old Oyo Empire at the beginning of the 19 Century, Muslim Clerics, Artisans, barbers and Apothecaries mostly from Nupeland, were to be found all over Yoruba land. Even the immediate cause of the collapse of the Old Oyo Empire was not unrelated to the growing force of Islam in Metropolitan Oyo and Ilorin.

The revolt of Are-onakakanfo Afonja was not unconnected with reaction of embryonic Muslim elements against the Alaafin of Oyo who was still a Votary of Yoruba Traditional religion, especially the worship of Sango. In other words, the Islamic religion has been part and parcel of Yoruba political

‘One of the negative side effects of globalisation is creeping Americanism in speech, dress, lifestyle and even culinary habits. There is something to appreciate in our old time religions, be it Judaism, Christianity or Islam’

history even before the advent of Christianity in the 19th Century. The Yoruba had been able to establish a Modus Vivendi between Christians and Muslims since the 19 th Century and in Modern Times, it is not unusual to find within the same family, Muslims and Christians. Western Education however, provided access to opportunities for educated Christians. Muslims if they wanted to go to schools had to convert to Christianity until few Muslim schools were established many years after the Christian schools. Christians in Yoruba land have therefore had the advantage of Western education over their Muslim compatriots. No one is sure of the percentage strength of Muslims and Christians in Yoruba land. But states like Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Osun and Kogi would probably have fifty-fifty percent of Muslims and Christians, while Ekiti and Ondo are predominantly Christians. There are of course pockets of those still following traditional religions and other Syncretist traditions. But the most important thing to note is the religious tolerance that characterises Yoruba land. Some have recommended this religious tradition to other parts of Nigeria, especially to the north, but this is not likely to find roots there because of their different sociology.

Even in Eastern Nigeria where more than 90 percent of the people are Christians, there is a tendency for people to divide along Protestant and Catholic lines. It used to be so bad in the 1950s and 1960s that people voted along sectarian lines of Catholicism and Protestantism. Even today, sometimes marriages are frowned upon between Catholics and Protestants. Historically, some of the Catholic missionaries in the East were Irish missionaries from the Republic of Ireland. They sometimes taught the issue of their persecution to their Nigerian Communion and encouraged them not to trust Protestants. But the issue of secularism having been settled in Europe and the United Stated seems happily settled in Eastern Nigeria.

Nobody should be worried about Osun State and Rauf Aregbesola should not be unduly criticised for practicing his religion ardently and for assisting children in schools to dress in modern Islamic ways. Rather than criticising him, Christians should also impress on their children in primary and secondary schools as well as in universities, the importance of modesty in dressing. Uncritical copying of western dressing and unnecessary exposure of the women

The irrepressible judge

I

F ours were a society where the rule of law is upheld, Justice Ayo Isa Salami would have by now got back his job as President of the Court of Appeal (PCA). But some forces do not want him back despite failing to give him a bad name in order to hang him. Let it be known that on this Salami matter, I am biased. I am biased because I stand on the side of truth.

The truth is Justice Salami did no wrong before he was suspended last year. The forces, who do not want him back now, just wanted him out of the way to enable them play ludo with the judiciary. Regrettably, the National Judicial Council (NJC), which naturally should have come to his aid, allowed itself to be used against this upright judge. If NJC had its way last year, Justice Salami would have since been retired.

I have not ceased wondering what informed that NJC's recommendation that he should be retired. But because the Almighty wanted to expose the kind of people who sit in judgement over others in NJC for who they are, rather than retire him, the president upheld his suspension by the Council. And President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did so with lightning speed. Today, he is moving at snail speed to recall Justice Salami as recommended by the now born-again NJC. It took him only 72 hours to okay Justice Salami's suspension, now it is taking him eternity to recall the judge. Why? NJC recommended Justice Salami's recall last Thursday.

I am not surprised that the president is footdragging over this matter. If he really wanted to play the statesman in this case, he would have recalled Justice Salami in February when the Judicial Reform Panel headed by former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Muhammadu Uwais made that recommendation. (See-

Salami: Waiting for the president) which was first published on February 23, 2012. There is nothing to add or subtract from that article which is reproduced today.

But permit me to say this: the presi-

dent should remember the circumstances under which he got to office in May 2010. Has he forgotten so soon what he went through in the hands of the forces arrayed against him? Why will someone like him

mammary anatomy should always be deprecated by sensible people irrespective of their religious affiliation.

This reminds me of one Muslim friend of mine who said that as far as he was concerned, the Christian woman he most admired is the Catholic Nun because she covers herself up.

One does not have to go that far to appreciate modesty and simplicity as something that must Jide be close to the Osuntokun Almighty’s heart. One of the negative side effects of globalisation is creeping Americanism in speech, dress, lifestyle and even culinary habits. There is something to appreciate in our old time religions, be it Judaism, Christianity or Islam. A religious person should be a good person. It is when extremism creeps into religion that it becomes something else. There are bigoted Jews as well as there are bigoted Christians and Muslims. What all religious people must try and avoid is religious fundamentalism, the kind that you find everywhere, from Israel to Saudi Arabia, to Iran and Nigeria.

What we must deprecate is the fundamentalism that denies the religious rights of others. Extremism of any kind, whether religious or ideological is the enemy of mankind. The almighty God is all powerful and omnipotent and can fight His own wars and doesn’t need the assistance of man.

Anybody claiming to be fighting God’s war or battle would have the wrath of God visited on him or her. Any society harbouring such people is not a civilized society and should be visited with all the violence that civilized society can muster. In such a case, war against that kind of society would be a just war.

forget where he is coming from and be subjecting Justice Salami to the kind of trauma he went through two years ago?

Well, whether he likes it or not, Justice Salami's place is assured in history. But what will history say of Jonathan? History may be kind on him if he does, at least, this one good thing in his presidency, by recalling Justice Salami. If he acts otherwise, history will be harsh on him.

Salami: Waiting on Jonathan

U

NTIL his suspension in August, last year, Justice Isa Ayo Salami was the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA). His suspension was apparently stage-managed after he fell out with the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu. They fought to a bitter end until Justice Katsina-Alu left office. But before his exit, he succeeded in getting Justice Salami out of the way.

Justice Katsina-Alu may have thought that his peace in retirement would be guaranteed if and only if Justice Salami is no longer in service. Justice Katsina-Alu's plan was to get Justice Salami fired from the bench for no other reason than the refusal of the suspended PCA to be used to pervert justice. In retirement, he is still fighting Justice Salami.

Will he ever allow Justice Salami to be? What does he want from Justice Salami? Is there any other thing beneath their rift that is not known to us? What kind of judge will begrudge his colleague even when he is down as Justice Katsina-Alu is doing?

It is disconsolating that Justice Katsina-Alu has not given up on his Operation Salami must go several months after retirement. He is blocking the return of Justice Salami to office. Of the 29-member Judicial Reform Panel constituted by the CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, Justice Katsina-Alu is the only one

‘It took President Goodluck Jonathan only 72 hours to okay Justice Salami's suspension, now it is taking him eternity to recall the judge. Why?’

against the return of Justice Salami to his job. What are his reasons for this hardline position? We don't know because he has refused to tell the world how Justice Salami wronged him. Wronged?

Can Justice Salami be accused of offending him by standing for the truth? Who determines what an offence is? The aggrieved or the court?

Justice Katsina-Alu knows too well that he cannot be the accuser and the judge in his own case. If he feels that Justice Salami has hurt him in anyway, he knows what to do. He should go to court and present his case. If he cannot do that, he should stop tormenting the suspended PCA. Those who advised that Justice Salami's suspension be lifted must have looked at the facts of the matter critically before making their recommendation.

As a member of the panel, he would have stated his objection to Justice Salami's return, which from the look of things was discountenanced. This was not a lone voice in the wilderness, but one of mischief.

When as CJN, he masterminded Justice Salami's suspension, he was happy. Now that the same bodyNational Judicial Council (NJC) has lifted the suspension Justice Katsina-Alu should just accept the decision so that this matter will be laid to rest. Justice Katsina-Alu can object as much as he wants to the return of Justice Salami, but the final say in respect of the matter rests with President Goodluck Jonathan, who put us all in this quagmire in the first place.

F Jonathan had not listened to political no-gooders, we probably will not be confronted with this judicial crisis. In the heat of the Katsina-Alu/Salami crisis last year, some politicians saw an opportunity to emasculate the judi-

I

ciary. They took sides in the matter based on their vested political interests. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),which had some cases pending before the Court of Appeal was afraid that with Justice Salami as president there was no way the party could get the court to do its bidding. Remember, it was Justice Salami's refusal to play ball in the Sokoto State governorship election dispute that got him into trouble with Justice Katsina-Alu. So, they decided that Justice Salami must go if PDP is not to suffer losses at the court. Thus, when NJC committed the faux pas of recommending the suspension of Justice Salami, Jonathan never thought the matter over before upholding the recommendation. He swiftly appointed Justice Dahiru Adamu as Acting PCA whereas the Constitution does not confer the NJC with power to suspend a judge. The president and NJC are still breaching the Constitution over this matter. Justice Salami has been prevented from doing his job because of his suspension and Justice Adamu appointed in acting capacity. The question now is: can Justice Adamu still be holding that office without recourse to Section 238 (5) of the Constitution which reads: Except on the recommendation of the NJC, an appointment pursuant to the provisions of subsection (4) of this section shall cease to have effect after the expiration of three months from the date of such appointment, and the president shall not reappoint a person whose appointment has lapsed. The said subsection (4) stipulates: If the office of PCA is vacant, or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until a person holding the office has re-

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net

sumed those functions, the president shall appoint the most senior Justice of the Court of Appeal to perform those functions.

Justice Adamu has been acting as PCA since August, last year when Justice Salami was stopped from doing his job following his suspension. Can Justice Adamu still be said to be constitutionally holding office? The answer is as clear as daylight since NJC is not known to have recommended an extension of his appointment. This is by the way though. What is delaying the lifting of the suspension of Justice Salami following the recommendation of Justice Musdapher on the strength of the reform panel's report? Are there plans to truncate Justice Salami's career with his suspension? Where are those who advised the president to suspend him, citing the NJC's recommendation?

What have those advisers got to say on the recommendation of Justice Musdapher, who is NJC's chairman, that Justice Salami be returned to his post? The president can no longer keep quiet on this matter since Justice Musdapher sent his recommendation to him on January 31, that is over 23 days ago. It didn't take him up to three days to act on NJC's recommendation to suspend Justice Salami even when the case was and still is in court. So, why is it taking him this long to reverse his earlier ill-advised decision. Mr President, please end this charade now and you won't lose anything by doing so. The buck stops on your table, remember?

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION

I

T is a truth universally acknowledged that no man ever wins a woman’s war.

Biblical Samson had his Delilah.

Herman Hembe, the disgraced chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc capital market committee probe who is now on trial for obtaining a Business Class ticket from Security Exchange Commission (SEC) for a trip never undertaken has his Arunmah Oteh. But if ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ obviously by men, it is worse when it is all women war. Ever spiteful of one another, they are simply very mean when they take on each other. No weapon is spared. Their wars are often ferocious, brutal and bloody.

Mrs. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke was unhappy Ms Arunmah Oteh ousted her from Nigeria Stock Exchange after 27 years. She was distressed when Oteh unleashed police on her office at the middle of the night confiscating her computers, academic as well as marriage certificates. She was disconcerted that Oteh by her actions put a sad end to her 27 years in NSE, rubbishing in the process, the giant strides she made. It is no less distressing that Oteh studied at Nsukka and Harvard, two institutions to which Okereke-Onyiuke claimed she was a visiting professor.

The truth is that Okereke-Onyiuke has always loomed larger than life. Even in her absence, her presence was felt during the Obasanjo years. She intimidates with all her endowments, her abundant flesh, booming voice, over-dressing and above all her share intellectual power which earned her a professorial chair outside the university system. She was the Amazon of the Nigeria capital mar-

‘If you add the duo of Ms Arunmah Oteh and Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke to Diezine Allison Madueke, a very resourceful PDP minister for oil deals who supervised NNPC that was recently asked to refund N310 billion and PPPRA whose chairman and executive secretary had been ordered for trial over the N1.07 trillion subsidy scandal, we can easily see that PDP women like their men are birds of the same feather’

T

HIS is a season of great security distress in our dear fatherland, Nigeria, of which Borno State has received more than its own fair share of casualties. The national tragedy over which the whole nation is on bended knees beseeching the Almighty for a quick resolution has been of grave concern to the chief executive of the state, Governor Kashim Shettima.

Therefore, it was certainly not the best of times for celebration when the nation’s number one journalist, the President of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Comrade Mohammed Garba, came calling in Maiduguri the other day. He came with two objectives - one of which constituted a major dilemma to the governor.

Garba had led a delegation of national and state executives to the Borno State capital.

One was to seek the support of fellowjournalists ahead of his reelection bid. The second was to lead his team to accord honour to a man they adjudged to be highly deserving of honour: Kashim Shettima.

Personally, yours faithfully is not an enthusiast of award presentation to personalities serving in public office. I rather that recognition be showered on meritorious persons that have done something in their

‘Coincidentally, the governor is of the same mind and was therefore much disturbed when the NUJ’s request was presented. He was concerned by the immense respect he has for the union and its leadership which is in conflict with his well-considered position of turning down the hordes of awards he is regularly plied with’

Warring PDP women of influence ket and unarguably the most powerful woman in Corporate Nigeria until 2009 when as his admirers claim, she became a victim of corporate vicious war over the soul of NSE

by Aliko Dangote and Oba Otudeko.

When Obasanjo dreamt of creating Nigerian ‘Asian Tigers’, in spite of collapsed infrastructure, erratic power supply and corruption, it was Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke he identified as the one to turn his dream into reality.

And when there was a conflict of interest when as a regulator of the market, she became the chief promoter of Transcorp, Obasanjo wrote the council insisting she was on a national assignment.

This very versatile woman whose intervention outside the capital market has always attracted attention says of herself: ‘I am not dumb. I am very smart.’ She is probably right.

It takes a smart woman to have survived all the forces raged against her since her ouster from NSE. She has survived EFCC, Lagos State government, NDIC, and the City University of New York, where she obtained her PhD and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) where she claimed to have cut her professional teeth.

Her adversaries are claiming both institutions have denied her. She has also survived the CBN whose current governor, she claimed, had no power to nationalize citizen’s asset.

‘How can you nationalise the assets of your citizens’? She had asked. ‘Even if the person is a criminal you go to court before taking the assets’, she had admonished. But for Arunmah Oteh, Director General of SEC OkerekeOnyiuke would have remained invincible.

It was she who last week insisted OkerekeOnyiuke must first remove the log in her own eyes. Testifying before Ibrahim El-Sudi-led House of Representative ad hoc committee

probing the near collapse of the capital market, she had spoken of ‘incidents of financial skimming, misappropriation, false accounting, misrepresentation and questionable transactions against the Okereke-Onyiuke’.

Under her leadership, she claimed ‘NSE bought a yacht for N37m and wrote down the book value within one year by recognizing it in the book as a gift presented during the 2008 long service award (LSA), yet there are no records of the beneficiary’. NSC, she also claimed, spent N186m on 165 Rolex wrist watches as gifts for awardees out of which only 73 were actually presented to the awardees. The outstanding 92 Rolex watches at N99.5m remain unaccounted for. She claimed this was the trend over the OkerekeOnyiuke years. She also said under her, the sum of N1.3billion was expended on business travels. She also said the sum of N1.7billion of the 2008 operational surplus was distributed to council members and employers in violation of CAMA and SEC rules which preclude the NSE from such given the NSE is a company limited by guarantee’.

Until now, Okereke-Onyiuke was beyond reproach. She has always been a woman of affluence and influence. She has enough money to protect herself in the court. She has characteristically waved aside Oteh’s weighty allegations. Her disconcerting answer to all these serious accusations bordering on immoral conducts and plundering of investor’s money is that ‘the SEC has no business over how a private company spends its money.

We did not collect money from anybody and we have the right to spend our money the way we like.’

And for the benefit of those who may not know, Okereke-Onyiuke reminded us that

When NUJ leaders came calling on Governor Shettima

By Isa Umar Gusau private capacities to make our society a better place to live in. Of course, I applaud good deeds by public office holders too. But the plain truth is that awards have been so bastardised in our country today that it tends to paint their recipients in bad, rather than good light.

Coincidentally, the governor is of the same mind and was therefore much disturbed when the NUJ’s request was presented. He was concerned by the immense respect he has for the union and its leadership which is in conflict with his well-considered position of turning down the hordes of awards he is regularly plied with.

“I know we have numerous projects springing up with some nearly completed. I know that we have recorded some modest achievements. But I have not met the standard I set for my first year in office because of challenges of security. So, I don’t think I should accept any award, even though I have so much respect for journalists, the NUJ and its President,” the governor said.

But the NUJ’s position was convincing: The union had packaged its award based on the fact that it has been impressed with the governor’s unique style of governance. He is not arrogant. He has not been carried away by the aura and powers of office. He treats lieutenants, civil servants, journalists and the public with due respect and fairness. These are attributes the union felt other highly placed officers of the Nigerian state can emulate to enhance sustenance of democracy.

Then the governor bowed to the cogent argument advanced by the union. He agreed to receive the honour award but politely requested that there be no fanfare, no citation and no elaborate ceremonial presentation just a simple handing out of plaque during a

courtesy call.

A very solemn presentation, cognisant of the mood of these times followed during which Comrade Garba praised the courage displayed by the governor in piloting the state wisely in a season of troubles. In the words of the union president, journalists love Shettima, because of his down-to-earth nature.

He also remembered to commend the governor for retaining and keeping open the mobile phone he used as a banker even now when he is a governor.

Garba drove home the point saying that individuals should not detach themselves from people simply because they have become state’s chief executives. This is how it should be. A governor should be accessible to freely share good ideas with the people for the betterment of society, Garba commended.

Indeed, people say, character is like smoke.

It cannot be covered up. Close lieutenants have thought we are the only ones that observe these sterling qualities in Governor Shettima. For example, he addresses his Deputy Governor as Your Excellency instead of calling him by his first name. He also shows the man so much courtesy you sometimes wonder who the boss is.

Governor Shettima also shares the respect down the ladder. He hardly calls his appointees by name. He calls the SSG by his nickname of The Institution. He addresses his Commissioners as Honourable, except the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs he calls General. Even heads of directorate are seldom addressed by name. He fondly refers to each of them as Director.

The rewards are sundry. The leader’s character disposition has begun to rub off on

NSE is not a profit making entity but makes its money through the fees it charges for its services from stock brokers which was 0.6 % before it was reviewed downward in 2006 to 0.3% because ‘we were making too much money and we had nowhere to put the surplus’. But does anyone needs to be NSE DG to know that such charges would be passed over to investors by operators motivated only by profit? If for the sake of argument a non-profit organization made profit, why share the profit among those who didn’t need such blood money or buy Rolex wrist watches for those who already had many pairs when there are orphanages and handicap peoples’ homes ?

Could this not be the reason why the operators wrecked homes, lives of investors who took loans or ploughed their live savings and pension earnings into buying shares? Does the fact the NSE is a private company entitle the managers to convert a 37million yacht to private use as alleged?

Let us for a moment be charitable and critically examine Okereke-Onyiuke’s argument that what crashed the market was not financial malfeasance or recklessness of NSE leaders but unguarded pronouncement of the regulatory authorities such as CBN’s description of NSC under her as ‘kalo kalo’ (money doublers). But what other name can we call those who set up Transcorp at take off share price of N1 which achieved a value of N6 per share in six months without any visible activity other than ‘kalo kalo.’? Okereke-Onyiuke’s case is not helped by allegation that the promoters of Transcorp sold off their shares making billions and leaving behind the carcase of Transcorp. I agree with Okereke-Onyiuke that those ‘smart’ promoters may not be thieves but they cannot be anything but money doublers. Transcorp example was symptomatic of wide spread practices in the capital market under Okereke-Onyiuke.

Arumah Oteh, Okereke-Onyiuke’s nemesis has, like her, ignored the moral issue of squandering away of N30 million tax payers money as hotel bills in eight months. She similarly ignored the allegation she overstayed or in the hotel beyond the statutory 28 days. If you add the duo of Ms Arunmah Oteh and Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke to Diezine Allison Madueke, a very resourceful PDP minister for oil deals who supervised NNPC that was recently asked to refund N310 billion and PPPRA whose chairman and executive secretary had been ordered for trial over the N1.07 trillion subsidy scandal, we can easily see that PDP women like their men are birds of the same feather.

the lieutenants and on governance style. A leader with a humble disposition mostly attracts honest advice and gets better input from lieutenants.

But for the arrogant leader it is not so. He gets the chorus – Yes Sir - with no one daring to offer alternative viewpoints to the leader’s thoughts. The arrogant leader therefore often takes individual and not collective decisions.

He is the alpha and omega, who at the end of the day misleads everybody and plunges society into confusion.

Albeit, although Governor Shettima is humble, he is also firm. He ensures that legal instructions are not breached. Failure is investigated for sanction, if need be.

It is only hoped that public office holders and political associates will regularly reciprocate by not abusing the governor’s simplicity. Rather they should promptly effect his good instructions and faithfully drive policies and programmes so that as time passes a Moses is not pushed into becoming a Pharaoh.

• Gusau, Special Adviser to Governor Shettima on Communications wrote in from Maiduguri, Borno State.

• Governor Shettima

25

THE NATION

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

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

INSIDE

More tributes for Sofoluwe MORE tributes have continued pouring from friends and sympathisers of the late ViceChancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, who passed on in the early hours of Saturday. He was 62.

-Page 27

email:- education@thenationonlineng.com

The Bayero University, Kano (BUK), which was bombed on April 29, plans to resume on June 10. Staff and students seem to think it is not yet ripe to re-open the school for security reasons. The police also believe that the school should remain shut until certain security measures are taken. But the institution appears determined to go ahead with the planned resumption, KOLADE ADEYEMI reports.

Poly expels 459 for cultism 459 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Unwana Afikpo Ebonyi State, have been expelled by the management following their alleged involvement in examination malpractices, fighting, cultrelated offences and gaining admission into the institution with fake certificates.

-Page 40

CAMPUS LIFE •An eight-page section on campus news, people etc

Honeymoon is over FOR now, the honeymoon between students and politicians is over. Many students are not finding this funny, at all, as they are complaining of being used and dumped. How? During elections, the politicians find them useful for campaigns on campuses. And since nothing goes for nothing, they pay the students handsomely to root for them.

-Page 29

•Entrance to BUK University.

BUK students won’t return to school now •Staff, students kick against planned resumption •Sympathisers attending to one of the April 29 victims

F

ROM all indications, the Bayero University, Kano, (BUK) wants to put the April 29 sad incident behind it.

So, it has proposed to resume on June 10. But staff and students are not well-disposed to the institution’s stand. Many of them are not ready yet for resumption.

They seem to have an ally in the police, which have asked the university to shelve its planned resumption. Will it?

For now, the answer to the question is blowing in the wind.

The April 29 explosions, which rocked the old campus of the university where Christians were worshipping that Sunday, killed two professors and 14 others.

Scores were also injured. The

incidenct bore the marks of the deadly Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Those who escaped the blast where cut down in a hail of bullets. After the blast about 18 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were found in different places in the university, according to the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

Fourteen of the IEDs, he said, were uncovered on the main campus on May 8; three other bombs were recovered from other locations in the university and were defused.

According to him, after the bomb attack, the Command's Bomb Disposal Unit, recovered IEDs and 14 other canned bombs which were evacuated and de-

fused. He pointed out that earlier bomb was discovered at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The Nation gathered that the Police have written to BUK, expressing concern over the situation in the university. The police are urging that the June 10 resumption date be postponed to enable security agencies and the institution’s management to meet on the way forward, particularly on the growing insecurity in the university.

It was also learnt that other security agencies are worried by the situation on the campus.

They believe that it is not safe enough for normal academic activities.

The police are said to have met

with the university, asking that the institution’s security men be more alive to security matters.

But the university is brushing such concerns aside. Head, Public Affairs Unit, Mustapha Zahradeen, urged students not to be disturbed over the bombings, saying the university is taking measures to boost security.

Zahradeen said: "We made plans to recruit more security operatives in the two campuses.

We are also partnering with security agencies to ensure safety of staff and students. I urge the students and staff to be more vigilant. Any suspicious move• Continued on page 26

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

26

EDUCATION EKSU FILE

FirstBank donates to varsity THE Vice-Chancellor ( VC) of Ekiti State University, Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina, has said sports development is an important part of his vision to make the institution world-class.

He stated this while receiving a cheque of N23.6 million donated by the FirstBank Plc to the institution for sports development. The VC noted that sports development could be used as a spring-board to make the university visible at both national and international fora.

The VC, who commended the gesture of the FirstBank, promised that the money would be judiciously used.

Presenting the cheque, the leader of the FirstBank Plc team, who is the Group Head, Public Sector, Mr Oladele Bakare, said the donation was in fulfillment of the bank's promise to invest in the development of sports in the institution.

Freshers matriculate FRESH students of EKSU have been advised to be of good behaviour and obey the rules of the institution.

The Vice Chancellor Prof Patrick Aina gave the warning during the matriculation for fresh students at the main auditorium of the institution.

The VC said: "The university as an organisation that operates by statues, laws and regulations as laid down by its Senate and Council, which all, including students, have to obey.”

He charged the students to be familiar with the law of the university, pay their fees, register within stipulated time, attend lectures and shun anti-social acts.

BUK students won’t return now • Continue from page 25

ment should be reported. By the time everyone is on the alert, it will be difficult for enemies to penetrate.

"Right now, no stone is being left unturned. Vehicles and people are subjected to thorough checking before entry and when going out. The June 10 resumption date remains, and I tell you that our students are eager to come back to school. We only need prayers from members of the public."

But investigations show that many dread returning to school.

Since the explosions, most staff and students have been avoiding the university like plague.

The Nation further gathered that some students, particularly from the Southwest are making plans to transfer to other universities.

Peter Owolabi, a 200-Level Mass Communication student, said once a new session begins, he would continue the process for his transfer to any university in the South.

"The truth is that I am not going to continue my studies in

BUK. I don't wish to die now. I have complained to my father and he has promised to relocate me.

In fact, we are making plans to leave Kano so I am hopeful to commence the transfer process by next session. What happened on April 29 was disastrous and most of the students are jittery. Nobody wants to go back to school."

Owolabi is not alone. Other students, who spoke to The Nation, nurse the same feeling. They are apprehensive over what they described as the porous security in the university.

Ahmed Magaji, a Sociology undergraduate, said he never be-

lieved that such attack could be carried out in BUK, attributing the incident to poor security arrangement.

Magaji advocated the presence of more security personnel within the university community.

"You see, these are trying times for BUK. People are scared. I want the university authorities to provide more security to enable us to come back to school without fear. Though some of my friends are making plans to leave, I have no option. BUK is my school and I hope to graduate from there. I am praying to

‘The truth is that I am not going to continue my studies in BUK. I don't wish to die now. I have complained to my father and he has promised to relocate me. We are making plans to leave Kano so I am hopeful to commence the transfer process by next session’

God never to allow such incident happen again," Magaji added.

An official of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), who pleaded anonymity, also deplored the security situation, describing it as “lamentable” "I must tell you that the Security Department of BUK is not up and doing. Four days before that attack, there were security reports on it (bombing) and I wonder why the university authorities did not act.

"I must tell you that BUK will not remain the same again. Many of my students have vowed never to return. Even the staff are seeking transfer.

“No one feels safe, and it is a very bad omen. I lost a cousin in the last attack and the two professors that were killed are my close friends. I know what I am passing through. I just came back from the burial of my cousin. It was sad and I hope never to pass through such experience again. BUK used to be very peaceful. I want the school authorities to intensify security so that the safety of students and staff can be guaranteed."

Varsity solicits donations EKSU management has made a clarion call to well-to-do individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the university in its drive to become a world-class.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Patrick Aina, made the call while expressing gratitude to Mogaji Dau Aliyu, an engineer and Executive Director, Hajaig Construction, for tarring the front of the main gate of the university free. The job, according to the VC, would have cost the university over N10million. He noted that the intervention came at a time the university was about to celebrate her 17th convocation and 30th anniversary.

Presenting a letter of appreciation and souvenirs of the university to Mogaji, the VC solicited for positive contributions from members of the public and organisations to the university.

Responding, Mogaji said he would be willing to be a partner in progress of the university.

School holds Maths competition VIVIAN Fowler Memorial College for girls has underscored the importance of improving the learning abilities of students through consistent educational learning platforms.

Its Director Mrs Olufunke Fowler-Amber stated that to inculcate academic excellence in pupils, schools should be exposed to regular tests through competition to evaluate their academic performance.

Fowler-Amber who spoke at the schools Sixth Annual Mathematics, Art and essay competition, said the annual competition aimed at encouraging pupils to put their mental endowment into profitable use.

• Prof Akii Ibhadode of the Manufacturing Engineering Department, University of Benin (left); his counterpart at the Department of Obsterics and Gynaecology Prof Friday Okonofua(right) after their induction as Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Science in Abuja. With them is Chairman, Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities (CAANU) Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho.

UI canvasses ICT training for female lecturers

T

HE University of Ibadan (UI) has emphasised the need for female lecturers in the university to embrace Information and Communication Technology for improved performance.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) UI, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, stated this at the awareness workshop for Course-ware Development for Female Lecturers at the Trenchard Hall of the university.

The workshop was initiated by the Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B), programme sponsored by the World Bank to develop modern teaching and learning processes.

Olayinka, who was represented by the Project Manager, World Bank STEP-B Programme, Dr. Ayotola Aremu, said: "The objective of the workshop is to expose female lecturers to technology that can en-

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

hance and improve teaching and learning processes.

"With this initiative, we expect to build the capacity of at least 20 female lecturers in E-content development. These lecturers, who will be selected based on the proposals submitted, will be supported through the project funds to develop E-connect for their courses."

Aremu explained that 20 courses would first be focused under the STEP-B programme. She added that the number would be increased based on the response of the participants.

The programme manager noted that the workshop targeted at female lecturers "in view of their importance to community development.”

She stressed that when a woman is trained, others members of the society would benefit from her.

“He was popularly known as ‘The Prof’ ... now he wishes to be known as ‘Baba 70’!”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

27

EDUCATION Tributes have refused to cease for the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, who passed on suddenly in the early hours of last Saturday. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and MEDINAT KANABE report the reactions that have been trailing the death of this erudite scholar and professor of Computer Science.

More tributes for Sofoluwe late UNILAG VC

M

ORE tributes have continued to pour in from friends and sympathisers of the late Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, who passed on in the early hours of last Saturday. He was 62.

The university’s Information Unit claimed the late professor of Computer Science died of cardiac arrest.

However, since his death has been confirmed, the three condolence registers the university placed at the Senate building, Julius Berger Hall an the Vice-Chancellor's Lodge have been 'drenched' with pens oozing different emotional messages from concerned friends, students, colleagues and other concerned individuals.

As at the last count, there were over 600 signatures at the Senate building and over 900 at the VC's Lodge alone, when our reporter visited on Monday.

The Nation also quizzed students on how they received Sofoluwe's death. Many of them described the late VC as a jovial man, one who stepped up the university's Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Some of the messages read thus: “Life is a walking shadow; Here goes a star; He lived virtually to make others hopeful; and other countless ones.

A student Adebayo Olugbile Nathaniel wrote: "I am often thrilled by the level of humility he wields. If humility were life, men like this would be immortal."

One Adeniran Tobi Abek,e a medical student at the Lagos State University Teaching Hopital (LUTH) appeared to be few of those who had a personal encounter with Sofoluwe before he died.

Abeke wrote in her condolence message: "Hi Daddy! We still saw yesterday (Friday) in your office.

We spoke though you were already leaving and when we entered the lift, the last statement you made that I remembered was 'omo mi, (my child) I'll see you on Monday. I am very tired and I need to rest. But you didn't tell me the rest was gonna be in the bosom of the Lord and you promised to see me on Monday. It's so painful you're gone. You are a listening and accommodating granddad. I love you, but God loves you most. Rest in His bosom with you gentle soul.

Another Law undergraduate Ashode Olomide wrote: "With your passing away, we have lost a big and special person. You've been a won-

derful VC and we would truly miss you. May your gentle soul rest in the bosom of the Lord."

Mary Joseph, Department of English, said: "He brought security to the university. He did a lot of things that make us happy. He managed the students well even the student unions. He was very humble and down to earth."

The university’s Muslim Science Students Association had this to say:"Generous and humble man.

May his soul rest in perfect peace."

Friends and colleagues also lent their voices.

"What a loss to CMS Grammar School, education and mankind," wrote Ven. Tunde Oduwole, Principal, CMS Grammar School.

The Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, Prof Mendie Udoma, said: "We have lost a good person. May God almighty grant him peaceful refuge.

Amen."

Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof.

Julius Okogie described Sofoluwe's death as a sad loss.

He said: "We commisserate with the family and pray that God gives them the fortitude to bear the loss."

Prof Oluyole Abass, President Alumni Association, UNILAG said: "You were a star, a good friend, a complete gentleman. A star has suddenly fallen in UNILAG. You paid your dues.

Chairman of UNILAG's Parent Farum, Babatunde Majekodunmi, wrote: "You were one of the best VCs we have ever had. God knows best."

President, Nigeria Institute of Marketing, Mr Leo Aimuwu Lugard, said: "He is a first class scholar and first class administrator. A very good and absolutely fantastic person. He is like a human specimen, specially crafted by God and gifted to mankind. "God is the reason for all things. Mysteries are for men. He is simply irreplaceable. R.I.P Aburo Tola."

Prof Akin Osibogun, CMD, LUTH, wrote: "This is a colossal loss to the academic community and the University of Lagos in particular. He will be remembered for his brilliance, warmth, friendliness, commitment, and other virtues. May his soul rest in perfect peace" Adeyemi Daramola, a Senior Lecturer, Department of English, said: "He was unassuming and hardworking and open to all his staff. Even as an achiever, he was quiet unlike other VCs in the past, who were always making noise out of their achievements. The last thing he told me was your promotion will

• First Lady of Lagos State Dame Emmanuela Fashola (2nd right) condolling with the widow Mrs Funmilayo Sofoluwe(right). With her are Mrs Omolara Fashola (left) and former Minister of Petroleum Chief Don Etiebet at the late Vice-Chancellor's Lodge ... on Sunday.

PHOTO: ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA

• Students of UNILAG during a candle light procession for Sofoluwe ... on Tuesday KANABE

come soon".

Ogunsanya Omolade said: "He was very humble. He would see you and greet you first. He didn't go about with bodyguards like other VC's. When he is in a gathering, you won't know until someone greets him or calls his name. He was very loving and cared about the welfare of everybody."

Prof Segun Awonusi, VC, TASUED, Ijebu Ode said: "You are kind, humane, industrious, and painstakingly efficient. Only God knows why this has happened. Your

work on earth and in UNILAG will remain an indelible legacy. Rest in peace."

President, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) UNILAG, Anjorin A.O.: said: "We enjoyed and appreciate your humbleness. We are pleased with your generosity even though we do not expect the early departure."

NASU Chairman, Adeshina G.A said: "You were a good achiever. You came, within the little time, you made your impact. You contributed to many lives."

CU VC lauds mentor at 70

T

•Prof Obayan

HE Vice-Chancellor Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State, Prof Aize Obayan, described a distinguished scholar Prof Babatunde Ipaye as one who is needed in the development of the country.

Ipaye, who is the Director, Learner Support Service, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), clocked 70 recently.

In her tribute to the notable academic, Obayan said: "I think Nigeria needs more of the likes of Prof Ipaye to counsel, teach and equally assist in creating a new vision and the way forward for our dear youth and the country at large. "Prof Ipaye has lived the better part of his life

By Adegunle Olugbamila

serving others and helping persons who come in contact with him find their path in destiny.

Obayan said Ipaye whose sojourn into academia had been most humbling and inspirational was highly instrumental to most of her other colleagues who had found themselves in his class room of knowledge.

She said that Ipaye was, between 1974 and 1976, the founder/Head, Department of Education, Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin.

According to her, she initiated most of the programmes in Counselling Psychology, taught most of

the courses as well as History methods, Social Studies Methodology, Comparative Education and handled the Teaching Practice for the Faculty from 1977 to 1979.

She noted that Ipaye had assumed leadership position in times of strategic needs in any organisation he had found himself.

"It is often said that a leader is not known in his home town or country. But we must learn to always give honour to whom honour is due and that is why the academic giant must be appreciated.

"Ipaye's pro-service-oriented lifestyle did not end in the classrooms across the country, but also in learned associations and to his

PHOTOS: MEDINAT

However, one which appeared most emotional was from UNILAG's Provost, College of Medicine, Prof Wole Adetotobi. "Adieu amiable VC, watching you take your last breath was one of my most painful experience as a medical doctor," he said.

Meanwhile, the three-day mourning period declared by university community beginning from Monday May 14, ended yesterday, with the university flag which had been flying at half mask and all activities on campus shut down, in honour of the late Vice-Chancellor.

motherland, Nigeria.

“And as my professor turns 70, and I do a reflection, I can stand before God and men, to proclaim Ipaye as a man of great wisdom, great depth, insights and a great acade ic and solid scholar of international exposure and indigenous roots," she said.

Obayan said Ipaye taught her family values with the way he lived them, adding that he is a man who is devoted to his work and had never for once looked back on work ethics and values. ``Once more, I salute a teacher of repute, destiny moulder, bridge builder professors' professor and inspirational academic leader of the 21st century! Happy 70th birthday.

28

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

EDUCATION FEDPOFFA FILE

Lecture kicks off LECTURES have begun for the 2011/2012 second semester academic session as the Federal Polytechnic Offa (FEDPOFFA) resumed school activities on Sunday.

The revised academic calendar signed by the Registrar of the Polytechnic Alhaji AbdulHamid Raji also shows that the second semester examinations would commence on August 20.

He reiterated the determination of the management led by the Rector, Dr Mufutau Olatunde Olatinwo, to fulfill the institution's mandate.

Rector lauds staff RECTOR of the polytechnic Dr Mufutau Olatinwo has commended the efforts of the management of the staff primary school under Mrs. Grace Popoola, for the achievements it recorded in recent years.

He spoke through his deputy,Academic Matters, Mr Eghe Igbinehi, at a twoday seminar organised by the school to improve professional skills of her teachers.

Delivering a paper entitled: ‘The role of communication in effective teaching and learning,” Mr Adeoye Augustine of Kwara State School Improvement Team, Education Resource Centre, noted that lack of effective communication in teacher-pupils relationship, has had negative impacts on pupils'performance.

FUNAAB: Union lauds outgoing VC for prudence

T

HE National Secretariat of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has praised the outgoing Vice - Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun for "prudent management of human and material resources" in the last five years.

The union President, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, at a valedictory congress in Balogun's honour at the institution said the Vice-Chancellor's performance put a lie to common excuse of "inadequate funds" often advanced by people in leadership positions as reason why they couldn't meet expectations.

"If SSANU as a union, even at the national body had our way, we will say let the Balogun's administration continue. But this is a statutory matter that we have no control over. Every indices of per-

formance-regulation of academic calendar, improved quality of graduands and breath-taking research as well as welfare of staff and students have confirmed that, indeed, our Vice-Chancellors can make do with what is available to convince its owner to fund it the more.

"From the unusual development of infrastructure, buildings, roads, bridges that have taken place in the last five years under this man, Nigerians can be rest assured all hope of a better tomorrow is not lost," Ugwoke said.

Ugwoke, who is a from Enugu State University (ESUT), called on the Federal Government to release the take-off grant for FUNAAB. In his address, the Chairman of SSANU FUNAAB chapter, Abdul-Sabur Salaam, tasked the VC-designate, Olusola Oyewole, on the legacies of his predecessor.

Salaam, however, pledged

•Mr Shehu acknowledging the award

to corporate with the new VC to enable him to succeed in his assignment,.

"Unionism has gone beyond brigandage, unmerited demands and arm-twisting of management."

According to him, SSANU "thrives in advocacy, dialogue and collaboration with all tiers of union for the overall benefit of the system."

School for sports meet PRINCIPAL of the institution's staff secondary school, Mr Olayiwola Roberts, has urged the administration to ensure the school sustains the enviable position it occupies among its peers.

He linked the sustenance to the provision of adequate facilities needed in the school for all-round education development.

He thanked the Management for providing necessary support to facilitate the Sixth Inter-House Sports Competition of the school in the polytechnic Sports Complex.

robust labour-management relationship facilitated by Balogun.

Responding to the honour, which also culminated in the presentation of a giant standing clock to him, Balogun said he has done nothing special, but "that which needed to be done as a man who have a covenant of service with God”.

Two AUN dons bag awards

T

Students elect exco THE National Association of Office Technology and Management (NAOTM), FEDPOFFA Chapter, has elected new officers to take charge of the affairs of its association.

The new officers are Adebayo Adekunle, (president); Yusuf Ibrahim, (vicepresident); Bello Tajudeen, (gen. sec); Salam Ismail, (assist. general secretary); Rasheed Rejoice and Sodiq Ramat, (Welfare directors) Others are: Idiojiakwu Jeniveve; (social director); Ajayi Joshua, and Abiodun Abiola, (PROs); Jooda Olayinka and Onanuga Adewale (auditors); Adeniyi Omolara and Akintunde Azeez (Academic coordinators); Sadiq Gafar, (fin. sec).; Olasehinde Tunde, Treasurer and Ajasa Qudus, sports director.

He noted that with initiative and support of the out going VC, no fewer than 80 non-teaching staff were exposed to overseas capacity development programmes across the levels while 100 per cent accreditation for FUNAAB's programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in the years was possible with the

• Mr Ibikunle with some teachers and pupils at the event.

Golden Penny sponsors computer centre •Instals laptop classroom in Lagos school

G

OLDEN Penny and some stakeholders are set to make a success of its One Laptop Per Child initiative through its Laptop4Learning (L4L) programme. It has opened a classroom in the Kuramo Primary School, Victoria Island, Lagos for pupils and teachers in a pilot project that will run for three years.

According to the organisers, the goal of the project is to help develop today's children with the appropriate skills, understanding and confidence in the application of technology to become productive global citizens for the future.

In his opening remark at the official kick-off of the programme at the Kuramo Primary School, the company's Chief Marketing Officer Mr Clive Cottrell said the programme is targeted at raising computer literacy standard in primary schools in the country.

"Our desire is to provide laptops for the pupils and teachers as a learning tool is to bring about change and a

By Akinyemi Oluwayemisi

better life in Nigeria. We want to give back to the community as well as assist in aiding education through donation of laptops" he said.

One of the organisers Mrs. Maricyn Hall said the initiative was aimed at preparing children for the future as the social, economic and business world of the future will be dominated by screen technology.

According to her, the company's L4L is a NonFor-Profit Organisation with the aim of providing laptops to teachers and children as learning tools.

"In June, 2011, Kuramo Primary School, Victoria Island, with the approval of the Education Authorities agreed to participate in an L4L Pilot Project. Their participation included the creation of a L4L facility in one of the school classrooms and L4L provided technical and soft skills training for the teachers, laptops for the teachers and students, internet access and technical support," she added.

She said, so far, Flour Mills of Nigeria has sponsored the programme from the training of the teachers, the provision of laptops and hardware and refurbishment of the classroom.

The Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Education, Management Mr Saheed Ibikunle commended the organisers for their contributions. He said the Lagos State government through its Support Our School initiative, partners with companies and individuals interested in developing public schools in the state to move education forward, adding that through it they provide teaching and learning in public schools.

Headmaster of the school, Mr Michael Ajayi, praised the donors for the gesture.

"We would want the organisers of the programme to carry the teachers along as well. We appeal to them that they should not just inaugurate the programme and leave, but further assist us in terms of maintenance and reaching out to other schools in the area," he said.

WO American University of Nigeria faculty members, Dr. Idorenyin Akpan and Mr. Jacob Fintan Shehu, have been recognised for their outstanding contributions in their disciplines.

They presented papers at an international conference on Global Perspectives on Business Management-Changing Dynamics (GPBM 2012) held between April 29 and May 1 at the Skyline University College in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Akpan, an Associate Professor in the Communications and Multimedia Designs Programme of the AUN School of Information Technology & Communications, presented a joint paper entitled: “The changing dynamics of 'Think-Feel-Do' model and its implications

for advertising business in the Sub-Saharan enclave" with Dr. Godwin Okon, of Rivers State University of Science and Technology; Dr. Uzoma Okugo of Abia State University and Messrs.

Presley Obukadata and Innocent Ihechu, from the University of Uyo. Mr. Shehu, presented a paper on: “Cost efficiency among rice farmers in Northeastern Nigeria."

In their presentation, Akpan & Co. explained how consumers' decision to make purchases and their preferred pattern of reaching the decision are moderated by rational choices.

The paper was adjudged one of the best presented at the conference.

29

IMSU students go to the poll

Their brothers’ keepers

Page 34

Page 31

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

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0805-450-3104 email: ladycampus@yahoo.com THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Many students ‘live big’ on campuses during elections because of the money they get from politicians who they campaign for. During last year’s general elections, they made a lot of money. The money has ceased coming since the election ended. They are not happy and wish that every day could be Christmas. Some of them relive their experience to GERALD NWOKOCHA (NYSC member, Abuja).

•A political rally involving students in Imo State

For students, politicians, honeymoon over F

OR now, the honeymoon between students and politicians is over. Many students are not finding this funny, as they are complaining of being used and dumped. How? During elections, the politicians find them useful for campaigns on campuses. And since nothing goes for nothing, they pay the students handsomely to root for them.

The elections have since come and gone and the music has also changed. Said Michael Okorie, a student of Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State: “Before the April 2011 general elections, especially during the busy campaign days, to recharge my phone was not a problem. Politicians were everywhere, throwing money

around. Now that they have won, they have forgotten us. They have dumped us. Then, they visited us in the hostels easily. I just wish elections were an annual affair.”

Many student groups spring up during election time. Once the students come together, they decide on which politician to back and contact him immediately. Since the politicians too need the “youth support groups” they hire them. They also make them mouth-watering offers.

The love between them, however, ends as soon as the elections are over. Unable to appreciate this fact, students are complaining that politicians have forgotten them.

Michael said he wished that those who won could continue to visit the campuses and

fulfill their promises.

Ebere Anyichie, a student of Crop Science and Technology, said democracy is “well felt when cash is flowing and it gets to students, during and after elections”.

During last year’s campaign, former Imo State Governor Ikedi Ohakim held three workshops for students. The first was for all final year students of higher institutions, the second dwelt on the role of students in elections, and the last was tagged: “Why we must allow Ohakims to return to power.”

Many students cared lets about the themes, but they gladly attended, especially as each session ended with the sharing of cash, souvenirs and certificates.

A student, who pleaded anonymity, re-

called how he made money from politicians through the group he formed. According to him, his group received financial mobilisation from groups, political parties and politicians to organise one programme or the other “many of which didn’t hold eventually.”

His words: “Election period is the only time to live a big boy’s life as a student because you will be closer to the ‘national cake’. Not only that you can visit any politician at anytime and he will give you audience because he needs you to deliver him in your own territory. The icing is that when girls see you having the phone number of a •Continued on page 31

•Don urges more funding for college- P33•Govt renovates LASU Students’ union building - P36

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

30

CAMPUS LIFE

Readers’ reactions to ‘Portrait of our leader’

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Pushing Out

but the result was rigged in favour of NPN; Buhari fought against that through the December 1983 coup which ushered him in as Head of State. Together with his second in command, Idiagbon, he fought indiscipline and corruption. He is an angel in fiscal discipline/accountwith ability. Buhari is a detribalised soldier with a kind heart. He has the experience to liberate us from the cult of thieves called the PDP and 08054503104 the ACN. - Dr. Kesh, Ibadan (SMS only) May I congratulate you, Ngozi, on your article “Portrait of our leader”.

•campuslife@thenationonlineng.net It is beautiful. Keep it up. - Chijioke •ladycampus@yahoo.com That “Portrait of our leader” is a masterpiece, and a good mirror for an obtheir birthright to rule Nigeria are making jective self appraisal. Will the sycophants things difficult for President Jonathan. Isra- allow the leaders to read it! I wonder. elites did not make things difficult for HRH, Eze Tony Wabara.

Moses. There wasn’t any section that held Israel to ransom because it is their birth9 th Correspondents’ Workshop right to lead Israel. In case you don’t know, Our twice in a year training session for these things are happening not because Jonathan is incapable, but because one of our correspondents is here again; it will The first in the year, this their own is not president. Shine your eyes. start tomorrow. th Listen, they are Boko Haraming the more will be the 9 in the series. Since inception because they discovered that Jonathan wants in May, 2008, these sessions have been to hand over to an easterner. Many things jointly sponsored by the Coca-Cola Nigeto tell you, but next time because you need ria Limited and the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited. These firms take up to be taught about Nigeria. - Raymond Good write up; well researched. - Anony- the entire bill – transportation fares, accommodation for the three days, feeding - evmous Thanks, Ngozi, for “Portrait of our erything indeed. We remain indebted to leader”. The Presidency is confused or pre- them.

This time, the venue has been moved to tending to be confused in order to comthe highbrow Lekki part of Lagos. To make pletely destroy the nation. - KC Your piece is touching. The best candi- things easier for the invited correspondate to succeed Goodluck Jonathan is dents, especially those who are coming in Muhammadu Buhari. He was the GOC in from outside Lagos, arrangements have Ibadan during the 1983 general election. He been made for them to gather here at The showed his hatred for rigging at Ibadan Nation Corporate Headquarters where vethen. In Sokoto, the people voted for UPN hicles will be waiting to convey them to

Ngozi Agbo

N the past four weeks, I have been running a series on the qualities I believe we need to look out for in the people we will vote into positions of public trust, henceforth. Today, I decided to run just some of our readers’ reactions thus far.

Ciao ————————— Courage is needed to discover self instinct, so be courageous always. I love your segment real good. With your brilliant analysis of issues, you will go far. Morakinyo, Kebbi State Your analysis is solid. The problem is that there will never be free and fair elections in the land. The question is: how do the oppressed do away with the bankrupt PDP? - Amos Ejimkonye, Kaduna Of your serial on leadership, today’s was apt. leadership is not wish or hope, leadership is 40percent. Followership should prove its mettle. So, more important is that you have stepped outside the box of docility. - Anonymous Thank you very much for a well packaged write up. I am proud of you! - Col Garba (rtd), Kano I read through your column and I want to tell you some of the many things you don’t know about Nigeria, if you will understand. Those who feel and think it is

‘Success is from God’

‘Whosoever fails to plan has failed’ •Agboola

H

OW and why did the name Danfodio take over your real name?

Danfodio is my political identity on campus. I chose it in emulation of the legacies of the renowned Usman Danfodio one of which includes fighting for the interest of the less privileged in his days.

Apart from him, who would you say you draw inspiration from?

I cannot say I have a particular role model. I observe as many of the good traits and virtues from religious, political, administrative leaders, my family and even my peers with the hope of making myself better.

What is your picture of the ideal Nigerian campus life?

The university is a world that accommodates only adults. Therefore, management authorities and lecturers should treat the student body like reasonable adults. Likewise, students at all levels should be fully aware and obey the rules and regulation to have a smooth ride through this transitory period of life. This way, all parties involved in the university system can work together for the good of all.

From your experience, what advice do you have for campus union leaders?

What is worth doing is worth doing well, so present and aspiring union leaders should ensure they have a goal that they pursue with or without resources. Again, they should avoid making promises that are beyond their reach to deliver. Also this question should always be at the back of their minds: “what will I be remembered for?”

Recently, you published a book. Can

His name is A. S. O. Agboola but at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, he is known as DanFodio. The 400-Level student of Management Accountant holds several leadership positions on campus. OLUWASEUN OKE (400-Level Urban and Regional Planning) met him. you give us an insight to what it is about?

The title is Like Campus, Like Fallow.

From my involvement with various publications in school as well as being the national president of Nigerian Union of Campus Journalists (NUCJ), I asked myself, what have I achieved?

What will people remember me for?

So, I had to put it in black and white.

The book is basically for freshers; it is an orientation piece. It is also an academic and social guide for older students. Then, there is some message for those on the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC) as well as members of university management authorities.

The essence of the book is to ensure a rewarding time on campus as well as foster mutual working relationship with the student body.

Where do you see yourself in the nearest future?

It is all in God’s hands. But I am fully aware that whosoever fails to plan has in fact failed already. So, I commit myself into God’s hand to guide me into a position of any capacity whatsoever where I will be able to care for my people, help them out of their challenges and to offer them all a good opportunity to a better life.

Lekki. In the invitation sent to your email, you will see details about takeoff time. Punctuality is of the essence.

The theme for this edition is “The New Media: Responsibilities, Opportunities and Challenges for the Campus Journalist”. Our speakers will be Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, Online Editor of The Nation, and Mrs. Boma Ozobia, Senior Partner at Sterling Partnerships and President, Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association.

Those we are expecting, most of who have confirmed attendance, include Sunkanmi Arowolo, Uche Anichebe, Modestus Diko, Tombari Akpe, Taiwo Isola, Philips Ogbaje, Mubarak Ibrahim, Victor Gbonegun, Habiba Aliu, Francis Egwuatu, Oluchukwu Igwe, Akindotun Akintomide, Ugochukwu Egwumba, Victor Nwokedi, Ukeme Udom, Richard Ilesanmi, Olushola Aremu, Geraldine Okolie, Folajimi Orintunsin, Dayo Akinola, Isaac Mensah, Obianuju Asouzu, Olumuyiwa Ogundele, Wilberforce Arevore, Tosin Adesile, Omolara Omoniyi, Omowunmi Oguntuase, Chinonso Edeh, Rukayat Bisola Olanrewaju, Sikiru Akinola, Gilbert Alasa, Wale Bakare, Okechukwu Ezike, Philip Okorodudu, Anzaa Msonter, Faith Olaniran, Silas Edet, Nnamdi Johnpaul, Daniel Lawrence, Idris Abubakar, Tunji Awe, Imoleayo Oyedeyi, Dele Oge, David Osu, Gerald Nwokocha, Osato Edokpayi, Seyi Oluwalade, Olatunbosun Yinka, Seun Oke, Mabel Opara, Udoka Iyoke and Dayo Ojerinde.

Those who have not confirmed can still do so by responding to the email sent to their boxes. Remember, representation is not allowed.

I look forward to seeing you all, as I wish each of you journey mercies.

•Adebayo

Y

OU have broken old records and set new ones. What was it like in your primary and secondary schools?

I attended Omo-Ayo Nursery & Primary School Felele, Ibadan, and Ibadan Grammar School, Molete.

These are both in Oyo State. While I was in primary school, I had this sharp mind by the help of God and I was always first or second and even in secondary school it was the same. But at a point, I had a challenge that affected me. However, after meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ, I had an academic revolution such that as I graduated in SS 3, I had the best result in my set. One other great influence was the fact that my parents were disciplinarians. I will also add that I am a hardworking student who does not socialise a lot.

Were you ever forced into reading or studying?

I have never needed to be compelled to read. I love success. In fact, I’m motivated by success. I like doing something and doing it well and successfully. Doing something and getting expected results has been a major pursuit. This is because, as I said, success has been my desire in life. I always ensure that anything I do I give it my very best prayerfully and God has been helping me.

Was there any point during the course of your study that you were discouraged and the dream of success was as though unrealisable?

Not really. None of my results per

At the FUT Minna convocation, the gathering applauded as the Best Graduating Student (BGS), Idris Adebayo, was invited at intervals to pick his prizes. With a First Class Degree in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Technology, Idris, who has a CGPA of 4.84, also emerged as the student with the best result so far in the institution’s history.

DAVID OSU (300-Level Urban and Regional Planning) spoke with him. semester has ever dropped below first class. But there were relational barricades that existed as a result of the distance between myself and my family being that I am here in Minna while they stay in Ibadan. I come from a very close knit family.

Yet God saw me through. Yet in my 500-Level, I saw a load upon me considering the course load I was to offer. Also some lectures were very boring. I almost lost hope. But God encouraged me.

Can you talk about your final year project?

I carried out two research projects, and as usual they were successful. I got an A in both. The topic for the personal research is “Removal of Heavy Metals from Waste Water Using Precipitation Method” The project was success. The other research was a collective one which was centered on water treatment.

Members of my group and I looked for an element to substitute alum.

This is because alum affects the ph of water; it also gives the water a

dour taste.

Are there intentions to further work on these projects?

In reality, projects done in Nigeria are not given full attention.

Sadly, they are usually abandoned after all the efforts put into them.

But, for now, I’m not sure there’s anyone who wants to go on with his or her research work. But I hope there will be a change; and that someone will one day pick the researches to develop them further.

What message would you extend to other Nigerian students coming after you?

Success is from God, and as such they should get close to God. Also, they should do their very best. One other thing that kills students is fear. Students should have confidence in themselves and their inherent capacity as well as having confidence in God. All the same, I give God the glory for my success.

This is because it is not how much one puts in his work but how much God helps. I see this feat as an answered prayer.

‘Success is from God, and as such they should get close to God. Also, they should do their very best. One other thing that kills students is fear. Students should have confidence in themselves and their inherent capacity as well as having confidence in God’

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

31

CAMPUS LIFE Prodded by the Junior Chambers International(JCI), many students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, gathered to donate blood. UCHE ANICHEBE (400-Level Law) was there.

Their brothers’ keepers “S

ERVICE to humanity is the last hope of man” goes the creed of the Junior Chambers International (JCI), a student association. Two weeks ago, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, chapter literally breathed life to the creed, following a five-day blood donation exercise it organised. This was in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Souteast zone.

Several uniformed medical practitioners from the NBTS attended to the donors under canopies erected at the Garuba Square, an open area on campus, while others attended to students who came to take advantage of the free medical checkup offered by the medical crew.

CAMPUS LIFE spoke with Hezekiah Okoro-eze, President of the JCI. He was excited over the smooth conduct of the exercise. He said: “Since inception in UNIZIK, JCI has been committed to empowering and developing young people in the society. This blood donation exercise is one of the several programmes that we engage

in. Others include regular visits to orphanages and prisons, with relief materials for the inmates, so they will know there are people who still remember and care for them.”

He added that the pints of blood that would be collected would be distributed free to persons who need them, in hospitals”.

In a chat, the programme officer, Mr Patrick Mbanefo, told our correspondent that the medical crew came all the way from Owerri, Imo State, on the invitation of the JCI and that every prospective donor is allowed to donate just one pint of blood. According to him, each donor is first given the donor form and then, subjected to some tests.

Such tests include body weight, pulse rate, and body pressure, and that actual donation of blood suggests that the donor had passed all the tests.

While emphasising the need for all eligible persons to donate blood, he drew the attention of CAMPUSLIFE to the fact that there was a dearth of voluntary blood donation culture in Nigeria. He said: “In the Western world, people walk casually into blood donation

•Some of the students donating blood in the programme

centres and donate the excess blood in their bodies. But here in Nigeria, if you ask a person to donate blood, he or she would immediately ask you for money. We do not have the culture of blood donation in Nigeria. As a result of this anomaly, we, at the National Blood Transfusion Service, try our best to sensitise people. We often educate them and re-orientate them on the need to save life and serve humanity by donating blood, so that people who are in dire need of it

can access it.”

Mbanefo went further to disclose that the blood would be screened and given to pilot hospitals, which would then distribute it to hospitals in their localities. He expressed pleasure with the turnout of students. As at the time he spoke to our correspondent, he revealed that they had received 220 pints of blood, an indication that 220 students had donated.

CAMPUSLIFE spoke with some of the donors.

Nnaemeka Osuji, a student of Law said: “I am doing this with pleasure because I believe that I owe this service to humanity. I have read books where patients meet their early death owing to lack of blood in hospitals. This is my own way of trying to save a life. In fact, JCI should be praised for this initiative. I just hope that the pints of blood would not be commercialised, for if that becomes the case, the essence of this laudable exercise would be lost.”

Faculty boils over embezzlement

Students, politicians, honeymoon over

•Staff Adviser denies involvement

•Continued from page 29

From Emmanuel Ahanonu UNICAL

politician in your phone, they tend to fall for you. You are believed to have got ‘the connection’, you know”.

A common event during those heady campaign days was “cultural days”, organised by parapo groups. Usually, students from the same locality would form a group and invite “illustrious sons and daughters” – usually politicians contesting elections - from their town to grace the occasion. The politicians always fell for these events; but once elections are over, they are no where to be found.

In FUTO last year, two female student-groups clashed after a heated political debate they jointly hosted. They held the debate in support of their candidates who were gunning for the Owerri Senatorial District seat. One group led by Chioma Iwuanyanwu, in 300-Level Industrial Microbiology, supported the incumbent and eventual winner, Senator Chris Anyanwu (APGA). The other led

by Ngozi Ekeh, in 300-Level Industrial Physics, threw its weight behind Mrs. Kema Chikwe (PDP), a former Aviation Minister.

The duo were not there but many believed they sent “good” money to the girls. During the debate, Chioma brought out a postcard from her purse, which contained some of the achievements and ongoing projects of her candidate. These, she grouped into legislative achievements (bills and motions) and non-legislative achievements. Under legislative, she listed some bills and a motion urging the Federal Government to intervene and save Owerri Airport from collapse. She spoke so convincingly that the over 500 students in attendance began to prod

ALL seems not to be well in the faculty of Social Science Students Association (SOSSA), which comprises eight departments. For more than a year now, the Edmond Ebriled executive has been embroiled in controversy over misappropriation of funds.

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that hardly had he settle down for business than series of petitions started flying. The matter came to head when Edmond, alongside the Treasurer, Financial Secretary and Director of Information, was summoned by the faculty parliament to clarify some issues bordering on finances. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the sergeant at Arm suddenly disappeared with the mace, thus rendering the faculty legislative sitting powerless.

It was learnt that the Dean of the faculty, Prof A. Anyia, summoned Edmond and the Staff Adviser of the association, Dr T. A. Ojua, over the petition written by Joseph Nyiam, a student, against the president. The petition has among others charges alleged financial misappropriation, horrible increase of the faculty due, nonchalant attitude of the president in response to duties, as well as misrepresenting the faculty in dubious, against the president.

Prof Anyia was said to have adjourned the meeting when a consensus could not be reached. He was quoted as saying: “I suspend further withdrawal of money from the association account by the president and others pending the time this issue is completely resolved. But I will advise that students still keep on paying their dues pending when a new government is put in place. I will personally interrogate and resolve this matter myself.”

•Campaign train involving students in Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri last year

‘The icing is that when girls see you having a phone number of politician in your phone, they tend to fall for you. You are believed to have got ‘the connection’, you know’ her on with Carry go!, You don win!

Soon, it was Ngozi’s turn to sell her own candidate. But students, being who they are, did not stop applauding Chioma. When she insisted on being heard, the students took offence and began to leave one after the other. Enraged, Ngozi lost her cool and started to “rain” abuses on Chioma, who gave tit-for-tat. A fight almost ensued but for some students who separated them.

Later, Senator Anyanwu came to FUTO on the invitation of Mbaise students. For some reasons, some members of the Student Union Government (SUG) and Man O’ War would not allow her to enter the campus because, according to them, she did not “inform” the union that she was coming. Her hosts, the Mbaise stu-

dents, and others, who felt enraged at the treatment given the senator, went to bring her in “directly”. The woman’s motherly intervention was said to have saved the day from becoming violent.

A source, who did not want to be named, said Senator Anyanwu was stopped because “FUTO was a PDP zone as the wife of the then Vice-Chancellor was the party’s deputy governorship candidate”.

Each time there was a rally at the Dan Anyiam place, Owerri, parties mobilised students to flood the place. The SUGs of the many higher institutions within and around Owerri made this possible.

Some politicians normally demanded the number of students they wanted from each school, and

the “mobilisers” would name their price.

Students also enjoyed good times during Independence Day, Democracy Day, political rallies and other campaigns where the government required a crowd. Usually, each student gets about N500 after each event. Though some complain about the “paltry” sum, they still show up the next event. Emeka Chukwu, in 200-Level, said students refused to vote for Ohakim because “he gives only N500 per student after making us to stand in the sun for hours.”

Some students voted based on the money given to them; others collected the money no matter the amount from every politician and still voted for candidates of their choice.

Elections have come and gone.

Students are complaining that “the politicians who won have forgotten us so soon; this is the time we need their love and care”. What remains to be seen, is whether these students would not do the same thing during the next general elections.

32

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

CAMPUS LIFE

Union gets executive

A

NEW leadership that will pilot the affairs of the Nigerian Union of Campus Journalists (NUCJ), University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter, for the 2011/2012 academic session was chosen last week in a keenly contested election.

After the manifesto period, the electoral body chairman, Benedict Atsu, read out the electoral guidelines to the delegates. Then the election followed immediately at Malabo square. Announcing the outcome of the election, Benedict said 33 ballots were cast out of which Emmanuel Eca polled 18 votes to become the president against his closest opponent, who had 15 votes. Tobby David became the Secretary having garnered 20 •Students catching fun at the renovated Coca-Cola Village

Varsity renovates Coca-Cola Village

C

OCA-COLA Village, a recreation centre located at the permanent site of University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has been renovated. The facility had been abandoned for several years by past Students’ Union Government (SUG).

However, the recently concluded West African University Games (WAUG) facilitated the renovation of the facility, which is adjacent to the SUG building. For the students of UNILORIN, who were not around when Coca-Cola Village was donated, the renovated facility is seen as a new relaxation centre.

Some of them spoke to CAMPUSLIFE. Sikiru Basiru, 200Level Plant Biology, said: “This

From Wale Bakare UNILORING

will counter the popular belief that UNILORIN is all about book. With this fun centre by Coca-Cola, many students will be forced to stay in the school to relax without going outside the campus. This is good innovation.”

Abolaji Oseni, 300-Level Guidance and Counseling, told our correspondent: “Although, I did not participate in WAUG. If there is anything I gained from the games, it is the Coca-Cola Village.”

Ifeoluwa Kolapo, 300-Level Sociology, said: “Before the renovation of the Coca-Cola Village, students could not properly dissipate the academic stress they go through every day because there

was no all-student relaxation centre. But with the Coca Cola innovation, I frequently go to the centre to relax after lectures and this has been helpful for my health.”

Taofeek Adeife, 200-Level Zoology, said: “It has been said that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Once I observe I am stressed up, I visit the Coca Cola Village with my friends to have fun.”

Adenike Thani, 100-Level History, said: “I believe campus should not be about reading only, this is the reason I go to Coca-Cola village to relieve myself of the academic stress.” Jamiu Isiaka, 300-Level Chemistry Education, told CAMPUSLIFE that his visit to the centre was to “cool my brain after several lectures and reading.”

Fellowship holds music fiesta

I

From Opeoluwa Sonuga OAU

The programme continued on Saturday night and it was tagged ‘Singaloud’, coined from Psalm 81:1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. It featured Jesus Peoples’ Choir (JPC) and Shola Allyson Obaniyi.

While ministering, Allyson, narrated the story of her life.

According to her, she was an unwanted child, who came into the

world when nobody was expecting her. She said her childhood was devoid of the family love, which made going to higher institution herculean for her.

She ended her ministration with track Obinrin ni mi (I am a woman) and admonished the female students: “Don’t sell your glory for Blackberry, it will spoil one day or for food because it will digest, or for overseas trip, as you could be deported but walk worthy of womanhood”.

Fellowship holds prayer night

HE Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA) chapter, has organised a “Week of Missions” for the students tagged “Dunamis”, a Greek word meaning God’s saving power.

The convocation square at the Gidan Kwano campus where the convention was held on the first day, recorded a tremendous attendance with Evangelist Sunday Oguche ministering. The second and third day services were held at the school field Bosso campus of the institution. The convention ended with a leadership summit.

T

From David Osu FUT MINNA

During the convention, students were given spiritual lectures on the purpose of man on earth. Pastor Mike Daniels ministered that “until one is on the path of destiny, power is not given nor manifested in the life of anybody.”

Students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE after the convention expressed fulfillment, thanking God that they partook in the crusade. Florence Daniel, 300-Level Urban and

T

HE ban placed on the activities of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) in the University of Calabar (UNICAL) may soon be lifted. The body that will conduct elections into the various posts of the union was inaugurated last week by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof James Epoke. The inauguration took place at the old senate building in

Union holds congress S the tenure of the present Students Union Government (SUG) of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is about to end, the executive members of the union called for congress to address issues affecting the general wellbeing of the students.

The Surajudeen Musa led administration organised the first congress of the students union. The congress, which was held at the science lecture theatre on may 2 witnessed a gathering of all the student union representative while some of the past union leaders were also present.

While addressing the congress members the president of the union, Surajudeen Musa, thanked the students for coming out en mass to voice their grievances on issues affecting them.

Surajudeen said: “This regime had achieved a lot. We have increased the minibus from 15 to 35 and we have equally met with the Kwara State government on the problem of transportation students are facing, they promised us two 56-seater buses.”

Ayobamigbe Faloye, 400-Level Basic Medical Science, said: “The congress offers the students to also adopt

A

•A Jesus Peoples’ Choir entertaining the participants during the programme

T was a sight to behold in Oduduwa Hall, the venue of “Apokal and Singaloud 2012”, last Saturday, as Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students and staff watched a live performance of the famous female artiste, Shola Allyson Obaniyi.

The programme was a three-day event organised by the Baptist Students’ Fellowship. It kicked off on Friday night with a drama tagged Apokal, a Greek word for revelation.

It featured Jesus People Drama (JPD).

Varsity to reinstate SUG

Regional Planning, said: “I am grateful to God because the prayer night made me understand that I have an assignment to accomplish on earth.”

James Alabi, 300-Level Industrial Technology Education, told our reporter that he did not regret attending the four-day event. “I want to fulfill my destiny. And I want to be a solution to the problem of nations,” James said.

The FCS president, Vwamdem Kwoopnaan, 500-Level Electrical and Computer Engineering, expressed joy for2 the success of the convention.

From Davidson Maduagwu and Frank Ejeagbasi UNICAL

votes to defeat his opponents.

Emmanuel thanked the delegates for finding him credible for the job. He promised a turn around of the union’s fortune through meaningful programmes as well as consolidating on the gains of the previous administration.

Emmanuel Sheebs, a member of the electoral committee, praised the delegates for conducting themselves peacefully during and after the conduct of the elections. He urged those who did not win to accept their defeat in good faith, stressing that there must always be a winner in every election.

From Stanley Uchegbu UNICAL

the main campus.

Prof Epoke said the SUG was not proscribed but suspended. The reason for the suspension, he said, was to enable the students of the institution to focus more on the academic activities and to put off the rancour among the SUG executive members.

Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, a final year Law student, who craved anonymity, said the restoration of SUG was very vital because no amount of security personnel can control the excess of visitors from other areas as well as other universities except with students’ collaboration.

From Wale Bakare UNILORIN

reviewed constitution conducted by members of the Students’ Representative Council, because they agitated for the review of constitution.”

After the constitution reviewed and corrections made, the constitution was adapted by the congress.

Some of the students bared their minds and complained about their welfare.

David Adeyemi, 400-Level Theatre Art, said: “The constitution amendment is an achievement but I would like the union to provide e-copy of the constitution to all students present at the congress.”

Idris Lawal, 200-Level Law, said: “The president was eager talking about the projects he completed but he didn’t make mention of projects he was unable to do.”

Ridwan Olamilekan, 500-Level Agriculture, said: “Students are not satisfied with the way we are being chased away from the hostel without the students union taking any bold step. I will implore the union to work better to stop further exploitation.”

Surajudeen said: “We have heard all you said, and I assure you that your opinions will be worked on.”

‘Students are not satisfied with the way we are being chased away from the hostel without the students union taking any bold step. I will implore the union to work better to stop further exploitation’

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

33

CAMPUS LIFE Management urged to restore union

T

HERE is mounting disquiet among students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) over the inability of the management of the institution to restore the Students’ Union Government (SUG) on campus. The students, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, had expected the restoration but the Vice-Chancellor claimed the students’ leaders have been playing hide-and-seek with the management.

Last week, a hide-out of cultists located in the campus was discovered by students and a cache of arms allegedly recovered. This, the aggrieved students complained, would not have been possible for the cultists if the union had not been proscribed by the management.

From Sikiru Akinola and Kemi Busari OAU

However, the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Lateefah Durosinmi, in a release made available to all halls of residence, urged the students to go about their normal academic activities, noting that the university management would come up with a timetable that will ultimately lead to restoration of the union.

Students, who confided in CAMPUSLIFE under the condition of anonymity, advised the authority to restore the union to curtail the activities of cultists and thieves on the campus as the university hosts visitors later this year for Nigerian University Games (NUGA).

•Cross-section of the students at the event

Nescafe balloon berths in OAU

D

ESPITE the period of tests and the oncoming exams that befall the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the students of the institution still created time to for social events. Last week Nestle Nigeria Plc brought Nescafe Red Mug and the Hot Air Balloon to the campus to thrill the students. Highlight of the show included a talent hunt contest, comedy and the flying of the balloon.

The event manager, Mr. Paul Osondu, told CAMPUSLIFE: “Nescafe is the only brand that has ever made the hot air balloon theory a reality on campuses.” He said the programme was targeted at student audience in Nigerian universities.

From Wilberforce Arevore and Oluwafemi Ogunjobi OAU

Mr Tayo Olatunji, the Category Business Manager, told our correspondent: “The magic mug and the hot air balloon are innovative concepts from the NESCAFE brand.”

Olatunji stressed the need to reach out to the youths, while reiterating that coffee is good as it contains anti-oxidant, but cautioned against the abuse of the product by the students.

Talented students trooped out in their numbers to dazzle their colleagues with the talents they possess. Some were booed, while some were cheered on amidst ecstasy.

Osondu said: “We never thought

the response could be as massive as this. Usually, we thought the turn out on the first day would be low, but it wasn’t. It was so huge that we had to literarily beg the students to go home when it was 9pm because we were told some of them stay off campus.”

Gifts and prizes were given to students who participated in the talent hunts, while the free Nescafe drink was given out at strategic points for free.

Oluwafunmike Adewunmi, a 300-Level student, told CAMPUSLIFE that the programme was the best she ever witnessed in the school. Rasheedah Owolabi, a 200-Level student, also said the programme was entertaining.

Don urges more funding for college

Hostel wins soccer, eating contests

H

ALL C in the Lagos Boys hostel of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) came alive last Saturday as the final stages of the inter-compounds soccer competition and eating competition were organised. The final match of the football event was between Halls C and A with Hall C returning as the champions after a 2-1 victory over their counterpart.

Though, Hall A opened the scoring line few minutes into the firsthalf of the encounter, but Hall C equalised. Bello Abdullah scored

T

HE Provost of Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology, Dr Victor Onyekwere, has said the institution needs the attention of the government if it must compete with its peers. The Rector made the statement last weekend during the 14th convocation ceremony.

He said the college was left alone to suffer for many years without grant and governing council. Onyekwere said it took the grace of God and the assistance of the members of the academic board and the directors to add academic values to the lives of the graduates.

“Let me say this before our visitors that this school has never received any grant from government or anybody but in spite of that, we are still marching on and doing our best. Our students have been recognised before the crowd through the skill and training they acquired in the college.

“We cannot do more than this without the assistance of the government, though we have also acknowledged the roles played by some individuals in government both present and the past to ensure the continuity and progress of the college,” Onyekwere said.

The provost, who was speaking before the Commissioner for Health, Dr Sampson Parker, and Governor Chibuike Amaechi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Nwogu, said the college

•The contestants during the eating competition From Hameed Muritala and Surajudeen Alabede UNILORIN

the winning goal for Hall C boys in the second-half of the game.

Few minutes after the football match, the final of the eating competition was conducted. The three students that made it to the final were Temitope Ayanwale, Abiola Onasanya and Femi Sesay. They were provided with two big wraps of Amala, a plate of Ewedu containing two pieces of meat and four sachets of water.

In the end, Temitope, 200-Level Agricultural and Bio-system Engineering, emerged winner. Abiola, who stomached his food before the other contestants, vomited after finishing the food. He said: “It is not a matter of stature, but a matter of what you can take.”

Ekiti students celebrate Cultural Day

From Taiwo Isola UNIMAID

•Dr Onyekwere (right) congratulating the overall best graduating student during the ceremony From Precious Dikewoha PORT HARCOURT

needed urgent attention to enable it compete with other health colleges in the world.

Onyekwere said: “When you go to the hospitals today in Rivers State, the first people that attend to you are the products of this school; those at the laboratory are also our products including the person who administered drugs to you.

“That is how important we are in the society, apart from the assistance and encouragement we have received before now from the government. We need urgent assistance to make the college one of the best in the world.”

Responding, Nwogu said the government congratulated

graduands and promised to assist the college.

“This administration has provided health centres across rural areas in the state, because we attach more importance to the health of our people. Though, I will convey your massage to the governor but I want to assure you that this government is willing to assist the college,” he said.

Commissioner for Health Dr. Sampson Parker while making a short remark, said, he will personally assist the school to receive grant and to get governing council. “It is important that a school of this nature must have a grant and governing council. I will work with the House of Assembly committee on health to ensure the progress of the school,” he promised.

T

HE Federation of Ekiti State Students (FESSU), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) chapter has celebrated its annual Cultural Day. The event, which took place at the convocation square of the university, had in attendance the university Librarian, Mr. J. A. Agaja, the Deputy Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof Mary Fajonyomi, senior lecturers, Students’ Union Government representatives and Ekiti students.

Prof Fajonyomi praised the Yoruba students for being disciplined and encouraged them to be careful of their movement and avoid late outings because of the security challenges in the state. The excitement was heightened with the commencement of drama presentations, songs, cultural dance and Iyan competition.

The event also witnessed the launching of the maiden edition of the union’s magazine by the university Librarian.

34

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

CAMPUS LIFE It was an election devoid of the normal drama and intrigues of campus politicking. All the same, ONYINYE NKWOCHA and CHIDIEBERE ENYIA (200-Level English and Literary Studies) report that students of the Imo State University (IMSU) conducted themselves well as they elected a new crop of leaders.

IMSU students go to the poll

I

T was another season of campus politics at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, as the students gathered to elect a new government for their union.

This year’s election season was quieter than previous years. Up until the election day it was as though no election was by the corner. It was a rather slow and silent election season as it lacked the usual noisy, vibrant and colourful displays typical of campus campaigns. The usual visits to classrooms, the defacements of walls all over campus with posters of pasty looking faces, over exaggerated smiles or pretentious sophistication, the thundering of solidarity chants, the unending flows of promises, all these were at a minimal.

The highest publicity for the election was the white marker board placed by the walkway into the school and a small banner hanging at the entrance of the gate.

The University Electoral Commission (UNECO), speaking through its chairman, Mandel Ukaegbu, had assured the students that his team was bent on organising a free and fair election that will stand as a legacy for subsequent elections. His promise was not reneged on, as there was a reasonable amount of satisfaction with the process at the end.

The manifesto reading, which

took place at the love garden on May 2, was poorly attended.

Those who came included aspirants, former SUG members, the UNECO and some members of the Peace on Campus group (P.O.C), led by their commandant, Samuel Ezeanyika. The aspirants were given five minutes each to address the crowd. One of the presidential aspirants, Rex Okoro, a 400L student from the Faculty of Engineering, moved the crowd to excitement in his brief speech of a transformational agenda.

Election day started like every other academic day on campus.

Students who had morning lectures went for classes; others were getting ready for lectures. Meanwhile, at the election ground the ballot boxes were placed in the open field, with the electoral officials, school security and some members of the military police guarding the arena. Scores of students began to gather at the arena, supporters came in crested Tshirts and costumes of their candidates, campaigners shared out handbills and continued their persuasions to students. At about 12pm accreditation was yet to begin but the already excited crowd continued to wait and even increase. Thirty minutes later, the accreditation process started. The requirement for voting was evidence of school fees payment for

•Students on queue waiting to cast their votes

the session.

Some students who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE complained that they were disenfranchised but this did not provoke any protest from them. Promise Uzoma, a student of Sociology, said: “We do not have a basis for protesting against the requirement here because it has been consistent for about two years and the notice has been hanging at the school gate for days now. Anyone who has not paid their fees for the session is not qualified.”

The expectation for the outcome of the election was high as many supporters continued to believe that their candidate would win. But from all indications, the man after the hearts of many students for the office of president was Rex. His mates from the Engineering and Okwu Uratta hostels’ alliance where he had served as the Alliance president waited patiently and full of confidence.

Voting started at about 3pm and ended just in time for the rains to drizzle. The election results were counted at the arena in the pres-

ence of the aspirants and a member of their campaign team, while the students watched on, waiting anxiously. The results were finally called out at about 5:20pm with a landslide victory in the office of the president; Rex, with 336 votes, beat Magnus Ejiofor of the Faculty of Law with 23 votes and Eze Igwekamma with 40. For vice-president, Nkechi Okereke, with 126 votes, beat Christy Egelonu with 41 votes and Juliet Nwokeoma with 42.

Other winners include Paschal Amadi (secretary general) and Christopher Ayikamba (director of sports). Offices like director of information, director of socials, director of transport, director of welfare, assistant secretary general and director of treasury went unopposed.

This seemed to worry some students. One, Prince Ezeanyinka, while congratulating the UNECO, noted the declining interest of students in unionism and urged them to take charge of this platform.

The president-elect, Rex, in a phone interview with our corre-

spondents said: “Some of the unopposed offices were so because a number of aspirants got disqualified for nonpayment of school fees or a low CGP as against the required grade point”.

When asked if his victory was because he enjoyed more popularity amongst students than his opponents, considering the fact that the ban was lifted on political campaigns less than a week to election day, he answered: “That was not the case. The official lift of ban only allowed us the opportunity to publicly gather students for campaign purposes. We had other periods to acquaint ourselves with the electorate one-on-one and sell our ideas to them. It was up to them to accept what you have to offer.”

The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof Anthony Okere, urged the newly elected not to lose focus of their primary aim in the university which is to study. He also said the administration would work together with the SUG to ensure that students buy textbooks at a good rate and at the proper time.

Its aim is to enlighten female students on their responsibilities as well as promote gender equality. It was a programme organised by a 200-Level student of Law at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Gbemitayo Leezah. IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI (300-Level Mass Communication) was there.

For girls only T the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Gbemitayo Leezah is the Faculty of Law’s Most Beautiful Girl (MBG). In her 200-Level, she held a programme specifically for her fellow girls, tagged “Cutting across the babymaker Frontier”. The inspiration, she told CAMPUSLIFE, came from happenings in the society where many women, especially those in the rural areas, are merely seen as people with little else to contribute to life than “make babies and look after the home.”

She said: “The purpose of the programme is to sensitise female students on the need for them to see themselves as instruments of growth and betterment in the society. Women’s role in the society is not limited to baby-making or home-building.”

The event, which took place at the University Relaxation Centre, featured legal practitioners and public officers in the state, among which are Mr Ololade Olateru-Olagbegi, Sub-Dean of Law and queen of Owo kingdom; Mrs. Olayinka Alabi, Commissioner for Women Afairs; Mrs. Opeyemi Adefarati, the chairper-

A

• Gbemitayo (middle) and her friends after the programme

son of Akoko Southwest LGA, members of the Students Union Government (SUG), the MBGs of most departments and hostels in the institution, among others.

Speaking on the theme of the programme, Gbemi said: “Feminism is the belief of equality be-

tween the male and female sexes. The duty of a woman is more than being a baby-maker: a woman could also be a society maker. Just like the theme of the programme, the women should extend their tentacles to other spheres. Also, they should

come out for politics, get involved in entrepreneurial activities and learn to be financially independent.”

In her address at the event, Mrs. Alabi, represented by her Personal Assistant, Mr. Abiodun Ayekusi, stressed on the role of

women in politics. She said women have been effective in politics, citing the current President of Liberia and the Queen of England as examples. Even in Nigeria, she said, sensitive offices are handled by women, who she added, are consciously using their offices judiciously.

The Law Faculty Officer recounted how she defeated her male opponents during her undergraduate days to become president of Law students at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. She used the experience to drive home the fact that a woman can achieve anything she sets her mind on, so far there is purpose. According to her, if given the opportunity, women can perform better than their male counterparts.

While stressing on the spectacular deeds of historical and Biblical characters like Moremi, Esther and Deborah, she admonished the female students to always see themselves as the important sex in the society without necessarily feeling pompous.

“Never throw yourself cheaply at any man because you are worth millions,” she stated.

The high point of the event was the presentation of an award to Mrs. Olateru-Olagbegi.

The occasion also featured musical performances from upcoming artistes like Rick Don, Tmaks and Evans Galle, students of the institution.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

35

CAMPUS LIFE

NYSC: The way forward

By Uche Anichebe

F

OLLOWING the maiming and gruesome killing of serving corps members in the North during the political unrest that followed the 2011 general elections, there was a public outcry for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. The proponents of the call predicated their call on the fact that the scheme has outlived its glory and relevance. The government preached patience and promised stakeholders that the exercise

“I

F I die, make you no cry for me, E je n sinmi, eje n mi” which literally is translated: If I give up the ghost, let me rest in peace was a strong excerpt from the controversial last song of Dagrin –If I Die. The line was echoed loudly by Mr Ayegbajeje, a pensioner who retired from the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC). He was sitting under a mango tree at the village square in his hometown, Surulere. He returned to his hometown after life became unbearable for him in Lagos a few years after his retrenchment.

His meritorious career as an engineer in NRC was brought to an abrupt end by the mass retrenchment that rocked the ailing corporation. Alongside his wife and four children, he was evicted from the staff quarters given to him by the corporation.

After his eviction, having three

would be revamped to address the new realities.

The Federal Government lived up to its pledge. Some months ago, the Minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, announced that some drastic changes were to be effected in the NYSC exercise. He said corps members will no longer be deployed to private establishments, oil companies and banks for their primary assignment. Sequel to that, he said corps members would be deployed to the areas of agriculture, rural health and education sector to complement the efforts of the manpower already working in the sectors. The reforms begin with the Batch “A” corps members who left camp few weeks ago.

Since its introduction on May 22, 1973, by the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon, the NYSC exercise has witnessed a steady decline. It was expressed in certain quarters that if the

scheme were to be a human being, he would have attained the age of 18 by 1991, which qualifies him to exercise his franchise. Were he precocious, the bright boy would have started primary school about 1977, graduated from the university by 1993 and participated in the NYSC scheme in 1994.

By now, he would have been a source of joy to his parents and pride to the entire nation.

Can this be said about the present state of the NYSC? Does its existence so far been the source of joy to the common man in Nigeria? To me, this question is answerable only in the negative sense. In the light of this, the reformative exercise embarked on by the Federal Government is indeed a welcome development. It is commendable in that the youth would be required to serve their fatherland, rather than some private firms where at most serve their own pockets.

I

Uche, 400-Level Law, UNIZIK

Agonies of a pensioner

By Dayo Akinola

meals a day from the meagre income realised from his wife’s petty trading, became impossible.

Life dealt him another lethal blow when his wife was diagnosed of aterminal breast cancer. His children were later withdrawn from school for perpetual indebtedness. His attempt to get his pension arrears for his wife’s treatment and children’s school fees ended up in futility. He then began to ponder on why the country will not honour the allegiance owed to him even when he served the country with his heart and might.

He resigned to fate by going

back to his hometown with his children after the demise of the family breadwinner – his wife. He was welcomed into a dimly-lit room infested by a colony of insects with tattered roof bequeathed to him by his father.

After his return, he went into farming to escape the axe of hunger. Relaxing at the village square after hectic day farming became a habit for him.

A young girl who was bemused by his behaviour asked him why he loves singing “If I die”. With a despondent look, he retorted: “If I die, do not cry for me; cry for this country and for yourself because today it is me, if there is no change, it will be your turn tomorrow.”

A giant without muscle HAVE a concern for my heart though the doctors gave me a clean bill of health recently. The reason for my feeling is the plethora of problems bedeviling Nigeria.

This is a country that is blessed with abundance of human and natural resources. These earn the nation with appellation such as Giant of Africa.

But with the present happenings in the country, can we claim that we are indeed the giant of the black nations?

Virtually all the infrastructures we have are in deplorable state and there seems not to be hope for good future. Gone are the days when programmes of government are believed to be achievable in no distant time. Nowadays, successive governments have come with innumerable point agenda with not even a single item in such programme achieved.

I have come to identify with my friend who said the only natural disaster common to Nigeria is bad leadership. Indeed, the notion could not be more truthful if we look at the abject poverty ravaging the land despite resources that can emancipate substantial number of Nigerian citizens from penury in the shortest possible period.

There is no aspect of our national life that is not affected by the regime of bad leadership. Able youth who are skilled in various disciplines are rendered

I find it impressive and in concord with its objective, the plan to deploy the youths to rural areas, with special emphasis on health, education and agriculture sectors.

Surely, this new measure would provide a training ground for the varsity graduates. Next to this is the added benefit of skill acquisition. The positive efforts and sincere contributions of youths at the rural communities will certainly be imbued in the indigenes a sense of love and appreciation.

Last year, amongst other impressive tales from the NYSC block, was the tale of the award of Chieftaincy title by the Busu Community in Niger State to a youth corps member, Mr Francis Arinze Ehindonye, for his invaluable contribution in the areas of education and agriculture. Now, that is a true exemplification of service, which is the essence of the exercise. Certainly, this news among others would have delighted the heart of General Yakubu Gowon,

its founder.

I am of the opinion that government must tread with caution and care especially in the deployment of corps members to the education sector. This is in the light of the glaring decline of our standard of education. It is for convenience sake that corps members are deployed to the classrooms. However, qualification must precede convenience. The qualification and teaching prowess of the individual corps member must form the condition under which he is deployed to the education sector.

A legal maxim goes thus, “equity imputes the intention to fulfill an obligation.” It goes without saying that the reformative endeavour by the government is a positive step from which we can impute the intention to fulfill the obligation placed on them by stakeholders to revamp the NYSC exercise. The aforementioned efforts by the Federal Government are inexhaustible. There is work to be done.

Olajide, 400-Level Microbiology, EKSU

we have as youth in future?

Dayo, 300-Level Economics, UNILORIN fore a panel, congress and disciplinary committee etc as a means of threatening their journalism prowess. Unfortunately, people who eulogise journalism as noble profesdrawn which violated not sion are the ones who are only the fundamental rights guilty of crucifying campus but also the ethics and conjournalists. ducts of the profession. Truth, The fact that a situation can the essence of journalism has be exaggerated or blown out been greatly threatened in of proportion by reporters, campuses. which in most cases, is inA noble and highly estended to attract urgent and teemed profession has aspositive response to the situsumed a dangerous dimenation should not sion on campus in recent times. deemphasize the enormous Objective journalism has been impacts of campus journalism. adulterated and campus jourThe truth should be upheld at nalists are endangered species all times with utmost objecin a supposed democratic settivity without fear or favour. ting of our higher institution.

Therefore, it is pertinent that Fundamental rights and freethis victimisation of practitiodom of press are inherent in ners of campus journalism democratic practice but the should be stopped in order to same cannot be said of Nigebequeath educated, informed rian universities. and enlightened citizenry for This is compounded by nuour country. merous challenges the campus journalists face. It is a comChinenye, 400-Level English, mon occurrence to serve jourUNICAL nalists letters of summon be-

Odyssey of campus journalists

By Olajide Adelana

unemployed.

Higher institutions are not spared in this year of locust; the standard is declining every moment and the culture of researches is nothing to write home about.

It’s no news that corruption has eaten deep into the system to an extent if anybody wants to get rich over night, the person should join the public service. It is only in Nigeria that public officers will acquire a posh car while in service yet nobody will ask as to the source of the money. Our leaders examine every important issue through the prism of tribalism and religion.

The judiciary is not left out in this conundrum. Judgment in Nigeria is procured by the highest bidder. All hope is not lost though. We need to retrace our steps from the track of pariah state. Many have said if the judiciary, which is seen as the last hope of the common man, gets it wrong, there will be anarchy and the revolution that swept across Arab countries may be imminent in Nigeria.

This notion is right and who can tell whether the Boko Haram insurgence is not the Nigerian style of revolution.

Our politicians must learn from the past and make the country a better nation for the citizens.

Mr Ayegbajeje’s story is one among million of such cases in Nigeria. His dream to retire in peace was truncated by bad leadership and treatment being meted out to the people that gave their all to the country of their birth. Their vision of living peacefully and happily after retirement has been shattered by leadership ineptitudes, pervasive corruption and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

As one would expect, the pension office should be the last office enmeshed in corruption scandals. Isn’t it callous to siphon the money meant for people who laboured to keep the nation going? If this can be happening in today’s Nigeria, what hope do

By Chinenye Okonkwo

I

T all started with a call on the fateful afternoon. The weather was scorching, though with chilly sensation.

He was seated on a white plastic chair, resting after a long trek from the campus. The paper was always on the table.

The table is located at the left side of the room, and stood in a space that could hardly contain a human being. But the newspaper, it was highly treasured. It had all sorts of

colours, pictures and information on it. It was glaring and fascinating. Just as he was about to take a nap, the phone rang.

“Am I speaking with Danny” the caller said mildly.

“Yeah. May I know you, please?” he replied, wondering who was on the phone.

His stomach recoiled and he felt nauseated. On the account of reported incident on one of the national dailies, he was summoned before the panel.

The veracity of the report was not in doubt but an allegation of humiliation, victimisation, battery and assault followed subsequently.

Perhaps, expulsion was in the offing but he could not tell.

Earlier, a campus journalist was arbitrarily dismissed and his membership of campus press organisations was with-

Community Development trains corps members

I

N an effort to boost the writing skills of corps members in Publicity Community Development Service Group, the Cross River State chapter of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has organised a one-day workshop for the corps members.

The event was held at the Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Calabar.

The resource person, Mrs. Florence Oluohu, the Weekend Editor of the Nigerian Chronicle, spoke on “Page design and

From Victor Gbonegun CALABAR

copy fitting”. She said page design and copy fitting is an important aspect of newspaper production because it is the first contact of the newspaper with the public.

According to her, if a newspaper is well packaged, it would whet the appetite of readers to buy and read the paper, thereby increasing sales, readership and patronage.

The Editor disclosed that the

determinants of page planning and design include; proximity, timeliness, the house style, relevance and self-censorship. She noted that the components of page design also include news items at disposal, photographs at disposal, numbers of columns, advertisements and the length of the story to be used.

Similarly, the Manager News, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Calabar, Mr. Tony Madu, explained to the corps members on the steps to take to achieve a worthwhile television

programme. He described television programme production as that which required team work and contributions from different persons involved in the process of the production.

Mr. Madu noted that television production is centred on professionalism which also encompasses timeliness, use of non-offensive language, observance of ethics of production and programmes that will enhance social mobilisation and project the unity of the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

36

CAMPUS LIFE

Runs, the flipside of campus love There is a new twist to the lifestyle of some campus lovers, CAMPUSLIFE can reveal. JOHNPAUL NNAMDI (400-Level TV Journalism, NTA TV College Jos) examines what students have come to term “runs” between greedy girlfriends and their perverted boyfriends.

H

AVING a boyfriend or girlfriend on campus has, overtime, become a normal practice. There are no legalities binding such relationships or the number of lovers a girl or boy must keep. However, in a case where a girl, for instance, has more than one boyfriend and treats each like he is the only one, she is said to be doing “runs.”

Runs is cheating. Many lovers strongly object to this.

There is a flipside to “runs”. In this situation, the boyfriend is aware of his girlfriend’s promiscuity and he encourages her to carry on with it.

CAMPUSLIFE sought to know the reasons behind this and why it is fast becoming a tradition on campus.

We learn that boys who do this are beneficiaries to the girlfriends’ material gains from other lovers. “He allows her to cheat on him and gets a percentage of the money she accrues from other men.”

Onyinyechi, a Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), said: “The boyfriend monitors her movements and who she is hanging out with, but does not interfere since she fulfils her own part of the

•Two lovebirds

agreement.”

According to her, most guys who indulge in this “actually regulate the movement of their girlfriends and even introduce her to men who they know are willing and able to foot their bills.”

Mathew Abbah, a Microbiology student of the Benue State University (BSU), claims he has some friends who are fond of pushing their girlfriends into runs. He added that he has a friend who says since it is difficult to stop his girlfriend from cheating on him, he encourages her to do it so that he too can benefit from it.”

Another student, who spoke in confidence, disclosed that some of such boys use their

girlfriends as bait for randy lecturers. “In this situation, if the lecturer sleeps with the girl, it will guarantee that he will not fail her or her boyfriend, or even both.”

Also speaking on the basis of anonymity is a student of the NTA TV College Jos whose friends are into runs. She said: “I know some girls who do runs; they feel since their boyfriends are not buoyant enough, they should have other men to cater for them.”

However, most students condemn this lifestyle and see it as an act of indiscipline.

For Lawrence Idu, in 200-Level Biochemistry, University of Jos (UNIJOS), “hardship is temporal, for that reason, I will never be in support of my girlfriend doing runs. I

know one day I will be able to cater for her, so if she also believes me, she should be faithful.”

Further investigation revealed that most girls do not do runs just for material benefits. The sexual satisfaction they gain is also a reason. Moses Asufi, a graduate of Computer Science from the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, pointed out that some girls are sexually insatiable. He recalled his experience on one of the social media where a girl staying in Ilorin was willing to come over to Jos where he resides just to have sex with him free of charge. Hear him: “I met this Mercy on 2go. After a series of chats, she promised to come to Jos and sleep with me.

I never knew her prior to that time; she said she will take care of her transport fare. She even said she had a boyfriend but I should not worry about that.”

Pastor Grace Adeyami of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, who is also a commentator on relationship matters, described those engaged in such attitudes as people of low virtue. She said: “This life style is attributed to the fallen moral standard in our society. Many youths are after mundane things and careless about their spiritual life.” She also described girls who agree to do such things as being under “mental slavery”.

“It is possible for a boy to lose his girlfriend while encouraging her to do runs.

“What if she decides to be greedy and keep the gains to herself? Or even meet someone she loves more than her present boyfriend?” this was the argument by Opine Da’anon Gyan, a 100-Level student of NTA T.V College.

He said: “She may not trust her boyfriend anymore, especially if she really has conscience and knows that what she is doing is bad and he is advising her to do it.”

A student who pleaded anonymity thinks that runs is a curtain raiser to prostitution, and one of the ways to forestall it is for members of the National Assembly to enact laws prohibiting prostitution, sanction and punish prostitutes, especially undergraduates.

But the proffered solution may never work if the submission of Eddy Douglas, a 400-Level student of T.V College, is anything to go by.

He said: “Those who patronise these girls are those big men in Abuja. They include the legislators and members of the executive too”.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•The students' union building being demolished last week

Govt renovates LASU Students’ Union building

A

RCADE Building, the union building of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) on the campus of Lagos State University (LASU) was last week demolished for renovation. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, had promised to modernise the building, which was why it was pulled down.

Tony Olorode, representative of ABRAMFEM Construction Company, which was contracted to deliver the modern building, told CAMPUSLIFE that construction of the new edifice will commence immedi-

From Olasunkanmi Arowolo LASU

ately the demolition of the old one was completed.

According to him, the new project would last six months. Olorode said the new SUG building structure will be a story building. “The upper building will house parliamentary hall for Students’ Parliamentary Council (SPC), the offices of the SUG president and other executive officers, and SPC members’ offices,” he said.

Olorode added the ground floor will be used for twin purpose of shopping common room, which will include a restaurant.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

37

EDUCATION

C

ONCERNED by the poor rating of the nation's universities, Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Dr. Wale Babalakin, is seeking the return of Higher School Certificate (HSC) system.

At the inauguration of the NASU House, the national secretariat of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Babalakin said restoring the HSC system would entrench the spirit of hard work in students and, therefore, boost the standard of education.

He noted that Nigerian universities once made the list of top 20 universities in Africa, but lamented the downward movement that has pushed the most highly rated university in the country to 65th in Africa.

He said: "Today, education is at the crossroads in our country.

Babalakin seeks return of HSC

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

Time has come when we have to put hands together in supporting the government to create institutions that would be the envy of the world over and a source of pride to us as Nigerians.

“As we speak today, some of the most highly rated Nigerian universities do not make some of the best 50 in Africa. Let me remind us that up to 1978, there were five Nigerian universities that were in the top 20s in Africa. We have to forget the blame game and come together to move education back to what it was like in time past. We must create institutions that everybody will be proud of.

Bablakin recalled: "When I was in 100-Level at the University of Lagos, 20 per cent of the class went

abroad for advanced level studies and came to the UNILAG for university education. This is because they believed they were likely to get better education in the University of Lagos than they were going to get abroad. But more importantly, because they had money. They ran away from the dreaded Higher School Certificate (HSC). I believe that the existence of the HSC will create a defining point as a preliminary for university education. It is important to revisit such a standard in our community rather than finding shortcuts, which will invariably take us nowhere."

He urged the university workers to shun strike as it would not add any value to the system. He assured that the 2009 Agreement

reached with them by the Federal Government is about to be implemented, adding that its commencement would reduce incessant strikes in the university system.

"Let me mention that the Federal Government is determined to implement all sections of the 2009 Agreement it entered into with universities'non-academic staff.

“Let us now collectively support the Federal Government in achieving this purpose. Let us go back to the main purpose of the 2009 Agreement, which is meant to put an end to industrial actions.

There is no gain in embarking on an industrial action because I believe that there is no disagreement that cannot be resolved by dialogue," he added.

Sokoto council to sponsor female education

S

•From left: Justice Gboye Gbolagunte; New President, Birch Freeman High School Old Boys’ Association (BIFOBA), Mr Feyisola Dinyo; and immediate past president Mr Francis Van Lare, at the BIFOBA Annual Home Coming and School Hall Fund Raising Ball, in Lagos.

demic excellence among its people. He said: '' The manpower needs of the Council and the state was increasing and we need professionals. That is why the council is working towards that target

Poly wins gold

by encouraging its people through sponsorship.''

He said that a well-equipped skills acquisition centre has been established to cater for both women and youths, who were

idle to learn trades as part of efforts to reduce poverty for selfreliance and empowerment. ''All these are being pursued in the spirit of transparency, accountability and good governance to the people,'' he noted.

FUTA gets VC

•Fayemi congratulates new helmsman

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HE Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi has won a gold medal for Nigeria during the just-concluded Third International Federation of Inventors and Innovators Association (IFIIA) exhibition that took place at the Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi.

Fifteen countries participated in the exhibition including Germany, Iran, Czechs Republic, Egypt, Taiwan, Ireland, among several others. These countries exhibited a total of 78 projects in medical and laboratory equipment, engineering and processing equipment, utilities and environmental-friendly innovations.

The polytechnic on behalf of Nigeria, exhibited projects on the environment. The project was the efficient stove, which was innovated by Mal. Saleh J. Yakmut of the Agricultural Engineering department. Surprisingly, his efficient stove was adjudged the best of the innovations.

On this score, the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi team of inventors has been invited to participate in the next IFIIA) which will take place in Thailand.

Alake praises Balogun THE paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, has described the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, as a visionary and an administrator par excellence.

Speaking at his palace, Oba Gbadebo observed that FUNAAB has grown over the past five years because it has been blessed with a focused leader “who has the best interest of the university at heart."

The monarch lauded Balogun's administrative acumen, which he noted, had won the university, various international recognitions and grants.

He commended his dedication and commitment, praising him for making FUNAAB to be in the second position among universities in Nigeria.

Varsity gets new Registrar

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

ILAME Local Government Council in Sokoto State plans to sponsor the education of its females from secondary school to tertiary institutions.

The Council Chairman, Alhaji Mani Maishinku Katami, disclosed this to reporters in his office.

He explained that the council was ready to encourage the educational advancement of the girlchild. "Educating the female is educating the society", Katami stated.

He explained that the council has inaugurated a committee of lecturers to assist it in screening eligible candidates for admissions, adding: '' We have secured admission for 150 and 85 candidates re in SSCOE and the Polytechnic Sokoto state.''

According to him, the council is interested in promoting aca-

FUNAAB FILE

• Prof Daramola

T

HE Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has approved the appointment of Prof Adebiyi Daramola as the institution's Sixth Vice-Chancellor. The appointment takes immediate effect.

Born on March 2, 1958, Prof.

Daramola had his secondary education at Anglican Grammar School, Ile-Ife and Saint Charles College, Osogbo before proceeding to the Polytechnic, Ibadan in 1975. He had his first degree from

the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and master's and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Ibadan.

Adebiyi started his working career as a teaching/tutorial assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics, UI in 1982.

He later joined the services of FUTA as Assistant Lecturer in 1986, and rose through the ranks to become a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension in 1999.

He has served the university in various capacities as Head of Department, chairman and member of various committees. He has over 50 publications in both national and international journals.

He is a consultant to World Bank and the Federal Government. He is an agricultural consultant to International Finance Corporation/Accord Associate; Evaluation Consultant to UK - Department for International Development and Consultant to African Development Bank, among others.

A member of many academic

and professional organisations, including American Association of Agricultural Economists, International Association of Agricultural Economists and Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economists etc, Daramola is married and has children.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has congratulated Daramola on his appointment.

In a message,Dr Fayemi described Daramola's appointment as well-deserved, timely and a reward for hardwork and excellence.

Governor Fayemi expressed delight that Daramola's appointment came shortly after fellow Ekiti indigenes, Prof Tale Omole, Prof Bolaji Aluko and Prof Patrick Aina were appointed Vice Chancellors of Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ile- Ife, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State and the Ekiti State University, (EKSU) Ado-Ekiti.

He promised that his administration would give Daramola maximum support to succeed in his new assignment.

MR Mathew Odunlade Ayoola has been appointed as the new Registrar of the varsity.

According to a statement, signed by the Vice Chancellor, the Council ratified Ayoola's appointment at its 70th statutory meeting on April 20.

The appointment is for a term of five years. It takes effect from April 20.

Ayoola was until his appointment, Deputy Registrar, Exams and Records, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State.

He holds two Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Managerial Psychology (MMP) from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and the University of Ibadan.

He belongs to several professional bodies. He's happily married with children.

Okojie congratulates new VC THE Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission NUC, Prof Julius Okojie, has congratulated the university on the appointment of Prof Olusola Oyewole as the fifth Vice-Chancellor of the university.

In a letter Okojie expressed confidence in the wealth of experience of Oyewole, noting that he would take the university to greater heights by upholding excellence the university.

VC, CEO of the Year THE Vice-Chancellor has been conferred with the Chief Executive of the Year award by the Diocese of Egba West (Anglican Communion).

The event held during the thanksgiving service for the fifth anniversary of the diocese at the St. Paul's Cathedral, Oke-Igbore, Abeokuta.

Justifying the rationale for the award, the church said it was in appreciation of Prof Balogun's contributions to the growth and development of the diocese.

The Chairman of the university's Board of Survey, Prof F. O. Olasantan, represented the VC on the occasion.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

38

EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

LASU FILE VC condoles with late student’s family THE Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa has commiserated with the family of late Monsurat Oluwafunke Hassan, who died on Monday, May 7, this year.

The VC described Hassan's demise as a rude shock, prayed that the Almighty God give her family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

He also called on staff and students to remain calm and go about their normal activities.

Until her death, Hassan was a 300-Level Department of Banking and Finance, undergraduate of LASU.

GNS exam rescheduled THE Vice-Chancellor, Prof John O. Obafunwa, has approved the rescheduling of the Harmattan Semester 2011/2012 Academic Session GNS Examination to hold on Wednesday, May 23.

The new time for the GNS Examination is as follows: "GNS 101: 8.00 a. m. - 10.00 a. m.; GNS 201: 11.00 a. m. - 1. 00 p. m. and GNS 301: 2.00 p. m. - 4.00 p. m.

All concerned students were urged to take note of the new date.

‘Teacher training is key’ TEACHERS as the wheels that move teaching and learning need to be knowledgeable through exposure to trends in information dissemination. This would help to promote academic excellence in their students.

Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Segun Odubela, made this remark in Abeokuta at the flag-off of workshops for some teachers in public primary and junior secondary schools across the state.

In a statement by Temitayo Taylor, assistant press officer in the ministrY, Odubela explained that one obvious challenge in today's global horizon is knowledge explosion, pointing out that the development made it imperative for teachers and other practitioners to take necessary steps to grapple with the challenge by acquiring more knowledge.

"The positive impact of human capacity building cannot be underestimated.

Training and re-training of practitioners and field officers are essential indices towards improving teaching and learning in schools," he remarked.

He disclosed that it was for this reason that Amosun administration had overhauled and enhanced education service delivery particularly at the basic education level by improving on infrastructural facilities, providing free text books, writing materials as well as science and mathematical tools to public primary and secondary schools.

Earlier, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Mufutau Akande Ajibola, said the role of teachers cannot be underestimated, adding that they are the main thrust that drives the vehicle of educational development. "Teachers development is paramount to nation's development. No nation can rise above the level of her teachers, therefore, when you develop a teacher, you have developed a nation," he stated.

APPROACHING DEADLINES International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) at Australian Universities Australian Gov't/DIISR MS/PhD Degree Deadline: varies, July-Oct (annual) Study in: Australia Course starts Jan-March 2013 Brief description: The International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) program is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR).

The IPRS program was established to maintain and develop international research linkages and specifically aims to: o attract top quality international postgraduate students to areas of research strength in Australian higher education providers; and o support Australia's research effort.

The IPRS program enables international students to undertake a postgraduate research qualification in Australia and gain experience with leading Australian researchers. The scholarships are available for a period of two years for a Masters by research degree or three years for a Doctorate by research degree.

Host Institution(s): The list of Australian Universities that offers the IPRS is found at this link.

Field of study:

Any postgraduate research programme offered at participating Australian Universities.

Number of Awards: Around 330 are awarded annually. The allocation of IPRS grants to participating universities is based on a formula that is reflective of their overall research performance.

Target group: Scholarships are open to international students of all countries (except Australia and New Zealand).

Scholarship value/inclusions: The scholarship covers tuition fees and health cover costs for scholarship holders, and health cover costs for their dependents.

Eligibility: To be eligible for an IPRS, a student must: (a) be an international student; and (b) meet international student visa requirements as specified by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), including the requirement to purchase and maintain a standard Overseas Student Health Cover policy approved by the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing; and (c) be commencing full-time enrolment for the first time in a HDR at an eligible scholarship provider in Australia; and (d) be undertaking study in a subject area identified by the provider as one of its areas of research concentration; and (e) not hold a research qualification regarded by the

provider to be equivalent to an Australian Research Doctorate degree or, if undertaking a Research Masters degree, not hold a research qualification regarded by the provider to be equivalent to or higher than an Australian Research Masters degree; and (f) not have held an Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) scholarship within the two years prior to commencing the IPRS; and (g) not be receiving a scholarship for which course tuition is a component under any other scholarship scheme to which the Australian Government makes a substantial contribution.

You must check with the Universities if they require specific eligibility requirements.

Application instructions: Applications for a scholarship need to be made directly to a participating Universities/Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in Australia. HEPs are responsible for determining the selection process by which scholarships are allocated to applicants.

Applications for 2012-2013 officially opens on 1 April 2012. The deadline varies among universities but is around July-October each year. It is important to visit the website of the University where you intend to apply and the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

26 Ogun pupils bag NICON Insurance awards

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O fewer than 26 secondary school pupils in Ogun State have been feted by the NICION Insurance Plc for distinguishing themselves in internal examinations conducted by their various schools.

The pupils, who were drawn from public schools across the 20 local governments of the state, received monetary awards, textbooks and other learning materials that are relevant to the subjects being offered in schools.

The event is the First Annual Academics Award for Best Students in the State Public Schools. It is entitled: Disability and medical expenses insurance coverage for students in public schools in Ogun State.

It was organised by NICON in collaboration with the state's Ministry of Education Science and Technology to compensate students who may suffer accidental injuries while their studentship in public schools

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

in the state lasted.

Speaking during the award ceremony at the National Union of Teachers (NUT) Secretariat, Kuto, Abeokuta, the Managing Director of NICON Insurance, Mr Emmanuel Jegede, said the synergy between the firm and Ogun government gave birth to the Students Welfare Insurance Scheme (SWISS).

The arrangement makes it the responsibility of NICON to provide automatic scholarship to any student who lost his sponsor while still in school.

"Today, we are here because visionary leaders in the government of the state know the significant role of education for the future development of the state and so decided to invest in the children to give them a secured future.

"We, therefore, stand here today

as proud partners of the government of Ogun State and lift up the spirits of these deserving pupils who have distinguished themselves in their academics.

"It also serves at a broader level as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of NICON Insurance to the business environment where it operates," Jegede said.

He charged the beneficiaries not to forget the values of hard work, commitment and dedication as they step into another phase of their endeavours.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Segun Odubela, commended NICON management for being a worthy partner of the administration of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

"I sincerely appreciate the management and staff of NICON Insurance Plc who deemed it fit to reward the students that have been insured

• Governor Amosun

some of whom have also benefited from the scheme at both Junior and Secondary Schols. I need, therefore, to laud the management of NICON Insurance Plc for identifying with the dreams of this administration led by Governor Amosun through this monumental investment in education as exemplified in their scheme," he said.

Rewane canvasses more investments in education

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CONOMIC analyst and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives, Mr Bismarck Rewane, has urged the government to invest in education.

He said it is the greatest asset any country can be proud of. Mr Rewane was the guest speaker at the Lancaster University MBA alumni dinner at the Eko Hotel at the weekend.

Speaking on the topic, Deregulation and economic growth, he said critical investment was needed in human capital and that national growth would amount to nothing if attention was not paid to education.

He said though Nigeria has achieved persistent growth in her Gross Domestic product (GDP) over time, " we are still underdeveloped."

"Economic growth does not necessarily lead to development. Economic development is achieved through pragmatic efforts of policymakers," he added.

The University of Lancaster's Director of MBA, Dr. Jonathan Matheny, said the programme was designed to give Nigerian students international perspectives and global networking that would impact

• Mr Rewane (left); Dr. Matheny and Head, Human Resources, MTN, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, at the event

By Adegunle Olugbamila

on Nigeria's development.

He said: "As a student of Lancaster MBA, you will be connected to truly committed people from all corners of the world. Those who are interested in economic growth, personal growth and professional growth.

When you come back to Nigeria, you are going to bring all that international experience, new knowledge and development, and Nigeria is going to benefit from that."

He said the event was significant because alumni re the engine room of any university. He noted that the forum provided a platform for job opportunities and execution of meaningful projects.

Besides, the event which is replicated worldwide, provides the platform for the university to engage with alumni and celebrate their successes. The Regional Officer of Lancaster University, Mr Nom Habu said Lancaster University has

grown since 1964 to become one of the world's leading universities for teaching and research.

"Lancaster is highly ranked across all the major league tables in the UK, and is in the top one per cent of universities in the world," he said, adding: "The triple accredited Lancaster MBA is ranked third in the UK and seventh in the world

by Forbes (2011) and also top 10 in the UK and top 50 in the world by Financial Times."

39

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

EDUCATION

Nigerite organises essay on environment

M

ANAGING Director, Nigerite Limited Jean Luc-Viatour has harped on the importance of educating children at their younger age and on efforts being taken to combat the effects of global warming to protect the future.

He said this at the grand finale of the Lagos Green Schools Essay competition at Alausa, Ikeja.

He said: "The youth must understand that in their own way they too can join the fight against the devastating effects of global warming. We must all ask ourselves the question: ‘What can I do today to save the planet? We must all examine our mindsets and hope that this small gathering of the great minds will start to adopt good attitudes to sustainability.‘" He said the company organises an essay competition for public and private secondary schools in Lagos yearly as part of its contributions to education.

According to him, the competition, which is a partnership between Nigerite Limited and the Nigeria Conservation Foundation, is to identify with the state government's initiative in raising awareness on the importance of sustainable living and the survival of humanity.

He called on the government

By Adegunle Olugbamila

and academia to partner the company for progress in the education sector.

Earlier in his address, Toyin Gbede, Marketing Director, Nigerite Limited, said the responsibility to save the earth and her creations should be the concern of to all.

He said the earth belongs to all, and that is why the UN had championed sustainable living through care for the environment.

"We are greatly encouraged by the enviable stride by the exemplary leadership of the Lagos State government in raising awareness on the importance of sustainable living through various programmes such as beautification of Lagos and the establishment of Climate Change club in schools in Lagos State," he said.

Gbede also said the objective of the competition include the need to team up with the government and stakeholders for the survival of creations of God in raising awareness on the importance of sustainable living; to engage the youth, who should be more concerned, while stimulating their capacity to analyse the environmental issues, engage in problemsolving techniques and thus eliciting urgent action by the public

• Mr Viatour, first prize winner (junior category) Master Olamide Adefuye and Mrs Jeboda of Lagos State Senior Model College, Badore, Lagos.

and private sectors and parents, on the threat to the environment.

"These topics are very relevant at this time because African children are some of the worst hit by climate change evidenced by fear of food insecurity and drought, water supply is shrinking. It is, therefore, important for children

and youths to acquire knowledge on renewable energy, effect of deforestation and water wastage, among others," he said.

The Deputy Governor Lagos State Mrs Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire, who was represented

by Risikat Akinyode,thanked the firm for the competition.

"It is encouraging, therefore, that you do not write from the perspective of writing for a prize, but from the viewpoint of seeking a greater prize and that is the Lagos of the future, a cleaner and much safer Lagos," she said.

Parents, guardians urged to assist children

By Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

•Dr Fayemi

P

ARENTS and guardians have been urged to help their wards in their school work to reverse the slide in the education system in the country.

The Chairman, Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof Dupe Adelaabu, said this during an interactive session

with reporters at Ado Ekiti.

She said some parents and guardians often sit with their children watching television for hours, watching both local and foreign films on cable channels or in other stations,without caring about the consequences of such programmes on the children.

She called for change of attitude on the part of such parents.

She disclosed that Ekiti SUBEB would hold its maiden Open Day for teachers to "engage parents on basic enlightenment kits."

She said: "The Open Day is a stakeholders programme, which is part of the measures being adopted

by Ekiti SUBEB to enlist parents'participation in bringing about the total child education project in the state.

"It has been observed that parents contribute to the failure of the pupils when they fail to play the supervisory roles they should play but even when they engage in conducts that attract the pupils away from learning.

"Most parents have yielded their place as parents to the school system but we insist the teachers and schools cannot replace them or play their own part and that the children find the education journey difficult mostly because the patents have failed in their roles.

"When teachers dispense the necessary quantum of knowledge, the parents should know or find someone to do the work for him or her; when teachers are not measuring up to standards the parents should again raise alarms.

"But we encounter parents, who

have abdicated their basic parental responsibility and gleefully heap blames on the school system when they themselves partake in the failures that today dog the success of the school children," she said.

On the Open Day, she explained that it would be held at the state's public primary schools. She said parents and guardians across the 16 local governments will interact with teachers in the presence of guidance counsellors.

"Parents will have the unusual opportunity to know more about their children and how and with what can they support the school system to ease the task of learning for their wards?"

"Certainly, the attempt at bringing about the total child is an all-encompassing measure involving adequate and consistent

training and motivation for teachers which has been on in the state quite a while; equally adequate toolkits for the pupils including free education complemented with free textbooks and exercise books which the state has again done.

"This continues with adequate infrastructure in the schools including well furnished classrooms and toilet facilities which have been going on on large scale across the schools in the local governments as well.”

The SUBEB boss also disclosed that the state government would soon introduce Guidance and Counselling uinits in public primary schools in the state.

She added that the board had appealed to the state government for an enhanced salary package of graduate teachers in state primary schools to motivate them.

Lead British international honours pupil

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• Director, Meadow Hall School, Lekki, Lagos Mrs Kehinde Nwani with some pupils of the school during its 10th anniversary and thanksgiving service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (City of David), Lekki.

12 -year-pupil of Lead British International School in Gwarinpa, Abuja Amira Maina Waziri, has earned accolades from the school management for scoring a magnificent 8.5 out of a maximum nine in her recent International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) examination.

The examination has four components: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Amira scored 8.5/9 in speaking, 9/9 in listening, 8.5/9 in reading and 8/9 in writing.

Amira received prizes and certificates of excellence at the last Lead British International School's prize giving, for being the Best Student in English Language, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Technical Drawing, French, and ICT. Unsurprisingly, she was also selected as the top student in her year group!

Chairman/Proprietor of the school, Hon Oluwole Oke, said

• Waziri

Amira was a wonderful example of what the school's achievements.

The IELTS tests English proficiency across the globe and it is recognised by more than 7,000 institutions in over 135 countries.In Nigeria the IELTS examination is organised by the British Council.

Amira, who aspires to become a Marine Engineer, said: "Apart from my love for my studies, I also love to play the flute and photography."

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

40

EDUCATION

‘How to write award winning proposals’

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PROFESSOR of International Economic Relations at the Lagos State University, (LASU) Ojo, Abolade Adeniji, has given tips to members of the Academic Staff Union of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Otto/Ijanikin (OACOED), Lagos State on how to write award winning proposals.

He said winning grants means that there are many skills and these had to with the writing grant proposals.

He identified two types of proposals as solicited, i.e individuals, Non-Government Organisations and international agencies and unsolicited proposals to business,government, and organisations.

He said the latter was not being fully used by scholars, noting that unsolicited proposals by organisations such as Ford Foundation needed be tapped into by the academia.

Delivering a lecture entitled: Grantsmanship: Strategies for writing awardwinning proposals, organised by College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), AOCOED chapter, the don, who is on sabbatical at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, said a scholar

• Prof Adeniji

with an eye on award winning proposals, must be familiar with the terminologies in research, obtain and adhere to proposal guidelines and should restrict himself to the prescribed information, length and format.

An award proposal writer must, according to him, "comply with prescribed fund heading and the formal for curriculum vitae (not including unsolicited information), adhere to deadline for the submission of proposal and submit application through prescribed medium. Any attempt to cut corners on any of these tips often

resulted in disqualification.

Adeniji said a good proposal must follow globally accepted format and should be scientific.

"A good award-winning proposal must have a covering page reflecting the title of project, name of research leader, institution and other components. It should contain abstract otherwise called executive summary, literature review, statement of research, problems, research objectives, expected results or impacts, methodology and importantly the curriculum vitae (CV) of the team leader and the resume of collaborators.

Adeniji emphasised the importance of a good CV. He said: "You win because you have already won before or participated in award winning exercise in the past.

"Therefore, an award winner must reflect in his/her CV evidence that he was not a neophyte in the proposed field of research."

He metioned experiences to show that the referees for award proposals should be acknowledged authorities in the relevant fields, adding that the idea of just asking anybody to referee could spell the death knell of the move.

T

HE School of Health and Technology, Ofuoma in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State has matriculated 831 students for the 2011/2012 academic session.

The Provost of the institution, Benson Oghenerhoro, a pharmacist, while welcoming the students, said the school was established to train middle-level manpower for the health sector of the state.

He said the school has continued to pursue this objective to improve service delivery and that it has grown in size and the number of courses it offered.

He advised the students not to allow the euphoria of the celebration to becloud their dream of becoming

‘Education bedrock of nation's development’

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HE Managing Director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, has described education as the bedrock of any nation's development.

He said it was for this that Shell places emphasis on creating access to quality education for youths.

Sunmonu stated this at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, where he addressed participants at the EighthNational Festival of Schools Sciences and Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria.

Sunmonu, who is also the Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, described the joint venture of the firm with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/ SPDC/Total/Agip on human and infrastructural development as a step in the right direction.

He disclosed that the joint venture was collaborating with Intel Corporation, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Initiative for Science and Education Development to sponsor the competition.

As part of the competition, science projects showcasing the talents of the pupils were exhibited and assessed by a team of independent judges selected from institutions of higher learning and professionals from the industry.

The pupils also participated in

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

written and oral quizzes to test their knowledge of English, Mathematics and other science subjects.

Speaking on the competition, Sunmonu said: "The competition is aimed at encouraging students to take a keen interest in the sciences, particularly in today's technologydriven world. Winners stand a chance of participating at the annual International Science and Engineering Fair in South Africa in October this year.

"Last year, the event was held in Abuja. Thirty eight schools from 15 states are participating in this year's competition. This is a positive trend that will contribute to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals Two (MDG2) aimed at achieving universal primary education by 2015.

"The NNPC/Shell joint venture has for many decades supported the growth of education, both in our areas of operation and the country as a whole. Today, we are contributing to the achievement of the MDGs on education in the country, through the annual award of 2,730 secondary and 750 university scholarships.

In addition, we have awarded scholarships to 120 brilliant pupils, selected from community primary schools in our pilot Cradle to Career Scholarship scheme.

"This scheme aims to provide access to quality education for brilliant

children from poor homes in reputable secondary schools in the region (Niger Delta).

"Since 2010, we began awarding scholarships to 10 Niger Delta students to undertake postgraduate studies in petroleum-related disciplines in reputable universities in the United Kingdom."

From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

health care providers. He warned them to shun any act that may jeopardise their stay in the institution.

The Provost said cultism, criminal offences, examination malpractices and other bad behavours are prohibited and that management would not hesitate to deal with culprits.

Lagos to recruit graduates without teachers' qualification

T

HE Lagos State government is set to recruit graduates without teaching qualifications into its Junior and Senior Secondary Schools.

It has, therefore, requested for applications from interested members of the public.

In statement signed by the state Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, the subjects the teachers would teach are English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Health Education (PHE), French, Basic Science, Home Economics, Fine Arts, Yoruba, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Christian Religious Knowledge and Basic Education.

Others are Business Studies, Chemistry, Physics, Further Mathematics, Computer Science and Government.

She said interested applicants must possess a first degree in education with a teaching subject - the

Q

• From left: Student and captain of Etisalat team - Free Midnight Calls, Mr Allen Alaye; Head, Youth Segment, Mr Elvis Daniels and University Sport's Coach Mr Dakoru Sovinson during a prize presentation at the Etisalat sponsored-Cliqfest football tournament, at the University of Port Harcourt

Delta Health School matriculates 831

NCE and a first degree with a teaching subject, or first degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education; a first degree in English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Studies, Statistics (for graduates without teaching qualifications).

Proficiency in the use of computer will be an added advantage, she added.

Speaking further, Oladunjoye said applications are also invited from interested graduates without teaching qualifications in Biology, Chemistry, English language, Mathematics and Physics for participation in a two-week Teaching Skill Acquisition course, adding that in the end, a screening test would be conducted to select candidates for recruitment into the state teaching service and deployment to schools in any of the state's Education Districts.

Queens’ College PTA plans hostel

UEENS College ParentTeacher Association has signed a N242.88 million hostel project for the school with the contractor, Messrs Bakri Nig. Ltd. Speaking at the event, Chairman of the association Alhaji Farouk Magaji said the project was aimed at solving the problem of inadequate accommodation in the institution.

When tenders were invited from the public, 10 contractors bided for the project. At the end, Messer Bakri Nigeria Ltd won.

According to the the PTA Chairman, the increasing demand for space in the boarding house by pupils made the existing hostel facility very inadequate for the school, and this has resulted in the temporary "de-listing" of some pupils from the college hostels at the beginning of the 2011/ 2012 academic session.

"This did not go down well with most parents whose children were affected and the PTA took it upon itself to find a solution to the problem," he said.

"When completed, the four-floor hostel will accommodate 600 pupils with a dinning hall on the ground floor. The project is expected to be completed in 32 weeks," he added.

Magaji said this would be the second time a Queen's College PTA would embark on the construction of a hostel.

"In 1999, the PTA embarked on a three-storey hostel, which was inaugurated by the late Mrs Stella Obasanjo. I do hope that this will be opened by Dame Patience Jonathan on completion,'' he said.

Poly expels 459 for cultism, others

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O fewer than 459 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Unwana Afikpo, Ebonyi State have been expelled by the management following their alleged involvement in exam malpractices, fighting, cult-related offences and gaining admission into the institution with fake certificates.

The Rector of the institution Dr. Francis Otunta, who disclosed this during the 12th convocation of the institution at its premises, said the polytechnic promotes discipline to stop students from cheating during exams.

According to Otunta, "In a bid to maintain academic excellence, we promote stringent discipline so that our students reconsider cutting corners during examination, since no short cut is a good one. The structure we have in place also discourages undesirable learner behaviour so that we may enjoy peaceful coexistence as one big team, where no one is oppressed or marginalised.”

By Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

"To achieve this, since I assumed office as the Rector of this premier institution, we have expelled 210 students involved in examination misconduct alone, 230 who got admission with fake or doctored certificates and 19 students for such misdemeanors as fighting, cult-related offences and others, all within my tenure as Rector. Thus, we have sanctioned a total number of 451 students for deviant or antisocial behaviour."

He called on the Federal Government to upgrade the polytechnic to a federal university, adding that the institution community and other major stakeholders in the education sector in the state considers this need strategically and patriotically expedient to immortalise Dr Akanu Ibiam.

He said that Ibiam's contemporaries such as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Michael Okpara, Ahmadu Bello, Michael Ajasin and Ladoke Akintola

has universities named after them, adding that Ibiam remained the only one who has not had a university named after him.

The Rector stated that the country is in great need of more universities considering the over a million candidates that sit for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) into the federal, state and private universities in the country.

The Minister for Education Prof, Ruqayyatu Rufa’i represented by the Director of Finance, National Board for Technical Education, Mr. Suleiman Isa, said Nigerian vision to join the top 20 economies of the world by the 2020 will be an illusion if she fails to lay a solid foundation for technological education.

She said the Federal Government's visitation panel to Federal polytechnics and Colleges of Education is a follow-up of the effort of the ministry in promoting accountability and transparency in the judicious use of public funds and scarce resources.

OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...

43

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Challenge of progress in the midst of crisis Text of Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s speech at the Foundation Day lecture of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

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ERMIT me to express my great pleasure in being in your midst today. I bring felicitations to this august gathering from the government and the good people of Oyo State, the state which, for decades, celebrated its uncommon renown as the hub of leadership excellence and governmental mastery of the developmental challenges of a people. I recollect that, at a time in the development of our land, our people and yours were united by a single umbilical cord of being administered under same uncommon leadership. This has shown our people and yours as one forged under common historical exigencies and possessing a hallowed history of an unpolluted past.

I specifically extend my greetings to the Board of Regents, Governing Council, Senate, management, staff and students of this great citadel of learning, the Igbinedion University, Okada. This university, the very first private university in the country, has proven right the interventionist credentials of private varsities in the regressing fate of university education in Nigeria.

I salute the sagacity and intellectual acumen of the runners of this university, right from 1999 when it was established, up till this very moment. Permit me to single out for salutation the Binis and your highly revered monarchy, as well as its royalty. More fundamentally, I salute the founder of this great university, the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, whose prophetic peep into today incubated this university 13 years ago. This university is today the pride of, not only the Igbinedion family, the Binis, Edo State, but Nigeria as a whole because it stands unusually tall in the firmament of university education, nay private university concerns in Nigeria.

I will be missing out a great deal if I fail to acknowledge the Vice Chancellor, Professor Eghosa Osaghae. It is very unlikely that any student of political science in Africa or any scholar on federalism in the last 30 years or so will fail to recognise that scholar in federalism, Eghosa Osaghae, whom we produced in Ibadan. Osaghae is our own modest brew whom we have exported homeward to this great citadel of learning.

Survey of development and governance challenges There are three identifiable core issues embedded in the lecture topic before me. They are progress, crisis, challenge or, if you like, the Nigerian challenge. Permit me to begin this discussion by focusing on crisis. For our concern here, it would be apposite to describe crisis, not strictly as the absence of peace but an unstable but crucial or decisive point or situation, as in political, social, or economic affairs, which involves an impending abrupt or decisive change. One significant portent of crisis is, however, that, as in a story or drama, where a conflict reaches its crescendo of tension, it must give birth to a resolution.

For Africa as a continent, conflict, or what can be conveniently referred to as crisis, is not an alien construct. Indeed, the African postindependence history has been riven by conflicts and wars. From the Horn of Africa to Western Sahara, through East, Central and Southern Africa, to even our own West African subcontinent, conflicts have reared their ugly heads, tearing nations apart and flinging brothers against brothers. According to Adeyemo (2000), by the end of the 21st century and even the beginning of the millennium, Africa could be said to have stood at a crossroads as it was torn apart by coups, frequent ethnic clashes, wars, mass suicide (as the Kanugu mass cult

suicide in South West Uganda in March, 2000) as well as religious and violent uprisings. The crisis, for Africa, could also be seen in the political instability that characterised most parts of the continent, the most critical being the persistent multi-dimensional economic decline, low and poor standard of living, famine and drought that have torn the continent apart.

Crisis has been a very significant feature of the Nigerian state since inception. It got to an extent that it is impossible to regurgitate the past without giving ample consideration to the conflictual features of the Nigerian state. It is such that virtually every developmental milestone made by the state had considerable measures of conflicts and crisis. Indeed, Osaghae (1998: 13) summarises the Nigerian postindependence situation as a long drawn-out decay or decline, whose empirical features are: political instability, a low level of national cohesion and economic crisis, stating that all these indices, as far as Nigeria is concerned, are mutually reinforcing.

It is very difficult to place a line of demarcation between conflict situations and crisis situations. Both have internal dynamics of topsy-turvy, of total breakdown of law and order, and I dare say, the absence of peace. However, while I intend to argue in this lecture that crisis is an essential component of development and indeed a precursor of peace, some other scholars have posited that conflict is an antithesis of development and that an internal conflict has within its womb the tendency to metastasise and become uncontrollable, springing loose out of the confines of its immediate locale.

What makes conflict or a conflicting situation at the core of today’s globalized world’s concern is its tendency to leave its border, making an internal conflict to burst out of its seams, and refusing to be confined within the borders of a single country. In spilling over, conflicts contaminate their immediate neighbours, negatively impacting the lives of people who reside in locales that are farther away. A good example of this could be found in the recent conflict situation that sprung up in Liberia in the 1990s. The Liberian crisis sowed the seeds of conflicts that eventually spread to countries like Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire and Guinea.

One very instructive reference of crisis in Nigerian historical journey is the major crisis of the First Republic. What sprang up in the Western Region of Nigeria, to which the present Edo State was a prominent part of, even amidst the massive developmental strides that hallmarked the politics of this republic, was a debilitating crisis that shook the region to its foundation.

The crisis of the Western Region, brought about chiefly by the intra-party leadership crisis which pitted the former Premier of the region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, against his former deputy, the late Chief S. L. Akintola and thus polarising the political class into factions, caused such a seismic political shake in the region which eventually snowballed into a national crisis.

But the crisis was to give way to another developmental fissure of the polity. A very significant mileage of the Nigerian political life was recorded by the crisis of the First Republic. On January 15, 1966, the military, apparently disenchanted with the crisis in the Nigerian nation, took up the gauntlet against the civilian rule of the First Republic. This was followed in tow by the counter coup of July 1966. Both coups, though sired in crisis, resulted in significant milestones in the life of the Nigerian nation. For instance, the Aguiyi Ironsi January coup and his subsequent rule bred the revert of the nation to the unitary system of government, while the Yakubu Gowon/ Murtala Muhammed/Olusegun Obasanjo government, which spanned between 1966 and 1979, had several distinguishing features that cannot be discountenanced in any analysis of the Nigerian federation that we have on our hands today.

One of the most distinguishing features of the period was the bloody and consuming war of attrition which erupted between the country and a secessionist Biafran Republic. The mindful and calculated decisiveness with

•Ajimobi

which Nigeria confronted this secessionist bid is also a historical mileage in the Nigerian developmental calculus that cannot be discountenanced.

The Nigerian Second Republic, renowned for its plethora of socio-economic crises said to be the foundation of the Nigerian nation’s economic and political recession, is also a crisis that cannot go undocumented. This culminated in a session of military rule that has gone down in history as about the most profligate and which desired to hold on to power adinfinitum. The most significant crisis milestone of this period was the June 12, 1993 electoral stand-down which pitted the military against the people. It was such that the electoral impasse of 1993 aggravated the country’s peculiar ethno-religious tensions, which, according to Agbaje and Oyediran (1999) “put(ting) under strain the trans-ethnic and trans-regional requirements for meaningful” government.

The crisis situation of the time was such that Agbaje and Oyediran (Ibid: 2) projected a picture of a depressing lack of meaningful progress in nation building and the provision of good life.

Still itemising the crisis situation of the time, Agbaje and Oyediran (Ibid:3) described a situation in which, years after independence and after a protracted civil war which ended with the country physically intact, Nigeria was engrossed in a crisis of division along ethnic, regional and religious levels, more than ever before. The crisis of this period eventually gave birth to the advent of democratic governance in 1999, which has been seen by the world as a successful resolution of the civilian/military intransigence which was eventually resolved in favour of democratic governance.

Since 1999 when the civilians took over the administration of Nigeria, the country has oscillated from one major crisis point to the other.

Some of these crises have been so fundamental that they shook the civilian administration to its roots. But perhaps the most seismic of the crises has been the economic crisis that has greatly affected the nation and her citizens. This is present in the inability of the people to adequately access robust livelihoods, a situation that has affected the well-being of the country.

One significant aspect of the chains of crises of the federation since its inception is that one crisis usually acts as a precursor of developmental milestones in the nation.

Indeed, Billy Dudley (1982:3) sees crisis and instability as a major feature of the political system. He illustrated this peculiar political system by drawing an analogy of the political process with a game situation. Using this game theory,

Dudley posits that instability of the Nigerian political system is an inevitable condition of the development process and should not be perceived as abnormal.

Going further on this route, Dudley (Ibid) maintains that instability or crisis should rather be seen as a necessary and inescapable condition in the creation of political order and is intimately bound up with the process of modernisation and political development. In this realm, political instability has some positive features which are that, it may lead to the realisation of a viable political order.

Perhaps the most fundamental at the moment for Nigeria in her list of crises is the Boko Haram insurgency. What had hitherto been native to Nigeria was a brand of religious crisis whose feature was the intolerance of its adherents, who, at little or no prompting, took up cudgel against their fellow brothers. To this list could be added ethnic and sectional associations such as the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) which the political class ignored. However, taking a cue from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) group which claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Eagle Square, Abuja on October 1, 2010, bombings by a group which identifies itself as Boko Haram, which claimed as its leader, the late sectist, Muhammed Yusuf, killed in Borno State some years ago, was to assume a dreadful dimension.

The Boko Haram crisis has also hampered relationships in Nigeria. For instance, migration or inter-state relationships have been greatly affected because the notoriety of the bombblasts, which is more pronounced in the Northern part of the country, has made the zone a place to be avoided by people of other areas.

Thus, almost on a daily basis, people migrate from the volatile North to perceived ‘peaceful’ parts of the country. This is worse than a war situation because in the latter, there is an open declaration of antagonism but, in this instance, there is an underground war declaration that has turned countrymen and women against one another.

The Oyo State experience In Oyo State, our experience has been very much like that of Nigeria. You will recall that we inherited the renown of a Pacesetter State, a state that was unique for setting the pace in developmental strides. Indeed, our forefathers, chief of whom was the late Papa Obafemi Awolowo, gave our state a name that was unimpeachable in the annals of Nigerian history.

Our inherited renown stemmed from our state being the hub of intellectual, infrastructural and historical landmarks. You will recall that the first skyscraper in Africa, named Cocoa House, was built by the Western Region government in Ibadan, the capital of the present-day Oyo State. Also, the first university in Nigeria, the University College, which later became the University of Ibadan, as well as the first television station in Nigeria were sited in the ancient city.

This is aside several developmental firsts that were located by our forefathers in our state.

This uniqueness gave birth to the cliché of Oyo is second to none and would not parody anyone that our state was known by.

However, some regimes have reversed that monumental image and imageries that Oyo State was known for. This was particularly made manifest in the administration that preceded ours. The typecast of our state as a bed of peace was shattered and rewritten. Even its renown as a land of infrastructural masterpieces was promptly reversed.

A group of lawless individuals, masquerading under the veil of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) promptly literally took over governance in our state.

NURTW kingpins became important indices in the articulation of government policies. Decisions could not be taken without them. They permeated all the strata of governmental machinery. They were among commissioners, board members and local government as a tier of government.

•Continued on page 56

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

44

POLITICS

Kogi election: ACN, PDP know fate today From Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

•Wada

T

ODAY is decision day for the People Demo cratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kogi State as the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to rule in Lokoja, in the eletoral dispute between the two rival parties.

The ACN petitioned the

PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the result of December 3, Kogi governorship election, declared in favour of the PDP did not reflect the actual position of the electorate.

INEC had declared Captain Idris Wada of the PDP winner of the election with 300,000 votes. Prince Abubakar Audu of the ACN trailed him with 150,000 votes.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaiye, in a swift reaction described the election as a charade.

Melaiye, who simply said the election was a scientific rigging, accused both the INEC and the PDP of forging results.

The prayer of the ACN before the tribunal was to give the mandate to, who it said polled the highest number of valid votes.

But the PDP averred that the election was free and fair, urging the court to squash the prayer of its challenger, which it argued, lacks substance.

After argument by the various counsels and collation of oral and documentary evidence provided by the petitioners, the tribunal led by Justice Sulaiman Ambursa fixed today to deliver its judgment at the State High Court Complex.

The police have promised to provide adequate security around the vicinity of the court. A top security operative confirmed that only judicial officers and reporters will be allow access into the court premises.

PDP sweeps council poll in Taraba

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the local government election in Taraba State.

Five political parties contested for chairmanship and councillorship positions in the election which held in 14 out of the 16 council areas in the state.

Beside the ruling party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Labour Party (LP) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) fielded candidates.

The ruling PDP maintained its dominance. It won in the 14 local government araes with a wide margin, including Jalingo, the state capital.

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

Chairman of the Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC) Jonathan Nyanborn, who doubles as the Electoral Commissioner, announced the results.

He said: “I thank God that the people of Taraba State were able to exercise their franchise by voting for chairmen of the councils and their councillors, in realisation of the democratic structure enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The new chairmen are: Jalo Buba –Ardo Kola Local gov-

ernment, Andrew Yerima – Bali local government, Douglas Ndatse –Donga local government, Abdullahi Abdulkadiri –Gashaka local government, Tukura Bashiri – Gassol local government, Ishaka Adamu –Ibi local government, Hassan Bappa – Jalingo local government and Danasabe Hosea –Kurmi local government.

Others are: Anthony Danburam –Lau local government, David Jedua –Sardauna local government, Tanko Tamti –Takum local government, Abershi Musa –Ussa local government, Philibus Shonva –Yorro local government and Kallamu Alhamdu –Zing local government.

CPC lauds Speaker’s removal

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HE Congress for Pro gressive Change (CPC) has commended the courage and decision of members of the Niger State House of Assembly to change its leadership, saying they have exhibited that the overall interest of the state was far beyond party or individual interests.

Mohammed Gamunu became the third Speaker to impeached since 2007 by members. He lost his position on Tuesday along with his principal officers.

A new Speaker, Hon. Isah Kawu representing Bida 1 constituency was sworn in.

In a statement signed by the state Chairman of CPC, Malam Umar Shuaibu, the party said that the new leadership of the House emerged through democratic choice as against the despicable selection process that has been the lot of the state‘s legislature, adding that the feat marks the beginning of the assertiveness which is a positive course towards legislative independence in the state.

According to Shuaibu, ‘’The Presidential System of Government, enshrined in our constitution confers the power of oversight on the legislative arm of the government, in line with the

• Gov Aliyu From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

principle of checks and balances. Unfortunately, what is experienced in Nigeria today is the near inactivity on the part of the legislative arm, thus rendering it as a mere rubber stamp of the executive arm, whether the executive is right or wrong. ‘’Nigerlites are aware of the mismanagement of public fund by the executive arm of government in the state, while the legislative arm remains silent. ‘’As the main opposition political party in the state, the Niger State chaper of CPC has been keenly observing developments in

the State House of Assembly. With the change in leadership of the House, the CPC views with hope, that the days of business as usual by the executive arm are numbered,’’ the opposition party stated.

Commending the action of the House, CPC further said “We specifically commend the members of the House and salute their courage for taking this action irrespective of party affiliations.

They have exhibited that the overall interest of Nigerlites is far beyond party or individual interests.”

The CPC Chieftain described the new Speaker, Kawu, as a principled gentleman and a man of uncommon courage stressing that with him on the saddle of leadership, the electorate will look forward to the thorough scrutiny of govern-ment’s financial outlays which are the hallmarks of legislative activism, as against the passivity of the House in the past. ‘’We hope the new Speaker will live up to expectations by discharging his leadership functions without betraying the confidence reposed on him. Above all we pray to the Almighty to guide him in the discharge of his responsibilities,’’ the statement emphasised.

Jega assures free, fair governorship election in Edo State • PDP rejects use of corps members

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HAIRMAN of the In dependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega yesterday assured that the governorship election in Edo State billed for July 14, 2012 will be free and fair. He gave the assurance in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

According to him, the commission has invited the chairmen and secretaries (national and state) of the parties and their candidates for the governorship election to a meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Abuja.

He said: “The principles that have guided the work of this commission are transparency, honesty and creation of a level playing field for all political parties and their candidates. The commission remains committed to these principles.

“Consequently, the commission is deeply concerned about unfolding events in Edo State which are capable of overheating the polity and posing a fundamental threat to the integrity of the impending governorship election and in deed the stability of our democracy.”

“In order to avert further deterioration of the situation, the commission has invited the chairmen and secretaries (national and state) as well as candidates of all the parties contesting the governorship election in Edo State namely, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Labour Party (LP), National Conscience Party (NCP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP) to a meeting at the National Headquarters of the Commission on Friday, May 18, 2012 to address the concerns of all stakeholders.

“The commission wishes to reassure political parties, candidates and indeed all Nigerians of its unequivocal commitment to conducting free, fair and credible governorship election in Edo State.”

Stressing that the commission has been receiving petitions on the election, he said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the governorship

• Jega From Augustine Ehikioya and Osagie Otabor

election in Edo State for July 14, 2012. Since the announcement of the date, political parties have expressed concerns about preparations for the election.

“While such concerns and anxiety are to be expected in the build-up to an election, it is important that matters do not degenerate as to threaten the fair conduct of the polls.

“In the past few weeks, the commission has received petitions containing allegations and counter allegations from various political parties. Some of the accusations are directed at political parties and candidates, while others are directed at the commission’s preparations for the election.”

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has kicked against the use of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as ad-hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the conduct of the July 14 governorship election.

It said members of the NYSC were being paid special allowances by the state government and therefore would not be fair in the conduct of the election.

PDP spokesman Senator Roland Owie made the position known at a stakeholders meeting with INEC over the conduct of voter’s registration.

Owie said the corps members have been compromised

and that they do not expect them to be fair.

However, political parties present at the meeting failed to agree on whether INEC should continue with the suspended voter’s registration.

The registration, which was supposed to resume yesterday, was put-off following a protest led by Governor Adams Oshiomhole that it was a plot to rig in favour of the PDP. Director-General of the Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, said the ACN would resist any attempt by the INEC to carry out the voter registration without adequate guarantee that the process would not be manipulated.

He said: “We have at our disposal to prove that the process has been corrupted. The voter registration is one of the biggest fraud in the electoral process and the huge amount spent to buy these DDC machines is a colossal waste of fund.”

“We have our doubts about the credibility and transparency of the process if allowed to take place.’’

INEC Head of ICT in Abuja, Chidi Nwafor, who was accused of colluding with the PDP to rig Edo election, said 384 Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines out of the available 450 DDC machines would be deployed for the updating of voters register.

Chidi said it was impossible to delete anything from INEC database in Abuja, adding that the commission would be transparent, fair and unbiased.

Other political parties present at the meeting called for INE to conduct the voter’s registration in line with the Electoral Act or make use of the old voter’s registration.

National Commissioner of INEC in charge of Edo Delta and Bayelsa, Dr. Ishaemel Igbani, said the head of INEC ICT unit in Benin, Mrs. Umeh has been redeployed over allegations that she attempted to manipulate voters register.

Dr. Igbani who assured the stakeholders that INEC would be transparent in the discharge of its responsibilities said corps members would be used as ad-hoc staff.

He explained that the use of corps members was a collective decision of all Nigerians.

Another meeting was scheduled to take place in Abuja on Friday.

• Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and member of the State Assembly member Pally Iriase at a rally of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Sabongidda Ora.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

NATURAL HEALTH

What is a Calorie?

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ALORIE has become a household word, although exactly what a calorie does is a mystery to many. Ask 100 people what a calorie is and most will tell you it is “the thing in food that makes me fat.”

Calories have got a bad reputation and are considered by many to be the enemy. Few people truly understand what a calorie is and why it is so important to their bodies.

By definition a calorie is the energy it takes to raise the temperature of one gramme of water one degree Celsius. The important word to take away from this definition is energy.

Calories are energy that fuels our bodies; much like gasoline fuels our cars. Without sufficient calories our heart would not beat, our lungs would not function, and our brain would not work. Many of us have no idea how many calories our body needs just to exist.

In general, an adult body needs at least 1000 to 1400 calories to have enough energy to fuel key organs like the brain, heart, and lungs.

This minimum number of calories is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR) and it varies greatly depending on age, sex, weight, and muscle mass. In order to have enough energy to live your day and be active you need more energy than what’s required from your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This extra energy typically amounts to about 400 to 600 additional calories per day which is the energy you need to move versus just lying still all day. Please note that these numbers are general averages and a Registered Dietician can help you determine how many calories your body needs. Children’s calories needs vary based on age.

Calories and Weight Gain If you exceed the number of calories your body requires each day you will eventually gain weight. It takes an excess of 3500 calories to gain 1 lb. of fat. For example, if your body needs 2000 calories a day to maintain its current weight and every day you consume 2500 (one 20 oz Mocha Swirl Latte could add 500 calories) in one week you would gain 1 lb. One day of overindulging does not cause instant weight gain.

Calories and Weight Loss To lose weight you need to use/burn more calories then you consume. Example: If you eat 2000 calories a day, and are maintaining your weight, you would need to burn 250 calories (30 minutes high impact aerobics for a 150 lb. person) per day to lose a 1/2 lb in one week. If, in addition, you decreased your caloric intake by 250 calories a day (a 20oz soda), a 500 calorie a day total deficit, you could then lose 1 lb per week.

It’s important to remember that although drastically reducing your calories in a short period of time may initially result in dramatic weight loss, the body can rarely continue along this restrictive path, especially if the person is consuming below their resting metabolic rate. Eating later to make up for those missing calories usually results in gaining back the weight lost, plus extra. And, if you force your body to restrict

• Calorie 2 calories for a prolonged amount of time, your metabolism will slow down to compensate— effectively stopping weight loss.

While children are growing, rarely is calorie restriction indicated and only under strict medical and nutritional supervision for children with other health related problems.Overweight children are encouraged to meet with a Registered Dietician to learn how to eat healthier while growing into their weight. As with most things in life, moderation is the key.

Moderate caloric intake combined with

moderate exercise will help you achieve and maintain your natural, healthy weight, and stay there. So remember: calories are our friends! They are what give us the energy to play with our children, excel in our careers, enjoy our friends and family, and live life to the fullest. You can’t live without them but choose healthy foods to make sure your calories are packed with disease fighting nutrients to keep you feeling healthy and young!

Culled from super kid.com

Basic facts on calories Some foods have significantly more Calories than others but what does the difference actually look like. Each of the photographs below represents 200 Calories of the particular type of food; the images are sorted from low to high calorie density. When you consider that an entire plate of broccoli contains the same number of Calories as a small spoonful of peanut butter, you might think twice the next time you decide what to eat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average adult needs to consume about 2000 - 2500 Calories to maintain their weight. In other words, you have a fixed amount of Calories to “spend” each day.

Culled from super kid.com

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

e-Business Etisalat launches EasyBusiness

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S a way of aiding growth and development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Etisalat Nigeria has introduced EasyBusiness suite specially designed to lower costs for SMEs while increasing profit and providing value to businesses.

The EasyBusiness suite, which is a onestop shop for communications needs of SMEs, is designed to cater for the needs of various SME segments and comprises three variants- Premium, Compact and Complete, bundled with free minutes and SMS monthly within a selected Closed User Group (CUG) and a national call rate of 25kobo per second to all networks in Nigeria as well as five international destinations (US, UK landline, China, India and Canada).

At the launch of the suite in Lagos, Chief Commercial Officer of Etisalat, Mr Wael Ammar, said the proposition is aimed at providing SMEs with necessary communications support to enhance their competitiveness and make them achieve their dreams of owning their own businesses.

“We have considered that most SMEs

•From left: Glo Ambassador, Odunlade Adekola; Mrs Adeola Kupoluyi of Demus Mayor Nig. Ltd and Globacom Sales Director, Mr Patrick Awotwi, at the presentation of award to Demus Mayor Nig. Ltd, during the Glo 2011 Business Associates awards in Lagos.

UN body praises NITDA, calls for stronger collaboration on ICT

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HE United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, have commended the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for its efforts towards ICT development in the country.

The commendation was contained in a communiqué issued after a workshop on National Validation Workshop on SCAN-ICT in Abuja last week. SCAN-ICT is an initiative by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of Finland, to make available quality data on ICT activities in Africa. It will create an enabling environment for the compilation of ICT indicators to be part of the activities of National Statistical Offices.

The initiative is designed to support phased development of a comprehensive African capability to collect and manage information on key ICT for Development (ICT4D)-related indicators.

ECA and other stakeholders were impressed by the activities undertaken by NITDA in the implementation of Nigeria SCAN-ICT programme, noting that the country, in one single survey, had em-

Stories by Adline Atili braced a large spectrum of core ICT indicators namely: agriculture, education, government, health, household and business.

The commission also praised the ICT4D plan, the roadmap for IT development in Nigeria and NITDA’s adoption of the ICT4D initiative as a major component of the nation’s Vision 20:2020 agenda. According to stakeholders, the joint partnership between NITDA and UNECA in formulating national e-strategies is speeding up Nigeria’s entry into the Knowledge Economy, noting that Nigeria is the first country to carry out SCAN-ICT under the third phase of the project.

“Though Nigeria joined the SCAN-ICT initiative just a year ago it had made tremendous impact through the integration of ICT statistics in its national statistical system,” the communiqué noted, adding that much progress is being made in African countries most importantly in Nigeria, in the implementation of ICT4D programmes.

Nigeria, through NITDA is committed to the promotion of the Information Society by embarking on the measurement of ICT4D, thus the implementation of the

SCAN-ICT project, the statement said. It added that Africa needs a common vision in its quest to bridge the digital divide between her and the rest of the world including creating effective digital opportunities.

It however, urged the Federal Government through NITDA, to put in place, or if available, strengthen necessary institutional arrangements for ensuring the sustainability of the SCAN-ICT process and collect ICT statistics regularly for progress monitoring.

The UN body added that ICT penetration and use at governmental levels should be continually pursued and strengthened towards socioeconomic development and that NITDA, ECA and stakeholders in the sector should strengthen partnership in allocating more resources for the continuous measurement of detailed and comprehensive country-wide survey of the impact of ICT in Nigeria.

“The government, through NITDA, as well as other partners, should provide more support in capacity building in the collection and processing of ICT statistics and adequate sensitisation should be done on the importance of the SCAN-ICT project for the countrywide survey,” the statement added.

How technology enhances workplace efficiency

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N order to enable organisations better manage network resources, maximise performance and minimise downtime, Weco Systems, a systems integration firm, has introduced Cisco technology solutions to enhance mobility and collaboration in the workplace.

According to the company, a Cisco Gold partner, organisations are challenged by influx of mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones and other emerging mobile devices which have great impact on corporate networks.

The company added that mobility is redefining the workplace as the borders between personal and professional, home and office, device and applications disappear. This, according to it, was the basis for introducing mobility and collaboration solutions from Cisco, to drive efficiency and enable greater productivity.

Chief Operating Officer of Weco

Systems, Mr Obinna Ekwonwa said: “Cisco’s vision of borderless networking mobility addresses the problems and opportunity introduced with the explosion of mobile device coming into corporate networks and the associated demand for greater bandwidth to the end devices.

“A new culture of ‘BYOD: Bring Your Own Device’ is driving enterprise architects to come up with system-wide solutions that enable greater productivity wherever the worker is and from whatever device. Weco Systems aims to connect the dots, enabling engineers and architects to envision, design and execute on the wide range of borderless network mobility solutions.”

Presenting a keynote address at a workshop co-hosted by the firms, Head Presales and Architecture at Weco Systems, Mr Nnamdi Onyebuchi, said Cisco delivers a borderless mobility experience that

gives users access to information and resources they need.

Based on borderless network architecture and services, Onyebuchi said the Cisco borderless mobility optimises the mobile workplace with three key components: mobility user services, motion network services and borderless access.

According to him, the services can help accelerate decision making, enable employees to collaborate in real time regardless of their location, as well as help the mobile workforce better manage their professional and personal lives.

Cisco Architectural Play, Mr Bola Adegbonmire added that Cisco IP contact solutions and social media tools can help improve customer engagement and satisfaction.

At the workshop, the companies demonstrated how the solutions can give Information Technology officers visibility into the wireless domain as well as simplify network management.

have limited budget and based on this, have decided to improve our package for SMEs so that they can minimise their telecommunications costs. The most interesting part of the package is that it is easy to use, requires little or no customisation and skill because we understand that business owners are usually busy and may not have the time for high technological products,” he said.

He said that EasyBusiness will provide SME’s with cost effective, faster and better interactions, effective communications solutions with customers and partners as well as improving relationship with new and existing customers while reinforcing teamwork among the SME mobile workforce.

He said the package has features which include, VIP caller service, a free service which allows restriction of specific calls, credit transfer as well as top up for other Etisalat lines from an Etisalat EasyBusiness line. He added that subscribers can get the EasyBusiness lines from any Etisalat dealer outlet or subscribe to the service from existing lines.

Micro Station commissions mobile phone outlet

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ICRO Station Limited, a onestop shop for mobile phones and other Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products in the country, has consolidated its position as one of the leading outlets for genuine phones for end users and wholesalers, through the official commissioning of a multimillion-naira ICT plaza in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos.

At the event, Chief executive Officer of the company, Mr Nestor Coutroupis, said the inauguration of the three-story edifice, had been long overdue considering the initiative was to serve its customers better as well as provide an avenue to provide after-sales services for them.

He said: “The inauguration of this plaza has been long overdue considering the important position our numerous customers occupy in the day-to-day running of this organisation. The patronage of our numerous customers has helped to build a very high profile for us in the Web pages

of manufacturers and suppliers.”

He said Micro Station’s passion to deliver value to Nigerians through quality products and services had galvanised it as a company to reckon with in the nation’s telecoms sector.

He recalled that Micro Station, which started early 2000, had become “today’s one-stop shop for genuine phones and other telecommunications products and our faith in what we do has expanded our tentacles in the mobile phone industry.

“We have taken this initiative to restore confidence in the minds of our teeming customers to ensure equitable returns for their patronage. In our sustained quest to maintain ethical standards and best business practices, we have evolved an innovative growth and sustainable development in mobile phones and telecommunications business through effective mechanism to safeguard the interest of our numerous customers.”

Africa to get new undersea cable TERIOS Capital, a financial services start-up, is to source funding for the financing of a new subsea optical fibre cable project that would connect Africa with Europe and the Americas, reducing the cost of Internet access around the continents.

According to the promoters of the project, WASACE Cable Company, the cable system, expected to go live by the first quarter of 2014, will create new and unique communications routes to support the communities around the Atlantic Basin. To this end, the company disclosed that it has begun the procurement process to select a cable system supplier for the construction of the cable system.

WASACE, in a statement, said it “will develop, operate and build a new network connecting Africa to the US, and connecting the two

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BRICS economies in the Southern Hemisphere, Brazil and South Africa, for the first time. WASACE’s new submarine cable network will also connect the two largest economies in America, US and Brazil, and will provide a full diverse route to the aging trans-atlantic cable systems between US and Europe.

“WASACE will deploy the latest ‘100G’ technology to connect four continents comprising the Americas, connecting Brazil to the US, with optional and on demand connectivity to Colombia, Panama and South Carolina; Africa, connecting Nigeria and South Africa to the US, with optional and on demand connectivity to the Niger Delta oil and gas region at Bonny Island and to Angola; as well as Europe and across the North Atlantic to San Sebastian in Spain.”

Firm launches router for small businesses

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ECHNOLOGY firm, Cyberoam, has launched a wireless router which addresses the security concerns that parents and, small office - home office (SOHO) owners have regarding Internet usage.

The product, NetGenie, among other benefits, offers easy parental controls, enabling parents to ensure children are protected from harmful Internet content, while users can regulate Internet usage to gain higher productivity and security.

According to the company, NetGenie’s parental controls simplifyInternet control and provide a simple and safe end user experience that mitigates the dangers of age-inappropriate content, hackers and cyber-bullying. Small offices will gain from NetGenie’s

SOHO Unified Threat management, and is the first WiFi-router that comes pre-configured with Internet access controls and endpoint security including a firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN), inbuilt anti-virus and intrusion prevention.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Country Manager, Cyberoam, Mr Kalpesh Maheshwari, said: “The Nigerian market is gaining higher Internet penetration levels. This environment will be conducive to negative Internet content and cyber threats. Our NetGenie range of WiFi routers are aimed at addressing these threats. The product enables small businesses protect multiple Internet-capable devices from one endpoint, increasing employee productivity and saving on maintenance and security protection costs.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY17, 2012

49

e-Business Matters e-Rising Segun Oruame segun@segunoruame.com

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ATELY, attention has shifted to the hazardous effects of radiation of telecoms towers on human health.

Currently, there is a huge debate, within the public domain about the dangers of radio frequency radiations (RFR) from telecoms towers to human health. Along with that come complaints about noise, vibrations and fumes from standby power generators at telecoms base stations; telecoms towers interfering with aircrafts approaching landing, and towers falling on people and property.

These concerns stem from the recent proliferation of telecoms masts across the country, particular in residential areas…Public concern about the health impact of RFR from telecoms towers, vis-à-vis the need for quality telecoms service and possible challenges of co-location, presents a rather complex puzzle for anyone to deal with.

This article looks at just one aspect of the puzzle: health concerns about radiations from telecoms towers, drawing on scientific research-based conclusions by the World Health Organisation (WHO), The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), and by an independent Ghanaian scientist, Professor Emmanuel Amamoo-Okyere. Several WHO research and reviews have concluded that there is no clear evidence of detrimental health effects in humans exposed to RFR from telecoms towers.

There are at least 25,000 expert articles on the WHO website (http://www.who.int/ peh-emf/research/database/en/) related

Beyond mast wars and health hazards (2)

to RFR and human health and, significantly, none of them supports the scare about RFR from telecoms base stations. For instance, during a WHO International Workshop on Base Stations and Wireless Networks: Exposure and Health Concerns, in June 2005 in Geneva, there were a number of conclusions: that “overall, there is no evidence of deleterious biological effects that could be associated with health hazards” - and that “exposure to base stations does not cause health effects.” The simple reason given was that the exposure levels are very low - typically 10,000 times lower than what could be harmful to humans.

The WHO review paid attention to the effects of telecoms masts radiations on sleep, blood flow, cognitive functions and general well-being. The conclusions were that there may be alterations to sleep and blood flow caused by exposure, but the data are still inconsistent. Moreover, there is no known effect on health attributable to these “low-amplitude” alterations of sleep and blood flow (Hubber et al. 2002, 2003, 2005 & Loughran 2005).

No clear effects on cognitive functions (memory comparison, visual selective attention, and dual tasking) were identified but analysis of the data from a Dutch study in 2003, showed some minor effects of Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) signals on general well-being (no effects from GSM signals). “This report concluded that UMTS signals had an adverse effect on well-being,” (Zwamborn et al., 2003).

Simply put, the UMTS signals are related to Third Generation (3G, 3.5G) mobile technology. The public should probably be concerned about the emergence of 3G and 3.5G technology. Indeed, the WHO itself has called for precaution in mounting telecoms masts, even though their health impact has not yet been established. One of such precautions would be co-location and a move to fibre optics technology that replaces dependence on satellite and rules out telecoms masts.

Another report published on the Internet by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) (www.mja.com.au) could be one of the sources of controversy around the health hazards of RFR. It was based on a study that sought to determine whether there was an increased cancer incidence and mortality in populations exposed to RFR from television towers (not telecoms towers) in nine Australian municipalities, three of which surround the television towers and six of which are further away from the towers. The study results showed that Leukaemia incidence and mortality in children were significantly increased in municipalities closer to TV towers, but incidence and mortality in the outer area remained stable. It therefore concluded that “there is an association between increased childhood leukaemia incidence and mortality and proximity to television towers.

“No increase in brain cancer incidence or mortality was found, but there was an increased leukaemia incidence and mortality in the municipalities close to the towers.” It is important to note that this study was specifically related

to television towers and not to telecoms base stations, and according to experts who spoke with this writer, television towers in a country like Australia, generate high level RFR because they broadcast to a huge geographical area.

That cannot be applied to a relatively small country like Ghana, much less to telecoms towers. Another study in the United Kingdom indicated that there is a decline in incidence of adult leukaemia with distance, but concluded that “the results give, at most, no more than weak support for an association between residence near television transmitters and leukaemia risk.”

There are no known studies in Ghana yet, but one outspoken Ghanaian scientist, Professor Emmanuel Amamoo-Otchere, has made pronouncements to the effect that the telecoms mast radiation scare in Ghana is due to gross misconception. He has said that radio wave intensity decreases rapidly as it travels away from the antenna on the tower; in free space, it decreases to a quarter when the distance is doubled. In reality, it reduces much more quickly due to loss of the signal strength that is caused by having to pass through obstacles such as trees and buildings. The Professor noted that radiations from telecoms towers were non-ionising and did not disrupt the molecular structure of biological material. Besides that, the globally recognised, independent International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has released guidelines that provide levels of RFR exposure that are regarded as safe for humans.

‘Customer-centric technology can boost service delivery’

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ENERAL Manager and Chief Information Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr Dare Adeyeri, has said technology is the key to enhancing customer experience in service delivery by organisations.

While making a presentation on ‘Customercentricity’ at a forum organised in Lagos by Digital Jewels, an Information Technology (IT) company, Adeyeri said that ‘customercentricity’ is a deliberate strategy of orienting or aligning an organisation’s structure, processes, products and services to customer behaviour; connecting to the customer oneon-one and becoming customer-savvy, noting that this defines IT innovation arising from consumer markets.

According to him, the benefit of technologydriven customer-centricity includes enduring high performance; growth; profitability; new strategic opportunities; economies of scale; customer loyalty and sustainable business.

He said that customer-centric technology requires flexibility of operations; simplicity of transaction; privacy, security and confidentiality of customers, as well as continuity of service delivery to customers.

In her own presentation entitled: Customercentricity: A Reality Check, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Jewels, Mrs Adedoyin Odunfa, described customer-centricity as customers at the centre of a business, “making it easy for the customer to do business with you.”

She urged businesses to develop a strategy to know their customers’ lifestyles, buying patterns, behaviour and develop a mechanism to care for them, in addition to

Stories by Adline Atili building systems that deliver value to the customers.

“These conscious and deliberate efforts to deliver on customers’ expectations help organisations achieve customer satisfaction, increase revenue generation and grow profitability,” she said.

Mrs Odunfa noted that businesses should consider key issues such as recruitment and selection of workforce; team work among personnel; organisational culture/climate; training and development of workforce; performance management; rewards and recognition as well as employee satisfaction, to ensure optimal customer relationships.

According to her, “Making it easy for your customers to do business with you requires visionary leadership, perseverance, investment, time, unique partnership and participation of all concerned.”

Highlighting the use of technology to enable customer-centricity, Mrs Odunfa said that customer database should be deployed to provide a memory of individual customers’ transactions and interactions.

•President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr Chris Uwaje (left) receiving the International Arch of Europe Award from President of QC100 Quality Standards, Mr Greg Miller, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Learning Curve introduces digital classroom

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ELEBRATED and highly recommended digital teaching aid, Door to the Digital classroom, which has recorded tremendous success in countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Zambia, has arrived Nigeria.

Promoter of the initiative, Learning Curve, an Adobe Platinum Partner, has established an office in Lagos to take care of the sub-region.

The software, Door to the Digital, designed for

educational institutions, is coming into the country after a partnership with Adobe, which allows Learning Curve to present the new licensing programme to Nigeria and by extension, the rest of West Africa.

At a demonstration of the training product in Lagos, Managing Director of Learning Curve, Mr Tim Smith, said: “Our high school programme called the Door to the Digital classroom is very extensive and works on the basis of a consoli-

Samsung trains youths in Korea

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HE Federal Government local content initiative in the oil and gas and allied sectors of the economy received a boost last week as 20 Nigerian youths trained in pipeline and undersea welding at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje Shipyard, South Korea, arrived the country.

This is after the successful completion of their one-month intensive training and award of the American Welding Society three filet Tag and four filet Tag certificates from the Samsung Heavy Industries

Shipyard in South Korea.

The trainees were the first batch of youths designated for the training. Speaking during the arrival of the youths in the country, the company’s General Manager, Mr Frank Ejizu, said Samsung had through the training, built capacity for Nigerians, in order to increase local content in the industry in line with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda for the industry.

Ejizu said another batch of the trainees will depart Nigeria for South Korea for the one

month intensive training soon, even as he implored beneficiaries of the scheme to ensure that they put into practice all the skills they had acquired during the training.

Besides the skills acquired, Ejizu said the programme had also exposed the youths to highly advanced and automated production and maintenance facilities at the yard, as well as high standard health, safety, environment, quality assurance needed in the oil and gas sector.

dated range of products from Adobe who have the vision of what can happen when you give children the opportunity to go wild and create.”

Tested and proven over the years, these applications, according to Smith, can be used in the industry to help teach vocational skills and are used extensively in art, design and IT Web authoring.

Designed to run on either a Mac or Windows operating environment, the Adobe Learning Curve Kit, aimed at students in late primary to secondary school, contains among other things, total training DVDs for all applications and Academia Skills builder, which is a range of flash games that help in learning subjects such as Mathematics, English language and Geography.

There are also locally developed lesson plans for Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Acrobat with plans to include the Illustrator to complete the bundle. Additionally, the product helps schools become accredited testing centres for the Adobe Certified Associate examinations which will give children an internationally-accepted qualification of competence.

Several books which accompany the product helps promote Do-It-Yourself; provide teachers resources to enhance teaching of the applications, including an anti-virus suite.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-5-12

Stock market recovers with N32b gain

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HE Nigerian stock market broke a twoday relapse and regained its upbeat as gains by some highly capitalised companies counterbalanced losses by larger number of stocks.

The two main value-based indices at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)-the All Share Index (ASI) and aggregate market capitalisation of equities, trended upward by 0.46 per cent as gains by Dangote Cement, Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank of Nigeria boosted the market’s upside.

The ASI, which tracks price changes of all quoted equities, improved from 22,422.43 points to 22,524.67 points, halting a slide that started on Monday. Aggregate market value of all equities also increased from N7.151 trillion to N7.183 trillion, representing capital gains of N32 billion.

With 24 losers to 17 gainers, the preponderance of highly capitalised stocks among the gainers neutralized the wider spread of losers. Dangote Cement, stock market’s most capitalised company, led the advancers with a gain of N2.69 to close at N112. Cadbury Nigeria fol-

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

lowed with a gain of N78 kobo to close at N16.48. Presco added 75 kobo to close at N15.79. Forte Oil rallied 54 kobo to close at N11.34. Berger Paints gained 45 kobo to close at N9.45. Guaranty Trust Bank added 34 kobo to close at N16.21. Dangote Flour Mills rose by 33 kobo to close at N6.95. Red Star Express improved by 13 kobo to N2.82.

First Bank of Nigeria rose by 12 kobo to N10.75 while Access Bank chalked up 11 kobo to close at N6.78 per share.

The positive overall market situation yesterday boosted the year-to-date return at the stock market to 8.65 per cent.

However, rising inflation dampened real rate of return, putting adjusted return in the negative.

On the downside, Okomu Oil Palm topped the slackers’ list with a loss of N1.71 to close at N32.49. Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria followed ith a loss of 95 kobo to close at N43.99. Flour Mills of Nigeria lost 63 kobo to close at N61.37.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated dropped by 35 kobo to N11.40.

Nigerian Aviation Handling

Company slipped by 31 kobo to N6.19. National Salt Company of Nigeria dropped 30 kobo to close at N6. International Breweries lost 28 kobo to close at N5.35. Zenith Bank and Stanbic IBTC Bank declined by 26 kobo each to close at N14.69 and N6.29 respectively while First City Monument Bank dropped by 25 kobo to close at N4.75 per share.

Investors staked N2.42 billion on 260.26 million shares in 4,325 deals with banks leading the activity chart. Guaranty Trust Bank was the most active stock with a turnover of 51.79 million shares valued at N832.29 million in 516 deals.

First Bank of Nigeria followed with a turnover of 22.88 million shares worth N247.04 million in 502 deals while Zenith Bank placed third with a turnover of 13.75 million shares valued at N203.56 million in 249 deals.

Altogether, banking subsector accounted for a turnover of 177.94 million shares valued at N1.68 billion in 2,245 deals. Food products subgroup followed with a turnover of 42.03 million shares worth N214.80 million in 724 deals.

SEC signs MoU with Mauritius

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BILATERAL Memo randum of Under standing (MoU) has been signed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius, at the ongoing IOSCO annual conference in Beijing, China. The MoU is aimed at further strengthening regulatory cooperation between the two jurisdictions.

The MoU is a veritable regulatory tool used by securities

regulators to ensure effective regulation and strengthen securities markets worldwide.

It is in line with the foregoing that IOSCO initiated a mandatory Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) ten years ago for its members to enhance cross border cooperation, information sharing and capacity building.

The Organisation also encourages members to enter into bilateral memoranda of under-

standing to foster strong cooperation.

The signing of the bilateral MoU with Mauritius brings to nine the number of MoUs so far entered into by the Commission with other jurisdictions.

These include China, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

The two jurisdictions stand to mutually benefit from the collaborative agreement especially in the areas of combating cross border financial crimes, increased attraction of investments and enhanced profile.

Other areas of benefit include enhanced information sharing and capacity building which have become critical following the global financial crisis.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-5-12

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

51

MONEY LINK

RenCap: New round of banking consolidation begins in 2 years

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EW round of banking consolidation is anticipated in the Nigerian banking sector in the next two years, Mrs. Yvonne Ike, Chief Executive Officer West Africa, Renaissance Capital has said.

Speaking yesterday at the ongoing Third Annual Pan-Africa Investor Conference in Lagos, she said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has nurtured the banking sector to sustainable growth and it is expected that banks’ balance sheets get bigger. She said there are lots of opportunities in the banking sector which investors are watching closely.

Mrs Ike said the CBN has done a great job to clean up the financial sec-

Stories by Collins Nweze

tor and to really prepare it for growth, which is currently creating room for more consolidation. “We anticipate banks having to be bigger and better to cope with the growth potentials and opportunities that present themselves. We see the banking sector consolidating over the next 24 months.

We think it is healthy for it to happen and the biggest driver of this is growth,” she said.

However, to meet the growth demands in the sector, banks need to be more efficient and should be run more transparently. She said that, it is not necessarily about being bigger, but

budget is 2.4 per barrel, so there is that gap. However, he hinted that fundamentally there are still some major constraints to growth, driven by the fact that Nigeria remains a country where Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is seven per cent and the potential GDP is at 22 per cent.

The difference shows that the country is sub-optimal in its performance.

To optimise the resource utilisation, there needs to be significant investments in game changing infrastructural needs. For the power sector, decisions have to be made between now and December.

There is a new tariff coming up in June, there is privatisation of power in October and the question on everybody’s mind is what to do with the fuel subsidy and to deal with

being able to access things such as customer base, as well as in some cases, growing in size.

“The growth will be the underlying thing for further consolidation and capital raising that we envisage in the sector,” she said.

Mrs. Ike said that depositors will benefit from the expected growth in terms of increased loan advances especially to the real sector of the economy.

Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Bismarck Rewane said that the Nigerian growth story remains intact. He said that oil production is at about 2.1billion per barrel, while projected in the

Reserveshit 21-monthhighat$37b

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HE foreign reserves rose to their highest in 21-months to $37.02 billion by May 14, from $36.66 billion at the end of last month, the latest figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed yesterday. The reserves stood at $33.94 billion a year ago and was last at the current level in August 2010.

The CBN attributed the improvement in the inflow of foreign exchange partly to the current high crude oil prices in the international markets and the general improvement in the policy environment.

That attracted capital flows which influenced the rise in the reserves.

Analysts urged the CBN to build up adequate external reserves to satisfy the genuine needs for foreign exchange as such is consistent with the increase in the growth in economic activity.

It will equally assist in conserving resources and withstanding external shocks.

The banking watchdog had recently said it acknowledged the modest increase to the external reserves in recent months.

It however noted that forex inflow was not consistent with the high oil prices and, this underscored the need for tighter fiscal controls around oil revenues as well as first line charges, including Joint Venture Company (JVC) deductions and subsidies.

It said a higher rate of retention of oil revenues should facilitate the efforts at maintaining exchange rate stability as an antidote to imported inflation without excessive reliance on monetary tightening measures.

Experts say in a highly importdependent economy with large pass-through effects of import prices on domestic prices like Nigeria, it is necessary to create a climate conducive to larger foreign capital inflows. This could be done through appropriate fiscal mea-

Fed Govt, World Bank, DFID organise dialogue

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HE Federal Government, World Bank and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) are organising a Gender Policy Dialogue in Abuja, Enugu, Minna and Lagos states.

A statement from World Bank said providing equitable economic opportunities to women in Nigeria would have a positive impact on productivity.

“Eliminating barriers that discriminate against women working in certain sectors or occupations could increase labor productivity by as much as 25 percent in some countries. In Osun State , the 40 percent gender gap in agricultural productivity would be closed if women had equitable access to and use of productive inputs,” it said.

The statement said that Nigeria is losing immensely due to gender inequality as seen in women’s lower access to education, health and economic opportunities undermine equitable and sus-

•CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

sures, particularly in the light of the gains that could be made in the current context of high crude oil prices. There is therefore need of continuing structural reforms and infrastructural development to enhance domestic production to reduce large import cost.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 150m 150m 138m 138m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

7.9-10% 10-11%

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

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 16-5-12 SYMBOL

LIVESTOCK FO BERGER PRESCO DANGFLOUR CADBURY REDSTAREX FIDELITYBK TRANSCORP UNITYBNK

O/PRICE

1.00 10.80 9.00 15.04 6.62 15.70 2.69 1.27 0.64 0.52

C/PRICE

1.05 11.34 9.45 15.79 6.95 16.48 2.82 1.33 0.67 0.54

113m

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

O/PRICE 34.20 5.00 5.63 4.52 3.51 6.50 6.30 1.17 0.97 6.55

C/PRICE 32.49 4.75 5.35 4.30 3.34 6.19 6.00 1.12 0.93 6.29

CHANGE 1.71 0.25 0.28 0.22 0.17 0.31 0.30 0.05 0.04 0.26

29-2-12 27-2-12

113m

155.7

22-2-12

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 16-5-12

SYMBOL OKOMUOIL FCMB INTBREW UBN VITAFOAM NAHCO NASCON AGLEVENT FIDSON IBTC

Exchange Rate (N) 155.8 155.8

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

0.05 0.54 0.45 0.75 0.33 0.78 0.13 0.06 0.03 0.02

113m

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES OBB Rate Call Rate

tainable growth.

Tapping into the enormous and largely hidden potential that girls and women represent, and ensuring women and men share the fruits of growth and globalization, is critical for the future of Nigeria and the achievement of key development goals” says Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Nigeria Country Director.

The dialogue is expected to provide a multi-stakeholder platform for discussion and debate on the findings of the latest research on gender, including the 2012 World Development Report and the DFID/British Council research on Gender in Nigeria.

It is also expected to explore options and best practices to mainstream gender in strategies and policies and support the agenda of the Government of Nigeria to implement innovative gender equality programs in different regions of Nigeria.

DATA BANK

Tenor

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

that you have to deal with the trust deficit. From a macroeconomic point, this is crunch time for Nigeria.

He said that fast-moving consumer goods, banking, airlines, oil and gas are key areas where regional integration has paid off well. However, Nothando Ndebele, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa research, RenCap said that banks need to justify their entries into the regions.

She said that a declining growth in China will have little or no negative impact in Africa.

She said that China growth trend may be going down, but it is still doing better than most other economies especially Europe where government debts, pension arrears and other economic indexes are crippling their economies.

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 123.90 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 105.44 THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.75 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.08 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.89 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,710.94 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 9.42 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 7,883.04 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 123.77 104.82 0.72 1.08 0.88 1,703.76 8.96 1.33 1.80 7,672.11 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

52

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

53

PASCHAL BAFYAU (1947-2012)

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

54

NEWS Royal beads for ex-FIRS Boss From Nduka Chiejina, Assistant Editor

FORMER Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui Okauru will tomorrow receive royal beads and blessings from the Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa.

This is the highest honour the monarch would give a woman as there are no women chiefs in the Benin Kingdom.

The Oba had last Saturday sent emissaries to the Okauru and Omoigui families to inform them of his intention.

Expected at the conferment are some governors ,including host Adams Oshiomhole, traditional rulers and chiefs, among others.

Senate increases High Court judges to 100

T

HE Senate yesterday passed a Bill to increase the number of federal high court judges from 70 to 100.

The Bill entitled: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Federal High Court Act to make provision for increase in the number of Judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 100 and for other related matters 2012,” was read the third time and passed.

It was passed after the Upper Chamber considered and adopted a report sub-

•Mark laments delay in dispensation of justice From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

mitted by Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Umaru Dahiru (Sokoto South) on the Amendment Bill.

The committee recommended that the number of federal high court judges should be increased from 70 to 120 but the Senate reject-

ed the recommendation due to opposition by some lawmakers.

Senator Aisha Al-Hassan (Taraba State) opposed the recommendation of the committee.

Ms Al-Hassan wondered why the committee should recommend 120 judges when the Bill sought for 100.

She said since those who drafted the Bill wanted only 100 judges, the Senate should grant the request

and not more.

Senate President David Mark scolded members of the committee for not framing their recommendation in proper legal terms.

He said: “It is not a matter of ‘not more than or not less than’ the figure should be 100.”

After passing the Bill, Mark urged the judges to take steps to dispense cases pending before them.

We must be consulted, says Mark From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Enugu police to impound tinted vehicles

S

From Chris Oji, Enugu

THE police in Enugu State will impound unauthorized vehicles using sirens, tinted glasses and revolving lights.

A statement by the police spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, reminded the public that the ban on the use of siren,tinted glasses, revolving light by unauthorised persons was “still in force”.

“To this end,the command wishes to inform members of the public that it is an offence to use vehicles with tinted glasses,siren,revolving light without authorised plate numbers.

“The command has directed its security operatives to arrest offenders and impound such vehicles.”

‘Why Jonathan signed ASUU bill’ From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

SPECIAL Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters Senator Joy Emodi yesterday explained why President Goodluck Jonathan increased the retirement age for professors.

She said he assented to the Bill, which sought to increase the retirement age from 65 to 70 years, to stem the tide of incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Emodi said the signing of the Bill entitled “Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions)(Amendment) Act 2012” would improve the quality of teaching and learning in universities.

The Presidential aide, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja, said experienced hands would now be retained to impact their knowledge on students.

Emodi lauded Jonathan and the National Assembly for the passage of the Bill.

She urged the university community to endeavour to reciprocate the good gesture of the Federal Government.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who sponsored the Bill, had during the clause by clause consideration, urged judges to take their job seriously.

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, who led debate on the Bill, said the 1999 Constitution in constituting the Federal High Court, provided for the number of judges of the Federal High court to be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi greeting Managing Director of Eco Bank Jubril Aku at the Government House, Ado Ekiti...on Tuesday. With them is Deputy Governor Mrs Funmi Olayinka

‘Democracy is about civility’

P

RESIDENTIAL candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) came under fire again for his comment on 2015.

Minister of Information Labaran Maku warned politicians to refrain from making statements that are capable of disrupting the peace and unity of the country.

He noted that the difference between democracy and other forms of government is that democracy is civil.

The information minister also said there is nowhere in the world where politicians or parties will threaten violence because democracy is civility.

Buhari had warned of

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

bloodbath if the 2015 elections is rigged and also accused the Federal Government of being the biggest Boko Haram.

The Presidency, in its reaction, condemned the former military Head of State, describing his statement as unfortunate.

It further noted that it was very sad that an elder statesman who once presided over Nigeria can reduce himself to a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria.

Maku said the issue did not come up for discussion as the Federal Executive Council (FEC )does not dis-

cuss politics or individuals.

He challenge all stakeholders in the Nigeria project to work for the peace of the country.

The minister also noted that people living in the North have had enough dose of the consequences of violence.

Maku urged the media to launch a campaign for peace, decorum in Nigerian politics and good governance.

He said: “The media is a fellow stakeholder in maintaining peace in the nation. I believe it will be very good for the media to launch a campaign for peace in Nigerian politics.

“The different between democracy and other forms of government is that democra-

Fire at INEC facility •Maku

cy is civil. Democracy talks about the rule of law, it does not talk about violence.

“Where you have difficulties the law provides for you to go to court to enforce your rights, infant more importantly we are in politics to develop a country, without peace and security you cannot develop any country.”

Shooting: ECOWAS Court rejects attempts to block victims

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HE ECOWAS Court of Justice, Abuja, has rejected the arguments by the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government to block an application seeking the court’s permission to call victims and witnesses to testify over the ‘shooting and killing by security agents in Bundu waterfront, Port Harcourt.

The court gave the order yesterday to allow the application for victims and witnesses to testify in the case after hearing arguments from counsel to the govern-

ments, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 10 others.

SERAP and 10 indigenes of the waterfront and neighbouring communities in Rivers State filed an application pursuant to Article 43 of the Rules of the ECOWAS Court, requesting the court’s permission to call victims and witnesses to testify.

But the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government objected.

They argued that the plaintiffs’ application did “not contain detailed specif-

ic information on what each victims and witnesses would say in court.”

In response, the plaintiffs through their counsel, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said the requirements of Article 43 had been fully met.

They also argued that the governments’ arguments had “no basis as it has not been supported by any counter-affidavit to our application.”

The governments also argued that there was no detailed description of the victims and witnesses and their addresses but the plaintiffs

ENATE President David Mark yesterday warned against neglecting the input of senators in nominating persons for appointments into federal offices.

The warning followed the controversial confirmation of Diogu Uche Romanus as a member of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

The confirmation earlier suffered a setback because two senators from Romanus’s state, Imo, opposed his nomination by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Senate stood down the confirmation and mandated the senators, Mathew Nwagwu and Chris Anyanwu, to go for further consultations.

When the matter was represented yesterday, Chairman Senate Committee on FCC Dahiru Kuta said the senators have resolved their differences and supported the nomination.

Mark warned that those who submit names of people for appointment without due consultation with senators risk non-confirmation of their nominees.

countered by saying that they already filed papers in court justifying that the addresses of the victims and witnesses would not be provided to protect their safety and security.

The ECOWAS Court after deliberations rejected the arguments by both the federal and state government on the grounds that “nondisclosure of addresses for the victims and witnesses does not affect the substance of the application and the interest of just ice.

The case is now adjourned to June 12 and 13.

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

T

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said there was a fire at The Electoral Institute (TEI) in Abuja on Tuesday night.

A statement by the commission’s Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Idowu, said the fire has been put under control.

It reads: “There has been a fire at The Electoral Institute (TEI) located at the Central Business District, Abuja. TEI is an annex of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The fire, which started at about 11: 55p.m. on Tuesday was put out.

“Relevant agencies have commenced investigation into the exact cause of the fire.”

According to him, preliminary accounts showed that the fire resulted from a breach in the electricity supply cable to the Institute, which generated a surge and triggered fire in the electrical panel room.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

56

NEWS Reps to Nigerians : be good ambassadors

Challenge of progress in the midst of crisis •Continued from page 43

You will recall the periodic violent skirmishes that our state was renowned for under this regime. Blood was shed at will as if in appeasement of some blood-sucking deities.

Politicians became indistinguishable from thugs and motor-park kingpins. Inside this vortex was the state government which was said to be in cahoots with the motor-park kingpins. The very sad episode of the death of a notorious NURTW kingpin, who, with the support of the state godfather, took over our State Assembly in 2006, is still very fresh in our memory. Thugs stomped on the hallowed historical chambers where the referred Chief Obafemi Awolowo stood to deliver his addresses; where the late Chief Anthony Enahoro moved the motion for Nigerian’s independence. Indeed, a NURTW thug moved the motion for the impeachment of the then state governor, hitting the gavel on the table in a manner reminiscent of how it is done in a sane legislative House. And rather than pronouncing the governor, who was the target of his patrons, he “the Speaker is hereby impeached”. The rest, as they say, is history.

This state of violence quickly infected the polity. You could not move round the state capital, and indeed, the state without being afraid of the menace of cultic thugs. The violence that started with the NURTW had promptly gone beyond the road transport union and had become all-encompassing, with any indigene or inhabitant of Oyo State being seen as a potential miscreant.

This was one of the challenges that our administration faced upon coming on board. We knew what we wanted was peace and how to go about it was very clear to us. The way out, it occurred to us, was for our government to show impartial leadership. Even though some section of the road transport workers’ union were rumoured to have worked for our party pre May 2011, we maintained that to achieve peace in the polity, there was the need to maintain impartiality across board. Thus, whether you were Osaka or Tokyo; whether you were Auxiliary or Original, our government took a dispassionate frown at violence and was ready to deal decisively with anyone fomenting trouble in Oyo State.

This leadership and commitment have paid off in our state as the challenge of violence and thuggery is fast becoming a thing of the past in a state renowned for its peace and tranquility.

The imperative of progress The Nigerian challenge has been a subject of several academic concerns. From the diverse challenges encountered by the country in its federal practice, to the diverse socio-political crises confronting the country since its inception, scholars have dissected, almost to its minutest details, the challenges that the Nigeria project has had to confront. Thus, that Nigeria has gravitated from one existential crisis to the other is not for lack of intellectual proffers, nor absence of adequate theorizing. The challenge is that every development-prone nation would have to pass through the crucible of these existential crises.

However, while it is not unique or peculiar to Nigeria that it would go through this caterwaul of crisis, the management of these divisive characters of the polity is of utmost concern. What is the attitude of the leadership to this challenge? Has the leadership thrown its hands in palpable surrender or is busy ferreting for ways out of the bind? These are germane issues which should agitate the mind of a committed leadership. While crisis would keep rearing its head in a plural society like ours, with its hordes of divisive features and catalogue of conflictual tendencies, the management of the crises and the resolve to ensure that they do not become a permanent albatross of state are very crucial.

The challenge should not be crying over the proverbial spilled milk but an urgent articulation of a way out of the seeming bind of the myriad of crises that have conspired to arrest and slow down the pace of development of the Nigerian nation.

Indeed, there is an array of development and governance challenges facing the Nigerian leadership. In this league are the challenges of the current economic situation in the country and the apparent cyclic problem of unemployment that has seized the esophagus of Nigeria. What is the leadership doing to

ensure that Nigeria wakes up from this unfavourable slumber? How does Nigeria capitalise on its vast manpower and resources at large to wean the nation from the stasis of under-development and crises?

The most important aspect of the challenges for the leadership is to make itself believable to the stakeholders, who would, in partnership with the leadership, make the road to perdition which intense crisis symbolises, unattractive to the nation. How do I mean?

The leadership, through transparent acts and openness, must carry its people along and must open its mind to the people to see through its commitment and sworn declaration of intention to vacate underdevelopment. Carrying the stakeholders along on this route is very essential and is a task that must be achieved by the leadership.

Despite the seeming array of insurmountable crises that are currently afflicting the nation, there must be a resolve by the leadership to move the country out of the mess it finds itself. One significant feature of this resolve is that it must be done in conjunction with the stakeholders. Who are the stakeholders of the Nigeria project? It is the collectivity of the Nigerian people. Nigerians must be carried along in the business of Nigerian development.

The resolution of the Nigerian challenge in a sustainable manner depends on the sincerity of the leadership and the political elite to confront such issues as the character of our federalism. The extant federal structure is weak and defective. The distribution of powers and resources is such that as a people, we are not encouraged nor empowered to be the best that we can. The Federal Government is at present saddled with numerous responsibilities that can be better handled by state governments. The logic of distance from the grassroots and the need for bottom-up development dictates that such responsibilities as maintenance of township roads, control of ecological problems, traffic and highway control are better handled by the states rather than the federal government which today struggles to discharge them.

The present revenue allocation formula which leaves 52 per cent of national resources at the disposal of the Federal Government and a paltry 24 percent for 36 states does not acknowledge the need for the country to make quick progress in the midst of crisis. The states are where the challenges are. The states, more than the federal government, know where the proverbial shoe pinches. All such issues as poverty alleviation, agriculture, housing, transportation and urban development are challenges that the states confront daily. The allocation of resources should reflect this reality if we are to overcome many of the challenges we face.

Our state of insecurity has been exacerbated by the challenges in the structure of our police service. A police service that is alien to a community cannot be effective. Our police should be community-based. The way to efficient policing should include elements of state police moderated by checks and balances to curtail abuse by state governments.

We need to pay special attention to the condition of our youths who constitute over 65 percent of the population. We cannot pretend that all is well when our army of teeming youths are unemployed. As long as hungry men remain angry men, so will the army of unemployed youths constitute a time-bomb for the country. Today, an average of 1.2 million Nigerian youths apply for admission into universities. Less than 20 per cent of this number are admitted. We do not have a sustainable arrangement to cater for the remaining 80 percent. The statistics for enrollment into primary and secondary schools are not cheering either.

There is over 60 per cent gap between pupils who are admitted into primary schools and those who ultimately graduate from tertiary institutions. What do we do with the rest?

Manpower is the driver of development and progress. The loss of over 65 per cent of our youths from the regular, formalised and standardised educational and manpower development institutions is a missing link in our quest for national development.

For us to progress, we have to empower our youths. In Oyo State, we place emphasis on this. Our strategy includes massive rehabilitation of our schools. We are at present rehabilitating 235 schools. We are also devoting resources to improving the skill of our teachers

• Investigates airports’ security From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

T

•Ajimobi

through routine in-service training. We are providing instructional materials for the schools which have been abandoned in this regard over the years. Although we collectively own Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, with Osun State, we are upgrading The Polytechnic, Ibadan into a technical university. We are renovating our technical colleges, as well as establishing new skill acquisition centres in each of the Senatorial Zones in the state. Our goal is to ensure that our youths who could not get university education have other opportunities to equip them to earn a decent living.

This is the focus in Oyo State where our vision of restoration is anchored on the four cardinal programmes of infrastructure development, efficient social service delivery, industrialization anchored on value-added agriculture; and good governance, security of lives and property.

Making progress in the midst of challenges require basic public infrastructure of socio-economic development. In Oyo State, we have embarked on simultaneous construction and or rehabilitation of 199 roads. In Ibadan, for the first time in 34 years, we are constructing a flyover that will enhance socio- economic activities. We are dredging over 70 rivers and streams to avoid flooding and also embarking on a 110 kilometer circular Road in Ibadan for the development of a new city lined with new development centres.

In social services, we are paying WAEC fees for thousands of students. We have reduced tuition in schools. We have embarked on massive equipment of science and home economics laboratories in our schools and we are building skill acquisition centres across the state. Our free health mission has visited all the local governments and offered free serves to over 370,000 people. We have introduced a free ambulance service for enhanced health service delivery. In the labour front, we started paying the new minimum wage in August last year. We have maintained a policy of paying all workers latest by 25th of every month and last year, we made history as the first government in the state that would pay full 13th month salary to workers.

These initiatives and engagements constitute our holistic approach to addressing security challenges in the state. We believe in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that if society ensures an environment that allows individuals to cater for their food, clothing and shelter needs, it will reduce the propensity to crime.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are only one year in office. By the time all these initiatives mature, we would have ensured that in spite of the challenges we face in Oyo State, we would still ensure steady progress for the benefit of our people.

As a nation, we have the capacity to overcome our challenges. As Dudley rightly says, these challenges should be building blocks of our development. The academic community, which forms the bulk of this audience, has a critical role to play in the formulation of ideas for national development. The academia should also be alive to its responsibility as the conscience of the nation; eternally putting the political leadership on its toes to deliver on its duties for good governance for development.

We can collectively overcome the challenges and make Nigeria great.

HE House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has appealed to Nigerians travelling abroad to be good ambassadors by obeying the rules of the countries.

Committee Chairman Nnena Elendu-Ukeje made the charge in Abuja during a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Gbenga Ashiru on the alleged wrongful deportation of three Nigerians from Egypt.

The lawmaker said Nigerians travelling abroad ought to always portray the country in good light by obeying the rules of their country and those of their host.

According to her, the report on the alleged deportation from Egypt was at variance with the real situation.

According to her, one of the deportees travelled on May 7 with fake passport and the other, Sekinah Abiola, refused to show the immigration officers evidence of funding or her proposed address while in Egypt.

Elendu-Ukeje said contrary to the earlier reports, 150 other passengers were on board in the aircraft, with majority, being Nigerians on the flight and were allowed entry into Cairo.

Abiola had alleged that six Nigerians with valid visas were deported and were subjected to inhuman treatment for three days at the airport without being offered water and food.

The committee chair said the allegation of inhuman conditions by Egyptian authorities for three days at the airport were untrue, as the deportees were sent back the same day through an Ethiopian airline.

Her words: “They arrived Cairo on May 7, 2012 at 1.30 am hours, departed on May 8, 2012 at 2.30 a.m and arrived Lagos 12.15 am on May 8, 2012. So, where are the three days?

“Our relationship with Egypt and other African countries have been very cordial. In fact, we have increased our air traffic between Egypt and Nigeria to 16 flights in a week through Abuja, Kano and Lagos.”

She said the Egyptian authorities beefed up security checks at all her ports because they noticed an increase in the human and drug trafficking cases coming from Nigeria since January last year.

The lawmaker said her committee was touched by the recent deportation of Nigerians from South Africa, a development she said informed her concern when it learnt of another deportation from Egypt.

She urged Nigerians travelling abroad to reciprocate the good gesture of the committee.

Elendu-Ukeje said: “Basically, we are imploring Nigerians too, to reciprocate the concern and good faith demonstrated in their welfare by the House not to do anything capable of tarnishing the image of Nigeria abroad.”

Meanwhile, the House of Representative is to investigate the state of security equipment at the airports across the country.

The lawmakers said in view of the prevailing global security challenges and the on-going renovation of facilities at the airports by the Federal Ministry of Aviation, it has become pertinent to adopt preventive measures against breach of passenger and aircraft safety in the country.

The lawmakers’ decision followed the adoption of a motion to that effect yesterday.

According to the sponsor of the motion, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) the spate of security breaches in the country has left those charge with no option than to urgently restore the existing walk-through, ground search and other metal and security detection gadgets that are capable of releasing relevant details about passengers and other persons accessing the airport vital zones.

Although, he commended the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Aviation to restructure the aviation sector as well as renovate the nation’s airports since it requires comprehensive maintenance of existing security equipment, Ossai nonetheless expressed concerns at the immediate consequences of the •Speaker Aminu project.

Tambuwal

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

57

News SSS seizes nine robbery suspects From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

N

INE robbery suspects, including a 23year-old girl, have been apprehended by men of the State Security Service (SSS) in Anambra State.

They are Ebuka Jejenuwa, a.k.a. Jeluwa (19); Chinedu Bosah (20); Ugochukwu Anekwe (20); Ebuka Nwude (17); Chidiebere Nnatuanya (19); Tochukwu Eze (18); Ndubuisi Okoye (18); Onyeka Ekweozor (20) and Blessing Orji (23).

SSS Director Alex Okeiyi said the suspects were seized at their hideout.

He said 25 handsets, SIM cards, internet modems laptops and weapons were recovered from them.

Okeiyi said the suspects are members of the Junior Cadre of the Vikings Confraternity (JVC), a cult group.

The suspects confirmed their involvement in some robberies in Awka and its environs. Two of them said they specialised in snatching people’s bags.

Jeluwa said: “I started stealing about three weeks ago.

We are all members of (JVC) and were waiting to be promoted to the Senior Cadre before our arrest.”

Blessing’s boyfriend, Bosah, said: “I use the money I make from stealing to take care of my girlfriend. She is not a member of our gang, but she helps me to remove SIM cards from phones.”

‘NYSC has united Nigeria’ From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

A

BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has hailed the founding fathers of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

He said the scheme, which was introduced 39 years ago, has unified the nation.

Orji spoke in Umuahia, the state capital, at the opening of the 59th Annual Management Conference of the NYSC. He said the scheme is one of the best managed youth programmes in the world.

Orji said the scheme, which was established shortly after the civil war, has facilitated reconciliation, re-integration and rehabilitation of Nigerians.

He said the introduction of skills acquisition training into the scheme would tackle unemployment.

Orji urged the authorities to include training on emergency and disaster control, security, road safety, fire control and road maintenance in the skills acquisition programme.

Minister of Youth Development Abdulkadri Ahmed, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Mohammed Buba, said the meeting will help improve the scheme.

Ahmed thanked Orji for building three hostel blocks, a staff quarters and a borehole at the state’s NYSC Orientation Camp.

NYSC Director-General of NYSC Brigadier-General Nnamdi Okore-Affia said the meeting is an avenue for top managers of the scheme to take stock of the preceding year’s operations and come up with how they can improve.

• Chairman, Re-Insurance, Chief A. Akingba (middle); flanked by Lady Isioma Chukwuma; and Kahssaye; General Manager, Finance, Air Nigeria, Mrs. Bridget Henry-Iyasse (second right); and others cutting the cake during the celebration of the airline’s Lagos-London inaugural flight at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

Air Nigeria re-launches flight to London

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ATIONAL flag carrier – Air Nigeria yesterday re-launched its Lagos–London flight with an Airbus 330-200.

Scores of passengers expressed delight over the airline’s return to the route at a ceremony held at the Conference Centre of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The airline’s Managing Director, Mr. Kinfe Kashaye, attributed its return to the route after years of “unprofitability” to the ingenuity of its managers.

Kashaye lauded the investment courage of the company’s Chairman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, who

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

he said rescued the carrier from the brink of collapse.

He said: “The carrier is marching towards profitability.”

Kashaye said the airline’s fleet has increased from five to 12 aircraft within a few years.

He spoke of plans to acquire more aircraft and expand operations on domestic, regional and intercontinental routes.

Kashaye said with good customer service, the carrier will stand out as the airline to beat in the global market.

He said: “This event is historic for the Nigerian aviation industry. It is a milestone that an airline that was on the brink of collapse could bounce into profitability and become a major player in the global market.

“This goes to show the resilience of Nigerians and the team spirit of the managers of the airline.

“We are grateful to Ibrahim for his courageous investment. This is the hand of God. God has been behind this airline and we are confident He will see us through.”

Man allegedly killed by brothers in-law

D

EPUTY-Director with the Anambra– Imo River Basin Development Authority, Owerri, Mr. Basil Ejezie, has been allegedly killed by his brothers in-law at his Umunze country home in Anambra State.

It was learnt that the deceased was at a service at the Holy Rosary Catholic Parish, when he received information that his attention was needed at home.

Sources said barely 20 minutes after he left the church, the parishioners learnt that Ejezie had a confrontation with his brothers in–law and was in a critical

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

condition.

When they got to Ekezie’s house, sources said four big sticks were found around his unconscious body.

It was learnt that Ejezie was taken to the Immaculate Heart Hospital, Umunze, but no doctor was on duty.

They said he was later taken to Ekwulobia General Hospital, where the doctors pronounced him dead.

The deceased’s wife of 20 years, Dr. Virgini, is a lecturer at the Federal Tech-

nical College of Education, Umunze.

It was learnt that the matter has been reported to the police.

The deceased’s younger brother, Mr. Sunday Ejezie, said: “I want justice. I want my brother’s killers punished. We do not want the police to cover up anything because some interested parties are already trying to influence the police.

“It is public knowledge that he was killed by his wife’s brothers and the four heavy sticks used are now with the police. One of them has been arrested.

“My late brother was the

light of our family and we were all looking up to him.

We knew he had an unpleasant marriage, but we never knew it would lead to his death.

“Shortly after my brother was pronounced dead, his wife and her brothers locked up his house and even the police could not go in.”

Police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka could not confirm the incident. He said he had not been briefed.

Efforts to speak with the Divisional Police Officer failed, as his phones were switched off.

Virginia refused to comment on the incident.

Anti-corruption war ‘ll save next generation, says ICPC boss

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HE Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, yesterday said the ongoing anti-corruption war is to save the next generation.

He said the commission will soon embark on sectoral intervention, including the education sector.

Nta, who spoke at a session with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Polytechnic Students, said anti-graft agencies will not fail the youths.

He said: “We have a moral and ethical right to give back to your generation what we enjoyed in the past. It is a sacrilege, if we do not give you the same moral and ethical orientation.

“We will not let you down

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

in the fight against corruption. Our generation has had it good. We had a medical system that was working, we had good Education system, we had well-stocked libraries and we had bright futures.

“But we have seen a steady decline in all these aspects because of corruption. We are determined to fight the scourge for the sake of your generation.

“We have listened to all the issues you have raised, we have decided that we are going to embark on sectoral intervention, including the education sector.

“We will pay attention to the Education Sector because education is the strongest tool against corruption tion.”

NANS Secretary- General of NANS Miss Garos Daylop said: “We are aware that with your level of commitment and sincerity, you will be faced with many challenges, especially by corrupt persons, who hate what you are doing.

“We encourage you to discountenance their antics.

We are with you and the Nigerians will support every effort to rid the country of corruption.

“We call for a strong and effective collaboration between NANS and ICPC in taking this campaign to the various campuses across the country as a veritable means of stamping the anti-corruption ideology in the minds of young Nigerians .

“It is essential to catch them young and save the fu-

ture of our great country from this cancerous monster ravaging our National economic growth.

“It is in this light that we are inviting you to the official launching of the Nigerian Students’ Zero Tolerance for Corruption Campaign cum the unveiling of anti-corruption billboards on our campuses and other materials on corruption.

“The event will hold at the University of Jos, Plateau State, in the last week of June.

“We hope to take this campaign round all tertiary institutions. We are ready to partner your commission and other stakeholders to ensure the inculcation of anti-corruption studies in our school curriculum, from the primary to tertiary level of education in Nigeria.”

Ekiti residents groan as outage persists From sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

HE lingering power outage in Ekiti State has crippled business activities, it was learnt yesterday.

Residents wonder why the weeklong outage has not elicited attention from relevant authorities.

While the outage is obvious at nights, those who depend on electricity for their daily businesses are groaning.

A teacher, Mr. Simon Adetula, said: “It is unusual and extremely dangerous for a whole state to be in darkness for almost one week.”

Some communities have reported burglary and rape cases.

Residents said miscreants have been operating easily because of the outage.

Worst hit are residents of Fajuyi, Adebayo, Federal and State Housing Estates and Federal Polytechnic Road.

An electrician, simply identified as Dolapo, said the outage has devastated businesses.

Dolapo said: “I have lost a lot of money in the four days of the outage. It is either you are ready to burn fuel for a whole day or you are out of business.

“Unfortunately, you cannot increase your billing system. Customers will just go to another person.”

Investigations have shown that the fault emenated from a main source outside the state.

T

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

58

NEWS North’s governors meet today From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

A NEW chairman will be elected today at the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF) meeting billed for Kaduna.

The governors will hold talks over growing insecurity in their region.

They are expected to deliberate on the ongoing industrial action by the workers of the New Nigerian newspapers, while the operations of other joint ventures will be looked into.

Secretary to the Niger State Government and Coordinating Chairman of the Forum of Secretaries, Daniel Clifford Shashere, said the election was part of efforts to restructure the

Wamakko moves to eradicate polio From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

GOVERNOR Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State yesterday urged stakeholders in the health sector to ensure that polio is eradicated.

Wamako spoke in Sokoto during the joint meeting he summoned for the inauguration of a committee on polio eradication.

“You have to be involved and must partake in the struggle to ensure a polio free Sokoto State,” he said.

‘My neighbour has killed my eldest son’

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N official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), CSP Polycarp Iber (rtd), has been thrown into mourning, following the alleged killing of his eldest son, John Viha, by a neighbour, Richard Ankyaa.

The deceased, a PhD student at the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, was allegedly stabbed to death

by Ankyaa at Logo 1, a community in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Recounting the incident, Iber said: “I decided to travel to my village and my neighbour, Richard Ankyaa, who eventually killed my eldest son, accompanied me to the terminus.

“When we got there, I told him to go to my home and bring me a motor spare part.

“Richard went to the room where the item was kept be-

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

cause he is familiar with my home. My late son challenged him, saying he (Richard) should have told him that I sent him. He said I did not inform him that I would send someone to bring a spare part from the house.

“There was an argument between my son and Richard, which almost resulted in a scuffle, but his sister, Janet, intervened and the matter was settled.

“Some minutes later, my son went outside and told a neighbour why he quarrelled with Richard. At that point, the suspect went to his house, took a knife, hid it inside his pocket and came back to my home, only to stab my son at the back of his head.

“He fell down and became

unconscious. He was taken to hospital and the doctors battled to save his life without success. He was later certified dead.”

Iber said the murder of his son has thrown his family into sadness, adding that being the eldest son, he enjoyed the best of everything, including education.

He described him as a promising, brilliant and cool headed person.

“He was very intelligent.

He showed this trait from the primary school to the university.”

He described the killing of his son as painful, “but as a Catholic, I have accepted it as the will of God. I wholeheartedly accept it.”

He, however, called for Justice.

The victim’s father, who hailed from Adikpo in Kwande Local Government Area of the state, said he was

From Mohammed Bashir Lokoja

T

•John

very close to the suspect.

Iber said: “Richard sold to me the land on which I built my house. We have interacted like brothers over the

Gunmen shoot Benue lawmaker’s brother

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NKNOWN gunmen have shot Orngu Shinyo Biam, the younger brother of the Majority Leader in the Benue State House of Assembly, Paul Biam.

According to an eyewitness, the incident occurred about 2am on Monday, shortly after members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ukum caucus, met and agreed that David Sevav should continue as the

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

Chairman, Caretaker Committee.

Sevav was first elected as the Chairman, Ukum Local Government. After his tenure, Governor Gabriel Suswam reappointed him as a caretaker chairman. Immediately after last week’s sack of the caretaker committee chairmen, he was nominated alongside Selu, Atese and Atese Gbaun by the

PDP, Ukum caucus.

At the end of the meeting on Sunday, Sevav, who doubles as the Benue State Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), emerged as the caretaker committee chairman for the third time.

But shortly after, gunmen numbering about four, stormed the Getere RCM Primary School, Zakibiam home of Orngu Shinyo Biam and shot him in the chest.

According to a neighbour who pleaded for anonymity, the gunmen forced their way in by breaking the front door.

“They shot him in the chest. The bullet entered his body and came out from the limb and he slumped. The

Task force recovers bombs, arms in Kogi

hoodlums, who thought he was dead, abandoned their guns and fled, leaving him in a pool of his blood. He was later rescued,” the eyewitness account said.

Sevav told The Nation on the phone that the shooting of Biam, who is now receiving treatment in a private hospital, has noting to do with his nomination because he is not a member of the PDP Ukum caucus.

“The victim was not at the caucus meeting because he is not a member.”

The majority leader could not be reached for comments, but a source at the police station in Ukum told The Nation that investigation is on to arrest the perpetrators of the crime.

HE Joint Security Task Force (JSTF) in Kogi State yesterday recovered bombs and arms.

It recovered 11 AK 47 rifles. The arms were hidden in a forest at the border between Kogi and Edo states.

The Director of State Security Service (SSS) in Kogi, Mr. Mike Fubara, said some people have been arrested in connection with the recovered items.

He said eight anti-tank Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and 14 locallymade grenades were also recovered.

Other items recovered are two fridge compressors, a gas cylinder, 10 Ak 47 rifles and one sub-machine gun.

Usman Danfodiyo varsity gets registrar From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

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NEW registrar has been appointed for Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. He is Mallam Muhammad Kakale.

The appointment followed the approval of the university’s Governing Council.

According to a statement signed yesterday by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mallam Muhammad Samaila Yauri, Kakale replaces Mallam Umar U. Bunza, whose tenure has expired.

His appointment, which was effective from Tuesday, May 15, is to run for five years.

Omoworare commiserates Civil Defence arrests police corporal, with Ige family others for petroleum vandalism From Adesoji Adeniyi, From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

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HE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a police corporal, Ahmed Sirajo and others for vandalising petroleum pipelines at Izom in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.

The 29-year-old policeman was arrested with two others at about 9.30 am while scooping petroleum products into plastic containers at the back of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) station.

NSCDC state commander David Bille, who paraded the suspects in Minna, said the policeman and his accomplices who have been identified as Ishaya Felix and Abubakar Haruna were found in possession of two 25 litres and six 20 litre containers filled with substances believed to be petroleum products.

He said one half-filled container, two 25 litre and one 10 litre empty containers were found on the scene of the crime, adding that a Toyota Corolla car and a motorcycle believed to be used for the crime were also recovered from the suspects.

Bille said the police corporal has been handed over to the commissioner of police and he is currently facing criminal charges.

One of the suspects, Haruna, disassociated himself from the crime, saying he only assisted Sirajo. Felix said he was on his farm when the security personnel arrested him.

Four other suspects have also been arrested by the command at Sabon Kaida village in Gurara Local Government for vandalising a petroleum pipeline.

Osogbo

S

ENATOR Babajide Omoworare, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has commiserated with the Ige family of Esa-Oke in Oriade Local Government of Osun State and the Osun State government on the death of Sir Dele Ige, younger brother of the ex-Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, the late Chief Bola Ige. Omoworare, in a condolence message issued by his Media Assistant, Mr. Tunde Dairo, described the late Ige as the last man standing in the Ige dynasty.

The lawmaker said Ige’s death was a colossal loss to Osun State and the country at large.

He said: “One may be forced to describe his death as untimely, but a sober reflection on the quality of life and age of the departed soul makes one think twice and give God the utmost glory.”

Belo-Osagie unveils Metropole magazine today

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R. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, the Chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, will today unveil Metropole magazine at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

Those expected to grace the event are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Mutawalli of Borno, who

will serve as the chairman, special guest of honour and chief host.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, is scheduled to talk on the future of the FCT as the keynote speaker.

Also expected are: ministers, members of the National Assembly, heads of government agencies and departments, representatives of the civil society groups and diplomatic missions, leading journalists and businessmen.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17 , 2012

59

N EWS Doctor gets five years for false alarm From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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doctor, Sunday Ogodo, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by a Chief Magistrate’s Court for raising false alarm.

Ogodo was accused of raising false alarm that Police Corporal Stanley Igbaruma and Sergeant Olubotu Aibangbe were kidnapping him, which attracted youths and motor cycle riders to attack Igbaruma.

Magistrate S. A. Omunua said the prosecution proved the charge against Ogodo beyond reasonable doubt.

He held that the convict does not deserve the mercy of the court.

The Magistrate said evidence showed that a doctor saying he was being kidnapped poses a life threatening chaotic situation for the police, because the officers could have been lynched or killed at the scene.

The court acquitted the suspect of count one but sentenced him to two years or pay a N50,000 fine and sentenced to three years on count three or pay a fine of N200,000.

NDLEA seizes 150.75kg of drugs

T •Anyaoku congratulating Oshiomhole. With them is Fashola.

PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID

Oshiomhole, Fashola, Anyaoku advocate change

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HERE was a consensus on Tuesday night on the need for change in the administration of the country.

It was at Champion’s Man of the Year Award won by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

The event, chaired by former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba, drew an array of dignitaries, including Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku.

Oshiomhole, who dedicated the award to his late Principal Private Secretary, Olaitan Oyerinde, said the country cannot make progress without a new order.

Anyaoku recommended true federalism and the collapse of the 36 states into fewer units.

He likened Oshiomhole to former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

Fashola attributed the ongoing development in Edo State to Oshiomhole’s refusal to yield to the dictates of those who believed in the maintenance of status quo.

The Edo governor said he was humbled by the honour, adding that the award was also for all who have paid the supreme price in the service to humanity.

•Edo governor is Champion’s Man of the Year •Dedicates award to late aide From Miriam Ndikanwu, Nneka Nwaneri and Precious Welundu

He said the late Oyerinde would written his speech, if he was alive.

His words: “They can kill him but not my fighting spirit. I see him smiling.

Comrade stay on; smile on, march on and we will continue to do so, to march on the heads of those who wants us done.”

The governor told the audience that the change in the state couldn’t have been possible, if he didn’t stand his ground.

His words: “We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect change.

“The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gave me the free hand to plan and act without any interference.

“Why should politics and not competence be the determinant factor?

“Unless we begin to manage the public sector like private companies, the primary purpose of governance will continue to remain a dream.”

Oshiomhole promised to fight those who stand in the way of progress.

“I came into government to be able to make good decisions for my people.

“Some also wonder why I

fight the godfathers but they are devils as there is no godliness in them.”

“I respect them as elders because of their age but not the age of the ideas and the number of years they have held the state captive.

“So we will not only fight the godfather, we will defeat him.”

He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that one-man-one-vote is not just a slogan.

Anyaoku said what the nation needs is a true federation with fewer federating units.

He said: “Governor Adams Oshiomhole reminds me of a good friend of mine, Bob Hawke who was President of the Australian Trade Union Congress for 10 years and later became Prime Minister.

“Both of them have the same style of speaking, relating with the people and commitment to their nations.

“There is a saying in my place that you hold on to what you have, and I’ll say to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, please continue with what you are doing.”

Fashola noted the tremendous development taking place in Benin and said the state capital has never had it

this good.

He listed some of the projects in the state capital, including the six-lane Airport Road, six-lane Sapele Road and others all with street lights.

“All those things which were impossible when the other flag was flying are now possible now that the ACN flag is flying. I will close by saying the people of Edo should keep the flag flying.”

Guest speaker and President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Peter Esele lamented the dearth of ideas by Nigerian leaders.

Esele said President Goodluck Jonathan has an opportunity to reconnect with the people by prosecuting all those indicted in the ongoing fuel subsidy probe.

The TUC President said the labour movement is proud of the achievements of Oshiomhole, saying he is the first labour governor in the country who followed a trail and has left a path.

Also present were , ACN Chieftain Tom Ikimi, representative of the Oba of Benin David Edebiri, Senators Domingo Obende and Ehigie Uzamere.

Journalist , three others die in accidents

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ETERAN journalist and former media aide to ex-military governor of old Anambra State, Col. Robert Akonobi, Conrad Bosah and three others have died in two road crashes in Enugu.

Bosah, who last worked with The Vanguard in Enugu as an advert manager, died on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway while returning home after a trip to his homestate of Anambra.

Sources said Bosah was being driven in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) by his driver when a trailer hit the vehicle. He died instantly.

His body has been deposited at the Eastern Nigeria

•Robbers kill reporter in Edo From Chris Oji, Enugu and Osagie Otabor, Benin

Medical Centre mortuary.

His driver is on admission at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu.

In a multiple accident involving two trucks, two cars and a commuter bus at Ama Breweries Junction on the Ninth Mile CornerNsukka Highway, three persons reportedly died and several others were injured.

Police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said those injured are at the National Ortho-

paedic Hospital, Enugu.

In another development, robbers on Tuesday night killed Sashua Edeghagba, a reporter working with Bronze FM of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Edo State.

Sashua was shot at Dawson Street in Benin City where he went to fix a car he bought few days ago.

He was hit when the robbers shot at a policeman they were robbing.

Sources said Sashua was playing with friends at the mechanic’s workshop close to the residence of the policeman.

The sources said stray bullets hit Sashua and a yetto-be identified woman.

Commissioner of Police Olayinka Balogun said the robbers were shooting sporadically while escaping when the bullets hit the reporter and the policeman, who was the target of the robbery.

“Both the policeman and the reporter were taken to the hospital, but the reporter died.

“Apparently no one knew him in the area as a reporter.

The robbers didn’t come for him,”Balogun said.

Edeghagba is survived by a wife and three children.

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Delta State said it seized 150.75 kilogrammes of hard drugs in the last three months.

The NDLEA said 41 suspects were arrested in the period under review. Thirty three are men and the rest women.

A breakdown showed that 26.66 kilogrammes was seized in February, while 44.12 kilogrammes was seized in March.

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

The agency seized 57 kilogrammes in April.

State Commander Okey Ihebom said another 52 grammes of cocaine and four grammes of heroine were seized within the same period.

Ihebom said the command seized 12 grammes of cocaine in February while another 40 grammes in March. He said there was no seizure in April.

Uduaghan mourns envoy

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ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has condoled with the Ohworode of Olomu, Ogbon Ogoni Oghoro, over the death of their princess, Mrs. Elizabeth Ogbon-Day. In a condolence statement in Asaba, the governor said Mrs. Ogbon-Day was an intelligent woman, who faced life’s challenges with courage.

Uduaghan prayed God to grant the family and the Olomu people the fortitude to bear the loss.

FRSC commander warns staff

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HE Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Rivers State, Kayode Olagunju, yesterday said he would arrest any member of staff collecting bribe or touting.

Olagunju spoke yesterday at the FRSC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt after taking over from his predecessor, Mary Wakawa.

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

The sector commander said a special surveillance team would be set up to monitor the activities of all staff.

Olagunju said he had mapped out strategies to improve on the public enlightenment activities of the FRSC and called for support and co-operation of stakeholders.

Politicians blamed for violence From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

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HE Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC), Mrs. Gloria Ukpong, yesterday blamed politicians for electoral violence in the state.

Mrs. Ukpong spoke at a stakeholders’ security meeting ahead of the June 9 local government election. She said politicians are the ones breaking the laws on Election Day. Her words: “The politicians are the ones who start problems. I am not afraid to say this because it is the truth. There is no point pushing things under the carpet. I don’t know how the commissioner of police can stop them.”

The Commissioner of Police, Umar Gwadabe, assured the parties of an election devoid of violence.

Bayelsa to immortalise Boro

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AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has said the government will immortalise the late Ijaw activist, Isaac Boro.

He said the administration will acquire Boro’s house for preservation.

The governor said: “The family house where Boro lived and where the 12-day revolution took off will be acquired and turned to a historical site for the Ijaw na-

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

tion.

“It is no longer the property of the Boro family but that of the Ijaw nation.”

Boro’s colleagues, who took part in the revolution, are to receive monthly stipends from the government.

Dickson said the government will no longer sponsor or celebrate the Boro Day abroad.

‘Rebuild Gbaramatu’

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From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

HE indigenes of Gbaramatu Kingdom yesterday converged on the residence of the President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), Bello Oboko, in Warri to commemorate the third anniversary of ceasefire of the Joint Task Force (JTF) May 15, 2009 bombardment.

Oboko urged the Federal Government to rebuild Okerenkoko and other Ijaw communities and strengthen the peace process.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17 , 2012

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NEWS

EFCC interrogates FAAN MD

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HE Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi, was yesterday grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over allegations of misdeeds in the termination of contracts of Maevis Ltd. Uriesi reported at the Head office of the anti-graft body in response to invitation to answer questions concerning the termination of a contract with the concessionaire.

Operatives of the EFCC visited the Lagos Airport office of FAAN on Monday, to interrogate the FAAN MD. But he was not available.

But in Lagos, over 100 workers held a solidarity rally at the Freedom Square arena of the

•Workers march in Lagos

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

organisation in support of the ongoing reforms being carried out by Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah and Uriesi.

The workers said the rally became imperative as a way of encouraging the duo for what they described as dismantling of “ cancerous concessions”, that have arrested the financial development of the authority.

Addressing the workers, the branch Chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Comrade Ekanem Ekanem urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to remove the Princess Oduahin

the event of any cabinet change, as the fruits of her transformation agenda is glaring for all aviation workers to see.

Ekanem said the radical change in the aviation sector including the dismantling of concession agreements had continued to excite workers.

The workers who sang solidarity songs marched on the office of the managing director and handed to him a letter stating their demands of how the industry should be run.

They said the letter should be sent to the President.

The workers also held a prayer session, where they called for divine intervention in the handling of aviation industry issues.

10,504 gainfully employed, says Ogun HOS

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O fewer than 10,504 persons have been employed by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun - led administration in the last 11 months. They were employed through the Ogun State Rapid Employment Generation (OGSREGP), Head of Service (HOS) Modupe Adekunle said.

Mrs Adekunle added that the Amosun’s government has also released more than N3 billion to pensioners in the state for between May last year and last month while over N1.5 billion has equally been paid as gratuity to beneficiary public servants.

The HOS broke the news yesterday at the on - going

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

ministerial press briefing at the Oke - Mosan Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

She urged the workers to support the administration in the task of rebuilding the state.

Also yesterday, the Commissioner for Forestry, Mr. Halilu Sabitu, said it was not true that the past administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel established a “bamboo plantation.”

Sabitu, who made the clarification, said the plantation Daniel’s administration claimed to have established and

sited at Olorunsogo in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, could not be found when he and some investors visited the area.

He said: “We were terribly disappointed when we got to the claimed bamboo plantation site and found the whole place empty, it was a total shame.”

The commissioner noted that the said plantation would have been a boost to the revenue generation drive of the state if it was established. He lamented that the state was robbed of another opportunity to ensure rapid development of its forest resources.

FRSC promotes 35 officers

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HE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) yesterday elevated 35 of its officers. They include seven Corps Commanders, who were promoted to Assistant Corps Marshals.

The Zonal Commanding Officer of Abuja Zonal Command Headquarters, Austin Aipoh and Wole Olaniran, who was the Principal Staff Officer to the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Osita

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Chidoka are now Assistant Corps Marshals.

Fifteen Deputy Corps Commanders are now Commanders, while 13 Assistant Corps Commanders were promoted to the rank of Deputy Corps Commanders.

Details of the promotions showed that the Head, Manpower Development Section; under the Training, Standards

and Certification Department, Kehinde Adeleye, was promoted alongside the Adamawa State Sector Commander, Luka Kinya as Assistant Corps Marshals.

Osun State Sector Commander, Alfred Adeboye, joined the league of Assistant Corps Marshals alongside the Acting Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone 3, Yola, Ahmad Hassan and his Zonal Head of Operations, Comfort Uwadoka, who were also moved to the position of Assistant Corps Marshals.

The Acting Sector Commanders of Anambra State; Hygenius Omeje, Bayelsa’s; Vincent Jack; Niger; David Usman and Gombe State; Kuteb Galadima, were elevated to Corps Commanders.

The Head, Planning and Advisory Unit at the National Headquarters, Clement Oladele, Head, Project Implementation Office, Chidi Nkwonta and Secretary, Staff Cooperative Scheme, Godwin Omiko, were also promoted as Corps Commanders.

Other Corps Commanders include Imoh Etuk, Shehu Mohammed, Daniel Seyi, Shehu Umar, Aminu Umaru, Ibrahim Abubakar and Jide Fehintola.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that document relating to allocation 714 belonging to ALHAJA A. SALAWU or MR. S. ALABI of Ikota Housing Estate is missing. All effort to retrieve proves abortive.

General public take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that original documents/receipt of a 2 Bedroom unit at Abraham Adesanya Housing Estate, Ajah, belonging to Oluwatoyin Adeorike Durosinmi-Etti, “F” of No 3, Bode Ogunleye Street, Surulere, and Lagos. All effort to retrieve proves abortive. General public take note.

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

61

NEWS

2015: ACN joins Buhari’s CPC to attack Presidency Continued from page 4

an affidavit before a South African court that President Goodluck Jonathan was the sponsor of the October 1, 2010 bombing at Eagle Square. It is on record that as governor of a Niger-Delta State, Dr Goodluck Jonathan (together with his brother governors) had used the MEND to command the attention of the Nigerian state.”

According to the statement issued in Abuja by CPC National Publicity Secretary Rotimi Fashakin, the party said it was aware of the role played by Jonathan’s PDP in the way “the People’s post-electoral angst (at the subversion of their electoral will) was turned into murderous ethno-religious mayhem.”

The statement reads: “Meanwhile, with the hullaballoo that Dr Jonathan and his PDP elements have unwittingly caused within the polity, should it be interpreted that there is a real effort towards ensuring that the 2015 election is also rigged as before in giving him to the PDP leaders’ claim of ruling Nigeria for 60 years? As a nation, we are witnesses to the manner in which rigged elections have foisted on the Nation cluelessness in governance and rapacious impudence; it is indeed a dreary road to tread.

“We insist that it is never ignoble to lose elections because President Abraham Lincoln, before being reputed to be the best American President that ever existed, was known to have lost elections several times. GMB, though lost Presidential elections three times to the rigging collusion of the Nigerian presidency and the electoral umpire, took the loss each time (like Abraham Lincoln) with equanimity!

“The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has noted the response of Dr

NJC to stand by decision on Salami Continued from page 4

than political sentiments.

“Let me tell you, the President has no personal interest in this matter. When the crisis was heating up the polity, the President personally had oneon-one audience with Justice Salami and pleaded that the Judiciary should sort itself out.

“This meeting took place before Justice Salami was suspended by the NJC. I think he will do the right thing.”

Asked about the pressure from some members of the NWC of the PDP on the President against Justice Salami, the source added: “Some of these leaders do not even have direct access to the President.

“They will be busy shouting on the fringe as if they dine with the President, but the case is opposite. One of those shouting now once complained to some party leaders that he was no longer having access to the President.”

Goodluck Jonathan, as President of Nigeria, to the altruistic statement credited to our National Leader, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) wherein he had stated inter-alia dire consequences for the perpetual riggers of our electoral process in 2015. In the statement signed by Dr Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media, GMB was grotesquely characterized as a sectional leader.

“First, GMB has been out of office as Head of Government for about 28 years, yet his relevance to the Nigerian nation is something firmly acknowledged by a broad spectrum of Nigerians, including his adversaries. As Head of State, his Oil Minister was Professor Tam David-West, a Kalabari man in Rivers state. As a Leader, he created the ambience for his ministers to work unobtrusively and devoid of executive meddlesomeness.

But what do we find with Dr Goodluck Jonathan? All the appointees as Oil ministers in his two-year reign thus far as President of Nigeria have been Nigerians of Ijaw extraction, like himself!

“Second, in October 1, 2010, there was a bomb blast during the year’s independence anniversary celebrations, with attendant deaths of many Nigerians. Without waiting for any preliminary report from the Security Agencies, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as President, told a traumatized Nation, “it is not MEND!” Meanwhile, MEND is the name for the militant group from Dr Good-luck Jonathan’s ethnic extraction that had in the

immediate past waged relentless and potent insurgency against the Nigerian state but had been placated with more slice of the Nation’s resources ceded to the region. Indeed, MEND impugned the President’s statement and admitted responsibility.

“Third, so far as President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has shown very generous affinity for Nigerians of Ijaw stock in terms of appointments and promotions in the Federal Public sector. There is a marked lopsidedness that smacks of clannishness and ethnocentrism by the President!

“On Corruption and sleazy tendency, the Jonathan administration transcends all others before it! Nigerians are still befuddled by the impeachable show of arbitrariness by the regime in expending N2.67Trillion on fuel subsidy instead of the appropriated N240Billion in the 2011 appropriation act.

As expected, the regime has attempted all manner of subterfuge to give Executive cover for the indicted people in the scam, who were the bank-rollers of the President’s electioneering campaign. Could it be that the missing money was funneled deliberately to the Jonathan Presidential Campaigns, with the acquiescence of the President?”

CPC said the party would continue to trumpet the sterling qualities of the Buhari brand which is still a rarity among the Political players in our nation’s season of anomie adding that: “We stand unwaveringly by the statement credited to GMB!”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012

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TOMORROW IN THE NATION

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THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 7, NO. 2128

‘I remember the harmattan of 1984 when your favourite grandson bought a new Volkswagen Beetle car. It cost just N3, 000 and we all pranced and danced about it in joy, stealing for the fleeting second when we could cop a feel of the dazzling piece of steel. You said it was a gift from God. Today, no one prays for such heavenly gift’’ OLATUNJI OLOLADE

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

I

S the President really interested in the 2015 race?

The rumour is all over town that the ground is being prepared for him, with shadowy groups springing up, ready to draft him in if he –as it is most likely to be – shows some reluctance to drop his hat in the ring.

From beer parlours, bus stops and seminar halls to varsity staff clubs, the subject of discussion is 2015, as if it is just around the corner. The more he tries to extricate himself from it all, warning that he will not condone such distractions, the more entangled in it he gets. Poor Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

But the President is not the only one who has the next general elections to worry about.

Thousands are getting set to join the race at various levels. How to run and win has been the nut that many have been battling to crack.

This column, the reader may wish to recall, promised to update a manual for electoral victory it ran on March 31, 2011, not for cash, as many a political pundit would, but as a public service, its modest contribution to our search for electoral rectitude. It is a kind of road map for out-of-power politicians desperate to return, fresh aspirants hungry for power and many others. Here we go: Your party may have suffered the insufferable misfortune of being removed by a tribunal after what is generally denounced as a vote fraud; don’t hide your head in shame (there is nothing like that here; it is all a temporary setback); create a massive awareness that you are set to return , the incumbent’s sterling performance notwithstanding. Upsets are parts of the game; aren’t they?

Get a damn good candidate, one with an impressive war chest (we are not talking bullets here, but cash; tons and tons of money), enough to send major cities into a frenzy whenever he shows up. Forget about character, vision, initiative and all those fine attributes that students of leadership cry about. Just show that you have a massive following.

Do not forget that your opponent will be planning to stay on. Shock him. Get his campaign itinerary and trail him. Cause a drugged driver to ram his timber vehicle into his convoy as he is returning from a rally, aiming at his sturdy SUV. Some results are likely: he is either dead or injured or traumatised. Whichever way, he is disturbed, distracted and disillusioned.

If he is the stubborn type, he will come out yelling that his opponent organised the accident in which some innocent people may have died (as if road accidents are the exclusive preserve of the poor who go about in ramshackle vehicles they can hardly fuel), asking the police to launch a probe. Do not keep quiet. Advise the police to find out if your opponent has a valid driver’s licence.

Should he have driven himself? What was

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

2015: An updated manual

•Dr Jonathan

his state of mind like while driving? Did he take alcohol? If so, what quantity? Remember, the aim is to trivialise the issue, confuse everybody and, by so doing, obfuscate the facts.

Before your opponent recovers, bring up more lethal strategies. Consider the final solution. Politics is no game of conscience.

No. Remember, the end justifies the means.

He may seem beyond reach, considering his army of guards. Don’t despair. Go after his key aides. Hit one or two of them and watch the reactions. There will be tears and tears.

Condolences. Curses. Invocations and incantations. Whodunit. The police will, as usual, promise to get not only the killers, but their sponsors. Will they? Soon after, everybody will go home, thinking: who is next?

Call for an update of the voter’s register.

Your opponent may go to sleep, thinking it is a mere update. Get the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to flood your state with Direct Data Capturing (DDC)

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machines. Hire some clerks, including some INEC officials – thugs, your opponent will call them - to work the machines, feeding them with imaginary names. Your opponent will, doubtlessly, cry out and arrange for some of these clerks to be seized. Don’t panic; is it your business to police INEC machines?

Incumbents are, naturally, stubborn – understandably so. Sponsor some crises. Motor park riots (drivers are key in electoral battles), strikes here and there, rumours of unimaginable wars and wars of unimaginable rumours. Incite civil servants to turn their back on the government of the day and fuel the strike of doctors playing Oliver Twist.

You can also play the religion card. Tell some lies. Contrive a security report that will be embraced by the highest authorities (those guys will believe anything, in the name of security). Say the governor plans to Islamise the state by changing school uniforms. Besides, tell the world that the incumbent goes about carrying a flag of his state instead of the green-white-green national flag and that he has, in fact, changed the state’s name. He also plays the state’s anthem instead of the national anthem, you will assert. If the tension generated by these is not enough to cause a cataclysm that will eventually lead to a state of emergency, gather reporters and grant an interview. Tell them you have discovered that the governor goes about with thugs and that you will attack his convoy to disarm the said thugs.

If these fail – I doubt they can fail – beguile the Presidency into believing that your party needs to win back all the states it lost so as to give the President some muscle to pursue his political future. There must be a Plan B, you will advise. Should your dream collapse at the poll, the final figures can simply be written and the results announced right there in Abuja. There may be some disturbances; a pocket of riots here and there. Never mind.

Don’t people have a right to be angry? Soon, all will be calm. In fact, your opponent will be the first to call for peace, saying he won’t

HARDBALL

F

ORMER Head of State Gen Muhammadu Buhari is a fortunate man. No matter how much he is despised or whatever anyone thinks of his views, he could neither be ignored nor his statements taken lightly.

Just before the 2011 elections, and suspecting that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not disposed to losing the elections calmly or lawfully, he warned that a people denied their choices at the ballot could be tempted or even legitimately advised to violently resist those who rigged elections.

Indeed, as a panel that probed the aftermaths of the elections suggested, his strongly worded statement was taken literally by voters in the northern part of the country to wreak havoc on innocent lives and property on the excuse that the elections were rigged.

Officials of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suggested that Buhari should be held accountable for instigating the post-election violence.

Buhari has a reputation for candour, and that candour has thoroughly and repeatedly riled his opponents, particularly the PDP. Three days ago in Kaduna, while receiving visiting party members from Niger State, Buhari was quoted as saying that the choices the obdurate PDP faced in the 2015 elections

rule over the dead but the living.

Do not forget that sooner or later, you will need the Judiciary. Your opponent will surely promise the “mother” of all legal battles. Yes. Be calm. Hire the best lawyers money can get. They are called SANs. They will tell the tribunal it has no locus standi. The tribunal will fix a date to assert its status. Push for a perpetual injunction. If that fails, ask for permission to tender more documents. You can also ask to be allowed time to bring in more evidence that you won and more witnesses to attest to your “clear” victory. Then, file for an adjournment. Soon, it will be 180 days.

Case over- courtesy of a new law that elevates technicality above facts. You can have your prize for keeps. Your opponent will cry that he got judgment but no justice. Keep a straight face; it’s no business of yours.

Your legion of supporters in fanciful asoebi uniforms will burst into a song: Baba ti ba wa se, Baba ti ba wa se o; Oun ton jawa laya, baba ti ba wa se (The Lord has done it; He has done it; that which has been of great concern to us, the Lord has done it).

But why all the trouble? Why not simply do your all to weaken the structure and deliver a big blow that will cripple the Judiciary forever? Bribe your way through. If this is impossible because there are still some upright judges, fight dirty, like a bull in a china shop. Politics is no gentleman’s game, remember.

Get a disgruntled and reckless but ambitious former public official who has no reputation for fine character to launch a campaign for the removal of the head of the court, which will surely sit on election disputes. Let there be all manner of allegations – corruption, perjury, polygamy and nepotism – hurled at the respected jurist.

There will be committees upon committees and yet more committees to try the matter.

While one panel sits and rises to give room for another to sit and rise, your party will have won all its old cases in court. Then the authorities will finally decide to reinstate the jurist, his reputation safe and sound; intact.

Protest. Shout that you have cases pending in court about the matter. Many legal giants and ordinary folks will ask: were there no cases in court when His Lordship was suspended?

Don’t mind them. Keep pushing at party headquarters and at the Presidency.

You will be called names. Vote robber. Ballot thief. Bad loser. Criminal. Rogue.

Dreamer. Never mind; it is all politics. Keep your eyes on the ball. The end, as they say, justifies the means.

If you find this manual useful – I bet you will - do not forget I own the copyright.

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•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Buhari’s words hit harder than bullets were stark: either to organise free or fair elections or to be humiliated by the people. If the latter, he explained, then it would mean that what happened in 2011 would again happen in 2015, and “by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon will all be soaked in blood.” It was not immediately clear what he meant, whether he was merely saying the obvious in colourful Hausa idioms or he was actually issuing a call to arms, as he was alleged to have done last year. Neither he nor anyone close to him has offered a clarification. Perhaps one would still come.

But meanwhile, Buhari is now being vilified in the harshest terms possible, as usual by the PDP. The former head of state was reckless and bloodthirsty, the ruling party said. He was a serial election loser, and thus a frustrated man whose associates even had very poor opinion of him, another sarcastic statement offered. He planned to truncate democracy, they chorused, for he was himself a poor listener who was overthrown by his compatriots in arms in 1985 for irritating cocksureness. There was nothing in the presi-

dency and PDP statements to suggest they understood what Buhari was saying. They needed to address his fears about election rigging; instead they attacked his person rather than his message. The PDP has never really accepted it rigged any election since 1999. The closest it came to accepting guilt was when the late Umaru Yar’Adua acknowledged, moments after assuming the presidency, that the 2007 elections were flawed.

Whenever they accepted irregularities in elections, PDP leaders always insisted the poll frauds were not significant enough to affect the final outcome of the polls. That mindset was again evident in their reaction to Buhari’s latest warnings. Until a language expert or Buhari himself can explain why he chose dogs and baboons for his allegories, we may have to wait until someone gently admonishes feisty presidential aides and PDP’s choleric officials to make their views known in temperate language befitting both the dignity of the highest office in the land and the prestige of the largest political party in Africa.

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