The Nation May 28, 2014 by The Nation

Newspaper of the Year

Boko Haram kills 54 in attacks

News I’ve performed, says Aregbesola P8 Sports Eagles vs Scotland tie under probe P24 Business House to examine sale of oil block P12

NEWS

Page 4

•24 soldiers, 21 policemen dead

•Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 9, NO. 2860 WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

•www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

1.1m users more as MTN posts double digit revenue

OBILE giant MTN posted double-digit revenue growth in the first four months of this year as the number of subscribers in Nigeria— its biggest market— climbed. The company added 1.1 million users in Africa’s most populous nation in April, following the re-

moval of a ban on subscriber identity module (SIM)card sales imposed in March, Chief Executive Officer Sifiso Dabengwa said at the company’s annual general meeting in Johannesburg yesterday. That contributed to a two per cent rise in total customers over the four-month period. In South Africa, sales

growth slowed as mobile operators cut prices to add customers in a saturated market. The amount MTN is allowed to charge smaller companies for use of its network was reduced by the communications regulator. “This trend is expected to continue for at least the next two quarters reflecting the adjustments made to retail

EKITI 2014

tariffs,” Dabengwa said. “Growing data services and mobile money are key areas of focus for the group as traditional voice revenue remains under pressure.” Data revenue increased 43 per cent compared with a year earlier and now contributes 17 per cent to total sales, compared with 14 per Continued on page 4

N150.00 KANO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

Saturday - 17/5/2014 CHAIRMANSHIP: APC - 44 with 2, 370, 889 VOTES PDP - 0 with 200, 687 COUNCILLORSHIP: APC - 484 Seats PDP - 0

•APC accuses police of complicity in violent attacks •PDP alleges impersonation by APC •AND MORE ON PAGE 11 •Party claims there is plan to import thugs as monitors

•ALL FOR THE GIRLS ON CHILDREN’S D AY: Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Olufunso, flanked by children during the inter-denominational prayer organised by the state for the DA release of the abducted pupils of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State to mark this year’s Children’s Day at the M.K.O Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta…yesterday.

Spare our lives, girls urge Jonathan in new video

WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

Obasanjo hosts Boko Haram contacts in Abeokuta

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan was sent a new video of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in which they beg him to spare their lives through a prisoner swap,

sources close to the militia told British newspaper The Telegraph. The Nation could not confirm last night the receipt of the video. The video was said to have been

handed to the President’s office by an intermediary, a journalist, Ahmed Salkida, who started a dialogue with the group two weeks ago. He is one of the few people trusted by the sect. He

SEE ALSO PAGES 2-5

obtained the video as a way of proving that he had authentic lines of communication to Boko Haram’s leaders,

the report said.

Continued on page 4

•ONDO ASSEMBLY GETS WOMAN SPEAKER P7 •AJIMOBI: OYO HAS NOT BORROWED P7

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS

Children’s Day N

L-R: President DMS Retail West Africa, Joseph Ebata; Executive Vice President/Senior Consultant, DMS Retails Matt Parmaks; Chief Executive Officer, Ruff 'N' Tumble, Adenike Ogunlesi, Director Consumer Banking Group UBA, Ilesanmi Phillips; during the Retail Leaders Conference held at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos…recently

• R-L: Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Senator Mohammed Lafiaji and Senator Akin Odunsi during inspection projects at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos... yesterday. PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

•L-R, Chairman MainOne, Mr. Fola Adeola, Dr. Eugene Juwah Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Chief Executive Officer, Main One, Ms funke Opeke during a courtesy visit to NCC in Abuja... yesterday

L-R: Nigerian Idol Top 3 contestants, Odugbemi Idowu Sarah (Eye-D), Elvis Ejiro (Elvis Jay); Acting CEO, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher and another Top 3 contestant, Zibili Evelyn (Evelle), during a courtesy visit to Etisalat Lekki, Office.

O fewer than six organisations stormed the Lagos House at Alausa, Ikeja, to protest yesterday the abduction of the over 200 Chibok school girls. Carrying placards with various inscriptions, they lamented the government’s failure to arrest the situation. The groups include Centre for Global Peace Initiative (CGPI), The Young Muslims Association (TYMA), Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and Al-Mu’minaat Social Advocacy Project (SAP). The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, who met with them, received their protest letters on behalf of Governor Babatunde Fashola. CGPI Convener Shakiru Yekinni noted the government’s failure to stop Boko Haram. He said: “We as a collective of Muslim organisations condemn in strongest term this heinous crime, and also express our disappointment at the manner in which the issue was previously handled by the Federal Government until recent external intervention. We say with every emphasis that acts of abduction, killing, kidnapping, wanton destruction and terrorism are all alien to Islam - both in letter and spirit. We affirm that these acts constitute not only crimes against humanity, but also crimes against Allah and His religion, for Allah Has ordained that to kill a soul is likeable to killing the entire humanity. We say likewise that Boko Haram and its ideology of forceful conversion of people away from their religion runs counter to the dictate of Islam which affirms that ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion, for truth is clear and distinct from error…’. We also reiterate that Islam forbids spreading evil and corruption in the land and recommends appropriate punishments for harbingers of evil and destruction like the Boko Haram sect.” The group expressed sadness over the incessant loss of lives and the destruction of properties on a scale unprecedented in the country. The TYMA national coordinator Abdulazeez Ajala said the abduction explains the long-time neglect and insensitivity of successive governments to the plight of the child. According to him, “It is the child of neglect and destitution, completely bereft of morals that can be easily bought, as an adult, to wage war against the society he belongs. It is shameful that this kind of crime occurs in a country endowed with abundant human and material resources. If the government of Nigeria values the lives and wellbeing of her citizens, it would have put security apparatus in place to nib insurgency at the bud ab initio. Why would it require, the intervention of any foreign country to search for the girls? Where are the forces and the Police? Should government blame an individual or group for its ineffectiveness? The leader of South Korea who resigned because of the lives lost in a shipwreck is a shining example of a sincere leader. The love of power and affluence by our leaders has helped in hardening their conscience while hiding under sectionalism such as religion and ethnicity.” Ajala said Boko Haram neither represents Islam nor Muslims in

•School pupils in Ekiti State during a solemn procession to the Governor's office over the abduction of the Chibok girls to mark this year's Children Day, in Ado-Ekiti... yesterday

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Nigeria. “We believe that the aggravation of its devilish activities in recent times is the handiwork of some elements who have selfish agenda to gain in a war-torn Nigeria. We fervently pray Allah to expose and shame all the perpetrators of the devilish act. We implore politicians and those who are aspiring for public offices to redirect their attention to the purpose of governance - providing basic welfare and security for its citizenry,” he said. AFED president Esther Dada, urged government to stop playing politics the with the lives of the abducted girls. Mrs Dada said it is high time government accounted for the trillions of naira budgeted for security over the years with nothing to show for it. The girls, she said, must be unconditionally released without payment of ransom. She appealed to Nigerians to keep praying for the return of the girls, alive and safe. The SAP coordinator Mrs. Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade said the abduction of girls seeking education and the inability of government to secure their release had sent shivers down the spine of both mothers and girl-children. She said the act can negatively impact on the girl-child education which is a prerequisite for attainment of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “This goal will be attained once we are able to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and in all levels of education no later than 2015, particularly in Northern Nigeria where education has not been given the necessary attention,” she said. Mrs. Yusuf-Ajibade urged President Goodluck Jonathan and his team to act urgently. “The position of Islam is not obscure on education for both males and females. Islam is pro-education and not antieducation. Boko Haram is not Islam and Boko Haram does not represent Islam or Muslims. We as women and mothers will not stop at street protests to demand for action. We will mobilise, organise and fight for the protection of the rights of the girl-child in Nigeria. We will in this instance not relent until this government does what is expected of it: to apprehend the perpetrators and rescue the girls,” she said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

y: Prayers, protests for Chibok girls

•From right: Amir, Muslim Congress, Alhaji Luqman AbdurRaheem; Alhaji Luqman Balogun; Alhaji Qasim Badrudeen; Center for Global Peace Initiative (CGPI) convener Shakiru Yekinni; The Young Muslims Association (TYMA) National coordinator Abdulazeez Ajala; Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi'I; Alhaji Waheed Abdul Yekeen and others during CGPI protest on the abduction of Chibok girls at Lagos State Government House, Alausa…yesterday.

Ogun school pupils pray for abducted girls

HOUSANDS of school pupils from the 20 local government areas of Ogun State prayed fervently yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital, for the release of the over 200 abducted Chibok school girls. The girls were seized in their hostels and taken away by their captors on April 15. They have not been found. But yesterday, in a special interdenominational service tagged,

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

“Prayerful Children’s Day,” observed at the MKO Abiola Stadium, pupils from primary and secondary schools interceded for the Chibok girls, asking God to touch the hearts of their abductors. Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s wife, Olufunso encouraged the children to do more intercessory prayers for the Chibok girls, adding that saying the solemn prayer was a way of identifying

with them. The pupils pleaded with God to intervene in the plight of the Chibok girls and for protection from the growing acts of terrorism in the country. Some of their prayerpoints, which were inscribed on placards, read: “Save us from terrorism in Nigeria”; “Save us from insecurity in Nigeria so that we can be good children to our parents and country.” Also, Christian and Muslim cler-

day to pray for the over 200 girls that were abducted 43 days ago. We have decided that today will not be for fanfare. We thank God that we are here today to offer our prayers. We cannot be celebrating knowing those girls are away from their parents; only God knows what is happening to them.” The governor, who assured students of their safety and welfare in the state, advised them not to indulge in acts that could dent their image.

Kwara school children go spiritual

MOTIONS ran high yesterday at the Ilorin Metropolitan Square venue of this year’s Children’s Day celebration. Tears floured down the chins of not a few of the scores of school children who converged on the venue in Ilorin, the state capital, to seek God’s intervention for the safe return of over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, by the Islamist Boko Haram sect. This year’s anniversary was without the usual fanfare that attended previous celebrations. Despite the prevailing peace and security in the state, not many of the schools in the state sent in their representatives to the event that was held under watchful eyes of security agents. For about an

•Abdulfatah Ahmed

ics prayed God to soften the hearts of the insurgents and release the girls. In his address, Amosun appealed to the insurgents to release the girls. He noted that the activities of Boko Haram sect were at variance with the doctrines of any religion, saying violence will not bring anything good. Amosun said: “Nothing can ever be resolved with killing innocent souls. Hence we have set aside to-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

hour, students from some of the few schools that participated in the event, were called out one by one to pray for the safe release of the girls who had spent 43 days in captivity of Boko haram insurgents. They also prayed for peace and unity to reign in the country. Some placards wielded by the students had such inscriptions as ‘#Bring Back Our Girls: Act now!’ ‘Nurture a child to create a better tomorrow.’ Speaker of the Kwara State Children’s Parliament, Yusuf Abdulmalik, appealed to the Federal Government to do all it could to rescue the

abducted girls safely from the kidnappers’ den. “Since the abduction of these girls, things are no longer at ease. We can no longer concentrate on our studies in schools,” he said. The prayers were said in both Christianity and Islam. Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, represented Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed at the event. Wife of the Governor, Omolewa, who had last week convoked similar prayers of both Christians and Muslim women, was also instrumental to the yesterday’s prayers. Alhaji Gold, who read President Goodluck Jonathan’s address, urged parents not to be deterred by the Boko Haram activities in sending their children to schools.

Amaechi blames Fed Govt for girls’ abduction

ORRIED that more 200 students abducted from Chibok Government Girls Secondary School in Borno State since April 15 are still languishing in captivity, Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State has put the blame at the doorsteps of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government. Amaechi, who stated this yesterday while addressing children and other members of the public at an interdenominational church service to mark the 2014 Children’s Day held at the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt, did not also spare Nigerians as he said that they voted the wrong party into power. He said the only way the change needed in the country can materialise is to vote out PDP in the 2015 general elections. Said he: “The blame is on us; your parents and those of us who are in government. We owe you the responsibility of safety; we owe you the responsibility of good education so that you can become for us the future parents when we depart this world.

House of Reps holds special session

HE House of Representatives yesterday marked the 2014 International Children’s Day with a special session, even as members lamented the inability of the security forces to rescue the abducted schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, over a month ago. The House thereafter urged the Federal Government and all the security agencies to step up effort at ensuring security of lives and property and specifically free the abducted girls. The House leader, Hon. Mulikat AkandeAdeola, while leading the debate at the session, expressed sadness over the inability to found the missing girls. “Even though we are supposed to celebrate children today, it is very sad that up till now, we are yet to know where our children kidnapped in Chibok are. We cannot celebrate when the condition of over 200 girls remains unknown. From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

“All of us are guilty of this crime because in 2011, we went and voted for this government. So, we are responsible for the kidnap of Chibok school children, because we chose the government; you chose me and you

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja The security personnel needed more hands on this and we (lawmakers) agreed to extend emergency rule. We also agreed and passed a motion for us to be receiving periodic briefing from the service chiefs,” she said. ”Children and women are the worst hit during conflicts,” Hon. Nnenna Elendu Ukeje (Abia/PDP) Chairperson, House Committee on Foreign Affairs said. She added that all hands must be on deck to ensure the safe return of the girls. Members at the session agreed that there is need to support the efforts of the government in the fight against terrorism and expressed willingness to support all efforts at fighting the scourge.

chose the president. If, therefore, you are not able to protect the Chibok girls, then, all of us, especially the government in power, should be held responsible for the lives of the children of Chibok.” The Governor added that God allowed the incident to occur to expose the leaders because the level of corrup-

tion in the country has become uncontrollable. He also blamed PDP for being after its political affairs without paying attention to the predicament of over 200 abducted schoolgirls and insecurity in the country. “I have said it before; God is tired of Nigeria, and now is the opportunity to choose another government. Chibok girls are

over 200. You heard they killed 310 the next week near Chibok; what did we do? They are killing every day. People are losing their children, losing their parents every day. They went to Yobe State, burnt the whole school and killed children. What did we do? “ It means that you and I must rise up and ask for change today, including the children, to demand for a better government, to demand for accountability, to ask why Chibok girls were kidnapped and PDP was celebrating in Kano. All of us are guilty of the crime against Chibok girls, not the president. The president or PDP is guilty because it is in power and they are supposed to protect you and I; but, you and I are not protected. But, we are guilty of choosing them.” However, the governor further urged Nigerians to continue praying for safe release of the girls, explaining that reason his State decided to mark this year’s Children’s Day celebration with a solemn assembly, is to enable them share in the pains of the victims and their parents. ENDS

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS U.S.: we can’t confirm defence chief’s claim on girls’ whereabouts

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (raising the broom); his Deputy Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori acknowledging cheers from the crowd during launching of his campaign for re-election at the Government Technical College, Ile-Ife…yesterday. SEE ALSO PAGE 8

Boko Haram kills 54 in Yobe, Borno attacks

OKO Haram has attacked security agents in Buni Yadi, headquarters of Gujba Local Government, killing 24 soldiers and 21 policemen including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), sources said yesterday. In attacks on two Borno State villages also on Monday, nine people were killed. Buni Yadi village has repeatedly come under Boko Haram attacks. It was there that sect members killed 55 pupils who were sleeping in their dormitory last year. It is 55 kilometres south of Yobe State capital, Damaturu. Residents said the hoodlums came into the town with one Armoured Personal Carrier vehicle (APC) and six Hilux vans, shooting in the air through the town as they headed for security formations where they lunched their dastardly attacks. The Joint Task Force (JTF) and the police in Yobe State have

•24 soldiers, 21 policemen dead •Cameroon troops at Nigeria’s border From Duku Joel, Damaturu

been reluctant to release the casualty figure but Police Commissioner Marcus K. Danladi confirmed the incident. “I am just coming back from Buni Yadi and I need to sit down to gather my facts together before giving it out,” CP Danladi said. Police spokesman Nansak Chegwam also said details of the incident were sketchy, adding that investigation had begun. Officials said 54 people were killed in the two attacks. Police constable Abdullahi Mohammed said the suspected Boko Haram members killed 24 soldiers and 21 policemen in the attack on Buni Yadi. A Borno State local government official, Nglamuda Ibrahim, said gunmen killed nine

people in two remote villages, also on Monday night. Ibrahim said in Ashigashiya town the armed men shot at villagers, burned their homes and held control over the area and hoisted their white flags with Arabic letters. A source with the Joint Task Force also told VOA’s Hausa Service that 24 soldiers and 21 policemen were confirmed dead following the attack. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen took away an armored tank and many vehicles. There has been no word on civilian casualties. A Hausa Service reporter who is in northeastern Nigeria said militants were also attacking motorists on highways leading in and out of Maiduguri.

Drivers said snipers wait in trees to fire at passing cars, which are then attacked by gunmen hiding in bushes by the side of the road. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Hassan Thlama, a Superintendent, the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) were among those killed, it was gathered. The attackers stormed the town around 6:03 pm and unleashed terror on the security. A senior officer of Gujba Local Government, who pleaded for anonymity said the police barracks, the Divisional Police Station, and the military base in the area were burnt down. Other places razed by the insurgents include; the palace of the district head of Buni-Yadi, Alhaji Abba Hassan Muktar ,a personal houses and the palace of the Emir of Buni-Yadi, Alhaji Muktar Ali Gangaran were also vandalised by the insurgents. Witnesses said the insurgents

Continued on page 59

MTN posts double digit revenue Continued from page 1

cent a year earlier, he said. Iran, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Syria and Sudan all posted “healthy revenue growth.” MTN shares fell 0.3 per

Continued from page 1

cent to 223.50 rand by the market close in Johannesburg. They have gained three per cent this year, compared with a 3.7 per cent decline at biggest South African competitor Vodacom Group Ltd.

‘Govt priority is security not public relations’

HE Presidency yesterday said it is not involved in image laundering. It said national Security is government’s priority. A statement by Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said: “Reports in national and foreign media that the Federal Government is currently in the process of recruiting an international public relations firm to “counter mounting criticism both inside and outside the country” are completely false

Jonathan gets video on girls pleading for swap

However, the source claimed that a subsequent deal to release the girls - planned for a week ago on Monday - was scrapped after Western governments placed pressure on Mr Jonathan not to negotiate for any prisoner swap. The deal would allegedly have seen around 50 of the girls released in exchange for an equivalent number of Boko Haram fighters currently in Nigerian jails. The Nigerian government has denied that any deal was on the table, and has so far neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the video. Claims of the video’s existence surfaced as the Chief of Defence Staff claimed that the military knew where the girls were located. Speaking on Monday, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, described it as “good news for the parents” but said that the military would not risk “going there with force”. However, he declined to give specific details, raising speculation about the accuracy of his claims. The Nigerian journalist who is said to have obtained the latest video was named by the source as Ahmed Salkida, who is from the north-east state of Borno,

HE United States said it did not have independent information to confirm Nigeria’s claim to know the whereabouts of more than 200 kidnapped girls. It also questioned the wisdom of making public such information. “We don’t have independent information from the United States to support these reports you referenced,” US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. She was responding to a question about Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh’s statement that the military knew where the abducted girls were. “We, as a matter of policy and for the girls’ safety and wellbeing, would not discuss publicly this sort of information regardless.”

and baseless. “The suggestion that the Federal Government intends to spend a staggering sum of $800 Million on the phantom public relations effort to ease “increasing pressure over its response to the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls” is also wholly untrue. “Coming as they do, at a particularly difficult and sensitive time for the entire nation, the Federal Government considers Continued on page 59

Chibok girls: Obasanjo joins rescue mission

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja ORMER President Olusegun ObasanObasanjo was said to have pleaded with jo has met with some Islamic clerics the Boko Haram contacts to work with him sect’s slain leader, Mohammed Yusuf and and two facilitators of dialogue with to resolve the abduction saga in the interest some Islamic clerics who have the sect con- of the nation. Boko Haram - in a bid to seek freedom for fidence. the 276 Chibok girls abducted by Boko The source said: “The ex-President sumIt was gathered that the meeting was held moned the meeting in Abeokuta out of his Haram. at Obasanjo’s Abeokuta, Ogun State capiThe meeting agreed on five options on love for the nation. tal home. Many visitors were barred from how to set the girls free without firing a shot, “Feeling somber, Obasanjo said he called the mansion during the meeting, it was for the meeting to seek alternative ways on if they are acceptable to the administration learnt. of President Goodluck Jonathan. how to free the Chibok girls. Apart from being physically touched by Obasanjo also told the team that if the “The ex-President sought to know the the plight of the girls and the global outcry Jonathan administration does not give him state of the girls. He repeatedly asked questhat greeted their abduction, Obasanjo, said clearance to proceed with the talks, he tions on their safety and health. The Boko the source, reportedly felt that the interna- Haram contacts briefed Obasanjo that would quit the mission. tional backlash for the nation was not good. The Presidency was yet to be briefed by Ahmed Salkida, who facilitated the crashed A source said the ex-President expressed talks, reported to the government that the Obasanjo as at the time of filing this report. surprise that some members of the African According to a source, who pleaded not girls were being well taken care of. Union (AU), who Nigeria had helped, took to be named, Obasanjo met with one of the “The session then tried to study how the advantage of the girls’ ordeal to condemn early facilitators of peace talks with Boko previous talks failed at the last minute. Peothe nation for not having the ability to libHaram, Comrade Shehu Sani, Alhaji MusContinued on page 59 erate the girls. tapha Zanna, who was the lawyer to the which is Boko Haram’s main dom. He and a trusted cleric source said. “So during his talks the government backed out.” stronghold. then risked their lives by head- with the insurgents, he obtained The precise reasons for the His contacts with the group ing up into the remote bushland a DVD which had clips of girls government’s alleged change of have been so close that on past areas where the group operate, being interviewed by members mind were not known, said the occasions he was arrested on meeting a senior assistant of of the group, in which they source. But he pointed out that suspicion of being a sympathis- Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar asked President Jonathan to do the weekend before the proer, and two years ago he moved Shekau. a prisoner swap to get them posed release date, Mr Jonathan with his family to Dubai. “The government said to the freed. was at the summit to discuss the However, around four weeks intermediary to prove himself to “That DVD was shown to the Boko Haram crisis in Paris, also ago, the Federal Government show whether he was capable of government, and a deal was ar- attended by British and Ameriagreed for him to come back to brokering a deal or not, and in- ranged so that the girls would can officials as well as the govNigeria to see if he could assist sisted that he should obtain have been released a week ago ernments of Niger, Cameroon in negotiating for the girls’ free- proof of life of the hostages,” the on Monday, but at last minute and Mali

•Dr. Jonathan

The Nigerian government got a lot of offers of co-operation by neighbouring countries at the summit, and I think that emboldened them against negotiations,” the source said. “They also seem to be afraid that if they do a prisoner swap, they will lose the support of the West.” As a result, the source said, the negotiations had now “crashed”, with Mr Salkida returning to Dubai. The DVD remains in the possession of the Nigerian government and has not been released publicly.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

Protesters ‘occupy Lagos road’ for Chibok girls’ release

•The protesters on Ikorodu Road, Lagos...yesterday PHOTO:Abiodun Williams

Senate urges Boko Haram to free Chibok girls

HE Senate pleaded yesterday with the Boko Haram sect to release the over 200 schoolgirls it abducted from Chibok, Borno State, about 40 days ago. Also yesterday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Uche Chukwumerije, faulted a statement credited to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, that the military had located the camps where the abducted Chibok girls were being held. But the Air Force chief reportedly said the location was a military secret. Senate Leader Victor NdomaEgba, who spoke at plenary in Abuja, urged the abductors to release the girls in the spirit of the Children’s Day celebration. The senator drew the attention of his colleagues to the challenges confronting the Nigerian child. He said children would only become true resources and wealth, if they were well educated. Ndoma-Egba said: “Let me, on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, congratulate the children of Nigeria and the children of the world on this day, which is their day.

•Chukwumerije flays Defence Chief over comment From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

“Children all over the world represent the wealth and resource of every nation. They can be a resource only if they are educated. Without education, the children, rather than being a resource will become a burden on the society. “It is for this reason I want to draw the attention of the Senate and the nation to the challenges being faced by our children in the Northeast. “May I use this opportunity to appeal to Boko Haram to make this day whole for us as a nation, to make this day whole for us as humanity, by releasing our children in their captivity?” Addressing reporters later, Chukwumerije condemned the assertion by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Mashal Alex Badeh, that the military had located the camps where the abducted girls were being held. The senator said it was puzzling for the Defence chief to disclose what the military considered a secret. He said: “I am very much elated by the news that the loca-

tion of our girls is now known to the army. But, like the rest of the nation, especially observers, I am puzzled by one phrase, according to the military spokesman, that their location is a military secret. “...What puzzles me is simply this: why do you make public what you consider a military secret? As you are announcing the location or your discovery of the location of these girls, the news is being known to those holding them captive. You think they are going to stay there and wait for you until you come to locate the girls and take them away? “This puzzles me because we know that in all American military operations, you don’t hear a word about that until after their mission has been accomplished. “The next you will hear is that their mission has been accomplished. When the leader of Al Qaeda was dealt with, we know how it was done. Nobody even had a wind of what was going on until it was completed. “So, let us hope and pray that the news of the location of the girls is true, that the enemy is

not sufficiently warned to move before our men would strike. “But to us, it is a wonder of wonders that what the military considers a secret is what it announced as a secret and wants us not to divulge the secret.” Also, the Senate considered yesterday a Bill seeking to establish the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Centre (NFIC) 2014. The NFIC, if established, will operate independently of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It is presently a unit under the EFCC. Most senators hailed the Bill. They said the centre is a requirement for a country fighting seriously to eliminate corruption. But some lawmakers kicked against the Bill. The said it would amount to duplicating EFCC’s duties. The lawmakers insisted that the Bill can only succeed, if the EFCC Act is repealed to transfer some of the financial intelligence functions to the new centre. The Bill was later stood down for further legislative work.

Pupils weep for Chibok girls in Enugu

UPILS wept yesterday in Enugu for the abducted Chibok, Borno State, schoolgirls. It was during this year’s Children’s Day celebrations. Scores of primary and secondary school children had gathered at the Michael Okpara Square in Enugu for the celebration. But their emotions snapped when they began the prayers with their hands pointed towards the imaginary direction of Sambisa Forest, where the over 200 pupils of the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok were being held by the Boko Haram insurgents for over a month now. They prayed God to send his angels for the girls’ rescue. The Enugu pupils called for the immediate release of the girls and the cessation of harassment of school children and their teachers in the North. Led in the prayers by the State Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. Godwin Madu and the Secretary of the Christian Association Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Emeka Ejim, the children said there was no room for celebration of this year’s

•Chime denounces insurgency From Chris Oji, Enugu

event since their abducted colleagues were still in the captivity of terrorists. They urged the Federal Government to ensure the quick release of the innocent girls and prevent a recurrence. Amidst tears, Miss Precious Ede, who prayed on behalf of the children, said: “We did not come here to celebrate; rather,

we came to express our anguish at the continued plight of our mates in the hands of the Boko Haram people. We came to seek God’s intervention so that they can be freed, because just like us, they committed no crime by going to school. We are confident that God will answer us because even as we are praying, we know that His angels are al-

ready at work in Sambisa Forest or wherever our mates are being held.” Presenting the address of President Goodluck Jonathan on the occasion, Governor Sullivan Chime denounced the abduction of school children and the rampant bombing and burning of schools, which have led to the closure of some schools and colleges in the Northeast.

Terrorists have taken away our joy, says minister •Ministry plans trauma centre for Chibok girls

HE Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, admitted yesterday that terrorists have taken away the nation’s joy and made it impossible for the country to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day. Hajia Maina, who spoke yesterday in Abuja on the celebration, noted that the abduction of the Chibok girls had dragged the nation backwards.

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

She said the ministry, in collaboration with its development partners, was working on a trauma management and counselling for the abducted girls and their parents, when they return. The minister urged parents not to be discouraged in their efforts to send their girls to school. Hajia Maina said: “Children’s Day celebration is usually a day full of fun and merriment for our dear children across the country. Unfortunately, the terrorists

have taken away our joy with the kidnapping of our girls, who are supposed to be celebrating with us. “It is regrettable to note that at a time when our strategies for promoting the girl-child education and balance the gender gap in education are yielding significant results, the abduction of the Chibok girls drew us back. “This unfortunate incident should not deter us from our commitment to the girl-child education.”

HERE was a heavy traffic gridlock yesterday on the Lagos-Ikorodu Road when protesters, under the aegis of Nigerians United Against Terrorism, protested the continued detention of the Chibok schoolgirls by the Boko Haram sect. The protesters called for the immediate release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted over a month ago in Chibok, Borno State. The protest took off from the Ikeja Military Cantonment at Maryland and headed to the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota. The protesters wore red Tshirts with the message: “Boko Haram: Release Our Girls Now”. They included notable Hollywood actors and actresses, directors, producers, clerics, women and youths. Some Nollywood actresses, under the aegis of Nollywood Actresses for Change, were among the protesters who defied the early hour traffic for the rally. Among the protesters were Mrs Gloria Young, Mrs Rachael Oniga, Ms Florence Oname and Mrs Toyin Adewale. They displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as “#Boko Haram Release Our Girls Now” and “Nigerians, say no to Terrorism”. The protesters urged the Chibok girls’ abductors to release them unconditionally. Rachael Oniga, who addressed reporters during the rally, discredited the globally acclaimed #BringBackOurGirls

By Paul Oluwakoya

campaign, led by the former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwezili and other rights activists. The frontline actress said the right slogan should be “#Boko Haram, Release Our Girls Now.” Oniga, who was supported by other Noollywood actresses, added: “Nigerians need to support the government in the search for the girls.” The actress did not say whether or not the government should swap the abducted girls for the insurgents’ members in its custody. She said the protesters “believed that with the support of Nigerians for the government the girls may soon be released”. The protesters also had a 20minute prayer session for the release of the Chibok girls. They said the only option left for Nigerians was to seek divine intervention for the government’s search to succeed. Mrs Young explained that “the prayers were meant to seek God’s intervention and ensure the girls’ release”. The Secretary of the Nigeria United Against Terrorism, Ms Titilola Kazeem, said she would not “want to imagine the frame of mind of the parents”. She added: “It is a terrible and very painful thing. But you see, we are powerless and defenceless. So, we have to call for government’s support in the fight against terrorism; plead with the Chibok girls’ abductors to release them and pray to God for divine intervention.”

Protesters were paid, says organiser

NE of the organisers of the groups protesting for the release of over 200 schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, has confirmed that they were paid for the rally. The protesters, organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness, marched yesterday on the Villa and the Defence Headquarters in Abuja. The organisers said everyone wearing the red T-shirt with the “Release Our Girls” campaign tag was paid. Jude Chabaya, one of the organisers, addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja. The activist said the protest was informed by the need of the ordinary Nigerian to ensure that Boko Haram release the innocent girls to their families. He said the group, unlike the “BringBackOurGirls” protesters, was seeking the girls’ release from Boko Haram captiv-

From Grace Obike, Abuja

ity and not the government. Chabaya linked the nation’s insecurity to politics. The activist said all the bombings, killings and kidnapping were forerunners to the 2015 election. He said: “I see a former minister coming here every day to do protest. You see, anybody you see here is paid. Anybody wearing the T-shirt is paid to wear the T-shirt. So, nobody can come and tell me that he loves Nigeria more than me and you... “Who is deceiving who? This is a country where we all know what is happening. But the biggest problem is that Nigerians are hiding away from the truth. We don’t have a problem in the religious circle; it is a political problem. All I’m saying is that Nigerians should know that we do not have a problem. It is all politics. So, Nigerians should gather and say no to killings, bombings and kidnapping for power.”

‘Disabled’ pupils seek girls’ rescue From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

OME physically challenged pupils have joined other Nigerians and the rest of the world to call for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. They were among the scores of pupils who celebrated yesterday’s Children’s Day in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The physically challenged pupils, under the aegis of Star Children Development Initiative, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), walked round parts of Ibadan to show their displeasure with the abducted Chibok schoolgirls on April 14. They reconvened at the Olubadan Estate playground for proper Children’s Day celebration, after their rally. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Disability, Prince Paul Adelabu, expressed worry over the abduction of the innocent schoolgirls. He hailed the founder of the NGO, Mrs. Grace Abimbola, for taking such initiative to educate the Federal Government and the rest of the world to bring back the abducted girls.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS Alleged N1.1b subsidy fraud: court admits more documents as exhibit

LAGOS High Court, Ikeja, presided over by Justice Lateefat Okunnu admitted as exhibits yesterday two new documents on the request of the defence in the trial over alleged N1.1 billion fuel subsidy fraud. The documents include a petition written by Falana and Falana Chambers to the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on behalf of Mrs. Opeyemi Ajuyah and Majope Investment Limited, who are the first and second defendants in the suit. Also admitted as exhibit was the statement by Mr. Adelakun Abolade Saheed, the surveyor from General Marine Oil Services Limited(GMO) at the Lister Terminal, where petroleum product was discharged by a vessel, MT Brave. Counsel to the EFCC,

Seidu Atte, did not oppose the admittance of the documents. The EFCC had charged Mrs Ajuyah and Majope Investment Limited to court over alleged N1.1 billion subsidy fraud. On trial also are: Abdullahi Alao, son of Ibadan business mogul, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao; his company, AX Energy Limited; Olanrewaju Olalusi, a worker with Sterling Bank Plc. During cross-examination by counsel to the first and second defendants, Mr Olanrewaju Ajanaku, the EFCC witness, Effa Okim, told the court that the petition from Falana and Falana Chambers, dated August 17, 2012, was received in the course of investigation into the alleged fraud. Justice Okunnu adjourned further hearing in the matter till September 16.

U.S. reviews visa procedure THE United States (U.S) Mission to Nigeria has said the expanded DHL Drop Box Visa Renewal Programme wil hold on June 2. The programme allows certain visa applicants, who have previously been issued U.S. visas, to renew their visas without attending an interview. The expanded DHL Drop Box Visa Renewal Programme now covers B1/B2 visas, which have expired no more than two years prior to reissuance and the F, L and H visas, which have expired no more than one year prior to reissuance. A statement by the mission explained that “to find out more about the specific qualification criteria for renewals, applicants should visit the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria’s website’s Drop Box page at http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/ niv_dropbox.html The CGI visa appointment website will ask applicants a series of questions reflecting the criteria for the expanded DHL Drop Box Visa Renewal Programme.

Publisher alleges harassment by SSS

HE publisher of South South International, a monthly magazine based in Warri, Delta State, Mr. Ovie Edumi, has alleged that an unknown State Security Service (SSS) operative is harassing him over a story the magazine carried in its May 2014 edition. In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Edumi said his magazine carried a cover story on the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrimage Commission, Mr. Kennedy Okpara. The publisher said he had been continually harassed, threatened and victimises by the SSS since the story was published. He said: “After we published our cover story on the Execu-

By Seun Akioye

tive Secretary, on May 21, I received a call from one man who identified himself as John and claimed to be an operative of the SSS. “He said I should report to the Abuja headquarters of the SSS on Friday. I said I could come until Monday and as I was doing my checks on the man. I got a call from the personal aide to the Executive Secretary, saying I needed not go to Abuja again.” Edumi said the SSS operative continued to harass him to come to Abuja and began to threaten him. “The man called again, saying I should call him on another number. So, I told him to write formally to invite me to Abuja, which he refused to do,” he said.

Fed Govt unveils National Spelling Bee competition

HE Federal Government unveiled yesterday the National Spelling Bee competition to celebrate and empower Nigerian teenagers. The programme was unveiled through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Student Matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe. At the ceremony in Abuja, Imagwe said the pilot season of the competition, tagged: GNEXT 2014, which is in collaboration with GNEXT Alliance, would be limited to unity and model schools. The presidential aide explained that the limitation would be removed in subsequence editions. He said the programme will start from the zones with students from each state par-

•From left: Federal Captial Territory (FCT) Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed; Kogi State Governor Idris Wada; Vice President Namadi Sambo and Managing Director, Kogi Investment and Properties Limited, Mr Moses Okino, at the foundation laying of Kogi House in Abuja...on Monday PHOTO: NAN

By Adebisi Onanuga

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

ticipating. Imagwe said the best two from each state would participate in the final to guard them in their spelling ability and bring the best of the Use of English out of them. He said: “The real wealth of a nation is primarily warehoused in the hearts, minds and hands of her citizens, particularly the younger generation. “The ultimate vision of Mr President’s transformation agenda is to empower young Nigerians today to ensure sustainable national greatness tomorrow. “There is need for us to begin to build young people who will love their country and be saddled with leadership sense and patriotism...”

Boko Haram: First Lady drums support for Army T

HE First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has called for support for the Nigerian Army in its fight against Boko Haram insurgents. Mrs Jonathan spoke yesterday in Abuja when she hosted children during the Children’s Day celebration at the State House. She also appealed to the members of Boko Haram to release the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. Mrs Jonathan said: “This is the time for us Nigerians to put our differences aside and, with unity of purpose, fight terrorism. “We should encourage our soldiers who are in the frontline to rescue our beloved daughters. Our men are defending you and me. We should pray for them and encourage them.

By Adekunle Yusuf

“Some of them have died in serving their fatherland. Why can’t we join them in prayers at this period?” The First Lady noted that it was bad to speak ill of the leaders of the country and the service men. “God has commanded us to pray for them. Therefore, it is our responsibility, as citizens, to pray, especially for the development of the nation,’’ Mrs Jonathan said. She urged the children to pray for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls because it was their right to be educated. The First Lady urged the children to be ambassadors

of peace and pledged her continued commitment to ensure that peace reigned in the country. The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina, said the celebration was devoid of fanfare because the First Lady was sensitive to the situation in the country. The minister urged the children to pray for the abducted girls, whom she called “their sisters”, for God to touch the hearts of the abductors to release them. Also, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Matters, Mr Jude Imagwe, said President Goodluck Jonathan, was

committed to the welfare , education and protection of the youth. The presidential aide urged pupils to go to school and be educated to become better citizens and contribute to the development of the country. The highpoint of the event was a session by members of the Children’s Parliament on the security situation in the country with special focus on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. The parliament said the demand by the insurgents for the exchange of the abducted girls for their members in government’s custody was unacceptable. Also, the members presented the First Lady with a banner, with the inscription: “Boko Haram Release Our Sisters”.

COEASU, ASUP/Fed Goct face-off: we’re in a fix, says Wike

OPE for a speedy resolution of the lingering dispute between the members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and the Federal Government dimmed yesterday. The Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, confessed that the Federal Government “is in a fix” on how to progress with the issue. At a meeting yesterday between the Aminu Suleimanled House of Representatives Committee on Education, the minister said resolving the almost a year old dispute would be tricky because the proposal he made on the payment of the outstanding N40 billion arrears to COEASU and ASUP had been overtaken by events.

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

“We are now in a fix. We are now trying to resolve the issue with salaries and wages Commission,” Wike said. On what transpired between the Federal Government and ASUP in particular, the minister said he “took a risk that I’ve never taken in life” when he summoned a meeting with ASUP and proposed the payment of the outstanding arrears by instalments. Wike said: “I asked that we solve the major issues. They said there were arrears of N20 billion for COEASU and N20 billion for ASUP. “I asked the Permanent Secretary (in the Ministry of Education) to write a memorandum on how it would be paid.

I made a memo to Mr President that I had made the offer. They now wrote a letter back that they were not accepting the proposal.” The minister explained that following the rejection of the proposal by the ASUP, the Wages and Salaries Commission wrote a letter, also rejecting the proposal. This, he said, compounded the situation. Wike said “the government is not sleeping” on the issue, adding that it was nobody’s desire to see schools shut for almost a year. He added: “People should know that what we are trying to do is not personal. Nobody wants children to stay at home. The matter started with the former minister.”

The minister said a committee to bridge the gap between polytechnic and university certificates was working. He said the government had to stop paying the salaries of polytechnic lecturers after they were paid from October 2013 to February 2014 without working. Suleiman (APC, Kano) said the committee summoned the meeting because of the need to find a speedy resolution to the crisis. A representative of the Minister of Education, Mr. McJohn Nwaobiala, had told the House Committee on Education that the salary arrears of polytechnic workers, which is one of their demands, was not captured in this year’s budget.

IBB to Nigerians: don’t start war over census

ORMER military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has cautioned Nigerians to avoid going to war over census figures. Babangida spoke yesterday in Minna, the Niger State capital, when he hosted members of the National Population Commission (NPC), led by Aliyu Datti, a National Commissioner in the commission. The former military leader noted that the wrong perception of what census is all about characterised past head counts in the country. He said this had caused con-

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

troversies during such exercises, a development he said should be discouraged. Babangida noted that the inclusion of religion and tribe in the information required for registration during census was among the main causes of the controversies that usually erupt at the end of every census. This, he said, has also heightened the suspicion of the outcome of every exercise. Babangida said: “Those who

are fanatical about religion or tribe will want the outcome to be in favour of their religion or tribe. We should try and remove all these things that tend to cause controversy. We are all Nigerians. We should not go to war over census.” The former military leader said the 1991 census under his administration failed to impress it on the people that census is not about religion or tribe but about numbers needed for planning at all levels of government. Hailing the NPC for education Nigerians on next cen-

•Gen Babangida

sus, Babangida said: “If we are able to make the next exercise look like a normal routine exercise devoid of all those issues, it will help us to get rid of attendant controversies after the exercise.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

NEWS

We’ve not borrowed a dime, says Ajimobi

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said in spite of dwindling Federal Allocation to states, his administration has not taken any loan. He dismissed a rumour that his administration was giving preference to foreign contractors, noting that over 70 per cent of projects were being handled by indigenous contractors. Ajimobi spoke on Monday on a live programme on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS). The programme was part of activities marking the third anniversary of his administration. The governor said his ad-

•’I’ve fulfilled my electioneering promises’ ministration was prudent in the management of the state’s meagre resources. He said ongoing road dualisation projects in Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso and Iseyin would be completed by June, adding that the dualisation of the Idi Ape– Basorun-Akobo-Olorunda road, which will cost N7 billion, would begin soon. On the arrest of a factional leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a. Auxiliary), by the police, Ajimobi said it was carried out by officials

of the Lagos State Police Command following a gun running allegation levelled against Lamidi. He said Lamidi’s confession that he was in possession of guns indicated that his hands were not clean and advised the NURTW chieftain to clear himself of the allegation instead of accusing the government of being behind his plight. Ajimobi said his administration had fulfilled its promises to the people, particularly on employment, adding that over 16,000 cadets were recently recruited by the Youth

Employment Scheme of Oyo State (YES-O), besides the over 5,000 who were given permanent employment in various ministries, departments and agencies. The 5,000 cadets that were given permanent employment were picked from the 20,000 recruited in 2011. The governor said over 3,000 teachers and 1,000 health workers had been employed. He said the newly-established State Technical University would take off in September, adding that arrangements had been concluded to

constitute the managements of the newly-established polytechnics in Saki and Eruwa. On the Soka kidnappers’ den, Ajimobi urged the police to fish out its operators and prosecute them. He said his administration would continue to improve workers’ welfare and pay salaries and allowances promptly. The governor said his administration would continue to execute its environmental sanitation, urban renewal and infrastructure development policies. He cautioned against rumour mongering and lies’ peddling, saying they are antithetical to progress.

Ondo Assembly gets first woman Speaker

HE Ondo State House of Assembly elected yesterday Princess Jumoke Akindele as the Speaker. Princess Akindele, a lawyer, represents Okitipupa Constituency 11. She is Ondo State’s first woman Speaker since its creation in 1976. The former Speaker, Chief Samuel Adesina (Odigbo 11), died on February 25 after a protracted illness. Princess Akindele polled 13 of the 25 votes. Mr. Oyebo Aladetan got nine votes and Mr. Soji Akinkuro, nil. Mr. Iwalewa Afolabi stepped down before the election. Two lawmakers did not

•House committees dissolved From Damisi Ojo, Akure

vote. Mrs. Akindele was nominated by Alhaji Fatai Olotu, a lawyer representing Akoko North East. The Deputy Speaker, Dare Emiola, declared Princess Akindele as the Speaker and the Clerk, Mr. Bode Adeyelu, administered the oath of office on her. In her acceptance speech, the Speaker said: “I am overwhelmed by the support received from my colleagues, constituency and every stakeholder, including women in politics and market women. I promise to de-

fend the womenfolk and run a vibrant and responsive assembly. I promise to do better than my predecessors and seek your support, loyalty, guidance and direction to guarantee quality representation.” She urged the executive and legislature to sustain the cordial relationship between them. The Speaker dissolved the Assembly’s principal officers and standing committees. She directed the Clerk to retrieve the House’s properties from its former leadership. The Assembly extended the tenure of the 18 local

government caretaker committee chairmen by six months. It condemned the abduction of the Chibok school girls by Boko Haram, urging the state government to declare three days fasting and prayer for their safe release. The Assembly called for a social security scheme for graduates and adjourned for two weeks recess. It will resume on June 10. It was gathered that Princess Akindele is loyal to Governor Olusegun Mimiko and did not shun the 2014 budget presentation, which was attended by only nine of the 25 lawmakers on December 31, last year.

•Princess Akindele

Ekiti pays teachers’ allowance From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti

HE Ekiti State government has started paying the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Pecuniary Allowance (T.P.A). Commissioner for Information & Civic Orientation Tayo Ekundayo said the governor approved the payment of the remaining 11.5 per cent two weeks ago. He said the government began the payment of 16 per cent of the allowance last year and promised to pay the remaining when the state’s economy improved. Ekundayo said: “The government has commenced full implementation of the 27.5 per cent with effect from this month and teachers across the state have confirmed its receipt with their salaries for this month.” He said the payment had no political undertone as is being speculated in some quarters, adding that it is a confirmation of the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare. Ekundayo urged teachers to reciprocate the government’s gesture by improving on productivity.

Peace, justice are Siamese twins, says Alaafin •Monarch named Senior Peace Advocate

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (right) greeting some traditional rulers during a meeting with the Council of Obas in Ado-Ekiti ... yesterday.

Oyo holds security meeting to tackle challenges

HE Oyo State government held yesterday an enlarged security stakeholders meeting at the Western Hall Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital. Secretary to the State Government Ishmael Olalekan Alli said the meeting became necessary in view of the country’s security challenges, ranging from terrorism, armed robbery, kidnapping and communal clashes, among others. Alli said: “In view of these threats to our security as a nation, this meeting is crucial, as it would afford us the opportunity of addressing these issues and proffering solutions. Also, the meeting

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

will inform participants of necessary steps to prevent the Boko Haram insurgency, incidents of armed robbery, kidnapping and any form of threat to peace in Oyo State.” He urged residents to work

with security operatives, adding that security is a collective responsibility. Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Segun Bolarinwa said: “There is no alternative to peace. Peace is the only remedy to violence, war, chaos, oppression, in-

equality and crisis. All these are indices of insecurity.” Bolarinwa urged the people to report suspicious movements and gatherings, as well as abandoned luggage or vehicles in their environment to security agencies.

From Augustine Ehikioya,

correspondents on issues discussed at the meeting. He simply said: “I am coming back, I am coming back”, before he was driven out of the Villa. The meeting may not be unconnected with the August 9 governorship election in Osun State.

Jonathan, Omisore meet at Villa

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan met yesterday with Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Omisore, dressed in light purple “agbada”, was driven

Abuja

to the Villa around 1pm in a Federal Government-owned black Toyota Land Cruiser. He was unaccompanied on the visit, which lasted for about 30 minutes. Omisore declined to speak with State House

HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, has been named a Senior Advocate of Peace by the Peace Corps of Nigeria. He was honoured at the Mid-Town East One, United Nations Plaza, New York. The award is in appreciation of his contributions to peace and conflict resolution in Yorubaland and Nigeria. The organisers described the Alaafin as “a prolific writer and thinker, who has contributed extensively to the progress of his people at home and in the Diaspora”. They said the monarch is one of the most prolific writers of our time, having written books and articles on local governments, tradition and custom, national unity and international peace. The organisers said: “All these treatises earned the Alaafin the award and the accolade of being a seriousminded scholar and internationally-acclaimed leader of thought, a man of excellence, who should be celebrated. To mention a few of his contributions to peace in Nigeria, the Alaafin, through rare wisdom and intellectual sagacity, resolved over two decades of bloody clashes between Igboho and Kisi, as well as boundary disputes between Igbojaiye in Itesiwaju Local Government Area and Ofiki in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State over ownership of the mineral mining site at Budo-Are. “The Alaafin made decisive incursions into the history of these warring communities and made his summations based on historical artifacts. The crises were amicably resolved without prejudice.” The Yoruba community

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

cheered as the Alaafin was decorated. Oba Adeyemi thanked the organisers for the award. He said the Oyo Empire lasted 600 years uninterrupted due to the various Alaafins’ peace and conflict resolution diplomacy. Oba Adeyemi said: “The essence of this award is peace. Peace originates as an occurrence of harmony characterised by lack of violence. It also suggests sincere attempts at reconciliation, the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal relationships. “Alaafin is an embodiment of peace, either in peace time or during warfare in Yorubaland. In diplomacy, art of government and royal court etiquette, the palace became the state house of the Yoruba nations, the citadel of authentic African culture, where Yoruba princes and princesses and heirs apparent from other Yoruba states are groomed in the intrinsic values of Yoruba customary usage, hence the Yoruba saying ‘ajise bi Oyo laa ri, Oyo o se bi baba enikan’ (Oyo is a pace setter). Oyo’s sense of due process is also remarkably noted in the popular saying ‘itose lo l’oyo’. “Peace and justice are Siamese twins, so as we clamour for peace, we must also cry for justice, equal right, good governance, egalitarianism and a life that is more abundant.” The Alaafin, who was accompanied by his son, Prince Adeniyi, was received by the representative of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, on arriving at the venue. . He was later treated to a colourful reception by the Yoruba community.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

NEWS Reps committee seeks justice for Falode’s son

HE House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Matters resolved yesterday to bring the killer of Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba, son of ace sports broadcaster Ms. Aisha Falode, to book. Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who chairs the committee, said members had put machinery in motion on the issue and would not relent until justice is done. She spoke yesterday during a meeting with Ms. Falode. Oluwadamilola was allegedly murdered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE). At the meeting were Ms. Falode’s lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and Dr. Joe Odumakin of the Women Arise Initiative. Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa said the committee would collaborate with the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House to ensure justice. Ms. Falode was in tears as she narrated the incident. She said her son was murdered by the son of a wealthy Saudi businessman, adding that the UAE authorities were trying to cover up the murder. Her words: “My son, whom we believe was murdered in Dubai, was thrown down from the 17th floor of his apartment at Manchester Towers in Dubai. When I got the call, I went there and requested to see the case file of how he died. It took us three months to get their re-

•From left: A member of the House of Representaives Jerry Alagbaoso; Keyamo; Dr. Okei-Odumakin; Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa; Ms. Falode and a representative of Better Nigeria for Nigerian Women, Dolapo Awosika...yesterday. PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

sponse. So I went again with my lawyer and we met the people who gave verbal evidence. From what we gathered, he did not die a natural death, and his death is being covered up. “I came here to get justice as a mother. I am pleading with the Nigerian government to help me get justice for my son and prevent another Nigerian family from experiencing such again.” Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said the parliament was trying its best to protect Nigerians abroad. She said: “This committee, in pursuit of this matter, tabled a motion on March 19 on your son and other Nigerians, who are victims of such evil. If our children are not safe in Nigeria and are

not safe abroad, then where is the hope? “For your son, we have obtained some documents from the Nigerian High Commission in Dubai and we must follow up to ensure that those responsible are brought to book. I assure you that this matter will not be swept under the carpet.” Keyamo, giving an account of his investigation in the case, said the UAE Police was shielding an Arab boy called Faizal, whose father had a substantial investment in Dubai. He said the boy is suspected of murdering Aishat’s son. Keyamo said: “I am only concerned about the facts of the case. We need to briefly recount the facts. The mother

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

divide this amount by 36 months, but it does not work like that. There are bridges on these roads and the cost of constructing a bridge is different from that of a road. “I urge people not to politicise the issue. Please go round and see what we are doing. They are standard roads that will stand the test of time, not shoddy projects.” On statements credited to former Governor Gbenga Daniel and Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko on the cost of the road projects, Adegbite said: “They are mere political statements. Mimiko should know better, except if he is not building roads in his state. As for the former governor, the wonders done by this administration are a shock to him. He is still sleeping and someone needs to wake him. I do not want to join issues with them.”

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola was received by a crowd in Ile-Ife yesterday as he kicked-off his second term campaign. The Ile-Ife Technical College, venue of the campaign, was filled to capacity. For close to six hours, IleIfe, home town of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, stood still for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. Aregbesola’s first port of call was the Enuwa palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade. Oba Sijuwade said election is not a do-or-die affair, but a civil exercise for the peo-

Oyo rainstorm victims get help

MEMBER of the Federal House of representatives, Mr. Segun Odebunmi, has facilitated the distribution of relief materials worth N50 million by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to rainstorm victims in Ogo Oluwa and Surulere local government areas of Oyo State. The disaster occurred in March, damaging buildings in the councils, which are under Odebunmi’s constituency. Items distributed to the victims at Iresaadu Town Hall include 600 bundles of roofing sheets, 300 bags of cement, 250 bags of rice, 500 bundles of Ankara, 250 blankets, 200 mattresses, 1,000 2x 4 planks, 1,000 2x3 planks, 200 bags of nails, soap and mosquito

with the girl crying. “According to the witnesses, they started arguing the moment Toba went into his apartment, only for the Arab boy and the white girl to come back into the room some minutes later saying Toba fell. Thy said there was blood on Faizal’s shirt and an injury on his knuckle. “The boy gave a confessional statement, telling the boys that they should not worry, that he would only spend 25 years in jail and come out. Police took all of them, separated them and charged the others to court with drinking, except Faizal, who was asked to go home.” Keyamo expressed surprise that the police report cleared the Arab boy. He said the had petitioned

the Office of the Public Prosecutor, asking them to remove the case from that police station, adding: “There is no room for private prosecution in Dubai.” Dr. Odumakin told the committee that her organisation suspected fraud by the UAE police, saying: “That is why we sent a letter to the committee, as well as the President, who minuted on it and sent it to the Foreign Affairs Minister. We can, by that approach, get justice from all angles. “We want to send a message that our green passport is respected and we demand to know why private prosecution is not allowed. It is up to our government to take it up.”

I want to consolidate on good governance, says Aregbesola

Ogun road projects cost N166.7b

OAD contracts worth N166.7 billion were awarded to contractors in Ogun State in the last three years. The roads span 306.55km and cut across the three senatorial districts. Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure Olamilekan Adegbite stated this yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital, during a ministerial press briefing marking the third anniversary of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration. Adegbite said many jobs were created through the road projects, adding: “A lot of information is flying around on the social media about how much we have spent on roads. Some people alleged that the budget was bloated, instead of asking questions about things they do not know. “The amount spent on road construction is N166,715,880,490.79 billion. Some people may decide to

took her son to a school in Dubai. There is a certain Arab boy called Faizal, whose father has a substantial investment in Dubai. It is a fact that the boy had been getting away with many criminal conducts. On that fateful day, he was seen walking Toba’s girlfriend out of his (Toba’s) home, saying she had no business being there. He (Faizal), according to evidence, does not live there. “Thereafter, Toba and two of his friends (a Nigerian and a South African) went to the club and they met the same boy, who was seen making gestures at them. Later that night, they came back and met the same boy and the white girl on the 17th floor in front of Toba’s apartment

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

nets. Odebunmi donated cash to the victims. NEMA Southwest Coordinator Iyiola Akande said the agency was committed to assisting disaster victims. Odebunmi said: “This is part of my effort to ensure that the people of my constituency enjoy the dividends of democracy. We do not just sit down in Abuja. We relate with our people regularly to know how we can assist them. “When I heard of the incident in March, I came home to sympathise with my people, assessed the damage and informed the agency through the office of the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, and NEMA responded.”

•Ife stands still as governor kicks off campaign From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

ple to choose their leader(s). He said he met with politicians in the town and warned them against violence, adding: “As a royal father for all, I can only tell politicians to conduct themselves in an accepted manner and play according to the electoral rules. Election is a routine through which people elect those they want to rule them. Therefore, election is not synonymous to bloodshed. This is why I cautioned politicians to eschew violence before, during and after the election.” The monarch hailed Aregbesola for his achievements in all sectors. At the campaign ground, the governor urged the crowd to observe a minute silence to pray for the rescue of the kidnapped Chibok school girls. He reminded the crowd that his first term election campaign in March, 2007, also began in Ile-Ife on a Tuesday, which the Yoruba believe is a day of victory. Aregbesola said he seeks re-election to perfect the establishment of credible leadership in Osun. He said though electoral fraudsters stole his mandate in 2007, the shenanigans of

2007 would not happen again in the history of Osun politics. Aregbesola remembered 12 people who were killed “in their bid to prevent rigging” in their domain. Listing his administration’s achievements in Ife Federal Constituency, he said: “We have touched lives in all facets of human endeavour. We have constructed over 50.63km of intra-city roads, built six schools and several boreholes, distributed 1,473 pieces of Opon Imo (Tablet of Knowledge) to high school pupils. “This is in addition to ensuring adequate security by providing equipment to security agencies, providing health care facilities and giving monthly stipends to vulnerable elders under the Agba Osun Scheme. All these we have done and are doing. We want a second term to consolidate on all these achievements as well as lay a solid foundation for credible governance.” Aregbesola sang various Juju and Fuji songs to drive home his points. He also sang a Christian song, which says “sweep away evil”. He thanked Ife people for their support and pledged to always protect their inter-

ests. Senators Jide Omoworare (Osun East) and Sola Adeyeye (Osun Central) said Omisore has no mental capacity to serve Osun. They said the job of administering a state is enormous, adding that Omisore is unprepared and lacks the know-how to do so. The lawmakers said: “The August 9 election is a referendum to elect Aregbesola for a second term. He is God sent to the people of Osun. In a single term of four years, this wonderful man transformed the state positively. “The truth of the matter is that Omisore has no mental capacity to govern this developing state. As a senator, Omisore cannot point to anything beneficial he has done for Ile-Ife, not to talk of Osun. What has he brought to his town and state from his much-touted mainstream politics?” Omoworare and Adeyeye urged the people to vote wisely and re-elect Aregbesola. At the event were the governor’s wife, Serifat; his deputy, Mrs. Titi LaoyeTomori; and APC chieftains. There was a heavy presence of security agents at the rally. The event was peaceful.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION

•First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (middle); Minister of Women Affairs Hajia Zainab Maina (second left); wife of the Senate President, Helen Mark(fifth right) and members of the Children's Parliament at the Children's Day anniversary at the Presidential Villa in Abuja...yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

•Ekiti State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Adelabu (second right) receiving a protest letter to the President from the Speaker, Ekiti State Children’s Parliament, Master Oluwaseun Ilesanmi on the abducted Borno school girls in Ado -Ekiti ...yesterday. With them are the governor’s wife, Mrs Bisi Fayemi(right)and Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola playing with a newly registered pupil Janet Lawrence at the unveiling of Spirit of Lagos/Registration of pupils in Lagos Primary Schools as part of Children’s Day Celebration...yesterday. With them are (back row) Director, Lagos State Model Nursery/Primary School, GRA, Ikeja, Mrs Mosunmola Junaid (left) and Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle), his wife, Olufunso and some school children during a prayer for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls organised by Mrs. Amosun at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta...yesterday

PHOTO:NAN

•Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole (left) inspecting a March Past by students at the celebration in Benin City…yesterday. PHOTO: NAN •Primary and Secondary School Children in Enugu State praying for the release of the abducted Chibok girls in Enugu…yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

•Children at the celebration in Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

•Chairperson, Mushin Local Government Mrs Rachael Adepitan (right) presenting foodstuffs to the Correctional Home for Girls at idi-Araba, Mushin to mark the Children's Day

•Children from the Blind Special Education Centre, Bauchi at the celebration in Bauchi …yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

CITYBEATS

Daleko market traders seek help By Basirat Braimah

FROM her looks, her heart was troubled. She held her head in her palms, took a deep breath and exclaimed: “It is well.” Indeed, it was not a cheering moment for Mrs Mosun Oladehinde, a trader, yesterday. For years, she had patronised the popular Daleko Market, Mushin in Lagos, buying food stuff in wholesale. She looked lost as she beheld the charred remains of the market which was razed down by fire about two weeks ago. “I heard nothing about the incident as I was away for some time. I have been trading this market over the years because I sell food stuff in retails. Seeing the market a shadow of itself, I tried to go round, unknown to me that I had passed my customers’ shop. I could not locate it because everything was burnt to ashes,” she said. The ever-busy market looked desolate. Traders, who lost goods and other valuables in the incident, displayed their wares on make-shift metallic structures and rickety counters. Mrs Ayo Otitoleke, whose shop was burnt, said: “Since the incident, sales have been very low; things have changed. This is a rainy season; no shops to stay. We run whenever rain begins. Now, we are struggling to adapt to the situation.” To another shop owner, Idowu Ribigbe, it’s been tough since the incident. Wahab Opomulero, who chairs the market’s oil sellers’ body, told The Nation: “We are contributing to revive our business, but we are financially handicapped. We want government to add its own quota to rebuild the market for us.” Now, the traders are of the hope that the visit by the Iyaloja General of Lagos State, Mrs Folashade TinubuOjo, to the market after the incident will make them smile soon.

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Boy, 12, allegedly killed by guardians

12-year-old boy was allegedly beaten to death by his guardians over his tardiness in carrying out domestic duties. Onyedikachi Mbanozo was allegedly beaten to death by Mr and Mrs Paul Obiefule of 22, Omitola Street, Agege, a Lagos suburb, around 2pm.

Children remember abducted girls By Uyoatta Eshiet

HILDREN in the Ifelodun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos, in their thousands, joined others across the world yesterday to call on the Federal Government and the international community to expedite effort at bringing back the Chibok school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State over a month ago. Instead of the celebrations that usually accompany the yearly Children’s Day, the children staged a solidarity walk from the Gaskiya College to the council’s secretariat at Amukoko to convey their demand to President Goodluck Jonathan through the council’s chief, Hon. Shuaib Fatai Ajidagba The children displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as: “Bring back our girls safe and alive”; “Bring back our sisters”; “Bring back our future mothers,” and “Bring back our future leaders.” The council’s Supervisor for Education, Hon Fatai Hamzat, who addressed them, said: “Today is supposed to be children’s day celebrations but because of the mode of the nation, it has been cancelled. We feel for the children who were abducted.” He promised that the children’s demands would be passed to the appropriate authorities as he prayed for the safe return of the girls.

By Jude Isiguzo

Police sources said an anonymous caller informed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege, about the incident. It was gathered that the Obiefules were always beating the boy and

neighbours had always warned them of its implications. The Nation learnt that Mbanozo was asked to carry out some domestic duties by his guardians, but he allegedly went to play with his peers on Children’s Day. When his guardians saw

him playing, they started beating him until he died, a source said. Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), confirmed the incident. She said: “The DPO, while on patrol with his men, received an anonymous call that a man and his wife had

beaten a boy living with them to death. “On receipt of the information, police patrol vehicles moved to the scene and brought the suspects and the deceased to the station for detailed investigations. The case is under investigation at the Pen Cinema Division.”

• Mr Laolu Oguntuyi of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board (LASTVEB) greeting Dr.Leke Pitan, Former Lagos State Commissioner for Health (right) at the Commissioning of May Clinics Ltd branch in Lekki Phase 1. With them is Mrs Esther Aworinde, chairman of May Clinics.

Customer to banks: return my N840, 000

CUSTOMER has threatened to sue two banks to court should they fail to return the N840, 000 allegedly withdrawn from his account illegally. Mr Alex Ogugua, a car dealer, accused the banks of taking N840, 000, which one of his customers, Abdullahi Shuaibu, paid into the accounts on August 30, 2013, for a Mercedes Benz car he bought from his company. Ogugua is angry that after six months that the money was deposited into his company's accounts, it is yet to be credited. Ogugua is alleging that the banks connived with the customer and returned the money into his (Shuaibu's) account. He alleged that Shuaibu had gone underground since

By Jude Isiguzo

February, while he has been using the money for his own business. In a petition entitled: "Unlawful Debit Of N840, 000.00 on Account No: 0019646658," which was addressed to the branch manager of Sterling Bank, Kudaisi Street, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos, Ogugua said few minutes after he received credit alert for transfer of N1,340, 000.00 into his account, he received a debit alert of N840,000. Ogugua said he raised the alarm that attracted the branch's head of operation, who told him that a prior transfer earlier made to his account on August 30, 2013 by Abdullahi Shuaibu, through First Bank account, had been reversed (in February, 2014) by First Bank and consequently by Sterling Bank, which received the transferred sum (N840, 000.00) in August. In the petition, which was copied to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Trinity Police Station, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos, the complainant's lawyers, said: "Our client cannot suffer the financial loss as a result of

inefficiency or lapses on the part of the transferer (First Bank) and Sterling Bank Plc, assuming but not conceding the fact that fraud was suspected in the transaction". "From the totality of the foregoing, there is no misgiving that the debiting of our client's account in the circumstances, negates all known banking principles and the same has impacted negatively on our clients' business transactions and has virtually kept them out of business." In the second letter written by the Corporate Associates and addressed to the legal department of Sterling Bank Plc, on May 6, the lawyers resolved to go to court because of the delay in paying the 'victim' his money and compensation. Sterling Bank replied through its legal department and secretary, Said Balogun and Justina Lewa, respectively, in a letter dated May 14. Sterling Bank said there was an inflow of N840,000 from Shuaibu Abdullahi of First Bank into Alex C. Merchandise Limited's account on August 30, 2013. It said the money was later

reversed into Abdullahi's account through First Bank. The bank said: "The transaction failed during NIP transfer from First Bank and the amount was reversed from the account after the fact of failure was discovered during accounts reconciliation." The bank said that during investigations, Abdullahi was contacted and he agreed that the money was lodged back into his account and that he "applied the proceeds for other purposes". The bank said Abdullahi had agreed to refund the money to its owner. Ogugua suspected that the staff of the two banks connived with Abdullahi to withdraw the money that he (Abdullahi) paid to his company for the Mercedes Benz car he purchased in August. He wondered how a bank could withdraw cash from somebody's account without notice and pay it to who it pleases after six months. The man said the bankers used his money for their business and should repay him with compensation because his business was collapsing.

Tejuosho Market: Charge against bank struck out

HE Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday struck out contempt proceedings initiated by Access Bank Plc against First Bank of Nigeria Plc. Justice Okon Abang held that the Form 48 and Form 49 (notices of disobedience of a court order) were not properly served on First Bank. According to the judge, the court’s leave was not obtained before the processes were served on the alleged contemnors. “For the plaintiff to commence a valid contempt proceedings, it requires the leave of court. The plaintiff did not obtain leave of court before serving the alleged contemnors. These processes are, therefore, incompetent,” Justice Abang held.

By Joseph Jibueze

Stomberg Engineering Company Limited (the defendant) and its owner Mr Dolapo Atinmo, allegedly entered into separate funding agreements with Access Bank and First Bank over the Tejuosho Ultra-modern market. In their bid to recover their money, both banks filed separate suits against Stomberg Engineering and Atinmo. Access Bank’s lawyer Mr Kunle Ogunba (SAN), who was appointed as the the market’s Receiver/Manager, initiated contempt proceedings against First Bank officials, alleging that they flouted the court’s order by obstructing the performance of his functions. The court had empowered Ogunba to take over the assets

of Stomberg in respect of the market, and restrained the defendant from interfering with the Receiver/Manager removing its funds in the Alausa Branch of First Bank. Justice Abang added that Access bank did not specify which First Bank officials disobeyed the court’s order. First Bank’s lawyer, Mr Kemi Balogun filed an application seeking to be joined as a defendant in the suit by Access Bank against Stomberg before Justice Abang. First Bank accused Access Bank of misleading the court with half truth. Justice Abang adjourned till June 16 for hearing of First Bank’s application to be joined in the suit, and Access Bank’s motion for interlocutory injunction against the defendant.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

NEWS EKITI 2014

Ekiti APC accuses police of complicity in violent attacks •Party alleges plan to attack Govt House, office •Command spokesman: we have been fair to all parties From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

“The party has it on good authority that members of opposition were planning to detonate bomb at the Government House and also in our secretariat. We have to take extra caution. The police that would have dealt with the situation are partisan and this is highly unfortunate”. The party chairman listed 14 instances by either Labour Party’s (LP) or People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) “thugs”, noting that in all instances, policemen, “but did

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Felix Uyanna and his men of colluding with opposition parties to aid attacks on its members ahead of next month’s poll. The party equally raised the alarm over plans by the opposition parties to attack the Government House and the party secretariat with explosive devices. APC Chairman Chief Jide Awe, addressing journalists yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said: “If not for partisanship, they (the police) could not have been watching when a serving commissioner, Mrs. Ronke Okusanya, was being attacked by thugs in Efon Alaaye on Sunday.

Part of their plans is to announce the results of Ekiti election in Abuja. Ekiti election is a test case to what will happen in 2015. But we are determined to resist them and we shall ensure that this election is free and fair

not maintain open neutrality.” According to Awe, the parti-

sanship of the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has worsened the situation for the APC. The party chieftain also claimed that those who attacked Mrs. Okusanya were sponsored by a police commissioner, who he also accused of being “a strong supporter of Mr. Ayodele Fayose”. His words: “We never loved to resort to self-help because we know the implications and this will not augur well for the nation even. If the police can not protect us, then we will resort to self-help and that will be sad. It is unfortunate that it

is the Federal Government that has been backing them to do all these. “Part of their plans is to announce the results of Ekiti election in Abuja. Ekiti election is a test case to what will happen in 2015. But we are determined to resist them and we shall ensure that this election is free and fair.” The APC chairman also berated a governor in the Southwest for the violence in Ikere-Ekiti in which Labour Party (LP) members reportedly attacked those of APC during a mega rally organised by candidate of LP, Opeyemi Bamidele, in which one person was

Olumilua’s daughter is Accord’s running-mate

Disregard propaganda text message, Fayemi tells teachers, others

HE governorship candidate of Accord in Ekiti State, Kole Ajayi, has announced Mrs. Bolanle Olumilua-Oyesanya, a lawyer, as his running-mate. Mrs. Olumilua-Oyesanya is the daughter of the former Governor of Old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, who is from IkereEkiti, Ekiti South Senatorial District. According to a statement by Ajayi, the new nominee replaced Mr. Akin Adeolu, who was earlier nominated but later withdrew for personal reasons. Her nomination, according to the statement, has been forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

•House of Representatives member Oyetunde Ojo addressing members of his constituency on the re-election of Governor Kayode Fayemi at Erinjiyan-Ekiti

PDP alleges impersonation by APC in petition to police

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has petitioned the police, alleging acts of impersonation by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In the petition, the opposition party alleged that APC members were wearing Fayose/PDP vests and also riding in buses branded in PDP logo. The party accused an APC chieftain of using the ploy to beat up many PDP members and causing mayhem. According to a letter writ-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ten to the Ekiti State Police Commissioner by the PDP State Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, which was made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital yesterday, the party said the correspondence became necessary to enable the police investigate the allegation. Aluko said the APC planned to use thugs to impersonate PDP members by wearing Fayose’s vests while

•Let police investigate, says Fayemi’s group causing mayhem so that Ekiti people would think Fayose was responsible for violent activities in the state. He disclosed that vehicles were being branded in other parties’ colours at the Ekiti Government House and therefore, urged the police to act promptly to prevent the state from being plunged into anarchy. APC spokesperson, Segun Dipe third the PDP was play-

ing up one of its antics, noting: “The police have been given a job which it must move fast to do. The buses which APC is being accused of branding are said to be in Government House. Police should go there and expose the APC, simple.” Describing the allegation of a party member wearing vests branded in the name of Fayose, to attack PDP members as “false, malicious and

ill-thought out, Dipe said: “Police have a role not just to investigate and unearth the truth but equally to punish whoever has been found perpetrating injustice in whatever guise”. His words: “If APC is discovered to have been engaging in such, let there be no cover-up. But, if otherwise, PDP is found to have cooked lies against us, let justice take its full course as well”.

‘Fayose, Omisore plan to import thugs as poll monitors’

YOUTH group, Ekiti Youth Emancipation Movement (EYEM), has alleged a plan by the governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti and Osun states, Ayodele Fayose and Iyiola Omisore, to bring in thugs as monitors during June 21 election. EYEM, which made this allegation in a statement signed by its president, Taiwo Olatunji, indicated that both Fayose and Omisore had already succeeded in registering spurious groups as monitors in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State. Their real intention, the group claimed, is “to use these

shot and several others injured. But the command’s spokesperson, Mr. Victor Babayemi, who absolved the police of complicity, described APC’s statement as “very unfortunate”. He said: “They are only trying to make the police the scapegoat and we will not tolerate that. We have been fair to all parties in the build up to the election but the politicians are behaving irresponsibly. So, rather than blame us, the APC must look inward and stop rubbishing the good work we are doing in Ekiti.” “The APC members are always the first to launch attacks based on our series of investigations and they are always the one to first blow the whistle that they are under attack,” Babayemi said.

•PDP candidate’s aide dismisses allegation so-called monitors from Osun State and Niger-Delta areas as a cover to bring in thugs and guns.” But the Director of Media and Publicity, Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan, yesterday dismissed the allegation as untrue. The EYEM’s statement reads: “These poll monitors, we gather, have already been registered with INEC. These Fayose’s and Omisore’s imported thugs, masked as poll monitors, would then be deployed to all polling units with cloned voter’s cards on election day with the man-

date to destroy ballot boxes and papers wherever APC is leading in the poll. “The PDP is feverishly worried that Fayemi will record a sweeping victory in the election, hence its plan to cause a stalemate. “We are waiting to see how these aliens will be in possession of voter’s cards in Ekiti State. We would like to know their polling units, wards and local governments in Ekiti.” EYEM called on all residents of Ekiti State to be vigilant and defend their state from being encroached on by violent elements.

Dismissing the allegation yesterday, Aribisogan said: “Omisore has no reason to come to Ekiti on the day of election to do anything. And we want to make it clear that we don’t have interaction with the Niger Delta people. So, this is a lie. “As a matter of fact, we suspect that the EYEM is the brain behind such evil intention because we never knew the group. It is faceless. For them to have had such in mind, means that they are the one planning to rig the poll. “The ruling APC government is planning to rig by making use of polling observ-

•Fayose

ers, monitors and others and to us in PDP, EYEM must be one of such frivolous groups.”

HE people of Ekiti State have been asked to disregard a propaganda text message being circulated to phone users in the state. The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation made the appeal yesterday, saying such profanity did not emanate from its candidate. The text message reads: “I can win the JUNE 21 election without Ekiti Teachers and Civil Servants, Fayemi boasts, Says I am only being magnanimous with payment of 27.5% TSS.” It was sent to many phone users in the state. The spokesperson of the campaign organisation, Dimeji Daniels, said there was never a time that such a statement emanated from the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Daniels described the text message as “an attempt by the drowning opposition in the state to grasp at whatever straw in sight to save itself from the imminent defeat awaiting it in the June 21 governorship election.” He said it was another failed attempt by the opposition in the state to pitch teachers and civil servants against the Fayemi administration. “The opposition is like a drowning man grasping at every straw in sight. Both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), confused as they are, used to boast that teachers and civil servants were behind them. “The realisation that no one is queued behind them as the June 21 election approaches has given vent to serious frustration which has made them resort to puerile, childish and senseless propaganda aimed at toying with the emotions of the hardworking, respectable and responsible teachers and civil servants in the state, whose lot has been bettered by the Fayemi administration through several worker-friendly policies,” the statement adds. Daniels urged all civil servants and teachers, as well as other residents in the state, to disregard the text message, adding that Fayemi “is too responsible and cultured to utter such profanity, especially about teachers and civil servants who are dedicated co-collaborators in the development of the state.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

BUSINESS EXTRA

Airport remodelling projects’ debts hit N174b

HE Hope Uzodima-led Senate Committee on Aviation yesterday said the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have accumulated N174 billion debts in the third phase of the airport remodelling projects. The projects were initiated by former aviation minister, Princess Stella Oduah. According to Uzodima, the debts accrued from the airport projects were not covered in the 2013 budget, adding that the Senate Committee on Aviation was not car-

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

ried along. The projects, he further said, were embarked upon by the ministry and FAAN without prior approval and funds captured in the 2013 budget. Speaking during the inspection of some of the projects in Lagos, Uzodima said the government would need to re-prioritise the projects to be covered in the 2014 budget, which has been signed by President Goodluck Jonathan. He said the projects would

mittee would fine-tune the grey areas to ensure that the terminal construction is completed as a world-class facility. He urged FAAN to fix the air conditioning system of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos as the state of the facility does not fit the airport, which is an aviation hub of the country. He said FAAN should embrace the new procurement policy of the government by engaging manu-

facturers of airport equipment to enable users of the facility have value for money. On the comatose calibration aircraft inherited by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Uzodima said the two agencies should collaborate to fix the aircraft, as the huge sums spent to make it serviceable has not yielded the desired result. He said the committee

was impressed with the sate of things at the Lagos Airport, urging aviation agencies to cooperate with the committee by voicing out their challenges to enable the committee consider areas of assistance in budgetary approvals. Uzodima said: “We came here for routine oversight to benchmark what the agencies have done with the budget of 2013, and see how we could assist them in the implementation of the aviation road map.”

Caverton wins contract extension

AVERTON has won a two-year contract ex tension with Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited. It is expecting a brand new AW139 helicopter, which will be devoted to its longterm contract with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). This is coming on the heels of its recent listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Caverton Offshore Support Group, a leading provider of marine, aviation and logistics services to local and international oil and gas companies, recently completed listing of its 3.35 billion shares on the Nigerian bourse, making history as the first indigenous oil services firm to go public and increasing market capitalisation by N31.8 billion. It would be recalled that Caverton won a three-year contract with Total in 2011 for the operation of four helicopters into Total’s offshore fields. That deal would have ended this year but Total has exercised the option to extend the contract by two years, which puts Caverton in contract with the oil company till 2016. Caverton’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Olabode Makanjuola, said: “We are pleased to continue rendering offshore and onshore oil field logistics to Total. This contract extension demonstrates Caverton’s service reliability and our commitment to pro-

vide safe and efficient services to our clientele. We are confident that this will positively impact our revenue over the next few years.” Also, Caverton is expecting a new AW139 helicopter from AgustaWestland, the AngloItalian manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft. The new helicopter will be dedicated to the SPDC contract, which Caverton won in 2010 through a competitive bidding. The expected aircraft will ramp up the number of AW139 in Caverton’s fleet to seven and is part of Caverton’s earlier stated plans to embark on fleet expansion. At the moment, Caverton has the largest fleet of AgustaWestland aircraft in sub-Saharan Africa and was two years ago designated a regional service centre for AW139s by the aircraft manufacturer. It will be recalled that the Shell contract, valued at $648 million, is on record as the biggest ever awarded to an indigenous company by the oil giant. The Shell contract opened the floodgate for Caverton, with more contracts pouring in from other oil majors such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total and Addax Petroleum. In 2013, the company commenced its first international operation after it won the contract to provide passenger transfer and pipeline surveillance services to the Cameroon Oil Transport Company (COTCO), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

NAHCO Free Trade Zone to attract $500m investments

be completed, adding that contractors handling them would soon be mobilised by government. He said the committee observed that the size of the new international terminal being constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company under the $500 million loan in Lagos is small in size as the alteration in the construction design may affect the passenger capacity of the terminal. He said the management of FAAN and the Senate Com-

HE establishment of Free Trading Zone at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos by the National Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc would attract over $500million investments to the economy in five years, the Chairman of the company, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah, has said. Speaking yesterday at the National Executive Council meeting of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Yahyah said when fully operational, the project would create employment opportunities for many Nigerians and the economy would feel the impact of the operation of the free trade zone. He reiterated the importance of making Lagos the aviation hub in the West Africa sub-region, warning that the failure to do so would be devastating in the next few years. He explained that both Sen-

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

egal and Cote d’ Ivoire were making progress in developing their aviation infrastructure and that soon, any of these may be designated the West African hub. The implication of such designation is that Nigerians may need to fly to Dakar or Abidjan to sleep over before boarding a flight to a major European capital. He noted that to develop the sector to meet up with world standard, Nigeria needs to invest a minimum of $10billion. According to him, an airport which Nigeria should designate as a hub should handle about 25 million passengers yearly. While applauding the unique advantages of Lagos as a capital which connects to major world capitals in five to six hours, Yahyah pointed out that there is also the need to develop the soft infrastructure of the sector.

•Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Ladi Balogun, presenting a computer to the Principal, Community Secondary School, Aka-Offot in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Jones Obobikpe, as part of the Bank’s support for financial literacy among the pupils ...yesterday. With them are the school’s Senior Prefect, Master Joshua Tom and a pupil, Miss. Rachael Dickson.

Reps to probe Shell, Alison-Madueke over sale of oil block T HE Minister of Petro leum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, has come under the radar of the House of Representatives once again, over alleged illegal sale of Oil Mining Licence (OML 29). The House yesterday resolved to investigate the Minister and oil giants, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over the sale of the block. The Speaker, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said an ad hoc committee would be set up to probe the validity of the transactions. He is yet to

From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

name the members of the panel which would report back to the House within two weeks of its composition. The House resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion brought on the floor by a member, Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald titled: “Inadvertent Sale of OML 29 and other OMLS by SPDC and other Oil Majors”. Under the motion, he alleged that SPDC and other oil majors may have hidden un-

der the cover of waivers usually granted by the petroleum minister to embark on the sale of OML 29 and others. According to him, OML 29 has been in the custody of Shell for more than 52 years and one-half of the area of lease has not been relinquished to the Federal Government as stipulated by the Petroleum Act. “Item 12(1) of the First Schedule to the Petroleum Act stipulates that ten years after the grant of an oil mining lease, one-half of lease

shall be relinquished to the Federal Government,” he said. The lawmaker said against the stipulation of the Act, Shell sold OML 29 and other OMLs, saying the out-right sale was in direct contravention of the Act and undermines national interest. The SPDC, in a divestment move, sold eight Niger Delta licences for $1.8 billion since 2010 and further indicated its plans to sell four more onshore oil blocks in Nigeria with a reported total production capacity of around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Court hears suit against PENGASSAN today

HE Federal High Court in Lagos will today hear a suit by two members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) seeking to stop the zonal delegates conference. Justice Okon Abang on Monday directed the defendants to maintain status quo pending the hearing of a Motion on Notice dated May 22, filed by Messrs John Nwanosike and Jonathan Omare, who are members of PENGASSAN, Chevron Nigeria Limited Branch. PENGASSAN, its Chevron Branch, Mr Esanubi Frank and Mr Ayanate Kio are the defendants. The plaintiffs, in a motion exparte, had sought to restrain the defendants from holding the delegates conference. Justice Abang, in a bench

• Defendants: why we held conference despite order By Joseph Jibueze

ruling, said: “The defendants are hereby advised in their interest to be conscious of the principle of law enunciated in the case of FETB vs Ezebu (Pt. 220 NWLR) and the need for them to suspend all further actions on issues arising from the motion on notice until the motion is heard and determined. “Any step taken by the defendants on this issue upon receipt of the motion on notice, i.e. the motion properly and duly served on them shall be nullified. “The motion on notice shall be served alongside the instant Bench Ruling of the court. I so hold,” Justice Abang said. The plaintiffs, in their affi-

davit in support, said they were elected as delegates, which is valid for three years, but that the defendants removed their names when their tenure is yet to expire. They said in a bid to prevent them from voting or being voted for in the conference, the second and third defendants set up a disciplinary committee to try them after they expressed their concern that their rights were threatened. According to them, the panel declared them guilty even as they did not commit any criminal offence to warrant setting up of the disciplinary committee. “If the defendants are not restrained, the plaintiffs will be unable to exercise their constitutional rights to vote

and be voted for,” he said. Despite Justice Abang’s ruling, PENGASSAN allegedly held the conference in Lagos yesterday. The association’s spokesman, Mr Babatunde Oke, said Abang’s directive could not have been binding since it was not made by the National Industrial Court. He said: “They’re supposed to take their case to the National Industrial Court, which is the appellate court for all industrial and workplace matters. “If they got the order from a wrong place, then PENGASSAN has a right to go ahead with the conference.” Adjourning the case till today, Justice Abang said: “The instant motion exparte is hereby adjourned to abide the outcome of the motion on notice which on account of its urgency is hereby fixed for hearing on May 28, 2014.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

Life

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Text only: 08023058761

•Schmachtel beside the Molue

Molue: From Scrap to vehicle of knowledge

– SEE STORY ON PAGE 18

‘Museums can be used to foster relationships’

– Page 18

Writers celebrate Elechi Amadi, Ebele Eko

– Page 47

Revisiting ancestral lineage on canvas

– Page 48

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Molue: From scrap to vehicle of knowledge The Goethe Institut in Lagos hosted Emeka Udemba’s Witness, an exhibition of Molue, as an interactive way of taking art to the people while interrogating critical issues in the society. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

MAGINE the popular Lagos yellow passengers bus Molue, parked at a busy bus stop on a Lagos road during peak period of traffic on Monday morning. An army of anxious commuters rushed to the bus struggling to gain entrance into it. Workers, market women and students were all part of the mad rush. “Hey stop. This is not a passenger bus, please all of you get down,” a voice from one of the few seats at the back end of the bus shouted. Surprised and shocked, the frustrated commuters wore long faces as they looked out for the real Molue. However, they did not leave until they discovered that the refurbished and attractive bus was a Molue Mobile Museum of Contemporary Nigerian Art with a vehicle registration number LND 100 XF. Inside the bus is a medium-size flat screen television screening a documentary on the operation of Molue on Lagos roads, food and drug hawkers, newspaper vendors and shouts from the unfriendly conductor form the staccato of noise from the documentary. There were also four paintings of faceless figures (two on each side) of the spacious bus. Also arranged on a platform at the back end of the bus are copies of journals, books, brochures and hand bills on art. It is a mini-library of sort, which is serviced by 10 comfortable covered seats Apart from the footage, the narration of the documentary is a historical journey of when Molue bus came to be, its challenges, characteristics and mode of operation among others. Welcome to Molue Mobile Museum of Contemporary Nigerian Art, which hosted its inaugural exhibition titled Witness by Germany-based Nigerian artist, Emeka Udemba at the City Hall premises, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos. It was organised by Goethe Institut, Lagos and supported by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Lagos, Mercedes Benz, British Council and Ayenibiyi Limited. The mobile exhibition which will run till July 26 will move round some major streets and neighbourhoods in Lagos. Present at the opening included Muson Centre’s Artistic Director, Thomas Kanitz, Chinwe Uwatse, Ndidi Dike, and representatives of British Council, Lagos. To the organisers of the exhibition, the refurbished Molue, which costs about N2 million is a rare symbol of public transportation system in Lagos after the scrapped Bolekaja, a wooden commuter Bedford truck. Witness according to director, Goethe Institut, Lagos Marc- Andrea Schmachtel, is

•Inside the Molue bus.

PHOTOS: OZOLUA UHAKHEME

VISUAL ART not only a way of addressing the public through art but also to take the art to the people. He observed that the medium became necessary in Nigerian fine art scene, though novel in this part of the world as a way to promote art. “Fine art scene is greatly influenced by physical gallery space. But, there are other forms of presenting art, this is one. Molue is iconic in Lagos transport system. But it is going out of use soon hence we are interested in transforming the popular bus to other uses. The Molue don’t need to be demolished and scrapped as it can be used for different purposes such as mobile museum or library,” he said. There are many aspects to the Witness project. Through it a serious missing link-a befitting art gallery- in a mega city like Lagos is being brought to the fore. And the medium being used to draw attention is an iconic object such as Molue. According to Emeka Udemba, one of the major challenges facing contemporary art, especially in Africa today is the issue of the context, representation, presentation and documentation as well as the question of how to map the evolution of contemporary art in Africa. He raised the following posers: “How can we engage or appropriate a critical form in the way we show and interact with contemporary art to suit our local environment and in so doing make culture more accessible to the public? “To what extent is a museum of contemporary art capable of interrogating real issues that affect us? How do we engage the public in a more participatory and collaborative way as

part of the creative process? How can we generate more interdisciplinary exhibitions that are focused and in multiple spaces,” Udemba wondered. But importantly, the primary concept behind Witness is hinged on reinventing space while simultaneously preserving an icon of the Lagos city urban transportation heritage- the Molue. It is the hope of Udemba that this iconic means of moving from point A to B, (which is being phased out by government), can serve as exploratory exhibition spaces, host exhibitions, educational programmes, screenings, performances, discussion sessions,music and workshops. “The goal is to shift from the static to the flexible, harnessing the opportunities of social mobility within the urban space,” he noted, adding that art is not complete without the participation of the viewers. On the characters of the operators of the buses, Udemba said: “The questionable technical condition of most of these Molue buses and the recklessness of the drivers is a constant threat to other road users. When Molues breakdown, as they often do, the drivers and their conductors often abscond leaving the passengers to their own devices. “Like bullies on the road, Molue drivers epitomise the broad culture of impunity in the larger Nigerian society. They are always impatient, they frequently flout traffic rules, and they stop to pick up or drop off passengers outside designated bus stops. This often exacerbates the perennial traffic jam and traffic chaos in the city.” Hoewever, the Molue bus, to some extent, captures the spirit of optimism, resilience, and adaptation to the daily challenges of survival of the ordinary Nigerian citizen.

‘Museums can be used to foster relationships’

IRECTOR-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman has said museums can be used to foster relationships and promote cultural development. This, Usman said could be done through researches and exhibition of rare collections to preserve historical relics. He spoke at this year’s International Museum Day celebration, with the theme Museum collections make connection in Lagos. Usman, represented by the curator National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Mrs. Edith Ekunke noted that the international museum day is an occasion to raise awareness on the importance of museums in the development of every society. He, however, said museums are facing challenges such as public patronage, which made International Council of Museum (ICOM) to consider this year’s theme in order to attract more visitors around the globe. “The idea is for visitors to patronise museums around the world and to learn more about different countries’ historical cultures and heritages”, he said. Former acting Director of Museums, Ms Ronke Ashaye, who was the guest speaker, urged Nigerians to constantly visit museums. According to her, museum is a place where objects, artifacts, artworks and collection are conserved and preserved for re-

‘Museum is an avenue where people and visitors can learn more about a country’s history and its culture,” she said. She urged the commission to embark on meaningful and effective publicity and awareness on national museums’ potentials. “The commission should go digital, use internet and other social networks to showcase and exhibit the museums’ potentials that Nigeria is blessed with’ By Linda Ogudo

ANNIVERSARY search and other purposes. “Museum is an avenue where people and visitors can learn more about a country’s history and its culture,” she said. She urged the commission to embark on meaningful and effective publicity and awareness on national museums’ potentials. “The commission should go digital, use internet and other social networks to showcase and exhibit the museums’ potentials that Nigeria is blessed with,” Ashaye added. The Post Master General of the Federation, Ibrahim Mori Baba, said that this year’s theme greatly typifies what Voltaire, a prerevolutionary French philosopher once de-

scribed of the post, ‘the post is a means of communication that connects all affairs, all negotiations and by its means absent becomes present’. “The world is just a stamp away as such ‘history, geography, arts, science, economics, animals, birds, and personalities of note are major features on postage stamps. To foster international friendship, the post gives access and passage to myriad of mail packets and today, as in time past encourages the art of letter writing vis-à-vis stamp collecting and philately. What we are marking today through joint exhibition is to tell the world the beauty in collection, conservation, preservation and education on what have been, are, and should be for posterity so that together we can make the world a better place for humanity to reside in,” he added.

•Abdallah Usman

Miss Chiamaka Atuegbu, a student of Holy Child College, Lagos emerged winner of the essay competition organised by the commission to mark the day. Atuegbu who urged Federal Government to encourage creativity among the youths while also called on organisations and government agencies to also empower youths to develop their talents. She expressed dissatisfaction at the poor condition of museums in the country, and urged the Federal Government to upgrade them to international standards.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

Elusive Nigerian vehicle •We are still looking for Nigerian cars for average Nigerians

HE new national automotive policy that was purportedly formulated to discourage importation of used vehicles for the promotion of locally assembled ones has been riddled with more controversies than the problems it seeks to cure. The new policy implementation that was, ostensibly scheduled to commence in January, 2014, but later rescheduled for commencement on July 1, has left the public more puzzled. We previously expressed our reservations about the haste with which the government was handling the commencement of the policy, most especially when vehicle assembly plants in the country were yet to fully commence operations. President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to douse this fear, albeit provisionally, when he declared in far away Switzerland, sometime ago, that Nissan Automobile will roll out its Nigerian made SUVs by April. This is May and there is no sign of the touted Nissan’s or any other assembly plant’s locally produced vehicle. What then could be the reason behind the Customs high command’s directive to its formations across the country to forthwith commence the implementation of the 70 per cent duty? In our view, the Customs jumped the gun by flouting the two circulars that quite explicitly stated that if an importer’s bill of lading on fully built new vehicle is dated not later than March 31, 2014, and its arrival date is not later than June 30, then the importer should be availed the opportunity of payment of old duty rate, irrespective of the date of open-

ing of Form ‘M’ and letter of credit. The implication of this is that used vehicles will be imported at 35 per cent duty rate without levy till June 30. More importantly, the Federal Government through circulars reference No: BD/ FB/09/224 dated February 28 and another with reference No: NAC.993/5 dated April 28, reportedly directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to commence collection of 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy on every imported used vehicle from the approved July 1 date. However, commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks, whose importers hitherto paid only 10 per cent duty are now to incur 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy. And to forestall fraudulent management of the policy directive by importers and their agents in connivance with Customs officers, the new initiative has reportedly been uploaded into all Customs systems so as to make centralised monitoring of payments easier by its headquarters. Surprisingly, the Customs at Tin-Can Island port in Lagos and other terminals in the city have reportedly commenced full implementation of the directive, against the spirit of the centre government’s circular. The situation in other Customs formations across the country could predictably be the same since Chris Osunkwo, public relations officer of Tin-Can Island Port Command of NCS reportedly confirmed to the media that a recent circular from Customs headquarters authorised the command to begin implementation of the new auto-policy with immediate ef-

fect. This particular directive informed the move that led to the recent strike embarked upon by the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) against this hasty policy implementation. Yet, this does not, sadly, sway its continued implementation by government through the Customs service as more vehicle importers and dealers groan under this avoidable harsh regime. The Federal Government should showcase vehicles assembled in Nigeria and sold at affordable prices before implementing this automotive policy. Perhaps, it would not be a bad idea if the government re-examines and reviews its National Automotive Policy pending when car assembly plants are effectively in place across the country.

‘The Federal Government should showcase vehicles assembled in Nigeria and sold at affordable prices before implementing this automotive policy. Perhaps, it would not be a bad idea if the government reexamines and reviews its National Automotive Policy pending when car assembly plants are effectively in place across the country’

The wrong stipend •We should rather pay pensions than open the national purse for unemployed graduates as suggested at the national conference

F the proposal by the Committee on Law, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Reform at the ongoing National Conference eventually scales through at the plenary, and is finally accepted by the Federal Government, unemployed graduates in the country will start to get allowance like National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members. A member of the committee who craved anonymity said the recommendation is the committee’s way of checking the rising crime wave in the country. “The recommendation is our own way of finding solutions to the rising wave of crime in the country and to also force the government to make provisions for the increasing number of unemployed graduates in the country …” It would also make government realise its obligation to make sure the unemployed get something meaningful. Youth corps members currently get about N19,800 monthly. On the face of it, this looks like a good

‘There is no alternative or short-cut to solving the graduate unemployment crisis other than by providing a conducive environment for business. We have to fix power, for instance. As a matter of fact, this is germane if we must get out of the u n e m p l o y m e n t conundrum’

proposal. In the advanced countries, the unemployed, just like the aged, have social welfare schemes that guarantee them something to keep body and soul together pending when they find something to do, to keep them away from crime. Youth unemployment, particularly those involving young graduates, has been on the increase in the country and is thus a danger to the larger society. Going by the figures released by finance minister and coordinating minister for the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-iweala in April, there are about 5.3 million unemployed graduates in the country. Of course, a country with such a huge number of unemployed graduates is sitting on a keg of gunpowder. Against this background, one would want to commend the national conference committee for this proposal. It would not be a bad idea to ensure that graduates receive at least what they were earning as youth corps members until they are able to secure jobs. But then, the proposal is fraught with problems, many of which are peculiarly Nigerian. Firstly, there is the issue of corruption to contend with. From experience, it is almost certain that the process will be compromised if it ever takes off. We recollect some otherwise laudable schemes in the past that were designed to address poverty in the country. Specifically, we recollect how the Poverty Alleviation Programme and the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) that replaced it were abused and had to be scrapped. We also have the issue of ghost workers that is a recurring decimal in many of our establishments, just as we know the difficulties in pensioners getting their stipend because of corruption.

Now, how do we eliminate ghost unemployed graduates that must of necessity spring up the moment there is something in it for them? For sure, it will be another avenue for government officials to fleece the country, especially under a government that is making a distinction between stealing and corruption, instead of declaring an all-out war on the cankerworm. By the way, what of the unemployed that are not graduates? Are we saying they do not matter, or that they cannot constitute any threat to the society? All these considered make it imperative that there is no alternative or shortcut to solving the graduate unemployment crisis other than by providing a conducive environment for business. We have to fix power, for instance. As a matter of fact, this is germane if we must get out of the unemployment conundrum. Even at Okonjo-Iweala’s 5.3 million unemployed graduates, we would require about N105billion monthly to settle people who have skills and can be productive if the environment is good for business. If we refine crude oil locally, for example, we would take some of these people off the unemployment queue instead of providing jobs for people in other economies by importing the commodity. We appreciate the concern of the committee members who came up with this proposal but we are also sure it would be another avenue of job for the boys. For now, our emphasis should be on paying pensioners their dues because they cannot work again while the government should concentrate on providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

Pulling Libya back from the brink of civil war

HILE CONGRESS continues to spar over a pointless re-investigation of the attack on the U.S. mission in B enghazi, in the real world of Libya events have taken another turn for the worse. A retired Libyan general who spent years of exile in Northern Virginia has launched a campaign against the Islamist militias that control parts of Benghazi and Tripoli as well as against the national parliament. The result is that Libya is sliding from political chaos toward a fullblown civil war. Khalifa Hifter, a nationalist general who became a U.S. citizen, may look superficially appealing to some in the West. His military campaign, which he calls Operation Dignity, is aimed squarely at the Islamist militants who in the past year have pushed aside the secular forces that attempted to lead Libya toward democracy after the fall of dictator Moammar Gaddafi. His first strike was against the Benghazi-based Ansar al-Sharia militia, which is believed to have played a central role in the September 2012 attack on the U.S. mission. Some in Libya are comparing Mr. Hifter to Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, the general who led the coup against Egypt’s Islamist government and has since violently repressed the Muslim Brotherhood. Mr. Hifter, however, is no more likely than Mr. Sissi to restore stability to his country. His melange of forces, including parts of the air force and navy, as well as several militias, face strong opposition from Islamist militias and from hardened fighters from the city of Misurata, a focal point of the rebellion against the Gaddafi regime. Having helped bring Mr. Gaddafi to power in a 1969 revolution and later formed an opposition movement with the help of the CIA, Mr. Hifter appears to have little in the way of a political program other than eliminating the Islamists. “We see that confrontation is the solution,” he said last week in an interview with The Post. Libya is the base for some extremist groups with links to al-Qaeda, and military action will probably be needed to neutralize them. But the country’s broader Islamist political movement cannot be wiped out by a military campaign. Instead, as a joint statement by the United States and European Union governments on Friday noted, “the process leading to a peaceful transition of power should be based upon broad consensus.” The statement rightly distanced the West from Mr. Hifter’s movement, rejecting the use of force and offering “to support an inclusive reconciliation process.” The Obama administration and its allies owe Libya such aid. Having backed the rebel movement that overthrew Mr. Gaddafi, they helped bring Libya to this point by failing to help secure the country during the past three years. Only now are the Western allies backing a relatively small-scale training program for Libyan security forces — and that initiative may be overtaken. How the Obama administration allowed Libya to descend into chaos would be a worthy subject of congressional investigation, if only Republicans could tear themselves away from bogus conspiracy theories about Benghazi. – Washington Post

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: The Nigerian child, if lucky to be alive, has travelled the narrow path of neglect in many ways. He has been through physical, psychological, emotional and social neglects. One in five children in the country dies before the age of five due to minor preventable ailments that have long been eradicated in other climes; others have been orphaned due to AIDS related disease or inter-tribal wars or as a result of activities of insurgencies. It is estimated that over two million girls are subjected to genital mutilation every year, a practice still rampant in some parts of Nigeria and all religious groups. Intervention into the practice is considered as a violation of privacy, yet many girls face several health risks through this, including severe bleeding and contraction of HIV infection through the use of unhygienic methods in carrying out the procedure. Statistical data shows that adolescent girls have HIV rate up to five percent higher than their boys’ counterpart. Only recently, it was disclosed that over 10 million Nigerian children are out of school and sadly over nine million of these came from the northern part of the country, the stronghold of the radical insurgents – Boko Haram. Since 2012, Boko Haram- the radical terrorist group- has targeted schools in northern Nigeria. Dozens of schools have been attacked or burnt

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Securing the Nigerian child down. In the last three months alone, the United Nations has reported that at least 15,000 children in the northern part of the country have stopped attending classes. In a single attack in February this year in Yobe State, 45 children were killed. As if this was not enough, on April 14, over 200 girls were abducted from their dormitory in Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State be-

cause they chose to go to school. In Nigeria, most children contribute to the economic well-being of their families through hawking and sundry work to generate additional income. Around 15 million Nigerian children under the age of 14 work in extreme hazardous conditions. Today, of all girls fears, that of being raped is the darkest .The rape epidemic in our society reflects the

extent in which girls' rights are being violated. Curiously, age is no longer barrier to who can be a victim. It has gone so bad that minors, as young as 4 years old, are now being raped. Boys are not left out as they are now being recruited by militants and insurgents. It is imperative that government at all levels ensure the safety of all children in the country. Also, we need to ensure that our children are

• Bilkis Bakare, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

Why we need state police

IR: The state of insecurity facing Nigeria calls for a roundtable discussion on the essence of providing adequate proper and efficient security for all. The major priority for any government is to secure the lives and property of the populace which they govern. Unfortunately, the federal government is finding it difficult to do so. Over 2000 lives have been lost since the continuous attack by the Boko Haram sect on the Nigerian people. I shed tears continuously due

to the inhuman activities of Boko Haram sect. The political class continues to point accusing fingers rather than working together for a common cause. They say state governors are the Chief Security Officers of their states, but in reality, governors are not in control of any security outfit. The federal government recruits, dispatch and command the entire security outfit we have in Nigeria. How then can one say governors are the chief security officers? A gover-

nor does not in any way have a say in the deployment or removal of commissioners of police or any head of a security outfit in the nation. We have had examples when a governor would give a direct order on a commissioner of police and the commissioner would disobey the order and carry out a different agenda as we saw of Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu. There have been a lot of anxieties that the creation of state police

Yes, Lagos has always been different! IR: I read with some considerable amusement and sympathy the article written by Idowu Akinlotan on the back page of Sunday Nation of 25th May, the writer was in total innocent of the recent history of the Western Region and the colony of Lagos. Starting from the 1950’s and with the advent of the Action Group at Ibadan, Lagos politicians were divided into two broad camps – Gedegebe l’Eko wa and Lagos belongs to the West. Even though the old Western Region extended to what was then known as Idi Oro, some Lagosians mostly Brazilian

healthy, educated and have their rights respected with supports from all stakeholders. The Chibok girls experience is a case study in ensuring a safe environment for our children to learn and it has further revealed the need for us as a nation to prioritize issues of girl- child education. This is the right time for us to ensure that no one is left behind as the country moves towards achieving the Education for All (EFA) goal. The country needs a clear set of public actions that embrace issues of gender, religious, political and mental diversity to address not only economic shocks, but also social vulnerability.

Returnees claimed that Lagos was a distinct political entity. Awolowo stuck to the belief that Yoruba West could not be separated from Lagos including indigenes of Brazilian extraction. Some die-hard indigenes thought otherwise. Common institutions like Western Regional Production Development Board, Western Nigerian Marketing Board, Finance Corporation and Property owning organizations belonging to the West did not have the blessing or financial contribution of ‘Gedegbe l’Eko wa’ people. This situation encouraged Nnamdi Azikwe and his NCNC to have a strong foothold in

the Lagos Metropolis. Investments like the Airport Hotel, Nigerite, Dunlop, Niger Biscuits, Nigeria Textile Mills, Tower Aluminum, WIN, Pepsi Factory and many others, were established by the West in partnership with expatriate industrialists. Today, the question that arises is this, with industrial complexes in Agbara Estate, in Ikorodu area both in Ogun State, where does Lagos begin or where does Western territory end? Today, more than 25% of workers in the public and private sectors live in Ogun state but work in the heart of Lagos.

That the idea of regionalism is being resuscitated is a reaction or defense mechanism to the deteriorating situation in the country. ‘To your tents O Israel’ seems to be the clarion call in today’s unstable Nigeria. it is a combination of doctorinaire politics and realism. Lastly, one may ask if subsequently the country breaks up into new nation states, and an Oduduwa nation finally emerges, where does Lagos stand? It is time we started reading the handwriting on the wall. • Deji Fasuan, Senior Citizen, Ekiti State

would give governors the power to use them as a tool to fight opponents and could also be used in the manipulation of election processes. The truth of the matter is that theory is baseless. The federal government has been controlling the police and various security outfits for decades; can we say they have used that machinery to witch-hunt their opponents? I don’t think so. How can you deploy an Edo man to let’s say Oyo State, where he has little or no knowledge of the terrain? How can he effectively fight crime? How would he know the fastest route or potential hide out of criminals? The best option to police ourselves is ourselves! An Osun man should be in Osun; ditto an Edo man should serve in Edo. The benefit of this outweighs the demerits; the police officers would be familiar with that terrain, speak the language, understand the culture or religious values and can easily identify potential individuals that are security threat due to their familiarisation within that community. • Folawiyo Kareem Olajoku Osogbo, Osun State

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

COMMENTS

‘Our Girls’; late Dr Iwatt of ASUU and UNICALcatch killers; Learn from India’s Politics

ERHAPS houses built with illgotten loot and seized from kidnappers in Anambra, Lagos and elsewhere should not be destroyed as punishment but made into Tony ‘Government Houses’ to Marinho be used as maternity homes, orphanages, hostels or even given to victims or sold outright and the funds used to repay those families of victims for the money extorted under duress. Nigeria has a housing deficit of 17million houses. Two wrongs do not make a right. ‘Our Girls’ are still being searched for in the Sambisa Forest. Since April 15, more than 600 people have been killed by Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and increasing political violence and campus attacks. We have millions of refugees and thousands suffering the collateral damage of the bombs of war including damage to eyes and ears like ruptured eardrums. Then add psychological problems like loss of a relative, fear, sleeplessness, insecurity, hypersensitivity to noise and darkness and abnormal response to sight of blood. The 22 year old British student Elliot Rogers’ killing of six people in the USA highlights the need for parents to take more interest in their children’s activities. He was reported by the family to the police who gave the all clear. He was able to acquire four weapons for a killing spree. What is the relevance to Nigeria? Remember Murtalab, the underpants bomber, was also reported by his family to police. In addition we have many students who are armed members of secret campus cults which regularly cause violence, including the broad daylight killing of Dr Godwin Iwatt, a lecturer in Microbiology, University of Calabar (UNICAL). A researched ‘ASUU National Annual Campus Violence Register’ would make grim reading and probably outdo ‘Campus Casualties’ or ‘Campus killings’ worldwide combined. Are such killings ever solved? Many years ago in University of Ilorin, a lecturer was murdered in his house. I met his son some years later. Was there support from ASUU? How much

T is not surprising that efforts are being orchestrated by a section of the political elite in Taraba State, led by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, to drag the acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar into unnecessary controversy. With the 2015 elections at the corner, those who are interested and eager to run for the office of governor of the state and who suspect that the acting governor may also be throwing his hat into the ring have become increasingly uncomfortable and desperate. The strategy is to throw as much mud as possible at the person of the acting governor and to diminish his rising political profile in order to gain unfair advantage in the race for which he has neither declared nor indicated interest. One of the issues being played up as part of this unhealthy political game is the serial crises in Southern Taraba, particularly, Wukari. Those who are determined to give the acting governor the bad name that he certainly does not deserve are out proclaiming that he is behind the crises. No falsehood can be more callous than this. To create the kind of political situation that they desperately require to achieve their purpose, they are even asking that a state of emergency be declared in the state. And for Senator Bwacha who has been a regular face in the corridors of power in the state and benefitted immensely from the generosity of the present and past administrations as well as the goodwill of the people of the state to accept to play the unpatriotic role as arrowhead of this campaign of denigration is shocking. At this point, it is necessary for me to say for the avoidance of doubt and misunderstanding of the purpose of this article, that I’m not an indigene of Taraba State. I have only lived in the state for many years and followed the socio- political trends in the state very closely. Over time, I have become emotionally attached to the state and I frequently get bothered when things are going wrong. It is for this reason that I am compelled to draw public attention through this medium to some of the

is the ‘ASUU Violence Support Grant’ to victims and their families? There have been how many victims since then. In America even though they have the murderer in the mortuary, the investigation is on-going at each of the points he fired at people, a total 12 crime scenes in all, cordoned off for forensics. In Nigeria do we even have cordoning-off tape? That would be a big contract! What is the level of CID/ Forensics in Calabar? Was Dr Iwatt’s office cordoned off for forensics or just cleared of his blood for the next potential victim to take his place? Perhaps there is shortage of lecturer’s rooms in UNICAL and ‘anyway –e don die, so wetin again?’ Dr Iwatt was upright and UNICAL’s University Examiner. Was he killed for those reasons? ASUU local and nationwide should nosily repeatedly and consistently demand the solution to this ASUU murder or it will be open season on ASUU lecturers nationwide. ASUU does not apply enough strike and encourage enough press coverage to guarantee the safety and security of its membership. ASUU needs new departments concentrating on and articulating progressive ideas on several areas including the ‘Comparative Safety of ASUU members by Campus’’, ‘Comparative Research Grants at home and abroad’, ‘Comparative Quality of Education Review’ etc. ASUU should go to the press for the assault and murder of its members. Killing of teachers is not ‘Ok’ whether they are in university or in secondary school or the 167 teachers murdered so far by Boko Haram. In UNICAL, the focal population is small, university administration computers are available with photos and other vital data on all students who could be immediately and remotely involved for a photo-parade to identify the murderers. He had been attacked repeatedly. Will our police interview all the students, isolate 50 suspects for lie detector tests and ‘whereabouts on the day of the attacks and the murder’ alibi checks? All university security services should have credible information from informants and embedded moles on most cult members. ‘Show me your friends…. ’. Each suspected student should independently write down his top 10 friends and movements during the previous 10 days and by elimination and cross-checking alibis, the culprits will stand out. It will take police-work. Cults are not new but that does not mean that they cannot be overcome. Investigating police must also

remember that cults often invite ‘foreign cult members’, mercenaries, to act on their campus. Every year the list of the wrongful dead grows on campuses worldwide and especially in Nigeria. Their murderers go on to graduate, do NYSC and take their place in the country’s government and university system. Simple statistical averages will tell us that, over the 40 years of mutant cultism in universities, some lecturers, professors and even VCs with murky pasts must have maimed and even killed in the past. Simple statistics show that some politicians now sitting in high political office and pontificating had to be associated with thugs and organisers of political mayhem. People like Daramola, Funso Williams, Uncle Bola Ige and a thousand others ‘dead from politics’ did not murder themselves. There is probably blood, direct and indirect, on many representative and senatorial hands. The Indian elections are yet another lesson for our politicians, INEC and citizens in planning for and playing the political game, election campaigning and voting. In spite of the numbers it was noted for the lack of political violence. Contrast this with Eastern Ukraine massive violence and obstruction from ‘Pro-Russians’.

‘Every year the list of the wrongful dead grows on campuses worldwide and especially in Nigeria. Their murderers go on to graduate, do NYSC and take their place in the country’s government and university system. Simple statistical averages will tell us that, over the 40 years of mutant cultism in universities, some lecturers, professors and even VCs with murky pasts must have maimed and even killed in the past’

Taraba: Dangers of ethno-religious politics By Sunday Aboki unhealthy developments in the state which I believe are capable of dragging down the state into the abyss of underdevelopment. I’m particularly worried at the desperate effort being made to demonise the acting governor, a man who had, at very critical times in the political life of the state, had been a stabilizing factor. His present role is one of such special opportunities to play a leading role in restoring stability negatively jolted by the sudden departure of the governor for medical attention abroad following injuries he sustained in a plane crash. I believe the campaign which, unfortunately, carries the stamp of Senator Bwacha’s endorsement, is baseless, unfair and unnecessary. It is obvious that the Senator wants to be governor. He has not hidden his desire for that office which is now boiling over and turning into a consuming passion. It is a legitimate aspiration, no doubt. He, as well as any other indigene of the state, has a right to aspire to the position of governor or any other position for that matter. What he has no right to do and should not do, however, is to seek to blackmail those he suspects, rightly or wrongly, to be interested in the same office on account of their advantage of political visibility and unassailable record of achievement in the position that God had given them in the past. The campaign against Umar is particularly unfair and distasteful. Umar has been unfairly put on the spot and in the eye of the storm since Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in a plane crash in which he suffered serious injuries and had to spend quite some time in hospitals abroad. That unfortunate incident brought Umar, a quiet, amiable and unassuming personality, into the driving seat in an acting capacity. The decision that Umar stepped into the shoes of the

governor in an acting capacity as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has not gone down well with those who think illegality – which means using a proxy to run the administration rather than the deputy governor - would have been a better option. He is seen and treated as a stranger in government and every official action he takes is misunderstood and misinterpreted. A few days ago, Senator Bwacha, through an open letter published in some Nigerian dailies, made sweeping allegations against the person of Umar. In that letter, he made no pretensions that his motive was to thoroughly paint Umar in the most unsavoury colours just to make him objectionable and un-electable in the 2015 race for the office of governor, in case he decides to contest. And in doing so, Bwacha desperately sought to play the ethnic and religious cards in order to win sympathy and support for his war of attrition. This cruel game of political name-calling cannot help Taraba State. What will help the state is unity of purpose. Ethnic and religious sentiments have proved over the years and in many countries to be extremely destructive. The Rwandan experience which is about the worst globally in recent times should serve as a warning to those still seeking to ride to power on the wings of ethnic or religious sentiments. Acting Governor Umar, and this is the view of most of the ordinary people of Taraba State, has done his best in the circumstances that he has found himself. The political atmosphere is very volatile and this is adversely affecting everything in the state including the machinery of governance. Those who do not want to see Umar as the face of the government of Taraba State are unrelenting in their campaign to stifle the machinery of government. And they are the ones who also shout the loudest that the state is stagnating, that it is not getting adequate

touch of development through the provision of modern amenities. What a contradiction! The real grouse of the leaders of the “put down” campaign project launched against Umar is that Suntai did not return to office on his return from abroad, even as unfit as he was. But this was not the decision of the acting governor. It was obvious that Suntai was still incapacitated. That position was backed by the report of foreign medical experts. Since the wish that he returned to his seat did not prevail, nothing else is good enough and whatever else is in place must be destroyed. This attitude is outrageous and unhelpful to the interests of the state. It is true that unity is gradually being eroded in the state. People who before now lived as one, united by their affection for the state and all that it stands for, are being consciously or unconsciously encouraged to think and believe that they are no longer bound by the same common bond of unity. It is largely the handiwork of the political elite in the state which include people like Senator Bwacha. And the earlier the elite group realises that this game of deliberate disinformation is a destroyer the better for the good people of Taraba State. I also believe that Senator Bwacha and his group have not been fair to Umar in their reading of the latter’s attitude to the governor’s unfortunate state of ill-health and the manner in which he has handled the affairs of the state since the governor took ill. My understanding which is based on very reliable information of some friends on both sides of the political divide in the state point to the fact that Suntai’s family has not been denied anything that is necessary to make them comfortable. All their entitlement are settled promptly while most of the key people working with the acting governor are members of Sunta’s political family even though they

have remained unwavering in their attitude of deliberate belligerence toward the man who is running the government of state today. As earlier stated in this article, Suntai’s plane accident is unfortunate. It was an act of God and he has the sympathy of the entire people of the state. We all wish him well and pray that he gets well quickly to be able to return to his seat as governor. Umar has always wished him well and had ensured that he used every opportunity to speak at public forums to pray for the governor and to wish him speedy recovery. He has also left nobody in doubt, through his utterances and actions, that he is just filling a gap temporarily created by the governor’s accident and injury. This attitude is very well known and appreciated by the good people of Taraba State except in the political camp of Senator Bwacha. These, certainly, are difficult times for the people of Taraba State, a time when some people are out on a deliberate mission of mischief. The sooner leaders in the state realise that people are being misled, the better for the state. Deliberate efforts should be made to change direction and navigate in right direction, that is, in search of peace and cooperation. Bwacha should reach out to the acting governor to discuss the best way forward for the state. No leader can succeed if the followership is split into several pockets opposition camps. The government must enjoy a reasonable level of support and cooperation of the people. Bwacha should be bold enough to reverse himself and play the role of a support pillar for the government which Umar is merely tending to on behalf of Suntai. I join Umar, Bwacha and all the good people of Taraba State in wishing Governor Suntai quick recovery and in praying for peace and understanding to reign in Taraba State. • Aboki wrote from Jalingo. Taraba State

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

COMMENTS ‘I just read some of the responses of President Goodluck Jonathan’s stooges in your column today and I totally agree with you that they are paid to do so. Please don’t bother yourself, allow them to continue delluding themselves until the election kicks off. I and my family queued and voted for President Jonathan under the scorching sun in the last election but we are hell bent to vote against him this time around. We shall see. From Sampson, Calabar’

•Obasanjo

For Olatunji Dare Sir, I dont think it is in the best interest of the nation for press to report everything about the planned strategies of our security forces at tackling the Boko Haram insurgence.Though that could have the pontential of crippling the sect pyschologicaly, it more or less equips them wit the vital information they need which puts them in a better position to outwit our security forces. In other words, much as we make public the devices of the government at stopping Boko Haram which could help instil confidence in the general public about the goverment’s capability, wisdom still need be employed so that government does not play into the hands of the sect. The rescue of the abducted Chibok girls can be better and safely done if the Boko Haram sect is kept in the dark about government plans. From Emmanuel Egwu. Sir, those who abuse you on your article need to be examined. How on earth, will somebody call for President Goodluck Jonathan second term? They want amala and gbegiri party? Dont mind them. Annonymous Re-Between columnist and reader on President Jonathan. As usual I went through your today’s column without doubt a Junior Secondary School student will know those responses in favour and against of the said article were from the same source changing words and name like a chameleon. I am not surprised because poverty has turned most Nigerians to beggars and hero worshipers. The most funny part of it is putting everything on God. I will advise you to rely on the words of Alexander the Great,” I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep, I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion” From Comrade Esan Ajibola, Academy Ibadan. Sir, to me, Yoruba people are now talking and talking reality- the unity of what they called Nigeria is negotiable to reflect and guaranteed what we stand for, or else “to your tent oh ODUA”. Anonymous I just read some of the responses of President Goodluck Jonathan’s stooges in your column today and I totally agree with you that they are paid to do so. Please don’t bother yourself, allow them to continue delluding themselves until the election kicks off. I and my family queued and voted for President Jonathan under the scorching sun in the last election but we are hell bent to vote against him this time around. We shall see. From Sampson, Calabar. Mr Dare, greetings to you. My take is that it is the masses of our nation that will decide who will be president of Nigeria come 2015. Columnist are supposed to analyse issues, but like you know the art of writting is not science which will always arrive at an acceptable and verifiable answer. Governance or the rule of a nation state is rather too complex for human to profer a perfect analysis, so in this regard, I will say your writing is essentially about how you feel about President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP administration, and may not be in tandem with other people’s view. President Jonathan’s tenure is saddled with too much distraction and for the bit he has done keeping the ship afloat, he will get my vote in 2015. He has done well in the areas of privatising Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), reforms in the aviation sector, rehabilitation of roads, rails etc. From Anonymous I read your write up about colunmist and readers about President Jonathan and I was

able to deduce that a lot of Nigerians are still living in fools paradise by supporting and clamouring for the retention of a clueless leader in most demanding seat despite glaring ineptitude of the number one man in our country. Please don’t mind those hawks forge ahead. From Adekunle, Iwo, State of Osun. Sir, I’ve just finished reading the rejoinder on your previous column President Goodluck Jonathan: No second term. These are my thoughts on the Chibok issue. Firstly, there is no security in Chibok because the entire security system is created for politicians. In Akwa-Ibom State, Commissioner for Works has at least 10 police men and State Security Services in his security outfit. The same goes for his colleagues and other politicians in the state. Now multiply this in most states in Nigeria, then you know what I mean. So Nigerians can’t be secure in Chibok or anywhere else because politicians have taken all the security. Secondly, Nigerians can’t vote out President Jonathan because we don’t realise we have the power. We’re so busy being hungry and being our own government, eg, providing our light, water, healthcare, housing, education and security that we can’t think of anything else. The abuse of goverment on the people won’t stop anytime soon. I hope the poor girls return home, their only crime is being Nigerian. My conclusion: if the government doesn’t improve soon enough, they’ll have a game of thrones on their hands. Enough said. From Anonymous Re-Between columnist and reader on President Jonathan Goodluck. Peoples’ comments, very interesting, funny, factual and some, partisan. We remain your admirers despite differing opinions. From Lanre Oseni. Thank you for this review of reactions. It is more revealing and shows us that the problem is deep, but God will sure save this country. Lets face it, if they did not even believe that any child or girl was abducted for three weeks, what action did we expect? My brother we are in a jet age. From Andrew Okechukwu Jonathan Goodluck is not only the presidential candidate of the PDP, but will win at the polls with wide margin. But if he decides not to contest that decision is his. Who is challenging Jonathan? Anybody born of a woman and a former beneficiary of PDP cannot bite the hand that feeds him. From Hon John Angbera JP. On your article in May 20 edition of The Nation: Between columnist and reader on President Goodluck Joathan, the truth can even be seen from the sets of comments published. The people who argued for Jonathan did that out of selfish but needless sentiments. Who in the country does not feel the disheartening resultant effect of President Jonathan incompetence to lead the country? Of course those enjoying the benefits of his office to the detriment of the masses and some fools wil jump to his back to defend him even on instances that are apparently stupid. From Seye Oluyombo, Osogbo. For Segun Gbadegesin Daddy God bless you you are the only true Nigerian in that company The Nation. Anonymous When the Niger Delta militants took up arms against the government, people saw it as freedom struggle. Now a deadlier group : Boko Haram is here. Believe it or not the granting of amnesty to Niger Delta militants is the immediate cause of Boko Haram. From Weyinmi Olomu, Sapele, Delta State This to me is a masterpiece. This is the crux of Nigeria’s problem. Right from independence nothing has been in place to really guarantee secularism as professed by all the constitutions. There has been lots of hypocrisy and deceit by the high and the mighty. I love this article. From Anonymous Nothing in this world can undermine the secularity of the Nigerian state. Not even Atomic bombs, let alone improvised

explosive device. Nigeria is home to different faiths and no faith can lord it over another. God bless Nigeria. May Allah keep us one. From Ehi. Sir, you surprise me, can you not get it, that Nigeria the artificial creation of white hall has come to its tithers end, once the caliphate was in charge no problem, once power left the hands of the anointed rulers, all hell was let loose.The United Nations Organisation should aid a Sudanese solution in Nigeria, simple. From Fabian, Enugu Re: As Terror Ventures Out. Your article above is thought-provoking and a must read. However, as someone who has lived in Kaduna for 26 years, I strongly disagree with you that Boko Haram is targeted at christians. More Muslims have been killed than you can ever imagine and mosques also destroyed. A bomb that goes off knows no tribe or religion. Let us call Boko Haram criminals that they are, expose their sponsors and together destroy them and their backers. From Hammed Olu Every Nigerian knows that the Boko Haram group has no reason to waste innocent Nigerian lives nor do they have an agenda than a Muslim to be president perpetually in a secular country like ours of about 75 /80 per cent Christian purpulace. From Anonymous Re: “As terror ventures out.” You have said it all. I do agree with you that , to prevent the looming religious war that is being dangerously canvassed by Boko Haram, we must uphold the secularity of the state; guarantee the freedom of religious affliations anywhere and everywhere in the country; and identify radicals and fanatics, including political apportunists that stand in the way, enemies of the nation. There is one thing I want us to note, without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. As Abraham Lincoln said: “You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him.” But in this situationn, terrorists are lunatics that must be destroyed. This terror had been with us since 2011 and it has gotten out of hand. The government has been too slow to contain them. Though the activities of these insurgents have been restricted to the North, the moment there is a spill over to the South, religious war that we are all afraid of, will be unavoidable and that may spell doom for the survival of the country. If we care less, as the government is doing at the moment, we will bite our fingers. From Prince Adewumi Agunloye. It would have been very hard for me to believe the existence of such doctored responses except that anything can be possible with Nigerian government. Instead of cooked responses to articles critical of his goverment, improvement in his pefomance should have been the ideal thing for President Jonathan to embark upon for continuity. Manufactured responses can hardly do the magic especialy when greater percentage of what constitute the electorate are either iliterate or too poor to buy newspapers. Of course, I have always insisted that asesment of President Jonathan’s perfomance not related to the strange developments in the country. Not even a superhuman visionary leader could be confronted with the type of many problems thrown up all over the place in his government and still stand to perform creditably at all fronts, if the whole truth about the President and his administration must be told. From Emmanuel Egwu. For Tunji Adegboyega Dear Tunji, Re: 15 wasted years. It has been not less than 53 years of wasted efforts in Nigeria, not 15 years. You have undercounted the years. Military or civilian government, it has been the same story. If you doubt me, go back to the albums of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. What he sang yesteryears is still with us today. NPC oo, military oo, UPN oo, NRC oo,

• Jonathan

SDP oo, PDP oo or APC oo, APGA oo, LP oo, etc. my brother nothing don change … I am inclined to believe that the problem is the system and not the person. Change the system and we may get the right person and solution. Thanks. From Chukwuma Dioka, Owerri, Imo State. Nigerians will not be surprised by Labaran Maku’s remarks on Jonathan’s achievements. Actually, if the president and his cabinet members are celebrating 15 years of unbroken corruption and stealing, then it is worthy to be celebrated because the president himself has confirmed to us that stealing is not corruption. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos. Yes, tortoise will not come back until he got disgraced. Aja to ma sonu ko ni gbo fere ode (a dog that wants to get lost will not heed the hunter’s whistle). Let whoever wants to be disgraced get disgraced and save us as a nation because Nigeria will remain long after Jonathan would have ended his term. From Olufemi Dina. Sorry, what will Jonathan tell Nigerians again regarding his reelection in 2015, going by his colossal failure in addressing the numerous challenges facing the country since he assumed office in 2011? Will he talk about going to school bare-footed, as he did before, again? Nigerians can no longer be deceived by such sentiments. Mr. President was fortunate to have had parents who could send him to school barefooted. Under his watch, millions of Nigerian children are out of school because their parents cannot afford to send their children to school, even naked. Anonymous. There is a hint of political bias in failing to balance the well-deserved criticism of GEJ and PDP with due criticism of APC. The hypocrisy of the opposition party is all too glaring. Jumbo pay readily captures the complicity of the party in the present order of looting and corruption. Anonymous. A government creates an enabling environment not necessarily providing jobs for 200,000,000 people if you have not known that by now, what name of jobs with locations were you expecting from the Minister of Finance? Don’t be naïve just because you hate Jonathan as president. Anonymous. Thanks for all your brilliant essays. Please tell our president not to annoy us the more. We can’t take protest to Boko Haram because we don’t know where they are. Anonymous You are right! The government should tell Nigerians indeed what not just President Jonathan but the PDP has done in 15 years, of course. Tunji, it is clear you won’t see what the president has done after all he is ‘clueless’. Is he trying to clean up the mess of corruption which powerful Obasanjo allegedly laid? From Chima, Owerri. Democracy at 15, nothing to celebrate. I prefer cancellation of the events considering that the Chibok girls are still being held and also, Boko Haram keeps killing people daily. By celebrating Democracy Day, it will be a mockery of the families of those affected by the security lapses in the country. What can Nigerians point at that the government has done that calls for celebration? Please don’t waste resources to celebrate the day, unless of course you just want to use it as an avenue to compensate some party loyalists who would supply items for the anniversary. At our age, no one should fool Nigerians over government’s performance. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net Stories by Taofik Salako

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

‘Fed Govt may borrow N1trillion’

HE Federal Government may overshoot its borrowing estimates by some N429 billion this year as its fiscal deficit widened. President Goodluck Jonathan last Friday handed over the signed 2014 budget to the Coordinating Minister of the economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, five months after initial budget presentation to the National Assembly. The N4.7 trillion 2014 budget indicates fiscal deficit of N912 billion, slightly higher than N887.1 billion recorded last year. An investment report by leading securities firm, Afrinvest West Africa, stated that the increasing fiscal deficit could lead to higher-thanexpected debt issuance in 2014, given the trend of public finance in recent years. According to the report, the increasing fiscal deficit from N887.1bn in 2013 to N912.0bn in 2014 highlights the likelihood of a higher debt issuance to augment spending in 2014. The report noted that in 2013, the government intended to borrow N577.1 billion but overshot the estimate and issued a total of about N900 billion, 55.9 per cent above the estimated debt issue. "As a result, we anticipate the government will borrow over N1 trillion by the end of 2014 relative to the planned N571.1 billion proposed. The late signing of the budget implies the implementation rate maybe significantly lower than the average 40 per cent in addition to the likely impact of the build-up to the 2015 election which is may delay the execution of capital projects," the report stated. The Nation's investigation indicated that the government has been exceeding its debt estimates and running widely against its Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) 20122015. The MTFF 2012 to 2015 outlines government's incomes and expenditure profiles over the four-year period. During the course of the fouryear fiscal plan, government had planned to borrow N2.59 trillion through the domestic debt market with an average yearly borrowing of N648 billion. Domestic borrowings were expected to trend downward from N794.4 billion in 2012 to N752.9 billion in 2013 and subsequently to N578.72 billion and N461.75 billion in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The MTFF showed that government would use N1.93 trillion to service domestic debts while another N180 billion would be used to service foreign debts. Government planned to gradually reduce amounts for debt servicing gradually from N511.98 billion in 2012 to N543.38 billion in 2013 and subsequently to

By Taofik Salako

N446.62 billion and N423.39 billion in 2014 and 2015. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has said that Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and 14 other Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries under its rating services will borrow an equivalent of $61 billion from long-term domestic or global commercial sources in the year. This would be a 49 per cent increase in long-term commercial debt issuance compared with 2013. Standard & Poor's (S & P) expects that $48 billion of the total commercial borrowing of $61 billion will be raised in local currencies. In its "Sub-Saharan African Sovereign Debt Report 2014", S & P indicated that the end of the year, the stock of total outstanding sovereign debt from commercial sources by rated countries would have risen to $315 billion from $273 billion in 2013. "We expect that Nigeria and South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa's largest economies, will issue the lion's share of government debt in the region, at $36 billion in total, or about three-fifths of the total. Nigeria will issue $14 billion while South Africa will issue $22 billion," S & P said. According to the report, about 26 per cent, or $16 billion of the sovereigns' total gross borrowing will be to refinance maturing long-term debt, resulting in an estimated net borrowing requirement for new debt of $45 billion. "Consequently, we project that rated sub-Saharan African sovereigns' commercial debt stock will reach an equivalent of $315 billion by the end of 2014, and that the total commercial and concessional debt stock will reach $392 billion, up from $342 billion, a yearon-year increase of $50 billion, or 14.6 per cent," S & P stated. The report projected that during 2014 the share of commercial speculative rated sovereign debt will stand at 47 per cent of total sub-Saharan commercial debt, while the share of rated investmentgrade debt--primarily issued by South Africa--will stand at 53 per cent of total commercial issuance. The report added that if borrowing from official lenders is included, the overall longterm borrowing will be $74 billion in the year as the share of non-commercial official borrowing, including bilateral and multilateral, is set to reach $13 billion. "According to our calculations, Nigeria and Ghana will face the highest debt rollover ratios, including short-term debt, as a percentage of total debt among rated sub-Saharan

CBN pegs govt’s holdings in discount houses at 10%

- P 26

African sovereigns, reaching 28 per cent and 26 per cent. The rollover ratios of sovereigns with a higher proportion of official debt tend to be lower, because official debt typically has longer maturities than commercial debt," S & P stated. S & P said it believes that the conditions for debt issuance in the year will become less favourable because United States (US) Federal Reserve tapering may make emerging market issuance less attractive. It however noted that frontier markets have fared better than major emerging markets and this trend is likely to continue in the

year. The S & P's estimates focus on debt issued by a central government in its own name and exclude local government and social security debt, as well as debt issued by other public bodies and government-guaranteed obligations. This means, for example, that in Nigeria's case, S & P did not include the issuance of Nigeria's Asset Management Company (AMCON) to Nigeria's borrowing figures. In terms of commercial debt instruments, S & P's estimates for long-term borrowing include bonds with maturities

of more than one year issued either on publicly listed markets or sold as private placements, as well as commercial bank loans. "Our estimates are informed by our expectations regarding central government deficits, our assessment of governments' potential extrabudgetary funding needs, and our estimates of debt maturities in 2014," the report stated. It pointed out that an increasing number of sub-Saharan African sovereigns have begun accessing international debt markets. South Africa has been issu-

‘We anticipate the government will borrow over N1 trillion by the end of the year relative to the planned N571.1 billion proposed. The late signing of the budget implies the implementation rate maybe significantly lower than the average 40 per cent in addition to the likely impact of the build-up to the 2015 election which is may delay the execution of capital projects’

ing for many years. In 2007 Ghana and Gabon also issued debt, of $750 billion and $1 billion. Senegal followed in 2009 with $500 million issuance, followed in 2011 by Nigeria, also with $500 million. In 2012, Zambia issued $750 million, while Angola issued a $1 billion structured transaction. The following year, issuance was led by Rwanda with a debut Eurobond of $400 million, followed by Ghana ($1 billion, including a $250 million buyback), Nigeria ($1 billion), and Gabon ($1.5billion). Of the sub-Saharan African sovereigns not rated by Standard & Poor's, Namibia issued $500 million in 2011 and Tanzania issued $600 million in early 2013. This year, it expects that Kenya will lead issuance, with a $1.0$1.5 billion bond, possibly followed by Ghana with an issue between $750 million and $1 billion.

•From left: Director-General, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Mr Emeka Okereke; Chairman, Chartered Institute of Bankers, Enugu chapter, Mr Victor Agunwah and representative of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mrs Ijeoma Ezensor, at the ECCIMA stakeholders meeting in Enugu.

Banks have more duties than keeping inflation low, says IMF

ENTRAL bankers around the world may have to take financial stability into greater account, in addition to their usual duties of keeping inflation low while maintaining close cooperation with each other, the Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, has said. “We need to continue to strive for improved prudential frameworks for the financial sector so as not to overburden monetary policy,” she said in prepared remarks to a conference in Portugal. “But where macroprudential policies

fall short, monetary policy will have a larger role than in the past to maintain financial stability,” she added. Citizens across 21 European Union (EU) countries have the chance Sunday to elect their direct representatives to Brussels in a vote likely to affect the bloc’s future beyond the European Parliament’s five-year mandate. Ms. Lagarde acknowledged that a greater role in financial stability could pose a challenge to central bank independence, given the ambiguous nature of

Mutual funds’ net assets hit N173.2b - P 28

how to define these types of matters. One response would be to maintain the focus on keeping inflation low, while also considering steps such as maintaining monetary policies and those to ensure financial stability housed in different institutions. Ms. Lagarde’s speech opened a two-day conference sponsored by the European Central Bank in the ocean-side town of Sintra near Portugal’s capital. The conference has gathered policy makers from central banks and other international bodies

as well as top academic economists, making it many ways the ECB’s version of the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The IMF has in recent weeks urged the ECB to weigh more aggressive policy measures to combat the risks of too low inflation, or as the IMF has dubbed it, “lowflation.” Major central banks typically target inflation rates around two per cent. The problem occurs when it softens too far below that: debts become harder to finance for households, businesses and even governments, weighing on spending and investment.

‘Learning helps me to grow in online freelancing’ - P38

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS MONEY

e-mail: money@thenationonlineng.net

CBN pegs govt’s holdings in discount houses at 10% I T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has pegged the three tiers of government’s direct holdings in discount houses at 10 per cent. The measure is to discourage the Federal, state and local governments from having majority shareholding in those institutions. In a guideline issued last weekend, the apex bank said an equity holding of five per cent and above by any investor shall be subject to CBN’s prior approval. Where such shares are acquired through the capital market, the discount house shall apply for a no-objection letter from the CBN immediately after the acquisition. The CBN said stakeholders can report their concerns about illegal practices to the institutions’ boards. However, where such concerns border on the activities of the Board, such individuals shall have recourse to the CBN in accordance with Section 3.4 of the provisions of the guidelines. The CBN mandated the institutions to show good sense of Corporate Social Responsibility to their customers, workers, host

Stories by Collins Nweze

communities, and the public. It said the appointment and removal of the Chief Compliance Officer/Head of Internal Audit shall be the responsibility of the Board, subject to CBN’s ratification. The CBN is to be notified of any change and reasons thereof, within 14 days of such change, the rule indicated. According to the guidelines, the qualification and experience of the Chief Compliance Officer/Head of Internal Audit shall be in accordance with the provisions of the CBN’s Competency Framework for the Banking Industry. Also, the guidelines said the Chief Compliance Officers (CCO) shall, in addition to monitoring compliance with Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements, monitor the implementation of the corporate governance code. It said appointment of external auditors shall be approved by the CBN, adding that they shall render reports to the CBN on banks’ risk management practices, internal controls and level of compliance

with regulatory directives. Equally, the guidelines indicated, the external auditor shall review the work of the internal auditor on each of the bank’s key risk elements to cover risk identification, measurement, monitoring and control. “The key risk elements as specified in the Risk Based Supervision framework are strategic, operational, liquidity, legal, market and credit risks. The external auditor shall review compliance with policies and internal control procedures put in place by the Board to manage and mitigate the institution’s risks. “The external auditors,” the rules stated, “shall report on the level of each key risk element as well as the composite risk profile of the bank, and make recommendations to the Board to enhance the effectiveness of risk management processes in the bank.” The CBN said the tenure of auditors in a given bank shall be for a maximum period of 10 cumulative years after which the audit firm shall not be reappointed in the bank until after a period of another 10 consecutive years.

How to secure e-cards

NTERSWITCH, an electronic transaction switching and payment processing firm, has called for an upgrade in the technology, processes and systems to proactively detect suspicious activities. In response to emailed questions, the firm said cardholders needed to be constantly educated on keeping their banking details fully protected. It said this was important because fraudsters keep developing new mechanisms to circumvent security measures. Interswitch said it holds certifications in the highest standards available in the payment card industry. “In terms of card standards, we are EMV 4.0 certified, and in terms of security, we are Card Industry Data Security Standard certification (PCIDSS) V3 certified. We have also attained ISO 9001:2000 for our processing services,” it said, adding that aside such certifications, its Verve product, has a unique feature for card-not-present transactions. “A card-not-present transaction is a payment card transaction made where the cardholder is not physically present with the card at the time that the payment is affected. In order to safe guard cardholders

when conducting card-not-present, we have introduced SafeToken. SafeToken is an online security technology that protects customers against unauthorised use of their cards via the web through the generation of One-time-passwords (OTPs),” it said. Interswitch also said as a second layer of defence, it has also introduced Scorebridge which is a fraud management system that enables Electronic Financial Transaction (EFT) messages to be processed through predefined Artificial Intelligence in order to determine the transaction’s risk and probability of a fraud. This enables the monitoring of card patterns and declines suspicious transactions. “Banking security has got so many banks thinking about safety and reliability of their networks. What steps do you think that lenders need to take to guarantee customers’ transaction, security and trust? “Over the years, the banks have invested a lot in different security measures to guarantee customer transactions, but as a minimum, all banks should have the following measures in place: Defining a baseline security standard (such as PCIDSS), Educating customers on safe security practices when using their cards, investing in a fraud management system,” it said.

Bank empowers women

IDELITY Bank has said it is committed to the wellbeing of rural women and children. In a statement, the lender said its staff at the Yola Branch supported the Women Development Centre, Yola in Adamawa State. The staff also renovated two workshop blocks and donated sewing machines to the centre in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision driven by the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP). Inaugurating the project, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Halima Mohammed Hayatu, lauded the bank for its efforts. She said the lender’s gesture would help to alleviate poverty and empowering women in the state. While calling on other corporate

institutions and wealthy individuals in the state to emulate the bank, the commissioner said the ministry would work with the bank to reduce the plight of women and children in the state. Presenting the equipment on behalf of the Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, the General Manager, North Bank, Mr. Idris Yakubu, explained that the FHHP is the bank’s CSR platform by which the bank’s staff initiate and execute projects in communities using funds contributed by themselves. Chairman, Yola South Local Government Area, Ahmadu Waziri, thanked the bank for the gesture adding that the centre had been in dire need of financial support and had been unable to meet its set objectives.

Firm launches product From left: Executive Director, Infrastructure Bank Plc. Mr. Hakeem Olopade; Member, Sure-P Committee Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (rtd); Oyinloye and Deputy Chairman, Sure-P Mrs. Tanwa Olusi at the event.

Bank presents 65 buses to beneficiaries

HE Infrastructure Bank has recovered 95 per cent of the N10.5 billion loans it granted under the first phase of the Public Mass Transit Revolving Fund (PMTF), its Managing Director, Mr Adekunle Oyinloye, has said. Speaking at the hand-over of 65 mass transit buses worth N800 million to beneficiaries in Lagos last weekend, Oyinloye said the recovery of the loans had grown the mass transit revolving loans base to N15 billion. Oyinloye said the bank was already working on ways to recover the remaining five per cent through effective risk management system. The bank, he said, as the fund manager of the PMTF Scheme Two, was working in collaboration with the Subsidy Re-investment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the financier of the Scheme Two. Oyinloye urged beneficiaries of the Scheme Two not to regard the buses as “political largess”. He said the government had to change the five per cent interest rate

per annum under the Scheme One to zero per cent interest under Scheme Two. According to him, the bank expects beneficiaries under the Scheme Two to pay on time because of the zero interest rate. The bank chief said the buses were to be fully paid for in order to sustain the scheme, which he described as “laudable and people-oriented”. Oyinloye stressed that it was only through prompt re-payment that more road transporters could benefit, warning that the bank would not tolerate any default by beneficiaries He said under the Scheme Two, every beneficiary had to collaterise their loans to ensure recovery of the facilities. “There is a risk management framework around the scheme, so every beneficiary has to collaterise what he has taken one way or another. “If we morally persuade them and it does not work on time, we will

consider the next step to get our money back because the money belongs to the Federal Government of Nigeria. “It is meant for the masses because for other beneficiaries to benefit, previous beneficiaries must pay back,” Oyinloye said. He said the aim of PMTF was to enhance national transport services through the Federal Government resources under the SURE-P. “I can tell you that from the offices of LAMATA, Transport Ministry to LAGBUS, everybody is, indeed, happy with the presence of our buses on the streets. “I want the public to know that this is not the first time Lagos is benefiting from the scheme. Since 2010 when the first scheme started, a lot of our buses ply Lagos roads,” he added. Oyinloye said under the SURE–P initiative in 2012, a bulk of the 680 buses came to Lagos through a partnership with Lagos Ministry of Transport.

OWER Global Market Limited has launched an innovative product, Tower Global Solutions, designed to solve the challenges traders and investors are experiencing to boost their confidence in the market. The firm, an active trader in global financial market, explained that with the numerous challenges facing investors in the market, such as significant capital loss, lack of robust risk control, inadequate capital and psychological control, the Tower Global Solution has been invented to mitigate these challenges and avail traders the opportunity to stay alive and active in the market and recover their losses. Speaking at the launch of the product, Opabola Emmanuel, general manager, Tower Global Market, said once an investor or trader registers for the Tower Solution Service, any net losses incurred were written off, while all net profits could be withdrawn by the investor. He said with Tower Solution, accounts are negative and are not closed off automatically, thus allowing the client ample time to recover any loss. The client is also free to take a buy position in anticipation of upward moves in prices and to take a sell position in anticipation of downward moves in prices as of-

ten as he would like. There are no margin requirements when using a Tower Solution account, he said, adding that the net effect of all the benefits of the product is that traders, investors and automated system designers can now build wealth from trading global markets with confidence, knowing that any net losses are converted. Fisayo Olanrewju, product manager, revealed that $165 was the minimum premium that could be used and the value determined the premium. Olanrewaju said among the many benefits of the product, it offered trade investment and training, guaranteed safety of funds, had a fixed competitive spread, with fast and reliable execution and access to various exotic currency pair. “Business fights the trend in global markets because they ride the trend in their line of businesses, so we are basically insurers, who take on mitigated risks in return for capital formation,”he reiterated. At the launch, were the Tower Global Market team as well as the European partners and the participants expressed their satisfaction with the product, as they got the opportunity to test the product in life global market and interacted freely with the foreign partners.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS PENSION

New pension scheme contributes 9.5% to GDP, says PenCom • Highlights new focus

HE contribution of the new pension scheme to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew from 1.4 per cent in 2006 to 9.5 per cent in 2013, Acting Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs ChineloAnohu-Amazu, has said. The new pension scheme has N4.13 trillion in assets. Mrs Anohu-Amazu revealed this yesterday while presenting a paper with the theme: The Contributory Pension Scheme as a catalyst for economic development in Nigeria at the Eighth Annual Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Asso-

Stories by Omobola Tolu-Kusimo

ciation (NBA). According to her, the GDP grows at an average of 30 per cent yearly. She said the most significant proportion, about 63 per cent of the assets, equivalent to N2.64 trillion was invested in Federal Government Securities. She said assets were invested in authorised markets with portfolio limits. She added that it has generated appreciable pool of long term investible funds for the first time in Nigeria. On the benefits of the administration under the CPS, the PenCom

chief, however, noted that pebsioners receiving their benefits under the CPS as at March, this year were 95, 840. Of this figure, 86, 628 pensioners opted for programme withdrawal, while 9,212 opted for life annuity, she said. She further highlighted the outlook and the next steps of the commission. She said the enactment of the new bill, the Pension Reform Act 2014, that will facilitate compliance and enforcement, enhance supervisory powers of the Commission, expand coverage of the contributory pension scheme and create enabling environment for investment in the real sector, will be the focus of PenCom. She said other areas that the Commission will focus on is reposition-

ing of the pension industry for the next decade, building capacity in the industry and engaging the services of skilled and experienced financial advisers for deal structuring. She said: “The Commission would sustain support for initiatives to provide affordable housing and infrastructure development. We will deploy strategies for increased compliance by employers, ensure participation by the informal sector and adoption of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) by states and local governments. “We will also collaborate with other regulators and stakeholders in the financial services sector to create enabling environment for investment in infrastructure and housing.

Canada Pension Plan CEO seeks assets like Telesat

ANADA Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the country’s biggest pension fund manager, said it would be interested in adding more infrastructure assets such as Loral Space & Communications Inc.’s (LORL) Telesat Holdings Inc, Bloomberg has said. “The type of assets Telesat represents, generally, which are let’s call them critical infrastructure type assets with monopolistic characteristics, are the type of assets at the right price that CPPIB would be interested in owning,” Canada Pension Chief Ex-

ecutive Officer Mark Wiseman said in a phone interview. “I think it’s safe to assume that any transaction like that is one that we would explore.” Another pension fund, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is the frontrunner to acquire Telesat, people with knowledge of the matter said last month. Canada Pension has also been in talks with Telesat’s owners, the people said. A Telesat purchase would come in two pieces: buying publicly traded Loral, which owns 63 percent of the company, and acquiring the rest from

Texas Pension suspends Credit Suisse’s securities trading

MPLOYEES Retirement System of Texas halted trading with Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) after the Switzerland’s second-biggest bank pleaded guilty this week to a U.S. criminal charge. “We are suspending trading with them at this time,” Mary Jane Wardlow, spokeswoman in Austin for the pension fund, which manages $25.4 billion for state workers, said yesterday in an e-mail. “We have a policy against hiring firms convicted of felonies.” Credit Suisse agreed May 19 to

plead guilty and pay $2.6 billion of penalties for helping American residents dodge taxes, becoming the first global bank in a decade to admit to a crime in a U.S. courtroom. “While we regret the actions that led to this settlement, our overwhelming experience has been that clients –- including pension clients –- are continuing to conduct business with us, and we continue to maintain our market share and trading,” Suzanne Fleming, a New York-based spokeswoman for the bank, said in an e-mailed statement.

Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board, which co-owns the satellite operator, the people said last month. A price disagreement has kept the deal with Ontario Teachers from being completed, the same people said more recently. One alternative being discussed is for Public Sector Pension (PSP) to roll over its stake, maintaining its ownership, or sell only a portion of its holdings, the people said. A deal could be finalised in June, they said. New York-based Loral could be bought for more than $80 a share, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. That would value Telesat at about $7 billion, including debt. Loral fell 0.7 per cent to $70.94 in New York at the close, giving the company a market value of $2.19 billion. Public Sector Pension owns about 37 percent of Telesat and controls about 67 percent of the voting rights. As a result, both Loral and PSP must agree to a deal for a full sale of Telesat. Michael Bolitho, a Telesat spokesman, declined to comment, as did Deborah Allan, a spokeswoman for Toronto-based Ontario Teachers’, and Mark Boutet, a spokesman for Public Sector Pension Investment.

“There will be continual review of extant laws and regulations and reorganisation of the administration of public sector pensions and repositioning of the Pension Transition Arrangement Department (PTAD).”

Lecturers decry inadequacies in CPS

• From left: Director Pension and Establishment, Zamfara State, Alhaji Yusuf Moriki; Executive Director Business Development and Investment, Premium Pension Limited, Mr. Adamu Mele, and a retiree at the customer/ retiree forum in Sokoto.

• Mrs Anohu-Amazu

OLLEGE of Education lecturers have called on the Senate to ensure that their retirement benefits from the computation of the old scheme are incorporated into the proposed amendment of the Contributory Pension Scheme. This is to ensure that the wide gap between old and new schemes are reasonably reduced through proper legislation, to save the dying souls of retirees from mutilated pensions. The call is contained in a paper presented to the Senate by the Committee of Chief Lecturers of the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, Oyo State, which was made available to The Nation. The paper is the committee’s contribution to the ongoing debate towards the amendment of the 2014 Pension Act. It stated that though motives behind the establishment of the contributory pension scheme are commendable and laudable, its implementation as it affects retiring officers now, has put them into penury, as they have been grossly shortchanged considering what they would have collected if the old scheme had been used to compute their retirement benefits. The committee said: “A situation where Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have been empowered to pay pension for 10 years under the 2014 Act, is very inhuman to retiring civil servants. Simply put, it means that retired officers are expected to die before 10 years. It is particularly disheartening when it is realised that colleagues in the state civil service that does not subscribe to the scheme do not have same

By Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

problem.’’ Observing disadvantages of the contributory pension scheme, the committee asserted that officers that retired from 2009 till date after 35 years of service with 28 to 32 years service under the old pension scheme are receiving 15 to 25 per cent of their last salary as monthly pension, whereas the old scheme stipulated 80 per cent of the last salary as pensions. ‘’Even, sub-section 4[c] of the 2014 Act stipulates a monthly pension that is not less than 50 per cent of monthly remuneration at the date of retirement. Neither the commission nor the administrators have been doing this. In the old scheme, pensions are paid for life, but in the new contributory scheme, pensions are paid for only 10 years. In the old scheme, workers did not contribute directly because it was solely funded by the employer, but in the contributory scheme workers contribute 72 per cent of their salaries.’’ It added that this is the major reason why monthly pensions of some junior officers in the old scheme are far above those of their senior officers that retired under the new scheme. ‘’Since our colleagues that retired from 2009 till today under the contributory scheme have been collecting monthly pensions that cannot guarantee minimum comfort at old age, we request that terms and conditions of service when we entered the service be maintained still. While some government parastatals and establishments have opted out, others who have seen the deficiencies are about to do so.”

Premium Pension holds AGM today

REMIUM Pension Limited, one of the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) in the country, is holding its Ninth Annual General Meeting (AGM) today at 10am. The event is slated for the company’s corporate headquarters in Abuja. Chairman of the company, Mr. Aliyu Dikko, said the company has over N330 billion under its management and has so far paid almost N63.2 billion as retirement benefits while 13, 350 retirees receive pension every month through the company.

According to him, the company has continued to maintain its enviable position as one of the leading PFAs in Nigeria despite the declining employment opportunities that negatively impacts business generation drives. He said the company has expanded its horizon in terms of funds under management and number of Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs). Managing Director, Wilson Ideva also said the company and by extension the industry has virtually overcome its teething challenges and is now striding to great heights.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION INVESTORS

Mutual funds’ net assets rise to N173.2b T

OTAL net assets of mutual funds rose by about N23 billion to more than N173.2 billion in almost four months, indicating improvements in the underlying assets of several mutual funds. Latest data on mutual funds collated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and analysed by The Nation showed that the net assets value of the 51 mutual funds registered in the Nigerian capital market stood at N173.22 billion as at May 9, 2014, indicating an increase of N22.77 billion on N153.54 billion recorded by the period ended January 3, this year. Mutual funds, otherwise known as collective investment schemes (CIS), are joint investment vehicles through which investors can pool funds and invest in chosen basket of securities under a professional management with a view to optimise returns and reduce risks. Net asset value is determined by subtracting total liabilities of a fund from its total assets. The net asset value can further be divided by the total number of units of the fund to determine the unit price. A mutual fund is usually categorised by the class of assets that forms the primary focus of its investments. Thus, there are equity funds, money market funds, bond funds, real estate funds, ethical funds and balanced funds among others. The latest report showed a significant recovery in the assets of mutual funds compared to earlier period ended March 14, when overall net assets of all mutual funds dropped by N36 billion to N117.37 billion as against N153.54 billion recorded by the period ended January 3. The performance of mutual funds

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

was positively impacted by growths across several asset classes, especially the largest segments of money market funds, equities funds and real estate funds. Money market funds, which invest mainly in money market instruments such as treasury bills, remained the largest segment with net assets of N51.75 billion, about 30 per cent of total net assets. Real estate funds also retained its second position with a net assets value of N44.14 billion while the equitybased funds, which had opened this year as the largest segment, remained on the third position with net assets value of N42.24 billion. Other segments included bonds funds, N16.17 billion; balanced funds, mutual funds that seek to invest in a balanced mixture of equity and debt instruments, N10.13 billion; ethical funds, N6.37 billion and umbrella funds, which recorded net assets of N2.41 billion. The UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust (UPDC Reit) remained the largest mutual fund with net assets value of N28.03 billion, about 16.2 per cent of aggregate net assets of the industry. The UPDC Reit is managed by FSDH Asset Management Limited. Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund, which is managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, placed second with net assets value of N24.80 billion. FBN Money Market Fund, which is managed by FBN Capital Asset Management Limited, ranked third with N23.20 billion. In the earlier period ended March 14, 2014, money market funds had recorded net assets value of N48.02 billion. Real estate funds recorded net assets of N43.81 billion.

The latest report indicated that mutual funds slightly outperformed the equities market, which had recorded a year-to-date return of -6.71 per cent by May 9, 2014. It underlined expected recovery in the values of mutual funds this year. Most mutual funds’ returns had fallen significantly below average returns by the stock market and some equities’ groups in 2013. Returns by mutual funds, which included equities, fixed-income and mixed funds, ranged from -1.61 per cent to 31.5 per cent. Out of the 21 mutual funds that were tracked by The Nation, five were static; one recorded a negative return while others recorded various gains. Afrinvest (West Africa) Equity Fund recorded a return of 31.5 per cent. Paramount Equity Fund posted a return of 28.7 per cent.

Coral Growth Fund returned 25.9 per cent while Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund recorded a percentage change of 2.7 per cent. Other mutual funds with positive returns included BGL Nubian Fund, 15.4 per cent; UBA Balanced Fund, 3.1 per cent; Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund, 9.2 per cent; Nigeria International Debt Fund, 6.9 per cent; BGL Sapphire Fund, 3.5 per cent; The Frontier Fund, 8.4 per cent; Coral Income Fund, 7.9 per cent; Lotus Capital Halal Investment Fund, 1.3 per cent; BGL Sapphire Fund, 3.5 per cent; UBA Money Market Fund, 2.7 per cent; Canary Growth Fund, 6.1 per cent while FBN Heritage Fund recorded a return of 8.6 per cent. Static mutual funds included Intercontinental Integrity Fund, now known as Access Integrity Fund, ARM Aggressive Growth Fund,

Continental Unit Trust, Fidelity Nigfund and Legacy Fund. The main index at the NSE, the All Share Index (ASI)-a common value-based index that tracks all quoted equities, had recorded fullyear return of 47.19 per cent in 2013 rising from its opening index for the year of 28,078.81 points to close the year at 41,329.19 points. The performance in 2013 significantly surpassed the much applauded return in 2012 when equities posted average return of 35.45 per cent, equivalent to capital gains of N2.44 trillion. Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed 2013 at N13.226 trillion as against its opening value of N8.974 trillion for the year. This represented a whooping increase of N4.252 trillion.

Dangote Flour loses N4.7b in 3 months

ANGOTE Flour Mills (DFM) Plc lost about N4.7 billion in the first quarter, an early indication of the worsening performance of the flour-milling company. Interim report and accounts of DFM for the three-month period ended March 31, this year showed declines in sales and profitability. Turnover dropped to N18.58 billion in first quarter 2014 as against N19.13 billion recorded in the comparable period of 2013. Loss before tax stood at N4.74 billion in 2014 compared with N3.29 billion in 2013 while loss after tax more than doubled from N1.84 billion in 2013 to N4.14 billion in the year. Tiger Brands Limited, South Africa’s largest food company, has said it would write off about half of its investment in Dangote Flour Mills Plc, less than two years after buying a majority stake in the Nigeria-based producer. Tiger, which makes Jungle Oats and All Gold tomato sauce, will impair Dangote Flour’s value by 849 million rand, about $82 million, because of “underperformance” and “excess milling capacity that continues to increase in the Nigerian flour market,” the Johannesburg-based company said. The company bought a 63.5 per cent stake Dangote Flour Mills from Dangote Industries Limited in September 2012 for about $190 million, its third purchase in Nigeria. Tiger targeted acquisitions in Africa’s largest economy as it saw limited opportunities in its home market. The food producer sees earnings per share for the six months ended March 31 falling as much as 55 percent from a year earlier because of the write-off, it said in a statement. Excluding the impairment, profit from continuing operations will improve 6 percent to 10 percent, Tiger said. Tiger Brand recently indicated

•From left: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, chatting with Group Managing Director and Group Chief Executive, Notore Chemical Industries Limited, Mr Onajite Okoloko, at the Ogun State Investors Forum.

Core investors may increase shareholdings in Evans Medical

•Chairman, DFM, Alhaji Aliko Dangote

that its first-half profit declined by 52 per cent after it wrote down its investment in Nigeria’s Dangote Flour Mills Pl. Earnings dropped to 631.9 million rand ($60 million) in the six months to March 31, from 1.29 billion rand a year earlier, the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement. Tiger said May 15 it will impair Dangote Flour by 849 million rand, half its investment, due to underperformance. “Given the current underperformance of DFM and the excess milling capacity that continues to increase in the Nigerian flour market, it was considered appropriate to carry out a review of the carrying value of the company’s investment in DFM,” Tiger said in the statement. Tiger has said it would seek to boost profit from the division by expanding into “value-added” products that use flour, it said. The company will pay a half-year dividend of 3.29 rand a share, an increase of 6 percent from the same period a year earlier.

HERE are indications that the core investors in Evans Medical Plc might take advantage of the ongoing rights issue of the healthcare company to increase their shareholdings. Evans Medical is raising about N1.22 billion through a rights issue of 486.47 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at a price of N2.50 per share. The rights issue had been preallotted on the basis of one new ordinary share for every one ordinary held. Reliable market sources said the minority retail investors, who held the largest percentage of the company’s issued shares, have shown less appetite for the rights issue. Evans Medical’s market price at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) had fluctuated below the rights issue’ price and currently stands at N2.70 per share, a 20 kobo premium on the rights issue price. Market sources said the core investors have indicated interests to pick up their rights and were willing to explore the opportunity to buy renounced rights. The rights issue makes provision for other shareholders to acquire additional shares over and above their provisional allotment. On the basis of the provisional allotment, Devpharm Limited, the major shareholder in the company, is expected to provide about N342 million while another major shareholder, Liquid Africa Holdings, is expected to provide N10.4 million

while other minority retail shareholders will provide the balance of the funds. But the major investors might provide more funds to support the recapitalisation of the company, according to market sources. According to the current shareholding structure, Devpharm holds 28.03 per cent equity stake while Liquid Africa Holdings holds 8.54 per cent. Other minority shareholders hold 63.43 per cent equity stake. The net proceeds of the rights issue is estimated at N1.17 billion and would be used primarily to strengthen the balance sheet of the company. About 34 per cent of the net proceeds, estimated at N396.08 million, will be used to refinance existing debt in the current loan portfolio while another 55.5 per cent, estimated at N649.67 million, will be used as additional working capital. The balance of N125.04 million, about 10.7 per cent, will be used for the WHO cGMP certification project. According to the company, the rights issue is part of the long term strategic plan to strengthen the position of the company, and put it in good stead to surmount the challenges of the evolving pharmaceutical industry, both locally and globally. Chairman, Evans Medical Plc, Chief Saifudeen Edu, said the company was raising funds to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the healthcare industry. According to him, the company is committed to attaining the enviable

position of a large corporation with multiple plants, products brads and diversified income stream, which will make Evans Medical to be one of the most admired healthcare companies in Africa. He pointed out that in the light of the intensified regulatory efforts to curtail unfair competition and dumping of substandard drugs in Nigeria, the pharmaceuticals industry will continue to enjoy remarkable and sustained growth. “The healthcare sub sector is consolidating its gains from the crusade against substandard and adulterated products. This has led to an unprecedented rise in capacity utilization. Consequently, the industry has experienced a significant increase in turnover and size, as the effect of the reforms continue to trickle,” Edu said. He outlined the major growth factors for the industry to include government policies aimed at controlling the importation of poor quality pharmaceutical products, improved operating margins as the industry recovers market share hitherto lost to fake and adulterated cheap drugs and ongoing investment in plant rehabilitation and expansion projects aimed at meeting WHO and current general manufacturing practice standards in an effort to become globally competitive. Edu urged shareholders to pick up their rights noting that the company has a “unique growth potential in the pharmaceuticals industry”.

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

PAGE 29

•Dr. Wale Okediran (standing); Dr Tunde Adegbola and Dr Tunde Kilani

DAWN of a new era •Commission celebrates excellence

What is the idea essence of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, popularly known as the DAWN Commission? The question was answered last Friday in Ibadan when it celebrated excellence, values and hardwork as exemplified in Mr. Tade Ipadeola, the winner of the 2013 NLNG Literature Prize . OSEHEYE OKWUOFU was there.

INSIDE

S an institution that believes so much in excellence, values and reward for hard-work, DAWN Commission, an agency of the governments of Southwest states, took it upon itself to celebrate the winner of the 2013 NLNG

Only God can take me out of here •PAGE 32

Prize in Literature, Mr. Tade Ipadeola in a grand style. The content of the gathering was very instructive, though with few invited guests in attendance. Every part of the occasion was exciting and full of fun. It was not surprising. Many in attendance were

core technocrats coming from the ivory tower, mostly from the universities of Ibadan and Ife (Obafemi Awolowo). Among the dignitaries at the event are former House of Representatives member and former President of Association of Nigerian

Mortein, Lagos unite against malaria •PAGE 34

Authors (ANA), Dr. Wale Okediran, Dr. Tunde Adegbola, the DirectorGeneral, DAWN Commission, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa, the winner 2013 NLNG Prize in Literature prize, Mr. Tade Ipadeola, the Managing Director MainFrame Productions, Mr. Tunde Kelani, member Afenifere

Renewal Group, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, Dr. Sola Olorunyomi of Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan and members of the literary world. As the sizeable guests settled

Taking their destiny in own hands •PAGE 36

•Continued from Page 30

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT •Continued from Page 29 down on the seats, so the event began. It was a mix of serious business and humour such that the audience was often thrown into laughter. The book that earned the laurel “Sahara Statement” was the pride of the moment. The writer, Mr. Tade Ipadeola was more adorned. Many spoke glowingly of his humility, intelligence and hardwork. In his introductory speech, The Director-General, DAWN Commission, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa gave a hindsight into the setting up of the Commission by governments of South West states when he said the vision of the commission is to make Southwest, Nigeria, the preferred place to visit, live and do business. “DAWN Commission was set up by the governments of the Southwest states as the institution that will design and manage the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria – (DAWN). It is therefore the dedicated coordinating agency, fully empowered by the governments to ensure the delivery of the composite development aspirations of the region. “Well, I think it is necessary for us to begin to do things like this. We seem to have blurred ourselves and increasingly the society is drifting away from the things that really matters. “We celebrate charlatans in our society, we give them all kinds of bogus awards and we leave out those who actually make things happen in a positive manner in such a way that they can influence the next generation, in such a way that we can rebuild our depleting social orientation. DAWN Commission is committed to rebuilding our lost values, to retrieving those things that really matter to us and bringing such things like this, celebrating the winner of NLNG Prize in literature, Mr. Tade Ipadeola that will give us the opportunity of recovering those kinds of values that we have lost. “Like you heard in my introductory speech, DAWN Commission is the agency by the government of the states in the Southwest part of Nigeria to midwife their regional integration process. It is a development commission that has been given the part of re-integrating the development plans and programmes of the states in the Southwest part of Nigeria, to bring

•Mr Dipo Famakinwa (left) and Mr Kunle Famoriyo

DAWN of a new era

development in an integrated manner across the region. And we are working assiduously in line with the mandate that was given to us by the people and government of the region. “DAWN commission was formed in July, 2013 and we stated operation in July 2013. Well, it has been challenging and exciting as well. What we do at the commission is development work. “A few days ago, we had a meeting with all the Commissioners of Agriculture in the region and with the Minister for Agriculture in pursuance of the process of developing agriculture in our region, that for instance is part of what we do,“ he said. Speaking on the winner of the Literature Prize, Famakinwa said, “Well, I can say, as far as I know that

he won the Prize in literature. And I think it really does not matter whether I have a personal relationship with him, what we are celebrating here is his achievements and the fact that that achievement signposts some critical elements of the saying that we hold dear especially in the Southwest, excellence, reward for hardwork, rebuilding our social orientation and things like that. So, he is the sign-post of that process, he is the symbol of that process and that is why we decided to celebrate him.” He said it was in realisation of this goal that the commission is hosting the winner of 2013 NLNG Prize in Literature. The reviewer of the book ”Sahara Statement” Dr. Seni Pinheiro said Tade Ipadeola demonstrated uncanning interest, powerful use of contrast and coherence of thoughts,

noting that throughout the book, he showed that he is deeply a Yoruba man as this was reflected in all his poems. Dr. Wale Okediran, former President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), described award winner, Tade Ipadeola as a very intelligent fellow, talented, well rounded and a sticker for perfection, saying “We are not surprised that he won this award, its long over-due.” Dr. Okediran also used the occasion to reflect on the state of the nation, especially on the abduction of over 200 girls by the Boko Haram sect. “I think the Federal Government was too slow in tackling the matter and was also a victim of a calculation that the whole idea of Boko Haram was orchestrated by a section of the North, who do not want him to succeed as president, instead of handling the matter as a statesman and leader. “But now that he has accepted offer from outside the country, I hope he would also take advice from well meaning leaders to put an end to this bloodshed,” he said. Okediran, who expressed dismay on the killings in some parts of the country, canvassed for the creation of state police as a measure to curb the increasing insecurity in the country. He said, ”I believe that police op-

eration should be decentralised if we want it to be effective. And all the fears that each state may abuse the state police are not tenable, it is also something that we can prevent and that is why laws are made to safeguard such things. While there should be laws that establish state police, there should also be laws to guide against abuse. “I think any assistance from US, UK and other countries to rescue the girls should be helpful, it is just that at this point in time we are at our weak end and if care is not taken these people may over-run us successfully. So, I believe that the assistance of US, UK, China and others should be accepted and as far as possible we should take advantage of their high technology as much as possible.” In his response, the celebrant, Mr. Tade Ipadeola expressed profound gratitude for the honour. “I feel good, I feel gratified. It is something to be joyful about when your efforts are recognised abroad but more importantly when it is recognised at home. This gives me special joy and what DAWN Commission has done gladdens my heart more than anything else, it is not about money, it is about the fact that your own people recognise your contributions to the cultural development of your society,” he said.

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We celebrate charlatans in our society, we give them all kinds of bogus awards and we leave out those who actually make things happen in a positive manner in such a way that they can influence the next generation, in such a way that we can rebuild our depleting social orientation •Mr Tade Ipadeola and a guest at the event

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‘ THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

T was another day of honour recently at the cosy ambience of Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, as the cerebral Governor of Ekiti State Dr. Kayode Fayemi was garlanded as the winner of the Champions Newspaper’s Governor of the Year award. The event provided yet another opportunity for eminent Nigerians to celebrate the man reputed to have, in the last three and half years, thoroughly transformed Ekiti State. Fayemi wasn’t the only one that received awards at the colourful ceremony. Other winners at the event chaired by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, include renowned industrialist and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, (Champion’s 2013 Man of the Year), Mr. Peter Obi, (Outstanding Igbo Personality of the Year), Chief Sunny Dike Odogwu, (Lifetime Achievement), Chief Emeka Anyaoku, (Lifetime Achievement), Chief Ralph Uwechue, (Lifetime Achievement), Chairman of Honeywell Group, Dr. Oba Otudeko, Dame Abimbola Fashola, (Heart of Gold), Lady Mercy Odochi Orji, (Heart of Gold), Dr. (Mrs.) Stella Okoli, (Heart of Gold), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, (Minister of the Year), Chief Leo Stan-Ekeh, (ICT Personality of the Year), and Engr. Earnest Nwapa, (Oil and Gas Personality of the Year). Globacom Limited, Zenith Bank and Mutual Benefit Assurance were equally honoured. But it was Fayemi’s award that threatened to bring the roof down on the occasion. Speaker after speaker unleashed a torrent of panegyrics on the activist governor. In his welcome address, Executive Chairman of Champion Newspapers, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who was represented by Chief Bonnie Mnachukwu, described all the winners as men and women that had provided sacrificial leadership in the country. His words: “Our 2013 awardees are certainly deserving of their awards. These recognitions were not meant to massage anyone’s ego or to promote frivolity. Our newspaper conducted an independent investigation of the activities of the award winners. Our assessment of the awardees was without their knowledge and without their approval. “Our country is moving towards turning the corner and it has therefore become imperative to appreciate those who provide sacrificial leadership. “There is no doubt that there is a dearth of committed and selfless leaders in our society today, not only in politics but also in the economy, education, industry, academia and a host of others. As we consolidate our democracy, there is no other time than now to begin a process of identifying and celebrating those who have effectively utilised any and every opportunity to lead at one level or the other for the good of our people. “This is our modest way of contributing to the uplift of our society by providing a veritable platform to recognise selfless service among public office holders.” Also speaking, chairman of the event and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal expressed satisfaction at the calibre of individuals and groups being honoured by the newspaper organisation. “It is true that despite the many problems we face as a nation, most of which can be blamed on the lack of the political will of most leaders, there have been people who

‘It’s a privilege to serve my people’ For the second year running, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has won ‘Governor of the Year’ award and he dedicates the honour to the people of his state whom he says it is a privilege to serve, MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE reports

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•From left, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Governor Fayemi, Hon. Tambuwal and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi at the event have been able to raise the bar. Awards like this serve as recognition of the efforts of such people and help to set agenda on the kind of leadership we should have,” Tambuwal noted, even as he called on the media to help influence policy and set the agenda that can ensure society’s progress. “The media must be become more objective, more nationalistic and more democratic. The freedom of information bill, which the National Assembly passed into law, has improved and broadened the aspect of access to information. The media must take advantage of this and investigate properly in order to disseminate information that can make people to reach a rational conclusion on issues,” he stated. In his speech, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola released a downpour of accolades on Fayemi, describing the Ekiti State helmsman as his friend and brother. “He is a very selfless leader,” Fashola said of the awardee. “He is someone who has shown to us how strong he can be. Even though his intellectual disposition suggests that he prefers staying in the comfort of his office, but he is still committed beyond that, and when he is committed to a cause you can be sure he pursues it so judiciously. He held on to his mandate in spite of the obvious odds against him. He went from court to court in pursuit of justice and when that justice was served, he continued to use it for the benefit of his people and for the purpose he achieved it. I think it is such value and strength of character that has failed to elude the attention of the Champion Newspapers and resulted to his choice of the newspaper’s 2013 Governor of the Year. I believe this is to also encourage him to do more.” Fashola described his wife, Abimbola, who was also honoured at the event, as a pillar of strength and a woman with the heart of

I dedicate the award to the good people of Ekiti State.... For me, it is a great privilege and honour to serve my people. It is rare for one to attain such heights in our country, so for those who are endowed with the privilege to serve our dear country, at this highest office, we owe them a duty to serve diligently, selflessly and with great compassion

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gold. “Since I met my wife, my life has been going in a positive direction,” he informed the guests. Another awardee and immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said Fayemi’s performance so far had placed him at an advantage over other contestants in the forthcoming governorship polls in Ekiti. He intoned: “For the others, they would say what they would do, but Governor Fayemi would be saying what he has done already. That is to show you how patriotic and effective he is. I want to congratulate him and other awardees.” A tumultuous cheer from the audience rent the air as Fayemi was summoned to receive his award. Resplendent in his blue agbada and a wine-red Awo cap, the governor, who beamed with smiles, stepped to the podium, accompanied by his wife, Erelu Bisi, Fashola, Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, his deputy, Professor Modupe Adelabu and other dignitaries. The award was presented to him by Tambuwal. In his acceptance speech, Fayemi

praised the organisers of the event for appreciating his efforts at uplifting his people. He also thanked his wife for being a pillar of support, just as he expressed gratitude to his children and family for coping with the stress of his busy schedules. “I dedicate the award to the good people of Ekiti State,” said the governor. “For me, it is a great privilege and honour to serve my people. It is rare for one to attain such heights in our country, so for those who are endowed with the privilege to serve our dear country, at this highest office, we owe them a duty to serve diligently, selflessly and with great compassion and other similar ways. That is what we have done in the last three and half years in office. The evidence of that transformation agenda is all over the state for all to see. I do agree with Mr. Peter Obi that I am running for the second term on the strength of my great performance. The things that I have done in about 132 communities in our state are very visible and are evidence of performance all

over the state. So, for me, this award is an encouragement for us to continue to work harder. I want to thank the people of Ekiti State for giving this rare opportunity of leading our state back to the path of honour. “This is not my first award as Governor of the Year. I also won the Leadership Newspapers 2012 Governor of the Year Award. So, as I go into the gubernatorial race the second time, the people of Nigeria already recognised that we have served our people well and we are building on that legacy of sound service to our people. We will build on that foundation of development and continue to contribute our quota to make Ekiti State great.” Olayinka Oyebode, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said his principal indeed deserved the award owing to his palpable transformation of Ekiti State in all areas. “The governor always puts the people of the state first in all decisions he makes, and this is responsible for the rapid and massive development visible in the state presently. He ensures massive development in all areas, be it health, education, human capital development, agriculture and empowerment to mention just a few. He has put in place a lot of programmes that are impacting positively on the lives of the people. In 2012, he won the Leadership Newspaper’s Governor of the Year award. Even in South Africa, and now the Champion Newspapers 2013 Governor of the Year. Don’t forget that he was also awarded the Best Governor to develop ICT in his state. He has also won awards in South Africa and The Netherlands, among others. All these are recognitions of his great performance in office.” A group of Ekiti dancers enlivened the event. They praised Fayemi for taking care of the people, including the aged, who now receive monthly stipends from the state.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

ARLY every morning, Jesu Semadegbe jetty in Makoko slums plays host to hundreds of commuters jostling to catch one or the other of several hand paddled canoes which are trying to find their way into the tiny stretch of the jetty. Because there are as many as 50 canoes trying either to berth or depart the shores for the Makoko floating houses built on Lagos Lagoon, from the tiny stretch of the jetty which can only accommodate 10 canoes at a time, there is usually what the locals call “canoe jam.” Most of the drivers are children slightly above 10 years old and they jostle to get the attention of passengers each offering what is termed a “competitive price” for a trip on the dirty black water of the Lagoon. In the ensuing chaos, school children get pushed over each other, market women and floating supermarkets get locked up in the labyrinth, people scream, some children cried, confusion reigned, it was total disorder. This is Makoko, a slum community that afflicts the heart of Lagos. Not many Lagosians have been to this slum or even heard about it. It is a community, totally excluded from civilisation , hidden from the prying eyes of Lagos residents. Standing in the middle of Yaba, it is difficult to believe Makoko exists, but it does and it is only a few kilometres away. The community is divided into two, the land and the sea. On the land, the houses are built tightly against each other leaving only tiny, long and winding pathways to serve as roads. Inside this part of Makoko, almost every house has a store either in front or by the side. By the northern fringe, a small house could be distinguished as belonging to a herbalist. A man sat inside the dimly lit sitting room while the herbalist prepares concussion in the inner room. On the entrance of the house, he drew a rectangle using different colours. By the side of the house, two boys began to prepare two local chickens killed in the most violent fashion, smiling as they perform what obviously was a pleasurable task. All around the neighbourhood, the only thing that remains constant is the filth. But the sea offers a totally different view of the slum. From Jesu Semadegbe jetty, there are at least 200 houses built on stilts. From a point on the Third Mainland Bridge, one can see several huts dotting the waterfront landscape ‘floating’ on the water. Makoko is a community that has defied and astonished scientists and environmentalists who had predicted one doom after doom for the area and its people. Despite the unsanitary conditions, the harsh living environment and unavoidable nature’s interference, the community has remained. But its invincibility came to an end in July 2012, when fed up with the horrible spectacle the community presents to the city, the Lagos State Government decided to put an end to its existence. In the ensuing destruction, several houses built on the water were demolished in one fell swoop. It was in that operation that Hounkpo Yawani Timothy, a community leader was killed, allegedly by the bullets of a police officer attached to the demolition team. A team of human and environmental rights activists have since risen up in fierce defense of the community. Today, there is a Tee shirt which many of the youth in Makoko wears with the inscription: “Makoko, our home. We have a right to remain.”

Life on the water is good The inhabitants of Makoko are

Only God can take me out of here, says Makoko youth majorly the Egun people of Badagry though there are sprinkle of Ijaw and Ilaje people too. Egun is the official language of the community both on land and water. According to available statistics, there are more than 10,000 inhabitants of Makoko, many of whom work outside the community. But a majority of the people follows after the profession of fishing; this is especially true of the women. The journey into the heart of Makoko begins from JesuDegbe jetty, where several canoes and their child drivers are waiting. The kids are used to tourists who just want to paddle round the area and see the community and the kids are quick to spot such tourists. “I can take you around and you just pay me N1,000 ,” one said. Other disputed with him and one even went as low as N200 for a round trip of the community. The canoes are not especially safe and for many of them, the driver had to bail out water which had accumulated inside during the previous trip before starting a new one. Makoko water is dirty and black and this is where half of the houses were built. As one paddles along the tiny waterways which often turn into a labyrinth, the poverty of the inhabitants of the slum stared hard in the face. Children played outside the houses, while their mothers cook lunch in kitchens, standing beside the living room. Most of the houses on the water are single room apartments all built closely together leaving little space for canoes to pass in between. As one canoe passes the other, they make desperate efforts not to collide but were not often successful as accidents are frequent but no one had fallen into the river yet. Sometimes, three canoes can collide with each other and the guilty driver is scolded as each tried to entangle himself from the other. One of the greatest challenges of Makoko is sanitation. None of the houses had a toilet or sewage disposal. All dirt, including human wastes are safely deposited in the water which also serves as the bathroom and toilets. It is not uncommon to find a child doing his toilet on one part of the river while another child is taking a shower on the further side. This is where all the washings are done too and when one needs clean water for cooking, you simply jump into your canoe and paddle further down towards the bridge to fetch the water. The greatest need of an average Makoko resident is a canoe. All children are taught how to paddle from early stage and with that they learnt to swim. But it may be economically tasking for the poor people of Makoko as a small canoe costs a staggering N22,000. Many families rely on the commercial canoe for transportation. A typical children’s play may involve hide and seek under the houses, the child that can stay longer under the dirty black water wins. But, it is hard to see a Makoko resident speak ill of the community. For many of them interviewed by The Nation, life is good in Makoko. “Living here is not hard because the work and the culture of the people blend with the environment,” Reverend Peter Dosu, of the Makoko Methodist Church told The Nation. For four years, he has been in charge of the church in the community and seen it

Almost a year after an attempted forceful eviction from the waterfront, Makoko residents say they are planning to build a new city from the ruins of the old one. But at present, no living compares to the one they have. SEUN AKIOYE reports

•A hawker on the river

•Passenger movement at JesuDegbe jetty place, we are peace loving people and we don’t have any problems,” Zola said. But, for Banke Olorunwa, who recently finished his secondary education at the Lagos City Senior College Yaba, only God can make him leave Makoko. “Do you know why we will remain here? It is because when you go outside, there is no work, but here our people are fishermen and as long as there are fishes there will be jobs for us. We live freely here no robbers, no disease or any problem, only God knows if I will leave this place.”

Floating supermarket, dispensary

•Makoko river pathway grow to about 250 memberships. “The houses are better than the houses you find in Victoria Island, in the view of the people. Here, there is natural breeze, you can

PHOTOS: SEUN AKIOYE

never hear that the houses collapsed. Also here, there is no sickness or any of that criminality you often find in town and the people have no problem,” Dosu said.

Monday Zola agreed with Dosu. A native of Makoko, Monday, has lived all his life on the water and though he learnt the art of fishing from his parents he is also a

trained fashion designer. “This is our home, the only one we know. We were born here and we are fishermen. I do not see any reason why we should leave this

Katherine Lokosu steers her boat away from the jetty, retrieved her paddle from the floor of the canoe and began to paddle slowly. Inside her tiny canoe, the fire from the stove which stood in the middle burned with steady intensity. A small pan filled with hot oil sat on the stove while another pot filled with cooked beans sat beside it. Lokosu is not your typical entrepreneur. She is one of the several hawkers who ply their wares all over Makoko from the comfort of their canoes, call them the floating supermarket and you will be right. From food to stationeries and drugs are sold by these hawkers rowing all over the water and calling out their wares. But the strange part is that, they cook the food in the canoe and somehow manage to paddle at the same time. “I sell beans and puff puff and I cook them from this canoe,” Lokosu said. She, like the others, has an intricate accounting system whereby she buys her raw food on credit and pays back after hawking round the lagoon. “I chose to sell this way. If we don’t, the people living on the water won’t have anything to eat. So we are doing a good service,” she

‘ Bassey said, Makoko is a metaphor for resilience in the face of enormous pressure, the lessons of Makoko, he said can be denied by the outside world to its peril. He described the community as a place for opportunities and hope

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said.” The floating canteen is always a pleasurable sight to behold. The seller yells out her wares in a sing song “Lessin nan walo” (rice seller is here) and buyers emerge from their stilt houses, move close to the canoe and complete the transaction.

A lesson from Sustainability Academy On Friday, May 23, 2014, the train of Sustainability Academy of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), landed on the waters of Makoko. Led by the Executive Director and frontline environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, the academy chose Makoko as the venue for its third in the series of sustainability workshops tagged: Turmoil in Africa: Uprising or Chaos? It had

held in Abuja and Bori, Ogoni. The youths of Makoko treated the visitors like royalties. A boat was hired and the cultural troupe made up of young boys and girls and armed with drums, sticks and their voices set sail for the Whanyina Nursery and Primary School known to the outside world as the floating school, venue of the workshop. Many children and adults left their posts to witness the unusual spectacle as the community converged on the floating school. Bassey said, only Makoko is a metaphor for resilience in the face of enormous pressure, the lessons of Makoko, he said can only be denied by the outside world to its peril. He described the community as a place for opportunities and hope. Drawing intricate lessons from

the community, Bassey said the houses in Makoko were built in sync with nature and not against it. “Makoko teases the sea by sitting on it. The floating school speaks volume about how to face sea level rise and deflect its sting, it is built and designed to float so that if sea level rises it rises with it,” Bassey said. The instigator of the Academy, Firoze Manji, an environmentalist and Director of Pan African Institute of ThoughtWorks praised the people of Makoko for their resilience and courage in building a better life for themselves. He said the academy was in the community as a sign of solidarity but berates the government for allowing the people to suffer. “Nigeria, the country with the highest GDP in Africa allows her people to suffer, when you go along the water, you will see the high level of pollution. The people here need adequate health service,” Manji said. HOMEF places the responsibility of sustaining the environment on the government. “Nigerian and African leaders must protect our environment and peoples from the activities of rampaging resource extractors, ensure that environmental costs do not continue to be externalised to the people/environment and that ecological crimes are severely sanctioned.”

A Makoko of the future The grouse of the Lagos State government against Makoko dwellers are many but chief among them are safety and health concerns. But the people of the community have come up with an ingenious plan to forestall any further plans of the government to demolish the houses. “The community has a new plan for the houses on the water that will have all modern amenities, there is a new innovation in the new plan and I hope the government can accept that plan,” Dosu said. The new developmental plan, The Nation gathered will include toilet facilities for all the houses and new and improved designs that would make for healthy living for the people. It was also gathered that there will be no structures under the power line. “We are still here because of the intervention of human rights activists, the tension is down and we have a new development plan for this place so the government doesn’t need to demolish this place, we will develop this place and better things will come to us,” Mattew Kusikan, a youth executive said. It is easy to picture a new floating city, complete with all the modern amenities and infrastructures. Schools, water road tracts, all carefully laid out. And as millions of Lagosians ply the third mainland bridge every morning, neon lights and gigantic signboard welcome the onlookers to Makoko. This is the dream of Daniel, a 14-year-old boat taxi driver. But for now, he has to descend from his high horse of day dreaming and face the ‘future’ at hand. He has made barely N200 that day and was desperate for more. “I will take you round Makoko, you will go to the floating school, there is a party there now. Just pay me N500,” he told a newly arrived tourist. The visitor agreed and Daniel jumped into his canoe and paddled furiously down the dirty black waters of his home. In his mind, he was paddling towards the neon lights.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

Firm, Lagos unite against malaria

ALARIA is a major cause of infant and maternal mortality in Nigeria. It reportedly accounts for over 600 deaths daily in children less than five years and most deaths in expectant mothers, especially those in rural and semi-urban areas. It is also the main reason for out-patient admissions and visits to health facilities. Moved by the plight of new mothers and children that are being afflicted with malaria, Reckitt Benckiser, through its insecticide brand Mortein has, again intensified the anti-malaria campaign as part of its corporate social responsibilities (CRS) during the commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD), in Lagos. To commemorate the day, the Mortein Anti-Malaria Campaign train was at some public hospitals in Lagos to give succour to new mothers and babies whose delivery coincided with the World Malaria Day. One of the hospitals visited was the General Hospital, Ajeromi in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, where Mrs. Gift Odia and her baby boy were presented with a certificate, cartons of Mortein insecticide and other baby gifts. The team also visited the Primary Health Centre, Ijora, in Apapa Local Government, where Mrs. Kafayat Tajudeen and her newly born baby girl also received a certificate, cartons of Mortein insecticide and baby gifts. The beneficiaries would also receive free supply of Mortein insecticide for five years to ensure their continued protection against malaria. Explaining what informed the ini-

By Chinaka Okoro

tiative, the Marketing Director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Oguzhan Silivrili, said malaria has become a global health concern because millions of deaths occurred annually due to malaria, even as he said that in Africa alone, over 3,000 children have been reported to have died daily from malaria. “As I speak to you, millions of people are suffering from malaria all over the world and 3,000 kids in Africa reportedly die daily from malarial scourge,” he said. He added that the gesture from the company aligned with its global mission and vision of building healthier lives and happier homes, stressing that “we see malaria as a serious threat to the health of new mothers and their babies.” Silivrili further unfolded plans by Mortein to reach 500,000 new mothers and children this year through a series of engagements that would create awareness and provide education and counsel that would help them to be free from malaria. The Marketing Director was accompanied to the hospitals by two executive members of the company, namely the Brand Manager, Mortein, Mr. Oladipupo Ogundele and the Marketing and Activation Lead, West Africa, Mrs. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi. Officials of the Lagos State government witnessed the presentation of certificates and gifts. Ogundele, on his part, revealed that the Mortein Anti-Malaria Campaign was in line with the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) programme

and other initiatives aimed at eradicating the malaria pandemic, especially in Africa. ‘‘Mortein cares about the effect this disease has on women and children and is sparing no effort to ensure a significant reduction and eventual elimination of malaria in Nigeria,” he stated. He added that Mortein was forging deeper exploration of maternal perceptions and responses to malaria through various initiatives, even as he said part of efforts to eliminate malaria was to educate more consumers about the need to take preventive measures against malaria by maintaining clean environment, avoiding stagnant water that breed mosquitoes and sleeping under insecticides treated nets. On the control of vectors that cause malaria, the Roll Back Malaria Manager for Apapa Local Government, who is also the Chief Nursing Officer at the Ijora primary health centre (PHC), Mrs. Finnih Oluwatoyin, said it was a simple and low cost strategy which residents should embrace. Health experts say vector control is a fundamental element of the existing strategy in fighting malaria, even as they added that vector control interventions have proven success track record of reducing or interrupting disease transmission, particularly in areas that are highly prone to malaria. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are two globally-acknowledged malaria vector control measures as experts have identified

•Ugueze

new mothers that one mosquito bite was enough to cause malaria, stressing that Mortein is fortified with the capacity to ‘‘kill mosquitoes perfectly’’ which he said is the key benefit of the product. He said: “We wake up every day with the consumer in mind. Our mission is to ensure healthier lives and happier homes for our consumers and that is why we are taking

It was a sad end for a gang of highway robbers that had been terrorizing the Ajah area of Lagos state for some time now as men of the Highway Patrol unit of the Oyo State Police Command recently brought their reign of terror to an end. TAYO JOHNSON reports

By Jude Isiguzo

bust. There was a summersault. When the dust settled, two brave and courageous policemen were dead. Two others were critically wounded. Those that lost their lives are Inspector Evbouan Aigbokhai from Edo State with AP/No 100445 and Sergeant Nuru Aliyu from Katsina State with Force/No 210849. They were confirmed dead at the University College Hospital Ibadan. Ugueze Cyprian, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), with AP No 95298 and Corporal Kasiari Ambrose with Force/No 381510, sustained serious injuries and are now receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. A source close to the Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kiyari, a Superintendent of Police said: “The Commissioner was sad and depressed all through when the men died. In fact, he is yet to recover from the shock. The team is one of his best and the men that died highly reliable and dependable.” It was gathered that Aliyu was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on February 1, 2000. He served with Mopol 25 Azumini Abia State before coming to Lagos. He was posted to SARS in October 2010 almost same time with Kiyari. He was very close to the SARS commander and friendly to everybody in his department. A source said he was the Personal Assistant (PA), to the Commander SARS and one of the bravest and gallant men “we had in SARS”. He was part of the team that arrested notorious criminals like Godogodo, China the deadly kidnapper, and

Mortein as fulfilling the IRS requirement because of its safety for mothers and young children below age five. This is so because they do not need to leave the room when it is sprayed. This informs the product’s two-pronged approach of giving out free cans of the insecticide and treated mosquito nets as part of activities during the day. To this end, Silivrili reminded

Highway robbers meet waterloo in Ibadan

How anti-robbery policemen died fighting crime HEY were the arrow heads of the Lagos State Police command’s fight against crime, so when Inspector Evbouan Aigbokhai and Sergeant Nuru Aliyu died, the ploice heirachy in the state was in deep mourning. Even the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Manko could not but shed tears. It was in the afternoon of Sunday, May 11, about 2:30pm. Officers and men from State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) team nine were returning from Kaduna State, where they had gone on investigation. They had gone on that trip from Lagos on the trail of some criminals and after a painstaking investigation, were able to arrest some suspects. However, somewhere around Onigari Village, along LagosIbadan Expressway, the front tyre of the vehicle they were travelling in

•From left: Medical Officer, Health, Apapa Local Government Area, Dr. Sola Tanimowo; Mrs. Tajudeen; Mrs Finnih and Mr. Ogundele during the presentation

•Nuru Emmanuel Arab, a key member of Sunday September 9 2012 black Sunday robbery attack in Lagos where police recovered 12 AK-47 Rifles and one GPMG. He was also part of the team that arrested Kinsgley-led deadly kidnappers in 2011, where police recovered two rocket launchers, two GPMG and nine AK-47 Rifles. Aliyu was a recipient of Gallantry and Service Excellence Award from His Excellency Governor Babatunder Raji Fashola in December 2011 and Inspector-General of Police Commendation for Courage Award on March 17, last year. Evbouan was enlisted into the force on January 1, 1991. He had served in several formations before he was posted to SARS on November 4, 2013. He was popularly known as Man of God in SARS and admired by all. Though he was just few months old in SARS, he had contributed in arresting several armed robbers and recovery of many stolen cars. A source close to their command said: “We will miss them and we pray that God will grant them rest. They fought crime all their lives and we will ensure that we do not disappoint them. We will continue where they stopped.”

HE end has come for a gang of highway robbers that had been terrorising motorists and residents of Ajah area of Lagos State, thanks to the activities of the Oyo State Police command. The gang which had for long remained a threat to peace in the area was arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by a team of policemen from the Highway Patrol unit of the command. The robbers, who were paraded in Ibadan last week, allegedly robbed a woman of her Toyota Camry car at gun point in Ajah in Lagos, and were escaping towards the Oyo State capital, when they were intercepted by the

‘

As the patrol team was trying to interrogate the occupants of the vehicle, three of the occupants jumped out of the car and escaped into the bush

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police. It was gathered that the four-man gang after robbing the woman of her car, forced her into the vehicle and later drove towards Third Mainland Bridge heading for Ibadan. Somewhere on the bridge, the woman was dropped off and given N400 to join a commercial vehicle back home. But luck ran against the robbers when they encountered a Highway Patrol team along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which stopped them for routine checks. But as they were being interrogated, three members of the gang ran out of the car and escaped into the bush leaving only the driver, 28-year-old Semiu Sikiru, who was arrested on the spot. One other member of the gang 27-year-old Daniel Okorie was later tracked down to Challenge area of Ibadan by the police and arrested. Addressing journalists at Eleyele Police Command headquarters, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Indabawa, revealed that the federal highway patrol team that arrested the suspect was led by Inspector Ihedoro Emmanuel, while the intercepted the stolen car had a registration number DL 550 BEN. Indabawa explained that: “As the patrol team was trying to interrogate the occupants of the vehicle, three of the occupants jumped out of the car and escaped into the bush, adding that the unrelenting effort of the policemen led to the arrest of one of the fleeing

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

T was a case that grabbed nationwide attention. A medical doctor, Babawale Joshua had been accused of mutilating certain parts of the body of a dead patient for money rituals as alleged by none other than the parents of the patient. But nearly one year after, the lead counsel in the case, Mr. Alao Akintunde, has spoken out about how his client was framed by the same community he served as a medical doctor. The lawyer said there was no truth in the allegations levelled against the owner of Ajike Medical Centre, Saka village, Ajegunle, Ogun State, Dr. Joshua but that he was framed by the father of the child and the community at large. Akintunde, who spoke to The Nation narrated the story as told by his client: “Dr. Joshua explained to me that there was this particular patient named Obinna Oleh, who had been patronising his clinic for a very long time. On Friday, June 7, 2013, he brought his sick son, one Kingsley Oleh, aged one year and two months to his hospital. After examining the child, he was diagnosed to be suffering from congested cardiac failure, secondary to bronco-pneumonia. This was after he had measles which was not treated.” Akitunde further said while the parents were billed N15,000 the father could only pay N2,000 but the doctor on duty admitted the patient and commenced treatment. “Unfor-

malaria as a serious threat to the health of the consumers. To achieve maximum success, we have entered into partnership with the Lagos State government to fight it.’’ Ogundele said the eradication of malaria in Nigeria was the ultimate aim for the company so that mothers and their babies can always have good sleep and most importantly live healthier life.

suspects identified as Daniel at Orita Challenge area of Ibadan. The police boss gave an assurance that the other suspects at large would soon be arrested. Speaking with The Nation, one of the suspects, simply identified as Semiu, confessed to the crime, saying that his role in the gang was only to drive anytime they snatched cars. According to him, the Toyota Camry vehicle was snatched from a woman in Ajah area of Lagos before they proceeded to Ibadan. Also, his partner in crime, Daniel also confessed to the crime, saying that immediately the car was snatched from the woman they drove her in the vehicle and dropped her off on the Third Mainland Bridge and gave her N400 as transport fare. He stated that he escaped into the bush with two others when policemen stopped them but was arrested later in Ibadan, where they had gone to meet with a buyer of the vehicle identified as Sola. Daniel said the gang had successfully snatched four vehicles from their owners at gun point. Also, a member of another gang of armed robbers simply called Uche was arrested along Ogbomosho/ Ilorin Road by men of the Oyo State police command. Uche confessed that his gang normally operates on the highway by nailing sharp irons in the middle of the road to entrap unsuspecting motorists. Their evil plan caught a trailer driver when the tyres of his truck were punctured by the sharp iron. But as the robbers converged on the vehicle to conclude their plot, a team of police that had laid ambush on the road pounded on them after which one of them named” Enukwe” who stays around Agbowo area in Ibadan was hit by the police bullet and was arrested. Indabawa, however, promised to track down those robbers that escaped, while advising the people of the state to be security conscious and report any suspect to the nearest police station.

Alleged child mutilation: I am innocent, says doctor Almost one year after the celebrated case of the doctor alleged to have used some body parts of his deceased patient for a ritual, Dr Babawale Joshua of Ajike Medical Centre in Ajegunle, Ogun State has come out through his lawyer, Alao Akintunde, to tell his own side of the story. SEUN AKIOYE reports tunately, the patient passed on overnight and Mr. Oleh was asked to come and pick the corpse. But probably because he felt he had not been able to fulfill his financial obligation of N15,000 medical fees as he only deposited N2,000 before the child died, he left the baby at the hospital all night. I was told that he later came back to pick the corpse and went home with it only to come back again, beat the hospital security and dropped the corpse on the hospital bed.” The case became more complicated from there. According to Joshua, when he was informed about the development he went to the hospital and was almost lynched by the crowd who accused him of using certain parts of the body of the child for money rituals. “I was almost lynched by the crowd, it was the police at Sango that came to my rescue. The

body of the child was taken to the general hospital and a post-mortem was performed on it. It was discovered that all the allegations were lies. At this time the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), had been involved and when the case was charged to court, it was discovered everything was a fabrication,” he said. However, the doctor’s ordeals were far from over, after he was arraigned before the court, he was rearrested by the police at Adeniji Adele and Onikan, following a petition by the father of the child. According to Akintunde, the doctor was humiliated and dehumanised and “escaped death by whiskers.” But what could have prompted the community which the doctor had served diligently for many years to turn against him? “I heard that the head of the community had on sev-

eral occasion invited Dr. Babawale, whose hospital is about the biggest, most beautiful and well equipped in the neighbourhood, to be part of rituals they do for the community but he, being a member of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries and also a pastor in the church said it was against his calling to be a part of such a thing. He said once he commits a dime to rituals it means he has given his consent which negates his belief. From then they started looking for a way to hurt him, “Akintunde said. However, one year after his ordeal, Joshua said he gave all the glory to God who had delivered him from his accusers. Also, The Nation learnt that the father of the child has also relocated from the community. Many residents of the area however maintained silence saying they did not want to comment on a case they didn’t know about.

Residents of Gaun-un, an Ogun State community, have completed a self-help project to fight flooding; now they want the government to give their community a touch of civilisation. DADA ALADELOKUN reports

ESIDENTS of Gau-un, a rustic neighbour of Magboro community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, have with a N7 million Akisa Bridge, helped themselves to move against incessant flooding and its attendant agonies that had for years, given them nightmares. Obviously, but for lack of adequate pecuniary muscle to do so, the residents, who turned out in their Sunday best for the celebration, would have gleefully hired their choice musician for the outing. Amid hearty songs, residents trooped out in good numbers for the carnival-like event. It was like a dance competition. Youths of the community dined and wined. Sumptuous meals were washed down throats with assorted drinks as the revelry shook the neighbourhood. Well-wishers from neighbouring settlements were there to rejoice with the residents. “But this celebration appears too much over a bridge…” This reporter wondered to the hearing of the Mr Rasaq Sanni, who chairs the community’s parent body, Araromi Community Development Association (ACDA). After drawing a thoughtful sigh, Sanni chuckled and said: “This is a community of about 3,500 inhabitants. He who feels it knows it. Flood had dragged us through hell here. We once had to move in and out of here with canoes at varied costs. The worst came when in October 2009, the Oyan Dam water was released. Many of us were displaced while some lost valuables to flooding. That was when we thought of contributing money to build a bridge to make our only major route passable. Our traditional ruler, Oba Usman-Seidu Akanbi Gbadewolu 1 was impressively supportive. The

•The bridge

Community tackles flood with N7m bridge first bridge cost N1.2 million. “Again, in September 2010, the dam was opened and the attendant flooding gave us worse tears as it damaged the bridge beyond repairs. Then, we had to start all over again to plan for a more durable bridge. That was how we started this newly complete bridge that we are commissioning today. Some donated money while many contributed materials. Three families here – Adejonlu, Balogun Oko-Osi and Olalere – really supported us. This is why this celebration is worthwhile. “It is good that we are here celebrating today. In those days when flood terror reigned, nobody would go out. I have had to stay indoors with my family for days, especially whenever the dam was released. We thank God for the resilience of most of the residents who bore the anguish with incredible equanimity, patience and understanding, Dupe Onabanjo, the ACDA’s Vice-Chairman cut in. Another resident, Mama Sola, a petty trader, told The Nation that

flood nearly forced his family to relocate in 2010, “when the situation here became almost unbearable. “I suspended my petty trading; there was no space to display my wares as flood water had taken over everywhere. In fact, that was when my prayer to God was for Him not to allow flood water to sweep my children away. Today, the situation is better with this bridge. The community has done well for itself. All we want now is for the government to remember us in the other areas of development,” she said. After the curtains drew over the outing, it was time for the residents to look into other areas of their need as Sanni hosted an ad-hoc meeting with other officers of the ACDA on other areas of their need. He spoke to The Nation again after the parley, saying: “Our battle is not over. Now is the time for us to look unto the government because we all pay tax here. And during elections, we have never shirked our civic responsibilities. “Since we settled here till date, we have been living on power genera-

tors as if we are still in the dark ages. Government must hasten the process of providing us with electricity. The money we spend on fueling generators here is unquantifiable. We have been on the neck of successive administrations in the state and we will never get tired of reminding them that we are here.” Lamenting the absence of motorable roads in the area, Sanni added: “Even the Akisa Bridge must be expanded while the Akisa River must be dredged to allow for free flow of flood water during raining seasons. We lack healthcare centre; there is no police post here to prevent crimes and ensure security of lives and property. The only public primary school here is dilapidated; only God knows when we shall be blessed with a public secondary school. Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration listens; we want them to heed our call for better life here.” As other residents clustered around the reporter to bemoan their fate, it was clear that the residents were hungry for better days.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SOUTHWEST REPORT

Their destiny in their hands Lagging behind the other ethnic groups in Ogun State in virtually all areas of human development, the people of Yewa have decided to literally take their destiny in their hands by identifying their problems and proffering solutions to them. ERNEST NWOKOLO reports

HE Yewa, an ethnic group which constitutes the Ogun West Senatorial district of the Gateway State, is on the march to self re-awakening. Strategically located on the western part of Ogun State, with a good number of their communities sharing boundaries with the Republic of Benin, the people, though share a rich history with the other ethnic nationalities, seems to be lagging behind the rest. Though the first international border and sea port started in Ijofin in Yewaland where the British hoisted its flag in 1914 and also hosts the maiden station of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the area could best be described as forgotten when compared with the rest of the state. From the era of western region to the present day in Ogun State, the people and the area generally trail behind their counterparts in the state, the Egbas (Ogun Central) or the Ijebu/Remo (Ogun East) on most indices of growth and development. And nowhere is this more sharply observed than in the lives of their youths, the expected future leaders of Yewaland and beyond, who are neither prepared nor equipped enough to fit into that role tomorrow. The strategic location of Yewaland which ought to confer special advantage on its over 1.4million population, appears to be doing the opposite, particularly, to some of her youth. Since the area geographically shared borders with the Republic of Benin, smuggling, though illegal, is a thriving trade among the younger generation. It is not uncommon to see an average Yewa youth pointing at or naming a ‘successful’ smuggler as his or her role model, with the younger ones spoiling to become successful smugglers. Today, smuggling among the people has morphed from being a booming trade to a way of life, with the attendant frequent deadly confrontations with operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, whenever the latter tried to check their smuggling activities. But last week the indigenes held a Building Opportunity for Tomorrow (BOT) Partnership Summit in Ilaro, the administrative Headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Council, to chart a path towards repositioning the area and her people. Traditional rulers, youths, women, students and artisans in their thousands were in attendance. The speakers were equally Yewa sons and daughters who are experienced professionals. The speakers, which include the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahman Bello and immediate past Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State chapter, Mr Femi Dokunmu, after taking a cursory look at the history of the area identified the widespread youth unemployment, increasing aged population requiring care and women under-employment among others which governments policies - state and federal, have done little to address. They admitted that the unemployment situation among their youth may pose a grave risk to the society in future if left unattended to now. As a way forward, they agreed that there should be a continuous entrepreneurial training for the

•Otegbeye, BOT Initiator people, sensitisation of youths on jobs creation and urgent tackling of the palpable “infrastructural deficit” in Yewaland. And having also realised the place of political power in the scheme of things and how the inability of Yewaland to produce a governor since the creation of Ogun State, in 1976, contributed in part to the stunted growth of the area, they advised all to give support to sons and daughters of Yewa that are vying for elective offices or seeking government’s appointments. According to Mr Biyi Otegbeye, youth empowerment would be a panacea to joblessness of the people. Otegbeye, a Yewa son from Ilaro, founder and Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Regency Insurance Company Limited, said youth empowerment is imperative because of the warped orientation of a good number of the young ones, and who needed to be pulled out today from lifestyles that could lead to dependency in future. He said: “I think this is the troubling aspect of the vision because geographically our area borders Republic of Benin, so smuggling is a striving trade among the people here. And it has now transcended from being a trade to being a way of life. And you now see the younger folks aspiring to be successful smugglers. “And we know that if the orientation becomes so warped, then there is a problem; a problem, not just for today but for tomorrow. I think the Boko Haram we are talking about today is not today’s problem, it is an accumulation of some problems that were not addressed then and now have become so endemic.

“There is the need to improve the ability of Yewa boy/girl, to engage them in jobs creation. We need to partner with people to do this and certainly not government because governments have their hands full already.” Also, Dokunmu, a public relations expert, made the case for the building of a solid foundation as well as having shared goals, vision and clear - cut objectives among Yewa sons and daughters if the desire to improve the socio - economic development of the area is to be realised. Dokunmu said: “We must lay a good foundation today. We must have shared goals and vision regarding where we are, where we are going and how to get there. There is the need to set our objectives right so that the socio-economic development of our people can be achieved.” A youth participant who identified herself as Miss Yinka Doyin, told The Nation that the summit was not only an “eye opener to challenges the people have been facing over the years but also came with a wakeup call on everybody to adopt right attitude that would get us out of backwardness at the individual and collective.” She lauded BOT, a non-governmental initiative, for providing the lead and platform for the empowerment and liberation of the area economically. Aside the talking, rice and other food items were distributed to tens of people particularly the retirees, aged and women while eight pupils of St. Paul’s Primary School, Owode-Yewa were given scholarship by BOT. Earlier, BOT had carried out eye

screening and prescription of medicated glasses across Yewaland with 6,200 persons benefitting from the exercise, youth empowerment training programme for 175 beneficiaries and also life after service training for 90 retirees. The initiator of BOT and convener of the summit, Biyi Otegbeye, said his encounter with the plights of people within and outside Yewaland compelled him to formulate BOT as an intervention strategy for tackling myriads of socioeconomic challenges his people contend with. He said: “BOT is an initiative that I put together about 18 months ago and I will tell you two stories that really touched me and propelled me to putting this initiative together. The first one was a visit to Ayetoro, because I finished from Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro for my secondary education and about two years ago I visited someone there. “We ran into one of our former teachers, somebody who taught me Agriculture Science in Form 3. I was surprised he was still alive but he was looking rather shabby and in a very sorry state. It touched me because he was a good teacher to all of us. “We respected him so much and he was supposed to be well-acclaimed at that time by other schools. Finding him in a very helpless situation, not because of extreme old age or any incapacity but rather because the society had been rather unkind to him and there was nobody to help, it touched me. I could only offer some few words of consolation and gave a paltry amount which certainly was never intended to do much but just a way of appreciating him at that moment. It got me thinking. “The second story, I stumbled on a government appointment. I didn’t pick it on the street but I guessed Mr. President saw some value in me and he chose me to be the Chairman of the board of the University Teaching Hospital, Uyo. Being a private sector person, it was a new experience and on my first visit, we visited the traditional rulers and important places and then we came back to the hospital. “And then we decided to visit the wards, I shed tears. I saw about 900 patients waiting to consult six doctors on that particular day. The Accident and Emergency section was particularly appalling and these are human beings. I asked the CMD if it had always been like that and he said it has improved. So apparently, what I witnessed was supposed to be an improvement of the situation. “For somebody like me who had travelled so widely and I knew what value of life should be, it touched me. And what that did to me was to make me think inwardly and I felt selfish. “So, I came back and went to see what the situation is like in Ilaro, my hometown, it was a sorry tale. Beds without mattresses and then you see wasp in the wards. I offered some advice. “It is not a government thing but the essential thing is that as individual that is privileged, I can do something and I can also mobilise people that fortune had smiled on so that collectively we can do something together. “That is why I am in the business of BOT. I felt I could offer my resources, I felt I could also mobilise people who are my friends and contacts to donate money, treasures, time, and talents to worthy causes to help people.”

Monarch arrested over alleged criminality in Ondo From Damisi Ojo, Akure

HE suspended traditional ruler of Igburowo community in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Pius Akinfesola Adewola, has been arrested by the police in connection with alleged defrauding of the council of several millions of naira. Oba Adewola was picked up at the premises of the state High Court where he had gone to in connection to a court case he instituted against the government, by men of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), of the Ondo State Police command, Akure. The monarch, who is the Akamuja of Igburowo, was alleged to have impersonated a staff of Odigbo Local Government and defrauded the council to the tune of N16 million. Sources said the suspected monarch was arrested in Ondo town, following a petition written to the state Commissionmer of Police, Isaac Eke, by his community through their counsel, Gabriel Ohre a copy of which was made available to The Nation. The monarch was alleged to have injected names of some people into the payment voucher of chiefs in the community. The petition entitled: ”Complaint of forgery, impersonation, stealing and fraud of a sum of N16m against Oba Pius Adewola” accused the monarch of putting the names of some high chiefs and chiefs of his community, who had died a long time ago in the payroll of chiefs for the purpose of collecting their salaries from the council. “Some of the late high chiefs and chiefs, who died since 2002, still have their names listed in payment voucher for payment of allowances to chiefs of Igburowo community by Oba Pius Adewola with the conspiracy of four other suspects. “The existing chiefs whose names reflect in the payment voucher for chiefs allowance for Igburowo community are denied access to the allowances, while Oba Pius Adewola in collaboration with the suspects forged their signatures, impersonated them and stole their respective allowances. “The deceased chiefs who died since 2002, have their names retained in the voucher by the Oba while their signatures were forged, money meant for them claimed and diverted into the personal pocket of the Oba via Odigbo Local Government and for this reason the monarch refused to appoint news chiefs to replace the dead ones,” the petition stated. It was also alleged that the monarch injected names of four persons, two of whom were civil servants into the fictitious staff list in his palace and fraudulently obtained their salaries at the end of every month. It would be recalled that the Ondo State government had in a letter dated November 17, 2012, suspended Oba Adewola, during which the people of the community embarked on a peaceful demonstration and chased the monarch out for bringing disgrace to the community. However, in defiance of the order of the state government that the embattled Oba should stop parading himself as the Akamuja of Igburowo, he went ahead to institute a law suit against some indigenes of the ancient town. It was after his appearance in the state High Court that he was arrested by the police. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, confirmed the arrest of the monarch, adding that investigation has begun on the matter. He stressed that the suspect would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is concluded.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION INVESTORS

Osunkeye retires from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer

HIEF Olusegun Osunkeye will be retiring as the chairman of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria (GSK Nigeria) Plc next month, The Nation has learnt. Osunkeye, who is due for re-election at the forthcoming annual general meeting (AGM) of the company in June, has decided not to seek reelection and rather retire from the board of healthcare company, after serving for 14 years as the chairman of board of directors. Impeccable source indicated that the decision is a voluntary decision as Osunkeye had earlier retired from similar position on the board of Nestle Nigeria, citing the need to scale down his active corporate involvements. But the massive changes on the board of directors since the botched attempt by GlaxoSmithKline United Kingdom to increase its majority equity stake in GSK Nigeria have fuelled concerns that the changes might not be unconnected with the failed acquisition bid. Osunkeye, who holds the largest equity stake in GSK Nigeria, who is widely regarded as the most iconic

•Board changes raise concerns corporate leader in Nigeria, received standing ovation and loud celebration from minority shareholders at his final AGM in Nestle Nigeria. The June AGM will also be his last AGM at GSK Nigeria. He however still shares the board of Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria Plc. Over 14 years as chairman of GSK Nigeria, Osunkeye led many changes and growth plans to firmly establish GSK as the leader in the healthcare sector. He was appointed as chairman in February 2000. Performance review showed that GSK’s turnover has risen from N2.6 billion in 2000 to close 2013 at N29.2 billion. While profit before tax was a modest N97 million in 2000, the audited report for 2013 indicated pre-tax profit of N4.3 billion. There have also been significant investments in the company’s operations in Nigeria with investments in fixed assets at N12.1 billion in 2013 as against N424 million in 2000. Osunkeye led the expansion of the company’s production facilities, which enabled the company to produce most

of its leading brands such as Macleans, Panadol, Lucozade Boost, Ribena and Horlicks from its Agbara, Ogun State factory. The Osunkeye-led board was, however, unable to push through a vexatious bid by GSK UK to acquire additional 28.58 per cent equity stake from Nigerian shareholders to push its majority equity stake to 75 per cent. Since the July, last year forced withdrawal of the acquisition bid, most directors on the board have either resigned or retired. Alongside Osunkeye, Mansur Ahmed, who is also due for re-election at the June AGM, has opted not to seek re-election and will be retiring with Osunkeye. Earlier, Mr. Chidi Okoro, the Nigerian Managing Director of GSK Nigeria, had resigned in March, this year. GSK has not appointed a replacement; rather it announced that Mr Justin Korte, a South African who was appointed to the board as director and general manager in January, this year, will preside over the management. Besides, three other directors re-

signed and were replaced after the July, last year botched acquisition bid. These included Mr. Sameer Goel, Mr. Simon Hodge and Mr. Andries Van Rooijen. GSK UK, which held majority equity stake of 46.4 per cent in GSK Nigeria through two wholly- owned subsidiaries, had pushed to acquire 273.46 million ordinary shares out of the Nigerian shareholders’ holdings to add 28.58 per cent and push its post-acquisition holding to 75 per cent. It proposed a price of N48 per share. According to the proposal, GSK UK sought to acquire additional shares of GSK Nigeria on a pro rata basis from existing shareholders through a Scheme of Arrangement, implying that the proportionate percentage will be deducted from all Nigerian shareholders and added to GSK UK. The deal was rejected by Nigerian shareholders despite of several assurances and promises of more investments in the Nigerian operations by GSK UK. While GSK UK had indicated it would use its current 46.4 per cent equity stake as a block vote in

Firm holds workshop on wealth creation June 5 ROWN Event Management Limited, a human capital and business development company with the vision to raise 100,000 entrepreneurs with net worth of $1,000,000 each, has concluded arrangements to hold its impactful workshop and exhibition on wealth creation in Lagos. Spokesman for Crown Event Management Limited, Mr Wale Ibidunni, in a statement in Lagos, said the workshop and exhibition on entrepreneurship, creativity and wealth will hold on Thursday, June 5, at the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA) House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos at 9am. The workshop is supported by the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Nigeria Opportunity Industrialisation Centre (NOIC), Friends of Business in Africa (FOBA), Hercules and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN). President, Friends of Business in Africa, Mr. Eben Akinyemi, is the guest speaker. According to him, the workshop would provide opportunity for bud-

From left: Head, Marketing and Communications, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Mrs Nkiru Olumide-Ojo; Trustee, Zaccheus Onumba Bibiaezue Memorial Libraries, Mrs Ayo Obe, and CEO/Co-founder, Zaccheus Onumba Bibiaezue Memorial Libraries, Mrs Ifeoma Esiri, at the presentation of books by Stanbic IBTC Holdings to Zaccheus Onumba Bibiaezue Memorial Libraries 4000 Children's book drive in Lagos.

Exclusive hedge funds seek investments from S a $14.8 billion hedge fund fee structure among hedge funds is with a reputation for savvy referred to in the industry as “the 2retail investors mortgage trades and a record and-20”.

of double-digit returns, Pine River Capital Management has signed up multi-billion-dollar pension and sovereign wealth funds as investors. Now the exclusive hedge fund is making some of its strategies available to Main Street investors who’ve been warned that bets on stocks and bonds may not see them through retirement. For as little as $1,000, they can include hedge funds in their nest eggs. As one of seven firms managing money in Wells Fargo’s new Alternative Strategies fund, Pine River is among the latest big-name funds to crack its doors to private clients with look-alike products known as liquid alternative funds after years of courting only the super-wealthy. “Sub-advising portfolios in the (mutual fund) space is a new and diversified source of capital for a firm like ours,” said Brian Taylor, who founded Pine River with $350,000 of his retirement money in 2002. “Like anything new, we are taking a measured approach, but we believe it could be a growing part of our business over time.” Reuters reported that in the last two years, several big name hedge funds have signed on as sub advisers to liquid alternative funds, offering them through mutual funds to average in-

vestors: D. E. Shaw, York Capital Management, Jana Partners, Two Sigma Advisers, and HealthCor Management are managing pieces of the funds sold by mutual fund giant Fidelity. Brigade Capital Management and Graham Capital Management manage money for a Goldman Sachs fund while Passport Capital Management manages money for the Wells Fargo fund. The trend provides private investors with fresh options beyond stocks and bonds and allows hedge funds to tap a vast new pool of capital. But it has also sparked fears that the original products - which demand high fees - could be cannibalised, drawing traditional investors to the cheaper ones. Lacklustre performance among traditional hedge fund portfolios in recent years are fanning those fears, giving pension funds - the giant pools of retirement money that have formed the backbone of hedge fund clientele fresh ammunition to complain about funds’ 20 per cent performance fee coupled with a two per cent management fee. “What was worth paying a two percent management fee and a 20 per cent performance fee for a few years ago, isn’t worth it anymore,” said one investor, whose company puts billions into hedge funds and didn’t want to be named for fear of angering clients. The

With hedged mutual funds there are no performance fees. And while individual funds’ basic fees vary, analysts said they usually cost about 2.75 percent, a bargain compared to straight hedge funds’ overall hefty costs. Plenty of skeptics say that mixing hedge funds’ more illiquid strategies with a mutual fund structure - where investors can pull out money daily - will weigh on performance and ultimately won’t work. “I love vanilla ice cream. I also love red wine vinegar. But when you pour the vinegar over ice cream, it tastes terrible,” said Anthony Scaramucci, who runs SkyBridge Capital and hosted industry conference SALT where liquid alternatives dominated panel discussions and private poolside conversations. “That’s like trying to combine alpha and daily liquidity.” Hedge funds for the masses are not new but until recently only smaller, lesser known players with less impressive track records signed up. Pine River’s six-year old fixed income fund, for example, boasts an average annual return of 32.6 per cent, having caught investors’ attention with a 93 per cent surge in 2009. Last year, the fund rose 10.2 per cent after gaining 34.8 per cent in 2012, far more than the average, similar mutual fund.

support of the deal and the board of the GSK Nigeria also recommended the deal, minority and retail shareholders piled up pressures on capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which also reviewed its earlier approval for the deal. Impeccable market sources had said GSK UK was taken aback by the overwhelming rejection of the acquisition bid, which it had hinged on its consideration for new significant investment in the Nigerian sub, sidiary. Osunkeye had told the scheduled court-ordered meeting in Lagos that GSK decided to step down the acquisition bid to consider appropriate amendments that will make the offer more acceptable to shareholders. “We withdrew in order to further consultations, we believe further consultations and arrangements are necessary before we come back,” Osunkeye said. But the scheme for the bid has not resurfaced since.

ding entrepreneurs and small and medium scale enterprises to take their business ideas to the next level by connecting them with enabling factors such as finances and human resources. He said the workshop is targeted at aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, employed individuals that needs additional source of income and individuals planning for retirement. He outlined that breakout sessions for targeted groups will cover four essential business modules by renowned resource persons and there will also be an interactive session with venture capital firms, leading financial institutions and agencies dedicated to small and medium enterprise development in Nigeria. He added that with a token registration fee of N10, 000, participants would receive all workshop materials and have access to further discussions with the in-house resources of Crown Event on their business opportunities. "We are inviting people with great business ideas who are ready to take their ideas to the next level. It's an opportunity that people should not miss," Ibidunni said.

FIRS goes tough on corporate, individual tax evaders

CTING Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Alhaji Kabir Mashi, has warned tax evaders to desist from such act as the agency will bring the full weight of the law against corporate and individual tax evaders. The FIRS boss gave the warning at a public forum in Lagos, where he impressed on taxpayers, the need to fulfill their tax obligations voluntarily rather than act in breach. Titled: ‘Tax returns: Stakeholders’ collaboration for voluntary tax compliance and taxpayers’ rights and obligations’, the event was organised by Medium Tax Office (MTO), Lagos Mainland with participants drawn from the public and the organised private sector. According to Mashi, who was represented by Mr. Peter Olayemi, the Director, Medium Tax Department, FIRS, ensuring tax compliance by individuals and companies lies squarely on tax professionals, who must not encourage their clients to shirk their civic responsibility. “It is no longer business as usual for individuals and companies who circumvent tax laws, henceforth culprits will face the full weight of the law, Mashi said.” According to him, timely advice in reminding taxpayers of their obligations and letting them know the implications of non-compliance is key to the development of our

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

tax system. The FIRS boss also hinted that the Service has since introduced the itax, an integrated tax administration system which seeks to leverage technology in the collection of tax revenue across the country, has begun with a pilot phase in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and will roll out nationwide at various FIRS offices before the end of the year. Earlier, in his welcome address, Mr. Bamidele Ajayi, the Coordinating Director, Field Operation Group, FIRS, said the Service deemed it fit to organise the interface and discussion forum: “To deliver quality service to taxpayers in partnership with other stakeholders and make taxation the pivot of national development.” Ajayi, represented by Mr. Bamidele Aina, the Deputy Director, Medium Tax Department, FIRS, while acknowledging that the workshop was first in the series of awareness campaign since the inception of the Medium Tax Office, said it would be continuous. In separate papers, Mr. Bisi Babalola and Mr. Adekunle Salami both of FIRS, stressed the need for voluntary tax compliance as well as encouraged taxpayers to understand their rights and obligations in the various tax regime.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

‘Learning helps me to grow in online freelancing’ A young Nigerian Adetunji Gbolagade, has through hardwork, made a success of offering freelance services on the internet, reports DANIEL ESSIET

N Ibadan-based internet entrepreneur,Adetunji Gbolagade, is putting his name in gold in the subsector. Gbolagade, a freelancer on the internet, also runs a training centre to assist young Nigerians begin a business with small capital. He started with N10,000, which he borrowed from a friend in 2012. To hone his skills, he attended a workshop on internet marketing. Various studies have shown that parental success in self-employment is more likely to influence their kids to have their own entrepreneurial interests. Gbolagade comes from a family of entrepreneurs; his parents run their own businesses. Gbolagade’s interest in internet business started as far back as 2003, when his brother, Adekunle brought home a copy of Success Digest, devoted to online business. After reading it, he picked interest in the business. It wasn’t until 2008, his final year in the university, that he became serious with Internet business. He started reading some good eBooks he bought online. It took him four years to launch his freelancing internet business on a site called fiverr. At the beginning, he manged to break even. But as far as business relationships are concerned, he built good clientele that have resulted in long-term relationships. Like every entrepreneur, he was ready for challenges.

Challenges Among some of his early challenges was lack of personal access to the internet. It was even worse when he was in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. He travelled over 100km to and fro Tafawa Balewa and Bauchi Town to visit the State Library to have access to the internet. The fare then was six times what he would have spent on browsing. “There was no single cyber cafe in Tafawa Balewa LGA back then,” he said. Another issue was the public opinion that every young person doing internet business was a “yahoo yahoo” boy, a palance for internet fraudsters. But his case was different because he had declared to his parents that he was into a legitimate online business and not scam. Also, his inability to afford a laptop was another problem. To overcome it, by the end of his youth service in 2009, he had invested N15,000 of the N20,000 that he saved in a multilevel marketing scheme. The reward was that he would be given a laptop if he could recruit three people to join. He couldn’t, so he lost his money and the laptop. Eventually, his dad bought him one. He says he is successful because he is marketing information on the

•Participants at a seminar on online wealth creation organised by Adetunji.

internet. “I organise seminars, create video tutorials, step-by-step ebooks and provide one-on-one trainings to individuals who are ready to learn how to run internet based businesses.” He has trained people on profitable internet businesses. On some of the most effective strategies that has helped him grow, Gbolagade said he never stopped learning. He said: ”I have people I look up to in this industry and never let the

Budgeting training for small businesses

IAMOND Bank Plc has through its Diamond BusinessXpress seminar trained entrepreneurs.on cash budgeting. In a statement, the bank said the exercise was part of efforts to increase the capacity of Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSME) to run profitable businesses. The seminar, which held in Owerri, Imo State, was the 40th edition of the monthly workshop aimed at building managerial capacity and institutionalised processes within the sector. It said the topics discussed included: Failing to plan, Finding and retaining customers, Strategic planning, What is business really about? and Zero one. The bank’s Regional Manager, Owerri, Stanley Akwara, represented by Mr. Charles Oguibe, Business Manager, Waast Avenue branch, said the bank remains a partner with the subsector. Continuing, the lender is not just providing financial services to MSMEs, but creating value for them. “When we help MSMEs build their capacity, they will be able to run

HE Bank of Industry (BoI) has been urged to set a yearly target of increasing the number of small businesses. In a congratulatory message to BoI Managing Director, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, the President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), Prince Saviour Iche, described small businesses as the backbone of the economy. Individually, he said, small businesses may not have a large impact, but collectively, they are a major driver of job creation. He explained that retaining and growing early-stage and existing

their organisations better, make profit and do more business with us. That way we can jointly impact society more effectively,” it said. “Diamond Bank has heavily invested in the MSME sector and we are among the few banks that support small businesses with loans. Till date, we have given out about N120 billion to 60,000 customers and most of these loans were given without collateral. We are about the only bank doing this,” he added. Speaking on the impact of the BusinessXpress seminars, Adaeze Ume, Segment Head, Micro Enterprises and Business Development Services, Diamond Bank Plc, explained that capacity building has been a strong focus of the bank in building value for MSMEs and that customer feedback has been commendable. According to her, “Different circumstances drive entrepreneurs to start-up their businesses. Some attend top institutions like the Lagos Business School while many others do not have such opportunity. The BusinessXpress seminars are designed to build managerial capacity and institutionalised processes within the MSME sector.”

opportunity to learn from them pass me by. I understudy some of the successful guys inNigeria and try to emmulate the good stuffs they do. I have foreign guys too that I learn from and this really help me a lot.” But for those wishing to start a business, he has an advice. Many people think that they must have several thousands or millions of naira before they can start something. One can start internet based business, with as low as N10,000.

•Adetunji

‘How small firms can survive’ From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

•Oyewole

HOUSE of Representatives aspirant, Prince Oyewole Oyewunmi, has promised to assist micro-business operators in the state. Speaking at the Ogbomoso South Local Government secretariat in Arowomole in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Oyewunmi said there was need to support youths and women involved in small firms to grow the sector.

Praising the Ajimobi- led administration for making youth employment a priority, Oyewole said he would continue to support government activities aimed at providing jobs for the teeming youths and reducing poverty. He raised concerns over the increasing rate of poverty and unemployment in the country. He said: “For almost a decade, Nigeria has been recording consistently high economic growth rate that has not produced commensurate employment opportunities and reduction in poverty among its citizens. Similarly, the available statistics suggest that the incidence of poverty in Nigeria had, indeed, worsened. ‘’Unemployment figures also indicate that the number of unemployed members of the labour force continues to grow geometrically.’’ The number of youths roaming the streets, he noted, means that there is need to help them get jobs. He urged the government to use all its “resources and pow-

ers” to support business and economic growth by measures, such as boosting capital investment, improving access to finance and encouraging new private-sector investment. He announced financial assistance to help people in the area set up their own business. Oyewunmi said the gesture was aimed at supporting micro-business operators as against the usual search for office jobs. He urged the government to look at the barriers small business face and target its support to ensure firms can get off the ground. Beneficiaries of the succour, which include market men and women and artisans, were drawn from Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South and Orire Federal Constituency. In his message, Oyewole’s father, Oba Jimoh Ajagungbade, described the gesture as timely and laudable.The paramount ruler eulogised his son for being pro-active, assertive, and for his sense of belonging, saying his commitment to the well-being of the people is worth emulating.

BoI urged to set target for SMEs growth businesses was the most effective way of supporting entrepreneurs and economic growth. To achieve this goal, Iche said the bank should be ready to support small businesses to access capital, adding that the high failure rate of small businesses – especially early-stage start-ups demonstrates a need for more investments in their long-term success. To leave a legacy, the AMEN chief said the bank should look at their services through small busi-

ness owners and determine how to improve their experiences. While entrepreneurs develop new businesses, he said the government should encourage their growth through logical, but not excessive, regulation. He explained that a supportive small business system connects entrepreneurs to technical assistance, streamlined regulations, industryrelated resources, mentorship, funding opportunities and other tools. The challenges faced by self-em-

ployed business owners, he explained, revolve around ensuring the survival of the business as well as the ability to develop assets and build a marketing strategy. He said AMEN was ready to provide training for new entrepreneurs, and support the 774 local governments to establish local business incubators in their domains by offering support to small businesses. Iche said local governments can help the economy by establishing incubator spaces, which are shared

working spaces made available at low or no cost to entrepreneurs working on start-up projects. In addition to providing affordable office space, where start-ups can grow, incubators also provide access to business mentors, potential investors and other networking opportunities that help an early-stage business to scale up. At the same time, incubators deliver trainings and seminars designed to help enhance the skill sets of business owners and strengthen their business plans.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

EMPOWERMENT CLINIC with

Guide to stock market investing BOOK REVIEW Author: Jason Kelly Publisher: Penguin Group Reviewer: Goke Ilesanmi

GOKE ILESANMI

TOCK investing is one of the ways of achieving financial abundance. That is why I want us to X-ray this text tagged The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing this week. It is written by Jason Kelly, a 1993 graduate of English Language from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Kelly worked for several years at IBM’s Silicon Valley Laboratory, where he wrote articles and books that won him the Society for Technical Communications Merit Award. He moved from writing about computers to writing about finance, and found his niche in the stock market. Having realised his dreams of being able to live and work anywhere in the world, Kelly moved to Japan in 2002 and works from his office in the countryside about two hours from Tokyo. This author educates that ten steps to investing in stocks are learning why stocks are good investments; learning how to evaluate stocks; learning how the masters tell you to invest; studying how the history tells you to invest; studying how to beat the Dow with Leverage; studying how leveraging mediumsized companies works even better; choosing a broker; researching your stocks; buying your stocks; and selling your stocks. Structurally, this text is segmented into eight chapters. Chapter one is entitled Speak the language of stocks. According to Kelly here, “Anybody can make money in the stock market. By picking up the phone or turning on the computer, you can own a piece of a company – and all of its fortune or folly – without ever

attending a board meeting, developing a product, or devising a marketing strategy….” He adds that you should know why stocks are good investments before you start investing in them and there are two reasons to own stocks. Firstly, because they allow you to own successful companies and, secondly, because they have been the best investments over time, educates Kelly. This author says you can have equity in a company by owning its stock. He educates that this is why stocks are sometimes called equities. Kelly adds that when stocks are bought and sold, it is called trading, stressing that every company has a ticker symbol, which is the unique code used to identify its stock. According to this expert, “Many investors purchase shares of stock in blocks of 100. A block of 100 shares is called a round lot. Round lots provide a convenient way to track your stock investments because for every round lot you own, a one point move up or down adds or subtracts $100 from the value of your investment.” Kelly educates that there are two types of stock, that is, preferred and common. He says both represent ownership in a company. Preferred stock has a set dividend that does not fluctuate based on how well the company is performing and preferred stockholders receive their dividends before common stockholders, says Kelly. Finally, preferred stockholders are paid first if the company fails and is liquidated, he guides, adding that common stock is what most of us own. In Kelly’s words, “That’s what you get when you place a standard order for some number of shares. Common stock entitles you to voting rights and any dividends that the company decides to pay. The dividends will fluctuate with the company’s success or failure.” Chapter two examines how the masters educate on investing. According to Kelly here, now that you speak the language of stocks and should be able to follow a discussion about them, then it is necessary to talk

about strategy. He says when he decided to enter the stock market, he was nervous and just about everybody normally is. Kelly stresses that at first glance, it looks like there are a few people making lots of money and a lot of people making little money. “Come to think of it, things look pretty much that same way at second, third, and fourth glance. But as long as you follow an informed path and conduct your own research, you’ll be fine. Buying what headlines tell you to buy doesn’t work. Buying what your neighbour, friend, or relative tells you to buy doesn’t work. But buying what seems best to you after thorough research can work,” educates this author. The stock investing masters Kelly discusses here are Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, William O’Neil, Bill Miller, etc. In chapters three to six, Kelly discusses concepts such as how history tells us to invest; permanent portfolios; getting ready to invest; and research to riches. Chapter seven is entitled This book’s strategy. According to this author here, the strategy has three parts. First you will build a core portfolio using a permanent portfolio strategy, next you will assemble and track a list of potential investments, then you will manage a portfolio of individual stocks from your list to enhance the returns of your core portfolio. Kelly says before you travel the realms of gold search of riches, you need a strong fortress from which to base your searches. According to him, you can retreat to the fortress when your search party turns up nothing or is attacked by marauding bears. Kelly says your fortress will probably start small, but will grow in size as your search party returns with riches. You’re going to combine growth and value in your fortress and your search party. In his words, “Some of the best investors combine these two approaches and history shows that they coexist well. Often, when growth investing is struggling in the market, value investing is soaring and vice versa. By combining the two, you should come closer to steady superior returns.” In chapter eight, this author beams his analytical searchlight on the idea of Bon voyage. Conceptually, this book has depth and is highly educative. As regards style, the language is comprehensible, especially that technical words are either explained or contextually understood. By segmenting the text into

well-handled eight chapters, and including masters of stock investing, Kelly is able arouse and sustain readers’ reading interest and prove that his tips are applicable. What’s more, this author also adds an appendix section, where the summary or recapitulation of all the major concepts discussed in the text is done, to reinforce readers’ understanding. However, the title of the text is wordy, while some errors are also noticed. One of these is “…if you wanted to buy IBM stock, you’d pay $140 for one share” (page three), instead “…if you want to buy IBM stock, you will pay $140 for one share”. This is a conceptual error of misapplication of conditional clauses just as it was said of the book we reviewed last week. Naturally, Kelly is supposed to use Open Possibility type instead of the Theoretical Possibility form he has used here, especially that what he is talking about is still possible, at least within the context of this book. Another error is “…a one page move up or down” (page four) instead of “…a one-point move up or down”. This is an error of punctuation, technically called graphological error. Finally, this book is highly recommended to those that want to succeed in stock investing.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Other areas of business and effective e-mail communication

NOTHER area worthy of note is e-mail and job application. There are key strategies for sending email cover letters. We will discuss these strategies. It is noteworthy that you must ensure that you know the rules of a dynamic cover letter. Before you even conceive the idea of sending an email cover letter, first make sure you understand all the rules and guidelines for writing a dynamic cover letter. Do not waste your subject line. Do not ever leave the subject line of your email blank, but do not waste it by just inserting the job number. Instead, use the subject line to attract the reader to your letter. For example, for a head of accounts position, say something such as Experienced accountant for head of accounts position.

Opening paragraph Your opening paragraph is critical. More than ever, your first paragraph has to be dynamic; you need to project your abilities to the reader in this first paragraph. Make your e-mail cover letter short: Being brief is essential in an e-mail cover letter. Focus on your key selling points. Ensure that your letter is not longer than one screen. Employ keywords: Make use of the keywords that are crucial to the job you are looking for, and focus on key industry buzzwords and critical skills sets. Noun phrases are better employed than verbs in a typical e-mail cover letter. As a result of the fact that your e-mail cover letter may be filed into a database, employing critical keywords will enhance the possibility that your cover letter and the curriculum vitae will be retrieved in a future search. Employ plain style: Your e-mail cover letter should be written in “plain text”. Some e-mail packages allow users to manipulate font style, colour, and size, but make sure your e-mail cover letter is sent in plain text. In other words, use

By Goke Ilesanmi

black font, normal size and typeface (10 point, Arial, Helvetica or Times Roman) on a white background.

Time length Length of lines: Ensure that your lines are no more than 60 characters in length. Some e-mail packages automatically do word wrap for you (much like word processing software), but you should check to avoid your cover letter being fragmented on multiple lines. Use standard cover letter guidelines: You should also be conscious of standard business letter writing guidelines, your writing an e-mail cover letter notwithstanding. Include a salutation (e.g. Dear Mr. Gbenga) and a standard closing (e.g. Yours faithfully, Yours truly, etc.). Give space between paragraphs, and avoid the use of abbreviations, wild colours, and other styles and shortcuts used in everyday e-mails. Do not bother with attachments (unless requested to do so): According to experts, some corporate organisations block all e-mails with attachments; thus, your e-mail would never even be received if you have used an attachment.

Company guidelines Follow the company guidelines: Many companies now have career centres on their corporate websites. It is better to take the time and check than to send something the company does not want. Do not click the Send button without thoroughly proofreading and spell-checking your e-mail letter: Do not rely on your e-mail software’s Spellchecker alone, especially that most computers have been programmed to a particular regional variant of English. For example, most of the typed documents on computers these days

automatically change to the American variant of English. So relying on Spellchecker may just change everything to American English. Therefore, take the time to manually proofread your cover letter to avoid unnecessary errors. Note that a simple typographical error could spoil a well-composed cover letter. Therefore avoid all forms of mistakes. Test your letter before sending it to a target company: Even if you are sure your letter is well composed, send it to a friend first and check for the content and style one more time.

Replying e-mail from your angry customers In a perfect world there would be no angry customers. The product would work flawlessly, it would arrive on time, and no customer would wait—listening to elevator music—for 30 minutes. But because this perfect world is absent, you will definitely have angry customers. And they will send angry e-mails. According to Marilynne Rudick and Leslie O’Flahavan, partners in E-WRITE, a training and consulting company in the Washington, D.C. area and co-authors of Clear, Correct, Concise E-Mail: A Writing Workbook for Customer Service Agents, “Whether you’re hearing from your angry customer by phone or e-mail, your goals are similar: fix the problem and convert an angry customer into your biggest fan.” If you adopt the following tips for answering e-mail from angry customers, you will solve the customers’ problems and defuse their anger.

Restating the problem The first of these is to restate the problem. Before you answer an angry customer’s e-mail, show that you understand the problem. If the customer has included all relevant information in the email, you should simply restate the problem and

then set about solving it. Quote or paraphrase the customer’s own words to show you have read his e-mail carefully. Include all relevant information you have about the customer: purchase history, account number, previous customer service contact, etc. But if you do not understand the problem completely, then the next tip might help.

Next strategy The next tip is to ask for clarification. This is necessary because there is every tendency that angry customers may not write clearly. An angry customer may be unskilled or his e-mail may have degenerated into a rant about the company rather than an explanation of the problem. So you may have to ask the customer to clarify the problem, e.g. “We need additional information for us to be able to solve your problem with the replacement parts for your .... Were the parts you received broken, or did you receive the wrong parts?” Rudick and O’Flahavan say you may also have to clarify how the customer would like the problem resolved., e.g.”Do you want us to ... or do you want a refund?” Unless you clearly understand the problem and the preferred solution, you are bound to even worsen the situation. •To be continued PS: For those making inquiries about our Public Speaking, Business Presentation and Professional Writing Skills programme, please visit the website indicated on this page for details. GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant. Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425 Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL UASC, Burgan Bank sign $190m facility deal NITED Arab Shipping Company S.A.G. has announced concluding a bilateral facility worth USD 190 million with Burgan Bank’s Corporate Banking Group to finance the acquisition of two 14,000 TEU vessels from among UASC’s new building order of seventeen vessels, which comprised 11 14,000 TEU vessels and six 18,000 TEU vessels. UASC has ordered these ultra-large container ships from Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (“Hyundai”) shipyard in South Korea. The giant box-ships, which are state of the art vessels capable of running on conventional fuel and liquefied natural gas (“LNG”), are scheduled for delivery starting in fourth quarter of 2014. Chief Financial Officer of UASC, Mr. Basil Al Zaid, said: “Our established strategic relationship with Burgan Bank, further cemented through this transaction, demonstrates the close co-operation between UASC and Burgan Bank. As the UASC vision is ‘Linking the Middle East to the World’ we appreciate Burgan Bank for supporting this facility. Burgan Bank has showed strong support for the

• From left: CEO/Managing Director, Polo Luxury Group, John Obayuwana; CEO, Cartier Africa, Alessandro Patti; Executive Director, Polo Luxury Group, Jennifer Obayuwana; and Area Manager, Cartier Africa and Middle East, Pierre-Emmanuel Placette, at a briefing by Polo Luxury to welcome Patti to Nigeria, at Polo Towers, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Consumers, businesses still sitting on fence F

ASTER Consumer spending and business investment are widely expected to pump up the United States’ economy in the second half of the year, but there’s just one problem.There’s little evidence that households and companies will follow the script. To be sure, the economy is certain to show much stronger growth in the second quarter — what economists call catchup — after a contraction in the first three months of the year triggered by harsh weather. Companies are now hiring workers at a quicker pace and that’s injecting more money into the economy. Yet the incomes of consumers and their level of spending remain soft by historical standards, especially this late into a recovery. And business are investing more slowly than they did in the past. If those trends continue, the burst of growth expected in the spring might not repeat itself in the summer and beyond. “It doesn’t mean you don’t grow. It just means you grow slowly,” said Steve Blitz, chief economist of ITG Investment Research. “It’s like the economy is stuck behind a slow truck and can’t get around it.” Wall Street will get a closer look at whether an improvement in household and business behavior is in the offing with this week’s reports on consumer

spending and orders for durable, or long-lasting goods, such as autos, appliances and computers. And the latest update on first-quarter gross domestic product is likely to show that the economy shrank by a bigger amount than initially reported. Americans are not big spenders like they were in the heady days before the Great Recession. Consumer spending has risen an average of just 3.4 per cent a year since 2010. By contrast, spending increased an average of 4.4 per cent during the last economic expansion from 2002 to 2007, and it rose an even faster 6.2 per cent from 1992 to 2000. The lackluster pace of consumer spending largely reflects the devastation caused by millions of lost jobs and the slow healing of the labor market. Yet many economists believe spending will pick up soon with the U.S. adding more than 200,000 jobs a month in the year and the unemployment rate falling to a post-recession low of 6.3 per cent. Stronger employment in turn could cause wages to rise as companies bid to attract a shrinking pool of workers. The faster pace of hiring, however, hasn’t come close to restoring the

economy to the level of employment that prevailed before the Great Recession. The percentage of people in the labor force has fallen to a 35-year low and the U.S. is only now on the verge of recovering all the jobs lost after the last downturn. While wages have risen a bit faster lately, it’s too soon to say it’s a trend. “We’re not sopping up the labour force enough to get to the tipping point,” Blitz said. In April, economists polled by MarketWatch predict consumer spending will rise slightly after a big gain in March that was boosted in part by higher utility bills. The report comes out Friday. Businesses hedge Although consumers account for 70 per cent of the economy, the actions of business are usually the tip of the spear. When they hire and invest more, employment and production increase and so does economic growth. The latest recovery, however, has been characterised by unusually soft business investment and iron-fisted control of labor costs. Take a closely followed category of business investment known as core capital-goods orders. After surging by double digits in the first two years after the recession, annual growth in new orders slowed to less than five per cemt.

Misery continues for large tanker owners

HE misery goes on in the large crude tanker sector with most routes delivering abysmal earnings for owners. VLCC earnings out of the Gulf last week were $6,000 a day or worse East and West. Only West Africa/US Gulf bucked the trend, rather surprisingly for a trade that has all but disappeared, with just under $20,000 a day. Suezmaxes were also hit hard with only Med-Med voyages topping $10,000 a day. Aframaxes managed to put on a little weight with Gulf/East and Caribs/US Gulf around $20,000 a day but elsewhere it was a similar debacle. There are simply too many ships on the water and charter-

ers can drip feed cargoes into the market to keep owners jumpy. They are not the ones under pressure. Product carrier earnings have begun to recover a bit though not to the exalted levels of last year when the products story boosted a burst of newbuilding orders. LR1s and LR2s were up to $16,000 a day and $18,000 a day AG/Japan against year-to-date averages of around $10,000-11,000 a day. However, the Atlantic, which was the star of the show last year with earnings from $15,000-$20,000 on average is now struggling below $10,000 a day. Falling US gasoline imports had a

big part to play here as well as a sheer excess of tonnage. While in the short term the supply side in the MR market will improve because there are a number of single hull vessels that must be phased out and a number of older tankers that might be retired, there is a tidal wave of newbuildings coming down the pipe. Dirty product earnings, which tend to outperform clean product earnings are more or less holding up - average earnings on four key routes, according to Clarkson Research, are almost double last year’s averages - and Caribs/US at close to $20,000 a day is looking particularly robust

Reforms for shipping in Australia

ROM July 1, the government will decrease the Protection of the Sea Levy (PSL) to 11.25 cents per net registered tonne for defined vessels on an ongoing basis. The PSL revenue was levied to establish a $10 million pollution response fund to enable the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to respond quickly to pollution incidents at sea. The government will achieve savings of $39 million over four years by rephasing lower priority maritime safety initiatives and these savings will offset the reduction in revenue. Norton Rose Fulbright partner Ernie van Buuren says that the reduction of the PSL will assist to reduce the cost of conducting shipping business in Australia. He adds that in recent years shipping rates in Australia have surged and this reduction in the levy on ships entering Austra-

lian ports will be a welcome measure. The government is also committed to supporting the review of Coastal Shipping by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, which aims to optimise the regulation of the coastal shipping industry. The review recently gained momentum and on April 8, this year Warren Truss, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the department, announced the release of an options paper on approaches to regulating coastal shipping in Australia. This month, the Department also held an open session to the options to reform the legislation, which manages cabotage regulation, which preserves freight routes from one Australian port to another

for Australian flagged ships. The government is committed to finding a solution to balance the interests of Australian industry participants requiring competitive shipping services, and the interests of shipping stakeholders seeking to develop an Australian flagged fleet. Mr van Buuren also said the Australian maritime industry is an unfortunate casualty of the government’s funding cuts. The maritime industry’s long awaited funding injection to support future workforce training needs of local seafarers has been now been cut, with the government set to achieve savings of $5 million over three years by not proceeding with funding for the Sustaining Australia’s Maritime Skills measure announced in last year’s budget.

project from the initial stages working alongside other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of UASC’s financial strategy and expansion plans to offer comprehensive and cost competitive shipping solutions to clients worldwide.” UASC President/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jorn Hinge, also said: “In an environment where fuel oil remains the largest cost driver in the industry, our cutting-edge vessel designs have been developed with a clear focus on improving cost efficiency and enhancing environmental friendliness. We are first-movers with these ‘Green’ newbuildings that will be equipped for LNG duel fuel for the first time in the long haul container trades.” Burgan Bank’s Chief Banking Officer, Senior General Manager, Mr. Raed Al-Haqhaq, said: “We, at Burgan Bank, are committed to support a reliable partner such as UASC on their growth journey. Burgan Bank’s corporate banking group continues to expand its finance deals with its corporate clients to support them in executing their strategic plans at every stage of the business cycle.”

MTN sponsors 20 for pilgrimage

TN is sponsoring over 20 Christians to Jerusalem for this year’s pilgrimage. One of the lucky subscribers, TundeAkinnoye, member of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry (MFM), Mokola, Ibadan, was excited about this development and commended MTN for using its platform to enrich its subscribers especially in their Christian lives. He said: “I am very grateful to MTN for this rare and wonderful opportunity. This journey to Jerusalem will uplift my spiritual life and move me closer to God. This is a rare privilege and I deeply appreciate it.” Another winner Faith Onyekachukwu Eselojor, a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abule-Ijesha, Lagos, was astonished for the opportunity created offered by the telecoms firm. On how the telecoms giant is using its Value Added Service (VAS) platform to make Christians better people through its products and services, she said: “MTN has added spiritual value in the aspect of sending inspirational messages, and quotes from the bible through SMS. Sometimes you find yourself in challenging situations, but these quotes and inspirational messages

boost people’s faith. I am a living witness to such great moments when you’re encouraged to be strong and stay positive to overcome such situations”. The General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi, explained that the strategic focus for this initiative is to show support to MTN Christian subscribers. “We are committed to the total wellbeing of our customers as we drive to make their lives brighter through our propositions, products and value-added services. This is one of such initiatives aimed at uplifting and encouraging our subscribers to get closer to God. Through our bold new digital Value Added Services like the daily devotionals, Bible quotes, sermons, songs, prayers and hymns, callertunez; and other spiritually uplifting and faith enriching contents, will keep themconnected to their Maker on a daily basis,” he said. He went further to state that the company will continue to go the extra mile in providing exciting innovative initiatives geared at enhancing its customers’ whole new digital experience, while encouraging them to be better in their various fields of human endeavour.

APC distributors get five awards

PC by Schneider Electric has announced winners of its Business Achievement Awards in the Home and Business Networks (HBN) and Enterprise and Systems (E&S) distribution category, a reflection of business performance of its channel partners for last year. The winners were unveiled at the just concluded APC by Schneider Electric Distributors’ Conference for Middle East and Africa (MEA) in Athens, Greece. The awards brought together major channel partners of APC by Schneider, to review this year’s business objectives, promote best practices, unveil new products and reward best performing distributors for last year. It was an evening of glowing tribute to top Nigerian distributors who emerged winners of five awards. Technology Distribution Nig Limited won the award for the Most Outstanding Distributor of last year for Middle East and Africa as well as Enterprise Distributor of the year. Coscharis Technologies won the Small and Medium Business Dis-

tributor of the Year award while its Manager Mr Sam Ugochukwu won the Product Manager of the Year award. Mitsumi Distribution won the Rookie Distributor of the Year award. On the performance of the channels partners, APC by Schneider Electric Channel Distribution Manager, Oluwaseun Oloyede, said he was delighted by the outstanding performance of the distributors among their contemporaries in the region. He said: “This really is a confirmation of the potential of the Nigerian market.” Responding on behalf of the awardees, the representative of Technology Distribution, Nnadi Uche, noted that the award is an indication of effective support being provided by APC by Schneider Electric to ensure that their channel partners develop adequate capacity to deliver on every aspect of product and service distribution. He expressed gratitude to management of Schneider Electric for the awards.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

POLITICS

WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

BAUCHI POLITICS Bauchi State Governor Mallam Isa Yuguda, who is leaving office next year, has been endorsed by stakeholders for the Senate in the South District. Correspondent AUSTIN TSENZUGHUC reports that his ambition may pitch him against Senator Adamu Gumba, who is seeking re-election.

Yuguda’s 2015 calculations

AUCHI State Governor Isa Yuguda will vacate office next year. But, he will not embark on political retirement. It is an open secret that he is eyeing the senatorial slot in his native South District. Although he has not publicly declared his ambition, he is consulting with party elders and other stakeholders in the district. Also, there are subtle campaigns by his loyalists that suggest that the days of the Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba are numbered in the Senate. Analysts argue that Yuguda is emulating former governors, who became senators, following the expiration of their second term. Already, the state is abuzz with unsubstantiated claims that there is a subsisting “gentleman understanding” between Gumba and Yuguda that makes it obligatory for the senator to vacate the seat for the governor next year. Yuguda and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have not refuted the claim. The Bauchi South seat became vacant in 2009, following the appointment of Senator Bala Mohammed as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Many indigenes of the zone, including Gumba and Mr. Ali Wakili, a retired Custom officer, contested for the ticket under the PDP. But, Gumba emerged victorious. Many stakeholders were taken aback. Before the contest, Gumba was perceived as a colourless politician. Unlike Wakili, he lacked financial clout and a formidable network. The story making the rounds then was that Gumba was Yuguda’s anointed candidate. ‘’He was provided with the required financial resources to ensure his victory, and that is why he beat all other candidates,’’ a PDP chieftain said. The source added: ‘’That is why what you heard is yet to be denied by either the government or Senator Gumba.’’ However, Wakili and other co-contestants defected to All Progressives Congress (APC), with the hope of clinching the party’s ticket for the Senate. They have already deployed campaign materials across the zone in readiness for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s official nod for the commencement of campaigns. This development is coming ahead of the APC’s nomination of a senatorial flagbearer for the Bauchi South, who may give

the PDP candidate (Gumba or Yuguda) a good run for his money. The APC barely three weeks ago had its state congress in Bauchi, where its state’s officials were elected in a transparent and orderly manner. A source close to Gumba has refuted the claim that he was sponsored by Yuguda and that he is obliged to step down for him in 2015. His words: “It is not true that Governor Yuguda asked Gumba to hold the post for him. What happened was that, when Senator Bala moved to the F.C.T. as the minister, the former Northeast PDP Chairman, Senator Paul Wanpana, conducted primaries for seven aspirants who against all pleas refused to step down for one another. ‘’At the primary, each person was asked to vote for himself and another aspirant of his choice. So, somebody voted for himself and Gumba. That is how he emerged as the Bauchi South PDP senatorial candidate. From there, he contested with candidates from opposition parties and won. So, it not true that Yuguda placed him there to hold brief for him.’’ The source, who is a chieftain of the PDP, said Gumba is not an aggressive politician, stressing that he does not believe in the politics of blackmail and violence. “He was a successful civil servant as a custom officer. On retirement, he served as the Head of Civil Service and Commissioner for Education under Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu,” he added. Neither Gumba nor Yuguda has declared his intention to vie for the seat. But, a partisan group, ‘’Yuguda for the Senate Advocates,’’ has urged the governor to declare his ambition. Members of the group have paid visits to Gumba, urging him to step down for Yuguda. They said that the governor should be compensated with the seat for serving the state meritoriously for eight years. Gumba is yet to give a definite answer. But, as source said: “The peace loving, gentle senator, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Sports, is waiting for Yuguda to personally approach him to step-down on terms agreeable to the two of them.” In Bauchi South, Gumba has been watering the ground for his re-nomination. Between January and March, he has

• Gumba

• Yuguda

organised empowerment programmes for the people. A sourcse close to him said that he has expended over N140 million on projects across the seven local governments that make up the zone. However, top PDP chieftains confided that this may not guarantee Gumba’s renomination. It is a common knowledge that most governors often use government resources to intimidate rivals and cow them into submission. Yuguda is popular in the zone. For the eight years he has been in power, he has not forgotten home. He has sited some projects in the district, thereby earning applause from indigenes. He has constructed roads and provided other social amenities. He has also empowered key stakeholders in the zone. One of the roads constructed by him is the 84-kilometre Alkaleri/Futuk Road, which is a road linking Magama/Gumau, Toro Local Government Area, to Rishi-RamahaSaminaka in Kaduna State. In addition, another access road to fast track economic activities in Kirfi Local Government is under construction. Yuguda has offered appointments to many indigenes. He has also provided job opportunities for many youths. At the grassroots, the governor has created more districts, village heads and hamlets to give minorities a sense of belonging. He was applauded for the creation of the Sayawa chiefdom. The move has bought peace to the troubled Sayawadominated Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Governments. Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa had been the flashpoints of ethnoreligious conflicts for almost a hundred years. Many lives have been been lost and property worth millions destroyed. However, the contest may not be a walk over for Yuguda. He may not count on the support of the people of Bauchi Local Government Area, which has always been

the stronghold of the opposition. In 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011 elections, they voted against the PDP candidates. Next year, voting may follow the same pattern. Although the local government hosts the state capital, the people are not favourably disposed to the PDP. Eminent Nigerians from the area are gravitating towards the direction of the APC. Also, the Sayawa people of Bogoro Local Government Area are not happy with Yuguda, in spite of the fact he has given them the chiefdom. For 40 years, the people had agitated for cultural identity. The Sayawa (Zaar) Chiefdom is a welcome development. But, the seat of the GumZaar (the spiritual and social leader of the Sayawa ethnic group) was moved to Marten-Giji, against the wish of the people. Marten Giji is an obscure hamlet. It is far from Tafawa Balewa town. The people have maintained that it is not their ancestral home. They is also the bitter resentment against the governor over the indefinite suspension of Hon. Rifkatu Samson Danna, the only female member of Bauchi State House of Assembly. She is an influential indigene of Bogoro Sayawa. She has been on suspension June 2012. Also, Sayawa people are complaining that the only Government Girls Secondary School in Tafawa Balewa has been closed down since 2012, because of insecurity in the area. Toro and Bauchi local governments share the same political feelings. Toro has always been in the opposition and it will not be an easy task for Yuguda to secure the votes of the electorate in the area. Prominent indigene, including Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, Dr. Aliyu Tilde, Dr. Danjuma Adamu Dabo, and Barr. Ibrahim Zailani, Ibrahim Tilde and Hon.Lawal Yahaya Gumau, are major stakeholders in the Bauchi APC.

Challenges that ‘ll confront my successor, by Akpabio

•Akpabio

KWA Ibom Governor Godswill Akpabio has highlighted the challenges that will confront his successor. He said the next governor must endeavour to maintain the various development projects, which are the legacies of his administration. The governor spoke with reporters in Uyo, the state capital, after inspecting the Ibom International Stadium project. He was accompanied by Senator Udoma Udoma. He said: “This is a state where maintenance should be a major focus. The next administration

should not look for too much glory, but a way to maintain the projects that we have done, which are of high standard. We like to see our people drive along our roads with no potholes”. Akpabio said he had set a standard for his successors, who should build on the legacies. He said the projects executed by him will stand the test of time. The governor added: “On the stadium, we are signing a maintenance contract with Julius Berger Company for the next 10 years. For most of our projects like the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, we have also

done maintenance management for the Le’ Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort, which the golf resort had already handed over to the hotel for maintenance for four years now. “We like to see improvement in the education sector, with our children going to school free, with the quality of teachers improving through the training and re-training of teachers. We also intend to expand Akwa Ibom State University with the building of more structures, so that,at the end of the day, we take education as a priority and train our children in management for the

sustainability of projects and for the uncommon transformation of the state.” Akpabio, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum Chairman, reflected on power and politcs, saying that power is only meaningful, if governors execute laudable projects for the benefit of the people. He urged governors to live up to expectation in their states, adding that this is what is required in a democracy. Udoma, who lauded the quality of work at the stadium, praised the governor for the state’s infrastructural development.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

POLITICS House of Representatives member Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa spoke with MOJISOLA CLEMENT on 14 years of civil rule, Jonathan Administration, Ikorodu Division’s agitation for power shift and 2015 general elections.

‘There is nothing to celebrate on May 29’

PC will hold its convention next month. What are your expectations? My expectations are that we are going to select officials to run the party. That would be the last stage of the processes. We have done the ward, local government and state congresses. We are going to choose national officers. I expect that we would have a successful convention. You might read about a few things, which is normal in politics, but I know that we always disagree to agree. It is going to be a convention that we will all be proud of . Apart from the convention, which is a major test, what are the challenges that will face the APC at 2015 elections? Well, I think the greatest challenge we have already overcome, which was getting the APC registered, getting a new party, forming a new one. I was part of the committee and I know that, if we could overcome that challenge, which we did, we can overcome any challenge. We are promising change. Our country is passing through difficulties. Never again will our country go through this type of difficulty. We are supposed to be progressing, but from all indications, we are retrogressing. What is going on in our hearts is how to move the country forward and I believe that, with that on our minds, whatever challenges, whatever difficulties will be surmounted for the common good of Nigeria WHAT makes you think the APC has the capacity to dislodge the PDP at the next year’s election. The APC is relying on the goodwill of the people. If we do a random analysis, you will find out that people are yearning for change. The APC is determined to bring about that change. You have seen our manifestos and our road map. With the way we are going , we should be able to create that change. Look at the National Assembly, we have been able to achieve the number we have achieved. With less than 70, the main parties are now equal in strength. It is a success story. I am not saying that we are perfect, but, it can only be better. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we have very two strong party structure. For the first time in a democratic rule, apart from the military, we can actually go to the polls; we are choosing between party A and party B. There are smaller parties, but there are two dominant parties and that is good for democracy. So, we are going to have serious contentions and then, you will be dealing with issues and you know that you are close and nothing will be taken for granted. How will the party surmount the challenge of selecting an appropriate presidential candidate and running mate, which will be acceptable to the six geo-political zones? Well, I believe in the leadership of the party. If the leadership has been able to achieve this much, then, the rest will not be a problem. I believe so much in the leadership of our party and I have faith and confidence in the members of the party. They will give the best to Nigerians. WHY are other PDP legislators in the national parliament not defecting to the APC again? Has the beat stopped? It’s a continuous process. It depends on individuals and what he or she is going through in his or her own constituency. I am not surprised, if tomorrow, there are more defections. But, what I know is that, no matter the circumstances, now we are almost 50/50 in the parliament. That is something that is helping democracy. It is helping the institution. So, our debates are more thorough and you just don’t take anything for granted anymore . WHY did the parliament delay the passage of the budget ? The parliament did not delay the passage of the budget. We have passed it since. We are waiting for the President to sign it. Don’t forget that when they presented it to us, it was late too. We have passed the budget, but they are saying that there are some differences, which they want to bring. So, let’s wait and see what the differences are. So, we waiting for them to sign the budget. We have sent it to them and whatever issues they have, they will tell us and we will look at it again. With the delay in preparing the budget, is the economy not in jeopardy? That would not be the fault of the parliament; that would be the fault of the President because we are still waiting to know exactly what the problem is. W,e have sent it like two months ago or so or earlier than that and then when you say you have issues, you don’t have to wait for that long. This is a very serious matter. You should reply immediately, talk to the parliament and

‘For me, there is no celebration. There is no celebration, until those girls are brought back. Its 15 years of democracy. But, the last few years have been bad for democracy. So, I don’t see what we are celebrating’ • Mrs Dabiri-Erewa

let’s deal with it. You are telling someone somewhere you have issues. If you get it today, call the parliament next day, iron out the issues, talk about the issues and pass it. I was just reading that from the Ministry of Finance that there are some issues they have with the budget. So, until we know that, don’t blame the parliament; blame the executives. WHAT are the issues that may likely shape the governorship election in Lagos State? The most important issue is for the APC to prepare well for the poll. We have an array of qualified and competent candidates. The good thing about the APC is that we are not short of qualified and competent people to govern Lagos State. So, we will go through the normal primaries and the party will take a decision that will be to the benefit of Lagos State. What matters is moving Lagos forward from where we are today. We must never step back and at the right time, the best person will be selected from the party or will be elected by the people to run the affairs of the state. In the argument for and against consensus and primaries in your party, where do you stand? There is nothing wrong with any of those things. If we are able to achieve consensus, why not? If we want to do primaries, so far it is not violent and it is transparent, why not? Those options are opened. If indeed, we are able to achieve a consensus, which we have done in the party and which was very transparent, so, why not? If it is primaries you want to hold and it is transparent and open and people agree on it, then, it is okay. In this game, there should be no desperation. It should be all about service and you can serve in any capacity. Why is Ikorodu Division agitating for power shift? Ikorodu is the only sub-zone in the Lagos East, which they say they have zoned it to- but I have not heard any official announcement concerning that-which has not produced the governor. The East consists of Ikorodu and Epe. Epe has produced a governor under democracy and Ikorodu has never. Politically, fair is fair. So, Ikorodu actually deserves it, if we are talking of zoning. But, I believe that competence should be the watchword, no matter where you come from. But, if we are talking of zoning, Ikorodu

has never produced a governor. Epe has produced. So, Ikorodu people themselves are united and they are making moves to let their voices be heard, at least, by the various political parties. They have set up a very strong body to select the best candidate among the aspirants from Ikorodu. The demand by Ikorodu is fair. WHAT have you done for your constituency, since you have been in government? I think I have done many things; several schools, several classroom blocks, several water projects, several empowerment projects, several scholarships. I focused a lot on education, several seminars. I did a training for teachers on English and Mathematics. It is a whole lots of things. I have tried to touch every ward and, apart from just being there for people, to see that their problems are solved, and then, when there are vacancies, we get a few for them, not too many, but a few. But, there is a lot more that should be done. We also try for some of them to be self employed. I have directed attention to this Ikorodu/Sagamu Road. Work has started on it; the contract has been awarded. They say they are waiting for the due process notification because a lot of people die on that road every day and the pressure has really been put on them that the road needs to be done. I have sponsored a lot of bills too because our primary work is to pass law for good governance; the bill on persons with physical disability, Diaspora Communication Bill, the Broadcasting Bill, Women Developmental Bill for children to ensure that they get free medical care between the ages of one and five. The bill will protect the mother and child, the pregnant woman and her baby and quite a few motions on the floor. A lot needs to be done, no doubt. But, I think I am putting my little bit. If you become the governor of Lagos State, what will you do? Let me become first and then, I will talk about that. If I do that now, that means I am releasing my manifesto and I don’t want you to steal it. So, you are assuming I will be. You are praying for me because you are a woman. I hope so. Looking at this present administration, what do you think is lacking? Many things. You can’t imagine the state of security in Nigeria will degenerate to this level. We should stop deceiving our self. There is a problem. The governor of the state has come to say

PDP, APC bicker over 2015 polls

IGER State Governor Babangida Aliyu has accused the opposition parties of financially inducing voters to vote for them in the next year’s general elections. He urged the electorate not to sell their votes or compromise themselves because of financial inducement. But, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, said the governor was unfair to the opposition parties, adding that only the ruling party has funds to buy voters. Vatsa said the governor was only making a self confession of what the PDP has been doing in the past elections. He said: “The ruling party is now afraid of the imminent electoral doom in 2015 for lack of performance, hence, the callous allegation. The PDP is guilty of the allegation”. The governor, who received a delegation of party faithful from Magama Local Government Area in his office, said some members of the opposition political parties have been going to

there is a problem. He actually came to say it looks like you are killing our people. They shouted him down. They have been denying a lot of things for too long and this is where it has led us to. If we had dealt with the situation at the onset, we won’t be where we are today. We have been having terrorism all over the world, but I believe that of Nigeria is the worst and we are all witnesses to that and then, everything else seems to be getting worse; power situation is pathetic and we are all not happy. We haven’t had light for four days as we are sitting here. Infrastructures is decaying and I don’t understand. We all think we are doing well, but we are not. Corruption is at its worst. Corruption with so much impunity in Nigeria is now a norm. A civil servant ran away with 60 billion naira pension fund. We talk of fuel subsidy and we know that we are subsiding nothing, but corruption. So, it has never been so bad. Poverty is worst than ever before. Nigeria must be fixed. We must have an enabling environment that creates jobs. We will say we have created this and that, it is a lie. We should pass that bill in parliament for Nigeria to have a welfare system for the unemployed youths. We must use our resources judiciously and tackle corruption. I see frustration and someday, you don’t know what might happen and then, we take Nigerians as people who will always accept anything. But, there will come a time when people will change and not accept it. In fact, Boko Haram is an example of that. If we now narrow it down to Lagos State, what is your view? Lagos State has been a shinning example for Nigeria. In fact, Lagos is an economic centre. When I go anywhere, as the Chairman of the Diaspora Committee, I keep saying that the Lagos State governor has made my job easier because everybody praises Lagos State and when I say I am from Lagos State, it makes it easier. You go to all those states-Ekiti, Osun-the governors in the Southwest, it is amazing what they are all doing. That is the example of good leadership and I am sure we will see more as the APC states increase because we are going to get to a stage where the manifesto will be followed. There is going to be a road plan for our governors and even our legislators and it will be strictly monitored. This week, the nation will be celebrating 15 years of democracy. What is your view? For me, there is no celebration. There is no celebration, until those girls are brought back. Its 15 years of democracy. But, the last few years have been bad for democracy. So, I don’t see what we are celebrating. How are those children feeling now where they are? In fact, the main job will start when they have been released. They are going to have trauma management, psychological work. Some of them might even have been raped. Who knows if some of them are probably pregnant? We are not happy about the state of democracy. That is why the APC must ensure it does everything within its power to give Nigeria the change its deserves. People should start standing up and demanding for their right in a non-violent way. The Chibok problem may be the beginning of the revolution we need to challenge ineptitude. We should demand for good leadership. Let Nigerians get up for good leadership. If you sit at home drinking your cup of coffee while voting is going on, then, you have no right to complain. But, go to the polling booths and vote.

From Jide Oritunsin, Minna

the constituencies to compromise voters. He cautioned the people against mortgaging their conscience in the interest of the future of their children. Aliyu said the PDP will not embark on the illegal act of inducing voters, assuring that its performance in power will earn it public support. He promised to judiciously use the financial resources to better the lot of the people, instead of embarking on the unconstitutional act of buying people’s minds. Aliyu said: “The dividends of democracy to the people could be seen everywhere”. Reacting to the governor’s allegation, Vatsa said: “The governor knows that we don’t have that kind of money. For the past 15 years, the PDP has been controlling the vault of the state. It is the only party that can boast of such idle funds. “What we are proud of is the goodwill of the

•Aliyu

people. They have seen this and are threatened by the rise and acceptability of the opposition. They now have to resort to blackmail. “The governor has only succeeded in exposing their plan and they shall not succeed because our people can not be bought any longer.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Organ concert holds at Muson centre

•From left: Prof Amadi, Prof. Ini Uko of the Univerity of Uyo, Prof Darah and Prof Eko, who is retiring from UNICAL

Writers celebrate Elechi Amadi, Ebele Eko

RITERS thronged the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Cross River State to celebrate two renowned writers-Prof Elechi Amadi (80) and Prof Ebele Eko (70), who marked their birthdays. The gala night, which drew writers from within and outside the state, was part of activities marking this year’s International Conference on African Literature and the English Language (ICALEL). Amadi is the author of bestselling novels such as The Concubine, The Great Pond, The Slave, among others; and Eko, who was formerly the school’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, is not only a poet but an authority on Amadi’sworks, it was said. Students of the English and Literary Studies (ELS) Department thrilled guests with a command performance of Amadi’s play,The Woman of Calabar; while Betty Abah, a Lagos-based writer and activist gave a preview of her soonto-be-unveiled biography on Eko entitled: Mother of Multitudes. The event was also part of a variety of activities celebrating Eko as sheretires from the University of Calabar where she worked since 1977 . Like the academic sessions of the conference, the gala night attracted many in the academia and literary circles. The scholars praised both writers for their contributions to the development of creative writing in Africa. They urged their contemporaries to borrow from the examples of the two celebrators, saying it would impact the lives of aspiring and young ones. “Both writers deserve the accolades for the efforts in promoting creative writing in the country. It is noteworthy that ICALEL is particularly celebrating Eko, who not only a founding member but has also touched lives in the academia and without. She has also impacted and transformed the lives many generations of students that have passed through her in unforgettable ways.”Abah said.

Stories by Evelyn Osagie

CONFERENCE Guests were taken down memory lane of ICALEL, while showcasing Eko contributions to its establishment. The organisation, which was founded over three decades ago by Prof Ernest Emenyonu(now US-based) and others including the retiring Eko, provides literary enthusiasts and aspiring writers opportunity to catch a glimpse and to be inspired byleading literary figures like NgugiWaThiongo, AyiKwe Amah, Kofi Awunor, Chinua Achebe, Zulu Sofola, Wole Soyinka, Bessie Head, Cyprian Ekwensi and hundreds of eminent writers, it was said. They usually gather to celebrate creative writing yearly. As one of the last among the founders, Ekosaid she was determined to keep the spirit alive, while she presentedThe Masterpieces of African Literature (Volume One), a 656-page collection of reviews of100 of the best of African literature. With the themeAfrican Literature, the English Language and the Environment, the conference had a member of the NationalCONFAB and controversial scholar at Delta State University, Professor Godini. G. Darah as its keynote speaker. Speaking on Literature and the Environment, Darah took guests into world history and philosophy, ‘upturning’ all known logics, especially inbiblical history. His assertion that Egypt was the cradle of civilisationand that world civilisation was powered by blacks provoked reactions from the audience. Dr Peter Onwudinjofrom the ELS Department confronted him with the fact that the race in Egypt as at that time, from historicaland archeological findings, was not blacks. An observation which Darah parried, saying another conference should be held to further explore the issue.

CORA declares 2014 ‘The Soyinka Year’

HE Committee For Relevant Art (CORA), has declared 2014 The Soyinka Year. It has also tagged this year’s edition of the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) as Freedom &The Word. The art advocacy group is noted for holding artistic, literary and cultural programmes that seek to promote the arts, while empowering many in the sector. According to CORA, its programmes in the year shall reflect this honour. Its programmes include the Art Stampede, its quarterly conversation on the state of the arts and the administration of culture, the Arthouse Forum, its periodic symposium on interface between the lives/work of a distinguished culture producer and the social environment, the Booktrek, CORA’s outreach intervention focused on youth education and the Lagos Book And Art Festival, an annual feast of celebration of the written word, and our contribution to turning Nigeria’s teeming masses into

true human capital,. CORA asserts that these two go well together, saying”Soyinka has worked towards the unshackling of our freedom of expression for all these years and in the year of the 25th anniversary of the Fall of The Berlin Wall; 20th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy and the 15th year of Nigeria’s end to military rule, it is fitting to honour a landmark birthday of a man whose life-long career irrepressibly dotes on concern about human Freedom(s) with a yearlong programme that interrogates our quest for freedom, especially through the letters”. CORA has also announced thisyear’s edition of LABAF, which is in its 16th edition, saying will run for from November 14 to 16 at the Freedom Park on Broad Street. Pre-festival events, including the yearly Publishers’ Forum, Worksop for Young Writers and Publishers, and finale of the Book Trek, would start on Monday, November 10 and round up on November 13.

SPECIAL concert organised by the Orpheus Company Limited to introduce the Infinity Series organ, the latest in technology and sound from Rodgers Instruments will hold on June 22 at the AGIP Recital Hall MUSON Centre, Lagos. The Organ concert is a yearly eventorganised by Orpheus Music to showcase the Rodgers organ. According to the organisers, ‘this year’s concert is especially significant, as Orpheus is celebrating its 25th year anniversary and is also using the opportunity to showcase the latest technology from Rodgers Instruments, the manufacturer of the organs to be used at the concert. It is also especially significant because unlike other years we shall be having two concerts in the year, all as part of our efforts to celebrate our 25th year anniversary.’ The Infinity series 361 is a 3 manual organ manufactured by Rodgers Instruments, an organ manufacturer based in Oregon, in the United States of America. The principal performer for the concert is Jung A-Lee, a veteran and experienced organist, who is known to perform in more than seventy concerts in a year. She has a Doctorate in Music Performance from Boston University and is the organist at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California. In April, 2009 she founded Music Mission

By Ozolua Uhakheme

International in order to promote organ music. She is the chairman of the non-profit organization with twelve board members. Lee gives about seventy concerts throughout the year as a concert organist and a collaborative pianist. She gave solo organ recitals in many venues including the Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, Woolsey Hall at Yale University, The Memorial Church and Busch Hall at Harvard University, Methuen Music Hall in Massachusetts, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, California, Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, CA and several churches in Germany. In 2010, she also played for the performances of the Men in Blaque Choir from the University of California, Irvine held in Shaoxing, Republic of China as a part of the Choral Olympics, which is the largest choral competition in the world. Lee can be heard as organist on Rorem: Works for Choir and Organ/Harvard University Choir CD on Black Box label (catalog number 1102), on the recordings of the Men in Blaque of UCI, and the recordings of the Concert Choir of Vanguard University of Southern California. Her first DVD of Music Mission International, “Beauty in the Wind,” was released in 2010.

Embrace reading, TV star advises youths

S the move to improve the reading culture among youths is on, actress and TV producer, Mrs Iretiola Doyle has added her voice to the campaign. She urged youths to embrace reading as a habit along with a discipline culture,saying such would not only broaden their horizon but also make them successes in their chosen career. Mrs Doyle, who was special guest during the celebrations marking this year’s World Book Day organised by Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, said every child must read widely irrespective of the genre at their disposal. Hence, she urged pupils to devote more time to reading. Reading an excerpt from ChimamandaAdichie’s, Half of A Yellow Sun, MrsDoyle, who plays the role of Mrs Ade Williams in the TV series Tinsel, observed that”success in life depends on the sub-total of decisions made today and stressed that making choices comes with consequences. Responsibilities are the end product of consequences so reading culture must be guarded with dis-

LITERATURE cipline”. Mr Stephen Onerhime, a guest and parents reiterated Mrs Doyle’s words, noting that reading helps pupils learn from the experience of others, and would, consequently, boost their chances of becoming better persons in the future. He said: “Reading is same as exercising your body after a long day, you need to read to reduce the stress in you, and reading reinvigorates your energy and makes you a better person tomorrow. Chances of continuous reading is that you stand out, you are always ready to deliver and your imagination of picturing the world at a glance are in your fingertips”. The School’s Director, MrsOlufunke FowlerAmba said it chose to mark theday to celebrate, most importantly,the Book,authors and illustrators. She added that the school chose to dedicate this edition to Chimamanda Adichie and Enid Blyton for their giant strides in the literary world, saying women writers have come a long way and continue to make prominent strides in the realm of literature.

Society condemns violation of lives, copyright HE Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) has criticised the insurgence in the northern part of the coun-

try. It described the killings in recent times as unconstitutional and the violation of human rights, calling on the government employ more innovative and creative meanstoresolving the crisis. “Whereas Nigerians ought to join their counterparts in other parts of the world to keep exploring ways of enhancing the frontiers of intellectual property and copyright dividends, the wanton and unwarranted shedding of innocent blood in parts of the country today constitutes the greatest violation of rights that any individual could suffer,” according to a statement signed by Board Chairman, Prof OluObafemi and the Executive Director, JareAjayi. While acknowledging the sundry efforts being made by the government to tackle the problem,the organisation, however, laments that: “Unfortunately, it looks like the more government assures Nigerians that it is on top of the situation, the more these agents of evils became more daring!” Speaking against the backdrop of the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won’s resignation over the missing passenger ferry in that country, it said, Nigerian leaders are expected “to put heads together to find solutions to the problems that are daily threaten-

LITERATURE

•Prof. Obafemi

ing our corporate existence.” In addition, as the world marks this year’s World Copyright Day REPRONIG expressed regrets that the event,which ought to be mark in a celebrative mood, is tainted by these ugly incidents “that are clearly avoidable”. It calledon heads of educational institutions to respect the copyright of authors and cooperate with Repronig in its efforts to safeguard the interests of intellectual copyright owners.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Govt backs Oyo as UNESCO site

HE Federal Government has expressed support for the nomination of Sango heritage as UNESCO World Heritage site. According to a letter dated April 8, reference number FMCT/ ECR/11/461 written by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mr Nkechi Njele to the Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, it expressed its commended the efforts of Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111 and Paula Gomes Cultural Foundation in the pursuit of preserving and safeguarding the tangible and intangible heritage of ancient Oyo town. A copy of the letter which was also copied to the Regional Director, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Office in Abuja, Prof Hassana Alidou, was made available to THE NATION. Dr. Paula Gomes is Alaafin’s Cultural Ambassador. The letter stated that Oyo town, located in Oyo State, Southwest of the country holds a remarkable and rich set of tangi-

course. Sisi Eko is a mirror-image of the social life of most Lagos girls of today. The artist uses the painting to capture the taste and fashion consciousness of young ladies, some of whom live as single parents in high brow areas of Lagos. False life you want to say. The air of superiority over others and being classic and sociable is captured by the artist in the painting. Sakponba love is the artist’s record of love life in a major street in Benin, where age and resources are no barrier to expression of true love. Tip of the iceberg will run till May 30.

Mbanefo narrated. The beautiful slime where masquerade, mask and sculpture exhibited invoked mixed feelings of fear and peace. “In exploring WoodHood, the works explore cause and effect as natural law that operates relatively. A prefix that brings forth a joy and a thousand ills.” These thousand ills reflect in Ezeocha, Iweuno, Kwasie, Ilochi, Igo uvie, Akpali, which used motifs. “ Mbanefo is not just a fantastic painter but also a good sculptor, a rare gift you could hardly find today among artists. “My work speaks for itself,” the artist bragged. This Auch Polytechnic, Edo State graduate, studied Art Education and he worked briefly as an Art Teacher before establishing his own workshop named Destiny Art Studio in Onitsha. The door to his studio has been open to many ever since, and he has turned it into an educational centre. However, he revealed that a lot of people have this negative belief about sculptures and painting that demons live in them. His first solo art exhibition was in 20012 after twenty five years of practice, while WoodHood is his second solo art exhibition. Mbanefo said high costs of exhibition space and politics going on in the art sector had been a major challenge to many artists in Nigeria including him which is why he had his first solo art exhibition in 2012.

•Two of the works

JIMOH AYODELE

Tip of the iceberg

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

VISUAL ART different seasons, moods and time. Also, the theme of most of the paintings is drawn from the artist’s immediate environment such as Sakponba love, Vendor’s corner, Sisi Eko, Packaging and Call of nature among others. Ekwueme’s strength can also be found in his use of colours to enliven the stylized figures that provide smooth direction for the eyes of viewers. According to him, Tip of the iceberg is one offering out of lots in his repertoire. “I believe I have lots to offer but for now, I am showing few paintings. In the future, I will show paintings and sculptures,” he said. Variety depicts the rich endowment of most Nigerian women, especially the youths who are very conscious of their look. With brilliant colours, he celebrates the shapes and forms of the female figures which show details of the curves. The insatiable nature of human wants is expressed by Ekwueme in a painting, Married to a virgin. It shows a couple cuddling each other, but the expression on their faces betray the hidden pains in their heart as a result of challenges and pains of sexual inter-

•Sisi Eko

Revisiting ancestral lineage on canvas

OODHOOD, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Emmah Mbanefos, takes one back to his ancestral linage which is gradually fading away due to Christianity and people’s myopic interest in art and culture. One wonders what the future holds for art if people continue to perceive art. The artist used his works to touch three dimensions, which he, described as creative enterprise, artistic morality and personal psychology. “This could mean different things to different folks, depending on one’s mindset. To me (artistic artist without romantic view of the opposition of art and commerce), creative enterprise is wealth creation through something made out of imagination with boldness and initiative,” explained Mbanefo. The exhibition ran from May 9 till 22, at the National Museum Onikan, Lagos. “What could be WoodHood? The clause ‘out of woods’ means free at last, of trouble and danger. Perhaps, independent and emancipated. WoodHood is directly the opposite, both ‘danger’ and ‘trouble’ are of a foundation (cause) whose superstructure (effects) are far from goodness,’ he stated. Mbanefo’s use of masquerade to communicate his thoughts can be attributed to his Onitsha, Anambra origin where “masquerades represent lawmakers in my community where I am

By Udemma Chukwuma

VISUAL ART from...they make law and they repel it.” The artist said masquerades served as legislative, the judiciary and the executive arm of government in many communities in Nigeria before the coming of the white-man. Beyond the Igbo titles of the works, the meaning behind it is equally of interest and it cut across everyone and global topic, with fascinating messages which no one can ignore. “Itokili: this refers to being caged in the world of the living. The victim is highly vulnerable and humility could be the panacea. Humility is such a frail and dedicated thing that, any who dares to think that he has it, proves by that single thought that he has in not.” Others titles are: “Azukie: a commemoration of past soured relations with the kindred and the determination to progress and prosper with the acquired experience. Experience is good teacher. Ebili: staying the course Endurance means staying the course. But endurance is only a word until you have to deal with a strifeton marriage, the long road back from bankruptcy, divorce or illness, the rebuilding of one’s life, or the required preparation for success in any field. Akwaka: a state of being free of the contamination of the world,” the

HERITAGE ble resources such as temple, palaces, markets and traditional compounds as well as natural resources like rivers and forests. This notable set of buildings and natural resources according to the letter sustain the maintenance of a millenary culture based on a unique and complex traditional, political and religious system. ‘’The intangible heritage preserved in Oyo include music, traditional craftsmanship, poetry (Oriki), as well as complex and intense festivities calendar that culminates with the important Sango Festival, make Oyo town a bulwark of Yoruba traditional culture in Nigeria’’ . The letter reads in parts. ’’Moreover, as it is widely known, Oyo town was the capital of one of the greatest African Empires. As such, it was directly responsible for the diffusion of Yoruba Culture, traditions and beliefs throughout west Africa, covering a large territory that extended from the Southwest Nigeria to Benin, Togo, up to Ghana. This same cultural heritage was later on diffused through the transatlantic slave routes to the Americas and the Caribbean and preserved from generation to generation to date. In some cases, such as in Brazil this culture was classified as national heritage through the preservation of the Nago communities of Bahia’s Cabdomble’’. Due to the size and scope of Oyo-Sango’s heritage, the letter went on ‘’it is clear that this nomination process will require an extended multidisciplinary research work. It is therefore necessary to approve the constitution of an inter-institutional Network to support this work and the project implementation. Therefore, I am suggesting that the following will be required to carry out the projects; representative of the Ministry of Tourism Culture and National Orientation, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, UNESCO, the Alaafin’s palace, the relevant local governments, Paula Gomes Cultural Foundation and members from any other relevant organisations.’’ Essentially, it advised that they will be expected to embark on the inscription of Sango Festival into UNESCO Representatives list of Humanity for 2015 and 2016, as well as inscription of Oyo town into the UNESCO World Heritage List, so as to be listed on National Commission for Museum and Monuments tentative list for submission to the World Heritage Committee in the near future.

•In search of palm-wine, near Railway Recreation Club, Ebutte-Metta, Lagos. PHOTO: ISSAC

FTER more than 30 successful group art exhibitions since leaving the University of Benin, Benin City in 1994, Edison Ekwueme last Saturday made a unique appearance at the Lagos art circuit with a travelling solo exhibition, titled Tip of the iceberg. The exhibition, which is being put together by Purpleeva Nigeria Limited first opened at the Pan Atlantic University, Victoria Island, Lagos between May 16 and 18, before moving to National Museum, Onikan, Lagos last Saturday. It is being curated by George Edozie. Ekwueme specialises in sculpture but now expresses himself strongly in paintings, which also brings to the fore his belief in the efficacy of imaginative drawing. He shares the philosophy that the strength of an artist lies in the rendering of his lines in his draughtmanship. Expectedly, Tip of the iceberg is a foretaste of endless creative possibilities from a dynamic artist who has been Benin-bond since graduating in 1994. The Lagos audience will be having a full dose of Ekwueme’s menu garnished with lots of exciting paintings and charcoal drawings, especially those compositional abstractions that conjure figural and cubic objects. Dominant in the 27-piece collection are female figures of different shapes and sizes at

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

MONEYLINK

Pension assets hit N4.3tr

ENSION assets have grown to N4.3 trillion while it has six million contributors in the Contributory Pension Scheme CPS). The Chairman, Pensions Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) Alhaji Musbahu Yola, made this known yesterday at a briefing to announce Nigeria’s hosting of the World Pension Summit in July. Yola said: “A lot of work still needs to be done with Nigeria’s reform exercise even though there are six million contributors, N4.3 trillion pension assets or $25 billion which translates to five per cent of our rebased GDP.” He praised the National Pension Commission (PenCom) for the “good work the commission is doing to grow pension in Nigeria. Speaking at the event, the Acting Director-General, PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, noted that six million RSA accounts do not seem a lot “but looking back, we need to

From Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor), Abuja

move right not just fast.” PENCOM, she said, “is willing to take that time and enforce compliance.” She assured that the pension scheme is fully funded and also expressed optimism that Nigeria’s pension problems will be solved in time to come. According to her, “Pension is hope in retirement age and no longer a source of despair.” She also said the commission’s focus has shifted to the states by setting up zonal offices. She noted that the commission has dangled the benefits of participating at the coming summit before the states and already, “they are scrambling to pass pension laws in their states.” Mrs Anohu-Amazu said the World Pension Summit has been held every four years , adding that this is the first time it will hold in Africa. Fifty-

‘Why we are investing in movies’

five African countries, she said, were being expected. One of the co-founders of the summit, Mr. Eric Eggink, said the growth potential is there in Africa and it is not for nothing that Nigeria is one of the best investment countries in Africa. One of the reasons for selecting Nigeria to host the summit he said is the country’s power “as the largest economy in Africa is an important contributor for selecting Nigeria, as the summit is going to be inspiring.” The other co-founder Mr. Henry Smorenberg said pension is about life but also about securing enough funds in old age. According to him, some issues surround pension, such as social security, financial literacy, prudent investment and risk returns will be discussed at the summit as well as proper governance that should be in place.

By Collins Nweze

• Sterling Bank, CEO Yemi Adeola

HE need to promote the movie industry in view of its potential to continually boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been identified as one the reasons necessitating the sponsorship of the recently held Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) by Sterling Bank Plc. Its Group Head, Strategy and Communication Mr. Shina Atilola, who disclosed this to newsmen in Bayelsa State after the event that attracted prominent actors and actresses across Africa, also emphasised the need for other corporate bodies to support the movie industry for sustainable growth. He explained that the movie industry must be celebrated as it obtained in other developed countries of the world, adding that the bank was particularly delighted to partner AMAA because of the excellence it stands for. His words: AMAA has become a reference when it comes to celebrating the movie industry in Africa and we want to identify with that. Apart from celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Awards, which stands for excellence, AMAA had also celebrated the best of Nigerian filmmakers and celebrates excellence in Africa cin-

Customs rakes in N7.4b at PTML

HE outgoing Customs Area Controller of Ports and Terminal Multi-Services Limited, PTML Comptroller Timothy Aremu has said the Command generated a revenue of N7.4billion in the month of April, 2014. Aremu who made spoke yesterday while handing over to the new Area controller of PTML command , Comptroller Adegoke Folorunsho also added that the command has placed a bench mark of N8b for the month of May. He said the N7.4b achieved by the command in April was made possible due to the fact that it was able to surmount the initial delays and challenges associated with the recent introduction of the Pre Ar-

By Jude Isiguzo

rival Assessment Report (PAAR) by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Aremu explained that the increase in revenue is evident in the comparison of collections of the command made in April 2014 which is over 50 percent in the previous year is the first of it kind recorded in the history. He noted that this feat was achieved by a combination of dedicated personnel and apt application of available technology.. Aremu urged the incoming to tap into the reach technical know how of the staff to ensure that the N8b bench mark of the command for the month of May us achievable.

ema”. He said further: “It is a well-known fact that the 10th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) attracted unprecedented sponsorship. For the first time, we (Sterling Bank) threw it behind the continental brand, which is known to celebrate excellence in African cinema.” Atilola also commended the organizers for proper organisation and coordination of the event. “The organization was perfect. The synchronization was perfect and every of the activities were well organised and you can could see excitement all over”. Speaking on the step down of the Chief Eexecutive Officer of AMAA, Peace Anyiam after 10 years on the saddle, Atilola said despite the fact that her wonderful idea and organization ability will be missed, the voluntary retirement would provide younger ones with excellent ideas to stir the ship of the Awards. He however, advised that the incoming executive must see the need to sustain their relationship with her so as be able to continue to benefit from her inspiration. His words: “The handing over of the president to the would-be coming president shows continuity and good corporate governance structure. This is what Sterling Bank also stands for. At Sterling Bank, we believe in continuity. We believe in the long hug. We don’t do anything short-term. And that is why you can see, our long term aim or vision is to build an institution that will last beyond the present managers of the business.”

“I enjoin you all to keep working assiduously with the new CAC in order to maintain the rise in revenue profile of the command” he added. Aremu who described the initial challenges faced by the introduction of PAAR as teething problems added that such problems were not unusual for any project at inception as they were challenges that are surmountable. On his part, Adegoke Folorunsho solicited the support of the staff so that the set target is met. Speaking on the possibility of importers diverting to neighbouring ports, he said doing so will attract additional cost on the part of importers.

DATA BANK Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33

Price Loss 2754.67

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

Date 2-5-14 2-3-14 1-29-14

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency OBB Rate

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

Date 28-04-2012 “

O/PRICE 2.67 3.09 2.94 186.54 9.33 60.80 4.00 15.25 0.77 110.06 222.99

C/PRICE 2.80 3.24 3.08 194.00 9.70 63.00 4.12 15.70 0.79 112.50 227.90

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 27-5-14

SYMBOL FIDSON AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FO ACCESS UACN VITAFOAM ETI NEM WAPCO DANGCEM

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change

Year Start Offer

CHANGE 0.13 0.15 0.14 7.46 0.37 2.20 0.12 0.45 0.02 2.44 4.91

DISCOUNT WINDOWx Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00%

LOSERS AS AT 27-5-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

CAVERTON OANDO JOHNHOLT FORTISMFB AGLEVENT EVANSMED AIRSERVICE RTBRISCOE NEIMETH ROYALEX

6.34 19.02 1.21 6.27 1.45 2.70 2.15 1.14 1.02 0.55

C/PRICE 5.73 18.05 1.15 5.96 1.38 2.57 2.05 1.09 0.98 0.53

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGET FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FIDELITY NIGFUND INTERCONTINENTAL INTEGRITY FUND KAKAWA GUARANTEED INCOME FUND

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96%

Offer Price Bid Price 155.90 156.93 9.17 9.08 1.06 1.05 1.17 1.17 0.72 0.71 1.39 1.33 1,646.05 1,634.24 1,646.05 1,643.24 1,081.88 1,081.39 116.74 115.95 1,087.30 1,087.00 1.67 1.62 1.05 1.03

LEGACY FUND NIGERIA INTER DEBIT FUND PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND STANBIC IBTC ETHICAL FUND • • • •

CHANGE -0.61 -0.97 -0.06 -0.31 -0.07 -0.13 -0.10 -0.05 -0.04 -0.02

NSE

UBA BALANCED FUND UBA BOND FUND UBA EQUITY FUND UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

Movement

143.11

142.62

0.78 1,944.64 12.72 1.07

0.76 1,936.31 12.40 1.05

1.2655 1.3132 0.9270 1.1597

1.2543 1.3132 0.9098 1.1597

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000

Movement

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-05-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-05-14

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

EQUITIES

Equities rally to 14-week high as NSE’s index crosses 40,000 points

IGERIAN equities responded sharply to positive investors’ appetite and increasing bargain-hunting yesterday as most stocks rode on the back of the bullish sentiments to push the market to its highest point in 14 weeks. Investors gained N101 billion while reducing the average yearto-date loss to 3.07 per cent. Aggregate market value of all quoted equities rose from its opening value of N13.127 trillion to close at N13.228 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), the main index that tracks all quoted equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), rose by 0.77 per cent to cross the 40,000 points to close

•Investors gain N101b Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

at a 14-week high of 40,061.24 points as against its opening index of 39,755.47 points. With this, investors have so far gained 3.96 per cent this month, setting it apart as a period of major recovery for the stock market. With 33 gainers to 30 losers, the overtly overall market situation was boosted by gains recorded by several highly capitalised stocks. Forte Oil led the rally with a gain of N7.46 to close at N194. Dangote

Cement followed with addition of N4.91 to close at N227.90. Total Nigeria added N2.98 to close at N159.99. Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria rose by N2.44 to close at N112.50. UAC of Nigeria garnered N2.20 to close at N63. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria chalked up N1.10 to close at N68.10. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated gathered 45 kobo to close at N15.70. Ashaka Cement gained 42 kobo to close at N20.40. Stanbic IBTC Holdings rose by 39 kobo to close at N22.80 while Access Bank chalked up 37 kobo to close at N9.70 per share. Market analysts said uptrend underlined the increasing portfolio re-

balancing from the less attractive fixed-income market to the equity market. Analysts expected the market to close this month on a positive note. Turnover stood at 292.14 million shares valued at N3.98 billion in 4,815 deals. Financial services sector was the most active with a turnover of 216.91 million shares worth N1.77 billion in 2,454 deals. On

SEC establishes national investors’ protection fund

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established a National Investor Protection Fund (NIPF) that will compensate investors that suffer any loss due to operations of capital market operators. The rules establishing the NIPF obtained yesterday by The Nation indicated that beneficiaries of the NIPF would be investors who suffer pecuniary loss due to the insolvency, bankruptcy or negligence of a capital market operator and defalcation committed by a capital market operator or any of its directors, officers, employees or representatives in relation to securities, money or any property entrusted to, or received or deemed received by the capital market operator in the course of its business as a capital market. The NIPF will cover the entire capital market activities under the regulation of SEC, a broader scope than the earlier Investor Protection Fund (IPF) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which covers only the operations of members of the NSE. SEC stated that the NIPF was in furtherance of the Commission’s

Companies face sanctions for governance failures

OMPANIES would henceforth be liable for sanctions for any violation of the Code of Corporate Governance for Public Companies, according to new rules and amendments approved by the board of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The amendments to the Code of Corporate Governance for Public Companies released yesterday and obtained by The Nation indicated a paradigm shift from the earlier enforcement regime of moral suasion to a new regime of punitive and compulsory compliance. A new provision to the code stipulates that “compliance with the provisions of this code shall be mandatory” while another amendment states that companies will be liable to a fine of N500, 000 at the first instance of notification and subsequently additional fine of N5, 000 for every day that the violation persists. Besides, the stipulated fines, the new provision also give SEC unfettered power to apply “any other sanction” it “may deem fit in the circumstance”. “Any company/entity that violates the provisions of this Code shall be liable to a fine of N500, 000 at the first instance and a further sum of N5, 000 for every day the violation persists and or any other sanction as the Commission may deem fit in the circumstance,” the amended code stated. The code, according to the amendments, will now be described as a framework that is expected to facilitate sound corporate practices and behavior and it should be seen as a dynamic document defining minimum standards of corporate governance ex-

•SEC makes compliance with code of corporate governance compulsory pected particularly of public companies with listed securities. The application of sanctions and penalties would scale up the code to same level of statutory rules being made by SEC under the mandate of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2007. Already, publicly quoted companies are required to include in their annual report and accounts a compliance report on codes of corporate governance. The Code of Corporate Governance for Public Companies sets the minimum acceptable standards for quoted companies. Launched in 2003, the code of corporate governance was reviewed and re-launched in 2011, with several changes to reflect the current globally acceptable practices. Some salient points in the code included board composition, remuneration, independent director, shareholding disclosure, insider knowledge, meeting and whistle blowing. Under board composition, the code stipulates that members of the board of directors should not be less than five and the board should comprise a mix of executive and non-executive directors, headed by a non-executive chairman. The majority of directors should be non-executive directors, at least one of whom should be independent director. The positions of chairman of the board and chief executive officer shall be separate and held by different individuals. To safeguard the independence of the board, not more than two members of the same family should sit on the board of a public company at the same time.

The code requires that the remuneration of the chief executive officer as well as other executive directors should comprise a component that is long-term performance related and may include stock options and bonuses which should however, be disclosed in the company’s annual reports. Executive directors are not allowed to be involved in the determination of their remuneration. Executive directors should not receive the sitting allowances or director’s fees paid to non-executive directors. Every public company is expected to have a minimum of one independent director on its board. An independent director is a non-executive director whose shareholding does not exceed 0.1 per cent of the company’s paid up capital and is not a representative of a shareholder that has the ability to control or significantly influence management. In fact, an independent director must not have any contractual or familial relationship with the company. Besides, every quoted company is expected to disclose in its annual report, details of shares of the company held by all directors, including on an “if-converted” basis. This disclosure should include indirect holdings. All directors are required to disclose their shareholding whether on a proprietary or fiduciary basis in the public company in which they are proposed to be appointed as directors, prior to their appointment. On insider knowledge, the code requires that directors of public companies, their immediate families-spouse, son, daughter, mother or father; and other insiders as de-

stock by stock basis, Unic Insurance was the most active stock with a turnover of 38.46 million shares valued at N19.23 million in three deals. Zenith Bank followed with a turnover of 36.53 million shares valued at N856.04 million in 290 deals. Custodian and Allied placed third with a turnover of 30.56 million shares worth N93.61 million in 78 deals.

fined under Section 315 of ISA and Rule 110 (3) of the SEC Rules and Regulations, in possession of price sensitive information or other confidential information, shall not deal with the securities of the company where such would amount to insider trading as defined under the Investment and Securities Act 2007. The code also stipulates that general meetings are expected to be conducted in an open manner allowing for free discussions on all issues on the agenda. Sufficient time should be allocated to shareholders to participate fully and contribute effectively at the meetings. The chairmen of all board committees and of the statutory audit committee should be present at general meetings of the company to respond to shareholders queries and questions. Notices of general meetings shall be 21 days from the date on which the notice was sent out. Companies shall also allow at least seven days for service of notice if sent out by post from the day the letter containing the same is posted. The notices should include copies of documents, including annual reports and audited financial statements and other information as will enable members prepare adequately for the meeting. The board is expected to ensure that all shareholders are treated fairly and are given equal access to information about the company; Also, every company is required to have a whistle-blowing policy which should be known to shareholders, employees, contractors, job applicants, other stakeholders and the general public. It is the responsibility of the board to implement such a policy and to establish a whistle-blowing mechanism for reporting any illegal or substantial unethical behavior.

• Compensation capped at N200,000 mandate to regulate and develop the Nigerian capital market and in particular, its duty to ensure the protection of investors in the capital market. The NIPF will apply only to defalcations by insolvent or bankrupt capital market operators not dealing members of Securities Exchange or Capital Trade Points. In other words, the NIPF will be for the purpose of compensating investors whose losses are not covered under the Investor Protection Funds Fund administered by Securities Exchanges and Capital Trade Points. SEC is expected to provide the initial take-off grant for the NIPF. It will subsequently generate funds through grants, subventions, donations and annual contributions to be made by all capital market operators not subject to contribute to the Investors Protection Fund of Securities Exchanges and Capital Trade Points. SEC will determine the applicable annual contribution. The board of the NIPF is also empowered to obtain loans, subject to approval of SEC. Also, the NIPF can generate funding through assets, properties or cash that shall be realized from liquidated operators after compensation to investors and proceeds from investment of its resources. However, any client who participated in the wrongful act of the capital market operator shall not benefit from the Fund while the NIPF will also not apply to losses arising from transactions not regulated by the Commission. According to the rules, an investor must submit application for compensation within 12 months after the investor became aware or ought reasonably to have become aware of the status of the investments. The investor is also expected to back up his claims with relevant evidence. The board of NIPF is expected to set up a ‘Review Committee’ which shall be charged with the responsibilities of reviewing the claims of investors and making recommendations to the board. The decision of the board is final on compensation. “The maximum amount payable to an investor who has suffered loss shall be Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200, 000.00) or its equivalent in form of shares/units, provided that where the amount of loss is lesser, the investor shall be paid the calculated amount of loss. The amount of compensation may be reviewed from time to time as approved by the board of the Fund,” according to the rules. However, the rules underscored that “the Fund is not under any obligation to pay compensation to an investor” while “any claim prior to the commencement of these rules shall not be covered by the Fund”. Also, where the board is satisfied payment in full would not be prudent having regard to other applications for compensation, or to any uncertainty as to the amount of the investors overall net claim, it may determine to pay an appropriate lesser sum in final settlement.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

NEWS

Obi urges Nigerians to pray for Akunyili

ORMER Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has urged Nigerians to pray for Prof. Dora Akunyili. He spoke yesterday in India when he visited the former Information and Communication Minister, who is hospitalised. Obi, who expressed happiness that Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides were wishing Mrs. Akunyili well, said the gesture explained how dear she was to the country. “Despite the unacceptability of the practice of rejoicing over people’s misfortune, the love, concern and care Nigerians have shown to Dora is a testimony that anybody who serves the country faithfully as Dora has continued to do, will forever be etched in their psyches,” he added. Obi thanked God for the improvement of Mrs. Akunyili’s health, noting that the reality he saw was opposite of the grim picture people painted about her condition. He prayed to God to grant her total healing. The former governor thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for directing the Nigerian High Commissioner to visit her in hospital and monitor her condition. Speaking at a meeting between Mrs Akunyili’s husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili and Obi with a team of doctors treating her, Obi stressed the need for Indians to set up facilities in Nigeria and for Nigerian doctors to be committed to expanding health facilities. Dr. Akunyili thanked the doctors for their professionalism and commitment. He also thanked Nigerians for their love and concern, enjoining them to intensify prayers for his wife.

•Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed displaying his Hall of Grace( HOG) Governor of the Year Award in his office in Ilorin...yesterday

Bill on Financial Intelligence Centre divides Senate

HE Senate was divided yesterday over a Bill that seeks to establish the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Centre (NFIC) as an independent body from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Bill entitled: “A Bill to establish the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Centre,” seeks to set up a central body in Nigeria for receiving, requesting, analysing

RCCG’s thanksgiving

HE Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Dominion Chapel (aka The Light House) LP 21, will hold its annual special thanksgiving service on Sunday at 32, Pure Water Street, Arepo, Ogun State, from 10am. The minister-in-charge, Pastor Victor Ayodele, said the theme of the programme is “Free At Last”.

Govt warned against swapping of Chibok girls

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

GROUP, OmoAjorosun Club of Ibadan, has advised the Federal Government not to negotiate with Boko Haram insurgents over the kidnapped pupils of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The club’s president, Mr. Sarafaden Alli, spoke yesterday in Ibadan during the Children’s Day celebration organised by the club for over 1,000 children. Alli, a lawyer, said Federal Government should be proactive over the abduction, adding that the Chibok girls should not be swapped with Boko Haram prisoners. He said: “We are concerned and share in government’s concern of ensuring that the girls are released unhurt without the terrorists benefiting. We urge the security agencies to work hard and ensure our girls are freed.”

Kidney transplant operation in UPTH

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

HE Chairman, Board of Management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Olusegun Ogundimu, has said the hospital can carry out successful kidney transplant. He said the hospital has created a world class kidney transplant centre where patients from all over the world can come. Ogundimu spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during the inauguration of the ultra modern General–Out-Patients Department (GOPD). He said: “The hospital can carry out kidney transplant, we are ready to go, all we need is to partner with some countries and get the International Standard Organisation (ISO) certification.”

and disseminating financial intelligence reports. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, Senator Victor Lar, said the Bill seeks to create the “financial intelligence centre is vested with full independence and autonomy.” He said the development was meant to insulate the centre from undue interference and manipulation by other authorities and strengthen its capacity to effectively deliver on its mandate. Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba said it has become necessary to establish the NFIC as part of efforts by the Federal Government to fight financial crimes and terrorism financing in the country. Ndoma-Egba said the passage of the bill would enable Nigeria to meet the mandatory requirement for the removal of Nigeria from the Financial Action Task Forces list of non-cooperative countries and territories. He said even though Nigeria has a Financial Intelligence Unit as an autonomous department in the EFCC, the shortcomings of the unit as currently constituted and operated, was predicated on its limited capacity to effectively carry out its functions. Ndoma-Egba said: “Similarly, the inter-government action group against money laundering has observed that the financial intelligence unit in Nigeria, among other countries in West Africa, has been operating suboptimally.” While some senators argued that the non-establishment of the centre had affected the capacity of the country to tackle money laundering and other related crimes, others said it would be a mere duplication of the functions of the EFCC. They noted that the situation portends great danger to the economy and image of the country if not checked.

Conference wants govt to stop sponsoring pilgrimages, others

HE National Conference yesterday came up with far-reaching recommendations on critical religious issues affecting the nation. It resolved that government at all levels should stop using public funds to sponsor religious programmes, especially pilgrimages for the citizens, including officials. Also, the delegates agreed that apex religious bodies in the country be allowed to handle matters relating to the pilgrims commission in accordance with an Act of the National Assembly regulating their functions. It, however, agreed that government, in performance of its oversight responsibility to Nigerians, shall provide normal consular services for the pilgrims through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the established Nigerian foreign missions in the relevant destinations. The conference, in another resolution, said henceforth, hate speeches and sermons meant to create incitement among Nigerians should be criminalise; and those involved prosecuted. Delegates also resolved that profit-making businesses carried out by religious bodies like churches and mosques should pay taxes as a way of contributing to the growth of the economy. Henceforth, by the decision of the conference, nobody wishing to convert to any religion of his or her choice should be subjected to any form of victimisation whatsoever. In arriving at these decisions, the conference relied on the recommendations of the Committee on Religion which had Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Rev Felix Ajakaiye and Alhaji Nurudeen Lemu as co-chairmen. Twice, during the presentation of the report by Lemu, and against the conference rules of procedure, the hall rose to applaud the committee for its sound analysis, thorough handling and simplification of knotty issues and for coming up with daring recommendations. Its Deputy Chairman, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, said the constitution of the committee on religion was the most difficult assignment in terms of membership during the inauguration of all the committees. According to Akinyemi, this was due to the sensitive nature of the assignment and the fact that “people can change their political views, but they may not change their religious views.” But he noted that the committee had handled the assignment with diligence and compassion. The applause accorded the committee did not however take away opportunity for criticisms by some delegates who said members of the committee had avoided tackling some critical issues and answering questions Nigerians would expect them to answer. Some delegates criticised the committee for its silence on the fate of mission schools which had in the past served as moral training grounds for young people who grew up with such morals for the betterment of the society. One of the delegates, Senator Femi Okurunmu, accused the committee of shying away from the crucial issue of wheth-

er Nigeria is a secular or religious state. He explained that this became necessary because Section 10 of the constitution has been given different interpretations by different people with regard to the secularity of Nigeria. Okurunmu suggested that Section 10 be amended to make it quite explicit that Nigeria is a secular state so that the misinterpretation can be put to rest. Prof Ambrose Okoli also faulted the committee on the issue of where worship centres should be sited. He said building of worship centres requires regulation to avoid noise pollution because “a man in search of salvation should do it quietly between him and God.” The committee stated that central to the issue of religious harmony in Nigeria was the elimination of religious discriminations and prejudices and went ahead to recommend that Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution should be reaffirmed and upheld in practice. Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, which deals with prohibition of state religion, states that, “The Government of the Federation or of a state shall

not adopt any religion as state religion.” However, while this recommendation was applauded, the conference was yet to decide on the committee’s suggestion for the establishment of a Religious Equity Commission (REC) with the statutory mandate of advocacy, enforcement of constitutional religious rights such as freedom of religion, freedom to acquire land for religious purposes, among others. Delegates said during clause-by-clause consideration of the report that the National Human Rights Commission should be empowered to handle such issues instead of setting up another commission at a time the issue of devolution of power was being seriously contemplated while another group was against it. The committee had envisaged the REC to serve as a platform that would bring individuals of the major religions in Nigeria to interact and crystalise ideas that would foster unity and tolerance; as well as monitor and investigate and expose cases of religious discrimination and violation.

Fed Govt gets court’s nod to call more witnesses in Ndume’s trial

USTICE Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday granted the Federal Government’s request to call additional witnesses to fortify its case in the trial of Senator Ali Ndume, accused among others of sponsoring the violent Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram. With the permission granted to the prosecution, in a ruling by the judge yesterday, the state said it will call the private telecommunication firm, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, and a forensic expert as additional witness. The prosecution has called three witnesses so far. .Justice Kolawole, in the ruling, dismissed Ndume’s opposition to the prosecution’s application and gave the Federal Government seven days to file its additional proof of evidence and serve same on the defence. He held that the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja delivered by Justice Amiru Sanusi on December 17, last year, was not related to exhibits P5 and P5A for which purpose the prosecution sought to call the additional witnesses. The judge further held that the ruling of the Court of Appeal was in relation to exhibits P7, P8, P8A and P8B, against which admission the accused had appealed. He also held that exhibits P5 and P5A had long been admitted by the court in two rulings on December 11 and 14, 2012. He said exhibits P7, P8, P8A and P8B, which were adjudged to be electronically generated evidence, were digital video discs (DVDs) containing results of the forensic analysis of two mobile telephones said to have been retrieved from Ndume and Ali Konduga. Konduga (aka Al Zawahiri), who had been convicted of terror charges, was said to be a former spokesman for Boko Haram. Justice Kolawole also held that, though it was elementary knowledge in law that an exhibit that had been marked re-

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

jected could not be re-tendered in the same proceedings, the exhibits which the prosecution sought to call additional witnesses for, were not the same marked rejected by the Court of Appeal. “The court cannot anticipate what the proposed witnesses of the prosecution are coming to say. In the light of this, it will be an injudicial exercise of discretion by the judge to shut out or to shut down the evidence to be tendered by the proposed witnesses.” The judge refused Ndume’s other grounds of objection, among which was that the prosecution failed to give details of the proposed witnesses, especially the one from MTN, including their names, addresses, status and areas of expertise. Ndume had also urged the court to refuse the prosecution’s application because it constituted an abuse of court process because the additional proof of evidence sought to be filed by the prosecution was baseless. Justice Kolawole upheld submissions of the Federal Government’s counsel, E.A Orji, to the effect that the prosecution was not bound by law to file proof of evidence in a criminal trial at the Federal High Court. “The court cannot exert on the prosecution what is not imposed by law,” the judge held. He said the defence ought to focus on the “materiality and the relevance” of the evidence to be given by the witnesses, rather that bothering itself with the details of the witnesses. He said the defence was at liberty to ask for an adjournment if it becomes handicapped to cross-examine the witnesses due to lack of sufficient information about the witnesses which had been withheld by the prosecution. Hearing in the case has been fixed for June 30.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 2014

NEWS

Student wins NHIS scholarship

HE National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has launched a health insurance programme for members of the Emoriko Mutual Health Association. Emoriko is a community in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State. An indigent pupil of the community was awarded a scholarship by NHIS Executive Secretary, Dr. ‘Femi Thomas. Augustine Sunday, a 16year-old SS 2 pupil of Emoriko Secondary School, was described by natives as a brilliant child, who is an inspiration to others. Thomas said: “I grew up in similar circumstances with poverty and lack such that they almost cut me off from opportunities and hope. “But God intervened and sent help my way, just as he gave me shoulders to lean on. Today, by His Grace, we are here. “This is why it was easy for me today to see and feel what the people of this community are experiencing. “So I resolved in my heart that today I will also lend my own shoulders to someone to climb on, as a way of saying thank you to God, and rendering modest help for the liberation of this community.” Sunday said: “I am happy about this scholarship; I promise not to let everyone down. I will apply to study medicine after my secondary education.” The ceremony turned into a festival as community leaders, women and youth groups, including masquerades, danced to celebrate.

No more hostilities in Benue, B says Suswam ENUE State Governor Gabriel Suswam said yesterday that peace has returned to the state, after weeks of clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen. Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, he said some mischievous persons were behind the letters threatening to attack schools in the state. He said the letters were not from Boko Haram and that adequate measures have been put in place to contain any attack on schools. His words: “The security situation in the state is okay now. We don’t have very serious issues, we have had incidents of where some herdsmen raped a woman, but we are dealing with that. “We have arrested them we are dealing with that through the police and other law enforcement agencies. Outside that, the situation has substantially calmed down. “I think the letter was from some mischievous people. The way the letter was writ-

those who have left Benue have started coming back and I believe there will be no problem.” Speaking on the problem between the government and primary school teachers, he said: “We are almost there. We have a situation where we have paid minimum wage. Minimum wage is not salary increase. “There is no qualified teacher in Benue who receives salary below minimum wage. People have misinterpreted minimum wage to mean salary increase. It is not. “When they mounted so much pressure, I increased their salary. They said it was not enough and that is why we are where we are today. But we are almost there. I believe that by the end of this month or early next month, primary school teachers will come

back. “It is an unfortunate situation. I never believed that schools will be closed for six months but that has happened. The fact of the matter is that the state cannot afford to pay what they are asking for. The money is simply not there.” Based on the 15 unbroken years of democracy in Nigeria, the governor said there was hope for Nigeria. He said: “Absolutely. The late Tai Solarin said when there is vibration, a lot of people confuse it to mean crisis. He said when you are building a tall structure that is meant to last for several years, you vibrate. “What we are experiencing in Nigeria is vibration. We will pass through it. Look at the history of developed countries. They passed through it. We are passing through a phase that requires all of us to be cautious. If this country goes down, it is not the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alone that will go down.

nocent man was convicted by the court on the date aforementioned. It is for this singular reason that we are applying to you for presidential pardon in the circumstance pursuant to your exclusive legitimate constitutional powers under Section 175(a) and (b) of the constitution. “Your Excellency sir, we are applying for respite and pardon for the convicted felon Kabiru Umar (alias Kabiru Sokoto) because we have absolute faith in your compassion and highest sense of fairness, equity and justice first as a God-fearing man and next, as the leader of the most compassionate nation on earth. “Had Kabiru Sokoto been sentenced in open court for the corporate acts of Boko Haram as a terrorist organsiation, we would not have spared a thought to make this applica-

tion, but he was sentenced alone for acts committed by other members of Boko Haram (an organisation that was only proscribed after his arrest, detention and the making of his no-case submission before the Federal High Court, Abuja division.) “Your Excellency, we vow to reach out beyond the imagination and work with you in resolving the Boko Haram imbroglio, with the firm belief that no quarrel of brotherhood is eternal. We shall undertake this national task for the pleasure of God Almighty, believing in His divine will for our peaceful, united, symbiotic and mutual coexistence as brothers and sisters under a fair and just leader. “We must honestly and sincerely urge you to exercise your prerogative of mercy

•Says threat letters not from Boko Haram •We can’t meet teachers’ demand From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

ten showed it was from some mischievous elements and not from the quarters that it was purported to have come from. Despite that, I have taken adequate measures to protect our pupils.” To ensure the crises in Plateau and Taraba states do not spill over to Benue, Suswam said he has set up a committee made up of herdsmen and farmers. “The Fulani and Benue farmers are working together. Where there is any incident, the committee intervenes. “For instance, it was the Fulani who helped in arresting the suspected rapists. We believe we will sustain the peace. “There is harmony in Benue now, some Fulani especially

•Suswam

“This is not a party issue. All of us must be on the same page on this security issue. We can’t discuss politics if there is no peace. People should not play politics with security matter in the way that I have seen people play politics with Chibok girls. “Instead of condemning the perpetrators, people are condemning the government. “Some people are throwing bombs, kidnapping our children and instead of working with government, citizens are demonstrating against government.”

Kabiru Sokoto begs Jonathan for pardon

ONVICTED Boko Haram member Kabiru Umar (aka Kabiru Sokoto) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan for pardon, promising to assist the government to end the activities of the now outlawed sect. Umar was convicted on a two-count terrorism charge by a Federal High Court in Abuja on December 20 last year and sentenced to life imprisonment. The court found him guilty of facilitating terrorist acts and concealing information from security agencies on the

•Appeals judgment From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

December 25, 2011 bombing of St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Mandala, Niger State. In a letter to the President, written on his behalf by his lawyer, Sheriff Okoh, Umar said he was innocent of the offences for which he was convicted. He faulted the process leading to his conviction and has also appealed the High Court judgment. “Your Excellency sir, an in-

and grant pardon or respite in this matter in the interest of justice. “The law permits you to right each and every wrong in Nigeria, including those of the courts and this is one good situation where such powers under Section 175 of our constitution serve the collective interest of our beloved nation towards peace and harmony,” he said. Umar, in his notice of appeal, faulted the judgment against him and urged the appellate court to set it aside. He raised five grounds of appeal, including arguing that the trial judge erred in law when he resolved all the doubts, with respect to improper investigation of the case, in favour of the prosecution, a decision he said occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

Lamido to Jonathan: release our N30b IGAWA State Governor Sule Lamido has called on the Federal Government

to release the over N30 billion promised to the state to avoid deficit in its budget. The governor made the call yesterday in Dutse during the activities to mark his seventh year in office. He said the money was promised by the Federal Government for execution of some developmental projects in the state. The fund includes N17 billion Ecological Fund, N11.5

From Ahmed Rufa’I, Dutse

billion for the Dutse International Airport and N7.5 billion for the building of Dutse integrated water project. Lamido said the amount had been included in the budget. His words: “These funds were promised by President Goodluck Jonathan during his campaign in 2011. “The President also promised N10 billion for the continuation of the Hadejia Valley irrigation project, which was also re-affirmed by Vice

President Namadi Sambo during his visit to the state two years ago. “There has been no positive response from the Federal Government. “The Dutse International Airport project had been carried out by the state with the agreement that the Federal Government will pay the state back. “Our plan is that when the Federal Government pays us, we will use the money to finance some projects in the State University, Kafinhausa.”

Abuja church plans N5m medical outreach

HE Graceville Christian Centre, Abuja, will on Saturday hold a medical outreach for the indigent people of Kpaduma. Kpaduma is a community of original inhabitants of Abuja in the Asokoro District. During the outreach, locals will access care in paediatric, ophthalmological, dental areas as well as HIV testing and counselling.

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

Household and food items such as slippers, wrappers and rice will be donated. The Senior Pastor, Tunde Ayeni, said the event was part of activities marking the church’s third anniversary. He described Nigeria as a country of paradox because though many live in affluence, many more live in penury. “If you say you love God

that you don’t see and you hate your neighbour who you see, that love is not complete. “You have to start your love from your neighbour that you see before you can extend it to God that you don’t see. “We hope lives will be touched at the end. We intend to empower the communities by building capacities through small scale businesses,” the pastor said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS Chibok abduction: Documents fault WAEC, Police claims

HE government of Borno State took preemptive steps to avert any security breach in Chibok and all centres for the Senior School Certificate Examinations, according to documents from the authorities. The state alerted the police on the need to protect examination centres in Maiduguri, Biu, Askira, Lassa, Chibok and Auno. Also, contrary to the claim of the Head, National Office of WAEC in Nigeria, Mr. Charles Eguridu, there was no time the agency specifically requested for a special security cover for Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok where the 276 girls were abducted on April 15. Eguridu told reporters that WAEC had specifically warned that Chibok wasn’t safe for the May/June 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) but that Governor Kashim Shettima overruled the warning. But Shettima was away for a meeting of Northern governors with the United States Government when WAEC alleged that it raised the alarm on Chibok. Details of event before the abduction girls are in some documents obtained by our correspondent. They show that some agencies may have been lying. According to sources, while WAEC called for adequate security measures for examination centres, it did not single out Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok for any extra-security arrangement. WAEC’s letter to the state government did not give any warn-

ing that GGSS Chibok was unsafe. A copy of March 19 letter, signed by the Zonal Coordinator of WAEC, F.M Gaiya (on behalf of the national headquarters of WAEC) gave an insight into what the examinations body said about security challenges in Borno State. The letter, titled “Urgent intervention towards the conduct of the May/June 2014 WASSCE in Borno State”, and directed to Deputy Governor Zannah Umar Mustapha, said: “ Your Excellency (Deputy Governor), following my visit to your office with the Honourable Commissioner for Education in the presence of the Director, ERC on ways of conducting a hitch free 2014 WASSCE in the state, I wish to passionately make the following request for the duration of the examination (copy of time table attached). “Provision of three (3) pick up vehicles to convey security (sensitive exam) materials on three routes from Maiduguri-Biu (daily); Maiduguri-Auno (daily) and Maiduguri to Askira-Lassa-Chibok (twice weekly). “Armed escorts for each route. Adequate security for the examination centres in Maiduguri, Biu, Askira, Lassa and Chibok. “In addition, I am pleading for the provision of two houses for the Deputy Registrar/Zonal coordinator and his assistant who have been hobbling from hotel to hotel as a result of the prevailing security situation in the state.

Thanking you for your anticipated approval.” Based on the letter, the state government alerted Commissioner of Police Lawal Tanko on WAEC’s security needs. The state, in a March 20 letter, signed by the Chief Admin Officer, Special Services (Security) at the Government House in Maiduguri, M.M Gana, requested for security for all examination centres, including Chibok, throughout the duration of the May/June 2014 WASSCE examinations. The letter was contrary to the Police Commissioner’s claim at the Presidential Villa on May 2, that the police in Borno State was only required to provide security at the Government Secondary School, Chibok during the day time whereas the abduction took place at night. The disclosure made the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, at the meeting, to exonerate the police of any blame. She said the police carried out the job demanded of them by the state government. Gana’s letter to the Police Commissioner was also titled “Urgent intervention towards the conduct of the May/June 2014 WASSCE in Borno State.” The letter said: “Report reaching this office from the office of the zonal coordinator of WASSCE with reference NO: MD/ZO/OA/10/203 dated 19th March, 2014 on the above subject matter requesting the intervention of the State Government for the smooth conduct of the 2014 WASSCE in the State

(photocopy attached). “ It could be recalled that last year’s WASSCE in the State suffered a setback due to the activities of Boko Haram insurgency. In some centres, students missed examinations, some wrote the examinations in haste and fear while others were unable to even sit for some of the examination. In the light of the above, I am directed to make the following requests for the duration of the examinations. Attached is a copy of the examination time table for guidance. “Provision of three (3) police pick up vehicles to convey security men on three routes from Maiduguri-Biu (daily); Maiduguri-Auno (daily) and Maiduguri to Askira-Lassa-Chibok (twice weekly). “Provision of armed escorts for each route. Adequate security for the examination centres in Maiduguri, Biu, Askira, Lassa, Chibok and Auno. “I am further directed to add that government would arrange three official vehicles for the conveyance of the security/examination materials, one to each of the routes while police would contribute three police patrol vehicles and escort to each route. Thank you for the usual cooperation.” A source who spoke in confidence also faulted the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, for claiming that the ministry warned the state against conducting examinations in Chibok. The source said: “A letter sent from the office of Minister of

State for Education which the supervising Minister claimed he used in warning the Borno State Government against conducting the WASSCE in Chibok was said to have focused entirely on Unity Schools, requesting the Borno State Government to move final year students from all federal colleges in the State to collapse them in Maiduguri for the May/ June exams, given their relatively fewer number compared to those of Borno. “By the letter, the Minister keyed into the model adopted by Borno’s government, which collapsed students in fewer examination centres as against over one hundred located in over 80 public secondary schools and private schools across the state. “The Minister neither has controlling or advisory powers over schools owned by Borno State Government and as such he couldn’t have directed the Borno Government not to conduct exams in Chibok. “Mr. Nyesom Wike was last week reported saying he wrote advising Borno not to hold examinations in Chibok. There was nothing like that. “You can see that these correspondences contradict the first terms of reference of the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee which was that the committee should establish circumstances why GGSS Chibok was opened when others were closed. “WAEC clearly knew that not only GGSS Chibok was opened for examinations.” A source, who pleaded no to be named because he is not per-

Haram burst into this town, chanting that they were here for the soldiers and policemen; and not the civilians. Don’t panic, we will not touch you. All of you are safe today (Monday). As they attacked the military posts, they proceeded to the police station, the magistrate’s court and our council secretariat complex; and put fire on them. “Some of the people, however, fled their houses and shops for safety, despite assurance of attackers not to kill anyone of

them. Residents living near the police station and military posts however; fled to nearby bushes and farmlands.” It was gathered that security operatives moved to Buni Yadi to ascertain the impact of the attack. A top emergency security meeting was summoned by the state government in Damaturu, the state capital. Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu met with the Police Commissioner, the JTF Commander and the Secretary to the State Government

(SSG) where he was briefed on the incident. Military and hospital ambulances were also sighted along Maiduguri road in Damaturu with heavy military escorts. Another village, Chinene in Gwoza Local Government, Borno State was attacked. Two churches, shops and residential houses were set ablaze. Chinene village is southeast

and a border community with Cameroon, which is about 130 kilometres drive from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. Cameroon yesterday began deploying large troop reinforcements to buttress its border with Nigeria against the threat posed by marauding Boko Haram militants, security officials said. “The deployment has begun. Today, soldiers have started be-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

•Shettima

mitted to speak officially, added: “Also relating to the Chibok incident, a document showed that WAEC had written another letter to Borno State Government with reference number MD/ZO/OA/10/204, dated May 10, 2014 requesting for financial assistance. “Titled ‘May/June 2014 WASSCE-logistics for conduct of examinations’, signed by the WAEC zonal coordinator, F.M. Gaiya , the body made a submission to the Borno State Government demanding the release of N1, 668,000(one million six hundred and sixty eight thousand Naira) out of which the state government released N1,500,00( One million, five hundred thousand Naira )which the zonal coordinator received. “All the correspondences seem to suggest that both the WAEC and the Borno State Government did not anticipate security challenges in Chibok.”

Boko Haram kills 24 soldiers, 21 policemen in Yobe attack

Continued from page 4

were armed with various weapons and petrol bombs. A resident said the attackers drove in pick-up trucks, armoured tanks and motorcycles. Abubakar (not real name) said the attack was clearly targeted at security operatives, unlike past attacks in which civilians also fell victims. He said: “We were shocked and terrified in the evening when a gang of armed Boko

Chibok girls: Obasanjo joins rescue mission Continued from page 4

ple at the meeting who had knowledge gave Obasanjo a breakdown of what happened.” After about 20 minutes of reviewing the talks, said the source, all the parties realised that in spite of the fact that the Federal Government agreed on the swap of the abducted girls, there was lack of trust by the government. “The Federal Government was unsure whether or not the talks will produce results. There is therefore the need to restore the trust. “The meeting shifted to the way forward on how to rescue the girls. The options are to: •restore trust between the government and Boko Haram leaders; •explore possible ways in which Boko Haram could be engaged; •convince Boko Haram to release the girls as a precondition before the sect’s demand for the release of their members is considered; •possibility of handing over the girls to some Islamic clerics in trust until the government fulfils its own part of the bargain; and •immunity for Boko Haram leaders to meet with Obasanjo and government representatives. The source added: “Part of the discussions or the points of the meeting was that Obasanjo is working on an idea that would see the insurgents handing over

the Chibok girls to their own clerics in trust. “After that, he (Obasanjo) will then look into the possibility of considering their own demands and how to go about meeting these conditions.” A third source claimed that Obasanjo added some caveat. The source said: “Baba said the fresh initiative on talks with Boko Haram should be done in phases. He said he had to seek clearance from the government on whether he should wade in or not. He wants to seek a commitment on whether the Jonathan administration is prepared to walk this path or not. “He said if the government agrees, he would meet with the Boko Haram leaders and later with government representatives, depending on the outcome of talks. “If the government says ‘no’, Obasanjo said he would stop from mediating with Boko Haram contacts and leaders.” But the delegation asked

Obasanjo to step in quickly because “the girls are most likely to be brainwashed and they would come back as different people we know them to be”. In what appeared a lighter part of the session in Abeokuta, Obasanjo was reportedly asked by the delegation if they should bring some of the leaders to his house. “I will prefer to talk to their representatives now until I get clearance from the Federal Government, not now. “I will meet with the leaders after I have received necessary backing from the government,” he was quoted as replying. Attempts to speak with any of those at the meeting were difficult as at press time. But when our correspondent got across to Sani, he simply said: “Yes; we had a meeting in Abeokuta last Saturday, but go and find out what transpired from the ex-President.” Asked of what was discussed, he replied jocularly: “We discussed Boko, but if you add Haram, na you sabi.”

‘Govt priority is security not public relations’ Continued from page 4

the reports of a drive to recruit consultants to launder its image highly insensitive, deplorable, absurd and very malicious. “The Federal Government’s topmost priority for now is not public relations or image laun-

dering but national security and the ongoing effort to ensure the safe return of the abducted college girls. “We therefore condemn the attempt by purveyors of the bogus reports to incite the Nigerian public against the Federal Government through the circulation of falsehoods.”

PUBLIC NOTICE INDIA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION The general public is hereby given notice that the above named Association based in Lagos State of Nigeria is applying for registration of the change/election of new Trustees under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004. The change is necessary due to the busy schedule of the old Trustees who resigned recently. THE NEW TRUSTEES ARE: (a) Mr. Ramesh Hathiramani (b) Mr. Nari Gwalani (c) Mr. Haresh Keswani (d) Chief Sanjay Jain Any objection to this application should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Secretary

ing sent to the border regions,” a senior police official in the area told AFP on condition of anonymity.

PUBLIC NOTICE EZEAKOR

I, formerly known and addressed as Chika Rita Ezeakor now wish to be known and addressed as Chika Rita Kenechukwu Nkwonta. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. PUBLIC NOTICE BADA I formerly known and addressed as MISS BADA MARGARET IDOWU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NWOSU IDOWU MARGARET . All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. PUBLIC NOTICE

VIVIAN

I, Formerly known and addressed as MISS. EKHAYEME VIVIAN now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OFORIADOM, ROSEMARY EKHAYEME. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. PUBLIC NOTICE

ABISAGBO

I, Formerly known and addressed as Miss Abisagbo Morenike Ajoke of 14 Oguntade Street, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adedeji Morenike Ajoke. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS India PM Modi presses Pakistan’s counterpart, Sharif on militants

NDIA’s new PM Narendra Modi has urged his Pakistani counterpart to crack down on militants and speed up the trial of the 2008 Mumbai attacks suspects. Mr Modi held bilateral talks with Nawaz Sharif on his first day in office. The Pakistani leader said they should put the “legacy of mistrust” behind them and work for peace and stability. Mr Sharif attended Mr Modi’s swearing-in on Mon-

day, amid hopes of a thaw in relations between the rivals who have fought three wars since independence. Mr Modi also “underlined our concerns related to terrorism”, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said after the talks. “It was conveyed that Pakistan must abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory under its control from being used for terrorism against India.”

Pakistan woman stoned to death by family for marrying man she loved

25-year-old woman was stoned to death by her family outside one of Pakistan's top courts yestersday in a socalled "honor" killing for marrying the man she loved, police said. Farzana Iqbal was waiting for the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore to open when a group of around dozen men began attacking her with bricks, said Umer Cheema, a senior police officer. Her father, two brothers and former fiance were among the attackers, he said. Iqbal suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital, police said. All the suspects except her father escaped. He admitted killing his daughter, Cheema said, and explained it was a matter of honor. Many Pakistani families think a woman marrying her own choice of man brings dishonor on the family. Iqbal had been engaged to her cousin but married another man, Cheema said. Her family registered a kidnapping case against him but Iqbal had come to court to argue that she had married of her own free will, he said. Around 1,000 Pakistani women are killed every year by their families in honor killings, according to Pakistani rights group the Aurat Foundation. The true figure is probably many times higher since the Aurat Foundation only compiles figures from newspaper reports. The government does not compile national statistics. Campaigners say few cases come to court, and those that do can take years to be heard. No one tracks how many cases are successfully prosecuted. Even those that do result in a conviction may end with the killers walking free. Pakistani law allows a victim's family to forgive their killer.

EU leaders to discuss election fallout in Brussels

UROPEAN leaders are due to meet in Brussels to discuss the fallout of the recent EU elections, amid growing calls for changes to the union. French President Francois Hollande, whose party was beaten by the far right, wants more focus on the economy. UK PM David Cameron will try to pull power back from Brussels, after being beaten by the UK Independence Party. Despite the rise of anti-establishment parties, pro-European parties still won most votes overall. Yesterday’s informal summit is the first opportunity for all 28 leaders to discuss the way forward after the gamechanging European Parliament elections.

Many of those there will have faced a tough few days at home. Francois Hollande has described his domestic results as “painful”. The far-right National Front stormed to victory with a preliminary 25% of the vote, pushing Mr Hollande’s Socialists into third place. Mr Hollande - who has always been a champion of the EU - told French TV the union had become “remote and incomprehensible”, and that it had overcome the crisis in the eurozone “but at what price? An austerity that has ended up disheartening the people”. Mr Hollande said that at Tuesday’s meeting he would “reaffirm that the priority is growth, jobs and investment”. But National Front Presi-

dent Marine Le Pen said her party would use its electoral mandate to “defend France” and fight “crazy measures like votes for immigrants”. The BBC’s Matthew Price in Brussels says she made a direct challenge, not just to French politicians, but to Brussels too - saying it must listen to the people, and that the French had to protect their nation. Mr Cameron, whose Conservative party lost seven seats in the European Parliament, said it was clear voters were “deeply disillusioned” with Europe and that the message had been “received and understood”. In Germany, Angela Merkel - whose conservative Christian Democratic Union won a

•President Hollande

comfortable 35% of the vote said it was now up to the established parties to win voters back by focusing on “improving competitiveness, on growth and creating jobs”. Despite the unprecedented Eurosceptic gains across the Union, Jose Manuel Barroso, outgoing president of the European Commission, insisted that the pro-EU blocs still had “a very solid and workable majority”.

Ukraine: Over 50 rebels killed as new leader takes charge

KRAINIAN aircraft and paratroopers killed more than 50 pro-Russian rebels in an assault that raged into a second day yesterday after a newly elected president vowed to crush the revolt in the east once and for all. Reuters journalists counted 20 bodies in combat fatigues in one room of a city morgue in Donetsk. Some of the bodies were missing limbs, a sign that the government had brought to bear heavy firepower against the rebels for the first time. “From our side, there are more than 50 (dead),” the prime minister of the rebels’ selfstyled Donetsk People’s Repub-

lic, Alexander Borodai, told Reuters at the hospital. The government said it suffered no losses in the assault, which began with air strikes hours after Ukrainians overwhelmingly voted to elect 48year-old confectionery magnate Poroshenko as their new president. Putin demanded an immediate halt to the offensive. Moscow said a visit by Poroshenko was not under consideration, though it has said it is prepared to work with him. Until now, Ukrainian forces have largely avoided direct assaults on the separatists, partly because they fear tens of thou-

sands of Russian troops massed on the border could invade. But Poroshenko and his government appear to have interpreted his victory as a clear mandate for decisive action. He won more than 54 percent of the vote in a field of 21 candidates, against 13 percent for his closest challenger. Poroshenko and other leaders in Kiev may have calculated that the election, by bestowing legitimacy on the authorities, makes it harder for Putin to justify intervention. Putin said in recent weeks he would withdraw troops from the border. A NATO military officer said most of them were

still there, although some showed signs of packing to leave. The new Ukrainian government assault began even as Poroshenko was holding his victory news conference in Kiev. After rebels seized the Donetsk airport on Monday, Ukrainian warplanes and helicopters strafed them from the air, and paratroopers were flown in to root them out. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said a team of four of its monitors - a Dane, an Estonian, a Turk and a Swiss - had gone missing after approaching a road checkpoint near Donetsk on Monday.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014

NEWS (SHOWBIZ)

HALLENGING the general attitude of filmmakers towards the short film genre, a professor of film and media studies at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan and former Managing Director of Nigerian Film Corporation, Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, has decried the impression that the genre is less important to a feature-length film. Ekwuazi, a jury member of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), during a press conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend, said it is not right to see short films as a training ground for people who want to make a feature-length film. “I think we are a bit too serious about this, in terms of defining what a short film is,” he said. “I remember a teacher of mine saying that the length of a film should be tailored towards the endurance of the human’s bladder. So, you make a short film for people whose bladder cannot take a long film. But more seriously, what that means is that there is a whole technique in making a short film. But it is from the film school that you start making a short film. As such, a short film, by your definition, is a students’ film. So, people think that a short film is a training ground for people who want to make a feature length film,” he added. The issue of the genre has been a concern among filmmakers worldwide. For example, First Light, a United Kingdom’s education charity, was created to put film at the hearts of children and young people’s learning and cultural experiences.

Short film not for trainees, says Prof. Ekwuazi

•A scene from Dialemi By Victor Akande

Ekwuazi, who likened the genre to books on short stories, said: “It is said that if somebody has a terminal illness, he starts reading a short story because he wouldn’t have the time to finish a full novel. But you see, what this humour underlines is that these stories have their own techniques and that they are full works of arts in their own right. So, it is not right to say that because it is a short film, it is deserving of less attention than the other ones.” Ekwuazi’s analysis was not too different from what Keith Phillips, Director, Ideal Films Ltd., Swindon, said: “At their

best, short films capture the essence of story-telling, without the encumbrance of pop-psychology and over-developed characterizations and without the unnecessary weight of meaningful sub-plots and subtexts.” Although there was a dearth of short films by Nigerians at the last AMAA, Ekwuazi praised other African countries who have taken the genre seriously. “I think it is remarkable that this year, AMAA has this harvest of short films and it’s going to continue that way,” he said. The film, Dialemi, from Gabon, won the Best Short Film at the AMAAs, beating others such as

Haunted Soul (Kenya), Siriya Mtungi (Tanzania), New Horizon (Nigeria), Nandy l’orpheline (Mali), Living Funeral (Nigeria) and Phindile’s Heart (South Africa). However, it is noteworthy that New Horizon received the Special Jury Prize, while Living Funeral was the only Nigerian entry at the Short Film Corner of the just concluded Cannes Film Festival in France. Ekwuazi, who touched on the credibility of AMAA, described the scheme as a trail blazer in African cinema. “For me, AMAA has been a very good thing, being in the Academy and sitting on the jury as I do. It has become an endorsement, even in the academic circles, that they want to look at the movies that have made it at the AMAAs, and these are the films they want to take seriously.” According to the university teacher, the scheme has evolved into a big brand that should be supported by all. “I have gained a lot sitting on the jury. I am an eternal student. I learn so much when I see those films. AMAA is a big brand. That is why when anybody establishes a film award, he goes to contact members of the AMAA panel. I know how many invitations I get to come and sit on this jury or that jury. So, I think the AMAA brand has become a brand to be reckoned with 10 years down the line,” he explained.

•Davido

•Sarkodie

Sarkodie, Davido, Kcee, others thrill at Ghana Meets Naija concert

Y all standards, the fourth edition of the Ghana Meets Naija concert, which held at the Accra International Conference at the weekend, lived up to its billing. The concert, which was opened by Mz Vee and AK Songstress, paraded a total of 10 sensational acts, including DJ Black, Nii Ayi Tagoe, Lil Win, Guru, Selebobo, Sarkodie, Davido and Kcee, who all wowed the crowd with scintillating performances. When Nigerian-born Kcee came on the stage, the hall became charged, as he created a

rapport with the audience. It was a similar experience when Sarkodie and Castro performed Adonai. Davido, who was the last act from Nigeria, thrilled with his hit song, Aye, which got the crowd swaying their waists rhythmically. The concert ended with Shatta Wale who was ushered on the stage with a very formidable security team. The 2014 Ghana Meets Naija concert organised by Empire Entertainment will go down as one of the best shows ever organised in Ghana.

Ini Edo launches ‘Ini Delicious Pastries’

AVING gained fame in acting, Ini Edo has now ventured into business with the launch of ‘Ini Edo Bread’. In a photo she shared with her fans, the Nollywood star was quoted as saying that her new business, which is located at Ogudu area of Lagos, was in realization of her love for pastries and cakes. It will be recalled that not quite long ago, the producer

•Ini Edo

of Will Take My Chances was one of the thespians offered scholarships to study at the National Open University, NOUN.

SPORT EXTRA BRAZIL 2014 MUNDIAL

Onazi's close call with Jos blasts

Success depends on Enyeama —Babayaro

•Promises to fast and pray for goalkeeper

OC Lille of France best goalkeeper of the year (2014) Vincent Enyeama has been tipped to lead the Super Eagles to enviable position in the 2014 World Cup that would commence next month in Brazil. The Atlanta 1996 Olympics football gold medallist, Emmanuel Hyacinth Babayaro confessed this to NationSport in Abuja while assessing the preparedness and chances of the Nigerian national team at the forthcoming World Cup. He also vowed to go spiritual to ensure that the goalkeeper and other players avoid injuries before and during the Mundial. “We need to do everything humanly possible for this team to achieve success at the World Cup. I have made up my mind to go on fasting and prayers for the team and most especially Vincent Enyeama whose form and health means a lot to the team. With Vincent fit, hale and hearthy, the problem of the rear is half solved”, Babayaro disclosed. “For the past three years in Nigeria I have recognised just one goalkeeper for Nigeria and this goalkeeper happens to be

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja one of the best in the whole world and that is Vincent Enyeama. God forbids bad things, if mosquito bites Enyeama today and he begins to feel feverish, I will instantly develop diarrhoea and heart attack will nearly kill me because that is the only goalkeeper we have. It is about ability, quality and being in good rich vein of form. “I have made up my mind to go on fasting and prayers for this team to do well at the World Cup and my fasting and prayers will also centre on Vincent to be in good condition of health, without injuries and in good shape also for the World Cup. “In my personal opinion, I will say it without any fear or doubt that as we speak none of the four goalkeepers present (picked for the 30-man provisional list for the World Cup) is of Enyeama’s quality. We are talking of International standard and World Cup stage and standard for that matter and not the Nigerian Premier League. Vincent Enyeama is the only goalkeeper in my own honest opinion that I recognise. “If not for Vincent today,

Ghanaian, Senegalese and Cameroonian goalkeepers have always emerged the best in Africa and rank among the best in the world. But Vincent has put a stop to that and has taken Nigeria’s image up there in the goalkeeping world. Enyeama today, to the glory of

God has saved Nigeria’s face and keeping Nigeria up there. “But for how long will he continue. So, it is high time we started looking for quality and young goalkeepers who can learn from him and later fill his place when he decides to quit the game”, Babayaro advised.

IGERIA international Ogenyi Onazi has declared he feels fortunate to be alive after he narrowly avoided last week's bombings in the Nigerian city of Jos. The blasts at a crowded bus terminal and market killed at least 118 people. Onazi, 21, who was born in Jos, had just left the popular Jos Main Market last Tuesday, when the first blast rocked the area. The midfielder, who plays for Italian Serie A side Lazio, said: "I am very, very lucky, just by the grace of God." Onazi is now with the Nigerian squad in London as they prepare for Wednesday's friendly against Scotland and he says he has been struggling to erase the memories of that dark day. Recounting his lucky escape, he told BBC Sport: "It was just like an ordinary day. Happy faces and friendly warmth that makes you feel happy to be back home. "We had gone to the railway market to get something. I think it was 15 minutes later when we heard the loud blasts from the place. And suddenly, people were just running. "There was chaos and pandemonium. There was smoke, I was confused, lost and just wondered what had happened. I had no idea what was going on and it was scary. "All my life I have never heard a bang or boom like that."

The second blast killed some of the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene, which was obscured by billows of black smoke. A week later, far away from the city where his parents are based and preparing for his first World Cup with the Super Eagles, Onazi insists the unrest back home has made it difficult to focus on football. "Some will say I should be happy to be alive but I just feel concerned about the security challenges in Jos and Nigeria as a country," he said. "I was born and bred in a peaceful Jos City. I may be fortunate enough to live outside the place right now, but I still have my family and friends who live in the city. "I always get worried when there are reports of terrible incidents there on a regular basis. It's sad and depressing to live with this. "Personally, I think there is a need for a holistic approach to solving this problem once and for all. "Innocent people are dying and the government seriously needs to step up security across the country." Another blast happened in Jos days after that incident, in an explosion that targeted football fans watching the European Champions League final, the authorities said. At least three people died and three others were injured in the blast, according to Chris Olakpe, the com-missioner of police for Plateau state.

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

TS motto is “Land of Honour.” It might as well have called itself “Land of Intellectuals” instead, and it would not have been amiss; it holds the record as the state that has produced the largest number of doctorates and professors in Nigeria, notably, Professors Jacob Festus Ade-Ajayi, Nigeria’s leading living Historian who celebrated his 85th birthday on Monday, Niyi Osundare, a literary giant and ace columnist, and the late Sam Aluko, the radical-conservative (never mind the oxymoron) economist who was the brain behind the economic policies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Nigeria. For a state which prides itself as the most bookish in Nigeria, it is an irony that one of the accusations the governor of the state, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, has had to fend off in his campaign for the forthcoming governorship election in the state on June 21 is that he is too bookish. Perhaps it is a reflection of the quality of the opposition candidates. Perhaps it is a reflection of their level of desperation, considering the almost certainty that Fayemi will retain his job in a free and fair election. The fact, however, is that the integrity and soundness of his academic background as a holder of a doctorate degree – unlike that of you-knowwho – has been made to look like an albatross rather than the virtue that it is. “I am an academic,” he said somewhat defensively in a newspaper interview the other day, “but I am also a politician; I am not an Ivory Tower academic. I am on the streets.” (The Nation, May 19). Anyone who has been to Ekiti State since the man was sworn in as governor on October 16, 2010, following a three-and-half-year legal battle over the outcome of the April, 2007, governorship election in which Chief Segun Oni, the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, was declared winner, will testify to the fact that Fayemi has truly been on the streets changing the fortunes of the people of the state for the better. “I always,” he said in the interview in question, “ask anybody who raises this type of questions to do two things: read my inaugural speech on October 16, 2010 and mark paragraph by paragraph what I said I was going to do that I have not done in office.” Ekiti, created out of the old Ondo State by military head of state, General Sani Abacha, on October 1, 1996, is one of the smallest in the country by size (2,543 square metres and 31st out of 36 states) and by population (2,737,186 million and 29th out of 36). In terms of the much depended upon revenue allocation to states from the centre, Ekiti is also near the bottom; it receives an average of N3 billion monthly compared to, say, Bayelsa which was created out of the old Rivers State in the same year and is bigger in size (8,158 square metres) but smaller in population (1,998,349) and collects 24 billion a month on average. For a state with such a meagre revenue allocation it is a miracle that Fayemi had been able to achieve most of what he promised nearly four years ago, especially in the areas of education, infrastructural development and social security. Part of his secret is that he is one of the most urbane and cosmopolitan politicians

RIPPLES Jonathan to protesters: DIRECT YOUR PROTESTS TO BOKO HARAM

So BOKO HARAM is now our FEDERAL GOVT...ehn?

People and Politics By MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Ekiti governorship election: a likely shoo-in for Fayemi

•Dr. Fayemi in the land, virtues he apparently cultivated during his self-exile under General Abacha’s five-year rule. As governor he seems to have used those virtues to attract sizeable grants from abroad to build the infrastructure that were so much lacking in the state before he took charge. The other half of his secret is that he has been able to raise money from the capital market to deliver on his promises. For opposition candidates, this is not a good thing and they could be right; only in this case they aren’t. The leading opposition candidate, Chief Peter Ayodele Fayose, for example, has condemned Fayemi for putting the state in debt, among his other alleged crimes against its good people. “Fayemi,” the New Telegraph (May 15) quoted him as saying, “has destroyed education, put Ekiti in debt, impoverished Ekiti people through capital flight. Nobody really wants to return APC (Fayemi’s All Progressives Congress) to power in this state. APC is like leprosy to the people.”

Ekiti may be in debt but in making his charge against Fayemi, Fayose obviously conveniently ignored the purpose of the debts and to ask whether their costs have been more than their benefits. Debts, as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate knows all too well, are bad only if, as is all too often the case in Nigeria, they are incurred only to be stolen or mismanaged rather than invested wisely and efficiently. So far, no opposition candidate, not even Fayose, has accused Fayemi of kleptomania. In any case Fayose is hardly in a position morally to accuse anyone of such a crime. After all, it was allegations of corruption against him which seemed credible that led to his impeachment by his state House of Assembly in which more than half the members belonged to his own party. This was the impeachment that led to the crisis which, in turn, provided President Olusegun Obasanjo with an excuse to impose his constitutionally dubious emergency rule on the state in October, 2006. It is doubtful that the good people of Ekiti State would want a return to those locust years under Fayose and his PDP, a party he himself had called some of the nastiest names and even left to contest unsuccessfully for a senate seat on the platform of the Labour Party in 2007, following his terrible encounter with Obasanjo. Here it is instructive that only two weeks ago or so, the majority leader of the Ekiti House of Assembly under his administration and the commissioner of land under Segun Oni’s subsequent PDP administration, Mr Kayode Babade, defected from the party to APC. Apart from Fayose, the only other credible opposition to Fayemi is his estranged friend and former APC compatriot and member of the House of Representatives, Chief Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. Bamidele eventually left after his apparent wish to take over from Fayemi after only one term was spurned in December, 2012, by his political bosses, includ-

HARDBALL

ARADOXICALLY, it is not so clear where the National Judicial Council (NJC) stands in the temple of justice. With all due respect, the body has succeeded in sullying its image as the highest decision making organ of the Nigerian judiciary, despite the public optimism that ushered in its head and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mukhtar, when in 2012 she became the first female CJN and promised reforms and sanitisation of the judiciary. However, this expectation has come into question following recent developments that put NJC in a negative light. Top of the unflattering issues is perhaps the apparently unresolved matter involving the Rivers State Chief Judge, Peter Agumagu, who was sworn in by the governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on March 18, contrary to the NJC’s stance backing Justice Daisy Okocha for the position on the basis of being the most senior judge in the state judiciary. It is noteworthy that Amaechi formalised Agumagu’s appointment after a Federal High Court ruling by Justice Lambo Akanbi, who declared, “With greatest respect to the National Judicial Commission, who is my employer, I cannot allow the argument of the defence counsel that the governor must accept the recommendation of the NJC.”

TONY MARINHO

ing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose government he had served in as a commissioner, the elderly Chief Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State and acting chairman of APC and, before then, chair of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and Chief Niyi Adebayo, a former governor of Ekiti. In reaction he rejected their pleas to remain in APC and instead left to join the Labour Party. Personal ambition is hardly a vice in itself. However, it is hardly enough to persuade an electorate to change horses even after crossing the stream, in a manner of speaking. As Fayemi asked rhetorically in an answer to a question by editors of Tell in an interview in its edition of November 11, 2013, concerning his estrangement from his friend and compatriot, “What is it that we promised that we are not doing? What is in the manifesto of our party that is not being implemented in Ekiti?” As with Fayose, it is also here instructive that when Bamidele left APC, not a single local government chairman of the party was known to have followed him to his new party. Clearly, the most serious obstacle to Fayemi retaining his job from June 21 is the PDP’s formidable rigging machine, which threw out Chief Adebayo from the Government House, Ado-Ekiti and installed Fayose there in 2003, and Oni in 2007. And in what sounded like the party’s willingness to crank up this machine, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, during a rally in Ekiti in support of its governorship candidate last month, equated Ekiti and the neighbouring Osun with “war fronts” which the PDP must “capture” in the governorship elections coming up in the two APC states in June and August respectively. Hopefully, the vice-president’s words were no more than the usual hyperbole of an overexcited politician on the stump. However, in case it is, the best, if not the only, way to avert a “war” in those states is for the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Voters Card Reader machine as the best guarantee of free and fair elections. At any rate, it is safer not to take any chances. So far INEC seems reluctant to use the machines before the general elections next year. The vice-president’s unfortunate words which he probably never meant, given his mild nature, has now made it incumbent for INEC to use those machines. With the limited number that will be required, the commission has enough time to deploy them. Indeed, INEC should seize this as an opportunity to test run them. It is only if it does so that it will help remove any excuse for Fayemi and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Osun governor, to cause havoc in their states should they lose their jobs in June and August because everybody would’ve seen that the elections had been free and fair. •For comments, send SMS to 08059100107

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist

NJC and corruption of justice According to the judge, “The body that is most suitable to make recommendation of a nominee as a chief judge of the state is the state Judicial Service Commission (SJC) because they have local knowledge of the most suitable candidate than the National Judicial Commission.” Moreover, he stated, it was not mandatory under Nigerian law that the most senior judge be appointed the state’s chief judge, adding that the official qualification was that the concerned individual must have spent at least 10 years on the bench. Since Agumagu, who was then the President of the Rivers Customary Appeal Court met this qualification, there was no issue about his appointment, he reasoned. Certainly, if the NJC had a problem with the judgment, it was expected to follow the path of the law, being itself a symbol of the law, with all the implications of truth and fairness. Amazingly, however, the NJC not only announced the suspension of Agumagu for alleged disobedience; it also reportedly queried Justice Akanbi. That is how things stand now, which is not easy to understand.

What made the NJC’s moves particularly puzzling and even disturbing is the fact that it appeared to have disappointingly contradicted itself, given that in the same period it had supposedly demonstrated a sense of fair dealing that was evidently missing in the case of Agumagu and Akanbi. To be specific, it was the same body that recommended to President Goodluck Jonathan the compulsory retirement from office of Justice G.K. Olotu of the Federal High Court and Justice U.A. Inyang of the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, “for gross misconduct.” Also, it was the same body that queried Justice Danlami Senchi of the Abuja High Court and issued warning letters to Justice Dalhatu Adamu, the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division; Justice A.A. Adeleye of the High Court of Justice, Ekiti State; and Justice D.O. Amaechina of the High Court of Justice, Anambra State. Now, with the benefit of insight into the seeming corruption of justice in Rivers State, it would appear that the NJC may not be beyond reasonable doubt concerning some of its actions after all.

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