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Jos blast victims lament neglect

I respect monarchs, says Tinubu

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•Poor families can’t buy drugs

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VOL. 9, NO. 2857 FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

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TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

Public schools shut as teachers stage protests

UBLIC schools were shut yesterday as teachers protested the April 15 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State. They went on a protest march in many state capitals. They were received by governors or their representatives. Their sole request was: “bring back the girls”.

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro, Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti, Okodili Ndidi,Owerri, Nwanosike Onu, Awka, Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin, Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi, Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt and Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

The teachers went on the protest on the platform of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). In Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, they marched through major streets, led by state Chairman Kayode Ako-

sile and Secretary Jamiu OlaIdris. The protesting teachers took off from their state secretariat on Iyin Road, stopping at the Fajuyi Park to address a rally. Akosile said it was unacceptable that over 200 girls

EKITI 2014

had been kidnapped for over a month without a clue from any quarter. He said 173 teachers had been killed in Borno State since the Boko Haram insurgency started. Their families have not been compensated. Imo teachers were dressed in black during their protest in Owerri, the state capital. 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

•My pact with Ekiti people, by Fayemi •Govt blasts PDP •Group to Bamidele: declare your assets or face court action •Burning of Fayose’s billboards ‘a ruse’ •AND MORE ON PAGE 10

•ALL FOR THE GIRLS: Teachers in Lagos carry a banner and signs during a protest rally against the abduction of over 200 girls in Borno State and the killing of 173 of their colleagues by the PHOTO: AFP Islamist Boko Haram group in northeastern states affected by the insurgency…yesterday.

Chibok girls: U.S. Air Force men, drone go into action

WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

UN slams sanctions on Boko Haram Cameroon, Chad draw battle plan

ORE details emerged yesterday on the United States troops deployed to join the search for the Chibok girls kidnapped by extremist Boko Haram sect. A U.S. military spokesman said that

the 80 personnel deployed in Chad to help find nearly 300 kidnapped

•Sect kills 29 in Borno —P.4 schoolgirls are from the Air Force and have already begun their mission, us-

ing a drone and Global Hawks. Chuck Prichard, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Africa command in Germany, said yesterday that the 80 Air Force personnel were previously stationed in the United States, though

he did not disclose where in the U.S. President Barack Obama told Congress in a letter Wednesday about the deployment. Obama said the service members would help with intelliContinued on page 4

•HOUSE SUMMONS ALISON-MADUEKE P5 •PROTESTING OAU STUDENTS FIRED AT P58

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

U.S. prepares for

•Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (second left), Head of Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan (right), Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (second right) and acting Managing Director of teh Bank of Indurty (BoI), Waheed Olagunju at the second Ogun State Investors Forum in Abeokuta...yesterday.

Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Sarah Sewall, in a testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, DC on Wednesday, gives insight into America’s understanding of Boko Haram and its plan to help Nigeria defeat it.

•Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bello Maccido (middle) speaking at the second Annual General Meeting of FBN Holdings Plc in Lagos...yesterday. With him are Non Executive Director, FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Bisi Onasanya (left)and Group Chairman, Dr. Oba Otudeko. PHOTO: ADEOLA SOLOMON

•From left: Director-General, Lands, Ogun State Mr. Olawale Oshinowo, Regional Business Executive, South West 2, Sterling Bank Plc, Rasak Aboyeji and Ogun State Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Oluwakemi Adeosun at the Investment Forun organised by Ogun State government in Abeokuta…yesterday.

•From left: PR/Event Manager, Dufil Prima Food PLC,Mr Tope Asiwaju, wife of Lagos State governor,Mrs Dame Emmanuella Fasola,MD/CEO of Dufil Prima Food PLC,Mr Deepak Singhal and the Coordinator, Indomie Fan Club,Mrs Faith Joshua during the Indomie Children Day party in Lagos.

VER a month ago, the world was shocked when Boko Haram kidnapped over 250 young women from a secondary school in Chibok. The United States swiftly joined the effort to help the Government of Nigeria safely recover the hostages. President Obama pledged our full support, and President Goodluck Jonathan readily accepted Secretary Kerry’s offer of assistance. Today in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, a robust multidisciplinary team from the United States government is working hand in hand with Nigerian counterparts and teams from a half dozen other countries such as the United Kingdom and France. Our military and civilian experts in intelligence, military planning, hostage negotiations, strategic communications, civilian protection, and victim support, have been given unprecedented access and cooperation to assist Nigeria’s effort to safely recover the kidnapped schoolgirls. This effort – one that is extremely difficult and, as we know from our own experience, may take far longer than we would like – will necessarily entail not just a military approach, but also law enforcement and diplomatic approaches. This kidnapping – and addressing the threat of Boko Haram more broadly – would be daunting for any government. That is why the United States is doing all it can to help Nigeria address these challenges – today and longer term. During our trip last week, AFRICOM Commander General David Rodriguez and I met Nigeria’s top security officials to stress the importance of resolving this crisis and redoubling the effort to defeat Boko Haram, while respecting human rights and ensuring the protection of civilians. In Paris, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman continued this conversation with Nigerian President Jonathan and heads of state from neighboring countries at a summit convened by French President Hollande in Paris. The summit brought together President Jonathan with presidents of his four neighbors (Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger) as well as senior representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. Coming one day after Boko Haram killed and kidnapped Chinese nationals in northern Cameroon, the summit made clear and urgent for all parties the growing regional dimension of this challenge. The leaders discussed the safe re-

•D AMATUR TURU DAMA TUR U Yobe State teachers protesting the abduction of the Chibok girls in Damaturu, the state capital... yesterday. PHOTO: DUKU JOEL

turn of the school girls held hostage, and shared concrete ideas on how to defeat Boko Haram such as improving cooperation on border security, countering violent extremism, and redoubling efforts to promote economic growth and create jobs in the affected region. This is consistent with the comprehensive approach Nigeria announced in March and we have repeatedly called for this broad effort to be implemented. At the summit, the U.S., United Kingdom, and France established a coordination mechanism at various levels to ensure our development, diplomatic, and security assistance are synchronized, including with our African partners. We again called on our African partners to establish national CT strategies, to integrate them across the region, and to share them with P3 and other partners. The United States has worked with Nigeria to impose UN Security Council sanctions on Boko Haram, which we expect to be completed this week. Peace and security in Nigeria is one of our highest foreign policy priorities in Africa. The tragedy of this kidnapping has rightfully focused our attention on the need to return these girls to their families, and on Boko Haram’s increasingly brazen assaults on youth seeking education. Ensuring that girls and boys alike have the opportunity to learn is essential to ensuring that all of Nigeria’s people contribute to and benefit from its economic prosperity. As the First Lady recently observed, stories like those of the kidnapped girls – and others who have risked their lives to pursue an education – should serve as a call to action to help the millions of girls worldwide who are not in school. The kidnappings have also exposed the long-term security challenges that confront Nigeria, one of our most important partners in Africa. The fight against Boko Haram requires more than just military action, it requires a comprehensive approach to improving the lives of people in Northeast Nigeria. Just as my portfolio at the State Department includes counterterrorism, law enforcement, democracy promotion, human rights, conflict response, criminal justice, refugees, trafficking in persons, and religious freedom, Nigeria needs to address all of these important, inter-related issues in its fight against Boko Haram. Nigeria is not only a critical regional political and economic leader, but also a partner with which we work closely together in multilateral fora, including the UN Security Council.

Spotligh on Boko Haram

While the kidnapping in Chibok has cast a spotlight on Boko Haram, I

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

CHIBOK GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

r a long, tough fight against Boko Haram INEC, to register voters, conduct elections, and run a nationwide voter education campaign to ensure that all citizens understand their rights and know how to exercise them. During my trip to Nigeria, I met INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega to discuss preparations for the elections, the status of northeastern states’ ability to participate in elections, and convey our interest in the credibility and peacefulness of the vote. We continue to call on all political parties and candidates to publicly renounce violence and commit to ensuring a free, fair, and peaceful election.

Foreign Terrorist Organisation

•ENUGU ENUGU Teachers protesting the abduction of the Chibok girls in Enugu...yesterday.

want to emphasize that we have long been working to help the people of Nigeria and the Nigerian government address this terrorist threat. Boko Haram is a Nigerian-based group that became considerably more violent in 2009 and has metastasized into a regional threat. It is responsible for the brutal killing of thousands of people in Nigeria, resulting in over 1000 deaths and injuries in 2013 alone. Boko Haram also operates in Cameroon’s Far North Region and the Lake Chad Basin and has kidnapped high-profile Westerners and, just recently, Chinese nationals in Cameroon. While we are rightfully focused on the almost 300 girls who were kidnapped, this tragedy is not an isolated incident. Going back just a few months, in February, over 59 teenage boys were killed in an attack, and, earlier this month, Boko Haram carried out an attack on two towns, killing an estimated 300 people. S we pursue an integrated approach to helping Nigeria meet its challenges, we want Nigeria to prevail in its efforts, which we believe can only be accomplished through a comprehensive, whole-ofgovernment approach to defeating Boko Haram. We know from experience the difficulty in confronting an enemy that knows no borders and kills civilians indiscriminately. The most urgent need we see today is for Nigerian forces to conduct intelligence-driven operations that avoid civilian casualties, in order to help enhance trust and cooperation with northern populations and expose the relatively small numbers of Boko Haram fighters. More broadly, Nigeria’s approach in the Northeast should emphasize and inspire respect for human rights, rule of law and accountability, and development and responsive governance. We are seeing small measures of slow progress, including the Nigerian government’s announcement two months ago of a multi-faceted “soft” approach to Boko Haram. We are eager to see and to help Nigeria now implement this plan and have offered assistance to that end, including sharing our own lessons learned in how to effectively carry out counterterrorism operations while ensuring the protection of civilians. Today, I would like to highlight some of the kinds of security assistance that we have been providing to help Nigeria address Boko Haram. A fuller description of our counterterrorism assistance to Nigeria can be found in the Fact Sheet about Boko Haram and U.S. Counterterrorism Assistance to Nigeria released by the State Department on May 14. In Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013, the Department of State planned

approximately $35.8 million in security assistance programs that benefit Nigeria, subject to Congressional notification and approval. Our security assistance reflects our efforts to ensure Nigeria takes a comprehensive approach to countering Boko Haram. We are working with vetted police and civilian security components to build Nigerian law enforcement capacities to investigate terrorism cases, effectively deal with explosive devices, and secure Nigeria’s borders. We do this because the most effective counterterrorism policies and practices are those that respect human rights and are underpinned by the rule of law. For example, our West African Regional Security Initiative provided nearly $3.7 million in assistance to the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Fiscal Year 2013 to help Nigeria counter corruption, money laundering, and terrorist financing, and help reform the police and promote the rule of law. We are also focused on enabling various Nigerian security services, including the police, various intelligence agencies, and the ministry of defense, with fusing multiple information streams to develop a better understanding of Boko Haram. My DOD colleague will speak to this more fully, but our military assistance supports the professionalization of vetted military units and improves their ability to plan and implement appropriate steps to counter Boko Haram and ensure civilian security. We have a robust dialogue with our Nigerian counterparts on all of these efforts, including through the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission’s Regional Security Working Group. While these efforts will make a difference, we continue to have concerns that human rights violations by government forces – particularly those forces that have operated in the Northeast – are undermining the government’s attempts to defeat Boko Haram. Given these concerns, we continue to press the Government of Nigeria to demonstrate that it is working to protect civilians where Boko Haram is not—this means ending impunity for human rights violations by security forces. For example, alongside the Nigerian people and their own human rights commission, as well as Amnesty International and others, we have asked the Government to investigate massacres allegedly committed by government security forces that occurred in the village of Baga in April 2013 and at the Giwa Barracks detention facility after Boko Haram staged a prison break there in March of this year. Only with facts uncovered and perpetrators brought to justice can the Nigerian government demonstrate that it is working

to preserve life and fairly administer justice. Let me be clear that there is no equivalence between the actions of the Nigerian military and those of Boko Haram, a terrorist group which has made clear that it is seeking to murder civilians in large numbers and terrorise the civilian population as a matter of policy. Yet, we also know the power of popular grievance narratives against governments, and it is incumbent on Nigeria’s government to demonstrate through specific steps the will to ensure its forces protect the human rights of all of its people and end impunity for those that use violence indiscriminately. Civilians in the Northeast must be assured that security services are there to protect them from Boko Haram’s violence. The confidence and cooperation of civilians is critical to deny Boko Haram a safe haven and gather the intelligence necessary to, among other pressing goals, safely recover the girls kidnapped at Chibok. Moreover, when military and security forces are found to commit human rights violations and the government does not act to hold the perpetrators of these incidents responsible for their actions, we are then limited as a matter of U.S law and policy to work with units involved in these incidents. We are eager to help the Nigerian government address these concerns, which impede our ability to help in preventing punishing, and rectifying Boko Haram’s atrocities.

Military and corruption

ET me say a few words about how the provisions of law concerning security assistance and human rights known as the “Leahy laws” affect our work to assist the Nigerian government combat Boko Haram. Let me be clear: We value and strongly support the tenets and purpose behind the Leahy laws, and we have worked within U.S. law and policy to assist the Nigerians in their fight against Boko Haram. There is no question that the behavior of certain Nigerian military actors have made it impossible for the United States to work directly with them. To better understand the possibilities of promoting change, I will ensure that we are working to the greatest extent possible to build Nigeria’s capacity as a rights-respecting security partner and to encourage the reform of its military to more effectively address the Boko Haram threat. In addition, pervasive corruption undermines the government’s fight against Boko Haram. The Nigerian government has one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest security budgets,

with $5.8 billion dedicated to security in its proposed 2014 budget. Yet corruption prevents supplies as basic as bullets and transport vehicles from reaching the front lines of the struggle against Boko Haram. Morale is low and desertions are common among soldiers in Nigeria’s 7th Army Division. For example, on May 14, 7th Division soldiers reportedly fired at their commander’s car, complaining that he had failed to ensure they received the necessary equipment. As this incident shows, Nigeria will need to seriously tackle corruption if it is to succeed in stamping out Boko Haram.

2015 General Elections These challenges are even more acute in the lead up to February 2015, when Nigeria will hold its fifth presidential election since its return to democracy in 1999. The last election, held in 2011, showed improvements in election administration, but was followed by riots that claimed over 800 lives, mostly in northern states. Insecurity and political tensions have fueled fears that 2015 may see even greater violence. We are of course concerned about the northeast, where Boko Haram operates, and where it will be critical for the government to ensure security so that Nigerians in the Northeast are able to vote, including in three states of emergency. We are also working to help address instability in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where complex conflicts over land have pitted communities against one another, and the Niger Delta, where tensions over the allocation of oil revenues remain high and a long-running insurgency is yet to be fully settled. As Nigerians prepare to vote against this backdrop of corruption, tension, and uncertainty, we must look at more than the kidnapping at Chibok to understand and help Nigeria address the full range of challenges to its future. We are therefore working in other ways to help Nigeria keep civilians safe and strengthen democracy. For example, we are reviewing ways to establish a community-based early warning response to combat GBV in Nigeria, and particularly in the north. We are striving to promote interreligious tolerance in the Middle Belt, and we have an initiative championing narratives of non-violence in the Niger Delta led by local Nigerian community, business, cultural, and economic leaders, and aimed at giving local populations’ a voice to promote peace through media. As the 2015 elections approach, our diplomatic engagements are supporting USAID’s elections assistance package, which will help the Independent National Electoral Commission, or

EFORE I close, I would like to address two aspects of the State Department’s approach toward Nigeria and Boko Haram. The first concerns the timing of the designation of Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. While I was not at the State Department at that time, the Department pursued the designation after careful deliberation and consultation with the Nigerian government and after a series of steps that included our June 2012 designation of Boko Haram’s top commanders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and our June 2013 decision to add Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s official leader to our Rewards for Justice Program. We made the FTO designation after implementing and assessing these earlier steps, and shortly after Nigeria and the United Kingdom made their own designations. In short, our approach to the FTO designation reflected our evolving assessment of Boko Haram’s threat potential, the utility of additional sanctions available pursuant to FTO designation, and our close coordination with our partners. Significantly, while Nigeria has been reluctant to seek international attention to the Boko Haram crisis, it has moved forward this month, in part at our urging, to request that the United Nations Security Council designate Boko Haram under its al Qa‘ida sanctions regime. The second issue concerns whether Boko Haram, and particularly the kidnapping at Chibok, is part of a worldwide trend of persecutions against Christians. We are committed to protecting the rights of people of all religions, including Christians, to practice their beliefs freely and peacefully. Certainly Boko Haram has targeted Christians, and Nigerian officials believe that 85 per cent of the girls kidnapped at Chibok are Christians and have been forced to convert to Islam after their kidnapping. We want to highlight, however, that Boko Haram is a problem that affects Nigerians of every religion. Indeed, the majority of Boko Haram’s estimated 4,000 total victims to date have been Muslims. Even as we work to help the Government of Nigeria protect Christians, we are also helping it protect its population as a whole. In the aftermath of the kidnappings, we have encouraged Muslim and Christian faith leaders alike to speak out, in Nigeria and around the world, to urge respect for religious diversity and interfaith cooperation. I can assure you that we treat issues of religious freedom, like other issues of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, with utmost seriousness. The State Department, like the American people, hopes to see the girls reunited with their families soon. But we are also preparing for a long, tough fight to defeat Boko Haram and to help the Nigerian people – including Nigeria’s girls and boys alike – realise the full political and economic potential of their great country.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS Injured Jos blast victims lament neglect

ICTIMS of the twin bomb explosions in Jos at various hospitals in the city believe the government must have abandoned them to their fate. Most of the victims, who are nursing what medical doctors describe as third degree burns and major wounds, are worried because their families cannot afford to buy drugs. The government of Plateau State and the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Sani Sidi , have said the government will foot the med-

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

ical bills of the victims. No fewer than 118 people died in the explosions, which occurred in a crowded market. Many were injured. The relation of a driver, who is on admission at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Sebastine Abu, said: “This injury at the level of intensive care unit is too expensive that no member of the family can afford. The doctor prescribed drugs the patient Continued on page 59

Military’ll overcome terrorists, says CDS

•Senator Oluremi Tinubu (third right) with her award after being honoured at the 50th anniversarty and 33rd convocation of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo...yesterday. With her are (from left) a former Ondo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Diran Iyatan, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, his wife, Mrs Borrofice, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and his wife Tolani STORY ON PAGE 8

Chibok girls: U.S. Air Force men, drone go into action Continued from page 1

Haram and hold its murderous rian President Goodluck Jonathan

committed more than ever to fight

year term on the council, asked the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida to add Boko Haram to the list of al-Qaida-linked organisations subject to an arms embargo and asset freeze. The 14 other council members had until 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) yesterday to object and none did. So the committee will now add Boko Haram to the al-Qaida sanctions list. By adding Boko Haram to the sanctions list, Power said, “the Security Council has helped to close off important avenues of funding, travel and weapons to Boko Haram, and shown global unity against their savage actions.” Nigeria’s U.N. Ambassador U. Joy Ogwu said Wednesday “the important thing is to attack the problem, and that is terrorism.” The al-Qaida sanctions list includes 62 entities and groups, and 213 individuals who are also subject to travel bans. At a summit in Paris on Saturday aimed at hammering out a plan to rescue the 276 girls, Nige-

our brothers and sisters live in permanent fear from those who have taken upon themselves to use violence on everyone instead of a spiritual rearmament they claim to bring,” he said. Nyambelle Elvis, a Chadian expert on security issues, says the presidents of Chad and Cameroon had agreed to allow their forces to cross into the territories of each country in pursuit of terrorists and armed groups. He says there are accords that authorise security forces from the two countries to pursue “havoc wreakers” up to 30 kilometers from the border. He adds it was, therefore, necessary to reinforce that measure and increase mixed patrols in the border area. Nyambelle Elvis cites intelligence reports that Boko Haram has received sophisticated weapons from the Middle East and the Maghreb through Sudan and Chad to Nigeria and Cameroon. He said weapons also came in from Libya and that training of Boko Haram members took place in Mali when Islamist militants controlled the north of that country.

gence, surveillance and recon- leadership accountable for atroci- said “Boko Haram is acting clear- Boko Haram alongside Nigerian ly as an al-Qaida operation.” The forces. naissance aircraft for missions ties.” Nigeria, which is serving a two- Nigerian president only reluctant“We can not be indifferent when over northern Nigeria and the nearby region. A senior U.S. official said the drone is a Predator and will be in addition to the unarmed Global Hawks already being used. The new flights will be based out of Chad and allow the military to expand its search to that country. Initially the flights were largely over Nigeria. Lt. Col. Myles Caggins said Wednesday that newly deployed forces will help expand drone searches of the region. About 40 of the troops make up the launch and recovering teams for the drone being deployed there and the other 40 make up the security force for the team. The girls were kidnapped last month from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The United Nations (UN) Security Council has imposed sanctions against Boko Haram. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power welcomed the council’s action, calling it “an important step in support of the government of Nigeria’s efforts to defeat Boko

ly accepted outside help after years of insisting that Boko Haram was a local problem. French President Francois Hollande told the summit that Boko Haram is armed with weapons that came from Libya following the ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and the training took place in Mali before the ouster of its al-Qaida linked Islamist leaders. As for the money, Hollande said its origins were murky. Also yesterday, the presidents of Cameroon and Chad met to map out ways to combat the Islamist group, which has extended its violence from Nigeria to its neighbours. Presidents Paul Biya and Idriss Deby were also to examine security reports that some weapons used by Boko Haram came from Libya through Chad. The two leaders said they were meeting to fine-tune plans and reiterate the commitments they made in Paris on May 17 to wage war against Boko Haram. Colonel Didier Badjeck, spokesperson for Cameroon’s military, said the two governments were

HIEF of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has said that the military will soon overcome terrorists. Military pressure has forced the Boko Haram insurgents to resort to cheap targets, Air Chief Marshal Badeh said during his visit yesterday to the scene of explosions in Jos. He said: “The military has been mounting serious pressure on the insurgents and that is the reason they have started moving out of the area.” Boko Haram is believed to have Borno State as its stronghold from where it attacks tar-

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

gets in Yobe and Adamawa – the three states are in a state of emergency. “Nigerian soldiers are highly capable of fighting the insurgents and very soon the issue will be addressed,” Air Chief Marshal Badeh said, adding: “Some countries have been fighting terrorist activities for over 40 years but the issue is entirely new. We do everything possible to address it.” Governor Jonah Jang praised security agencies for their Continued on page 59

Boko Haram kills 29 in Borno

USPECTED Boko Haram gunmen have shot dead 29 farm workers as they tilled their fields in a village in Borno State, a police source said yesterday. The source at state police headquarters said no fewer than 10 more people had been injured in Wednesday’s attack on Chukku Nguddoa, in which most of the village, including its grain store, were razed, Reuters reported. Militants killed 17 people in Alagarno village on Tuesday and burnt many houses. The attack according to a resident, Bakura Mustapha, occurred barely 10 days after the withdrawal of military

From Bodunrin Kayode, Maiduguri

troops from the village. Sources said the armed men, driving 15 vehicles, stormed the village at about 11am on Wednesday and opened fire on armless residents killing 29 people. A mosque, houses and shops were burnt completely. Another source said, after killing about 29 people, many residents of the village who sustained gunshot wounds are now receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Cameroon. He said buildings in the village were completely burnt down. Continued on page 59

Public schools shut as teachers stage protests Continued from page 1

Chairman of the State NUT Cletus Uche Okeke decried the senseless killing of teachers and pupils by Boko Haram. The teachers displayed placards, with inscriptions, such as “Release our girls now”, and “Enough is enough.” They called for the immediate rescue of the abducted girls. Governor Rochas Okorocha received them and condemned the abduction. He praised the teachers for showing concern for the plight of the kidnapped girls. Declaring three days fasting and prayer in the state, Okorocha said there was urgent need for the leadership of thenation to rise up and find solution to the problems in the country. In Anambra, the teachers were led by NUT Chairman Ifeanyi Ofodile. They stormed the Government House in Awka. They were about 250 placard-carrying members. Some of the placards read: “Education is a right” “we demand the immediate release of the abducted girls.” They said if the insurgents were allowed to succeed, they might have succeeded in taking the country back by 100 years. Ofodile said: “We are averse to the injustice and barbaric enterprise of the Boko Haram group. ”We as parents, teachers and Nigerians are here to say no to the evil perpetrated by them, “ In the real sense, over 173

Protesters denied access to Villa

HE citizens group protesting the abduction of the Chibok girls, was yesterday denied access to the Presidential Villa by fiercely-looking security operatives. The security men were drafted to the two gates leading to the Villa in a bid to stop the protesters from gaining access. Soldiers attached to the Brigade of Guards were stationed between the Villa Gate and the access road leading to the National Assembly. The same scenario played out at the Villa Gate of the Federal Secretariat. Policemen and soldiers were also stationed there. The Protesters, led by a former Minister of Education Dr. Oby Ezekwesili were received at the gate to the Federal Secretariat by a delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim. Mrs. Mariam Uwais delivered a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on behalf of the group. The protesters raised ten posers for the Presidkent on national security. The posers are: teachers had been sacrificed; they are also the unsung heroes of these attacks.” They did not get the attention of the government. In Lagos, teachers marched in their thousands on the streets in Ikeja. Some pupils dressed in school uniforms were also spotted around Ilasamaja area carrying placards with inscriptions

From Faith Yahaya, Grace Obike and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

•We need the president to establish the authenticity of the abduction as well as why it took so long to act, as there seem to be an obvious shortfall in our military operatives as well as their welfare package considering the recent mutiny, and citizens are concerned especially in view of the strong indications of weak communication and operational synergy leading to gaps in accountability? •Considering the overwhelming international support we are receiving from other countries, we the citizens need latest operational updates on these interventions especially from the United States as conveyed during the congressional hearing? •Why has the President not visited Chibok since the abduction considering that it is your responsibility to commiserate with the families and the Chibok community by visiting them? Also, what specific plan does the President have to ensure full rehabilitation of the returned girls, the girls yet to be rescued upon their return, their families, and the Chibok communi-

“Bring back our girls”, “Bring our girls back safe and alive.” The teachers, who wore in yellow t-shirts, stormed the office of the governor, singing. They said the President Goodluck Jonathan administration had offended them with its failure to secure the freedom for the girls more than one month after. NUT Vice Chairman Mr. Adedoyin Adeshina, who led the

ty as a whole? •What are the specific actions that have been taken since your return from Paris that gives the confidence that our neighbours, especially Cameroun will cooperate with us and comply with all agreed actions? •How effective is the state of Emergency? Despite the existence of SOE, we are concerned that it was possible to abduct over 200 girls? •Some of the residents of Chibok confirmed that they informed relevant security agents hours before the actual abduction, yet commensurate actions were not taken; now that the SOE has been extended in affected states, including Borno State, what would be the difference going forward? •Will government negotiate to secure the release of our girls? •What is the collaboration between the federal government and the state government in rescue effort for our girls? This is in consideration of the fact that citizens had anxiously anticipated that you would inspire us all to become united and sup-

protesters, said they needed to “consult, consolidate before ending it with confrontation”. “The protest is not belated because the girls are still in Boko Haram’s custody and we need to consult before we act”. The teachers also demanded that May 29 be declared as a day for sober reflection for schools, saying that the situation left them with nothing to celebrate.

Continued on page 59

They handed a letter to Commissioner for Transportation Kayode Opeifa who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola. Teachers in public schools in Kwara State joined the protest. Though many schools initially opened due to poor communication to the schools’ heads, by noon, the closure of all the schools had been fully complied with. The teachers staged a

•NUT President Michael Olukoya

peaceful rally to the Government House where they were received by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. He described the search for the Chibok girls as an “uncommon challenge that requires collective efforts to resolve”. He added that Nigerians must bury their differences to overcome insecurity in parts of the country. The governor assured the protesters that the Federal Government was not resting on its oars to find the girls. State NUT chair Comrade Continued on page 59

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS Insurgency: don’t blame us, North’s governors tell Fed Govt

HE Chairman Northern States’ Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu hit back yesterday at the Federal Government over the allegation that the region’s governors were not doing enough to fight insurgency. The governor said such a statement was “uncharitable and unfortunate”. Reacting to the allegation by Information Minister Labaran Maku that the 19 North’s governors were not doing enough to curb insecurity in the region, Aliyu said the “blame game must stop”. The governor expressed disappointment about the allegation. He said: “If it was his (minister’s) view, it was unfortunate. If it is the view of the Federal Government, it is very uncharitable. It is more than unfortunate. “I think it’s part of the hypocrisy because no governor, as so far as I know, can be accused of not doing enough. As

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

the chairman of Northern States’ Governors’ Forum, I can say that no governor can be accused of not doing enough, particularly with the circumstances that we find ourselves. “I am not aware of any governor invited by the National Security Adviser (NSA) and told of what to do and he did not do it. I am not aware of that.” Aliyu noted that instead of accusing the governors, the Federal Government ought to be criticised for delaying efforts at checking the security challenges in the land. He said: “...Some people believed that it was a deliberate plan to stop some other people and, therefore, the action that should have been taken to nip it in the bud was delayed. “Why would we be accused of not doing enough when even the children that were kidnapped, some people are trying to make it look as if nothing happened?”

I’ll be glad if Nigeria adopts school feeding, says Aregbesola •World Bank chief visits Osun

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said his joy will know no bounds if the state’s school feeding programme is adopted throughout the country. The governor listed the advantages of feeding pupils once a day as an investment for promoting agriculture and the surest way to ensure food security, among others. Aregbesola spoke yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, when he hosted Prof. Don Bundy of the World Bank. The global bank official hailed the governor for moving with the global trend of feeding pupils. He said the programme is a near universal programme with 317 million school children being fed worldwide. Speaking at atechnical meeting on Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health programme (O-MEALS) held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, Aregbesola said a well fed and healthy child has the first requirement for life. The governor noted that such a child would be in the best position to acquire the education needed to face the future. He added that the programme was part of efforts to aid the decision to revive heightened interest in access to education at the foundation level. Aregbesola said: “School feeding programme helps education and indeed governance because it integrates at least four areas of governance with education. These are agriculture, health, job creation and local empower-

ment. “By reviving and modernising farming, we will also be solving the chronic problem of unemployment. We do know that agriculture, along with its agribusiness offshoots, has one of the biggest potential for job creation. “Here in Osun, we have modelled our O’MEALS in consonance with these principles. The programme is being implemented with the legal framework of the Universal Basic Education Act, which provides for each elementary pupil in the state’s schools to be provided with a meal a day, at the minimum.” Aregbesola added that 3,007 community food vendors were employed and empowered with tools and funds to make the recommended menu available to each pupil. Prof. Bundy said what the World Bank team had learnt was more than what it knew about the school feeding programme elsewhere. He said the global bank was looking forward to extending the programme to other states. The global bank official stressed that the school feeding programme should not be seen as a charity but a sound investment programme which the poorest of families benefit from. Prof Bundy said: “School feeding is not unusual; it is a near universal programme. Every school day, 317 million students are fed worldwide. “We have heard issues about the business aspect in Osun. This will improve the health of the children. Aside from health, the education aspect is more important. The provision of meal will help parents to send their children to school. Five meals in a week helps poor families.”

Jonathan for joint action against terror in South Africa

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will today fly to Pretoria, South Africa, for high-level discussions with other African Heads of State and Government on combating terrorism on the conti-

nent. A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the continent’s five regions will each be represented by two Heads of State and Government at the talks. The talks, Abati said, will focus on collective action to effectively roll back terrorism in Africa. To also attend the talks, which will take place ahead of President Jacob Zuma’s inauguration for a new term in office, include the leaders of Ghana, Republic of Congo, Chad, Angola, Rwanda, South Africa, Mauritania, Algeria and Ethiopia. Dr Jonathan, who will be accompanied by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali and some key aides, will return to Abuja after attending President Zuma inauguration on Saturday.

N10b expenses: Reps serves AllisonMadueke with fresh summons

HE House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before its Public Account Committee (PAC) over the alleged N10 billion she spent on private jets. This followed the directive of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, on Wednesday, that the committee resume the investigation, which had been stunted by a controversial court injunction. Also summoned are: NNPC's Group Managing Director Andrew Yakubu; the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN); the Managing Director of the Pipeline and Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPPMC), Mr Haruna Momoh; Vistajet International Limited and other stakeholders. The Chairman of the House Committee in Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, told reporters yesterday that those summoned are to appear between June 15 and 17 to shed light on the alleged N10 billion expenses. Mohammed said: "We've invited all the stakeholders involved to appear before the committee between June 17 and 19. We gave this ample time because the people in-

Minister, NNPC file fresh suit against National Assembly

ETROLEUM Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have filed a fresh suit against the National Assembly to stop the House of Representatives’ from probing her alleged spending of about N10 billion on chartered aircraft. The minister and the corporation are, by the suit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the constitutional powers of the National Assembly to probe them over the jet lease scandal. The new suit was filed amidst the pendency of an earlier suit filed by both plaintiffs. The earlier suit is pending before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the same court. The earlier suit generated controversy when the House of Representatives wrongly informed the public that it had been restrained from proceeding with the probe, even when the court had not granted such order. The House’s “mistake” prompted Justice Mohammed to summon it and its leadership to explain where it got the purported order, which the judge denied granting. When the case came up on May 5, neither the House nor its representative honoured the judge’s summons. From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

volved will have enough time to properly organise themselves. "The exercise is not designed

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The judge, therefore, restated his summons and insisted that the House must appear before him on the next date to explain where it got its supposed order from. He adjourned the matter till May 26. The minister and the NNPC are contending, in the new suit - filed for them by Mike Ozekhome (SAN) - that the lawmakers lacked the powers to summon or investigate her. They have also written to House of Representatives Speaker and the Senate President not to take further steps on the probe because it would amount to contempt of court. The plaintiffs prayed the court to determine whether, by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution, particularly Sections 88, 89 and 214, the respondents or any of their committees are legally and constitutionally empowered and/or competent to probe or conduct investigation into allegations of fraud or other criminal activities said to have occurred in the agencies under the applicants’ supervision when there exist agencies that are legally and constitutionally empowered to carry out or conduct such investigations into alleged fraud or other criminal acts and prosecute offenders upon conclusion of their investigations.

to witch-hunt any public officer but to get to the bottom of the matter." The House spokesman said the PAC would take on the stakeholders who have submitted memoranda to it one after

the other. He said: "We don't want to stampede the invitees. We are not after anybody, but to expose what is not right. That is why we gave a long gap of three weeks."

•President Goodluck Jonathan and Nollywood actor Segun Arinze at the Protect the Goal camapign launch at the State House in Abuja.

Derivation principle stirs controversy at conference

HE recommendation of the National Conference Committee on Devolution of Power for the retention of 30 per cent derivation principle became a contentious issue yesterday among the delegates. A co-chairman of the committee, Obong Victor Attah, had submitted the report of the committee at plenary for consideration. Hardly had he submitted the report than a member of the committee, Ms Annkio Briggs, requested to tender a minority report, particularly on derivation principle. Ms Briggs described herself as a lone voice who endorsed the recommendation to retain the 30 per cent derivation status quo. Another delegate, Haliru Bello, urged fellow delegates to note that the conference rules of procedure did not give room for a minority report. He said the rule states that decisions could either be reached by a consensus; or, where consensus failed, 70 per cent vote in favour of an item.

•Fed Govt grants conference four extra weeks From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

The delegate said the conference should not accept any minority report to avoid creating room for delegates to flood the conference with minority reports. Conference Chairman Justice Idris Kutigi (rtd) said Bello’s observation was apt. The chairman agreed that the conference rule of procedure did not give room for a minority report. He said the committees were asked to reach decision by consensus or 70 per cent vote in favour of an item. Justice Kutigi said: “Minority report is unknown to our rule.” The chairman ruled that Ms Briggs’ minority report should be accepted but marked “rejected”. Most other members agreed and asked Justice Kutigi to disregard the minority report.

A member, Dr Isaac Osuoka, disagreed. He said the conference should do away with “the tyranny of the majority”. The delegate insisted that the tyranny of the majority had been the bane of the growth of the country. According to him, since the committee failed to achieve consensus on the matter, there should have been a vote to decide the issue. Dr Osuoka noted that since there was neither consensus nor a vote on the issue, the conference should allow the minority report. The delegate accused the leadership of promoting primordial interests instead of the interest of the country. He said: “The right of a member of this conference to present a minority report where necessary should not be taken away under any guise.” But Ms Briggs said 50 per cent derivation principle should

have been adopted. She noted that the question of whether the status quo of 13 per cent derivation should remain or not was not discussed by the committee. The delegate insisted that whatever position the conference would take might not be the end of the matter, since the people of Niger Delta had the right to speak on the matter. Justice Kutigi threatened to throw her out of the conference room “to allow descent people to continue with deliberations”. The delegate ignored him and continued to insist that she must be heard. Attah had said the report would generate a lot of interest from among the delegates. Also, the Federal Government has granted the National Conference four weeks extension to conclude its work. The conference had requested for six weeks’ extension to enable the delegates conclude their deliberations.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS Bill on alternative medicine scales second reading at Senate

Party’s governors urge Fed Govt to strengthen security operatives

•N3.9b take-off grant recommended

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

BILL for an Act to establish the College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the country was read yesterday for the second time in the Senate. The Bill, sponsored by Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East), recommends a take-off grant of N3.9 billion to cover consultancy, capital costs, personnel emoluments and specialised training for staff, among others. Senate President David Mark cautioned that the college be adequately regulated to ensure that it is not used for sinister purposes. He warned against allowing alternative medical practice go beyond using herbs to other esoteric pursuits. Mark said: “We should be careful. This is because most of the native doctors do incantations and people say they get well. Would you take that as one of the things the college would encourage? “There are areas where we just need to exercise a bit of caution. Sometimes, when you are sick in the village, they don’t give you anything to drink. They just give you something to tie on your waist or to carry in your pocket and then it is assumed that you would recover. “We should try and be careful so that we don’t go beyond the limit. Also, I know that for those who come from the Southeast, in Anambra State or Onitsha in particular, you know they sell medicine there that they say is the killer of 77 diseases. “Just one small bottle and they market it very well and people buy and it is in hot demand. I think that is the kind of thing the college should look at. “Establishing the college is not the problem; it is what will be taught in the college. It is the limit of what would be regarded as the subjects to be taught in the college that I think we need to look at. “Maybe after this, we will get another agency that will try and regulate the subject and what will be taught in the college. I think we should all support this Bill.”

• The Chairman, Social Communications Directorate, Catholic Bishop, Rev. Emmanuel Badyo; Founder, Lumen Christi Television Network, Mr Soji Olagunju; Archbishop of Metropolitan Lagos, Dr Alfred Martins and Episcopal Vicar, Rev. Francis Ogunmodede, at the inauguration of the television network in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: NAN

APC to PDP: stop playing politics with human lives

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians. The party stressed that it is wrong, irresponsible and uncharitable to make political gains out of the worsening and deadly terror attacks in the country. In a statement yesterday in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said Nigerians are too discerning to be hoodwinked by PDP’s ceaseless finger-pointing and name-calling, as exhibited by the party’s “overly-exuberant and rarely-introspecting spokesman”, Mr Olisah Metuh. It said Nigerians, who watched the live telecast of its rally in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Wednesday, saw how the party, “left with no choice than to proceed with the rally because of the suddenness of the twin bombings in Jos”, the Plateau State capital. APC said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not be prevailed upon to change the timetable of the Ekiti State governorship election. It explained that this was

By Olamilekan Andu

why the party made the rally as sombre as possible, in the circumstances. APC said: “Despite the presence of musical groups and other performers, all musical breaks in the programme and all other scheduled performances were cut out, while the rally itself was drastically abridged. “There is no doubt that the PDP’s spokesman did not even bother to get the full details of the rally before rushing to the media in his usual jumpy self. “Mr. Metuh is definitely eager to act like an opposition spokesman rather than the spokesman for the ruling party. This is not a problem as his party is definitely fighting hard to trade places with the APC as the main opposition party come 2015. We can only appeal to Mr. Metuh to wait for a few more months and, in the meantime, start learning the ropes as an opposition spokesman.” The party reminded the PDP that the Ekiti rally was not the same thing as the illegal rally in Kano, where President Goodluck Jonathan led other PDP leaders to engage in Azonto dance, less than 24 hours after 75 of his compatriots

their time, like Martin Luther King Jnr., Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan Yew and Barack Obama, even as Nigerians continue to die daily due to the President’s globally-acknowledged incompetence, ineptitude and cluelessness! “Nigerians should not be deceived by the propaganda that the PDP is shelving its Ekiti rally because of the Jos tragedy. No! The real reason the PDP has postponed the rally is because it was intimidated by the crowd that it saw at the APC rally in Ekiti on Wednesday. “Having realised that this will be a tough act to follow, and not knowing what to do next, the PDP quickly postponed its rally, supposedly in sympathy for those who were killed because of the ruling party’s years of misrule, but in reality to buy time to enable it use the nation’s scarce resources to rent a crowd for its Ekiti rally. “If the PDP and the Presidency want to show that they care for Nigerians, they should end their complacency, corruption-hugging and leadership failure that have put Nigerians’ lives at risk today more than at any other time in the country’s history,” APC said.

I hold monarchs in high esteem, says Tinubu

INEC urges voters to collect permanent cards By Olamilekan Andu

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged eligible voters in the 10 states under its Phase One voters’ cards’ distribution to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The commission begins today the distribution of the PVCs in Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. It advised every registered voter in the 10 states to visit the polling unit where they registered “to ascertain their registration status”. The distribution of PVCs will last till Sunday, May 25, in the affected states. A statement yesterday in Abuja by Kayode Robert Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, said voters whose “data have been appropriately captured will be handed their PVCs at the polling units in accordance with set procedures”. It added: “Those with defective data, for whom PVCs have not been produced, will have the opportunity to reregister during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) that will hold from Wednesday, May 28 to Sunday, June 1, 2014.

were killed in the first Nyanya bombing. It also said the Ekiti rally could not be equated with the failure of leadership, the cluelessness and the callousness exhibited by PDP leaders, including President Jonathan and Mrs. Kema Chikwe, in the aftermath of the abduction of the schoolgirls in Chibok; or, the fact that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces is so afraid of a band of terrorists that he has failed to live up to his presidential billing by visiting Chibok. “It is, therefore, hypocritical, insincere, thoughtless, insensitive and uncaring for the PDP - a party without soul or conscience, a party under whose watch over 12,000 Nigerians have been bombed into smithereens by Boko Haram alone - to be seeking to paint the APC in its own warped and grossly distorted image,” APC said. The party said while the PDP has said it cancelled its rally in Ekiti because of the Jos tragedy, the PDP-led Federal Government, aka Protectors of Nigerian Posterity, has continued to run its shameless adverts on TV, comparing President Jonathan with legends of

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, under the auspice of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), have urged the Federal Government to strengthen the capacity of security operatives to fight insurgency. PGF Chairman and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha condoled with the families of those killed and injured by another mindless bombing of innocent Nigerians in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Tuesday. In a statement yesterday on behalf of the PGF, Okorocha sid: “We urge the Federal Government to strengthen the capacity of our security services and provide all the equipment and resources that our officers and men in the frontline need to become an effective fighting force and to carry out counter-terrorism operations. “Similarly, we call on the Federal Government to recognise that terrorism has never been defeated anywhere by sheer force alone; all avenues must be explored to ensure the safety of the lives and property of all Nigerians; this is the minimum requirement of government.” The forum noted that happening barely three days after a similar attack in Kano, the twin explosions in Jos was an escalation in the senseless attacks on Nigerians and an affront on the nation. It said it was clear that the attacks were intended to cause as much carnage as possible, and increase mutual suspicion among people of different faith and ethnicity. PGF urged Nigerians to remain steadfast, adding: “We urge Nigerians to stand firm and not relent to the antic of terrorists who seek to return us to the dark ages.” The forum reiterated its commitment to work with all stakeholders to reduce terrorism and address the root causes of insurgency. It promised to fight illiteracy, social disenchantment, injustice and inequality in the society.

•Tinubu

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said his statement on Yoruba monarchs was taken out of context by political

mischief makers. The former Lagos State governor said he has the highest respect for traditional rulers. In a statement yesterday in Lagos by his Media Office, Tinubu said: “I have never referred to any Oba in Yoruba land as uncultured. I hold Obas in high esteem. I have so many titles, especially from Yoruba land. Only those involved in political mischief will try to misconstrue the respect I have always given the Obas. They (mischief makers) are just making a mistake.” The frontline politician spoke with a reporter on what he thought should be the role of Obas in national security and free and fair

•APC leader debunks ‘disrespect’ for obas elections. He said: “During the age of colonialism, the Obas were the custodians, even the defenders of our territory. Ever since, they have been protecting us in their own cultural ways, especially great Obas like the Alafin of Oyo, the Soun of Ogbomosho and even the Ooni of Ife, among several others. “Like the Ooni of Ife said, they held forth while many of us were hunted and hounded out of the country by military dictators. And history has documented our roles comprehensively. “If we did not survive that period, we would all

have lost whatever values we have now or the dispensation we now enjoy. But because we now have democratic institutions does not render them invalid. I have never referred to any Oba in Yoruba land as uncultured.” Tinubu spoke on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, after the APC flag was handed over to the governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for the governorship election in June. The rally attracted an unprecedented crowd with 10 APC governors in attendance, several former governors, National Assembly and state lawmakers, among other dignitaries.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

Investors urge Ogun to build dams

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

HE second edition of the Ogun State Investors’ Forum ended yesterday with a call to the government to build irrigation dams to boost rice production. The government was also urged to set up silos for perishable goods like tomato, banana and other fruits. These resolutions were part of the 21-point Communique issued at the end of the two-day forum by participants and resource persons from within and outside Nigeri, including former Mexican President Vicente Fox. The forum was organised by the government to promote agriculture, industrialisation, rural and infrastructure development and create jobs. It was resolved that efforts should be intensified to take the agriculture value chain above 50 per cent by improving processing capacity and warehousing facilities. The participants urged the government to provide incentives for private investors in the agro business, such as making land affordable. They advised the government to identify new locations for urban development and build clusters on the LagosIbadan corridor, among others.

Nta’s tabernacle •Continued from page Back Page

•Awardees: Mr. Victor Chukwuogo (Best Manager) left; Chief Mukaila Olaosebikan (Leadership Award, Male); Alhaji Wahab Omotayo ( Life Achievement); Mr. Abdulrashid Temitope; Alhaja Mosunmola Makanjuola (Most Socially Responsible Association) and Alhaja Jarinatu Olufunmilayo (Leadership Award, female) at the Fifth Tradesmen and Artisans Week and Graduation by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: MOSES OMOSEHIN

Osun students protest prolonged strike

TUDENTS of Osun Stateowned tertiary institutions protested yesterday the over two-month strike by academic and non-academic workers in the schools. They institutions are Osun State College of Education, Ila; State Polytechnic, Iree; State College of Education, Ilesa; and Osun College of Technology, Esa-Oke. The students, who came in buses, assembled in Osogbo at 9am. They marched from Olaiya Junction to the House of Assembly and later the State Secretariat on Gbongan road. Commercial activities in some parts of the state capital were affected by the protest. The students made bonfires on the road, causing a traffic

•APC: PDP is behind it •‘Our hands are clean’ From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

gridlock for many hours. After failed efforts to get them off the road, policemen fired tear gas canisters to disperse them and arrested some of their leaders. Police Commissioner Ibrahim Maishanu said they had to use tear gas when other efforts to disperse the protesters failed. The All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was behind the protest. In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, APC said: “We are aware that the PDP planned to deploy the tac-

tics it used against Chief Bisi Akande. They have tried to get civil servants to paralyse the civil service and failed. Now they are taking advantage of the students who do not understand what is at stake to create mayhem. They will fail woefully. “The PDP should be held accountable for what is happening now, because it had been mobilising students’ union leaders to take to the streets. They will not get too far. The teachers asked students to return to school on Monday, but they stayed on the street to do the PDP’s bidding. In civilised climes, those responsible for taking advantage of our students and putting them in

harm’s way should be prosecuted by the law.” The Media Head of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore’s campaign organisation, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said the PDP had no hand in the protest. Odeyemi said: “I wonder why they keep alleging that the PDP is behind this and that when we are busy preparing for the task ahead of us. They should be concerned about issues, not allegations. Is the PDP behind the pensioners’ protest too? Will they say we are behind the myriads of problems they are facing as a result of the suffering they are putting the people through?”

•Ikeja Zonal Inspector, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Christopher Mordi (left); a corps member Ann Obadan; Principal, Community Junior Grammar School, Alimosho, Mrs. Oreoluwa Adeke and Mrs. Grace Obadan at the inauguration of L’aide Project which includes distribution of education materials to students of Community Junior Secondary School by corps member Obadan. PHOTO: DAYO ADEWUNMI

Three: Mr. Nta must tell us why he has never been able to successfully prosecute any former governor so far (including a certain James Ibori) in spite of ample evidence before him that some of them stole their states blind? And he still thinks stealing is not the heart and soul of corruption? And why, if we may ask, is Nta splitting his already gray hairs on the semantics of corruption; are there definitional impediments to jailing the corrupters despoiling our land? While one would sympathise with Nta and other apparatchiks of gov-

ernment superintending over tainted and putrid tabernacles, we think he would do well to also leave us alone and refrain from provoking us. We understand that he is helpless, supine and fiercely dependent but we only wish he would quietly enjoy his booty, grow fat and bloated on it like his colleague at the EFCC. It’s sheer folly to expect a fry to chase after sharks in this crimson sea of corruption called Nigeria. That would be hara-kiri. Perhaps ten years hence, when he is long done as the chief priest of a rubbishy tabernacle, he just might drop a tear for us and for himself; just might.

Lagos introduces bondsmen in bail system

AGOS State introduced yesterday bondsmen into its criminal justice system to make bail more accessible to anyone charged with a criminal offence. This followed the coming into force of the Bondsmen Regulations, 2011, made in line with Section 138 of the state’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law. The section states: “The Chief Judge may, by regulation, register and license individuals or corporate bodies or persons to act as Bondsperson within the jurisdiction of the court in which they are registered.” A detainee granted bail could ask a bondsperson to stand as surety for them. The bondsperson will guarantee the deposit of money required as bail condition and will verify the particulars of any defendant or suspect granted temporary freedom to ensure they do not jump bail. Speaking at the First Stakeholders Summit on Creation of Bondsmen, Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, said a statutory board to be headed by a retired High Court judge would be set up to supervise the activities of the bondsmen, who will charge a small percentage of the bail amount from a defendant. She said prospective bondsperson would be thoroughly screened before they are registered. “When the system is fully operational, I am optimistic that it will speed up the dispensation of justice and reduce congestion in our prisons,” she said.

By Joseph Jibueze

Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Ade Ipaye said with the bondsmen, touting would be reduced and prisons decongested. He said: “Over the years, the inability of indigent defendants to perfect their bail conditions has led to an increase in touting and other undesirable practices and outcomes around and even outside the criminal justice system. “With the coming into force of the Bondsperson Regulations, 2011 and the ongoing efforts of the Criminal Justice Sector Reform Committee to review and reform our bail system, a radical transformation of criminal justice administration in Lagos State is imminent.” A professor of law, Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), pointed out aspects of the Bondsmen Law that needs a review. They include the issue of interest on money deposited in banks as bail bonds; the requirement that anyone convicted of any offence cannot be a bondsperson and who qualifies to be one. He said: “Let there be interest added to the money, even if it is lower than CBN’s interest rates. ‘Any offence’ in the law should be re-written as ‘fraud or dishonesty’ because even breaking traffic law is an offence. Stakeholders should agree on the minimum qualification for a bondsperson and a training school should be set up where they can acquire professional knowledge, so that it does not become ‘all comers’ affair.”

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

OUNDER of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN); Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the Chairman, Governing Council of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) in Ondo, Ambassador Musa John Jen, have urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to upgrade the college to a university of education. They spoke at the 50th anniversary celebration and 33rd convocation ceremony of the college. Babalola said the improvement of infrastructure in the college has boosted its

Afe Babalola, Tinubu call for college’s upgrade •Akpabio, Ojerinde honoured

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

chance of being upgraded to a university. He hailed the Provost, Prof. Adeyemi Idowu, for “working tirelessly” and changing the institution from a glorified secondary school into a world class college. The lawyer said the institution had the infrastructure and man power to be a de-

gree awarding institution, noting that some degreeawarding institutions cannot be compared with it. He urged whoever succeeds Idowu to keep up the good work, lamenting that the problem of educational development in Nigeria is having the wrong persons running tertiary institutions. Babalola, who was bestowed with a fellowship award, said a situation where

a candidate who came third during an interview is made a Vice-Chancellor or Provost of an institution should not be tolerated. Other awardees include: Information, Communication and Technology Minister Omobola Johnson; DirectorGeneral, National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Dr. Landa Sharehu and Chairman, Pacesetters Group of Schools, Abuja, Kenneth

Imansuangbon. Named as the college’s benefactors were Awka Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio; Senator Tinubu; Chief Olabanji Akingbule; JAMB Registrar Prof. Dibu Ojerinde and Mr. Tayo Fawehinmi. Mrs. Tinubu said she was part of the first set of graduates from the college. The senator, who was recognised for her contribution to her alma mater, said the college had met all requirements to be a university.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (second left); World Bank representative Prof. Don Bondy (third left); Deputy Director, Nutrition Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu (right), representing the minister of health; Alhaji Tajudeen Gambo (second right), representating Kano State governor; Executive Director, Partnership for Child Development Imperial College, London, Dr. Lesley Drake (third right); and Deputy Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, Yakubu Gambo, at the three-day Technical Meeting on Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-Meals) in Osogbo... yesterday.

Court dismisses Ondo stool’s suit From Damisi Ojo, Akure

N Okitipupa High Court in Ondo State has struck out a suit challenging the selection of Mr. Adedoyin Oyetakin as the Olikan of Etikan Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area. The court said it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit, adding that the plaintiffs did not explore the necessary avenues before approaching he court. The suit was filed by a contestant to the stool, Mr. Adeola Oroyo; the Ogholigogun of Etikan, Chief Omosehin Oroyo; the Olorogun Ajagbiyara of Etikan, Chief Adewale Ibinuolapo and Chief Festus Oroyo. They claimed that those who presided over the meeting where Oyetakin was selected were not Etikan kingmakers and had no right to call, attend or preside over any meeting of the kingmakers or perform their duties. The defendants are the Babalaje of Etikan, Chief Ayesemitan Akin; the Yasere of Etikan, Chief Atibere Allison; the Gbogunron of Etikan, Chief Oroale Topia; Mr. Festus Egbayelo; Secretary, Ilaje local government; the Governor; Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. They argued that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter. Justice S. A. Bola upheld the argument of the defendants and struck out the case.

LASU students back lecturers on fee reduction

AGOS State University (LASU) students have joined their lecturers in the call for a reduction of tuition fees. The Students’ Union President, Nurudeen Yusuf, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the reduction should be done before the 2013/2014 academic session begins. At a congress on May 8, the students agreed not to pay the fees. Yusuf said on April 3, the union submitted a proposal to Governor Babatunde Fashola, suggesting that returning students pay N46,500 and fresh students N65,500. It also submitted a list of 86 students who withdrew

•Alumni urge Assembly to resolve crisis By Oziegbe Okoeki

from the institution because they could not afford the new fees to the governor. On May 13, the government said it would slash the fees. On May 15, the students marched from Idumota to CMS, Lagos Island, demanding a reduction of the fee. Yusuf described the government’s promise as “a political statement”, saying: “The governor confirmed that he got our proposal and said the slash would be implemented soon, but that is just a political statement and do not accept it.” Yusuf said the reduction

had to be implemented immediately because students are expected to pay their fees within two weeks of resumption. He said: “If the approval for the reduction comes after the students have paid the increased fees, refunding the balance afterwards would be difficult.” The LASU Alumni Association has urged the House of Assembly to resolve the crisis plaguing the institution. The association’s members, led by the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr. Fatai Sonoiki, visited the Speaker, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in his

office at the Assembly Complex, seeking a solution to incessant strikes at LASU. Sonoiki urged the speaker to call a meeting of the Governing Council, the management and labour unions in the institution to solve the problem. He said: “The incessant strikes in LASU are affecting the image of the school. We want the authority to do something about the impending strike by labour unions in the school. The House can call a meeting of LASU Governing Council, led by the Pro-Chancellor; the university management, led by

Smugglers injure Customs officers

OME officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Area Command, have been injured by smugglers at Ogbomoso in Oyo State. It was gathered that shortly after the officers seized two smuggled vehicles at Igbeti, the smugglers waylaid them around 4am on Tuesday. The smugglers shot at the customs officers, injuring some. One of the officers, Mr.

Mrs. Tinubu, who is the matron of the college’s Alumni Association, promised her support in ensuring that the college is upgraded. Jen said: “What is important in the minds of the people of Ondo Kingdom and the monarch is that the institution be upgraded to a full fledged University of Education. He said: “This good wish is well deserved and long overdue, considering the array of physical structures and human resources that abound in the college. “I urge the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, to use his good office to facilitate the fulfillment of this dream. I assure you that generations unborn will never forget you, if this is done during your tenure in office.” Wike, who was represented by the Director of Higher Education, Hajia Hindatu Abduallahi, said the ministry would look into the demand. He said the Federal Government, in a bid to make colleges of education perform their constitutional role, had, in the past four years, embarked on massive capacity building of teachers. Wike said the ministry had developed frameworks for curriculum implementation in NCE-awarding institutions; restructuring teachers’ education programme and professional standard for Nigerian teachers.

Umar Abdulkadri, is in a critical condition at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. The smugglers escaped with one of the seized vehicles. Oyo/Osun Area Controller Richard Oteri made this known yesterday while hosting Oyo State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) leaders, led by the Chairman, Joseph

Okwuofu, at the Command Headquarters in Bodija, Ibadan. He urged border communities to support efforts to curb smuggling, adding that one of the major challenges facing the command was the failure of border communities to identify with the war against smuggling. Oteri said it is only when smuggling stops that the government would have enough revenue to provide infrastruc-

his office while swearing-in the 33 council caretaker chairmen. He said: “Those who say we do not do second term in Oyo State should cross-check the records. The late Chiefs Awolowo and Akintola did it twice. Those who say Ibadan people do not serve anyone twice may not be wrong. What they may be referring to is Ibadan and we are not

serving Ibadan people alone, but the whole of Oyo State. Perhaps, they are referring to the throne of Kabiyesi, the Olubadan. When someone ascends the throne, no one else can ascend the throne until he dies. It means a king only rules Ibadan once and not twice. In any case, we are serving Ibadan people and they are not the ones serving us.” Ajimobi expressed opti-

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

ture and develop the country. He said the command raked in N3.6 billion revenue in the first quarter of this year, adding: “Our revenue target is N25 billion annually, giving us about N2.1 billion monthly, and we have not been able to meet it. Our monthly revenue collection has always been over N1 billion and the reason is not far fetched. This command is not industrialised, but we are trying to improve on revenue collection.”

the Vice-Chancellor; and the leadership of all unions in the university. The alumni association too can be invited to the meeting. The goal is to find lasting solution to the instability in the school.” Sonoiki said the association had met with the unions and the management. Ikuforiji assured them that the Assembly would find a lasting solution to the problems. He said he was happy with the rating of the Law Faculty of the 30-year-old university as the best in Africa and the 14th in the world, adding: “I believe in what belongs to my family. LASU is the institution I can call mine. We were happy when the then government of Alhaji Lateef Jakande created the school many years back because it is a university we can call our own. I ensured that my daughter attended LASU, even when I was a lecturer in the United States in the 90s. It is surprising that we do not have peace now in LASU, which has produced eminent people that are doing well in their chosen professions. We did not know that the alumni association had been making efforts to resolve the problems affecting the institution.”

People’ll give me their mandate again, says Ajimobi

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said the belief that no governor got a second term in the state is false. He said former Premiers of the Western Region - the late Chiefs Obafemi Awolowo and S. L. Akintola, ruled the West from Ibadan and were given mandates to rule twice by the people. Ajimobi spoke yesterday in

mism that with the “various unprecedented achievements” of his administration, the people would not leave a development-oriented government for “those capable of driving them backwards”. He told the caretaker chairmen that anyone who fails to put the people’s interests first would be removed. Urging them to be God-fearing, he said: “You are occu-

pying a position of privilege with responsibilities attached to it. It does not mean you are the most qualified, but God has put you there, so you must do the will of God without fear or favour. “Those we dropped did their best. We made changes to give others the opportunity to serve, so you must serve diligently and honestly.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

TEACHERS’ PROTEST OVER GIRLS’ ABDUCTION

•Teachers protesting the abduction schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State at the Government House, Owerri, Imo State...yesterday.

•GOODNIGHT: Oduduwa Secondary School, Mushin, Lagos...yesterday

•Nigeria Union of Teachers taking their turn at the Government House, Ilorin, Kwara State...yest erday

•Chairman, Cross River State NUT, Mr Eyo Itam leading his members in Calabar...yesterday

•Bishop of Lagos Mainland, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Adebayo Akinde (second right), Bishop of Badagry, Rt. Rev Babatunde Adeyemi (left); Bishop of Kwara, Rt-Rev Segun Adeyemi and Bishop of Sokoto, Rev. Augustine Omole, at the second session of the third Synod of Diocese of Lagos Mainland at St. Jude Cathedral Church, Ebute Meta, Yaba, Lagos...yesterday PHOTO:ABIODUN WILLIAMS

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS EKITI 2014

My pact with Ekiti people, by Fayemi

KITI State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has listed sustained infrastructure development as one of the key priorities of his agenda for second term. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also pledged to recommit himself to the good and increased service delivery to the people of the state. Fayemi made the pledge in his manifesto after he was officially presented with the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the candidate of the party in next month election at an impressive but sober rally held on Wednesday at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. The APC candidate highlighted the establishment of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ) and the execution of the Digital Transformation Programme (DTP) as some of the initiatives to make more youths employable and gainfully employed. These, the governor said, are in addition to the creation of the One-Stop Investment

My mentors and parents pressed upon me that service to God is demonstrated by serving others positively, impacting the people around us, and by demonstrating a fierce resolve to leave people better than they were when they met you. Centre aimed at attracting investors to critical high yield investment sectors such as agriculture, tourism and mining. Other strategic areas listed in the manifesto, which was officially made public at the rally, include road and farmstead development, food security through commoditybased approach to agricultural development, establishment of a framework for fiscal sustainability, strengthening the institutional capacity of the state’s civil service for improved service delivery, among others. The unveiled manifesto for Fayemi’s second term which was tagged “Roadmap to Rapid Economic Growth and Development,” otherwise known as the Ekiti Agenda, contains the policy thrusts of his admin-

istration from 2014 to 2018. The governor said although the state has witnessed remarkable changes in the last three and a half years, he was motivated to present himself for re-election because of the need to build a society where all Ekiti people will be partakers of a collective prosperity. The APC standard-bearer stressed that he has kept faith with Ekiti values as the people of the state has kept faith with him, noting that Ekiti is moving forward under his administration with the future of the state already assured”. Fayemi maintained that his commitment to serve is unyielding in and outside office, adding that he was emboldened by the realisation of the fact that the endorsement of his administration is not about

himself but the endorsement of the values of which he is the vessel. He said: “I was raised to understand that the life welllived is a continuum of service; service to God and service to humanity. Indeed, my mentors and parents pressed upon me that service to God is demonstrated by serving others positively, impacting the people around us, and by demonstrating a fierce resolve to leave people better than they were when they met you.” Fayemi stresses the need for the nation to have real transformational leadership at all levels. “Leadership itself is merely the opportunity to serve and power is a God-given resource with which we are meant to change lives for the better. I went into politics because I believe that committed purpose-driven servant-leadership can provide people with the tools that will empower them control over their destinies,” he stressed.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (left) and his Ekiti State counterpart Dr Kayode Fayemi after the presentation of flag to the latter election as All Progressives Party (APC) candidate in next month election at Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti... on Wednesday.

Group to Bamidele: declare your assets or face court action

O Ekiti State Government, the invitation by the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate in the next month’s election ,Ayodele Fayose to Governor Kayode Fayemi to engage him in a popularity contest on the streets of Ado-Ekiti, is nothing but “childish and crass display of his ignorance of what governance is all about.” The Commissioner of Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said that it was sad that a man aspiring for the position of the Ekiti State helmsman could come up with such a crude proposal in this age and times when there were standard universally acceptable methods of measuring popularity of candidates before the day of elections. Ekundayo said: “Everyone can now see level of intelligence and innate reasoning of the man the People’s Democratic Party is trying to foist on Ekiti people. In this age and times when manifestoes of parties, their track records and their candidates, verifiable achievements of the parties and the candidates, performance at pre-election debates and credible opinion polls are key indicators of how the polls will likely go, Fayose is talking about a popularity contest or popularity walk round the streets of Ado-Ekiti. Is that not bizarre?” He said instead of Fayose saying what he wants to do for the people of the state, the PDP candidate was showboating and playing to the gallery at every given opportunity. According to Ekundayo, people of the state can see what the Fayemi administration has achieved in the last three and half years and can make a comparison and choice between the All Progressive Congress with its track record of good governance in Ekiti and all the states it controls and the People’s Democratic Party, which presently holds power at the centre. “During his inauguration in October 2010, by Governor Fayemi unfolded an Eight-point agenda, which include engendering good governance and accountability at all levels, infrastructural development, modernising agriculture, education and development of human capital, industrial development, tourism and among others .

his failure to declare his assets shows that his public conducts negate what he professes. “We want him to do the right thing by declaring his assets both in cash, in investments and in fixed assets. We want him to debunk the widespread claim that he is the richest politician in the South West today,” it stated. The group said it was not against wealth acquired legitimately, saying that Bamidele’s failure to declare his assets has left many people in doubt as to the authenticity of the source of his funds. SWEP said that in recent weeks, Ekiti is awash with reports that the Presidency has released fresh funds to the tune of N2 billion to Bamidele, saying that only a public declaration of his assets would douse the fuss already generated. SWEF said: “He needs to do this to put his name on a moral high ground as the June 21 election draw near. If he fails to declare his assets, this will only confirm that he is dishonest and should not be trusted by the people he seeks to rule.

“Mr. Bamidele needs to explain the source of his stupendous wealth. From our investigations, Mr. Bamidele is one of the richest lawmakers in recent history with a vast housing estate in South Africa, Lagos, the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (UK). We do not understand how a lawmaker can accumulate such frightening amount of wealth in just about 10 years of public service,” the SWEF director noted. The group added that it “understands that Bamidele has more than 17 leisure cars” and that he is a freak of the Lexus brand, adding that the group is at a loss how one man would flaunt such amount of wealth in the face of the grim poverty of his own people. SWEF also noted that Bamidele has made secret the declaration of his wealth, adding that as an aspirant in the June 21 election, he “has the obligation to the public to openly declare his wealth and the source of his almost inexhaustible funds.” “The standard practice is for aspirants to declare their assets. At 50, Mr. Bamidele had worked as a

‘Alleged burning of Fayose’s billboards a ruse’

OME concerned Ekiti State youths have urged Nigerians and the people of the state in particular, to ignore the allegation by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, that his billboards were being burnt by supporters of the candidate of the All Progressives Party (APC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Reacting to the allegation in a statement jointly signed by President of Ekiti Youth Emancipation Movement (EYEM), Mr. Taiwo Olatunji, and secretary, Mr. Kunle Adewumi, the youths said Ekiti people could not be fooled over the shoddy way Fayose is running his campaign. The group described Fayose as a master of many tricks, including destroying his own property and blaming the opposition just to attract cheap sympathy, stressing that it is the same style he used to destroy his own billboard at Fajuyi area and blamed it on APC. “Fayose’s only billboard in the entire state erected at Fajuyi area in Ado-Ekiti without necessary signage authority approval was destroyed by his own roughnecks, such as Femi Ojumu aka TUPac; Gbenga Adelaja Adewumi aka Bendel, Odunayo Arinka, Sunday Akinniyi (Gbosa) on Tuesday night at exactly 11:23p.m. This was done just to achieve a cheap propaganda to deceive Ekiti people. “It is clear to every Ekiti man and woman that Fayose has no single billboard in the entire state. This infuriated the national leadership of PDP that it sent a delegation to Ekiti State to ask Fayose why he did not erect a single billboard while other candidates have their billboards across the state,” the group said. “To defend his action, Fayose told PDP leadership that APC is removing and burning his billboards. However, he could not defend himself when the leaders of the party asked him to take them to the sites where his billboards were either removed or burnt. The leaders knew Fayose is deceiving them after finding out that he is not spending the money he collected from Abuja to run his campaign,” the group said.

PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

HE governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, has been urged to declare his assets publicly. The development followed the open declaration of assets by Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, which were published in dailies. The Southwest Social and Economic Foundation (SWEF), which underscored this in a statement by its director, Ahmed Olokoju, during the week, emphasised that Bamidele needs to explain the source of his “enormous wealth, especially the source of funds for his several houses in Nigeria, Europe and South Africa. SWEF warned that it would take necessary court action if Bamidele fails to honour the request. Established in 1997, SWEF is a group of Yoruba professional bankers, many of who had worked in the country’s apex financial institution. According to the group, Bamidele has been preaching openness, justice and equity, but that

Ekiti govt blasts PDP candidate over call for popularity walk

Ifa worshippers join calls for peace in Ekiti •Bamidele

public servant for only 11 years before he became a member of the House of Representative. We have been informed that he owns one of the largest private estates in South Africa and that he is the owner of a chain of high-brow private homes in Victoria Island in Lagos,” SWEF noted. According to the group, Bamidele’s houses in UK and the U.S. are unaccountable. “We want Mr. Bamidele to explain the source of his wealth. He needs to do this before the coming June 21 election as a matter of obligation to the electorate and to the law that guides the conduct of aspirants for the post of a governor,” the group concluded.

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

DHERENTS of Ifa traditional religion in Ekiti State have ended a “week of prayers and special intercessionary gathering” for the peaceful conduct of the June 21 governorship election in the state. The worshippers, under the aegis of ‘Ijo Olorisa Parapo,’ converged on Omuo-Oke in Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state to offer prayers which, according to them, was ordered by Ifa divination for the peaceful conduct of the coming election and for continuing progress in the state. Speaking at a media interaction, the Aworo Olomuoke, Oba Abejide Orisadaun, who is also the Oba Aala Olorisa Parapo of Ekiti Land, clarified that “the prayers were recommended by Ifa and we believers gathered to give him (Ifa) honour. It is by carrying out his orders that we all can know peace and progress”. Orisadaun explained that the prayers had been offered in Ido-Ile, Igbara-Odo, Otun, Oye, and Ikere, all in Ekiti State, “to ensure that the effect of the efforts goes round the state. Said he: “The June 21 election is just around the corner. We are part of the people. We are not living in the bush. Anything which affects the general populace, affects us as well. This is why we conducted the prayer sessions across the state”.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

BUSINESS EXTRA

Banks seek increased electricity tariff, gas price

UNDIMG institutions in the power sector have called for a hike in electricity tariff as well as increase in price of gas to boost the revenue profile of the power companies and enhance their ability to repay their loans. Some of the banks’ chief executives complained of the revenue profile of the recently privatised power companies, saying they are not meeting the expectation of investors. However in a statement yesterday, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) faulted claims that banks involvement in the power sector funding could result in their imminent collapse. Its Director-General, Benjamin Ezra Dikki, who spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a presentation to the owners of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Suc-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

cessor Companies (SCS) organised by the Africa Energy Team of the World Bank, said the fears by some of the imminent takeover of SCS due to the purported non servicing of their loans, or about the prospect of stress to the banks due to their exposure, are misplaced as the successor firms did not borrow directly from the banks for their own books. He said: “No assets of the SCS were pledged as collateral,“ adding that it was the acquiring companies, or Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV’s) that borrowed based on their cash flows and accounts. His said: “The banks lent to the core investors based on their capability to pay. The investors are supposed to have made adequate provisions to take care of their ob-

ligations to their financiers from the outset. They knew that they were not going to make profit immediately on takeover of the SCS. Their financiers also were aware of this.” During the presentation, titled Reform of the Power Sector in Latin American Countries in the 1990s by an official of the World Bank, Mr. Pedro Antmann, he reminded the investors that their primary focus should be to provide adequate and efficient power supply to consumers. He said there will be challenges at the initial stages of the privatisation exercise, but added that with determination and the right strategy, it will be surmounted. Antmann urged the investors not to aim at making profit now, but to endeavour to develop infrastructure and to meet the cost of

supply. He advised the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to make a provision in its rules to adjust tariffs in times of low generation and shortage of gas supply. Drawing from experiences in other countries, Antman said these challenges are normal at the early stages and urged investors not to focus on short-term gains, but invest in infrastructure that will guarantee sustained future profits. It would be recalled that Nigerian banks had expressed concern over the possibility of losing about N1 trillion they invested in the acquisition of the privatised assets of the PHCN SCs. The banks expressed fears that they may be unable to recoup their investment following the myriads of problems facing the sector.

• From left: Executive Director, Southsouth/Retail Banking, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs Ibiyre Ekong; Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Mrs. Abimbola Izu; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer designate, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo; Deputy Managing Director designate, Mrs Amaka Onwughalu; and the Executive Director, Enterprise Wide Risk Management, Mr. Dotun Adeniyi, at Skye Bank’s pre-AGM Media briefing in Lagos....yesterday.

Funds’ paucity, external challenges threaten digital migration

IRECTOR GENERAL, Na tional Broadcasting Commssion (NBC) Emeka Mba, yesterday in Lagos said paucity of funds and external factors are the major constraints to Nigeria acheiving digital switch over (DSO) next year in line with the directive of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). He is however optimistic that the process will sail through as the regulator is not leaving any stone unturned to realise the mission of ITU. Speaking at the Digital Migration Summit in Lagos, he said the operations of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) will be split into two independent units, adding that the plan is to set up a new transmission company which will be li-

• New licences from NTA By Lucas Ajanaku

cenced by the NBC by June while the pilot scheme is schedule for Jos, Plateau State. He said DSO will require several ‘tens of billions of naira’ to be fully implemented. He however added that “heavens will not fall if Nigeria fails to meet the June 2015 deadline, but there are grave consequences for the country as a member of the international community as the country would have failed to meet her obligation.” The NBC DG said a fundamental implication of not meeting the deadline would be signal inteference from other countries which might have migrated.

In addition, he said Nigeria will not be competitive in the global digital arena, and new businesses expected to spring up as a result of digitalisation will be defeated. Mba said there is already a white paper on the digitisation process which stressed empowers the NTA as signal carrier for transmission. He disclosed that to make all these happen, the NTA Act is on tyhe verge of being amended. Mba said the new transmitting company that will be run on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis. Chairman, Digiteam, Edward Amana said Expression of Interest (EoI) has been completed, with 19 companies emerging out of which nine firms have been prequalified. He

said one of the firms will finally emerge as signal distributor. He said: “The nine companies have six weeks to submit their technical and financial report.” Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chairman, Senate Committe on Information, Senator Bello Tukur, said there are concerns that the National Assembly is not doing anything currently towards the appropriation of requisite funding to support the digital migration process. “The 2014 appropriation bill has not been signed into law and there are a lot of reason for the delay. We budget on the basis of what we have, the revenues we earn. For the digitisation project, it depends on how you present your case to the House. You can still make representations even if it means going through special funds,” he said.

Nigeria is investors’destination of choice, says US

IGERIA is currently a desti nation of choice for Ameri can investors, the United States (US) Secretary of Commerce, Ms. Penny Pritzker, has said. Ms.Pritzker who spoke during a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, in Lagos yesterday, said Nigeria has enormous investment opportunities which American investors are willing to explore. She led a delegation of about 25 US investors, representing mainly in the power sector. She said: “About 100 American businessmen indicated interest in coming with me on this delegation to Nigeria but we couldn’t accommodate all of them. We’re aware that there is an Industrial Revolution going on, which is a very good development. We would like to know more about

it so we can be part of it.” She commended President Goodluck Jonathan for initiating the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), noting that American companies would leverage on it to invest in Africa’s biggest economy. In his remarks, Aganga said the growing interest of foreign investors in the Nigerian economy was a testimony of the positive impact of Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda. He said: “This is the first time the American Secretary of Commerce is visiting Nigeria in 22 years. Over the years, Nigeria has had a good economic relationship with the US, but today, it is more of how we can have a stronger, strategic and long lasting trade and investment partnership with the US. “During my meeting with the US

Secretary of Commerce, she said they had more than 100 businessmen who wanted to come to Nigeria but they had to trim it down because they couldn’t accommodate all of them. This shows the level of interest that foreign investors have in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and in the Nigerian economy in general.” The minister said the meeting provided a veritable platform for Nigeria and the US to share ideas on how to increase US investment in Nigeria. Aganga said: “We discussed about some critical areas including how to mobilise capital from the US into Nigeria, which will translate into getting more investments into Nigeria. We have some successful US companies which have been operating in Nigeria for

more than two decades but the US Secretary for Commerce and I agreed that we needed to have more investments coming into Nigeria. We also agreed on the strategies that would help us achieve this. “Another major issue we discussed during the meeting was trade. Nigeria has been the number one trading partner for the US in the sub-Saharan Africa. At a particular time, Nigeria supplied about 12 per cent of their energy needs in terms of crude oil. However, the world is changing today. America wants to be energy sufficient having discovered shale oil.” The minister said Nigeria, on the other hand, with the new industrial plan, would cease to be a nation “that exports raw materials to a nation that adds value to its commodities.”

NEITI to expose oil blocks’ owners From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

HE global Extractive Indus tries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has unveiled it’s revised standards among which is the obligation that the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is to disclose the names of the owners of oil blocks. Its Chairman, Mr. Ledum Mitee, who made this disclosure at the capacity building workshop for civil society organisations in Abuja yesterday, said the new standards also require improved reliability of data transparency on the part of state-owned companies and other government entities on revenue collected on behalf of the government. He said the new standards focus on expenditure on social services, public infrastructure and fuel subsidy payments. Mitee added that the revised standards encourage contract transparency in companies and government. On disclosure of oil block ownership, he said: “Thus, the revised EITI standards require, for instance, disclosure of production figure, disclosure of ownership of the license holders (disclosure of beneficiary ownership.” He explained that as ground breaking as the new standards undoubtedly are, it is refreshing to note that NEITI audit processes, by the enabling Act, already captures several aspects of the revised standards. The chairman noted that among the aspect already reflected by NEITI, is the issue of disclosure of production figures, revenue allocations to state’s,local and other accounts are already being implemented in Nigeria under the enlarged mandate granted NEITI by its Act of 2007.

Honeywell, USTDA partner on N31b Sagamu IPP

IGERIAN conglomerate, the Honeywell Group, a n d United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) has signed a grant agreement for a feasibility study on Honeywell’s N31billion Sagamu Independent Power Plant (IPP) project. The grant was signed by USTDA Director Leocadia Zak and Honeywell Group’s Head of Corporate Development and Investment, Dr. Teddy Ngu. The Sagamu IPP is a phased power plant development intended to address the power needs and in turn stimulate the economic development of the Southwestern region of Nigeria, with emphasis on Sagamu, Abeokuta and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway industrial clusters by supplying a mix of captive, embedded and on-grid power generation to provide continuous and reliable power supply in those areas. The study will also investigate the viability of providing embedded generation capacity to the Ibadan Distribution Company and power evacuation to the national grid from the Sagamu IPP and would provide a formidable platform to access international finance, world-class technology and service providers. Dr. Ngu said: “Honeywell thanks USTDA for the collaboration, which is coming on the heels of the successful implementation of a similar venture to jointly fund a study for the development of a multi-billion Dollar gasbased industrial complex. This partnership on power is expected to provide substantial support to the development of the Sagamu IPP.”

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

PEOPLE

THE NATION

A SIX -PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s wish was to witness his granddaughter Oluwemimo Dosunmu’s marriage, but he did not live to see the day. Oluwemimo got married to Ayodeji Anifowose in Lagos on May 10, about 27 years after her doting grandfather’s death. WALE AJETUNMOBI was there.

•From left: Dr Fayemi supervising the cutting of the cake by the couple, Ayodeji and Wemimo. With them is Gen Gowon

Echoes of Awo at granddaughter’s wedding

IS wish was to attend his granddaughter, Oluwemimo Dosunmu’s weddng, but Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo did not live to see the day. When Oluwemimo was born in London about 30 years ago, the late former Premier of the Western Region wished to attend her wedding. On May 10, Oluwemimo got married to Ayodeji, son of Prof Remi Anifowose, in Lagos about 27 years after her doting grandfather’s death. He died before she started walking. Oluwemimo is the daughter of Ambassador Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, daughter of the late sage. She got married to Ayodeji at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA in Ikeja, Lagos. The congregation was excited when Oluwemimo arrived at the church in the late Chief Awolowo’s car. After the two-hour service, guests moved to the nearby SkyPower Grounds for the reception. At noon, the couple walked into the spacious hall, which was draped in white and orange fabrics. They were received by guests, including former Head of State Gen Yakubu Gowon. Political associates of the late Awolowo graced the event. With measured steps, the couple moved to a covered rostrum dressed with roses, amid cheers by the guests. Gowon, who chaired the occasion, urged the couple to always be there for each other. He presented Bible gift to the couple, urging them to always consult the book to solve challenges. Gowon prayed for peace in the country, enjoining Nigerians not to allow religion to divide them.

•Bride’s grandma Chief HID Awolowo (right) and bride’s mother Amb Awolowo-Dosunmu

He said: “I want the people of Nigeria to live happily together just as we have in the Southwest, where Christians and Muslims live peacefully. Nigerians should never allow religion to divide them and destroy their rich history. As we have this wedding in peace, my prayer for the couple is for their union to grow in peace and I hope they would also pray for the peace of our country.” Mother of the bride Ambassador AwolowoDosunmu, who was all smiles, recalled how

her father left all political engagements in Nigeria and flew to London when Oluwemimo was born. She said: “Despite several pleas to Papa that he should stay back in Nigeria because of his old age, he flew to London to rejoice with me when Oluwemimo was born. He said ‘what is wrong with him carrying my granddaughter?’ When he came, he organised a brief party with his friends and associates in London to express how happy he was to witness the birth

of my daughter. “During the party, Papa said he would love to witness the wedding of Oluwemimo and we wondered how lucky he would be to witness the day because he was growing old. Papa replied that there was nothing wrong if Oluwemimo got married at 18 years so far she had completed her education. Papa wished to be here but as God wanted it, he did not have the grace to witness the day he dreamt about. But, today, Oluwemimo rode to church in his (the late Chief Awolowo’s) car.” It was an emotional moment for Oluwemimo as she received a wedding gift from her mother. The gift - a large pictorial frame that shows the late Chief Awolowo carrying baby Oluwemimo in London. A few years ago, the couple met through a family friend but started a relationship last year, Ayobode Ayodele, the groom’s best friend, said while giving the toast. He said: “When Deji brought Oluwemimo to my house last year and introduced her as his fiancé, I was surprised because it happened like a joke. Today, it is my joy that the relationship ended in marriage.” Giving the vote of thanks, Mr Segun Awolowo (Jnr) thanked the guests for gracing the occasion. At the ceremony were Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi; former Ogun State Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; former Special Adviser to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Political Matters, Mr Akin Osuntokun; Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Odua People’s Congress (OPC) leader Chief Gani Adams and Hajia Abba Folawiyo. •More pictures on page 16

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SOCIETY WEDDING OF AWO’S GRANDDAUGHTER

•Groom’s father, Prof Remi Anifowose and his wife, Chief Yemi

•Oba Sijuwade and his Olori, Ladun

•Wife of Ogun State Governor Mrs Funso Amosun

•From left: Justice Owolabi Sonoiki; Prince Bola Ajibola and his wife, Olaitan

•Emeritus Professor Kayode Oyediran

•Senator Anthony Adefuye left and Otunba Daniel

•Alhaja Abimbola Jakande (left) and Chief Mosunmola Jofojo

•From right: Prof Bola Tomori; Mrs Titilayo Toluloju; Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe and wife Sola

•Former Lagos State Deputy Governors Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu (left) and Chief Kofo Bucknor-Akerele

•Sir Remi Omotosho and his wife, Ebun

•Mrs Kemi Aderemi (left) and Hajia Folawiyo.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SOCIETY

The funeral rites of Mrs Regina Aderemilekun Orekoya, the mother of the President of PEARL Awards, Nigeria, Mr Olutayo Orekoya, have been held in Isara-Remo in Ogun State. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI was there.

•From left: Children of the deceased, Olufunmilayo; Olutayo; the diseased husband, Olayinka; Olajide and Oluwatope

•From left; Prince Uzuazoraro Hary Emaviwe Okoroze of Aviara Kingdom, Isoko land, Delta State; former Information Minister Chief Alex Akinyele and High Chief Ayo Alabi

•Afolabi

•Executive Chairman, Tanus Communications Ltd. Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi and his wife, Sade

Exit of a ‘sweet mother’ T

HE road leading to the community was busy with human and vehicular traffic. Many vehicles and motorbikes discharged their passengers at the same point. The place was abuzz with activities. It was the venue of the funeral for Mrs Regina Aderemilekun Orekoya, mother of the President of PEARL Awards, Mr Olutayo Orekoya. The long line of exotic cars was a spectacle to behold for indigenes of the community. Many guests were clad in orange Ankara fabric chosen for the occasion. Mrs Orekoya died on January 23. She was 78. Most of her family members arrived in the town earlier for the commendation service and the service of songs, the lying-instate and wake keep. Mama, as she was fondly called, was a business woman, a contractor and major distributor of Guinness Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc. She also held various positions in church. She is survived by her husband, Prince Emmanuel Orekoya and five children - Mrs Olufunmilayo Adeyemo, Olajide Olutayo, Oluwatope and Afolabi. She also left many grand children. The funeral service was held at St. Johns’ Anglican Church on Odemo Road, IsaraRemo in Ogun State. The remains of Mrs Orekoya were brought to the church in a white Navigator Jeep. The silver casket was transferred into a raised platform and taken into the church. The widower, Pa Orekoya, wore a light grey Agbada, his children appeared in uniformed orange lace with Ipele, Gele and caps made with Aso-Oke. The grand children wore cream lace and sat on the front row.

•Mrs Abimbola Orekoya

•Country Director West Africa, British Airways, Kola Olayinka and wife Kehinde

Members of the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA), to which Mama belonged, wore white Iro and Buba with blue head gear and Ipele. They sat on the left flank of the church. The service began with the choir singing some hymns. One of the officiating ministers, Lord Bishop of Remo Diocese, The Rt. Revd. Olusina Fape, took the Bible reading from 1Corinthians, 15: 14-26. The Bishop of Ilesa Diocese, Rt. Revd Samuel Sowale, in his sermon, admonished those present to live righteously. He prayed for the widower and the children The brigade of the Anglican Communion held a presentation before Mama’s remains were taken from the church. The choir took the withdrawal hymn. “We speak of the realm of the best”. St. Francis Pall bearers conveyed her remains to her final resting place. At the grave side, Pa Orekoya sat on a chair to watch proceedings. Pastor Moses Olulaja of Global Mission Network, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, coordinated the service. He was assisted by Pastor Owolabi Jonathan and Pastor Matthew Oluwagbemiga. The children took turns to perform the dust-to-dust rite. The widower moved to a tent in his home

where he sat with Egbe Obaneye, a group of old men, to which he belongs. He described his late wife as his sister, confidant and jewel. “We were two in one; you showed me love and respect. Darling, you preferred dying before me and your death has left me with a very big sorrow. I can never forget you until we meet not to part again,” he said. One of the children, Mrs Adeyemo, said her mum brought them up in the right way. Another child, Olajide, said: “She was fantastic; a mother, indeed, with a good heart. A mother in Israel, who did everything to provide for the family,.” Olutayo, PEARL’s Award president, said there was none like his mum. “She was caring and loving. She took good care of her children and loved our father so much. They were always together and she gave everything to her children. “She was the mother of all, a philanthropist of the highest order, a woman of God, a pillar of the family and I give God glory for her life,” he said. Another child, Oluwatope, described her as a wonderful mother; the best mother in the world. “I will miss everything about her. She told us to make sure we are one when she was

PHOTOS: MUYIWA HASSAN

passing on and we will ensure that,” he said. Afolabi, another child, said his mum was everything to him, a mother in a mullion and a mother to all. At the reception at St. Peters Primary School Grounds, Isara-Remo, there were five tents erected by each child. The tents were decorated in orange and white with chairs set round tables covered in white fabric. Guests wined and dined to their satisfaction. Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Political matters Prince Adeniyi Adesanya, who represented Governor Ibikunle Amosun, said: “Mama lived an exemplary life and left good steps for others to follow. She was a woman of influence,” he said. His counterpart on Information Communication Technology (ICT), Mr Bunmi Adebayo said: “Mama left a good legacy for her children and brought them up to be of relevance to the society.” The staff of Office of Odemo of Isara-Remo Oba Idowu Onadeko, was held high throughout the ceremony by his representative. Present at the event were Timi of Ede in Osun State, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal and Member, House of Representatives, Ikeja Constituency Hon James Abiodun Faleke, among others.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIAL

Superlative students

•Nigeria’s educational feats abroad must be replicated at home

OR a nation whose existence has been disfigured by a succession of completely inadequate leaders, it is ironic that Nigeria has never failed to reveal the profusion of human resources that it has been endowed with. Proof of this was demonstrated yet again when Miss Merrilyn Akpapuna, a Nigerian student at Dillard University in the United States, emerged as its best graduating student. Miss Akpapuna’s achievement is breathtaking in its extent and depth. She graduated Summa Cum Laude, Latin for “with highest praise” and better known as a first class. Her cumulative grade point average was 4.0 on a four-point scale, implying that she had nothing less than As in every course she registered for. Her brilliance brought her membership of the Daniel C. Thompson/Samuel Dubois Cook Honours Programme, Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honour Society, Dean’s List of Scholars, 1st Place for exceptional work in Algebra Relay, National Institute of Science, Beta Kappa Chi Honour Society, Alpha Kappa Mu National Honour Society, and Psi Chi National Honour Society. Nor was Miss Akpapuna the only Nigerian in the pantheon of excellence at Dillard. Victor Ogburie, Stephen Igwe, and Emole Anyadimgba were also among the best graduating students in the university, all graduating with first class degrees. It is a story which can be replicated in a wide variety of educational institutions across different countries: Nigerian-born or Nigerian-descended students demonstrating competence, ability and achievement at the most competitive levels of scholarship. There is Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, who became the first black

person to attain a GPA of 3.98 at the Ivy League Johns Hopkins University. There is Tunji Anthony Olu-Taiwo, who graduated from Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish republic of North Cyprus as the best graduating student from the Faculty of Engineering. These stories of superlative educational attainments are a heart-warming contrast to the prevailing stereotype of criminality which is almost synonymous with the Nigerian story, regardless of whether it is told at home or abroad. For a nation whose international reputation has been further diminished by the murderous activities of the anti-education Boko Haram sect, the feats of these young Nigerians offer a significant measure of self-respect and pride. There is, however, the continuing dilemma inherent in the fact that people like Akpapuna would have found it difficult to flourish at home. Admission to tertiary institutions is riddled with corruption, ethnicity and incompetence. School calendars are regularly disrupted by strikes, riots and widespread breakdowns of law and order. Educational activity is hampered by the realities of an infrastructural crisis which ensures that there is inadequate water, power, internet access, laboratories and libraries. If a student manages to surmount these hurdles, there is the spectre of unemployment to confront. As the Nigerian Immigration Service debacle has shown, the search for jobs can have fatal results. If Nigeria wants to achieve the global preeminence, social inclusion and political stability that it craves, there must be a new approach to the vexed issue of educational development in the country. Many of the students who have done so well abroad were on full scholarships which covered

all their expenses for the duration of their undergraduate programmes. The fact that they were not citizens of the host countries did not stop their brilliance from being recognised or rewarded. In contrast, exceptional students in Nigeria often gain scholarships and other assistance only after they have gained admission; indigeneship, catchmentarea, educationally-disadvantaged states and other arcane restrictions are regularly used to deny deserving students of places in tertiary institutions. There are few systems to identify and nurture scholarship, and so students are compelled to work in an atmosphere that actively discourages achievement of any sort. When Nigerians are able to realise their educational dreams at home with the ease that is often the case abroad, the country will have attained true greatness.

‘The fact that they were not citizens of the host countries did not stop their brilliance from being recognised or rewarded. In contrast, exceptional students in Nigeria often gain scholarships and other assistance only after they have gained admission; indigeneship, catchment-area, educationally-disadvantaged states and other arcane restrictions are regularly used to deny deserving students of places in tertiary institutions’

Bombing menace

• Recent Kano and Jos examples expand what was thought to be a shrinking circle of violence

NDER no circumstance would this paper have contemplated that the country could ever succumb to the inexorable devastations of bombings and other evils of the Boko Haram religious sect. Our position stems from the fact that the sect has continued its exploits as if the government in place is incapable of doing anything to quell its heinous acts. Yet, the government proclaims to be doing something; but one obvious fact is that its effort has yielded no effective result. We have our reasons for arriving at this conclusion: Very recently, the Nyanya motor park in Abuja was bombed by the sect, leaving hundreds of people dead. Less than 24 hours after this gory incident, over 270 school girls were abducted by the sect in Chibok, Borno State. Barely weeks after these destabilising acts, Kano State was last Sunday bombed; and this

‘The extermination of Boko Haram lies more on the sincerity of purpose deployed by the government and its topmost officials. At the moment, this utmost good faith could not be seen in view of our security agencies’ shoddy handling of the critical challenge posed by these criminals’.

sad event was spontaneously followed 24 hours after by the latest Jos, Plateau State bombings, which left over 118 people dead in twin blasts at a market in the central Nigerian city. The casualty figures, sadly, were those of victims recovered from the scene of the explosions. By the time the search through the blazing debris would have been concluded by the rescue squad, the figures would probably be higher. The Jos twin bomb blasts that hit the popular Jos Terminus Market that is also known as New Abuja Market is one too many. In typical suicide bombing style, the first bomber reportedly came in a Fiat bus that was parked at the market’s central business area. The second blast, purportedly concealed in a Siena bus, reportedly occurred about 100 metres away from the first one. The government must be interested in knowing those responsible for the Jos incidents, especially in view of the fact that the city has been at peace for some time despite its local crises, and also because no one has so far claimed responsibility for the bombings. The earlier Kano blast which killed four persons occurred in Sabon Gari area. Coincidentally too, the two states’ bombings occurred in areas inhabited by predominantly Christians. Both states have enjoyed relative peace since last year when major bombings last happened in their jurisdictions. We are concerned that the incessant bombings in the northern part of the country are not ebbing but are indeed escalating despite the presence of experts from

United States, Britain, France and Israel that are in the country to rescue the abducted school girls and to help, through technical support, in quelling the Boko Haram insurgency. This is understandable in view of the fact that such mission could take reasonable period before its dividend would be felt. However, President Goodluck Jonathan in his response to the last Jos bomb blasts, boldly declared that his administration will not succumb to the “… atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilisation.” But the official efforts so far on ground have not pointed in that direction as the government has seemingly proved incapable of reaching a denouement on the insurgency. The extermination of Boko Haram lies more on the sincerity of purpose deployed by the government and its topmost officials. At the moment, this utmost good faith could not be seen in view of our security agencies’ shoddy handling of the critical challenge posed by these criminals. On the part of the populace, we demand unalloyed civic vigilance. The government can only complement this by embarking on mass enlightenment campaigns that could educate the public about clues - which is what to look out for and to promptly alert the necessary authorities so as to forestall future recurrence of avoidable bombings in the states. The government needs not be reminded that the sustained Boko Haram bombings are detrimental to the country’s progress.

The deepening chaos in Libya

• Tripoli remains a battlefield years after Gaddafi’s fall

HEN Colonel Muammer Gaddafi was toppled by a Nato-led military operation in October 2011, Britain, France and the US declared that Libya had a chance to move towards a peaceful democratic future. But for the past two and a half years the country has been mired in chaos – raising doubts in some minds about whether the west’s support for the Libyan revolution was justified. Libya is an oil-rich nation of just 6m people that ought to be one of the most prosperous in north Africa. Yet successive elected governments in Tripoli have found it impossible to stabilise the country and capitalise on its oil wealth. The main reason for this is that hundreds of militias – numbering about 250,000 men in all – have arisen across the country, using weapons that were seized from Gaddafi’s arms dumps after his fall. The authorities in Tripoli have continually caved in to the demands of these groups for cash – and failed to overcome those who control crucial parts of Libya’s oil infrastructure. Now, a new set of actors is trying to take charge of this chaotic landscape. A group of former and current officers from the Gaddafi era, including a retired general, Khalifa Haftar, have attacked government buildings in Tripoli. With strong backing from liberal politicians, they are trying to topple the elected Islamistleaning government that is supported by Libya’s Muslim Brotherhood. The temptation of some will be to see this attempted coup as a copycat version of last year’s toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. But the success of the Libyan version is far from assured, not least because a number of Islamist militias may be capable of defeating the insurrection. Surveying these events, western governments will want to tread carefully. Mr Haftar’s move is popular with Libyans who are unhappy at the way the current government has failed to dissolve the Islamist militias. It may also appeal to those in the US who see the Brotherhood everywhere as an incubator of jihadist ideology. However, western governments cannot ignore that Libya has a democratically elected government. At the very least, the west should therefore call on both sides to avoid this stand-off descending into an all-out conflict between liberal and Islamist forces. The latest Libyan upheaval will again prompt debate on whether the 2011 operation, led by Britain and France, was justified. It was right to topple Gaddafi. He would almost certainly have plunged his country further into civil war following the uprising against his rule in Benghazi. But after he was killed, the UK, France and US failed to take the necessary measures to make Libya governable. Gaddafi’s rule left behind a complete institutional wasteland. The west’s determination not to put any military boots on the ground in Libya meant that a security structure could not be implanted across the country, leaving the regime’s arms depots to be raided by the militias. Whatever happens now, the west should not ignore Libya. It ought once again to become a leading oil supplier to the west, something essential given the growing uncertainty over the reliability of Russia as a source. But internal unrest has left the country pumping out only 300,000 barrels a day compared with a peak of 1.6m just before the end of Gaddafi’s rule. If instability lasts, there is also a risk of migration flows from Africa to Europe across Libya’s Mediterranean coastline. In most discussion over the failure of western intervention in this century the focus of attention has been on Iraq and Afghanistan. The casualties in Libya have not been on the scale seen in those conflicts. But the lack of strategic vision and political follow-through have been highly damaging to the west’s interests. - Financial Times

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: On Tuesday, May 20, the Senate in the exercise of its constitutional powers under Section 305(6)(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) endorsed a six month extension of the proclamation of the state of emergency in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe on eight separate conditions read out by the Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN). The conditions as communicated and reported by the Nigeria media include: a) Expansion of the cooperation and collaboration of the International Community with a view to arresting the ugly incidence of terrorism in Nigeria. b) Proper kitting, arming, welfare and care of the Nigerian Armed Forces and troops deployed to arrest the insurgency. c) Sustained military operations in order to rout out the insurgents. d) Special recruitments into the Armed Forces of screened and vetted youths particularly those in the civilian JTF (Joint Task force) who will receive emergency training and be deployed in the troubled zones in order to beef up the strength of our troops. e) Federal Government in conjunction with the state governments to come up with an economic marshal plan to revive the economy of the economically and educationally backward parts of our country. f) Monthly progress report to the Senate by all security agencies including the Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs, Service Chiefs, NSA, DG, SSS on the basis of which the

whatsoever is against the express provisions and spirit of Section 305(6)(c)(d) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. It is accordingly, illegal, null and void and of no effect or moment. The prerogative to issue a proclamation for a state of emergency under Section 305 of the Constitution is exclusively that of the President. To be sure, Section 305(2) accords the National Assembly a complimentary role after the issuance of the proclamation and transmission thereof to consider the situation and decide whether or not to pass a resolution approving the proclamation. The conditions that would exist and justify such proclamation by the President are as

set out under Section 305(3)(a-g). It is also correct that the National Assembly can withdraw its approval of the proclamation within two days when in session or ten days when it is not in session in which case the proclamation ceases to have effect. By Section 305(6)(c) and (d), the National Assembly (Senate inclusive) can extend the period of a proclaimed state of emergency provided it is done before the expiration of the period of the first six months and not for a period longer than six months afterwards. Indeed, each House of the National Assembly can, by a simple majority, revoke the proclamation but cannot itself issue a proclamation in any circumstance.

It follows therefore that if they cannot proclaim a state of emergency but can only extend or revoke, they surely cannot give conditions for the extension of the already proclaimed state of emergency. At any rate, in what manners are the condition(s) expected to operate? Are they conditions precedent or subsequent? If they are conditions precedent, it means the endorsement for the extension will only become effective upon the fulfillment of those conditions. On the other hand, if they are intended to be conditions subsequent, it would mean that the endorsement for extension already given is ineffectual because those conditions are yet to occur or materialise. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended did not envisage a situation in which the executive would exercise its powers under Section 305 based on conditions imposed by the legislature. • Malachy Ugwummadu Esq. Adelabu Street Surulere, Lagos.

IR: The bane of Nigeria problems is the inability to make realistic appraisal and evaluation of her socio-economic vices. By analysis, Boko Haram insurgence is peculiar to the North; communal clash is of the North-central; pipeline vandalization is of the Southsouth while kidnapping is endemic in the South-south and South-west of Nigeria. Armed robbery and raping are common and general to

them all. All these vices are not novel, they are normal bi-products of an ailing and bad economy. Imagine the number of graduates that the country produces from our tertiary institutions per year without proper planning by the government to fix them up, either directly or indirectly. It is high time our leaders realize that if they are careless about the rest of us, nature is not careless! Let them know that these army of

the number of candidates of the many, different political parties, as it is the case in Nigeria, are going to be from the one zone or region to which the presidency is rotated? The policy being proposed for inclusion in the constitution is nothing but a quick fix that will eventually lead to nothing but confusion. In any case, once election is made to be credible, the question of

rotational presidency will be naturally resolved by contending political parties without having to resort to a constitutional fiat, as it is being touted. All in all, rotational presidency will in the end prove to be a minus to the enthronement of democracy and the process of attaining the most capable leadership in our country. • Ayodele Omowumi, Lagos

un-employed graduates must ‘wack’ (apology to Fela Anikulapo), whether they work or not. The question is how are they going to achieve this? Going by a popular theory of Maslow’s Needs, food is one of the vital components of man’s basic needs. Food is fuel to man as petrol is to automobiles. When the means of getting it is perceived to be bleak, the tendency is there for man to take to other non-conventional means of getting it to satisfy the need. This explains why we are having myriads of social vices in the society today. Psychologically speaking, when one is pushed to the wall, the tendency is there to change behavior and do against his/her will. From the foregoing, what can prayer do? Prayer is the only medium of communication between man and God. Of course it is the language best understood by Him. However, it is not that we have not been praying before, but this time we need to pray more with intensity of repentance and belief in its efficacy to avert the on-going calami-

ties in the land. Our knowledge in everything is failing us and there is need to call on to our creator through prayer to help us. It is common knowledge that most of these problems started like a child-play some years back, before escalating to this alarming and uncontrollable dimensions, because of care-free attitude. The little knowledge from both local and international wars made me to perceive that what is currently going on here ( Nigeria) is more than war, most especially when one considers the number of causalities per year particularly since the insurgency broke out! It is more than war because war is usually waged between two opposing parties that are armed to halt, neutralize or come to terms with each other. But the nature of this ongoing Boko Haram is such that the other party is usually taken unaware; in their sleep, leisures; studies and even in their prayers just like that! • Ipadeola J. Adebayo Ibadan

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Attaching conditions to ‘emergency’ illegal

Senate can review or possibly revoke the proclamation of the state of emergency. g) The President should prepare and submit to the National Assembly supplementary budget to meet any establishment financial requirements needed to combat the insurgency (Although there is no substantive budget yet). Emphasis mine. h) The President should immediately approve intervention funds to the affected states for development. Desirable as the above conditions may be particularly on the need to meet the security exigencies of the moment, w predicating such an extension on any condition(s)

Boko Haram: Call to prayer

On rotational presidency

IR: The clamour by some people for rotational presidency deserves a close look. Rotational presidency will lead to an unending rounds of rotation. If the policy is adopted, will there not be a need to also rotate amongst the constituent units (states, ethnic nationals, etc) of the zone or region to which the presidency is rotated, at any point in time? Again, where is the guarantee that

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014 16

COMMENTS

The terror this time (2) Email: tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk 08038551123, 08111845040

WILL not dare to think that this grave we dig today shall bloom tomorrow. But it could. Nigeria could become that mass grave we dream to bury the shoots of nationhood and bliss nurtured by men we may never measure up to. But this is hardly about the founding fathers in whose hands Nigeria pirouetted and prospered. This is about you and me. This is about the Boko Haram terrorist group and the violence and death it perpetrates. This is about our clueless and selfish leadership. This is about predatory forces from abroad running amok and unchecked all over our sovereignty. This is about perverted international news agencies sowing seeds of chaos and interminable bloodbath in our doubtful minds. This is about devious news anchors attacking our minds with coordinated lies and deadly propagandas. And this is about our knack for playing stupid, predictably and self consciously. This is about our knack for turning logic on its head to complement our innate greed and perversions. Nigeria dies on our watch, today. This minute, every civil dream and seed of State evapo-

rates, because we have submitted our will to humour our wiles and the machinations of friendly predators from abroad. We think Nigeria is a mistake. But Nigeria was never a mistake. It is never the mistake. You and I are the mistake. You and I are the emblems of hope serving as crops of wrath where covetousness and deceit whets inhuman appetites. As you read, the myth of war and secession holds fast. Despite the bitterness that trails the Nigerian civil war, characters that ought to know better acidly pronounce the necessity of war and violent secession like the next best thing that could ever happen to you and me. This myth holds particularly among the youths because it is all they could manage today. War and separation remains appealing to the Nigerian youth not just because politicians, activists and journalists of vulpine intent and intellect claim it’s our next best alternative, our youth lust for war and secession because the idea offers fleeting moments of sentimentality that reinforces their dreams of acceptance and self-worth. Even those who know it to be a farce are loath to

‘The tragedy of our generation subsists in our seemingly uncontainable prospects and our desperation to be lorded over and contained, at a price. We are more endowed in intellect and humanity than the current ruling class. Thus let us not continue to serve as disposable pawns in its politics of bitterness and plunder’

HEN I arrived in London from Nigeria in 1982, one of the major challenges I had to deal with was the feeling of isolation - not seeing people who look like you. While I did not let that feeling derail my plans to study and pursue my legal career, I became very appreciative of the sight of others of my colour, I developed a bond with Africans and a special bond with Nigerians, I felt we were kindred spirit. The recent unfortunate events in Chibok, Borno State has forced us as Nigerians to hold a mirror to ourselves, look in it and decide whether we like what we see. If we do not like what we see, what do we do? Stories abound of atrocious killings inflicted by Nigerians on Nigerians - by Boko Haram, ritual killings and otherwise. Why would we as Nigerian inflict such pain and suffering on other Nigerians? We will not ordinarily inflict such atrocities on our own children or those we love and care about. Perhaps a rediscovery of our consciousness of our bond as Nigerians will facilitate respect and love for one another. I feel strongly about our finding what unites us as I believe that this spirit will help us pull together to greater success as a nation. I wish to hear the thoughts of fellow Nigerians on this subject and I will start the discourse by sharing my personal perspective. I really became appreciative of my Nigerian heritage when I came to England. I am Ishan from Edo State and left Nigeria for England at the age of 21. Before leaving Nigeria I was not particularly conscious of my Nigerian heritage. My nationality was what it was. I had no reason to think about it whether positively or negatively. I had

‘Why would we as Nigerians inflict such pain and suffering on other Nigerians? We will not ordinarily inflict such atrocities on our own children or those we love and care about. Perhaps a rediscovery of our consciousness of our bond as Nigerians will facilitate respect and love for one another’

jettison that infectious romanticism that gets them giddy as overfed cattle gorging on barn supplies. The youth are told that the only times in their lives that they would be worth something and enjoy a hopeful reality is when they agree to serve as cannon fodder for the total balkanization of the Nigerian State. They do not know the import of the politics they perpetuate. It’s not about defending the interests of a minority tribe nor is it about paving the way for a more responsible and humane government. It’s about working for some devious activist, politician, diplomat and public officer who works for some rich and privileged cabal with all manners of interests across international boundaries. Today, we perpetuate the politics of the hashtag. So what if Michelle Obama, Cameron, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and so on pose with the hashtag: “Bringbackourgirls” before the camera; how does their show of solidarity resolve the several ills afflicting us? No foreign financial or military aid will resolve our problems. No degree of idiotic mumbo-jumbo by American clowns like McCain, Amanpour and company will rectify the many ills afflicting us. Hence we can give the McCains of the world as many thumbs up as we like, claiming they are only sounding the knell of truth; truth is, we would only be affirming that indeed, Nigerians are just another pitiful specie of "black monkeys...lower mutants on the totem pole of black skinned brutes," "clueless niggers," "nitwits" and so on as many Caucasian racists had severally described us in the past. I agree that the nation needs to sit down to deliberate over the most dependable and progressive path

forward. However, it would be the greatest fraud and disservice to you, me and posterity if we claim that splitting Nigeria according to America’s ultimate game plan remains the most practicable solution to our grief. It is alright for a people to determine what course of action would best serve their interests but it would be suicidal for us all to believe that our travails shall end in a new Biafra, Federal Republic of Oodua or United States of Arewa. In every new, independent nation we build, there shall be no secure civilization or the usual securities by which a nation thrives. That is because whatever new States we create shall comprise of ignorant, turbulent proletariat stymied by crushing poverty and interminable penchant to play dumb. Such manner of working class or grassroots would as usual be dominated by the same ruling class whose insensitivity and wile are responsible for our travails today. And of course, the so-called “super-powers” that incite our breakup today in the interest of the commoners, will queue solidly behind all manners of tyrants they succeed in installing in our fragmented States. As it is now in contemporary Nigeria, every new leadership we have in every new nation we create shall effortlessly dominate us and impose upon us their children, relatives and political associates while they make labourers and thugs of the youth by whose blood, bestiality and sweat whatever the new nation was achieved. The choice is ours to make; we either choose to remain a bunch of fools and clueless agitators or we could choose to leave the current leadership to the madness it perpetuates while we chart fresh paths to the future of our dreams.

Some of our greatest problems in this country, besides corruption, are racism and greed. However, the Nigerian youth need not be handicapped by these but we seem not to know that. It is time to heal. It is time for the Nigerian youth to take their rightful place in the scheme of things. I will never tire from saying that it’s about time we sought and identified our own candidate – the untiringly just and humane candidate. And let it be known that we shall never find such candidate amidst the coven of predators to whom we have learnt to serve as prey. In order to heal, the Nigerian youth need to create and unite under a socio-political platform immune to and jealously guarded against the madness of materialism, racism and intractable wile. We need to identify the demons that drive the ruling class and dispossess our minds of every vanity that makes us habitable to similar fiends. The tragedy of our generation subsists in our seemingly uncontainable prospects and our desperation to be lorded over and contained, at a price. We are more endowed in intellect and humanity than the current ruling class. Thus let us not continue to serve as disposable pawns in its politics of bitterness and plunder. If this unusual and unpredictable development is to flourish amid peace and order, reciprocal respect and budding intelligence, it will call for that truest and most dependable social surgery I advocate: revolution by the ballot system not through the gun barrel or coordinated chaos fed to us piecemeal and in vicious mouthfuls by the foreign media and predatory nations’ “intelligence” and “security” agencies. • To be continued…

What does it mean to be Nigerian? By Elizabeth Uwaifo issues and challenges to address and my nationality did not feature among my concerns. On getting to England and realising for the first time that those in my new community did not look like me or speak like me, it became heartwarming to see faces like mine and comforting to hear an accent or a name that I recognised as Nigerian. I came across very few Nigerians - less than five that I was aware of at my university, none at my block of residence and only a handful known to me socially. I felt a sense of solidarity with the Nigerians I got to know. In my loneliness I yearned for home; for the Nigeria I left behind. I had a sense of pride about where I was from. There were times when I would be frustrated by the fact that I was not communicating effectively with those around me. When others expressed difficulty in understanding me I would say to myself - I come from a country where people all speak like me and they are fine. As I struggled to get through the cold weather, rain and snow to get to my lectures, I picked up on the negative images that were portrayed in the Western media about Nigeria and I felt protective of my country. They did not know Nigeria like I did I said to myself. They did not know the hardworking, resourceful, brilliant, kindhearted and empathetic Nigerians that I knew. I was driven to show that I had received quality education in Nigeria which placed me in a position to compete with the best in England. My Nigerian heritage gave me a sense of identity, a comfort and a feeling that there was a group of people to whom my success mattered. During that period, I would request traditional Nigerian music - music by Sir Victor Uwaifo, Osayomore Joseph, Sunny Okosun, Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, IK Dairo, Rex Lawson and Onyeka Owenu to name a few. My friends and siblings in Nigeria were at the time into Western pop and soul music and thought I was crazy. I loved to collect carved wooden ornaments and pictures of people in Nigerian traditional

clothes. They not only reminded me of home but they also represented my identity which I guarded jealously. Would I have felt so passionate about Nigeria if I had not left Nigeria? Or if my environment in England had not included so few Nigerians? Whatever the answer to those questions may be, the fact remains that my being Nigerian meant something to me and was a positive influence on me. Nigerians have been through a difficult period. Many families have experienced worsening economic conditions, poor infrastructure has made it difficult for average Nigerians to work their way out of the poverty trap and poor living conditions make daily life a constant struggle. Faced with challenges that compel us to focus on our needs we risk losing touch with our common bond as Nigerians. Furthermore, does our familiarity with one another put us at risk of losing our appreciation of one another? So what is it that connects you with other Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic origin, sex, religion, political affiliation or social status? Your thoughts are as good as mine. • Uwaifo, a partner in the international law firm Fasken Martineau wrote in from London.

‘Many families have experienced worsening economic conditions, poor infrastructure has made it difficult for average Nigerians to work their way out of the poverty trap and poor living conditions make daily life a constant struggle. Faced with challenges that compel us to focus on our needs we risk losing touch with our common bond as Nigerians’

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

COMMENTS “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life” ¯ Jomo Kenyatta

IGERIA, our dear native land, is going down a path never witnessed in her history – and it is no news to the discerning. It is on a perilous path that is unsettling to the watchful. Crime and criminal activities appear to be trademark attributes in astronomical dimension in contemporary Nigerian society. People in virtually all the six geo-political zones live in perpetual fear. Everyday, people are tensed up by thoughts about their safety, which the state has failed to guarantee. While the problems of corruption, epileptic power supply, rampaging unemployment and sweltering poverty among others, look Herculean, intractable insecurity grows monstrous. In other climes, insecurity or terrorist acts are treated by leaders as a very serious problem. When the 9/11 bombings by the terrorist Al’Qaeda occurred in the United States (US), the country’s president then, George Bush, was vehement in his resolve to track the terrorists down when he vowed: “This is an act of war against the United States. We’ll hunt down the terrorists. They can run but they can’t’ hide….” When London was bombed during Premier Tony Blair’s era, his statement to his country men was re-assuring when he said: “We’ll track down the terrorists and bring them to justice.” Even though terrorist activities are still a bourgeoning problem to the world, there are no doubts that these leaders and also their successors in office are doing everything to make their countries safe havens for their citizens. They take as a national duty, the job of taking extra steps to protect their countries’ borders and also monitor activities of people living in their territories through well coordinated and efficiently effective intelligence networks. Why can’t Nigeria imbibe the same leadership spirits demonstrated by past and present leaders of the US and the United Kingdom? Why is my country finding it so difficult to

‘This troubling time of Boko Haram and kidnappings can be surmounted, despite foreign assistance, if only there is sincere official approach and more importantly, if the right steps are taken by truly determined leadership. All these are a desideratum at the moment’

ERMIT me to provide explanation on certain processes of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) related to the upcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, which formed the subject matter of the editorial comment in your newspaper issue for Tuesday, May 20, titled as above. Your paper argued in essence that the impending governorship elections might not be credible unless the commission deploys electronic card readers for the particular elections. I will proceed to show that the credibility of the said elections is not fundamentally linked to deploying card readers. In other words, the commission has put in place sufficient safeguards to make the Ekiti governorship election on June 21 and Osun governorship election on August 9, free, fair and credible, even as electronic card readers will not be deployed. What is required now is for all stakeholders, especially the political gladiators, to commit themselves to scrupulous conduct in the processes of the elections. Your editorial cited a recent comment by INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, on multiple registrants in Osun State as the basis for your doubting the credibility of the impending elections unless card readers are deployed. First, a clarification about figures: The editorial credited the Osun REC with saying at a recent forum in Osogbo that no fewer than 800, 000 voters have been found to have registered more than once in the state. Well, I have checked with the REC and truth is that he said no such thing. The total voter registration for Osun State from the 2011 exercise, by INEC’s records, was 1, 355, 393. After subjecting the data to deduplication with the Automated Fingerprints Identification System (AFIS) software, 37, 273 multiple registrations (representing 2. 75%) were detected and eliminated; leaving a balance of 1, 318, 120 voters. The Commission has some business rules for producing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) that will henceforth be used for all elections, including the impending governorships in Ekiti and Osun

07011117777

Nigeria’s troubling period

•Jonathan

halt the perverse tides of bombings, killings, abductions and kidnappings for ransom that are gradually looking unstoppable for government and its security agencies? Why are these avoidable problems becoming larger than the Nigerian state by every passing day? However, an insight into the clueless official approach to the problems was a remark reportedly made by President Goodluck Jonathan after the Christmas day bombing in Madalla, Gudaka, Damaturu, Maiduguri and Jos by the Boko Haram group years back. Then, he had described bombings in the country “as a burden Nigerians must live with until it fizzles out.” Again, the question is: How long will it take for the current spate of inexorable insecurity in the country to fizzle out? At another occasion of bombing, the president reportedly said: “Terrorism is a global phenomenon. May be it is Nigeria’s turn.” These are embarrassing, defeatist and un-presidential statement, especially from a sitting president that is currently nursing a covert ambition of seeking people’s sacred mandate again in 2015. In more enlightened society where poverty has not incapacitated the people, those statements dur-

ing such challenging periods are enough to send the president on political Siberia. The current administration under President Jonathan has regrettably demonstrated its lack of capacity to comply with provisions of section 14(2b) of 1999 Constitution (as amended) that provides: ‘It is hereby, accordingly, declared that: The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.’ If government is expressly expected to constitutionally guarantee security of lives and property, then, the internal insecurity being faced today as a result of rising Boko Haram butchery, Jos ethnic/religious carnage, armed insurgency and kidnapping for ransom amply shows colossal failure of government to protect the governed. Since October 1, 2010, Nigeria’s Independence Day, when there were twin bombings in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the country seems to have parted ways with peace. When the CIA report of 2005 during the civilian regime of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, predicted the collapse of Nigeria in about 15 years time, the administration engaged in sophistry, dismissing the report rather than embarking on rigorous scrutiny of the predictive indices believed to be capable of leading the country to the predicted collapse. The current general state of insecurity in Nigeria has now lent weight to the report. Most northern states are under perpetual siege of the Boko Haram onslaught; At the moment, the country is battling to rescue over 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno state; the eastern states are being tormented by cantankerous kidnappers/ abductors that have turned ransom payments and killings into a vocation. The armed robbery siege in the south west is gradually being overtaken by creeping scants of kidnappings. The general notion among law-abiding citizens of this country whose psyche has been brutalised is that government security apparati, in-

Re: ‘A Case for e-Card Readers’ By Kayode Robert Idowu states. Among them is that the biometric data of every voter for whom the card will be produced must contain at least four fingerprints – two from each hand – to make the card machine-readable when card readers are deployed in 2015. Upon the application of these rules, the valid number of registrants for whom PVCs were produced in Osun State came down to 1, 256, 569; meaning that 61, 551 (4. 6%) persons had defective data and needed to have come out for re-registration during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) conducted from Wednesday, March 12, to Monday, March 17,– along with persons who newly turned 18 years and those who did not come out for registration in 2011 even though they were 18 years and above. The data of 149, 089 persons captured during the recent CVR is presently being treated with AFIS, to arrive at the final voter tally for Osun State. Even though your editorial gave no figure about the voter population in Ekiti State, permit me to restate it here for public record. The total voter registration from the 2011 exercise was 766, 559. When the data was treated with AFIS, 77, 609 multiples (10. 12%) were detected and eliminated, leaving a balance of 688, 950 registrants. Upon the application of business rules for producing PVCs, the figure came down to 657, 256; meaning that 31, 694 registrants (4. 60%) had defective data and needed to have come out for re-registration during the CVR conducted in March simultaneously with Osun State. The data of 78, 875 persons captured during the CVR in Ekiti State has been treated with AFIS and the final voter tally is being announced in the state about now. You would see the point, I hope, that there could not have been 800, 000 multiple registrants in the pre-CVR voter population of 1.

3million. But, without doubt, the impunity with which some compatriots commit electoral offences has needlessly compounded the political process in Nigeria and makes the task of INEC in conducting free, fair and credible elections much more arduous than it should be. That is what motivated the present Commission to devise elaborate strategies to check abusive tendencies. The editorial asked: how did unscrupulous persons get to register more than once? They did so by going to different polling units in different geographical locations to register, for whatever political gains they had hoped to make; because no one could register twice on the same Direct Data Capture (DDC) machine given the software loaded on the machines by INEC. But the Commission has been able to check this abuse with the use of AFIS at the progressive levels of data consolidation and de-duplication. The Commission has the records of persons who engaged in the malfeasance and will prosecute as many as is possible within its limited capacity under the subsisting legal framework. INEC will not use card readers for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and has never promised to do so. And the reason for this decision should be obvious: the Commission will be introducing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the first time in Nigeria’s electoral process during the two governorship elections. These are major elections, with prospects of high contestation; and it would be overreaching to introduce electronic card readers at the same time with PVCs. The Commission’s plan is, and has always been: to introduce the PVCs in the upcoming governorship elections; pilot the card readers with PVCs in smaller by-elections that will come up before 2015; then, deploy the card readers with PVCs for the general election. The wisdom of this incremental procedure should be obvi-

cluding the military, police, State Security Service (SSS) and other intelligence agencies are incapable of guaranteeing the safety and security of Nigerians. This regrettable development has brought forth the concomitant negative indices of fear and lack of confidence/trust in government of the day to protect them from these rampaging unscrupulous elements in their midst. This negativism in any polity limits peoples’ ability to be both socially and economically creative and stable. At the same time also, it acts as de-motivation to meaningful investment drive. Government is supposedly held in trust for the people but Nigerians no longer have faith in their government because it harbours criminals that put up the behaviour that hurt and sabotage the system and their wellbeing. In the end, such inimical activities injure the collective interests of the state. President Jonathan has not helped matters with the cowardly approach with which he rules this country. As the Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s Armed Forces, his refusal to visit and empathise with parents of the over 200 abducted girls in Chibok, Borno state shows crass presidential failure of courage at a period the citizens need motivation in that regard. What a cowardly act! May be Mr President needs to learn something from the aphorism of Jomo Kenyatta, that audacious Kenyan nationalist and former leader, where he said: “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” If he is running away from the military he is expected to command and fund, what becomes the fate of the governed that have to contend with these poorly catered for military personnel. If the president and the presidency and even the topmost hierarchy of the military accused of scandalous corruption think they are secure simply because they have the privilege of state security compliment, let someone remind them that they are reveling in in self-delusion. What Kenyatta tried to say is that insecurity in most parts of any country and badly managed military/police necessarily translates to insecurity in her corridors of power, no matter how highly fortified: This troubling time of Boko Haram and kidnappings can be surmounted, despite foreign assistance, if only there is sincere official approach and more importantly, if the right steps are taken by truly determined leadership. All these are a desideratum at the moment. Should we then pray? Maybe!

NOTE: This piece that was first published in this column on April 19, 2013 is reproduced here today because of its topicality and with slight modifications. ous from lessons learnt from other countries; for instance, the 2012 general election in Ghana where challenges that arose from simultaneous introduction of voter smart cards and card readers compelled the country to shift voting in some areas to the following day before the election could be concluded. Experiences are meant to be learnt from, and one way of learning from experience is to redesign approaches towards the same objective. But let us be clear that the non-deployment of card readers will in no way detract from the credibility of the Ekiti and Osun elections. The procedure that INEC put in place for collecting the PVCs was designed to ensure that only legitimate holders are handed the smart cards; and as such, only legitimate holders can present the cards on Election Day. No one will be allowed to vote with a PVC that is not his or her own; and no other card beside that issued by INEC will pass the test of identification at the polling units. The real challenge is to get every duly registered voter to collect his/her PVC before Election Day, as the Commission will not be accepting Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) for voter identification in the governorship elections. The use of PVCs should also lay to rest the incidence of people showing up at polling units on Election Day and claiming not to find their names in the register. Every eligible voters must be in possession of his/her card before Election Day, and therefore knows for sure that his/her name is in the register. Rather than seek to pressurise INEC to deploy card readers in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections (which it will not do), what stakeholders – including politicians and the media – can do to add value to the process is sensitise the voting populace on their civic responsibility, and mobilise persons who are yet to do so to collect their PVCs from designated points so at to be in good position to exercise their voting rights on Election Day. • Idowu is Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

GDP rebasing ignites multinationals’ interest By Akinola Ajibade

HE rebasing of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its subsequent rating as the biggest economy in Africa and the 26th globally has bolstered the confidence of foreign investors in the country, Managing Director, Cartier Africa, Alessandra Patti, has said. Speaking during a visit of Cartier’s management team to Nigeria, Alessandra said the rebasing has shored up the economy profile, as well boos the confidence of foreign investors. He said conglomerates abroad are seeing Nigeria as a new investment destination in Africa, and are ready to invest in it. He said the visit was aimed at deepening business in the country and maximising the economy potential in the country. He said: ‘’Cartier has huge portfolios in economies abroad. Being a renowned producer of wristwatches globally, we decided to come to Nigeria to strengthen our partnership with Polo Limited and further explore new opportunities. Since we arrived the country two days ago, we have not seen a district luxury. We are planning to establish them in Nigeria. It is a five-year plan and we hope to make luxury products available to the people. “We plan to implement a long-term and sustainable policy in the area of luxury of business. Our plans include getting the rising middle class and top flight managers patronise wrist watches and other luxury products. Africa is an emerging economy, and with Nigeria’s economy growing at a faster rate, the sky is the limit for anybody that want to invest in the country.

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

At the moment, there is an average of about 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country. This feat was brought about by the implementation of the integrated power sector reform programme anchored on the power roadmap. - Minister of Information, Labaran Maku

Fed Govt reneges on power subsidy reimbursement T

HE Federal Government has failed to live up to its promise of subsidising power consumers as stipulated in Multi-YearTariff-Order 11 referred to as MYTO 2. According to MYTO 2 provision,the government agreed to subsidise the consumption of residential customers, specifically residential 1 and 2 customers (R1 and R2). A top official of one of the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) told The Nation that, at the inception of MYTO, R1 R2 customers were placed on subsidy by the government. This category of customers,

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

according to the source, are supposed to pay N23 as charge for a unit of energy but were directed by MYTO 2 to pay N12, while the balance will be paid by the government. Unfortunately, since the new investors took over in November, last year, the government has not lived up to its promise. The source said: “At the inception of MYTO 2, R1 R2 customers were placed on subsidy by the government. They are being charged N12 instead of N23. The government is

supposed to pay the balance, which is the difference between what they are paying now and the standard charge they (R1 R2 customers) are supposed to pay; that is, the difference between N23 and N12. “But since we took over in November, last year, the government has not made any subsidy reimbursement to us. The arrears have run into billions of naira.” According to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the R1, R2 customers are considered as very low income earners,

which is the reason the government decided to subsidise their consumption. But the owners of the privatised power assets are concerned that the failure of the government to reimburse them is affecting their revenues. Besides, the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS), The Nation learnt, are experiencing financial challenges as there is huge drop in revenue collection from customers. The companies, the source said, are suffering from the activities of energy thieves and vandals who destroy

their equipment and steal power cables. To replace these items to ensure supply to customers costs the DISCOs a lot of money while the income is lower. Most of the DISCOs are unable to pay in full their bills to market operators as stipulated in the privatisation programme as a result of cash challenge. “The companies depend on funds secured by the investors to do a lot of operations such as network rehabilitation, system upgrade and reinforcement, as well as reducing equipment downtime to enhance customer satisfaction and service delivery,” the source said.

• From left: Managing Partner, Jasek Consulting Ltd. Mr Joseph Okonmah; Project Co-ordinator, Top 50 Brand, Mr Taiwo Oluboyede; MD, Mr Oluwadare Victor and Director, Daraju Ltd., Mr Oscar Macaulay, at a press conference by Top 50 Brands Nigeria in Ikeja, Lagos. PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

‘Refineries’privatisation ‘ll unlock oil, gas sector’

RANSFERRING the ownership of the nation’s four refineries to private investors will unleash unimaginable economic transformation, the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), has said. Its Director-General, Benjamin Dikki, lamented that the continued resistance of oil workers prevented the economy from tapping from the almost limitless opportunities that privatisation would have opened the industry to. He said: “I want to emphasise that in the oil and gas industry, we have locked up a lot of potential that Nigeria’s economy has. There are more than 10 spinoff industries that can spring up using the by-products of the refineries. We are not utilising these things. Most of those things are imported. Once we get the refineries working, there will be other spinoff industries that will come up from there.

By Lucas Ajanaku

It will create jobs, create products that Nigeria will sell locally and internationally and grow the Nigerian economy. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘can’t we and labour sit down and see the mood of this country and collaborate to unleash, to open up that sector and grow the Nigerian economy’. And related to that, we also need to expeditiously, aggressively handle the issue of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).” Dikki told The Nation that when the government announced that it was considering the privatisation of the refineries, the oil workers acting under the aegis of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) threatened to shut the refineries. He said the Minister of Labour chaired a meeting

where the Minister of Power and the Permanent Secretary; the Minister of Petroleum and other high-ranking officials in the ministries were present and we dialogued with the two labour unions. “They told us that they were not averse to government looking at other options or business model for handling the privatisation, and we said okay to them. “The government is conscious if we don’t have a unified voice between NUPENG and PENGASSAN about the privatisation then there is a risk. This is because they can put through to shutdown the economy and no responsible president will want to create pains for his people through a policy that can be avoided, delayed, or you look at other options,” he said. He however said the oil workers have all agreed that there is need to privatise the ailing refineries, adding that they have realised the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM)

is not comprehensively done and there is need to resuscitate the refineries. He added that there are other investment that need to be in place, and they are quite to take cognizance that government is not in a position or rather it is not it’s priority to raise those kind of money that will completely revamp the refineries.‘’ Dikki added: “The labour unions have realised also that privatisation is inevitable. What they are craving for is that we should have the LNG model, which is to say that government should still have a stake, labour should still have a stake in the refineries. And we are not opposed to it. And we have told them that it has been a longstanding policy of the NCP that labour unions should have shares in the privatised companies.” And we gave them the example of Eleme Petrochemical -shares were reserved for staff, we got them to set up a trust. The trust accessed loan

from the bank and raised finances to pay for the shares. The shares were now paid for from the dividend from Eleme Petrochemical shares. “So, the government is not aversed to structuring something that will allow labour to have a stake in the refineries. But you see, this is a politically charged environment now and everything is politicised. So, we are conscious also not to delve into this thing and it gets politicised and people misread the meaning and issues are raised that shouldn’t arise. “So, the refineries will only be privatised when government and labour are 100 per cent on the same page. If that happens today, we will commence the process today. If labour comes out today and tells the government that we are not against the privatisation of the refineries we will cooperate, the government will take up the privatisation of the refineries.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS BRANDS & MARKETING

e-mail: adedejiademigbuji@yahoo.com /mobile line: 08131075667

What are the 10 marketing ‘myths’? They were unveiled at a marketing summit in Lagos by the founder of Media Reach, OMD, TBWA and Tequila Nigeria, Mr. George Thorpe. Is he right in his assessment? Advertising gurus, such as Mr Biodun Sobanjo of Troyka Holdings do not agree with him. ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI reports.

Rumble over 10 marketing ‘myths’ T

HE summit was meant to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a publication, Marketing Edge, but it also became a platform for leaders in Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) to speak on the trends in the industry which they have shied away from confronting over the years. The summit, tagged: “Exploding Myths of Integrated Marketing Communications” drew stakeholders from all sectors of the industry. Mr George Thorpe of Media Reach was the keynote speaker. Thorpe, who described his presentation as a “parting gift” to the industry, expressed concerns on what he perceived as the problems of the industry whose many are shying away from. Thorpe, who is to retiring soon identified 10 myths which he considered to be hindering the sector’s growth. He believes that in these myths are assumptions about the industry which are not true.

Myth 1: Juicy accounts and lucrative agency business Thorpe challenged the popular assumption that leading agencies serving big multinational clients are doing well financially. “The reality is that most of these agencies have a negative cash flow with huge receivables,” he complained. He concluded that if the business with the “juicy” accounts were subjected to proper scrutiny, it will be discovered that most of these agencies are not doing well. “At best, some of the individuals running them may be doing well but the businesses are not healthy,” said Thorpe. Citing the case of a United Kingdom (UK) agency that had an entry on its client list as ‘Income derivable from interests on “cash at bank”, Thorpe said this particular agency was able to cover all its overheads from the interest generated from its bank balances. He wondered if there were agencies with such lucrative businesses in Nigeria. However, his position under this myth was countered by the Chairman of Troyka Group, Mr. Biodun Sobanjo, who maintained that despite Thorpe’s assumption, there were indeed juicy accounts during his days in active practice and such still exist today. “The challenge is that few agencies’ heads are ready to look at their clients eyeball-toeyeball and demand fair compensation for their services, but will rather hang on at all costs. This is what needs to change, as agencies need to be more business minded,” Sobanjo said.

Myth 2: IMC is here to stay For the second Myth, Thorpe believes that most agencies in the country are not well structured in line with the three levels of integration, namely thematic, mechanical and strategic, which the are three levels of integration under IMC. He said the practice in the country is a Thematic Integration where an idea is distilled Through-the-Line (TTL), which is the use of mass advertising

• Thorpe

• Akingbade

• Sobanjo

to form a prospect or customer database, which can be implemented for direct marketing activities. The reality, Thorpe explained, is that most agencies are not structured to work in a truly integrated manner. The other side of the coin is that clients too are not ready to put all their eggs in one basket in a way that will allow proper integration to take place. So, contrary to the popular assertion, we are still some way off in practising truly Integrated Marketing Communication, he added.

clearly shows that available total spend in the entire industry is small and by current data figures, only about N103 billion is spent per annum,” he said. “A comparison of Ad spends to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from across countries will clearly demonstrate that media is inexpensive in Nigeria: World average is 0.8 per cent of GDP, US: 1.1 per cent; UK 0.79 per cent; Brazil 0.7 per cent; Ghana 0.5 per cent; Nigeria: 0.1 per cent (Rebased GDP),” Thorpe stated. He said: “When a comparative analysis of cost per thousand across countries is made, it is clear that media in Nigeria is cheap. Again, comparatively, cost per ’000 of 18+ adults showed that Nigeria’s costs stand at N86 for TV and N46 for radio, compared with N167 and N98 for Ghana, and Kenya N688 and N202; UK N1251 and N495. This clearly shows that Media costs are relatively cheaper in Nigeria,” he added. He, however, introduced a caveat that he is by no means advocating a rate increase by media houses, but merely stating the facts. He urged media owners to invest in content to attract more audience in order to derive greater value based on the audiences they deliver.

guments; protection of an infant industry, protection of domestic jobs and national security. “None of these applies to Nigeria, so what is the basis for the proclamation made by APCON? The Nigerian IMC industry and professionals can hold their own anywhere and are therefore not in need of protection. The advent of telecoms has also debunked the argument of national security,” said Thorpe. He contended that Nigeria IMC agencies should have a vision for West Africa and Africa by extending footprints across the continent. “If other countries were to go by APCON’s example, this bold quest will be truncated by Protectionist actions,” he added. However, Thorpe questions the legal status of the APCON proclamation and the level of stakeholder consultations that was done before it was made public. He also questioned the right of APCON to regulate the ownership of advertising Agencies, postulating that the remit of APCON should be the practice and professional conduct. He concluded by requesting that APCON rethink the proclamation. In defence of APCON, a council member of the advertising regulatory body, Mr. Funmi Onabolu, said the proclamation is a law as it has been gazetted. Onabolu said further that APCON consulted, engaging with various stakeholders that included agency heads and owners for over two years before announcing the proclamation. He added that APCON acted in enlightened self-interest by putting some controls in place for foreign agencies that want to do business in Nigeria and not a shutout. “This is no different from what happened in other climes to protect local industry citing Brazil as an example,” he said. But, Shobanjo countered Thorpe, citing how the 1972 Indigenisation Decree paved the way for local agencies that resulted in the emergence of local ad agencies. He added that APCON is a government agency and that it is one of the steps they take to protect local industries just like the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). Still, Thorpe requested APCON for a clarification of what enlightened self-interest means and sought to know if some aspects of the APCON proclamation is not at variance with some of the provisions of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA). He further argued that creating an environment that will promote competition and improve services would be the source of greater growth.

Myth 3: Retired founders, MDs can come back on salvage mission He raised concern over recurring cases of retired founders who still come back from retirement to rescue their agencies from collapse. He said: “A few retired founder Managing Directors feel they still have it in them to steer their agencies back to the path of recovery when the business nosedived, postretirement,” he said. Citing his personal experience, he said coming out of retirement could be frustrating as he felt old and out of place at client meetings he attended. “The reality is that the client contacts also have a challenge relating with the ‘big man’ that further frustrates the rescue mission,” he noted. On the basis of this, he advised founder MDs to take succession plan serious and possibly put in place a two to three-year plan before handing over the business.

Myth 4: Brands pend on media advertising/media is expensive in Nigeria Thorpe said only seven advertisers spend above N1 billion yearly in Nigeria, while the next four will spend between N500 million and N999 million. “In total, only 11 clients spend more than N500 million annually. Most advertisers actually spend less than N500 million. This

Myth 5: Digital in and traditional media out Thorpe also expressed concern over the assumption that digital media will take over traditional media. “Digital is over hyped and over promised,” he said, adding, however, that though digital will continue to grow in importance, it will find its place and ‘settle’ in the mix and compliment each other but not replace ‘traditional’ media.

Myth 6: Protectionism/APCON Reform Being a marketing professional Thorpe is inclined to the philosophy of a free market environment where competition thrives, he observed that those who argue in support of ‘Protectionism’put forward three main ar-

‘In total, only 11 clients spend more than N500 million annually. Most advertisers actually spend less than N500 million. This clearly shows that available total spend in the entire industry is small and by current data figures, only about N103 billion is spent per annum’

Myth 7: Dearth of data “The reality on ground is that there is a myriad of published researches and data •Continued on page 27

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

Brandnews

Why govt is yet to appoint APCON chair, by Abaribe T HE Federal Government has not appointed Chairman for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) because no applicant has meet the requirements. Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the government was constrained to make the appointment where there is no eligible applicant. He spoke during the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria’s (OAAN) posters Awards in Lagos. The tenure of the Chairman of the

Stories by Adedeji Ademigbuji

APCON, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, expired nine months ago. However, operators, who are expecting a successor, said the government may be too busy with other issues or that the APCON chair is not a ‘lucrative’ to attract pressure from politicians who would be interested on the replacement. The three-year tenure of the chairman of APCON expired on September 27, last year, and it is expected that the chairman would

continue in office until the government appoints a new person. It was gathered that six names were forwarded to the minister of Information, the supervising minister of APCON, Mr. Labaran Maku, from which, the government is expected to pick one, who must be a fellow of APCON. Abaribe revealed, however, that the most senior of the qualified candidates does not meet the criteria. It was gathered that the delay in the appointment of a cahir would affect the activities at the APCON.

EXMAN unveils new code THE Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) has unveiled a code of practice for its members to check misconduct. It said the code is aimed at reducing problems of fake brand activations and road shows by firms. The President of EXMAN, Kayode Olagesin, who is also the Managing Director of Towncrier Limited, explained that the code of conduct is to ensure that marketing communication is legal, decent, honest and truthful, adding that it will boost consumer confidence. “By practising self-regulation, it ensures the integrity of experiential marketing, activation, promotions and direct marketing. The value of self-regulation as an alternative to statutory control is rec-

‘Media market worth $700m’ IN a decade, the media market has increased from $300 million to $700 million, the Managing Director of MediaShare,Mr. Dele Odugbemi, has said. The market is an arm of the advertising industry, which plans and places adverts in media platforms - traditional and online. Odugbemi, who has worked in 35 African countries as media strategist, told The Nation that the figure shows that a lot has changed in the industry in the last 10 years. He said the figure would further increase as a result of technological innovation being adopted by practitioners and agencies, which has increased the size of the market in the country. He said: “A lot has changed as is to be expected. Media has changed around the world and Nigeria isn’t an exception. Nigeria media has ex-

• From left: Managing Director Millward Brown, Africa and Middle East, Charles Foster; Managing Director, Millward Brown Nigeria, Ugo Geri-Robert and Managing Director Millward Brown Sub-Saharan Africa, Soumya Saklani, during the opening of the firm’s corporate office in Maryland, Lagos.

Rumble over 10 marketing ‘myths’ •Continued from page 26

available. So, the assertion is not true. There are also a number of world class research agencies in the country with the skill sets to conduct specialised researches but the challenge is that people are not willing to pay for information. It is incredible that some advertisers are ready to spend N2 billion on advertising but not N4 million on researches that will enable them to get more value,” said Thorpe.

Myth 8: Career advancement of indigenous marketers on rise As against what stakeholders assume that career advancement of indigenous marketing executive is on the rise, Thorpe revealed that between 2004 and last year, the ratio of Nigerians holding top marketing positions compared to expatriates in multinationals declined from 4:7 to 3:8. “This statistical evidence suggests that all is not well as Nigerian professionals in marketing are not doing as well as their predecessors. Surely, the trajectory ought to be in the other direction. Fewer Nigerians are actually occupying the senior positions in marketing,” he cited.

Myth 9 & 10: Advertising agencies win creative awards or die! Affiliate (to global networks) or die!

• APCON Chairman, Lolu Akinwunmi

The Multinational Account (MNC) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), according to Thorpe, is the last frontier of opportunity. “Get in Now! This is a very popular point of view within advertising circles that was challenged with facts. MNCs/FDIs are the only group that really gives second thoughts to the affiliation of the agency and the awards they win at creative competitions,” he said. According to Thorpe, coincidentally, working for these clients has been known to impact on the creativity of the local agency ad-

versely, in that most of the works they do are ‘adaptations and ‘templating’ along globally agreed lines. On the other hand, he said LCEs, MDAs, SMEs and NGOs are sensitive to awards but not so to affiliation as they are looking for agencies with local knowledge but world-class standard who can model their services to suit them. His words: “They allow the agency develop creative work and are willing to explore compensation models that are far more lucrative than the MNCs.” On SMEs/NGOs, Mr Thorpe contended that this is a major area of opportunity for agencies that can fashion out a unique way of servicing the needs of these clients who are willing to be more creative in remunerating the agencies. He said they are also available in greater numbers with more to choose from and work with. But Shobanjo challenged his position by referring to the statistics provided which show that out of the eight big spenders, only one is a local client and since multinationals companies play a key role in who gets the business through agency alignments, affiliation will still remain relevant. However, Mr. Bola Akingbade, former Marketing Director of MTN, described Thorpe’s exploded myths as concerns not meant to be prescriptive or canonised, but the intention is to provoke further deliberation and elicit constructive debate that would take the industry forward.

ognised and advisable,” he said. Olagesin added the code is intended to complement and support other industry code that may exist and not in any way to replace it. The association’s Secretary-General, Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa, said with the new code, which received input from other allied associations in the marketing communication industry, such as Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), marketers should ensure that their activities comply with the industry codes. “Marketing communications should comply with the law and should not incite anyone to break it,” he said.

perienced changes as varied as market size. We have moved from being a $300million media market to $700million market in 10 years.’’ He cited technology as a factor which will define the market size in the light of the upcoming digital switchover on television, explosion of digital media and change in personnel as experienced in the past when expatriate dominance the industry as some of the changes that has propelled growth. “In personnel, we no longer have expatriate staff in media as at 2003 and it’s common place now. It’s definitely not the industry I worked in back then. It’s grown to be a vibrant media market with tremendous opportunities for stakeholders. And this is still the beginning, the market certainly has a lot to offer the world so, watch this space,” he added.

La Casera rewards distributors THE La Casera Company has rewarded loyal distributors who enhanced its premium brand last year. During the La Casera Partners’ conference in Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer of the company, Mr. Dileeban Ponniah, said: “I am highly honoured to celebrate, recognise and reward our esteemed distributors who have consistently shown great loyalty to our company with their unflinching support to our growth and aspirations.” He praised the distributors for contributing immensely to the

growth of the company. The General Manager of the company, Mr. Peter Candlish, said the distributors have created a strong distribution network, which can support the launch of new products and flavours, thereby helping the company grow faster. However, he implored distributors not to relent as the company’s vision of maintaining its leading status was on course, adding that the company will look for ways to make the relationship with her distributors mutually beneficial.

MultiChoice assures customers of better service MULTICHOICE Nigeria, owners of DStv, has promised its customers a better service quality. At a customer forum by the pay TV for subscribers, the Public Relations Manager, DStv, Caroline Oghuma, said the objective of the forum is to appreciate the loyalty of the subscribers. She said through their constructive feedbacks, MultiChoice has been able to ensure effective service to its customers. Oghuma further said

MultiChoice will add value to its subscribers. “This forum is coming close to the FIFA World Cup Brazil, which starts on June 12. We want to use this opportunity to tell our subscribers that you will not miss any of the games, as all subscribers, from the DStv Access bouquet to Premium will have unrestrained access to all the World Cup matches live. This is in addition to the other premium content that we offer on DStv,” she added.

Red Star donates to orphanage RED Star Express Plc has donated some food items to Red Cross Orphanage and the Old peoples’ Home in Lagos. The Marketing Manager of Red Star Group, Ngozi Ochokwu, said the donations were part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, tagged “I-Care Project” aimed at alleviating the plight of the less privileged in the community. “Every year, Red Star Group uses the I-Care Project as a platform to reach out to communities with

needs. It is the least we can do as a corporate organisation and we are committed to it.” She added: “The project kicks off with a nationwide campaign in all our offices. Staff and customers are encouraged to drop items in the special I-Care boxes located in the offices over the collection period. These are then brought together and delivered to the selected homes. Our sincere desire is that our little gesture will help in no small measure in making life for the beneficiaries more comfortable.”

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS SHOPPING

E-mail: toniaitose@gmail.com

Sms : 07035302326 Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

This year’s Children’s Day celebration promises to be exciting and rewarding, as major shopping malls and fun spots across the country strategise on how to latch on the annual ritual to host the leaders of tomorrow to increase sales. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.

Malls strategise for Children’s Day C

HILDREN’s Day is four days away. May 27 is set aside by The United Nations (UN) to recognise children worldwide. Ahead of this year’s celebration, the tempo of activities in and around shopping malls and fun spots is high. This is an indication that the celebration will be exciting and rewarding to children, parents and retailers. With May 27 being a school holiday, the management of these fun centers and malls are leaving nothing to chance to ensure that parents spend quality time with their kids. They also hope to drive sales in the process. The shopping malls and fun centers are promising a fun-filled celebration for children and their parents, as special celebrations will be held for the kids such that they will always look forward to the annual event. For instance, some owners of fun centers and shopping malls, The Nation Shopping learnt, have concluded arrangements to organize workshops where children would learn wonderful crafts by themselves. Upscale shopping mall such as Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall in Surulere, Lagos, has made provision in this regard. The Public Relations Manager of Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall, Omolara Mumuni, said that on children’s day, kids who will be at the mall will be allowed to participate in different kinds of games. ”We have made provisions for children to paint, do photography, dance to music, perform choreography, mime to their favourite songs, recite poems, current affairs and so on,” Omolara said, adding that children will also go home with gifts that will be useful to them at school. Others like SilverBird Galleria, Ozone Center, and Leisure Mall Cinemas are not left out, promising to make available educational and motivational films for the children. Also, the online and offline stores, as well as major markets within the Lagos metropolis are stocked with more gift items for children than during ordinary seasons. For them, the event is an opportunity to drive sales, which is why they won’t stop restocking to satisfy existing and prospective buyers from schools, government parastatals, orphanage homes, religious bodies as well as individuals. They also organise funfairs for kids while their parents do the shopping, even if they have to rent temporary equipment that would enhance fun for kids. They see children as their best marketing tools. They are therefore, encouraged to go the extra mile by providing children equipment like bouncy castle, train ride, merry-go-round and favourite mascots to entertain the children. On their part, parents are eager to buy choice gifts for their wards, the type that will keep lasting memories. Some parents make cartoon characters, toys, per-

•Fun place for children

sonalise gifts items or greeting cards choices for their kids. Monsurat Sanni, owner of Mo’ Bees Place- a kiddies shop in Lagos said: “It is important to make every May 27 special for children. After all, children will not only remember parents for the material things they provide, but for the feeling of being cherished and how they are taught to share love among their mates. She added that “Children are like precious gems, so parents should understand the significance of the only day set aside for them apart from their birthdays and make them happy. For Stephany Nwanmah, Excutive Director of Tehilla Women and Youths Empowerment Foundation- a non- governmental Organisation (NGO), “Children are adorable; they are divine gifts that parents get from the almighty. Their eyes are full of innocence. They smile when they receive love and admiration; they cry when it is their first day at school away from their parents; they giggle when they mingle with their peers, and they signify nothing but

pure and faithful love. They truly symbolise God, therefore, let us as parents and mothers play our roles on their special day.” Nwanmah added that childhood memories are the sweetest of all; they can be savoured for a lifetime and that the celebration is fun for the little ones and important for parents too. “Every parent must understand the importance of Children’s Day. Parents should be well aware about the little desires of their angels” she advised. The endorsement by parents and the elaborate preparations by fun centers are in sync with United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which about 60 years ago, recommended that all countries institute a universal children’s day to be observed as a day to celebrate children and draw attention to their problems. This was why Nigeria adopted May 27 of every year as its children’s day and has observed the day till date. The belief is that the once-a-year celebration is capable of lightening children’s

Hellofood shines at Africa Fashion

ELLOFOOD, an online food delivery platform, put up a strong presence at the just concluded Africa Fashion Week. The event saw the firm providing food for models as well as educates fashion lovers about hellofood app. It hosted some of the best upcoming fashion designers in Nigeria, as they showcased their latest collections. Its Managing Director, James Gibson, said: “This is a truly exciting event for all

involved, putting Nigerian and African fashion in the global spotlight. Hellofood is proud to be an official partner and we look forward to meeting some of our loyal customers, as well as educating some new ones.” He added: “Consumers are expected to download the app on iTunes or Google Play, search for their favourite restaurants and place order. Food will be delivered to their doorsteps and payment made on delivery.”

dreams, which is why the fun centers and malls are now wearing new looks in form of cartoon walls. Since last week, some of them have also been creating colourful fairyland and balloon castle to come out with a perfect ambience to celebrate children. According to Mrs. Chidinma Nwosu, a parent, “With arrangements like this, I can only spend little to treat my kids and make them happy. Because I understand via hand bills and advertisements by these shopping malls that the whole exercise will be free. So, I love to be part of it.” This perhaps, explains why for children, the event, which comes up Tuesday next week, is the perfect time to make requests from their parents. And their parents usually and immediately oblige them in the spirit of the celebration. As Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate put it: “Children decide the future of any country. Therefore, if the children of a particular country are provided with adequate security, proper foundation and development opportunities, they can uplift the nation towards greater prosperity. On the other hand, failure to protect, feed and educate the children ruins all the expectations of any nation.” That thought-provoking quote by Prof. Soyinka is food for thought that beyond the razzmatazz of this year’s Children’s Day celebration, government and parents should take a critical look at the plight of the Nigerian child. Will the day serve as a reminder to all concerned to renew their commitment to the welfare of children, protect them and teach them to live by good standards and example? Time, they say, will tell.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHSOUTH STATES

•Okon

CR OSS RIVER PDP CROSS

JTF’S AGEND A GENDA

THE Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ntufam John Okon, who recently marked two years in office, says the next governor of the state must be from its northern axis, thus giving red card to other contenders.

THE Joint Task Force (JTF) beleives a partnership with Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio and his Cross River State counterpart, Liyel Imoke, willl help the battle against oil thieves.

•PAGE 33

•Akpabio

•PAGE 30

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

DERIV ATION DERIVA DELTA State-born Sunny Amorighoye Mene believes the Niger Delta must have 50 per cent of money derived from oil. Anything short of this, he says amount to insulting the intelligence of the people and inciting them. •Mene

‘

When it rains, put a bucket under the rain, directly under the sky and get the water, you will see it comes with black soot and all over the bucket, there will be oil and on the surface of the water, we have no choice but to use the water like that • Mercy Kita, a gas flare victim at Ogboinbiri, Bayelsa State

PHOTO: SEUN AKIOYE

‘

Sad tales from gas flares’ victims

SEE STORY ON PAGE 32

ALSO INSIDE

PAGE 29

•PAGE 34

Politician, ex-lover fight over love-child From Osagie Otabor, Benin

MEMBER of the Delta State Waste Management Board, Hope Ajibor, is enmeshed in a messy legal battle with his ex-lover, Success Makeleme, over the paternity of a love-child. Besides doubts over the paternity of the love-child, the former lovers are also fighting over custody of the six-year-old Emmanuella. The former lovers, who both hail from Oghara in Delta State, were said to have started an affair in 2007, which supposedly resulted to the birth of Emmanuella in 2008. In a suit filed at the Oghara Magistrate Court, Ajibor is seeking the court leave to grant him custody of the child; while in another suit, he also sought the court leave for a DNA test of Emmanuella to determine her paternity. It was gathered that trouble started between the former lovers when the mother of the child picked her up from the Nigerian Navy Primary School, Oghara, in April when the school was about to go on vacation. It was allegedly done without the knowledge of the school authorities. It was learnt that the action of Success infuriated Ajibor, who had earlier informed the school authorities that the child was in his custody pending the determination of a suit filed at the Oghara Magistrate Court. Ajibor was said to have petitioned the Naval authorities at Oghara alleging that his daughter was missing from their school. In a counter petition to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Oghara, Success alleged that Hope refused to provide necessary and essential basic needs for the baby's education but that she forgave him when he surfaced to accept the baby. In the petition, she explained that she was in custody of her daughter and wondered why the naval authorities were still searching for her daughter. She disclosed that she decided to take her daughter from the school because Ajibor allegedly refused to return Emmanuella to her following a five-day temporary visit she granted him to be with the child.

•Continued on page 31

•Ministry abandons skills acquisition centre •PAGE 30 •2000 policemen ‘storm’ Cross River communities•PAGE 30 •Conservationists meet on Niger Delta Report •PAGE 30 • YOU HAVE STORIES FOR US? PLEASE CONTACT US ON 07066954441 OR 08123521990

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

Hopes dashed as Niger Delta Ministry abandons skills acquisition centre I

T was meant to transform the lives of the people of Ikot Nakanda in Akpabuyo Local Government Area and by extension Cross River State, but today it is an eyesore on the landscape and a constant reminder of failure of what could have been. Hopes were high and optimism was strong when the project was brought to the people, but at the moment, the feelings are dampened, as it appears to have been abandoned. The project is the skills acquisition centre for the youths, which was embarked upon by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in 2010. In its effort to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government introduced some measures to better the lives of the people. Also working towards stability in the Niger Delta by engaging the youths of the region, the ministry embarked on the construction of at least

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

one basic socio-economic infrastructure in the nine states in the region that would lead to the generation of employment and reduce the rate of poverty among individuals and family groups. The projects, it was gathered, was to be constructed in each of the state and in line with the aspect of human and economic endeavour for which the state has comparative advantage in terms of employment generation for the youths. In Cross River State, the ministry had started constructing a skills acquisition centre in Ikot Nakanda in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, about 20km from Calabar, that would promote its entertainment industry since the state is well known for entertainment and tourism. Construction work of the project, it was gathered, had started in September 2010 and was expected to be completed

in September 2011. An official of the ministry who spoke on the essence of the project said: “What the Federal Government did in various Niger Delta states is create a special Skill Acquisition Centre for all the states. Cross River state has its own for the entertainment industry. In Akwa Ibom, we have it for the oil industry. Because of the tourism nature of Cross River that is why it is necessary. This project is tailored towards the economic base of the state.” However, three years after the expected date of completion, the project has been appears abandoned. It was learnt that the construction of the skills acquisition centre was valued at an initial cost of N3 billion, but subject to variations as a result of the difficulties faced by those handling the project to deliver it for that amount. Community Liaison Officer of the Area and Youth Leader, Comrade Effiong

•The abandoned project overrun by weed

Effiom said the hope of the community was dashed as the community had everything to lose if the project had been abandoned. His words, “When the project was brought here the people in this community were very happy that the youths will benefit from the employment opportunities

and training. So the community was not given compensation for the land because our fathers were happy to see the place develop especially when we were told that the project will be completed in a short while. “As it is now we don’t even have any hope that the project will be completed not to talk

of the commissioning. The hope of our people to benefit from the short, medium and long term benefits of the project is gone. “We were told that the project will be completed in 2011 but it appears it has been abandoned. The last time the supervising minister of Niger Delta came here he talked of

Conservationists brainstorm on Niger Delta environmental report T

HE International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) , environmental activists, chiefs and elders of oil and gas host communities in Niger Delta, youth leaders and other relevant stakeholders gathered at the Atlantic Hall, Hotel Presidential, Rivers State, last weekend to review the IUCN report on oil spill. The focus of the meeting was how to deploy nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development in the region, especially the oil host communities whose environment has been ravaged by the effect of oil exploration and exploitation. The first speaker, Dr. Rachel Asante-Owusu, a member of IUCN from Switzerland, said the IUCN’s major concern in the region is to help it find pragmatic solutions to most pressing environment and development challenges. He said IUCN’s work all over the world focuses on valuing and conserving nature by ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use.

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

Dr Rachel said: “We are in Nigeria, particularly in Niger Delta, to ensure sustainable remediation and rehabilitation framework. Having taken into account numerous scientific studies, independent on-theground assessments and crucial consultations with a cross-section of stakeholders, the IUCN–NDP recognises the need to address key underlying factors that would sustain activities for rehabilitation of habitats and biodiversity and ultimately have a positive impact on the recovery of livelihoods previously lost through environmental degradation. “I say the ability of the host communities to be honest on the issues confronting them in their various communities will assist us to speed up response to oil spills and take appropriate action to contain, recover and remediate within an acceptable timeframe. The recommendations also call for some internal manage-

ment restructuring, redefining remediation strategies to address new spills as well as historical and aged spills. We will also consider action that will bring about ecosystem recovery by essentially boosting Nature’s inherent cleanup ability, over a period of time. “The challenge essentially is to make these recommendations work through a sustainable remediation plan that engages local communities in remediation strategies, in order to improve the environmental outcomes and strengthen local livelihoods.” Another speaker, Dr. Wale Adeleke, said : “The IUCN–Niger Delta Panel (IUCN–NDP) was established in January 2012, at the request of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), to provide science-based recommendations for the remediation and rehabilitation of biodiversity and habitats of oil spill sites in the Niger Delta.” He said the panel was created with the involvement of IUCN members in Nigeria, the IUCN Commission and the IUCN Secretariat.

He noted that the objectives of the IUCN-NDP are to develop and provide standards and best guidance on remediation and rehabilitation, encourage uptake of the guidance by SPDC and others, develop a strategy to safeguard the Niger Delta’s remaining areas of biodiversity and building capacity with local Nigerian organisations. He said: “The IUCN–NDP was tasked with proposing a set of recommendations within its first year of operation for enhancing the approaches used to remediate and rehabilitate oil spill sites in the Niger Delta. In 2013, the Panel begins monitoring the implementation of its recommendations by SPDC and in 2014, the panel assesses the efficacy of its own recommendations and the efficiency of SPDC’s implementation of these recommendations. At the end of this three-year period the panel will make any necessary modifications to the recommendations and propose a further monitoring programme to be undertaken by a third party for a further seven years, to enable SPDC, gauge the success of the rehabilitation

•Participants at the events of biodiversity and livelihoods on these oil spill impacted sites. “The overall theme of the IUCN– NDP project in the Niger Delta is ‘Sustainable Remediation and Rehabilitation’. This concept is built on IUCN’s philosophy of best practice in the conservation of nature. The Panel has adopted this approach to drive its response to the many complexes and interwoven challenges that the Niger Delta presents in the context of restoration of biodiversity and livelihoods. The Panel recommends that sites with multiple challenges be selected for the

JTF seeks cooperation of Akpabio, Imoke in war against oil theft

IL theft has been described as the major enemy of Nigeria’s economy. It drains the collective purse and devastates the environment. But the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield has continued to express its determination to stamp out economic sabotage which is widespread in the Niger Delta. The ad-hoc military outfit has, however, insisted that it requires the cooperation and assistance of all the stakeholders to succeed in its war.The Commander, JTF, Maj-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, took the campaign against oil theft to the governors of Akwa Ibom and Cross River State, Chief Godswill Akpabio and Senator Liyel Imoke. Maj-Gen. Atewe and his military team told Akpabio that they

From Mike Odiegwu Yenagoa

were in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital to seek synergy and cooperation in the war against oil theft. Atewe maintained that if the people of Akwa Ibom worked hand in gloves with JTF, oil theft would be properly checked in their domains. The Commander was accompanied during the visit by the Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC) of the JTF, Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka, Mr Dimka of the Department of State Services (DSS) component of the JTF and other officers. Maj-Gen. Atewe used the opportunity to praise Akpabio for giving the people of the state a sense of belonging through his massive infrastructural development. He argued that sincere

development of the region by the government would go a long way to discourage criminality and restiveness. He said saboteurs through their illegal activities have jeopardised the country’s oil-based economy. Apart from economic problems caused by illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism, Atewe observed that the environment was in danger. Addressing Akpabio, he said: “I am here to seek your cooperation and support for the joint Task Force zero tolerance for all forms of illegalities especially in the areas of oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta Region. “The environmental degradation as a result of the rupturing of oil pipeline also damage the ecological environment of our country thereby exposes our people to various ailments’’.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT COVER Politician, ex-lover fight over love-child •Continued from page 29

•Effiong Effiom

re-awarding the contract that the ministry is having problem with the companies handling the project as they were not performing. “This gave us a serious concern because how can a minister be saying that a contractor is not performing and he has not announced the termination of the contract of such

contractor? The youth leader hoped work would start again on the project as the community is already affected. “The damage it has caused presently to our environment is unquantifiable because if it rains now the everybody here would have their streams affected and would be forced to

buying water as the water from the erosion from the project site changes the colour of the only stream in the community and kills the aquatic life in the river,” he said. A resident of the area, Imaobong Etim said the last time she saw contractors at the site was last year.

ACKING her daughter's assertion, Success' mother, Dora, in a chat with our reporter, said her daughter had the baby outside wedlock after being promised marriage by Ajibor and wondered why he would want custody of a child he is doubting the paternity. She said: “This man deceived my daughter. He impregnated her and I did not know him. I did not see the man again even after she delivered. The man did not come. It was my daughter that named the daughter. We don't know anything about the man called Hope. “We were surprised that the man came and said he wanted the child after five years. My daughter gave him the girl for mid-term holiday but he did not return the girl. The police should release our daughter. This man has disrespected our family,” she added. Success was arrested by the police following complaints by naval officials that a pupil was abducted at their school. The Head Teacher of the Navy Primary School, Oghara, Lt E. J Envuladu said the child was taken by the mother without the knowledge of the school authorities and that they needed to return her to the father. The court has, however, granted leave for the conduct of a DNA test to prove the paternity of Emmanuella but Success, in a counteraffidavit, dropped a bombshell saying, Ajibor is not the father. She said Ajibor should not dissipate his energy or money to find out about a child that does not belong to him. Success, in the petition, said Ajibor lacked the right to press charges against her since he was not the biological father of the child. In his reaction, Hope explained that he was responsible for the care of the child since birth. He said he decided to take custody of the child because the mother was using her to ex-

•Ms Makeleme and her daughter

tort money from him and for him to provide quality education for the daughter. Ajibor stated that he opted for DNA to be sure that the child was his biologically. At the time of this report, the embattled mother had been released from police custody.

My experience in kidnappers’ den, by Clark’s son

remediation pilot projects that will deploy the full set of recommendations set out in the next chapter. The Panel also recommends that the pilot projects be carried out in collaboration with specialists experienced in various aspects of this type of work, in order to reduce the learning curve and help ensure successful results.” At the end of the presentation of the lecture papers, stakeholders said local production of remediation materials

and affordable labour would ensure that costs were relatively low in the long-term. They added that those communities’ alternative income opportunities and an ability to participate meaningfully in activities to restore biodiversity and habitats will help address their concerns about being adequately consulted and involved. Mr. Michael Needan, one of the representatives of Ogoni, said capacity building

Akpabio promised to support JTF. he described Atewe as a gentleman officer and one of the best crop of officers Nigerian Army has produced in recent times. He assured the commander of his cooperation in the fight against illegal oil bunkering in the region. Governor Akpabio said: “We will give you all the necessary support you will need to fight against illegalities in the Region’’. The governor, however, identified another crime militating against the development of the region. He regretted the increase in sea robbery and piracy which according to him is undermining the commercial activities in the waterways. Maj-Gen. Atewe and his team took the same

for local universities and institutions is beneficial to all parties and in the long term will boost local availability of materials and generally open up new opportunities. “Ogoni environment has been sentenced to death, nothing is working there, the soil, water, animals and fishes are dead, if this panel will assist us to fight to live in our environment we will be glad.”

message to Imoke in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, where Imoke promised to support the JTF. But Imoke was not happy with the agencies saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting arrested oil thieves. He said the prosecutorial process was slow and faulty adding that the check the menace suspects must be dilligently prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. He called for stiffer punishment that would deter others from engaging in the act of oil theft and illegal oil bunkering. Shortly after paying courtesy visits to the governors, the commander and his team pay operational visits to military formations in Cross River State.

BIKEME, son of elder statesman , Chief E.K Clark family members and well-wishers, relived his experience in the hands of kidnappers at the Christ Embassy Church on Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos on May 14. He was in the church headed by Pastor Siji Dara to give thanks to God for rescuing him from the hands of kidnappers on April 6. He said: “I was abducted by gunmen in my village to an unknown location inside the creek and all I was saying was Jesus Christ after they tied my hands and legs. However, they were waiting for my wife to bring the ransom. They ran

into confusion as I was praying continuously. One of them (kidnappers) asked me which church was I attending because I was causing confusion among them and I said Christ Embassy. God used people to rescue me without paying any ransom and I came out unhurt. “The fourth day they said my father had sent soldiers everywhere after them. ‘We (kidnappers) are taking you (Ebikeme Clark) to another location where no one can see us’. In my mind, I said ‘I am not going anywhere and I must go home tonight’. So, few minutes later, one of their phones rang and the next thing they took me to the

river side around Bomadi area and they gave me N5,000 to be sure I get home safely.” Mrs. Elizabeth Clark, the wife of Chief Clark and mother to Ebikeme, was also present to thank God for the release of her son. Other dignitaries present included Hon Funkekeme Solomon, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Dr. Steve Oru, Hon. Kenneth Daubrey, Cheif Boro Opudu, Chief Matthew Ogedegbe, Dr. Brown Adasen, Dr. Pius Sinebe, Barr. Ovie Omo-Agege, Chief David Pere, Chief Christopher Ominimini Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, Hon. Asupa Forteta and Prince Ejiro Erhenede.

2000 policemen ‘storm’ Cross River communities to prevent clash

O fewer than 2000 plain clothes policemen have been drafted to various part of Cross River State to avert clashes between cattle dealers and farmers. Police sources at the Diamond hills headquarters of the Command in Calabar, the state capital, told The Nation that the Commissioner of Police, Kola Shodipo, strategised with his Divisional Police Officers, Area Commanders, Heads of Departments and the anti-riot unit and agreed that the only solution to the problem which the command has been faced with for sometimes no is to deploy plain clothes Policemen and informants to troubled areas. It was gathered that the strategy would be more resourceful in checking the activities of cattle dealers, farmers and villagers in the state. The command’s spokesman, Mr Hogan Bassey, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), said in the past three months, the police in the state have foiled a clash between cattle dealers and farmers/ villagers. He said the foiled clashes were in Yakur and Idupani Local government areas of the state. “Our commissioner of police, Mr Kola Shodipo is not sleeping on his Oars. He is put-

By Jude Isiguzo

ting all officers on their toes. Cases of Kidnapping and armed banditry has been renewed to a tolerable proportion,” Bassey disclosed. The Zone 6 Police spokesman, Mr Ibrahim Taisu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), disclosed that based on a marching order given by the Assistant Inspector-general (AIG) in charge of the zone, Alhaji Musa Daura, kidnappers and armed robbers in the zone have fled the zone to other part of the country. Taisu said the AIG has increased the number of patrol teams on Calabar-Uyo road and Calabar-Port Harcourt road to prevent hoodlums from operating. Confirming the sharp drop of crime in Calabar and other parts of the state, a frontline hotelier, Mr Charles Ogar of Pyramid Hotels Group, said police have boosted the hospitality business in the state. “ We now sleep with our two eyes closed. The police chief Shodipo and his able DPOs like the DPO, Housing Police Station have beefed security in the state to the delight of residents and visitors,” Ogar said.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

NIGER DELTA REPORT INTERVIEW

How empty policies endanger lives in the creeks ( 2) With shifting deadlines to the end of gas flaring in oil exploration, many communities in the Niger Delta continue to suffer untold hardship from the deadly flames. SEUN AKIOYE, who crisscrossed oil flare sites in the region, reports on the plight of oil-bearing communities.

YON Buboupakumo Genesis, one of the two furniture makers in Ogboinbiri, Bayelsa State had just finished filling a pile of wood for the fifth time. He laid it aside and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “ It is not fair to have gas flare near communities. The carbon dioxide is destroying this community, most of the zinc here has gone bad because of the flare, our water is contaminated and even the air we breathe gives our children asthma. The air in Ogboinbiri is not free,” Genesis said. Genesis is not an ordinary carpenter, he trained as an environmental health technologist and in combination with his carpentry works, he had offered his expertise as a health scientist to his community in its time of need. With an active gas flare and oil activities with its pollution of the environment, Genesis has his hands full. “There are many children with respiratory tract infection in this community, a child just got off a serious case of asthma. We have children with measles, scabies and other skin burns, a direct consequence of the flare,” he said. The water in Ogboinbiri is not spared; there is the Apoi creek which for many generations has provided Ogboinbiri with its water needs. Recently, Agip provided some bore holes for the community which only worked for some time. So the people depend mainly on the rain water and during the dry season, the people rely on the contaminated waters of the creek. To show how the gas flare has contaminated the air around Ogboinbiri, Genesis has a simple experiment which he has performed many times. “When it rains, put a bucket under the rain, directly under the sky and get the water, you will see it comes with black soot and all over the bucket, there will be oil and on the surface of the water, we have no choice but to use the water like that,” Genesis revealed. The people also suffer from erosion because “a third of the waterfront is gone due to the dredging activities of the oil company to sand fill their site,” according to Genesis. So during the raining season, the community suffers devastating flooding. A combination of all these factors has contributed to make the people vulnerable to several diseases which were unknown before the gas flare according to Berebo Charles, the Secretary of Ogboinbiri Youth Council. Berebo, a soft spoken and gentle looking youth however displays beneath his timid voice, a fierceness fuelled by patriotism. According to him, many children in the community have fallen victims of different kinds of skin diseases. One of them is Enebi Lubo, a primary four pupil of Apoi Clan Primary school. “This is the second time this problem would come; I woke up and discovered the boils. I normally use local herbs to cure them but they are always painful and uncomfortable,” he said. The same is the story of 16-year-old Okorodo Ayibamie, a senior secondary one student of Community Secondary School. According to Genesis, many babies also experience different skin problems; some have burnt skins. But most frightening is the case of Mercy Kita who was said to have come

from another clan to live with her grandfather in Ogboinbiri. At nine years, she looked at least four years younger than her age and looked frightened as she took off the towel covering her to reveal many big boils scattered all over her body According to her grandfather, the boils often cause her unbearable pain which makes her to cry all the time. Many of the adults who had gathered turned their faces away as one of the boils began to pour out pus in substantial measure. There was also Benson Cultry, a seven-year old boy who suffers from sudden attacks of asthma. In March, he suffered one of the worst attacks but was saved by the village herbalist. None of the sick children went to the hospital, many went to the village herbalist, others patronised the many pharmacy stores usually referred to as “chemists” and were given self administered drugs, unverified, unprescribed. Many other invalids in the community also rely on the herbalist and “chemists” for cure of all manner of sickness including child bearing with its attendant consequences. Ogboinbiri has a hospital or most appropriately a building that serves as one but emptied of drugs, patients and doctors. Ironically located a few meters from the gas flare site, the hospital is derogatively referred to as ‘cottage hospital’ by the indigenes. The hospital or whatever remains of it is a derelict building inhabiting about half a plot of scarce land. Covered by bush almost all the doors are broken. Inside, a spider web had taken over the rooms and on one of the doors was written “No money, No drug.” Inside the hospital, emptied bottles of drugs littered the ground and the shelves in their last stages of disrepair were empty. According to many of the indigenes interviewed by The Nation, the hospital was donated recently by the NAOC and equipped in part by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Beside the hospital was the staff quarters, also in a derelict condition and overgrown with weeds, a few meters away the fury of the flare could be seen sending its dangerous emission into the sky. “This is our cottage hospital, they just dumped it here, it is empty,” Berebo said. The state of the hospital had negative impacts on the community like the last time Cultry had an asthma attack, an unqualified ‘chemist’ was sent for. He was lucky to be alive and he told The Nation the attacks had ceased, at least for now. Berebo said: “We have called for them (Agip) to equip the facility but they refused. Any small sickness, we have to charter a boat to take the person to Amasoma or Yenagoa and sometimes before we get there the person has died.” A decade of pollution On June 14 last year, a monumental event took the indigenes of Ogboinbiri community by surprise. A gas leakage from one of Agip’s facilities caused panic leaving the residents fleeing for their lives. Boat operators made a fortune as the incident caused a mass evacuation of the community. There has since been no other leakage from the gas pipes, but that singular incident has shown the commu-

nity how dangerously they live within striking distance of gas pipes. This is why Niger Salvation is angry about the new gas pipes being laid very close to the village. “If there is a pipeline burst, what would be our chance?” he asked in a voice laden with bitterness. “ Why don’t these people have conscience at all, they should look for another place to pass their pipes, we don’t want to see it here,” he said waving his hands as a mark of his resolution. Ogboinbiri is not the only community to feel the wrath of Agip. According to Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist with the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), the people of IduObosiukwu located in Ogba Egbema, Ndoni local government area of Rivers State are also crying for help from the effects of gas flaring in their community operated by Agip. According to Chief Friday Ehuike, the paramount ruler of the community, since Agip began oil exploration in the community in 1967, it has been tales of sorrow for the indigenes and profit for the company. Ehuike said due to the continuous gas flaring activities of the company, the community has recorded many losses. “Our roofing sheets are corroded as soon as they are laid on the roof; some of us replace them twice every year. We also suffer serious eye, skin and respiratory problems as a result of this gas flare,” he said. The paramount ruler explained that the walls of their buildings crack easily because of the deep vibration from the flare plant and children could not learn easily in school due to the noise pollution. The foods crops are not left behind, harvested cocoyam are mostly useless as the flare would have roasted it in the soil. Frontline environmentalist and Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) Nnimmo Bassey told The Nation that gas flaring is a raw sore on the conscience of the nation and a crime against nature. “Routine gas flaring is a big insult on our people. You just need to imagine living in a community with those toxic fires burning non-stop for decades, roaring noisily banishing the night and yet the people live without electricity.” But the impacts of gas flaring are not only felt in Ogboinbiri, it is felt along Apoi creek. In Ondewari for instance, there is no flow station but the flare from Ogboinbiri causes destruction in that community. Tontiemotee Yeiyee, a Project officer with the Ondewari Health Education and Environmental Project, said the flare reaches Ondewari, a 30-minutes boat ride from Ogboinbiri. “Ogboinbiri flames affects us, the only source of water we have is rain and the river. The rain is not safe but we have no choice but to use it. There are blackish substances on the rain water but we still used it like that,” he said. He lamented the strange sicknesses in the community since the flare began, “we are not scientists so we cannot give you particular details, but we do have strange sicknesses which were not there before the gas flare.” Bracing for war The Executives of the Ogboinbiri Youth Association had just finished a very important meeting which held

Cross River North’ll produce PDP flagbearer, says party chair Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ntufam John Okon, who recently marked two years in office, spoke with reporters on the journey so far. He also spoke of some of the controversies surrounding the party, especially as election year, 2015 approaches. NICHOLAS KALU was there.

•VICTIMS VICTIMS OF FLARES: Enebi Lubo and Mercy Kita

•A ward in Ogboinbiri Cottage Hospital

Why Ogboinbiri youths are angry Charles Berebo is the Secretary, Ogboinbiri Youth Association. Seun Akioye met him.

HE youths have been agitating for employment from the oil company, for how long has this agitation been going on? It has been more than a decade, since their operation started in Ogboinbiri; we have been agitating for employment from AGIP Oil Company. At the beginning, they said we didn’t have the skill and education, so our people went to school; we have graduates and Masters Degree holders now. We thought it will be easy to get employment now, but none of our resumes has been taken. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. If you look at this area, no Ogboinbiri indigene is doing oil bunkering; the oil company has smooth operations here. So what have we gained for ensuring they enjoy peace? Ogboinbiri people are very angry, even as I speak, I am very angry. Apart from that we are also suffering environmental hazards as a result of the activities of the oil company. There are sicknesses that we never had before the oil exploration but which is now commonplace. Our rainwater is not clean; the spillage has affected the atmosphere. You will see that if they put off the flare and try to put it back on there will be terrible black smoke covering the sky above the community. So many times we are afraid, so we say AGIP should find a way to give us some health infrastructure so we don’t perish from the flare but none has been done. How often does the company put off and on the gas flare? It’s not often, but when they do, you will see black smoke in late into the night at the organization’s headquarter on Road One. It was a tense meeting which dwelt on actions to be taken against the oil’s company’s pollution of the community and more importantly refusal to give gainful employment to indigenes of Ogboinbiri. NAOC has had a fairly peaceful atmosphere in Ogboinbiri compared to other communities, the few times the indigenes had tried to protest over welfare issues, the rebellion had been crushed using a number of tactics from intimidation and show of military force to sowing seeds of discord and divide and rule tactics. This has kept the community under check for a long time, until now. “This community has been taken for a ride by the oil company despite the fact that they are allowed to operate freely on this land. We have written so many letters to the company asking that indigenes should be employed but they turned a deaf ear to us,” Charles Berebo said. His position was corroborated by the youth president, Mamutobighe Promise and other executive members who claim that since the oil company began work in the community only three indigenes have been employed. Presenting several letters written to the company, the youths say they are

the sky and it takes about five hours to clear.So they flare the gas all the time? Yes, it doesn’t ever go off, even when it rains they continue to flare it. Gas flaring has been condemned all over the world because of the serious health impacts to the host communities and its impact on global warming, what has been the health effects of that in Ogboinbiri? Actually, they have not built any good hospital for us, the cottage hospital we have is empty, no doctor, no equipment, we are just suffering, and that place is a disgrace. You must go and see it. The hospital was dumped there. We have called for them to equip the facility but they refused. Any small sickness, we have to charter a boat to take the person to Amasoma or Yenagoa and sometimes before we get there, the person has died. Really? Yes that is what is happening in this community. That is why we are very angry, even child birth complications we have to travel to Yenagoa. We want a situation where this hospital will be standard so that it can also serve other communities along this coast. Our community is one of the largest around here. Sometimes the babies also die, that is what we have been facing in this community. So what has the community benefitted from being host community? The only benefit from the oil company is this light that is all and this long pavement which can happen anywhere. What

ready to take action against the oil company. In a letter written to the company on August 8, 2011, the youth through their counsel Kamalu, Wodu & Associates wrote: “You are building a gas plant on our land and an already existing flow station and none of our people is working in your system for seventeen years. Do you realise the injustice you have perpetrated on us? Maybe you are waiting for us to take the laws into our hands, we are not asking for billions of naira to share but rather to employ our people.” It was apparent the veiled threat contained in the letter yielded little or no result as the company still refused to respond. But the community continued to petition the oil giant and in one of the petitions sent to the company and copied to the governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Seriake Dickson and other security agencies on February 22, 2014, the youths gave NAOC two weeks ultimatum to address the issue of unemployment of indigenes into the junior and senior staff cadre of the company: “The community is giving NAOC two weeks ultimatum to employ Ogboinbiri indigenes into NAOC after which the community will have no option than to disrupt your operations,” the letter warned.

This time Agip reacted fast; a meeting was called where the company promised that six indigenes would be employed immediately. “We are still waiting for their call,” Berebo said. In Abuja, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which the government says will address the problems of gas flaring still awaits the passage from the National Assembly. But environmental activists are unimpressed with the new PIB. “ The PIB does not offer any solution to the problems of gas flaring, it is the same old story. Nothing could be more lax, the oil companies must be laughing at us,” Bassey said. But the secretary of the House of Representatives Committee on the Environment, Titus Jatau, said Ogboinbiri community should bring their complaint to the National Assembly and the committee would take it up. “We handle the issue when they come as a form of complaint, the community needs to write a petition and we will call the affected parties to settle it. For now, we have no such complaints from the community,” he assured. Jatau also said achieving zero flare is not on the plan for now. “ It cannot be overnight, we are trying to see how

efforts have you made to get the attention of the oil company? Let us go back to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed around 2005. Now it has expired for more than two years and we have been asking that we renew it, but the oil company refused. They said they must finish the pilling work they are doing on the shore line before they sign and it is not supposed to be like that. We know there was a contractor handling that work but it has stopped now. The contractor said AGIP refused to pay him. So is that a ploy by the company to delay signing the MOU. How should the blame be laid upon the community? What is your message to the government? We want the government to hear our plea. We expect them to be by our side, it is because of how peaceful we are that this company is able to work. When there is spill, the company will abandon us, •Berebo even the gas flare causing sicknesses. We want employment; AGIP is not even paying the community, nothing at the end of the month as welfare to our people.

we can reduce gas flaring now, it has to be gradual.” Efforts to speak with NAOC proved abortive but ENI, an Italian oil company operating in Nigeria as NAOC, said it is already thinking about zero flare in its operations in Nigeria. “In the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, NAOC is committed mainly to reducing gas flaring. According to the World Bank, annual flaring and venting gas amounts to around 150 billion m3, which is equivalent to 30 per cent of the EU’s consumption of natural gas? NAOC is playing an important role and has the objective of reaching zero operational gas flared by 2017,” ENI wrote. The company also said: “With the completion of activities “Idu Phase 2 Works Completion & Flaring Down” in 2012 and “Ogbainbiri Flow Station Upgrading” in the 2013, there has been a reduction of about 1.39 MSCMD in gas sent to flare which has allowed a further decrease up to 75% of the volumes burnt in 2007. “ In the last quarter of 2013, the flared gas at NAOC was about 6% of the gas produced, meaning that 94 per cent was used towards generating electricity, supplying the petrol-chemical plant at Eleme, supplying the Bonny liquefaction plant, and in injection into the field. Further important initiatives to reduce

flaring are underway to recover the flaring gas from the low and low/low pressure stages, starting from Kwale Gas Plant.” Back in Ogboinbiri, the sun rose early and as early as 7:am, its intensity has reached the zenith.” There is sun in Ogboinbiri, it is very hot. This is how it is every day,” a man commented. Unknown to him, Ogboinbiri may just be witnessing the effects of global warming, and the chief contributor to it is gas flaring which the Ogboinbiri people have now grown used to. Shifting the goal post The Associated Gas Reinjection Act of 1979 fixed 1984 as deadline. During the democratic dispensation December 31st 2008 was fixed for the end to gas flaring. But while the Senate fixed a December 31st 2010 as deadline, the Executive again shifted the date to December 2011. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives declared the end of 2012 as its deadline. Recently, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Mrs Allison Deziani Maduekue said the most realistic reduction date would be 2017. •This investigative report was done with a grant from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).

OU just marked two years in office. How has it been steering the party so far? When we took off, what we did immediately was to deepen internal democracy in the party. That was one of the goals I set out to achieve. My team all agreed to that. We also wanted to ensure that gender issues are brought to the centre so that our women that form a bulk of the population are also carried along. We also wanted to ensure that we educate our people t h r o u g h programmes so that they know what democracy is all about and how party management should be done. We promised not to disappoint but consolidate the victory in PDP by ensuring that we work hard and not take Cross Riverians for granted, knowing •Okon that whatever we do affects them and we continue to maintain a good relationship with our people in the state. We looked at the list we met, the election at the ward, local government levels and so on. That we came in does not mean we came to throw away what we inherited because we felt that our own governance must be continuous from where we took over. When they were challenges we were able to harmonize them and that is why we were able to inaugurate state wide our ward and chapter structures all around. We have been able to sustain these structures. We have also introduced the senatorial caucuses and these are very important to us because in the state exco we had to abide by the party constitution and ensure that those structures are there to help us drive the political process. There is no way me and my colleagues here would sit down and drive the process, so we had the structure in the northern, central and southern senatorial districts inaugurated. There was an instance in 2011 elections when a civil servant, Patrick Iwara, resigned and was granted a waiver. Is there a possibility of this for other civil servants too? Now you are coming to the issue. If you are honest and you want it, you apply to us. It is us that recommend, but we also have the right not to recommend. If we granted to Patrick Iwara, it does not mean we have to grant to everybody. For Iwara if you know him has always been part of the political establishment in the state, even when he was here with Donald Duke, his contribution to the party is well known. I don't know what informed the former administration to do that. But when we reach the bridge, we would see how to cross it. We hear you have taken party registers from different local government areas and wards to the governor's house? The register is with my secretary. I don't know where you are having your information. The party secretary has custody of those registers. People

are just so afraid of everything. It is in the secretariat. We have not removed it to anywhere, but people have a right to speculate. Would you say you are presiding over a united PDP, because now you see people who were once inside the family being so far away? I think we are united, but you see human nature is to forget the past. You know there are some people that if you don't favour them now it seems as if the world has ended. There are people who have gained so much and for one thing or the other another person is brought up and you start grumbling. The party is dynamic and if there are people that do not want to accept this and they are knocking their heads on the wall, so be it. But it is not going to affect the cohesiveness of the party. I would not pretend to you that in this party there would be no such challenges, but what I am trying to say is that we are out to build a strong party, a viable party that would be able to withstand these kinds of problems. If you are not with us now and work against us, we would pick you out and remove you from the party, so that when you come back you come and line up from the beginning again. The PDP has agreed to zone the governorship next year to the northern senatorial district, but there are speculations that party members from south, from which you are a leader, are moving to upturn zoning arrangement. Is this true? Let me assure you that democracy is a game of numbers and interests. People have interests and you cannot stop anybody from having interests. The important thing is that the party has taken its stand and is for me as a party chairman to ensure that I drive that process to the end. I can assure you, I belong to the southern caucus, even before I became a party chairman, the south has made it openly clear it is going to the north. The leader of the southern district, who is also the leader of the caucus here openly, told everybody that as far as he was concerned, he was part of the decision that agreed that power should go to the north. He made it clear the south can never be against the decision of the party. But if people want to try the water, we would wait for them. So far nobody has come out and tell us they want to. All I can assure that it has been zoned to the north and the party would follow democratic process to achieve that goal. Let me assure you that no matter how many candidates come from the north, a Cross Riverian of northern origin would emerge in the party as our flag bearer. Cross River State is on a journey that has a blueprint since 1998 to develop this state. Donald carried it to a high level, Imoke came in and carried it on to bring the state out of the doldrums.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT INTERVIEW

‘North’s resources not used for Against the background of the controversy generated by the position of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on resource control and other national issues, Southsouth Regional Editor SHOLA O'NEIL spoke with Niger Delta leader, member of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILT) and the Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta, Mr Sunny Amorighoye (AS) Mene, who believes the position of the North is provocative and unacceptable to the oil-bearing region.

HE President, in his opening remarks at the confab, recognised that the ethnic nationalities are the building blocks that make up the country, yet he failed to recognise these blocks as the basis for discussion on how this country can progress. People say the oil and gas in the Niger Delta is the problem of Nigeria; do you agree? First and foremost, the principle in which the oil is being managed in Nigeria is wrong ab initio because we do not practice true federalism. The structure we practise today has usurp the right of what is suppose to be the federating units and bequeathed it on the FG, which has taken over the oil industry. The way the oil industry is being managed is not in the benefit of the owners of the oil or the country at large because of the corruption. Once the foundation is wrong, everything about the oil industry is wrong. For example, all the 21 laws governing the mining and operation of the industry usurp the rights of the owners of the oil and vest it on the FG. That in itself is not in tandem with the tenet of federalism. How would you describe the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region?

The Niger Delta is quiet today not necessarily because of the Amnesty Programme, Niger Delta Ministry, NDDC and others because these various agencies have not done what they ought to do. They are managed just the way the NNPC is managed in a very opaque and non-transparent manner. They are giving handouts to the Niger Delta people in the name of amnesty but the lack of development which was the basis of the Niger Delta agitation has not been carried out; lack of development is still there. Look at the East-West Road; if it has not been done, when will the Coastal Road commence? We don't have good road, no water and no light. The situation has not changed, not minding the handouts. We are still hopeful that they will come, but it is most likely they won't come. Jonathan is placating the people, but he won't be there forever; even if he gets another four-year term. I can tell you with all certainty that the Niger Delta problem is just waiting to start all over again. What is the position of the Niger Delta and Itsekiri people on the recent call for the reduction of the 13 per cent

derivation? First, let me clarify that Nigeria is a Federal Republic and resource control is an essential component of a Federal Republic. If our founding fathers at independence accepted this political arrangement of a federal structure, then the argument to the contrary is false and disservice to those who fought for our independence. The position they are pushing threatens the unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria because, except we are deceiving ourselves, we cannot say in one breath that we are a federal republic and track back on the tenets of the federalism. The oil activities in the Niger Delta have completely devastated our environment; devastation of our flora and fauna, extinguishing our means of livelihood and truncating sustainable development of our communities. When the ACF claim that they are the owners of oil or that it is owned by Nigeria without looking at the devastating effect of its exploitation, they seem to call us fools and this is what is really annoying us. As a people who are feeling the impacts of the oil exploration while people who have failed to exploit their own resources fail to realise the prob-

lems we are passing through and then begin to claim that the resources belong to them; it is provocative to the extreme. The postulation of the ACF is that their resources were used to exploit the oil… (cuts in) That is not true. They should realise that they are talking to very educated people in the Niger Delta, who followed the developments of this country, who actively participated in the negotiation of Nigeria independence. We do not know what they think when they say it is the northern resources that was used to develop the oil resource. Oil resources in the Niger Delta were developed through joint venture; foreign investors brought their money to exploit oil and pay royalties and share profit with government. At what time was the northern resources used to develop the oil in the Niger Delta? You see, this kind of assertion provokes the Niger Deltans because their position tends to look at us as uninformed, uneducated and it is not true. I say with all authority that northern resources were not used to develop oil resources in the Niger Delta. That is why we are calling for restructuring of Nigeria because until we do, we cannot

•Mene

move forward. Some people cannot at one end of the country refuse to be productive, just lay back and enjoy oil resources without contributing anything and at the end of the day turn

around to call us fools. The position paper by the north also raised the issue of the South not wanting to play the role of being their bothers' keeper because of demand for

Bayelsa community’s unending war with Agip

HERE is no doubt that the relationship between the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and its host community in Okoroba Kingdom, Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, has broken down. The bone of contention has been the massive oil spill that occurred in the kingdom on February 16th from a facility belonging to the company. The spillage which occurred along the BRASS/OGODA pipeline within pillar 14 and 16 was said to have affected adjoining land within pillar 17 -27 in the kingdom. Okoroba community has been a host to Agip since 1971 following occupation of massive expanse of land by the company. The multi-national was said to have recently re-acquired the land after the expiration of the existing tenancy agreement. The Izagara and Agum are said to be the two families hosting Agip and have been in good terms with the company over the years despite the existence of what many people described as a master-servant relationship based on the company's policies. But things have fallen apart. The host has been in a running battle with Agip accusing the company of showing total contempt and disregard to the various Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered with the community. The most recent spill has widen the gulf between Agip and its host. The community through its lawyer, Mr. Gift Douglas, said the devastating spill was caused by equipment fail-

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

ure. Gift said: "It has occasioned untold hardship to the people of Okoroaba and their environment. Our environment which is the only source of our survival is now rendered impotent. Hunger and water borne diseases is looming in our various fishing settlements". He accused the company of practising double standard and using divideand-rule tactics to deal with the issues resulting from the spill. He maintained that the strategy was aimed at causing crisis between the community and its neighbours. He said: "We totally condemn the deployment of double standard and the introduction of the divide and rule tactics in the resolving of the issues that is associated with the spill. We wish to state that NAOC will fail in its mission to ignite communal crisis with our brothers." He insisted that Agip's style was pitting the community against their Agrisaba neighbours. According to him the motive of the company was to create communal crisis between them and their neighbours. He, however, said: "We want a life of peace and harmony with our neighbours regardless of their unprovoked deployment of instrument of violence and instrument of death. It is our desire to leave with our brothers in a brotherly understanding to avoid unnecessary strife. "We have carefully studied the development and the drama that is or-

chestrated by NAOC to caused breach of public peace that will eventually snowball into full scale war. "We have opted not to engage in a fruitless battle with our brothers just because of oil. The company is aware of the real owners of the land they acquired in 1971/72 and the communities need not intervene to determine the real owners except where there is grave injustice. "We totally condemn the deployment of double standards and the introduction of divide-and-rule tactics in the resolution of the issues that are associated with the spill. We wish to state that Agip will fail in its mission to ignite war with or brothers, the Agrisaba people." He said Agip deployed a contractor to clean up the impacted site with over 50 armed youths. He said 20 of the youths brandished AK47, rifles and double barrel guns. He said others were armed with single locally made pistol and various instrument of violent and death. "The youths used these instruments to harass our youths and chiefs that visited the site to protest and ask the contractor to leave the site till the meeting to determine the issues surrounding the relief materials and ownership are settled", he alleged. Douglas appealed to the police and the Department of State Security (DSS) to act on a petition the community wrote shortly after the spill which was dated March 6. He said the security agencies received the petition and sent acknowledgement dated April 23 to

the community. "We urge the security agencies to swing into action by acting on the petition we wrote immediately the spill ocurred dated 6th march. "The company should be held responsible for any crisis, death, injury, arson that may arise as a result of the company's decision to orchestrate violence by supporting the use of arms by its agents", he said. He urged security agencies to arrest the boys and their sponsors to forestall strife and violence in the community. Douglas said the company should be held responsible for any crisis, death, injury, arson that could arise from the strategy employed bybthe company to deal with the situation. The community through its lawyer said: "We urge the Nigerian Agip oil company to tell the world the owners of pillar 14-16 and the exact location of the spill. It is worrisome that the company has resorted to abandoning its documents and data that clearly indicate the owners of the land they acquired in 1971/72. "We wish to ask if the documents are no longer valid? Is there any recent acquisition that the Okoroba people land was acquired and ceded to to Agip by another community? "We demand the immediate withdrawal of the contractor from the site and call for the sanction of the contractor for the use of armed men to carry out a clean-up in a land that does not belong to them. "The development is reminiscent of what happened in Ogoni land and some communities in the Niger Delta region. It is believe that we will not

engage in any battle neither we will encourage the use of violence in resolving our grievances. "This philosophy necessitated the writing of over twenty letters to Agip and the various agencies of government. We demand a joint visit to the site to ascertain the pillars' locations and the impact of the spill on Agum family whose land is negatively impacted by the raving crude aided by the heavy rainfall. "The Agum family is not laying claim of ownership to the spill point but it has affected its land and adjoining lands. We wish to state that the Izagara family owned the land that the spill occurred and the judgment of the court is very clear over the issue of the ownership of the land supported by the various acquisition documents that the legal and land department are purview to and therefore the issue of the ownership need not arise neither did the company need not feign ignorance of the judgment of 2007 that the company was first defendant in the suit. "We demand a comprehensive and holistic approach in the cleanup of our battered ecosystem within the acceptable international standard as we will not compromised our source of survival for any form of porridge. "It is, therefore, obligatory for a post impact assessment and remediation activities to restore the environmental genocide visited on our people and the environment. "We demand for adequate compensation for the damages and losses that we have suffered as a result of the nuisance. The issue of adequate compen-

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

r oil devt’ ‘

For the country to be very productive, every component of the country must fold up their sleeves, go back to work and be productive and work for the development of the country. This will include the development of the mineral resources in the North

‘

resource control; do you not think they have a point? We are very willing to be our brothers' keeper that is why we are not saying we want to take everything. We are saying in a

federal system, we will pay appropriate tax to the centre. All over the world, when you pay tax, it is used to take care of those who are not as endowed as others. It is a universal principle. But in a situation where people who do not own the resources are saying they will take it from the owners not matter what... they are also saying that the meagre 15percent is more than enough? That is being insensitive to our plights. When we pay tax to the centre, it can be used to provide education, healthcare and other essential services for areas that don't have the resources. Money can also be given to them to develop their own resources so that all of us can contribute something to the central purse. You have 44 local governments in certain states where all they do at the end of the month is collect money, share the money and go back to their villages and when it is end of the month again, they come back, share money and go back. It is promoting laziness. Leaders we have in Nigeria today are political rent takers and a country cannot survive like that. A country that does not produce, that is only dependant on these meagre earnings will not do well economically. We are prepared to concede something, but to say they want to take all and give five percent, is to threaten the unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria because the people of the Niger Delta will not take it: we will not take anything less than 50percent. We accept 50 percent to be very considerate, anything less than that is exploitative, unacceptable and I tell you will threaten the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria.

•Oli spill site

sation and prompt payment is non negotiable. "We demand for a full scale probe of some element within the company bent on falsifying the records and misrepresent the true picture and state of affairs. We are reviewing the prospect of getting justice within Nigeria and have consulted with our partners within Nigeria and Europe to instituted action in Italy the parent company home land." When contacted, the Health

and Environmental Safety Department of Agip said they were not in position to respond to the media. An official, who gave his name simply as Amaechi, simply said: "It is not within our purview to respond to the media. So I am sorry. You should contact the Public Affairs Department." Several calls to the Head of Public Affairs Department ended in: "Your call is being forwarded."

Hard times for Delta radio, tv, newspaper

RERE is disquiet among members of staff of state-owned media outfits in Delta State over alleged mismanagement and neglect by government. Delta State runs three separate media outfits, including the two broadcasting outfits in Warri and Asaba and the Delta Printing and Publishing Company, publishers of The Pointer newspapers The electronic media outfit Delta Rainbow Television Station (DRTV) in Warri has been epileptic while the Delta Broadcasting Station (DBS) based in Asaba, the State Capital have gone off air since July 2013. The Nation gathered that Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Asaba had earlier gone off air in July 2013 following the alleged theft of the vital thunder arrester reportedly worth N6 million and in the last four months the channel has gone off the air again. Lately, the television station in uptown Asaba went off the air about four months ago as a result of broken down equipment which the management has been striving to replace. An employee, who would not want his name in print, said that staff morale has been very low as a result of the frequent

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

break down and theft of equipment which most times result in the break of transmission. She said that it was cause for great concern that that the channel's signal are very weak, a situation which results in poor reception even in Asaba where it is located. The General Manager, Mr. Godwin Eruobagha said that the management was determined to bring the station back on air soonest. Eruobagha said that a team of engineers was currently on site, working both day and night to ensure that the bad equipment is replaced. He assured: "We will soon be back on air. We are doing everything possible to make sure that we come back on air by weekend. Our engineers are working and will soon be through." Similarly, workers at the Delta Printing and Publishing Company, publishers of The Pointer newspapers have had to work under treacherous conditions, following a breakdown of the only 250 K.V.A generating set. In the last one week, workers have had to resort to the use of an old 6.5 K.V.A generating

set to power only a few computers to keep the journal on the newsstand. It was learnt that the fortunes of the once vibrant newspaper has suffered considerably since the assumption of office by the current management team 10 years ago. The Nation gathered that before the new management team came into office, the newspaper had a circulation strength that cut across many States of the federation including Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Anambra , and Abuja ,the federal capital territory. When The Nation visited the premises of the State-owned newspaper, workers expressed dismay over a lack of electricity and the stifling heat they have to endure to keep the journal on the newsstand. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the newspaper company has witnessed a downward slide since the inception ten years ago by the current management team. The source said that the newspaper, before the inception of the current management team sold 10,000 copies daily, stressing that currently it only sold a meager 2,000 copies. His words: “This is the worst moment in the history of The

Pointer, as the paper has witnessed a steady decline since the assumption of office of the management team. We had a 330 K.V.A automatic generator given to use by ex-Governor James Ibori, but that one has since gone bad due to poor maintenance culture. We have to work under difficult conditions in the news room. There is no electricity. The newsroom lacks air conditioners as all of them have broken down, but go to the office of the management staff and witness the opulence. But the editorial staff is made to endure difficult conditions. It lacks an operational vehicle.” Delta Commissioner for Information blamed the problem experienced by the State owned media organisation on the growing shortfall in revenues from the federation account, adding that government is determined to get the both media outfits running in the shortest possible time. His words: “I have tried to sort The Pointer out with my little allocation, but State revenues have dwindled drastically. It is all about prioritising our needs. The governor knows and we are doing all we can to ensure that the media houses get back to life.”

Deltans groan over slow-paced dual carraige way project

HEN the Dr E m m a n u e l Uduaghan administration assumed office in 2007, he promoted a manifesto which had infrastructure development as a major prong of his three point agenda. The other prong of Gov. Uduaghan's three point agenda includes, Human Capital Development and Peace and Security. So it was with great fanfare, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan's administration awarded contract in 2007 on the 149 km Ughelli Asaba dual carriage way, at a cost of over N50 billion, leading many Deltans to believe that they will benefit from democracy dividends. Many ordinary Deltans also shared the optimism that it would boost employment opportunities during the construction phase and ultimately enhance socio-economic activities after the road had been completed, but seven years after construction of the project was flagged off, the project has remained uncompleted and a nightmare to motorists. From The Nation investigations, the road project may not be completed during the life of the present regime of the current governor despite the oft repeated mantra "of finishing strong". The road project which cuts across 60 communities and 6 local government areas has potentials to transform the economy of the communities abutting the road as well as those in the hinterland, but with a only a paltry 53 km completed , completing the project in record time may be an uphill task for the Uduaghan led administration. The question on the lips of every Deltan is "will the road project be completed during the tenure of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan?" The project was broken into

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

three sub-sections and awarded to Messers Wokson Nigeria Ltd (Sector A), Messers CCCC (Sector B) and ULO Consultants (Sector C). Of the three contractors contracted to construct the project, none have completed their section. The stretch between Ughelli to Aradhe community, Isoko North L.G.A completed by CCC has fallen into a state of disrepair with same contractor doing repair works on that portion. The contractor, Wokson Nigeria Ltd, awarded (Sector A), the stretch between Ughelli North and Ellu ,Isoko North L.G.A have long abandoned the project resulting in its termination by the State government ,leading to a litigation battle instituted by the State government to recover over N3 billion paid as mobilization fee. Also the problematic Sector C, the stretch between Ndokwa East and Oshimili south awarded to ULO Consultants was terminated and reawarded to, wait for it, the same contractor. A commercial bus driver, Mr. Ochuko Akpodiete laments the non-completion of the road, stressing that many innocent lives have been lost as a result of the never-ending construction work. His words, "The government has to complete work on this road. It is six years now since work started on the road. Is there any end to the construction work? Every day we see people working on the road yet the project noh dey finish. I want government to make sure this regime completes it." A community leader, Mr. Vuakpor Omofuiare has harsh words for the Uduaghan led administration for the slow pace of work while blaming the death of his in-law on an auto crash on the road.

According to him, "Sometime last year, my sister lost her husband who retired from the State civil service on the road after their vehicle ran into a ditch. Now we have to bear the responsibility for catering for his young family he left behind. I cannot understand why incompetent contractors have been contracted to do a road project of this magnitude." But the Commissioner for Special Infrastructure, Mrs. Orezi Esievo admits that the project has been slow paced and has not met the expectation of Deltans, but argues that factors ranging from incessant rainfall, contractual disagreements, the magnitude of the project and attitude of communities on compensation issues have conspired to stall the project. Her words: "You know the Ughelli -Asaba dualised road is a huge project, I will call it a mega project. That project is a149 km road .It is dualised and that makes it approximately 300 km. Projects like this all over the world are not projects you start and finish just like you build houses .One of the major challenges are the rains, here we have just two seasons. The rainy season is usually longer because of climate change issues, aside that I want to happily tell you that even though that that road is 149 km approximately, over 53 km has been completed." Mrs. Esievo said the government has bent over backwards in trying to see that the projects are completed before this administration winds down, adding that despite that the Delta State government has been unable to retrieve N3 billion mobilization paid to the contractor on Sector A, it has reawarded it to another contractor while coughing up another N3 billion as mobilization to the new contractor. According to her, "The con-

tractor on Sector A was not pulling his weight and the contract had to be terminated and re-awarded. We had several meeting with the contractor and tried to help him, the same way we also tried to help the contractor on Sector C .For Sector C was, at some point, terminated by this administration. The contractor ran to Uduaghan to appeal for one last opportunity. A lot of conditions were attached to see if he can match up to what he has said. He actually entered a MoU with this administration to make sure he gets a very strong and competent contractor to assist him. And as at today the contractor has entered a MoU with CGC, a Chinese firm, responsible for building the naval school at Ibusa community. The MoU with CGC does not concern Delta State Government .The major reason why the administration allowed this untidy arrangement is that after revoking the contract on Sector A, getting the N3billion mobilization fees back has become a major challenge. When the State government started the project it gave each contractor N3billion .We have not been able to amortize a huge part of that money back because of the pace of work, now we have terminated the contract, the administration is saddled with the burden of remobilizing another contractor back to site, so you can see that we have mobilized twice on Sector A, we are in court trying to recover that money". Continuing, "If we do that again with Sector C it will be huge, that means we will have two mobilisation fees to try to retrieve and two court litigations. We will be trying to recover N6 billion and also to remobilise with another N6billion.I am sure you will appreciate the wisdom here. It is better for us cost wise.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

Dear Madam, I have followed your activities for some years now. Your passion for Niger Delta and everything that concerns it are no secrets to me. I also know about your love for your home state, Rivers. I know you believe that after 53 years as a country, there is almost nothing to celebrate. I am quite aware of your position that when someone is celebrating, he or she has to show what has been achieved. It is not lost on me that you believe that Nigerians are not united and would have been better not amalgamated. As far as you are concerned, we shouldn’t now be building roads 100 years after amalgamation. Instead, we should be improving on what we have built, not starting the development after a 100 years of being together. You believe that Nigeria is too big a country to be governed the way in which we are being governed today and you have had cause to wonder if we should not have states being responsible for themselves. You had at a point looked forward to a National Conference where all these issues could be sorted out. Now, a conference is on and you are part of it, but my belief is that the conference has let you down. Deceit has not allowed things go the way you expected. The purpose of writing you this letter is about resource control and how the National Conference has failed to resolve it. The report of the Victor Attah committee, I understand, does not favour resource control. So even before delegates’ consideration of committees’ reports, resource control is dead. For me and for you, it is indeed a sad moment. I know Obong Attah is not happy too but he is just letting go now. I am told ma that after five hours of stormy session on Tuesday, the Devolution of Power Committee of the National Conference agreed to retain the 13 per cent derivation fund for the oil producing states. Attah briefed reporters. Before Attah’s briefing, we heard that some committee members even called for a reduction of the derivation fund to five per cent, when the Southsouth delegates were demanding an increase to at least 50 per cent. Ma, permit me to quote Attah’s words: “Some came to this Committee that dichotomy must be introduced; some insisted that payment on derivation must be reduced, while some want the states to own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the government. “We went through all positions and it was unanimously agreed that the last position was not achievable because it is a constitutional issue and amendment must be made before that can be achieved because as it is now all minerals belong to the Federal Government. “Given that understanding, those people

OLUKOREDE YISHAU

ABOVE WHISPERS

•A weekly intervention on Southsouth people

olukoredeyishau@gmail.com

Letter to Ankio Briggs ‘

I agree with you and others who want the states to own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the government. I disagree that because the constitution bars resource control for now, the committee’s hand was tied. The committee should have worked towards amendment of the section which gives all natural resources to the Federal Government •Briggs

agitating for that dropped their position and opted for 50 per cent as minimum payment on derivation. This obviously seems like irreconcilable positions. Maturity and patriotism of the members came to play at this point as we recognised that there were so many mineral resources left unexplored which is causing discontent. “We also recognised that the 13 per cent given to community with the resource is not

LAST WORD

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘

Oil resources in the Niger Delta were developed through joint venture; foreign investors brought their money to exploit oil and pay royalties and share profit with government. At what time was the northern resources used to develop the oil in the Niger Delta? This kind of assertion provokes the Niger Deltans because their position tends to look at us as uninformed, uneducated and it is not true __

‘

Activist A.S. Mene

‘

enough and some still want government to reduce it because it was felt that with the 13 per cent, the people are still impoverished because it was not judiciously applied. “More than anything, we felt that we must try and maintain the equilibrium that we have in this country today so that there will be no loser or winners. At the end, everyone withdrew their positions and we reached a unanimous decision that a special fund must be set

up to enable the country, with the participation of the states to develop the mineral deposits within their areas.” Let me also quote the co-chair of the Committee, Ibrahim Coomassie, who ‘lied’ against you when he said: “All the decisions reached are unanimous and the members are happy about it taking into consideration the interest of Nigeria moving forward so that development can be even.” But, that is not true, because there is a minority report in your heart in support of resource control. So, how could he claim the decision was unanimous? The Committee, to your disappointment, retains Item 39 on the Exclusive Legislative List, which deals with the exploration of minerals, including oil fileds, geological surveys and natural gas, but recommends that the state could only be involved in the exploratory activities, but not control. I agree with your position that Southsouth people deserve an upward review of the fund for now, if not a total control of it. Other geopolitical zones also deserve to have a better share of the wealth generated from their areas and those who have untapped wealth should also be backed to tap their gold mines. Like I argued in a previous piece, if not for the devastating effect of oil, sea food is another money spinner for the Niger Delta. Also, the rich history is another area the can make money from in terms of tourism. But, oil has overshadowed everything. It has blocked our vision and made many of us unable to see beyond oil. Even the Federal Government is so blinded and confused by oil and things are not moving as expected. The Federal Government, at the moment, has too much on its hands. To say the least, many of the things the central government gets enmeshed in now, such as construction of roads, water projects and so on should be none of its business. Its focus should be more on Foreign Affairs and Defence. My final take: I agree with you and others who want the states to own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the government. I disagree that because the constitution bars resource control for now, the committee’s hand was tied. The committee should have worked towards amendment of the section which gives all natural resources to the Federal Government. When that done, all states can mine their resources and make money enough to develop their land and people. The battle is not over ma. So, consult with other Southsouth delegates and the people of the region back home to know the next step to take. The struggle, like they say, continues, but whether victory is certain or not depends on people like you. Bye for now ma.

•Last Word is Niger Delta Report’s verdict on Southsouth affairs

Akwa Abasi Ibom State Y

OU may wonder which one is Akwa Abasi Ibom State. You are right. It means the same as Akwa Ibom State, which is governed by Obong Godswill Akpabio. We understand that left to an average Akwa Ibom person, they would have preferred their state to be known as Akwa Abasi Ibom State, which means God’s own state. But the need to shorten the name led to the removal of Abasi. These are interesting times in Akwa Ibom. Akpabio is concluding his tour of duty as governor and the race to succeed him has put the state on the edge. It is a race that has piched the different ethnic groupings in the state almost against each other. It has also seen men who were some months back Akpabio’s buddies turning against him. Almost no day passes without one news item or advertorial appearing in the media about the hot race for Akwa Ibom. All kinds of organisations hitherto unknown to the state are springing up and with one agenda: 2015. There has been atleast one instance of attempted assassination of a contender for the governorship seat. The state Executive Council has seen members being axed for

suspicion of working against the governor’s agenda to give the slot to Eket senatorial district, a move any say is aimed at installing his Secretary to the State Government. Akpabio has not publicly acknowledged who his choice for a successor is. His SSG, Udom Emmanuel, is believed to be the joker. On this account, heads have rolled. Commissioner for Finance Bassey Akpan and Commissioner for Rural Development Effiong Abia were sacked in what observers say is a continuation of the intense politicking in the build up to the 2015 elections. The governor also approved the immediate removal of the chairmen of some Boards of government parastatals and agencies. They include those for Akwa Ibom Property and Investment Company Limited (APICO), Sunny Udom; Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited (AKWCL), Patrick Ifon; Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation (AKNC), Dan Akai; and Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC), Alex Nyong. The Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Management Board (AKEPMB), John Asikpo; and that of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, Tony Esu, were also sacked.

The decision to sack the commissioners and the aides, explained the government, was “in view of the need to re invigorate the machinery of government and drive further the Uncommon Transformation Programmes of the state.” When Akpabio, who was then Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, first ran in 2007, his then boss, Obong Victor Attah, was not behind him. Attah preferred Bob Ekarika, his son-in-law. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then the president, favoured Akpabio and he won. Attah was persuaded to nominate a deputy andhe chose Patrick Ekpotu, who was his former Commissioner for Information. Ekpotu did not last long. Two others have since occupied the state. Like there was so much heat then, there are so much heat now. Perhaps more than 2007. It may even get worse as 2015 draws closer. Before the end of the year, candidates for the 2015 elections must ahve emerged. And Akwa Ibom is oen of those places to watch. However, Abasi’s wish must be allowed to prevail in His state. Personal ambitions must not be allowed to take pre-eminence over the overall interest.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SHOPPING

Daleko Market fire: The morning after

AST weekend’s fire outbreak at Daleko Market, one of the major markets in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State, left behind scars. When The Nation Shopping visited the market, a popular foodstuff market that attracts buyers and sellers from Nigeria and beyond, business activities had resumed following the reopening of the market. The hustling and bustling that have been the hallmark of the market were gradually returning, as traders tried to pick of whatever remains of their wares. Although the market derives its popularity from stocking in large quantity rice, flour, sugar, salt, and all kinds of grains and vegetable oil in kegs and drums, the vegetable sellers were the worst hit by the fire. Only a little part of the affected section escaped the fire. Traders who were seriously affected have opened shop by squatting with colleagues. One of the displaced traders, Mrs Muti Komlafe, she said: “I thank God for the warehouse this market provides for us. Few of us still have hope with the small quantity we stock in our warehouses to make space available inside our stalls.” She urged her customers to visit the market as buying and selling activities have resumed. A majority of the displaced traders who do not have reserves in the warehouse like

•A displaced trader attending to customers Stories by Tonia ‘Diyan

Komlafe, however, said they would seek help from friends, relatives and banks to help them get loans or items for sale until they pay back. Visitors to the market said they were not disappointed, adding that they were able to get items to buy

from affected traders. For instance, Mrs Ezinne Maduka, a customer, who was at the market to buy some barrels of vegetable oil, said she was surprised to get what she wanted. Her words: “Traders in this market are very courageous. They go about their activities as if nothing has hap-

PHOTO: TONIA ‘DIYAN

pened. None of them will say to customers, ‘I don’t have goods to sell,’ instead they will offer you a seat and get what you want from other traders who have want you want. ‘’They are supportive and very helpful to one another.” Mrs Maduka, therefore, encour-

aged people to visit the market, adding: “It hasn’t changed.” She said: “The fire is not a barrier and shouldn’t discourage people from patronising the market. Traders are supporting themselves here and can meet peoples needs as usual.” The Nation Shopping noted that traders who used to sell trailers of vegetable oil have been assisted by their colleagues with drums so as not to lose their customers. One of the traders, who identified herself as Iya Amina, said she had managed to start life afresh. “I couldn’t recover a litre of vegetable oil from my burnt shop where I had 10 barrels. But, today, I thank God I can come to the market to sell the little I was able to buy on credit. I cannot afford to disappoint my customers, especially those who come from far to patronise me,” she said. The Market Secretary, Abiola Lukman Owolabi, also said: “I thank God that the Iyaloja-General, Mrs Folashade Tinubu, and our local government chairman has given us the go ahead to build our stalls ourselves, and not wait for the government.’’ According to them, it will only hasten things up and get us back on our feet. He added that traders will seek the h elp of friends, family and relatives to erect their stalls individually as they have been asked not to wait for the government to avoid delay.

IDAN exhibition excites Lagos residents

HE second edition of the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) Exhibition, also known as GUIDE (Gida Una Ile Design Exhibition), which held at Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, was successful. The event, which paraded professional interior designers, played host to over 50 international and local exhibitors. The exhibition offered Lagosians the opportunity to buy breath-taking, out-of-this-world furniture and interiors. Every new issue was packed with the most inspiring interior design trends and the most interesting ideas from the world of interior design. Present at the exhibition were Mrs. Y. Amusan, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Lagos State; Mo Abudu, who was sighted in the Blue Mahogany Gold chair and Mrs. Ekua Abudu, Vice President, IDAN. Apart from the organisers of the exhibition who were at the venue, shoppers in their multitude thronged the place shopping and window shopping. There was an array of beautiful interiors, home decorations, furniture, dinning sets, outdoor gardens, Nigerian tradi-

tional crafts, indigenous designs and many more to pick from. Items at the exhibition were classy and affordable. The event was also to mark the World Interior Day in a three-day exhibition. However, last year, at its maiden edition, IDAN celebrated 50 years of design around the globe bringing interior/ architecture designs to the attention of the public. This year’s edition wasn’t different as the organisers aimed at enhancing knowledge and understanding the profession. IDAN also hoped to encourage co-operation among professionals with a focus on the range of work interior designers do and their contributions to the society. Exhibitors at the were Aframero, Agatha’s Interior, Alexandra designs, Aralia by nature, Caxton alile, Blue mahogany,Chair centre,Do II designs, Doshlaps, Essential Interior Magazine, I design, I0 furniture, Mikano, Svengali Designs, Out of Africa, and Roma Fruits of Nature. Others are Tope Edu designs, WOW interiors, Zen Decor, Westafco, Southwood, Officeline, Interior specifics, Interior by Anora, Installation limited, Honey

•Visitors at the exhibition.

world Interiors, Genesis, house to home, design works, colour sense, colours in africa, Baldwin Investments Ltd and Dulux. Apart from exhibitors showcasing their designs, they also offered design consultation sessions to exhibition visitors. Visitors to the Blue Mahogany booth experienced signature VIP treatment and were treated to a celebrity style photo shoot in

the Gold Chair. At the exhibition, people were oriented about Interior Architecture, Interior/Product Design and Decoration to enhance knowledge about the profession. Creative Director Omon AnenihMordi, the owner of Blue Mahogany Gold chair and the chair person of the planning committee said: “This year’s exhibition

was set up to orient the public about interior architecture, interior/product design and decoration to enhance knowledge about the profession while encouraging co-operation between design professionals. ‘’People are advised to look out for the next IDAN exhibition, which promises to be better.”

Chivita wins Africa’s best juice brand award

ARKET leader in fruit juice, Chivita Premium Fruit juice, has emerged Africa’s Best Quality Juice Brand at the Africa Quality Achievement Award. Initiated by the Africa Quality Institute (AQI) in collaboration with IBMN Integrated Services, the Africa Quality Achievement Award is organised with the support of South Africa Quality Institute (SAQI) and the Chartered Quality Institute (UK). Chivita Premium Fruit juice with 100 per cent fruit juice content from Chi Limited was adjudged the winner because of its consistency in the market, creativity and value as well as the bespoke packaging of the juice that allows for the best delivery. Managing Director of Chi Limited, Mr. Roy Deepanjan,

said the award did not come to him as a surprise. “We are happy to receive this accolade for Chivita Premium from Africa Quality Institute (AQI), as it validates our core values as a responsible and ethical organisation,” he said. The award not only underscores Chi Limited’s commitment to and passion for creating the highest quality juice available in the market today, but also to successfully growing an ethical business dedicated to helping people live longer, healthier lives through the consumption of natural, organic fruits. Chivita Premium fruit juice, renowned for its 100 per cent fruit juice content without sugar, preservatives and artificial colours or flavours, was awarded Africa’s best quality fruit juice brand amidst

fierce competition in the fruit juice category of the fast moving goods sector. Chivita Premium Fruit Juice comes in five variants (orange, apple pineapple, and orange mango and orange pineapple). It is a high quality offering of the best of Nigerian and imported fruit juices. The Africa Quality Achievement Awards is a yearly event to celebrate leadership innovation and creativity in quality management in Africa. The award is aimed at identifying, recognising and rewarding companies, personalities and products that apply quality assurance culture and quality management best practice to the analysis, planning and implementation and control of policies designed to achieve corporate objectives in both profit and non-profit making organisations in Africa.

•Mr. Deepanjan receiving the award from African Quality Institute in Lagos.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS

AGRICBUSINESS

e-mail: agrobusiness@thenationonlineng.net

The Federal Government has set up programmes to reduce chronic hunger and poverty in the country. One of the initiatives is the mechanisation scheme which offers tractors to farmers. The private sector is getting involved. The result is that the initiative allows farmers to increase production ,improve quality and live better. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Tackling the cost of tractor hiring C

OCOA farming appeals to farmers in the Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth parts of the country. It is a crop that offers extra earnings for growers and encourages plantain cultivation. Its planting, control, harvesting and primary processing have created employment for men, women and landless labourers. Its industrial processing provides even more jobs. But to achieve success in cocoa farming requires between 10 and 20 hectares of land or more. That is why most cocoa farms are in the hands of larger scale commercial farmers or a multitude of smallholders. Farmers see farm size as a key determinant of productivity. With this, they labour to obtain levels of productivity per unit area of land. While high crop productivity is associated with intensive use of farm inputs, yields can be increased through better land management. Farmers have also discovered that using farm machinery can facilitate weed and pest control too. This development is therefore giving boost to the national campaign to promote the use of tractors and farm machinery. The Secretary, Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr.Alagbada Adebola, told The Nation that one of the major inhibitions to profitability is the age-old cocoa plantation practice, stressing that efficient machinery is key to successful farming in the challenging environment. As a result, he said farmers are looking at a ways to access machines and deploy tools and modern inputs in increasing productivity. According to him, being wellequipped makes the business more efficient, with the latest kits offering greater output and economy cutting expensive downtime and repair costs. On the average, tractor service charges N8,000 a day to clear a farmland. This will be a loss for a farmer with less than four hectares. At the end of the day,it pays the large scale farmer paying that amount to clear six to nine hectares. To be profitable, Adebola said the more areas covered, the more attractive hire becomes. He said it is cost-effective if one uses one tractor to service combined 10 hectares or more, adding that the smaller the farmland the more the losses incured. One benefit of tractors on the farm, he explained, is time use, or how much time farmers spend on productive tasks. The Managing Director, Origin Automobile, Mr Samuel Johnson, said sustainable agricultural intensification is still one of the major issues to meeting the growing demand for food and making self-suf-

•Samuel

•Inyama

•Adebola

•Farm tractors

‘On the average, tractor service charges N8,000 a day to clear a farmland. This will be a loss for a farmer with less than four hectares. At the end of the day, it pays the large scale farmer paying that amount to clear six to nine hectares’ ficiency. The challenge, he noted, however, remains in the development of pragmatic approaches and incentives that increase food production and profits and build the base towards sustainability in the near future. According to him, increased production and productivity stabilisation in all areas of agriculture are the main conduits for sustained income generation and food security. He explained that increased use of tractors would lead to a rise in farm incomes and that his organisation was working on a national tractorisation programme that would lead the country towards achieving greater tonnes in production. The innovative tractor scheme is designed to help private operators own tractors and increase farmers’ access to tractor services. The current market for tractors is

dominated by the government, whose efforts to meet farmers’ demand for tractor services have largely failed. This scheme is an opportunity to prove that the private sector can really take responsibility for making the economy work without everybody having to sit back and wait for the government to do it right, he said. Part of the strategy is to work with state and local governments, recruiting agricultural engineers who will be offered tractors under his agric mechanisation entrepreneurs’ scheme. He said agric engineers within a local government area will be given tractors to service farmers. They are expected to repay the cost of the tractor within a certain period. Along the line, the company is in discussions with large farming enterprises about how they fi-

nance their tractors. The company would help a group of farmers who can raise the cost of buying one tractor to do rather than hire it. In case of hire purchase, he said farmers would be given up to three years to repay. He explained also that the tractors on offer are of high quality. According to him, Origin Automobile would train farmers, service the tractors, and support them to enhance as well as sustain the programme. As farmers’ incomes go up, Samuel said they would be able to invest in better tractors. With small scale farmers in the majority, the uptake of smaller horsepower tractors is expected to increase in the coming years. For many small and marginal farmers, owning few acres of land, Origin Automobile arranges them working through cooperatives to buy one tractor.

Because of the high level of investment required to purchase a combine harvester, a machine used for just a few weeks, seems at odds with modern business thinking. According to him, farmers like the idea of short-term rental for a season, or a matter of months or weeks. He sees rental of tractors appealing to more businesses for its adaptability, particularly as acreages increase. Generally, hiring is also available for a single season, although this is not offered on new machines. And it comes with all the benefits of a purchase, including full operator training. The deal includes breakdown cover, with a replacement machine in the worstcase scenario. He expects farmers to shift from labour-intensive to capital-intensive methods of farming, which means buying tractors rather than hiring labourers. He said the strategy to open up vast native grasslands and establish native pasture for livestock grazing requires extensive use of machines and tractors. He said a small group of farmers can combine resources to install a pipe and sprinkler to access water from the hills to irrigate their crops, saving countless difficult treks to bring the water to their fields by hand. Mulching is another example of a simple agricultural best practice that conserves water and reduces the number of times a crop needed to be irrigated. For farmers in particular, these technologies have benefits extending beyond increased productivity and income; when their labour burden is reduced, farmers have more time which in turn can help ensure the benefits of improved agriculture are shared more equally among women and men. The National President, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Inyama, said the issue of increasing farm productivity is very important. He identified lack of support to improve agric productivity and bringing innovation into the sector as one of the many factors responsible for youths’ poor participation in agriculture. Inyama stressed the need for government to take adequate steps to address infrastructural decay or lack of it completely in the rural areas including building farm settlements in rural communities to attract the youth and women who have the energy and time to sustain the sector. However, government is beginning to respond to the need to improve mechanisation. To this end, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture released N3.6 billion as an intervention scheme towards financing the establishment of the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise meant to encourage the poor to venture into mechanisation. The funds in the first phase will make available 400 units of tractors, 500 power tillers, and various harvest and post-harvest equipment to set up 80 centres, while Phase II will achieve similar results. Phase III will acquire 250 tractors through the partnership programme, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said. He spoke through his representative, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, at an interactive session on mechanisation intervention programme.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

AGRICBUSINESS

‘Overuse of antibiotics in livestock endangers lives’

HE overuse of antibiotics in livestock is putting lives at risk, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin,Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has warned. He urged farmers to exercise restraint in giving antibiotics to cattle, poultry, hogs and other animals to boost their growth, citing concern that drugs overuse endanger human lives. Adeloye said antibiotics should be used only to protect animals and not to help them grow or improve their digestion. He warned that while the principle linking antibiotic resistance and non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics was widely accepted,

Stories by Daniel Essiet

antibiotics are still routinely added in massive quantities to animal feed, not to treat disease but to promote faster growth. He said cases have shown that the use of antibiotics in livestock leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be—and has been—transferred from animals to humans through direct contact, environmental exposure, consumption and handling of contaminated meat and poultry products. Adeloye called on the government to work together with the private sector to regulate unnecessary use of antibiotics in ani-

•Adeloye

mal agriculture. He said the government must

Haruna said that the mill was equipped with milling machines, thrashers, water tanks and electric power generator. Haruna said the gesture had reduced difficulties experienced in processing rice and add value to the produce. “We are spending less on processing due to lower charges compared to the high prices in the private mills. “This has encouraged many farmers to go into rice production,” he said. Ibrahim Idris, another farmer, said that the programme had distributed assorted fertilisers, seeds and water pumps to farmers in the area. Idris said that IFAD had also encouraged farmers to form associations to enable them participate in its programme. He noted that such associations were organising farmers to engage in large scale farming and execute community development project.

to the therapeutic value of anti-bacterials in both human and animal disease. According to him, the lack of appropriate controls over agricultural uses of antibiotics continues to jeopardise the usefulness of antibiotics for treating human diseases. To address critics’ concerns, he urged the government to step in and regulate the uses of antibiotics. In recent years, public health experts say there has been alarming increase in the number of bacteria that have grown resistant to antibiotics, leading to severe, untreatable illnesses in humans.

Provide incentives for firms to return, expert urges

Farmers commend IFAD over rice mill ARMERS in Auyo Local Government Council of Jigawa State have commended the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for establishing a rice mill in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that IFAD was providing support to the farmers through its Community Based Agriculture and Rural Development (CBARD) programme. The programme focuses on providing agriculture support services, enterprise skills, infrastructure and additional means means of livelihood to farmers in rural communities. A cross section of the farmers, who spoke to NAN in Auyo, said that the gesture had encouraged rice production. Malam Suleiman Haruna, a farmer, said that the programme had established a 500-kilogramme capacity rice mill in the area.

move in to address the dangers involved with overusing antibiotics in livestock production. The don said routinely feeding healthy farm animals low doses of antibiotics to boost growth and prevent disease could promote hardto-kill, antibiotic-resistant germs that could infect humans. He proposed restricting the use of antibiotics in agriculture in order not to jeopardise human health. He warned that the risk to human health from the use of antibiotics in animals could not be quantified, but that it must be regarded as a threat

HE Federal Government has been urged to revamp the environment to entice food companies that have set up manufacturing operations outside the country and elsewhere to return home. The Chairman, Southsouth, Southeast Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Hyke Ochia, said without a strong food manufacturing sector, the country will not create the jobs. He called for a pro-domestic manufacturing policy environment which should include generous incentives and subsidies for companies to return production to the country. He said this will generate jobs and activate the local economy by pro-

viding companies with corporate and income tax cuts on earnings generated by their re-established domestic operations, and subsidies for the purchase of land or rent. There should also be additional subsidies for equipment purchase and favorable export guarantees. He said there should be provision allowing companies that reshore to move into free economic zones, “creating exclusive industrial complexes, giving priority when moving in to national general industrial complexes.” Ochia said Nigeria must increase its share of food manufacturing. The reason: a stronger food manufacturing sector will enable

“growth and economic recovery”. He said Nigeria needs new food industrial investment at a time when lack of confidence, market uncertainty, financial problems and skills shortages are holding it back. According to him, the government needs to give a signal for people to understand that manufacturing matters and reverse the trend of a declining share of industry in the economy because industry is really key for competitiveness and growth. With dismal performance recorded so far, he advised the government to work on a new legislation aimed at improving manufacturing and reducing the nation’s trade deficit.

‘Fish farming lucrative business’ HE Catfish Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (CAFAN) said fish farming is a lucrative business and urged Nigerians to embrace it. Its Kaduna State chapter Secretary, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi, made this known in an interview in Kaduna. According to him, the business is also dynamic and moves fast. “Why I say so is because you discover that when you buy fish as little as just N30 and you rear it for four to six months you will be able to raise 1.4 kg, which will amount to about N600; so you can see the magic. “It is a business that, if one can endure, it is one of the most profitable business I can talk about.” Abdullahi applauded the Federal

Government for its support and encouragement to catfish farmers across the country. He commended the introduction of many programmes aimed at helping small-scale farmers, particularly through the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme. The scribe explained that the GES provides fingerlings and feeds at subsidised rates to fish farmers to grow more fish and help in reducing unemployment. He also commended the Federal Government and the government of Kaduna State for contributing to the scheme through the Sure-P Programme. According to him, residents of the state are practising cat fish farming as the business is growing.

Abia, Honeywell sign MoU over agric facility

HE Commissioner for Agriculture in Abia, Dr Ken Nwosu, said the State Government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HoneyWell Group to takeover Abia Palm Estate. Nwosu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia that the move was part of the efforts to revive the estate. He said government had revoked the contract with Sharrid firm, the investors that took over the estate last year. Nwosu said Sharrid failed to deliver on the MoU it signed with the government. “Sharrid failed to live up to the terms of the MoU with the government.’’ He also explained that govern-

ment had revoked the contract for Ulonna North and South Farm Settlements with a private investor. The commissioner said that government had fully taken over the farms and was prepared to hand them over to new investors. He explained that the former investors were not remitting money to the government as contained in the MoU. The commissioner said the ministry would soon begin another phase of registration of farmers in the 17 local government areas of the state. He added that the measure was to enable more farmers in the state to benefit from the state and Federal Governments’ agricultural programmes

•From left: State Project Coordinator, Fadama 111, Mr Foluso Ajijola; President, Lagos State Apex Fadama Community Association, Alhaji Mufutau Abiodun Oyelekan and Mr Dare Ogunbanjo at the workshop on farmers’microfinance bank in Lagos.

‘How bio-businesses can boost job creation’

OBS can be created from bio-energy projects which turn agricultural waste into a valuable resource if the government provides an enabling environment, the Director, AfricaRegion,Cassava Adding Value for Africa(CAVA),Dr Kola Adebayo has said. Adebayo said the government can support industry, processors, growers, universities and federal laboratories to develop new methods for converting agricultural and food processing residue and wastes into commercially valuable “bio-based” energy and industrial products. He said there is potential for economic growth if the industry develops methods for converting agricul-

tural and food processing residue and wastes into bio-based fuels, power and industrial products, such as chemicals for plastics, solvents and fibres. He said industry, processors and growers will use and profit from products and technologies, adding that there is potential for economic growth by maintaining momentum for the emerging bio-based industry. Adebayo said the bio-based industry should get a better chance to grow agriculture and there should be initiatives to help businesses who want to invest and create new jobs . He also called for resources to spur the commercialisation of agricultural innovations. Bio-based products are usually

made from renewable agricultural materials such as corn, soybeans, straw and other plants. They include fuels, chemicals, materials and direct energy produced by biogas. According to him, bio-based movement can economically stimulate agriculture. He said local manufacturers can use agricultural waste to make their products and this will create more opportunities, particularly in financing and capital for this industry. Such projects create jobs directly and another 1,000 jobs for hauling, sorting and labelling garbage prior to its processing as the sector increase its capacity to collect waste across farms around the country.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL Bank of England chief sees echoes of crisis build-up in markets

OW levels of volatility in financial markets are “eerily reminiscent” of the run-up to the financial crisis, even as central banks face the challenge of unwinding their huge stimulus programs, a Bank of England policymaker said. But BoE Deputy Governor Charlie Bean also said in a speech that “the risk of major financial problems crystallising in the advanced countries should be much lower” thanks to a combination of better-capitalised banks, lower leverage levels and more powers for regulators to deal with troubled lenders. Bean, who is due to retire from the bank at the end of June, said his fellow central bankers would face the tough challenge of communicating their intentions as the time approaches to undo their support for their economies. “I do not expect central banks’ col-

lective management of the exit from the present exceptionally stimulatory monetary stance will be easy,” he said. “The bottom line is that we may yet encounter a few potholes on the way to the exit.” BoE Governor Mark Carney last week also said he expected volatility in financial markets would grow as the time came to return monetary policy to more normal levels. Bean used his speech to explain the BoE’s actions since the financial crisis, including its decision last year to start giving more explicit guidance on when it might start to raise interest rates. “Shorter-term market interest rates have moved higher since guidance was introduced, but no more so than is justified by a string of unexpectedly strong activity indicators,” Bean said.

‘Corporate Governance codes compliance campaign can check corruption’

HE Corporate Governance (CG) code compliance campaign is aimed at checking corruption, President, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSAN),Dr. Abdul Suleyman Ndanusa, has said. He spoke after the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the institute in Lagos. He said while code is mandatory, regulators, corporate organisations and groups can ensure compliance by coming up with rating or score cards. He said the score cards should be demanded by any stakeholder before venturing into any deal. “People should take it up at Annual General Meeting (AGM) and before any corporate merger in

From Biodun-Thomas Davids

form of moral suasion to ensure its compliance,” he added. He said if he were to meet President Goodluck Jonathan, he would advise him to “focus on issues that border on national interest, bearing in mind that no matter how much you try, you will be criticised because there will always be people that will not be satisfied”. He said he would also sympathise with him and pray for him, because he appreciated his leadership challenges. He added: “The institute was able to improve on its operations in the year under review in spite of the challenges in the Nigerian economy. The institute made some progress in its activities and finan-

cial performance .It is hoped that this would be sustained in the ensuing year. “We shall continue to pursue other issues that are very vital towards making the profession attractive and a force to reckon with in the country. The pursuit of the proper listing of the institute’s certificate with the Head of Service is being sustained and we are hopeful that it would be accomplished soon. “The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICSAN and ICSA was finally signed recently. This would enable both bodies to carry out exchange programmes and collaborate towards mutually beneficial relationships.”

‘Gazprom offers Chinese firms share in Vladivostok LNG’ USSIAN energy giant has proposed a share in its planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, and contracts for LNG deliveries to Chinese companies, the Vedomosti newspaper has reported. Chinese companies are likely to become Gazprom’s partners in the plant’s construction project, a source close to a participating party at talks told the newspaper. The plans have been also confirmed by a federal official. The talks are at an early stage, the newspaper’s sources said without giving further details. The issue is expected to be discussed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China, beginning Tuesday. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) could become Gazprom’s partner in the project, the sources told the newspaper.

The price is likely to be the same as for the LNG supplies from the Sakhalin 2 project to Japan, which stood at $512 per 1,000 cubic meters last year. Pipeline gas could become cheaper for China, with the price expected at around $360-400 per 1,000 cubic metres. The Russian energy giant could propose a 49 per cent share in the project to its foreign partners, VitalyMarkelov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, said earlier. According to Markelov, to enter the project, foreign companies will have to buy at least six million tons of LNG per year. Several years ago, Gazprom offered a share in the Vladivostok LNG project to Japanese companies, Itochu, Japex, Marubeni, Inpex and Cieco, but the talks ended in failure.

‘Global steel trade to follow 2013 trend’

ROM the detailed global steel trade data that have just been made available for last year, a few interesting facts can engage our attention. Total steel trade reached nearly 390 mt, comprising of 188 mt of flats, 64 mt of long, 42 mt of tubes and the balance in semis. The export coverage ratio was 24.3 per cent of crude steel production. This is around 7-9 per cent lower than the average of the last few years. Though for China exports constituted only 7.4 per cent of domestic production, there are countries like Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey where the share ranged from 34-75 per cent. This indicates demand stagnation and surplus capacity in these countries and the consequent urge to export to keep the mills running in their own countries, leading to declining trend in steel prices in the global market. Further, the surplus steel in Japan

is making the issue of technology transfer relating to high value-added flat products comparatively easy for Indian steel producers to set up these facilities in the country in collaboration with Japan. It is well known that currently, regional blocks primarily based on geographical proximity indulge in a good deal of free steel trade within the bou-ndaries of the region. The total steel trade therefore includes internal trade of EU-27 of as high as 94 mt, 101 mt in Asia and around 30 mt in CIS, South America and NAFTA, and this total volume is generally not subject to anti-dumping investigations for lack of evidence on injury parameters. While Chinese steel exports peaked at 57.8 mt followed by Japan at 42.1 mt, Indian exports have been shown as 9.3 mt, possibly by including exports of miscellaneous steel items.

•From left: Director, e-Governance, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, Mr. Tope Fashedeni; Chief Corporate Services Officer, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, Ms. Lee-Ann Cassie and Country Manager, Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. KamarAbass, at the Cyber Nigeria Forum and Africa Innovation Awards in Lagos.

Scandinavia’s richest consumers boost Norwegian economic growth

ORWAY’S economy expanded in the first quarter as rising consumer spending offset a decline in investments and a weaker oil industry. Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product, excluding oil, gas and shipping, rose 0.5 per cent, after growing a revised 0.5 per cent the prior three months, Oslo-based Statistics Norway said today. That was in line with the average of 12 economists’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Total output grew 0.3 per cent, compared with an estimate for a one percent growth. Consumer spending rose 0.8 percent in the quarter, while invest-

the case for most of Q1, as commodity index returns have slowed in Q2 and are no longer outperforming the benchmarks in other asset classes. “The slowdown in commodity index returns fits with our view that 2014 as a whole is unlikely to prove a strong year for commodity beta and that alpha strategies hold out the prospect of better returns over the rest of this year,”Barclays said. “So far, in Q2 commodity index returns have slowed in most sectors and other assets, especially commodity equities, are performing more robustly. This fits with our view that 2014 as a whole is unlikely to prove a strong year for commodity beta and that alpha strategies hold out the prospect of better returns over the rest of this year.”

economy per capita after home prices recovered from declines in 2013 and as registered unemployment remains below three per cent. An eight per cent weakening of the krone versus the euro over the past year has also helped exporters. Norges Bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 1.5 per cent this month to support the expansion and stuck to a plan to tighten policy in the “summer” of 2015. To further stimulate growth, the government last week in a revised budget estimated it would use a record 140.9 billion kroner of the nation’s oil revenue, equal to about 5.8 percent of GDP.

India to emerge from ‘stagflation’

‘Investors still cautious on commodities’ NVESTMENT flows into commodities remain negative despite the first quarter of this year proving to be the strongest return period for commodity benchmarks for two years, according to Barclays. Liquidation of commodity assets by index investors continue with a net $8.5 bn withdrawn from commodity investments year-to-date. About $10 billion exited the commodity index swap sector where most of the buying interest tends to comeform pension funds, endowments and other long term asset managers. Barclays noted that Whether or not longer-term investors return to commodities in size will depend very much on the performance of the asset class. Here the return picture is currently a more mixed one than was

ment fell 1.8 percent. Exports rose 1.6 percent and imports declined 2.6 per cent, the agency said. Petroleum and shipping dropped 0.2 per cent and final domestic use of goods and services fell 1.2 per cent. “The weakness we saw through 2013 will continue throughout 2015 as we see a significant cooling down in the oil sector,” Joachim Bernhardsen, an analyst at Nordea Bank AB, said before the report. “Growth in the housing sector and in residential investments will probably remain modest.” Consumers are sustaining an expansion in Scandinavia’s richest

HE election results could be an “inflexion point” for India’s story and the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to accelerate to 6.8 per cent over the next two years, a Morgan Stanley report says. Inflation, on the other hand, is expected to head towards six per cent, it added. “We now feel more confident that India will emerge from the stagflation type of environment over the next few quarters,” Morgan Stanley said. “The GDP growth is to accelerate by 210 bps over the next 8 quarters to 6.8 per cent. Inflation will finally head towards RBI’s comfort zone of six per cent over the next two years,” it said in a research note.

While India’s structural story has been very strong, the pace of reforms has been slow in the recent years holding back its growth. Reforms that could follow post elections will improve the business sentiment, thereby lifting corporate sector profitability and incentivising a revival in private investment, experts believe. “The election outcome has only increased our confidence in our forecast that India is on course to achieve an average real GDP growth of 6.75 per cent over the next 10 years, taking its nominal GDP from $1.9 trillion to $5 trillion,” Morgan Stanley said. Risks to Morgan Stanley’s forecast is weaker than expected global growth and slower than anticipated

pace of policy reform. As per the report, some of the near term challenges for the Indian economy in the next 12 months include El Nino and pace of recovery of exports, while some of the medium term challenges for the economy are global environment and reform momentum. On equity markets, the report said that given the mood of the market an “overshoot” is possible. Morgan Stanley’s Index target is 26,300 for June, 2015 compared to its previous target of 21,280. In the recently concluded elections, the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) scored an overwhelming majority of 334 seats, in the 543member LokSabha.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

POLITICS In this piece, the Coordinator of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Ayo Opadokun, reflects on the problems of Nigeria and contends that the solution is the enthronment of quality leadership.

‘Nigeria needs better leadership’ A

N implosion is imminent. This state of the nation is unsustain able. The following stark realities are indisputable; even though they are repetitive, they are an eye opener. Since the emergence of the Fourth Republic, the Nigerian state has daily and averagely exported between 1.5 to 2 million barrel of crude oil at an averagely 75-100 U.S dollar per barrel. There is an unbelievable irreconsibility between the huge petroleum dollar the Nigerian state has learned and the statistically verifiable fact that about 70% of Nigerian population live below the poverty level. In the last 14years of civilian governance in Nigeria, efficient social services have become an embarrassment. Basic infrastructures have worsened inspite of the gigantic petrol dollars earned by the Nigerian state. The Nigerian state’s skewed consideration for continuing with a prohibitive executive presidential system government has led to a situation whereby about 70-75 pere cent of its earnings is spent on recurrent expenditure leaving just meager resources for development. The Nigerian State irresponsiveness to the glaring acute poverty level of the people has led to the discomfiting human welfare index status which has consistently, located Nigeria within the war ravaged countries bracket in recent times. Furthermore, the stark reality that the more petroleum dollar the Nigerian state earns, the poorer her citizens experience is sufficiently indicative of the missing link. In jurisprudence there is always the need to understand what the law is (the laga lata) as opposed to what the law is supposed to be (de laga faranda) In the Nigerian state, partisan politics is permanent all year round and expensive, thereby making politics apart from religion to be the most lucrative business in town. Therefore, majority of political office holders are devoted to the pursuit of political power which in turn grants the “victorious politician” an unrestricted access to public funding from which they regularly steal. In other climes the normal occurrence is that close to election seasons, partisan politics dominate the polity, but when candidates have been pronounced as winners, governance begins in earnest whereby the elected people’s preoccupation is how they can utilize government powers and authority to actualize and or execute the promised programs. The Nigerian state has been constructed primarily on falsehood, and arbitrariness by the British Colonial Masters and the politicians in the Nigerian Military. Through many insurrections against civilian and military regimes they usually serve the interests and prejudices of the “owners” while the significant majority of the people are programmed to be outsiders, spectators and dispensable elements in the distribution and usage of the commonwealth. From January 15, 1966 when the politicians in the Nigerian Army staged their first insurrection against the civilian rulers, the significant members of the military dynasty and their civilian collaborators, confederates, sympathizsers, and conduit pipes have turned out to be the main actors in the political process of the Second, Third and Fourth republic along with their sponsored surrogates. Thus, they are always two steps ahead of the few rightly-headed members of the dwingdly political class because they have acquired ill gotten wealth in their relationship with the military personnel who held political offices. The Nigerian state has criminally and irresponsively carry on governance that has failed and or neglected to provide social services (education, health, water, food, housing, etc) not

to talk of providing basic infrastructure (efficient transportation system, modern good road network, adequate power supply etc). What the Nigerian state offers today as education is immoral and deceptive. They practically destroyed public education services through inadequate funding from which a significant part is stolen and demonstrably frustrated supervision in the public school while their own children are educated in very expensive private schools in Nigeria or in foreign schools. Since Obasanjo’s administration’s emergence in this Fourth Republic, less than five percent of the ritual annual budget is devoted to education as opposed to the UNESCO’s well thought-out 26 per cent recommendation. I am not sure as to whether or not anybody can tell Nigerians how much of the state resources 8,12,16,24 billion USD has been spent on power supply since 1999. yet, all manners of irresponsible excuses are dished out as reasons for the continuation of epileptic power supply. The fact that the Obasanjo’s government planned 10 Independent Power Projects yet it did not reasonably provide nor guaranteed adequate gas supply to power the IPP will forever remain part of an everlasting negative legacy of his unproductive tenure. The present political office holders have deliberately stunted the growth and expansion of democracy and its culture in the last 14-15years of the Forth Republic. In the public and private activities, they have exhibited their unbelief in deepening democracy, and democratization of the polity. President Obasanjo’s regular antidemocracy stunt eg. using the security agency to harass, intimidate and dehumanize political opponents including some of his PDP founders was unbelievable. President Obasanjo’s most ingenious but more of political gerrymandering was how he imposed and removed PDP chairmen at will. The state of insecurity in Nigeria today is unbelievably scarry because life is cheaply eliminated either by state sponsored violence, Islamic fundamentalism, or indescribable human rights violations and also through the violent criminal activities of armed robbers. Nothing tells the unpleasant story more than the fact that even though the Nigerian state declared a state of emergency on Boko Haram in 3 North East states in the last one year signifying the highest operational alertness, Yet, Boko Haram successfully and audaciously carted away over 250 young school girls and we are all still leaking our wounds. The Nigerian state has worsened the plight of the parents, guardians of the young girls and the general public by contradictory and uncertain pronouncements. First Lady, Dame Patient Jonathan embarrassed the Nigerian state and the international public with her unsolicited theaterical crocodile tear over the agony of the mothers of the abducted Nigerian ladies. She is ever too bossy and garrulous. Amnesty International, and the London

to the collective as a government is that the collective strength of the people can be used by government to provide adequate security of lives and property. We all as citizens are in deepest agony with the unchallenged media reports on how Boko Haram easily ransacked both the Nigerian Army Barrack and the Air Force Base in Maiduguri environ in February and March 2014. Nigerians have genuine reasons to believe that our military and Intelligence cadres have been sufficiently trained and empowered to protect us. But if our own human protectors have turned out to be easy catch for the insurgents, then we are in a quandary and we must act timeously to refix our security and intelligence. That an insurgent group can abduct over 250 Nigerian girls and was so daring as to issue a videotape of a dramatic footage on how the Christian girls were being forced to recite Koran would remain a humiliation and unpardonable dent on the Nigerian state, its intelligence and security apparatus. But we know that resignation is not an cive apparatus to enforce dominance option for them as they cannot ever conof one group over the others will be template what the Prime Minister of difficult to maintain and or sustained South Korean did just last week when henceforth. he tendered his resignation over the If the right wing elements and rep- maritime mishap which claimed about resentatives of those who have held 200 young South Korean pupils. The Nigerian down till date succeeded in Prime Minister did not come up with ensuring that the status quo on these ingenius excuses, perhaps that the accivital matters are maintained, they dent was not in his round of duty. probably would soon realize that the The Nigerian state cannot do better permanently disadvantaged will until the significant majority of our never again throw red carpet for them. people are ready to take their destinies All geographical expressions that in their own hands. Nigerians must stop were held together by forces of arms the unprofitable and opportunistic colglobally like the old USSR, Czecho- laboration with each succeeding set of slovakia, eventually distingerated. wrongly headed rulers. Grumbling siEven the master imperialist, Great Brit- lently remains a pastime of those who ain, has been forced to concede law relish in misguided lamentations over making powers to the Irish Republic, their plight when they can take concrete and Scotland. In addition, Jamaica has steps to change their fortune. We must given Great Britain forwarding notice be ready to organize and mobilize ourof her intention to turn its nation state selves for street actions thereby forcing into a republic pretty soon. to step down many of the pretenders in The leadership of the National As- our public offices. sembly is seeing to be doing someThe Tunisian trader who immolated thing as the executive seems to be himself to kick start the Arab spring will irresponsive to the genuine feeling of forever remain a matyr. No progress most Nigerians over the unprec- can be made when the pre-occupations edented abduction of over 250 young of those elements who constitute the girls from Chibok College. The sin- middle class are mundane desire, eg. to gular motion by the House of Repre- bury their old parents, send their wards sentatives that the Service Chiefs must into the unreasonably expensive schools return the ladies to their parents within to announce their status symbols, how seven days or resign their appoint- to build their new mansion in Ikoyi, ments or commission is consistent Lekki or high brow Matama in Abuja, with desperate and abnormal situa- how to buy a customised new car or tion we are faced with. In fact, the ex- their intention either to marry the next ecutive, if it were to be sensitive should wife or acquire a much more glamorhave virtually halt all routine govern- ous new girl friend. In other words they ment activities until this young Nige- are pleasure lovers and fun seekers. rians are safely returned to their par- (apology to the immortal Fela ents. A wrongly headed Aba Moro Anikulapo Kuti in VIP, Vagabonds in that cannot emphathise with what the power, Suffering and Smiling etc). parents of the girls and most NigeriThis unworkable and unsustainable ans are going through should stop his status quo of the Nigerian state can only ministerial embarrassment by keep- be sustained by the collective pretening silent. Afterall, through his un- tious and inactions of us all. The cheatgodly scheme, unemployed youth ers and slave masters are adept at diwho showed up for the ministry of vide and rule strategy. If we continue Internal Affairs recruitment an- with our usual lamentations, the leadnouncement were rather dispatched ership of the Nigerian state will conto heaven in their youthful vibrant tinue to be pleased with our agonizing times instead of being employed. pastimes because they will remain in The most important reason why citi- office to serve themselves as they are zen surrender certain personal rights used to doing from time immemorial.

‘The cheaters and slave masters are adept at divide and rule strategy. If we continue with our usual lamentations, the leadership of the Nigerian state will continue to be pleased with our agonizing pastimes because they will remain in office to serve themselves as they are used to doing from time immemorial’

• Opadokun

Economist have exposed the unfortunate tardiness of the Jonathan Government on the ungodly abduction of over 250 young school girls from Chibok. Now that the entire global community is singing the same song and refrain – Bring back our girls Now”, the Jonathan Government will have to accept that fact that because the world is now a global community through technology no ruler can continue to misrule and misgovern for any longer times without being exposed. I think that majority of Nigerians will be very surprised and in consternation to know that Western Europe and the United States of America had offered assistance to the Nigerian state within 24 hours after the reportage of the abduction, yet the Nigerian government did not respond to the various offers for almost three weeks for reasons best known to our government. To run for the next election on this chain of misrule and obviously incompetent leadership is a misadventure of ambition in all ramifications. Having regard to the on-going national conference, the media reports and private discussion sessions with some delegates, the reality that some delegates mandate to the conference is to ensure that genuine agitations and campaign issues like true federalism, devolution of powers to the component parts, fiscal federalism are vehemently rejected is regrettable. Furthermore, the media reporting their opposition to the return to parliamentary system of government, wanting a retention of the unreasonably prohibitive executive presidential system is equally discomfiting. Matters relating to the boundary adjustment to guarantee that the rights of ethnic nationalities like the Ijaws, Yoruba, Nupe, Gwari/Gbayi who are currently balkanized into two three states or zones thereby making them permanently disadvantaged, are also being misguidedly opposed. This is a dangerous signal. There is no doubt that self determination is the anthem of this millennium. Every insensitive efforts to further the use of government coer-

‘Peace ‘ll return to Ogun APC’

GUN State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Senator Akinola Odunsi has said that there is no room for rascality in the chapter. The politician lamented that the chapter was enveloped in crisis became those who did not sow have come to reap. However, the senator from Ogun West said that the party leaders are committed to peace and the resolution of the crisis, saying that it is an internal affair. He berated some politicians for causing trouble through

their attempt to hijack the recent party congresses in favour of their candidates without recourse to the rule of law. Odunsi, who spoke with reporters in Ado-Odo Ota, said: “There is one party in Ogun state and, to my own knowledge and understanding, that party is the APC. Those factionalising the party think that, through their action, they will succeed. it is not possible. People don’t reap where they do not sow. The party does not belong to anybody and, if you think you can destroy by planting your surro-

gates here and there, it will not work. We struggle for the party in the state. But, to think you can hijack the structure we tirelessly fought for, it is not possible.” The politician said that, if the aggrieved leaders burry their differences and follow the rule of law, there will be peace. He added: “Enough is enough . The party is bigger than an individual. No way for such posturing in the state. We are ready to match whosoever believes he can truncate the laid down rules of the party in the state.”

• Odunsi

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23 2014

COMMENTARY

“M

OSQUES are surely Allah’s (sanctuary). Do not therefore desecrate them by associating anything with Allah” Q. 72:18 Today, Friday, May 23, 2014 is a day of history in Ibadan, Oyo State. In that Africa’s second largest city, all roads lead to Bodija Estate where His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and PresidentGeneral of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA) will commission an historic Islamic Centre for the Muslim residents of the estates and its environs. The construction of the strategically sighted Centre began in 1996 four years after the establishment of the Muslim Community in the area. The idea of establishing a Muslim community in Bodija germinated like a potent seed in 1992 when the late Professor Ismail Ayinla Babatunde (IAB) Balogun, who had then just retired from the University of Ilorin, returned to his house in Ibadan for permanent residence. He went round the houses of other Muslims who were resident in Bodija Estates and Environs and invited them for observance of the year’s Ramadan Tarawih at his residence. Before his arrival in Ibadan, some Muslim faithful had been observing Tarawih in Alhaji G.A.O. Oladimeji’s residence. However, following Professor Balogun’s appeal, in 1992, most of the Muslims in the area came together to observe that year’s Tarawih in his residence as he requested.

FEMI ABBAS ON femabbas756@gmail.com 08115708536

Bodija: A centre like a grandeur Islam; 4.Congregational prayers and lectures for good and healthy interaction of Muslims; 5.Organising Islamic Education for both the adult and youth members through modern methods, including the use of computer.

Challenges

Rallying Point

Impressed by this laudable move, some notable Muslim leaders, including Aare Abdul – Azeez Arisekola Alao and Alhaji (Omooba) Rasheed Adesokan, rallied round the group and gave their support to the conceptualisation and formation of the Community. There and then Omooba Adesokan promised to be hosting the Community’s Laylatul Qadr every year. And he did this until the Islamic Centre became ready for public use. The initial meetings of the Community were also hosted by him for the first couple of years until September, 1994 when some other members requested to host it. And this continued in rotational form until the Islamic Centre assumed a good enough shape for functional use. Although the process for incorporating the Community by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) commenced as soon as the Community was established in 1992, the certificate of incorporation was not ready until year 2000. Today, the Community, having been formally issued with registered Certificate No. 12,859 dated 28th April, 2000, has a total registered membership of 342 made up of men and women. And the number of children using the Centre for religious and social activities, including Madrasah almost doubles that of the adult.

The Centre

The main building of the Centre is the Mosque which consists of three floors. Its architectural, structural and electrical/mechanical drawings were done gratis by Architect M.A.T. Mogaji from Lagos, N.G.B. Fashola, Lagos and Tafa Salami of Ibadan respectively. The two storey edifice may not be as gargantuan as that of Ijebu Ayepe, Ogun State. But it proudly has the following facilities: 1.Ground Floor which conveniently accommodates about 1000 worshipers with provision for ablution and parking space 2.First Floor which accommodates about 500 female worshipers and ablution area 3. Second Floor which harbours a library, a sick bay and a multipurpose hall meant for public functions such as weddings and conferences. A unique hallmark feature of the building is the taste of the Makkah Sanctuary with which it is garlanded in a special grandeur. That taste is in form of the external extraordinarily beautiful marble of the sanctuary. The Centre is simply a cynosure for all its beholders.

Commissioning

To commission the Centre today is Nigeria’s foremost bridge builder, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa‘ad Abubakar CFR; MNI, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs despite his very tight schedule. His presence and function in

•The Bodija Islamic Centre

Ibadan today is the third of the like in the past one month in the Southwest region alone. He has consistently confirmed his able leadership as well as his nontribal inclination. And to be with his Eminence are the Governors of Lagos, Ogun and Osun states while that of Oyo will be the Chief Host. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Rt Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal will also be present. It is indeed a day to last in the memory of wellmeaning Muslims.

Executive Committees

Since its inception, the Community has had eight sets of Executive Committees each headed and administered by a Chairman who held office for a maximum period of three years if so re-elected on an annual basis at the Community’s Annual General Meeting. Thus, eight distinguished members have held the post of Chairman of the Community at different periods and thereby contributed immensely to the growth and achievements of the Community over the past 22 years. They are Professor Mohammed A. Badamas, an I.T. Specialist/Lecturer; Engineer M.A.B. Amao; Alhaji (Chief) L.B. Giwa, a Lawyer, late Alhaji A.R.O. Dele, an Accountant; Alhaji Jimo Alihu, a Pharmacist; Alhaji (Chief) R.S. Aruna, a Lawyer; Alhaji G.A.O. Oladimeji, an Educationist/Lecturer; and Alhaji K.T. Giwa, a Medical Laboratory Scientist and current Chairman of the Community.

Board of Trustees

The highly venerable Trustees of the Community so far are: Alhaji Abdul – Azeez Arisekola Alao (Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland), Alhaji (Omooba) Rasheed Adesokan (Baale of Bodija), Professor Lateef A. Salako, Late Prof. Rauf Sobulo, and Barrister (Chief) L.B. Giwa.

Functions

The functions of the Mosque adequately tally with the principal aims and objectives of the Community at inception. These include: 1.Propagation and spread of Islam in the Bodija Estates and Environs and Ibadan in general; 2.Construction and maintenance of a befitting Mosque and Islamic Centre for its activities; 3.Motivation of Muslim youths through attractive social activities and lectures on

Being like a lily by the mossy stone, the establishment of the Bodija Estates and Environs Muslim Community was not an easy task. Initially, the two Bodija Estates (old and new) had five places designated as official sanctuaries of worship but all of them were allocated to churches. Thereafter, 45 other unapproved Churches emerged through conversion of residential buildings in the two estates. Yet, when Bodija Muslim Community applied to the Oyo State Housing Corporation for a space to build one and the only Mosque in the area, the reply was that the spaces available had already been allocated to some other religious bodies (all of which were denominations of Christian religion) and that no land was available any longer to meet such a request from the Muslims. Thus for a very long time, successive regimes in the Oyo State Housing Corporation did not see any reason why the Muslims should have a place of worship. And when it pleased the Almighty Allah to pave way for securing a plot of land for building a Mosque in the vicinity, some nonMuslims in the Estates quickly went to court to challenge the right of the Muslims to build a Mosque. By that time, there were about 50 legal and illegal Churches in the two estates and no single Mosque. However, when it dawned on the challengers that they were going to lose judging by the trend of the case, they tactically opted for settlement out of court thanks to the high professional prowess of Barrister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) who defended the Muslim Community without asking for one kobo. Thus, today, the only Mosque in Bodija stands out conspicuous at the choicest place in the estate facing the famous Independence Square like the rock of Gibraltar. Alhamdu Lillah!

Mosque and Imam

Mosque and Imam are like message and messenger. There can hardly be any access to one without going through the other. In Islamic doctrine, the functions of a Mosque are both spiritual and temporal. For Muslims, none of these can be taken for granted. The word Mosque is the corrupt English pronunciation of the Arabic word ‘MASJID’ (called ‘Masgid’ in Egyptian dialect) which means a place of prostration. Contrary to the general misconception here in Nigeria, Mosque is not meant for SALAT alone. It serves many other purposes each of which has a fundamental significance. For instance the very first Mosque established in Islam by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Madinah was a multipurpose one. It was established in 622 C.E. That Mosque named the ‘Mosque of Qubah’ did not serve as a place of worship alone, it also served as a school, a library, a clinic, a court of law and even a parliament for the Muslim community. That was why the very first University in the world, (University of Cordoba), established in 967 CE by the Muslims in Spain, started as a Mosque. And, it will be recalled that even the three oldest Universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Mo-

rocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia, (each of which is well over 1000 years old) started as a Mosque. One cannot seriously talk about Mosque without fundamental reference to Imams and the congregations they lead. Actually, nothing is called Mosque without the congregations and their Imams.

The First Mosque in Islam

When the Prophet established the Mosque of Qubah, he did not design itfor Salat alone. He knew that Muslims would seek knowledge and therefore attached school and library to it. He knew that Muslim women and children would need thorough education about Islam and therefore provided for their learning. He knew that by the nature of Islam, Muslims would always need to clean up before offering Salat. He therefore attached toilets and baths to the Mosque. He knew that members of his congregation would disagree on certain issues and seek resolution or redress. He therefore attached court to the Mosque. He knew that some Muslims would fall sick and require medical care. He therefore attached clinic to the Mosque. He knew that there would be need to plan strategy for propagating Islam and for protecting Muslim interest against internal or external aggression. He therefore attached a deliberation forum to the Mosque in the name of parliament. He knew that his congregation would need a secure place to keep their money and other valuables and therefore attached a bank called ‘Baytul Mal’ to the Mosque. Thus, the Mosque is the centre of all Islamic activities, including legitimate business transactions. That is why Islam is the total way of a Muslim’s life rather than a mere dogmatic religion in which secularism is confusedly proclaimed based on the theory of separation of state from faith. Today, most Islamic activities have virtually been severed from our Mosques and that is why Nigerian Muslims are contented with just a small space to build a small Mosque where they can offer Salat and disperse. Even in doing this no thought is ever given to any possible future increase in the population of the congregation. The result is that most of our Mosques have no space for anything other than Salat. Imams are appointed as leaders not just because they lead their congregations in Salat but much more because they are charged with the responsibility of guiding the Ummah aright and admonishing them against wrongdoings. They are supposed to be typically what Prophet Muhammad (SAW) called shepherds. And their congregations are supposed to be their herds. That our Mosques have not lived up to expectation is not the end of the story. Righting the wrong is one of the foremost characteristics of Islam. It is better to be late in doing the right thing than not doing the right thing at all. We can still start to put things right as from today. As a special elite Muslim Community, Bodija and Environs Islamic Centre must be different from the general perception of Muslim Communities in Nigeria. It must stand out of the pack. It may start this by taking the census of its congregation with a view to knowing the worshipers more closely. It must ensure the setting up committees such as for social welfare; for education; for health; for conflict resolution; for Zakah; for guidance and counseling; for economic growth and skill building; as well as for information and publicity. Each of these committees should have experts in the listed areas as their chairmen while competent persons should be put in charge of those committees and direct them as to what to do and how to do it. And as a matter of trust and sincere commitment to the service of Allah, this Centre should not operate without an economic blueprint that can enhance the economic wherewithal of its members. As a Muslim community, we have lived with a system for hundreds of years without achieving the necessary objective. In the process, we have lost most of our best hands and even our best brains to the other side of the bridge. We cannot afford to surge ahead with an unprofitable venture. We must change the system! The Muslim Ummah must be made to see why they need the Mosque as much as why the Mosque needs them. Experimenting with a new system will not only put a stop to basking in the euphoria of the past, it will also engender a durable legacy for the current generation of Nigerian Muslims. Those who want progress for Islam must adhere strictly to the guiding norms of Mosques as prescribed by Islam.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

•Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde (second left) speaking at a press briefing to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s third year anniversary at Bagauda Kaltho’s Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja. With him are Permanent Secretary, Mrs Oluwatoyin Ajayi (left); Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Raji and Director , Press and Public Relations Officer Mrs Ronke Osho.

•All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Legal Adviser Dr Muiz Banire (second right) with (from right) Member, Lagos State House of Assembly Hon Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun; Amir (President) The Companion, Alhaji Musibau Oyefeso and Chairman, Agege Local Government Alhaji Jubreel AbdulKareen during Rhesus Factor Day Walk for Life organised by Rhesus Solution Initiative (RSI) in Lagos •Mr Emmanuel Etti of Public and Governmental Affairs Department of ExxonMobil (left); converner, Doctors Discuss Malaria Conference, Dr Yetunde AyoOyalowo and keynote speaker and Professor of Paediatrics, University of Ilorin, Olugbenga Mokuolu, at the conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to mark the World Malaria Day.

•Key Business Promoter (KBP) Ripples Media Ltd Kolade Owolabi (left) and Dolvera Outdoor Advertising Communications Chief Executive Officer Chidi Nwachukwu, , at the eighth Exhibition and Poster Awards by Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

•Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III (middle) with his Royal Ambassador Aare Ayandotun Ayanlakin and his wife Chief Oyejoke during a visit of the chief to the Alaafin at his palace in Oyo

•Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi speaking at the ministerial press briefing to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s third year anniversary at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Lagos. With him are Permanent Secretary, Debt Management Office, Mrs Olabowale Ademola (left); her counterparts in the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Oluwatoyin Adegbuyi-Onikoyi (right) and Mrs Oluranti Odutola (Information and Strategy).

•Chairman, Senate Committee on Information Enyinaya Abaribe (second left) presenting an award to Marketing Director, Nigeria Breweries (NB) Plc, Mr Walter Drenth at the 18th Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria award in Lagos. With them is NB’s Corporate Affairs Adviser Mr Kufre Ekanem (right) and Chairman, House Committee on Information Buba Jubril

•Chairman, Badagry West Local Council Development Area, Mr Bamgbose Hontonyon presenting the council’s budget proposal to House Leader, Rebeca Hunsa Arije. With them are Council Manager Kunle Whenu (left); Nupo Semande; Abraham Peter and others

•Mushin Local Government Chairman Olatunde Adepitan (second left) with (from left) Supervisor for Market Hon Taofeek Oriyomi; the marked master Mr Olajide Akinola and market leader Alhaja Taiwo Alimi during the inspection of the burnt portion of Daleko market in the council. •Chairman, Club Quilox Shina Peller greets Principal, Pacelli School for the Blind and Paratially Sighted Children, Sr Jane Onyeneri after donating materials to the school to mark his birthday. With them is Akinlabi Peller.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SOCIETY

A compendium, “Centennial Epoch: Memories and Legacies of the Nigerian State”, written by 36 professors from various universities and edited by Biodun Akinpelu of the Lagos State University (LASU), has been presented at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports.

HE title of the book provokes a deeper reflection on Nigeria and its future. The “Centennial Epoch: Memories and Legacies of the Nigerian State”, was launched on May 7, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Victoria Island, Lagos. It was edited by Biodun Akinpelu of the Faculty of Education Lagos State University (LASU) A technocrat and former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Adegunle Shonekan, was shocked that he was chosen to chair the event. “I still feel a little bit uncomfortable,” Shonekan said, throwing the audience into laughter. “I was just wondering what I’m going to say among most of you whom I consider bundle of brains. But I’m going to be smarter all the same. Although this book represents 36 scholars, it is being launched during the nation’s centennial celebrations. So, I will seize the opportunity to again reflect on our journey so far, and the reason why we need to remain committed to one united Nigeria regardless of our differences…” And so the event began. It was a mix of serious business and humour. Guests spoke of the need for the largest black continent to retrace its steps and reclaim its position in the comity of nations. Popular comedian Hafeez Oyetoro, who co-anchored the event with Prof Siyan Oyeweso, toned down things with his rib-cracking jokes. After the opening prayer and National Anthem, Oyetoro took over, doing what he knows how to do best. Defending his “Yorubaic” spoken English, he pleaded that his accent should be tagged ‘industrila English. “We have two types of spoken English- the Queen’s English and the Industrial English. “The Queen’s English has a taste of British accent in it and speakers often speak via their nostrils. But mine is Industrial English which originated from my Iseyin home town where I was taught in ‘Yoruba Iseyin’ all through my primary school years, before I started learning the general Yoruba and then later English Language. So, when I heard anything in English, I first translate it into my Iseyin dialect, then to the general Yoruba after which I now interpret it in English before I can fully comprehend the meaning.” Former Ogun State Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who was the chief facilitator, went comical. He said God gave him the rare privilege of being the “boss” of the only two Yoruba that ever ruled Nigeria, throwing humorous jabs at Shonekan and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. “Chief Shonekan served as Presi-

‘ To my dear Nigeria’ •From left: Admiral Ebhaleme; Prof Adeniran; Otunba Daniel; Chief Shonekan; Chairman DN Meyer Sir Remi Omotosho and Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor Mrs Funmi Olunloyo during the unveiling of the book.

•Chief Gbadamosi

•Prof Akinpelu

•From left: Former Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Provost, Dr Noah Olumuyiwa; Oyetoro and Prof Oyeweso.

dent of the country while Chief Obasanjo served first as military head of state and as two-time democratic president. But when the two retired, I had the opportunity to be their governor. With this, I think Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Osun should just continue to concede the presidency to Ogun people,” he said. He recounted how he received a team of professors who sought to use him as a bridge in reaching out to other personalities ahead of the event. “I was scared when I received some guests on a courtesy visit in my house, and everybody that came introduced him or herself as a professor. I was no longer the governor then, but I began to wonder if as a politician, I can fit into their mould. I was being careful enough not to commit blunder. So they told me their mission and I felt privileged that they did not ask me to bring moneybags but individuals with passion for value.” Former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Prof Tunde Adeniran represented former military president Ibrahim Babangida, said the book

reflect on Nigerian. “When I was invited,” he recounted, “I think we have had enough of publications, but it was the title that first raised my interest. We just celebrated 100 years without making deep reflection on the state of Nigeria, and this book has ignited that. However, Gen. Babangida sees light at the end of the tunnel. “We must reinvent our hopes. We must encourage a democratic system that permits that we come together and discuss how we can move our nation forward irrespective of whatever we say about the artificiality of Nigeria. “I am of the view that whatever challenges Nigeria may face today, as a nation; the battlefield will never provide solutions. As a professional soldier trained to defend my country, I know that true soldiers even when they dread the battlefield, are never afraid of laying down their lives for a just cause. I also know that wars are destructive and rarely resolve conflicts, neither are they the preferred choice even as a last resort under any circumstances.”

Book reviewer and renowned economist Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi described the book as “fascinating”, saying it “contains all the things that made us as a nation” Gbadamosi noted that there was no intellectual angle to the Federal Government’s centenary celebration in February, describing the book as a material that may now serve that purpose. Gbadamosi said the book reinforced his thoughts on the Nigerian experience and reflection in terms of legacies of Nigerian state. “When I was growing up, promises were high on the nation’s growth to greatness. But when it comes to a stage where the leaders of tomorrow are abducted, slaughtered what does that say to all of us? “There is a descent to wickedness in several parts of the country; and those in charge appear to be wringing their hands in defeat. We seem to be going backward. I suggest we all take this book one by one, reflect on what have been happening and tap from the lessons from the book,” he said. Admiral Peter Ebhaleme urged

AWARD •From right: Principal, Vocational Training for the Blind, Mr Ogunsiji Idowu; Alhaja Ramotallah Ogunmuyiwa; former Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Alhaja Rekiat Ajao and Hakeem Opadijo displaying their plaque after being honoured for their contribution to their community by the Oshodi Noble Heritage

the Federal Government to adopt the book as its Centenary project. Ebhaleme said the book captures Nigeria’s triumph and predicament. Expressing gratitude to guests, Prof Akinpelu said he was inspired to write the book for posterity. “Nobody can write Nigeria’s history like ourselves, he said. According to him, his experience shows that the present crop in the academia is getting older with little or no research to bequeath to the coming generation. “I noticed that there are unutilised brains in universities. No continuity of research. We are getting older; we are dying! “I then asked myself: ‘What will the academia do to make greater the future of the Nigerian state?’ “I then moved around each of the 36 states nationwide and gathered 36 professors. These are professors in the universities whom the world does not know. The book took 28 months to be completed. I remember Prof Oyindamola who brought her contributions in less than two months, but she later died of stress shortly thereafter.

BIRTHDAY

•Mr Maruff Adebowale Adeyemi assisted by his wife, Kehinde to cut his 50th birthday cake

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SOCIETY

The Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State, Oba Abdul-Razaq Adenugba, installed the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, as the Yeyeloro of Ago-Iwoye. JEREMIAH OKE reports.

HEY all came to honour her. The palace of the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State, Oba Abdul-Razaq Adesina Adenugba was a beehive of activities that day as Iyaloja General of Nigeria Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo was installed the Yeyeloro of AgoIwoye. It was at the 10th coronation anniversary of the monarch. Market women across the country, who graced the occasion, wore a uniform yellow and blue head gears to add colour to the event. The Iyaloja-General, whose installation climaxed the week-long activities marking the event was resplendent in an all-white attire. Also honoured was business magnate Otunba Alex Onabanjo, who was recognised for his contributions to the development of Ogun State. Oba Adenugba was in a flowing purple Aso-Ofi Agbada, his traditional crown and a pair of black shoes. As he wagged the horsetail (Irukere), his subjects and guests hailed: Kaaabiyesi ooo. Mrs Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, came with her husband, Hon Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, a member of the House of Representatives from Efon/Ijero West Constituency in Ekiti State. Her husband was in all-blue Agbada lace. They and other guests stormed the palace around midday. They were led by the palace chiefs to the main hall dancing. The event started with the chiefs and other traditional leaders taking turns to pray. The monarch decorated the Iyaloja with the traditional Akoko leaves and placed on her head the ceremonial cap. Oba Adenugba said she deserved the honour. “Our Iyaloja deserves this title in all ramifications. You shall continue to be prosperous and have the will to continue your good work,” he said. The Yeyeloro said it was a privilege to be given the title, promising to take up the responsibility of the office. “I will do my best whenever there is need for that. To whom much is given, much is expected. I will try to contribute my quota to the development of Ago-Iwoye whenever the need arises,” she said. The Iyaloja of Akile-Ijebu, Alhaja Sadia Elewuju, said the market women in Ogun State were with the Yeyeloro. Alhaja Elewuju described Mrs Tinubu-Ojo as a gentle and intelligent woman, who understands the culture of the land. A son of the former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Hon Deji Jakande, said the title was

A woman of honour

•Oba Adenugba praying for Chief Tinubu-Ojo after the installation

•Hon Ojo

•Olorogun Sunny Kuku

•Chief Martins-Kuye (left) and Major Gen. Awosanya

conferred on her for her contributions to humanity. A family friend and a veteran journalist, Mr Kayode Ajala, described her as a woman of potential, urging her to continue with the good work. Her husband congratulated her

with a bear hug and a kiss. “You are a woman of integrity who has been supportive at home. I am not entertaining any fear that you are up to the task because you have proved to be a pillar in all ramifications,” he said. A member of the House of Rep-

resentatives, Hon Lanre Odubote, from Epe Constituency, said she deserved the honour. Renowned Juju musician Chief Ebenezer Obey entertained guests. At the event were Chief Jubril Martins-Kuye; Chairman of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of

FUNERAL

•Deputy Chief Whip, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Hon Emmanuel Akpan and wife, receiving Governor Godswill Akpabio at the funeral of the lawmaker’s mother, Mrs Patricia Isidore Udoete

Lagos State, Oloruntoba Oke; members of the House of Representatives; members of the Lagos State House of Assembly; members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly; local government chairmen and APC members across the Southwest.

BIRTHDAY

•Infrastructure Bank Managing Director Adekunle Oyinloye assisted by his wife, Foluke to cut his 50th birthday cake in Lekki, Lagos

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

SOCIETY WEDDING

COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS Master of ceremonies and trouble shooting

•From left: Mrs Sosan; bride's father, Otunba Oguntuase; the couple, Adetomiwa and Olufunmilayo; Mrs Fashola and bride’s mother Mrs Oguntuase

Union of lovebirds

LUFUNMILAYO Morenikeji, the daughter of Otunba Ben Oguntuase, former Special Adviser, Policy and Strategy to ex-Governor Segun Oni of Ekiti State got married to Adetomiwa Aderemi Gbadebo at BICS Garden, Wole Olateju Crescent, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase I, Lagos last Saturday. The bride’s mother is Mrs Florence Modupe Oguntuase, Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions. Among personalities present at the event were Ekiti State

•Dr Fayemi

•Groom's mum Princess Aderemi-Gbadebo

•Groom's father Chief Gbadebo

Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi; wife of Lagos State Governor Dame Abimbola Fashola;

former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs Sarah Sosan, and the parents of the groom,

Chief Simeon Adebisi Gbadebo (JP) and Princess Yewande Aderemi-Gbadebo.

AQDUN NIKAH

•From left: Bride’s mother, retired Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Manager Alhaja Falilat Adeneka; the groom, Tops Aluminium LtdDirector Mallam AbdulAzeez Adebanjo and wife Sherifah and representative of groom’s mother, Managing Director Remmy Photos Mrs Oluremi Adetayo at the Aqdun Nikah in Lagos

•Groom’s father Alhaji Rasak Adebanjo (left) and bride’s father Arch Mubasiru Olaniyi

•Alhaja Nurat Adebanjo

FTER last week’s article, my intention was to move on to another subject on public speaking but I suddenly felt compelled to go a step further on brief remarks. I’ll tell you why. I had the opportunity of being the master of ceremonies AMODU LANRE OLAOLU (MC) at an event after I wrote the (Ph.D) sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com. last article, then I realized that I 07034737394 hadn’t written much on handling @lanreamodu eventualities in events. Yes, we mentioned that events hardly ever go exactly as planned, but we did not say anything about dealing with difficult guests. Guests are like customers that are said to be always right. If you know you cannot put up with them, why invite them? You’ve got to accommodate them no matter what. First, understand that there are four major types of guests: •Critical Guests: these guests are very sensitive and can be quite expressive with their views. They have an “entitlement” mentality and would rather you don’t invite them than to treat them shabbily. They consider themselves as idealists so they don’t mind speaking out on behalf of other guests. All you need is a handful of them to disrupt your programme. •Indifferent Guests: these are guests who care less about your event; they are really not particular about attending. Then why did they come? You may ask. Well, it could be that some of them felt you would be offended if they didn’t show up. Some might come with their parents or spouses because they were compelled. Some others might have even come because of the food and not have much interest in anything else. These are the people who will not be amused by anything you do. The good part is that they are not likely to complain audibly either. •Courteous Guests: these are very polite guests who will try to be as cooperative as possible. They will laugh politely every time it is appropriate (even when the joke is not funny). They easily understand and sympathize with the organizer if anything goes wrong. You should pray that you have more of these guests than the first two categories. •Cordial Guests: these guests are all for you. Not only do they love you, they also enjoy every bit of the event. As far as they are concerned, nothing you do can be wrong. These are the people who will give the loudest cheers and participate in the event. Not only will they respond to the MC when he speaks directly to the audience, they may even volunteer themselves to go on stage if required. Trust me, these are the best people you want in your event. Several things can go wrong with well planned events. For instance, guests may not arrive on time, there may be power failure with backup generating sets not responding, the guest speaker may disappoint, and the list goes on and on. From experience, however, I can tell you that the two things that had better not go wrong with your event are time and food. If your programme scheduled for 10:00am starts at 11:00am, you will have questions to answer. I personally believe that if your programme starts on schedule, it says a lot about your level of discipline. But at the same time, things may go wrong. What if it is supposed to be a concert and the main performer fails to show up? The MC must bear the brunt. If the food is not served on time or it is not sufficient, that means trouble. Have you ever seen souvenirs being shared at events? Imagine how well dressed ladies and fine looking gentlemen throw caution to the wind to grab one! When things go wrong at events, each of the categories of guests presented above reacts differently. While the critical guests complain bitterly and insist on getting their ‘dues,’ the indifferent guests look on and wonder why in the world they came in the first place, and the courteous guests bear with the host and understand that it could happen to anyone. The cordial guests simply overlook it, believing that other aspects of the programme have well compensated for the lapses; beside, celebrating with the host is more important than anything else. So, as the MC, how do you deal with unforeseen circumstances? •Within the first few minutes of the event, identify each of the four categories in your audience. Also, keep their sitting positions in mind. •When you need people to respond to what you are saying, turn towards the cordial, and the courteous will flow along. For instance, you should never ask a critical or an indifferent guest to come on stage for an entertaining illustration. •If you need to make explanations for things not going according to plan, focus on the critical guests and appeal to their sense of understanding. The indifferent guests won’t complain audibly, the courteous would understand and the cordials won’t even notice. This is not to say that you ignore the other groups, you only give priority to the critics. •When guests put the blame on ‘you organizers’ and you are expected to explain as the most visible person, you should not exonerate yourself by claiming to be ‘just the MC.’ You are expected to humbly accept responsibility and assure them that you are working seriously to make sure that they enjoy themselves. Sometimes, it is even advisable not to attempt to explain or the guests may get more agitated; simply nod and apologize, promising to look into “it” immediately. •When guests call you aside and make requests that are beyond your area of influence, simply assure them that you will look into it, and pass on the request to someone else so that you can concentrate on your task. As I usually say, there is more on this topic than we can possible cover within the time and space we have. But in the mean time, I think I can now leave this subject alone. Let’s hope I don’t feel ‘compelled’ to revisit it again. Dr. Amodu teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ogun State.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS (SHOWBIZ) Modenine set to release sixth album By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

•From left: (Back row) Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji; Managing Director of Ray Power FM, Mr. Kenny Ogungbe; CEO Now Muzik and COSON Board member, Mr. Efe Omorogbe; Hon H.A.B. Fasinro of Smooth FM; Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa; COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji and DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. Afam Ezekude at the historic agreement signing ceremony between COSON and the broadcast industry in Nigeria.

COSON, broadcast industry settle rift T HE Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) on Wednesday signed a music copyright royalty agreement with the entire broadcasting industry in Nigeria at a ceremony held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event was witnessed by the Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba; Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. Afam Ezekude; DirectorGeneral, Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa, who is also the chairman of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria, and several top

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

government officials. The agreement brings to an end the prolonged disagreement between the Nigerian music and broadcast industry, a development that culminated in a major crisis in the last quarter of 2013. Mba commended the chairman of COSON, Tony Okoroji, for what he described as his doggedness and commitment to the respect of intellectual property rights in the Nigerian creative industry. “This historic event isn’t just about the Nigerian music industry, but the creative industry at large. This is about the respect of in-

tellectual property in Nigeria. Let us all see this as the beginning of better things to come for the Nigerian creative industry. This goes to tell other sectors that have been abusing creativity that the time is up,” he said. Following series of copyright infringement law suits filed by COSON against some of Nigeria’s broadcasting stations in 2013, the stations, under the aegis of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN), announced the suspension of the broadcast of the music of some of the best known artistes in the

country. This resulted in massive public outcry across the country followed by an all-out media war between the music and broadcast industry. In reaction, the NBC and NCC stepped in, in an attempt to resolve the matter. This led to the setting up of the COSON/BON/IBAN/NBC/ NCC Joint Committee. Under the auspices of the committee, comprehensive negotiations had gone on between COSON and broadcasting stations in Nigeria since the beginning of 2014. Okoroji, in his address, said Nigeria had run away from addressing the problem, leaving many frustrated, while

driving important investments out of the country for many years. “There are many who had given up, believing that the problem would never be solved. Finally, we have sat on the same table with the broadcasting industry and made stringent efforts to find a working agreement on important issues that have stood between our music and broadcasting industries. It may appear like a miracle, but it has happened,” he added. In attendance were key music industry players, including Lagbaja, Ras Kimono, Azeezat, Daddy Fresh and KSB, among others.

IGERIAN Hip hop and rap act Babatunde Olusegun, alias Modenine, is reportedly warming up to release his sixth studio album titled: Above Ground Level. The sensational rapper, who has won the Lyricist on the Roll award at The Headies six times, will release the album after his forthcoming AGL tour, it was learnt. The 39-year-old artiste, who was born in London, moved back to Lagos in the ‘90s and later studied Building Technology at the Bida Polytechnic, Niger State. While in school, he met Ayo Animashaun, a publisher who eventually introduced him to Solo Dee and his Payback Tyme Records. Through Solo Dee, he met El Dee, Mr. Baron, Six Foot Plus, De Weez and El-Cream and they formed the Swatroot. After producing The IX Files, Modenine released his acclaimed debut, Malcolm IX - The Lost Sessions- on Payback Tyme Records in 2004. This was followed closely by Pentium IX -The Mixtape. In 2008, he had the opportunity to tour Singapore and Malaysia alongside Terry tha Rapman. He was also a judge in the ‘Sprite Emcee Africa’ competition, a South African- based freestyle battle and talent search. In the same year, he released Paradigm Shift independently on his own Redeye Muzik imprint.

Leave me out of Angela Okorie’s trouble, says Prince Eke

T seems the last has not been heard about the controversy involving Nollywood actress Angela Okorie. It all started recently in South Africa when she was arrested for allegedly

By Mercy Michael

stealing $3,200. She, however, denied the allegation in an interview, claiming that she was set up by a man named Prosper. Obviously miffed, Prince

Eke, a friend to both parties, has said he does not wish to be involved into the issue. In a statement, the actor expressed his sincere apologies to his fans, family, friends and colleagues for being enmeshed in the saga.

wanted to help an up-and- coming artiste to realise her ‘ Idream in movie-making in South Africa. This is not the first time I am doing this. I have always been into charity works. But unfortunately, this has put me and my name in a messy situation, just because I had to speak the truth

’

•Prince Eke

•Okorie

“I wanted to help an upand- coming artiste to realise her dream in moviemaking in South Africa. This is not the first time I am doing this. I have always been into charity works. But unfortunately, this has put me and my name in a messy situation, just because I had to speak

the truth. I say so because morally, I couldn’t stand to see or witness another man messing around with another man’s wife. “And for my fans, family and friends, I am sorry for being mentioned in such a dirty topic. I stand to be corrected. God bless you all,” he added.

•Modenine

Actress laments Chike Bryan’s illness

INCE the national president of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria, Chike Bryan, was diagnosed with kidney-related disease about six months ago, Nollywood actress, Franca Brown and some of her colleagues have taken it upon themselves to solicit financial assistance for the ailing scriptwriter. In a recent chat with HVP, the veteran actress, who hit the limelight after her role in the now rested soap opera, Behind the Cloud, said: “It is a big shame that while Bryan hails from somewhere, his relatives are doing nothing to assist him financially.” She, however, commended the efforts of some of her colleagues who have been supporting the ailing script writer, financially. “Our prayer is that God should continue to keep him alive. That young man deserves to live. Wherever I am, I always

tell people that they should not forget him. I commend the efforts of some of my colleagues who have been supporting him, financially. He’s been sustained in one way or the other. But it’s a big shame that his kinsmen

are doing nothing to assist him. We are not happy about their attitude.” Byran, who has written scripts of several Nollywood films, has been down with kidney- related ailment for about a year. He needs about N10 million for transplant in India.

•Bryan

•Brown

By Mercy Michael

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

MONEYLINK External reserves cover 86% foreign obligations, says RenCap

HE Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves which stood at $37.4 billion on May 20 will cover over 86 per cent of the country’s foreign obligations relating to debt services and imports, Renaissance Capital (RenCap), has said. In an emailed report obtained yesterday, the investment and research firm, said that aside Nigeria and the Gambia, many other Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies, and other Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets, remain vulnerable to debt de-

Stories by Collins Nweze

fault. It said a review of their proportion of new financing (PNF) needs showed the proportion by which current uses of foreign income (debt service, imports) exceed current foreign resources (exports, transfers and reserves) in many of the affected countries. RenCap explained that in countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya, a review showed that their uses of for-

eign reserves are larger than resources, so new financing is needed to avoid a default, or an import adjustment via currency devaluation. For Nigeria, it said the naira is not in the least vulnerable to debt default. “But we maintain our projection of devaluation in the short-term, premised on our view of downside risk to foreign exchange reserves, in the run up to the February 2015 polls. The 2014 and 2015 naira forecasts are at N172 to a dollar and N175 to a dollar, respectively,” it said.

“Of concern are Ghana and Rwanda, where the uses of foreign income marginally exceed their respective foreign resources. This implies Ghana and Rwanda need additional foreign financing, in the short term, to meet their foreign obligations,” it said. RenCap said empirical analysis of developing countries’ experience showed that debt service difficulties become increasingly likely when present value (PV) evaluation of debt/exports reaches 200 per cent. It said shocks that could trigger a default, in a country vulnerable in foreign exchange shortage, include a change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, terms of trade and foreign interest rates. It said the market expects the US to start hiking interest rates in the second quarter of next year even as the subsequent narrowing of the risk premium on Emerging Markets and FM debt is expected to slow net foreign portfolio inflows into the latter debt markets. “In Kenya, we project higher interest rates over the next 18 months which should help counter the impact of higher US rates and in Ghana, we think there is upside risk to rates. But in Nigeria, we think rates could fall from June 2015. We believe the SSA

Demand for T-bills surge, yields drop

EMAND for Nigeria’s shortterm debt has surged, driving yields down 1.43 percentage points on average across maturities. According to Reuters, subscription rose more than four-fold the amount sold during Wednesday’s auction, but the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stuck to its initial offer. It said Nigeria received N520.7 billion in subscriptions for Treasury

bills ranging from three-month to one-year maturities. The CBN had offered N121.32 billion worth of the debt notes, and strong demand from local pension fund and assets managers pushed down yields across the board. Dealers said demand for the debt notes was heavy due to a large amount of liquidity in the banking system and offshore investors hunting for yields with the 1-year note

receiving bulk of the subscription. The CBN sold N40.6 billion in the 91-day paper at 10 per cent returns, compared with 10.5 per cent at the last auction on May 7. It sold N25 billion in the 182-day bills at 10.01 per cent against 11.24 per cent at the previous auction, while a total of N55.68 billion was sold in the one-year Treasury Bill at the rate of 10.12 per cent compared with 12.7 per cent previously.

Dollar rises with US yields, euro holds above lows

HE dollar rose against major currencies as higher US bond yields revived appeal for the greenback, while the euro recovered from recent lows on upbeat economic data. The dollar’s gains were limited by a bigger-than-expected rise in US weekly jobless claims, while the shared currency has remained pressure by bets the European Central Bank will loosen monetary policy next week to avert deflation. The yen, which had fared well on worries about the global economy and conflict in the Ukraine, broadly underperformed as investor senti-

ment improved. The dollar index that gauges its value against the euro, yen and four other currencies was up 0.17 percent at 80.232, bringing its month-to-date gain to 0.95 percent. The euro fell 0.2 per cent versus the greenback at $1.3655 , recovering from a three-month low of $1.36345 on Wednesday, while the dollar gained 0.3 percent against the yen at 101.63 yen after hitting a 3-1/ 2-month low against the yen a day earlier. Higher US Treasuries yields helped the dollar’s recovery, but analysts said it was unclear whether

Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year

35m 35m

11.039 12.23

19-05-2014 18-05-2016

it could be sustained. “It’s been difficult to assess the dollar because yields have fallen to these fairly low levels,” said Sireen Harajli, currency strategist at Mizuho Corporate Bank in New York. US 10-year Treasury yields, which have a good correlation with the dollar/yen pair, edged up to 2.54 percent. Last week, they hit 2.473 per cent, the lowest since October. The dollar’s rise was held back by a larger-than-forecast rise in weekly domestic first-time for unemployment benefits, raising doubts about another month of strong payroll increase.

NIDF

OBB Rate

COBANK has signed a $200 million facility with African Development Bank (AfDB) to boost intra-regional trade in Africa, the Pan-African lender told Reuters yesterday. “This facility will greatly support international and intra-regional trade in Africa,” Ecobank CEO Albert Essien said in a statement. The facility comprises a trade facilitation and origination loan and

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

Amount 30m 46.7m

Rate % 10.96 9.62

Date 28-04-2012 “

GAINERS AS AT 22-5-14

SYMBOL O/PRICE OANDO 16.59 IKEJAHOTEL 0.81 HONYFLOUR 3.81 MANSARD 2.30 AVONCROWN 1.54 UAC-PROP 17.05 CADBURY 70.95 MOBIL 120.03 FO 163.50 FBNH 13.21 BERGER 9.70

C/PRICE 18.28 0.86 4.00 2.41 1.61 17.80 73.84 124.90 169.20 13.65 10.00

CHANGE 1.69 0.05 0.19 0.11 0.07 0.75 2.89 4.87 5.70 0.44 0.30

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m 400m EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD NGN GBP

147.6000 239.4810

149.7100 244.0123

150.7100 245.6422

-2.11 -2.57

NGN EUR 212.4997 NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) 149.7450 (S/N) Bureau de Change 152.0000 (S/N)

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

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 22-5-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

CAVERTON ACADEMY CUTIX BETAGLAS LEARNAFRCA JOSBREW AIRSERVICE COURTVILLE NEIMETH OASISINS

8.58 1.80 2.00 17.96 1.82 3.24 2.36 0.66 1.12 0.53

C/PRICE 7.76 1.71 1.90 17.07 1.73 3.08 2.25 0.63 1.07 0.51

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917

Amount Sold ($) 399.9m 399.9m 399.9m

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

Exchange Rate (N) 155.75 155.8 155.7

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

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

NSE

6-2-14

28-10-11

% Change

CAP Index

N13.07tr 40,766.16

N6.617tr 20,903.16

-1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name 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

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

CHANGE -0.82 -0.09 -0.10 -0.89 -0.09 -0.16 -0.11 -0.03 -0.05 -0.02

will support around $1.8 billion of trade transactions in Africa over a 31/2 years, from local corporates and small and medium sized businesses, the bank said. The overarching objective of the AfDB Group is to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in its regional member countries (RMCs), thus contributing to poverty reduction.

DATA BANK

Price Loss 2754.67

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10%

countries at most risk from a fall in foreign resources PNF greater than one, such as Ghana. This risk may be partly mitigated by investors shifting from debt to equities,” it said. RenCap said countries with a high PNF need weaker currencies for their current account to become less problematic for their debt sustainability. “We think further Ghana Cedi depreciation, a weaker Kenya Shillings and a more flexible Rwanda Franc would help temper import demand, narrow current account deficits and by implication, the flow of debt. We believe the scope for a smaller current account deficit in Ghana, and by implication slower debt growth, will remain small unless there is a significant fiscal contraction,” it said.

Ecobank signs $200m trade loan with AfDB

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33

•CBN Acting Governor Mrs Sarah Alade

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 FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 22-05-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 22-05-14

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

EQUITIES

Skye Bank raises $150m new capital

KYE Bank Plc has raised a total of $150 million tier 11 capital as part of the measures to beef up its equity and working capital. Group managing director, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, disclosed this yesterday in Lagos at the bank’s pre-annual general meeting media briefing. According to him, the capital raising exercise was in tandem with the approval the shareholders of the bank gave to the board at the last annual general meeting. He noted that the new capital would strengthen the bank as a solid institution pointing out that the bank would use its enhanced strength to further intervene in

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

funding critical sectors of the economy to bring about national development. According to him, the bank has been one of the leading financiers in key sectors of the economy including oil and gas industry, real estate development, agriculture and education among others. He said the bank would over the next three years focus on enhancing its commercial and retail banking business to complement its hugely successful corporate banking franchise. According to him, the bank has

designed new retail banking strategies that would aid the mobilization of cheap deposit, increase lending to individuals and small and medium businesses and generally bridge the financial gap in the society. Oguntayo put the bank’s total funding of agriculture at over N15 billion traversing cocoa processing, animal production, among others. He however called for the revamping of the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation to be able to guarantee agric loans in a manner that will encourage banks to fund the sector more. Skye Bank Plc grew net profit by about 27 per cent to N16 billion in

2013 as the bank optimized constrained top-line deliver better returns to shareholders. Key extracts of the audited report and accounts of the bank for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that net profit rose from N12.64 billion in 2012 to N16.02 billion in 2013. The board of directors of the bank has recommended distribution of N3.97 billion to shareholders, representing a dividend per share of 30 kobo. Earnings per share had risen to N1.21 in 2013 as against N1.01 in 2012. The report showed a profit before tax of N17.136 billion in 2013, a modest increase on N16.510 billion recorded in 2012. Other high-

lights of the result include growth in total assets from N1.073 trillion to N1.116 trillion, while deposit liabilities also increased from N966 billion to N996 billion. Gross earnings stood at N127.3billion in 2013 compared with N127.73 billion in 2012. The bank’s total equity grew during the review period from 106.8 billion in 2012 to N120 billion in 2013, indicating the bank’s financial stability. Loans and receivables also rose to N549.8 billion from N540.3 billion. As a measure of its growing good loan portfolio, the bank’s net interest income shot up to N61.69 billion from N44.5 billion in 2012, an increase of 38 per cent.

CBN harps on ethics as FMDQ licenses dealing members

FBN Holdings launches short-term growth plan

BN Holdings Plc has launched a new short-term strategic growth plan that will enhance the leadership position of the holding company and ensure better returns to shareholders over the next few years. Group chairman, FBN Holdings Plc, Dr. Oba Otudeko, who spoke at the annual general meeting of the company in Lagos yesterday, said the new strategic plan covers between 2014 and 2016 and would build on the successes of the previous plan that covered 2011 to 2013. According to him, the high-level aspirations and specific actions in the short-term growth plan will be building blocks that will not only sustain the company’s momentum but raise its leadership position in the evolving market place. He said the company has made significant progress integrating its business planning process and harmonising its investment decisions in a way that allowed the entire group to take full advantage of opportunities in non-banking spaces. “As we continue to diversify our profit base through this process, we will remain focused on containing costs and ramping up operational efficiency through targeted centralisation of all functions that lend themselves group-wide,” Otudeko said. He said the experience of the company with the holding company structure has helped to hone its business focus, deepen centralisation and skill sets across the group and increase prospects of profitability. In a review of the outlook of the company, chief executive officer, FBN Holdings, Mallam Bello Maccido,

•Reassures shareholders of better returns said the outlooks for each of the group’s businesses remained positive with increased contributions from the businesses expected to cumulate into better returns for the group. He said the group has increased investments across its business lines with a view to strengthening its leadership positions pointing out that the recent acquisitions of ICB banks across four West African countries, the acquisition of Oasis Insurance and ongoing efforts to strengthen the investment banking and asset management business through the acquisition of a merchant banking licence would help to enhance benefits to all stakeholders, especially the shareholders. “As we steadily progress in our journey under the holding company arrangement, we expect to drive growth in each of our business lines, in a way that will enhance the aggregate performance of the group. This will be complemented by reinforcing the pre-eminence of our commercial banking franchise, while driving the level of contribution from each of the non-banking subsidiaries,” Maccido said. Shareholders at the meeting commended the company while applauding gross dividend of N36 billion declared for the 2013 business year. The dividend breakdown indicates that shareholders would receive a dividend of N1.10 on every share.

The audited report and accounts of FBN Holdings for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that gross earnings rose from N370.2 billion in 2012 to N395.9 billion in 2013, the highest in the banking industry. Net interest income improved slightly from N226.6 billion to N230.1 billion while non-interest income dipped from N73.9 billion to N67 billion. Operating income stood at N296.1 billion in 2013 as against N301.1 billion in 2012. While the group moderated its operating expenses from N193.5 billion to N185 billion, profit before tax dropped marginally by 2.8 per cent from N93.9 billion to N91.3 billion. Profit after tax followed the trend at N70.6 billion in 2013 as against N76.8 billion in 2012.

HE Central Bank of Nigeria has underlined the importance of effective rules and regulations and self censorship in creating and sustaining the integrity of the over-the-counter securities market. At the presentation of licences to the first batch of dealing members of the FMDQ OTC Plc, Director, banking supervision, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, said FMDQ and its dealing members must abide by the principle of good corporate governance and observe extant laws and regulations to justify their role as a self-regulatory organisation (SRO). According to her, it is only by acting in good faith, devoid of conflict of interest at all times and introducing best business practices among its members that FMDQ OTC can achieve its goal of strengthening the financial system. She noted that financial markets play a critical role in the accumulation of capital and the production of goods and services adding that FMDQ is at a vantage position to help Nigeria achieve a world-class financial system. “In my view, the emergence of FMDQ will greatly enhance the liquidity, transparency and safety of transactions in the inter-bank market for fund intermediation, foreign exchange dealings, repurchase transaction and government securities,” Martins said. She called on FMDQ OTC to, among other things, put measures in place to ensure that it achieves its objectives as a SRO. According to her, FMDQ must put in place an arbitration mechanism for the resolution of disputes between members and other stakeholders just as it must put in place a system for proceeding against members committing breach of the governing norms or articles including provisions for suspension or expulsion.

In his remarks, chairman, FMDQ OTC, Mr. Aigboje AigImoukhuede, who presented licences to 26 dealing members at the event, said it provided an interactive forum for the formal activation of the capital market presence of FMDQ dealing members. He stressed that the regulation of the OTC market was important, considering previous experience. According to him, financial markets which are more wholesale in nature have fallen under the provenance of over-the-counter markets which have until recent times been highly unregulated and decentralized. He noted that the financial crisis of 2007-2008 has however led to greater interest in regulating OTC markets, especially the derivative products. “The importance of regulation in this market cannot be overemphasised as FMDQ is a market for all the stakeholders of the OTC market. This ceremony is a demonstration of the importance the OTC market attaches to regulation,” Aig-Imoukhuede said. The dealing members that received licences included Access Bank, Associated Discount House, Citi Bank, Consolidated Discount Limited, Diamond Bank, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Enterprise Bank, First City Monument Bank, Fidelity Bank, FSDH Merchant Bank, First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Heritage Bank, Kakawa Discount House Limited, Keystone Bank, Mainstreet Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Skye Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank, Union Bank, UBA, Unity Bank, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank. Chief executive officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, congratulated the dealing members and urged them to adhere to FMDQ’s rules.

NSE expels stockbroker over fraud

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has revoked the authorized dealership licence of one of its dealing members-Mr Kayode Awotile, with a warning to all market operators not to engage in any dealings with him. In a statement signed by head, broker dealer regulation, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Olufemi Shobanjo, the NSE said the decision to expel Awotile was taken at the meeting of the Disciplinary Committee of the National Council of the Exchange. According to the statement, the meeting decided that that “the registration of Mr. Kayode Awotile, the former Managing Director of Lakesworth Investment & Securities Limited, as an Authorised Clerk be and is hereby revoked pursuant to

Rules 45 and 167 of the Rules and Regulations Governing Dealing Members (‘the Rules”) for contravention of the Rules in relation to the unauthorised transfers, sales of shares and failure to carry out the directives of the Committee”. The Exchange has been implementing key measures to protect market integrity and ensure fair and open marketplace. Speaking at the induction of new dealing members recently, chief executive officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema said being a broker is a call to stand tall in integrity, to be impeccable in character, to be professional in service and to be high in ethics and standards. He noted that the NSE has contin-

ued to evolve to achieve the highest level of competitiveness by operating fair, orderly and transparent markets that bring together the best of African enterprises, as well as local and global investor communities. “It should be noted that we are maintaining and will continue to maintain zero tolerance to sharp practices and deploying requisite technology and expertise to curb and arrest any form of manipulation from all quarters. For all recently qualified stockbrokers, it goes without saying that the investing community will know and judge the Nigerian Capital Market through your example in character and service; the manner in which you engage, interface and service your clients will go a long way in shaping the perception of our market,” Onyema said.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

Al-Mustapha withdraws suit against cleric From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

F •Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed (left), greeting pupils of Jubilee Nursery and Primary School, Ilorin at the Ilorin International Airport... yesterday.

Minister: seven kidnapped expatriates yet to regain freedom M INISTER of Works Mike Onolememen said yesterday in Abuja that seven expatriate construction workers abducted from a site by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State are yet to be released, one year after their abduction. He said the insurgents had killed five workers of another construction firm working on roads in the state. The minister, who spoke at a leadership forum organised by the Nigerian Newsworld magazine, lamented that most contractors had abandoned work in the state due to the incessant attacks, killings and abductions. Onolomemen said all federal road projects in Borno State remain suspended, until when peace returns to the state. He said the government planned to expand the Oshodi-Murtala Mohammed International Airport Expressway, Lagos to eight-lane

•Five per cent fuel tax likely •Govt plans expansion of Lagos Airport Road From Yomi Odunuga, Abuja

driveway with flyovers in addition to the expansion of other roads in the Southwest in line with transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. He said: “The various insurgencies in the Northeast are definitely affecting our speed of work. Today, as we, speak all the Federal Government road projects in that zone have been suspended. So there are challenges, and we are aware of it. “Contractors and workers of the ministry have died there. I will just give you a rundown; CCECC that is in charge of Section 5 of that

road from Damaturu to Maiduguri has lost five workers, including foreigners. The insurgents broke into the site of Setraco Nig Ltd and abducted seven expatriates over a year ago and up till now nothing has been heard about them. “The Ministry of Works lost two of its workers in Maiduguri. So these are some of the challenges we are facing there. “But despite the challenges, apart from Section 5 where we noticed that the spate of insurgency is very high, work is still going on at the remaining sections; from Kano, Jigawa to Bauchi to Yobe work is still going and the entire Kano- Maiduguri dualisation

project work is still going on, despite the insurgency.” The minister also explained that Nigerians may start paying fuel tax as soon as the enabling law is put in place. He said the fund would form part of what would be used for road maintenance. “Relying on the yearly Federal Government budget is not enough to maintain the over 35,000km of federal roads. “We have made a strong case for the collection of the fuel tax; we are engaging critical stakeholders for the need for them to give effect to that act, which is a law in our country. “And at the highest level of government in this country, we have had to discuss that and I want to believe that, sooner or later, the implementation of the five per cent fuel tax will come on scene so that could partly guarantee the sustenance of federal roads.” He said: “On the Oshodi-Murtala Mohammed Airport Road in Lagos, the ministry is at the detailed project development stage in the planned expansion of the road to an eight-lane expressway with flyovers and pedestrian bridges to ensure a befitting gateway to our foremost commercial city. Early work on this project is expected to commence soon.”

ORMER Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, said yesterday that he had withdrawn the defamation case he instituted against a Kaduna Islamic scholar, Sheikh Sanusi Khalil, at an Upper Sha’riah Court in Kaduna. Maj. Mustapha told the court through his counsel, Garba Sadau, that he was withdrawing the case because of the interventions of peace makers, who appealed to both parties. His counsel said: “May I announce to Your Honour that we are withdrawing our suit before your Lordship because we have arrived at a decision and agreement based on the defendant’s public retrieval of his earlier statement accusing my client of training some snipers to kill 1,000 Nigerians. We humbly asked this court to strike out this earlier suit based on this mutual agreement.” The defence counsel, Mallam Aminu Dikko, did not object to the application, adding that the defendant initiated the reconciliation process when he announced in the same mosque where he had accused Major Al-Mustapha that he erred and subsequently apologised. He said: “My Lord, for record purpose we want to state clearly that yes, some Nigerians intervened to settle out of court, but that’s not our reason for the withdrawal of the case but because our client, Sheikh Sanusi Khalil realised that the information made available to him was false. “As a man with the fear of God he did the right thing by announcing publicly that he erred. He went a step ahead by sending the same message to some media houses.” In an interview after the court session, Al-Mustapha said he respected authority, adding that some prominent Nigerians approached him and pleaded with him to withdraw the case, he obeyed. He, however, warned this might not be the end of the suit between him and Sheikh Khalil because he was aware that the sheikh has written to the Human Rights Commission, maligning his character, pointing out that he was only waiting for the outcome of investigation by the commission before deciding on the next step.

•Maj. Mustapha

Niger cancels May 27, 29 celebration

•Lagos State Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi (right) speaking at the ministerial press briefing to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s third year anniversary...yesterday. With him are Special Adviser to the Governor, Babatunde Humpe (middle) and a member of the House of Assembly Olanrewaju Layode. PHOTO: MOSES OMOSEHIN

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

HE Niger State government has announced the cancellation of all celebrations for Children’s and Democracy days as a mark of respect for the abducted Chibok girls and victims of insurgency. Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu said yesterday that the state would use the two days to seek the face of God for solution to the security challenges. Commissioner for Information Danladi Ndayebo said the Ministry of Gender Affairs and Social Development would on Children’s Day gather children at Legbo Kutigi Conference Centre in Minna to pray for the quick release of the Chibok girls. He said: “On May 29, we will pray to God to end terrorism and restore peace in the troubled Northeast region and Nigeria at large.” The commissioner urged all stakeholders to remain steadfast in prayers for an end to the senseless killing of Nigerians.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS At 64, no impossibility in Adelabu’s dictionary To teachers in the basic school, she is ‘Mama SUBEB’; in the academic circle, she is simply Prof and to her aides in the government arena, she is ‘Iya’. All these attest to the fact that Ekiti Deputy Governor, Prof Modupe Adeola Adelabu, means different things to various people, writes her media aide BUNMI OGUNMODEDE

•Mrs Adelabu

HOSE who felt that taking Princess liberty to call on any of the subordinates for Modupe Adeola Adelabu out of acaany assignment, especially when the compedemics into what many call the murky tence of such lieutenants is not suspect. waters of politics was like taking a fish out of Her view of the political space is positive. water would by now be having a rethink To her, there is enough room for men and becauseof her records at the State Universal women to operate but with a caveat – players Basic Education Board (SUBEB) where she is not only see politics as a game, they must first Executive Chairman and the Deputy and foremost have other addresses. With playGovernor’s Office. ers applying those two rules, the ‘do-or-die For the professor of Educational Adminispolitics’ will disappear from the political lexitration with bias in Policy and Personnel Iscon, as a game must throw up a winner and sues, there is nothing suggestive that her break the loser must be a good sportsman, while from the classrooms for the political turf has politicians would no longer tie their livelitaken her out of the comfort zone. Unknown hood to politics. to many, her stint in the university commuThe professor is likely to take on anybody nity, which spanned over three decades, had who believes women should play the second prepared her for the present schedules. fiddle in any field – professionally and politiAs a varsity teacher, she had dealt with cally. For instance, the era of women confinpeople of various characters and different backing themselves to the supporters club is gone grounds. So, there is little or no difference leavfor good. ing that environment for political position. As When sometimes ago she was asked if far as she is concerned, either as a teacher, or as women have a role in Nigeria’s competitive a politician, her primary aim is service to the arena, the professor replied thus: “Anyway, people. what we have been advising women generThe SUBEB where she served as chair before ally is that if we fold our arms and think men she was given additional responsibilities on would give us the chance, we are joking. We May 8, last year, was like a training ground have to go out and grab it. Take it by force if that eventually paved the way for her smooth possible. Even the Bible says ‘The kingdom of transition. God suffereth violence and only the violent There was no big deal leaving the classroom taketh it by force’ You have to assert yourself, as an educationist for the chairmanship of otherwise you will be left behind. SUBEB – a familiar ter“As I said earlier on, rain and a comfort zone men very territorial They should not put women aboutareleadership. by every standard. On They the Board as chair, she in a box where they cannot feel that leadership beinteracted with her longs to them. No, this is natural constituency – expand. The consequences of wrong. Anybody can be academics and with caging women could be a leader because leaderpolitics – government. counter-productive. If you put ship has no gender. If you “So, it was actually a not go out there and very smooth and us in a box, it is either we do grab what belongs to you, gradual transition. If men will not easily rebreak the box or the box from there I became the lease it because nobody deputy governor, you explodes because men should wants to relinquish can see that my transi- also take a cue from the fact power easily, especially tion was not as sharp as political power hitherto that if they don’t allow people thought earlier considered as men is teron,” she once told a re- women to compete freely in ritory. porter. “Unfortunately, it is In the university sys- the same space, the consethe women that actutem, she had a wide ho- quences could be dire. So, it ally do the voting in rizon in politics and of politics but they are not is better we work together for particular interest is that being voted for. What fact that her PhD thesis the benefit of both genders we are now telling was on the Politics of women is that they Education. should not only vote but should be “Look at me now. I am trying to put my voted for. If women should withdraw their theory into practice. Either politics of eduvote, men would cry and this is why I am saycation or social politics or even political ing men should not put women in the pigeon politics, you still must understand the conhole. cept of politics itself. So, all these have pre“They should not put women in a box pared me,” she has always told whoever where they cannot expand. The consequences cared to listen. of caging women could be counter-producSince coming on board, she has dutifully tive. If you put us in a box, it is either we break assisted her principal, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, the box or the box explodes because men in the implementation of his Roadmap to Ekiti should also take a cue from the fact that if they Recovery blueprint as encapsulated in the don’t allow women to compete freely in the Eight-Point Agenda in a dual capacity as SUBEB same space, the consequences could be dire. chairman and deputy governor. So, it is better we work together for the benAs obtained in all the states under the conefit of both genders.” trol of the All Progressives Congress (APC) With determination, she believes there is party, Governor Fayemi has effectively made always a way around every knotty situation, use of Prof Adelabu by delegating functions to hence, those with the “it’s not possible spirit” her offices, either as deputy governor, or in cannot be found around her. SUBEB as chairman. The Command Performance – a drama staged In other climes, deputy governors are spare by basic school pupils during the third year tyres. But in the APC states, it is a waste of anniversary of the Fayemi-led administration economic and human resources, time and perat the Abiodun Adetiloye Hall, was a product sonnel to have a deputy who has nothing to of her faith in the biblical saying that “with do. APC governors maximise abilities and caGod, nothing shall be impossible,” after all, pacities. In the Land of Honour State, the lecthe journey of a 1000 years must start with turer-turned politician relishes the task of catchstep. ing up with a principal who serves with the At 64, Princess Adelabu remains a woman speed of light. of many parts. She is not a push-over in the Besides the Ministries of Education, Science academic community just as she cannot be sup& Technology and Local Government and pressed in the political space. The professor is Chieftaincy Affairs, which the governor speat home with the grassroots with her mastery cifically assigned to her for coordination, she of the homogeneous Ekiti dialect with Adoknows that as a rule, the super ordinate is at Ekiti accent.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

ASUU, Iyayi’s widow get court’s nod to sue Wada’s driver, others

Delegates’ drivers, aides threaten to disrupt Confab

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

From: Onyedi Ojaibor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has granted permission to Mrs Grace Iyayi, the widow of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Festus Iyayi, and the union to apply for an order to compel the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to prosecute those allegedly responsible for his death. Prof Iyayi died in a motor accident on November 12, last year, at Banda, on the LokojaAbuja Expressway. The accident involved the car in which he and some others were travelling to Kano for

the union’s meeting and the convoy of the Kogi State Governor Idris Wada. Justice Adeniyi Ademola granted yesterday an ex parte application for leave to apply for an order of mandamus, brought on behalf of Mrs Iyayi and ASUU by the law firm of Falana and Falana Chambers. By yesterday’s court permission, Mrs Iyayi and ASUU can apply for the order of mandamus to compel the FRSC to prosecute a driver in Wada’s convoy, Danladi Baba; and the construction firm working on

•Chairman plans to arrest

the road on which the accident occurred: Gitto Construzioni Generali Nigeria Limited. The applicants plan to pray the court to compel the FRSC to sue the driver and the construction firm before a Magistrate’s Court in Lokoja “for dangerous driving and creating a road hazard” by failing to provide adequate warning signs on the road, which caused the death of the former ASUU leader. They also intend to pray the court for a declaration that the failure of the FRSC to prosecute the driver and the construction firm, after its (FRSC’s) post-accident investigation revealed that

they caused the ex-ASUU leader’s death, is illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Ademola adjourned the matter till June 6.

of politics, to stop shedding the blood of innocent Nigerians. “We call on all those who are distracting the president and his team for political gains to desist from such because of these innocent people. They should remember that there is time for everything. There must be a president at a given time. Anybody who feels he has an axe to grind with President Goodluck Jonathan should wait for 2015.

“The state of insecurity is not about leadership of the country. It is about individuals. It is an insecurity that is targeted against certain people in leadership. Killing people on the streets is ungodly. The president is doing his best and cannot be everywhere at the same time. “We will continue to pray for the families of the victims and tell them that we stand for justice and are against violence.”

•The late Iyayi

Fayose leads protest against Jos bombings

KITI State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Mr. Ayo Fayose led yesterday chieftains of the party in a peaceful procession through major streets of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to protest Tuesday’s bombings in Jos, Plateau State. Taking off at the GRA, Onigari, the protesters went through Fajuyi before converging at the Old Garage, where Fayose addressed the people.

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti

He said: “This protest is to identify with the victims of the Jos bomb blasts for reasons within good conscience and love for your fellow human beings.” Fayose said his campaigns would be suspended until Friday (today), adding: “We chose to identify with them by this walk and to appeal to whatever they call themselves in the name

New 2014 budget entry throws senate into confusion

HERE was uproar on the floor of the Senate on Thursday following a perceived re-introduction of 2014 budget proposal of some federal agencies for consideration by the senators. The senators were agitated over an entry titled: ‘2014

budget proposal of Federal Government parastatals’, which was listed in the day’s Order Paper. The senators unanimously condemned the attempt to present another budget for the federal agencies which were already captured in the recently

passed 2014 national budget of N4.6 trillion. The document read by the Deputy Senate Leader, Sen. Abdul Ningi contained 2014 Budget estimates for 52 federal agencies including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria National Petroleum

Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), among others. Sen. Smart Adeyemi (PDPKogi) described the document as an attempt by the Executive to indirectly return the 2014 budget to the National Assembly through the back door. “This amounts to indirectly returning the budget to the National Assembly through the back door. ”We have completed work on the budget and it is waiting to be assented to by Mr President. “So, I do not see any reason for anybody to bring any budget or expenditure of any agency back to the chamber here, “ he reacted. Sen. James Manager (PDPDelta) said the re-introduction of the 2014 budget document amounted to rubbishing the work already done by senators on the 2014 budget. Manager urged the senate to reject the document in its entirety because Nigerians were anxiously looked awaited the President’s assent of the the budget.

RIVERS and aides of delegates to the National conference are threatening to disrupt plenary in Abuja, Chairman of the Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, announced yesterday. Kutigi said that the drivers and aides were asking to be paid allowances for their services to delegates. He said that at the beginning of the conference, delegates were told that there was no provision for payment of allowances to drivers and other aides. He said that delegates were also told that any aide they hire would be at own expense. He wondered why delegates would allow their aides who are not delegates to threaten the conference. Kutigi urged delegates to call their aides to order, warning that the conference secretariat would have no alternative than to arrest any erring. The chairman said that he was told that the aides have written the Federal Government to pay them allowances for their services. Justice Kutigi said that he had already made it clear to delegates that no provision of allowance was made for their drivers and other aides. “Please call your drivers to order in their own interest,” he warned.

RCCG Miracle Centre celebrates

LL is set for the 21st anniversary and thanksgiving service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Miracle Centre. The programme, which has “Overflowing Blessing” (Ps 23:5) as its theme, will take place at the church located at 19, Bello Folawiyo Close, off Mr. Biggs’ bus stop, Ikosi/Isheri Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. The event began yesterday and will end with a thanksgiving service on Sunday, starting from 9am. The church spokesman, Deacon Akinyemi Akindele, said God would shower abundance blessings on members and guests. Guest minister is Pastor Olaitan Aromolaran of the RCCG, Covenant of Peace, Ikorodu.

Group frowns at threats facing girl-child

Protesting OAU students fired at

ROTESTING students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State were yesterday shot at by soldiers in the convoy of an exmilitant. He was driving an SUV marked Presidency FG 902B02 which attempted to drive past the barricade put on the Ilesa-Ile Ife highway by the protesters. The students were protesting fee hike by the authorities. It was learnt that no fewer than three students were injured after being hit by bullets which were fired when the students insisted on stopping the vehicle which attempted to drive through the barricade. It took the intervention of stranded motorists and travellers before the students, who almost lynched the soldier stopped. The police could not confirm the incident at press time.

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

ONTAL Club International, a global organisation of professionals, has decried the threats facing the girl-child. It listed them as denial of access to education, daily report of rape, child marriage, child labour and trafficking, among others. The President of Zontal Club of Ibadan, Olufunke Egunjobi, spoke at the group’s rally in Ibadan to protest the kidnap of Chibok girls. She said Zontal, in collaboration with other organisations, is working towards advancing the status of women worldwide, “a reason, which explains why our hearts are bruised by Chibok girls’ abduction.” In a statement to reporters in Ibadan, Olufunke said: “Zontal members heard with dismay, the kidnap of over 200 innocent young girls from their school at Chibok in Borno State. In solidarity with our compatriots, we have resolved to assemble and march on the office of the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.”1 Receiving the group at the Governor’s Office, the Secretary to the State Governor (SSG), Mr. Ismail Olalekan Alli, who spoke on behalf of the governor, said government had been informed of their visit. He said: “The abducted girls are our children, future and hope. We appreciate the polite approach of members of the group. We like how they have shown their feelings.” Alli promised to deliver their letter to President Goodluck Jonathan within 24 hours.

Yoruba in Diaspora decry govt’s slowness

From Jeremiah Oke, Abeokuta

HE Yoruba in the Diaspora, under the aegis of Egbe Omo Yoruba National Association of Yoruba Descendants in United States of America (USA), have condemned Federal Government’s delay to rescue the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, over a month ago. They said the government should be held responsible for the return of the schoolgirls and provision of tight security across the country. The Yoruba descendants regretted the inability of the security agencies to bring to justice the perpetrators of various killings in the land. They berated the government for handling security matters with levity. They also described the girls’ abduction as extremely wicked, adding that the government had failed Nigerians at home and abroad. In a resolution issued by the National President of the association, Agba-Akin Bolu Omodele at the end of its emergency National Executive Council meeting in White Marsh, USA, the group hailed the government in the Southwest for stepping up the pace of development in the region and ensuring the security of life and property of the residents. The resolution reads: “We, Egbe Omo Yoruba National Association of Yoruba Descendants in United States of America (USA), therefore, hold the government accountable for the safe return of all the girls.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

Public schools shut as teachers stage protests for girls Continued from page 4

Musa Abubakar led the protesters. Bauchi State NUT chair Danjuma Saleh said during their protest as they marched on the street to the Governmennt House: “We demand that the Federal and state governments show genuine concern to the families of the 173 teachers killed by insurgents. ’’ He said 170 teachers were killed in Borno State and three in Yobe State, adding that the government should adequately alleviate their families’ misery by paying them a reasonable sum.” Secretary to the Bauchi State Government Aminu Hammayo who received the protesters, commended them for the peaceful protest and assured that their message would be passed to the governor for onward delivery to the President. Rivers State teachers converged on the Isaac Boro Park. They carried placards and banners, with inscriptions, such as, “ End Boko Haram now”; “Bring back our girls”; and “Boko Haram has killed 173 teachers. Federal Government please intensify efforts”. Mr. Geoffrey Worgu, the NUT chairman who led the teachers to the Rivers State Government

House said if the Federal Government continued to be slow in getting the girls released, teachers would have no choice but to shut down all the schools in Rivers State. Worgu said the rally became necessary when they realised that nothing had been done in respect to the girls. Teachers marched also in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The girls were abducted in Borno State. Local NUT Chairman Malam Bulama Abiso, represented by his deputy, Malam Bako Lawal, said insurance cover would encourage teachers to give their best. He said government should also consider extending the insurance cover to pupils in both primary and secondary schools. “This has become necessary, considering the vulnerable political environment in which we operate.’’ Abiso lamented that more than 100 teachers had been killed in Borno and Yobe by suspected insurgents in the last few years, leaving their wives and children to suffer. He urged the government to fast track the payment of death benefits to families of the teachers in Borno to reduce their hardship. “We are telling Boko Haram to

release our girls. We want our girls back safely to reunite with their parents,’’ the chairman said. Governor Kashim Shettima thanked the NUT for the rally. He commiserated with the union on the death of more than 100 teachers in attacks and promised that the government would strive hard to pay their next of kins their benefits. He said the state government had paid individuals who lost their bread winners N250,000 each as token assistance in each suspected Boko Haram attack. Shettima said the money was not a compensation but support for the affected families. In Calabar, the teachers carried placards through the streets to the Governor’s office and called for the immediate release of the girls. The placards had various inscriptions, such as “Our hearts are with chibok girls”; “Our girls must go to school”; “We taught you, don’t kill us”, among others. Addressing the teachers at the Governor’s office, NUT Chairman Eyo-Nsa Itam said it was time they joined other Nigerians and the international community to call for the safe return of the girls. He said: “The school system has suffered the worst attackfrom primary and secondary to

tertiary education system. “Apart from the abduction of Chibok school girls and others unaccounted, so far 173 teachers have lost their lives in the Boko Haram human decimation. “Making lives secure in our school system and guaranteeing conducive and peaceful learning environment is the first emergency need of our education system. “It is also important to take insurance cover for both students and teachers in the vulnerable political environment of the country. “Education should be publicly declared as fundamental human right and its abridgement should be criminalised.’’ State Security Adviser Rekpene Bassey, who addressed the teachers, lauded them for the peaceful protest. He said: “What you have done is what all patriotic Nigerians and the international community are doing to ensure that the girls are released alive. “These are difficult times for Nigeria, and in difficult times, we need to be patriotic, careful and to ensure that whatever we do does not contribute to the problem. Bassey charged all Nigerians to assist the government by giving out timely and accurate information that would avert crimes and other insurgencies.

Protesters denied access to Villa Continued from page 4

port you and the Federal Government so we can collectively fight out common enemy. .Why is it that none of the girls have been rescued by the military? Could the problem be resources as we are concerned that allocated resources to our security apparatus (N922 billion in 2012, N1 trillion in 2013, and N845 billion in 2014) do not seem to correspond with the result delivered by those at the frontline to effectively wage this way against terrorism? .What are the minimum safety/security standards and packages dedicated to schools and other soft targets considering the recent trend of abducting and killings of students, particularly in the North? .Can the president explain the scale and magnitude of what we are dealing with in terms of the insurgents?” Mrs. Ezekwesili said President Jonathan had not addressed the issues raised by the citizens group. She said: “It is because of the sake of citizen collaboration that we listened to the delegation of Mr. President. You have to tell Mr. President that the answers we have received are inadequate. Spokesman of the Presidential team that received the delegation, Minister of State FCT, Ms. Olajumoke Akinjide said the fight against terrorism was a collective effort. She read the President’s address. She said: “The Federal government is appreciative of your group amongst so many other groups around the world who have taken out time to demonstrate their solidarity and outrage against the wicked kidnapping of innocent girls and the senseless mayhem of the Boko Haram terrorists. “For a government that has placed so much premium on addressing major reforms and development in the nation, especially the development of women and the girl child, through increased investment in the girl child education and giving opportunity to women, giving women a seat in the table of governance, this wicked act is indeed very painful. “The world is under the grips

of terrorism. Yesterday a market in China were ordinary people go to shop was bombed. Two days ago, terrorists visited our beautiful city of Jos in Plateau state and detonated bombs killing scores of people, the communities of Kano, Maiduguri, Abuja, Nyanya, Madala amongst others have at various times been bombed. “Churches, Mosques, parks and newspaper houses have at various times not being spared. Terrorists and their sponsors have brought mayhem on our land this is very sad and this we must resist. “In the last three weeks our country has been in the spotlight, some evil individuals who call themselves Boko Haram abducted our daughters, the future mothers of our nation and have refused to release them, this evil act has sparked protests all over the world, this is as it should be, their must be a united movement for the release of our daughters and that movement must now be turned into a united action against terrorism. “Government has mobilized all resources, military and diplomatic in search for our girls who have suffered so much trauma in captivity by this agents of terror. “From the very first day this kidnapping occured, the Federal Government took action, directing our security services to go after the abductors, the search for our daughters has now assumed regional ang global proportion and oour nation has received strong support from our neighboring and the international community including the United States, China, the United Kingdom and the entire African continent, the security forces also reached out to the Borno State ggovernment and community members for support and collaboration to bring back our innocent daughters. “So far the campaign to bring our daughters back is on and is receiving global support, Nigeria in collaboration with Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin republic haave all agreed to establish a single centre for sharing intelligence on the activities of terrorists across our national boundaries. “Apart from those efforts in

the public space, we have initiated consultations with so many stakeholders to explore alternative efforts involving this efforts, it is wrong and most unfair to suggest there is a slow reaction to this kidnapping. “As commander in chief, Mr. President meets with the security chiefs almost daily and is in constant consultation with regional and global partners on this terrorist treats. That is why I want to appeal to your group and to others through this medium that it is important your genuine, patriotic zeal is matched with a realistic, understanding of the situation in expressing concern and sentiment on this matter and other matters of terrorism. “As early as January 23rd 2013, Mr. President at Denver, Switzerland asked the world for help in tackling terrorism, he latter met with President Obama during the United Nations general assembly in Sept. 2013 where he requested for support. “Government believes that it is all our collective responsibility to fight terrorism and that protests should be directed to the terrorists who have abducted our innocent daughters and deprived them of a place at the fountain of freedom at the country. Our security forces are amongst the best trained in Africa, they are making so much sacrifice in the fight against terror as we sleep daily they are in the field, confronting the enemy, they need our support not attacks and discouragement. They are also losing their lives, when terrorist see Nigerians turn on each other in blames it gives them a huge moral boosts. “We must never lose sight of the fact that the terrorists are the real enemy. We will like to encourage civil society groups to encourage Nigerians to forward security information to 112, citizens must protect citizens if our civilization is to endure. We must be careful not to politicize the fight against terrorism. “When a bomb goes off in Kabul Afghanistan the people of Afghanistan do not blame government, they blame the terrorists, when a bomb goes off in Bagdad people of Iraq do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists, when a

bomb goes off in Nigeria we must all unite to fight the terrorists this is the task of this generation. Our daughters must be free to come home to their loved ones.” Other members of the delegation are: Minister of FCT Bala Mohammed; Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Maina; Minister of State for Agriculture, Asmau Asabe; Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam. Supervising Minister of Niger Delta Affair; Darius Ishaku; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe; Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation, Josephine Washima and Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Sarah Jibril.

Injured Jos blast victims lament neglect Continued from page 4

needs to take for 13 days to help him recover on time. Each of the drugs costs N2,500. He said the family borrowed money to get five days supply. “Feeding is another problem;” he said, adding: “But we hear on government radio that government is footing medical bill. How, when? At the moment, these victims need drugs to survive and government is nowhere to be found.” Another relation of a patient, Audu Daman, said: “Government is only making propaganda with claims to foot the medical bills of the victims. We are asked to buy drugs everyday. We have spent close to N20,000 and we are already exhausted. We have been borrowing money for feeding and drugs. This is the time the victims need government most so as to recover fast, but we can’t see them. We keep hearing on radio that government has ac-

Boko Haram kills 29 in Borno Continued from page 4

“As I am talking to you now, we have counted 29 dead bodies. Houses and shops were burnt down, the village is deserted with no any presence of security operatives. “Some of our people fled to Gamboru Ngala council area, while others fled into neighbouring Cameroon said another source on telephone. Police spokesman Gideon Jubrin could not be reached for confirmation. But a top security source who is not authorised to speak confirmed the attack.

‘Military’ll overcome terrorists’ Continued from page 4

prompt reaction to incidents. The governor, who spoke through his deputy, Ignatius Longjan, said the visit of the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff was an indication that they were concerned about what happened in the state.

cepted to foot the bill but right now many victims may die due to lack of drugs in the hospitals.” Families are in danger of losing their loved ones due to high cost of treatment. They are pleading with the government to assist them. Hamza Aliyu, one of them, said: “The nature of injuries of these victims is not what any family can bear; it requires government intervention as prompt as possible.” Only one Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Neighbour to Neighbour Initiative, has donated relief materials to victims of the blasts. A director of the NGO, Hajiya Fatima Salihu Lemo, presenting the relief materials to the state government in Jos yesterday said: “This is our own little way of showing concern to victims of the blast.” The NGO donated food items, such as maize, millet, rice, sugar, Indomie. There were also toiletries, beverages and other items. Recieving the items on behalf of the government, Commissioner for Enviroment Sylvanus Dangtoe assured the NGO that the items would be delivered to the right people.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to notify the general public of the loss of my international Passport, Details as follow: Date of Issue - 14 JAN 13 Date of Expiry:13 JAN 18. Place of Issue: Ikoyi Lagos. Passport no: A04375204 Name: OLUFEMI MUYIWA CHRISTOPHER. If found, please call Muyiwa on 08033741389 or 08034236528.

PUBLIC NOTICE OKOME

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okome Esther Oluwafunmilayo now wishes to be known and ddressed as Mrs Precious-Nwaoha Esther Oluwafunmilayo. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

THE NATION FRIDAY MAY 23, 2014

NEWS

Kidnap victim rescued By Jide Isiguzo

RIVERS State Commissioner of Police Tunde Ogunsakin said yesterday that the police have rescued a kidnap victim, Jane Agnomo. Agnomo, an employee of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Port Harcourt, was kidnapped by four men at her home in Trans Woji, Port Harcourt. He said: “Following discreet investigations by operatives of the anti-kidnapping unit, on February 14, one of the gang members, Adogho Ehioze, was arrested at a bank, trying to collect the ransom for her release. The victim was rescued unhurt. “On February 23, Promise Elemah of 11 St. Michael Lane, off Timothy Lane, Rumuigbo, was kidnapped by four men who murdered and dumped his body inside a sewage pit at Egbelu, Ogbogoro. “The hoodlums collected N570, 000. A suspect, Musa Azubuike Umez, was arrested. “He took detectives to the decomposed body, which was recovered at Ogbogoro town, Port Harcourt.”

Boko Haram scare in Benin, Calabar, Yenagoa

ARENTS rushed to pick their wards from schools yesterday as rumours went viral that Boko Haram insurgents were in Benin, the Edo State capital. The rumours started when pupils, who were unaware of the Nigeria Union of Teachers’ (NUT’s) closure of schools, found them empty. It was learnt that some of

From Osagie Otabor, Benin, Nicholas Kalu, Calabar and Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

them called their parents and claimed that Boko Haram was in the state. Police spokesman Noble Uwoh said there were no insurgents in the state. He said the state was safe and urged the residents not to panic. In Calabar, the Cross Riv-

er State capital, a false alarm was raised about the abduction of pupils in several schools. There were also rumours of explosions. The panic in the city was palpable as the news spread like wildfire. But when our reporter visited Henshaw Town Primary School and Bishop King Primary School, the security guards said the

schools were shut due to the teachers’ protest. The guard at Bishop King said: “Some policemen and soldiers just left here now because they heard the same rumour and came to check. “But as you can see there is no problem. The news is false. The school was closed because the teachers were protesting the Chibok girls’ kidnap.

Two women held for ‘kidnapping’

15 die in road accident

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

FIFTEEN persons died on Wednesday in an accident near Ewu on the Benin-Auchi road. A trailer carrying drinks was said to have crashed into an 18-passenger commercial bus. Three passengers survived. Ewu Hill is a notorious accident spot. Eyewitnesses said the trailer and the bus were descending the hill towards Auchi, when the accident occurred. The witnesses said it took the combined effort of the men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to retrieve the survivors and bodies.

INEC office razed in Rivers From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

THE office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, was razed by arsonists yesterday. An AK-47 rifle was found in the burnt building. An unexploded locally-made explosive device was sighted near the building. INEC officials said 35 generators, 100 laptops and electoral documents were lost in the fire. They described the extent of damage as very devastating, saying the building was not connected to public power source. It was gathered that all the INEC officials were invited to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Bori, where they were interrogated and asked to write statements. The council Chairman, Greg Nwidam, urged the police and other security agencies to arrest the perpetrators. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Princewill Ijeoma, said investigation has started,

The Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, has denied the presence of Boko Haram members in Bayelsa State. JTF’s Media Coordinator Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka debunked the rumour, describing it as false and misleading. He said it was the work of mischief makers, who wanted to create panic among the people. Col. Anka said the closure of schools was in line with a directive by the NUT National Chairman, Michael Olukoya. He said Olukoya ordered all members to stay away from the classrooms to protest the killing of their colleagues and abduction of the Chibok girls. “The JTF urge the people to go about their business without fear as the command was working in collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives and property,” Col Anka said.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola presenting the male leadership award to Alhaji Mukaila Olaosebikan at the grand finale of the fifth Tradesmen and Artisans’ Week. With them are the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr. Oluranti Adebule (right), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry Wale Raji (second right) and others. PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

Amnesty Office dismisses MEND’s claim

HE Presidential Amnesty Office has described as false the claim by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that it was responsible for last Sunday’s pipeline explosion in Okrika, Rivers State. The Amnesty Office, in a statement in Abuja, said the group’s claim was an abominable attempt by a band of vandals and criminals to take credit for an incident that claimed lives. It noted that it would not have dignified the group with a response after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) cleared the air on the incident but for MEND’s reference to the

•Task force: group not existing From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

Presidential Amnesty Programme as “a fraud”. “We suspect that those behind the group are being used once again by agents of destabilisation, who do not mean well for the Niger Delta and Nigeria. “It is true that the relative peace enjoyed in the Niger Delta is the result of the diligent implementation of the amnesty programme and the commendable efforts of security agencies, which has ensured the stabilisation of security and peace in the region.

“At the time MEND made the claim on Monday, 160 Niger Delta youths were preparing for their departure to the United States of America and the United Kingdom for university education. “The successful delegates had undergone a one-year training programme in Nigeria in partnership with the Kaplan International Colleges of the United States Pathway Programme (USPP). Is that the programme that is a fraud? “Is it a programme that has ensured the training of no fewer than 19,000 ex-mil-

Supporters dump Ize-Iyamu

VER 500 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, who left to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have returned to the party. The returnees, who were loyalists of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, claimed to have been deceived into pitching tent with the PDP. They included local government chairmen and party leaders in some wards won by IzeIyamu. The returnees were at the state secretariat yesterday to pledge loyalty to the APC leadership. Otasowie Obakpolor from Ward One in Oredo Local Government said they were told to attend a harmonisation meeting only to hear that they were moving to the PDP. “We were surprised that the leaders deceived us to come for settlement meeting but on getting there, we saw that they were defecting. We are not ready to defect. We were more than 400 who were deceived by the leaders.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

“We did not know that they were about to defect. I have returned to my former party. I am not a member of PDP.” Another returnee from Orhiomwon, who pleaded for anonymity, said they were shocked at the meeting when they started seeing something different from what they were invited for. “We are back to claim the positions of the defectors and those who resigned from the government.” APC’s Interim Chairman Osaro Idah said many defectors had returned to the party. He said: “There are people who said they were misled into going for the meeting where they declare their movement to the PDP. Those are the people you saw here. “They came to declare their loyalty to the party. They said they were deceived into joining the PDP and that they were never part of the move.”

itants in the last three years that the purported MEND will accuse of enriching just a few individuals in the Niger Delta? “It is baffling that a group, which makes a claim of ‘emancipation’ of the Niger Delta, will embark on violent and criminal activities to attract attention to itself at a time our country is battling with insurgency in the Northeast. “This is condemnable and totally unacceptable to true patriots and Nigerians.” The Amnesty Office maintains that MEND’s agitation under whatever guise is misplaced and does not serve the interest of the Niger Delta. “We therefore condemn in strong terms this fresh attempt by some misguided elements to cause panic in the Niger Delta.” JTF’s Media Coordinator Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka said the militant group was no longer in existence. He said MEND was among the groups that accepted the amnesty offered by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. He said: “Those masquerading as MEND to perpetrate all kinds of atrocities in the Niger Delta are pipeline vandals and illegal oil bunkerers who caused the fire that gutted the jetties. “They are criminals and renegade militants seeking relevance in the affairs of the Niger Delta. “The JTF is on the trail of the criminals responsible for the explosion and will soon arrest them.”

WO women have been reportedly caught for attempting to kidnap two pupils from St Mary’s Primary School, Calabar. It was gathered that the women posed as the children’s mothers and tried to take them away after school, the children started screaming that they did not know them. Passersby accosted them before they were whisked away by policemen. A resident urged parents to be more responsive to their children’s safety.

Inspector, two others killed in Benin From Osagie Otabor, Benin

POLICE Inspector, Dikko Yakubu, a woman thrift collector and a tricyclist were killed yesterday at various parts of Benin City. Dikko, who was the Officer in Charge (Anti-Robbery), Okhoro Police Division, was killed by robbers at Ugbowo. The thrift collector was said to have been shot on James Watt Road. She was accosted by two men who attempted to collect her purse, but she resisted and was shot in the head. Policemen from the Oba Market police station took her body to the Central Hospital mortuary. The tricyclist, identified as Kingsley James, was killed at his Uwelu home by suspected assassins. Kingsley (31) and a father of two was killed when the killers broke into his apartment and shot him. His body was taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital mortuary. Police spokesman Noble Uwoh confirmed the killings but said he was yet to get full details.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

One dead, three injured in road accident

NE person died while three others sustained injuries yesterd a y in a n auto accident on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. The tragedy, according to the Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Ogun, Mr Omatu Sunday, occurred at about 5.45 a.m. He said it began when the tipper allegedly damaged the side mirror of the bus, following which bus’ driver and conductor insisted that tipper’s driver must replace the mirror.

The tipper’s driver reportedly drove off, prompting the conductor of the bus to jump into the tipper in efforts to prevent the driver from escaping. The tipper lost control and ran into a stationary trailer. The conductor died, while its three other occupants sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he said. Sunday said the body of the conductor was deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Cent r e (F M C ), Abeok u t a , while the injured persons are receiving treatment at the hospital. NAN.

Abandoned baby dies after rescue

ARELY minutes after he was rescued by passers-by in the Agege area of Lagos, a newly born baby boy, who was abandoned in a dump site, died. Eyewitnesses said the baby was found alive in a heap of waste under a bridge around Haruna bus

By Jude Isiguzo

stop, along the AgegeOgba road. Although they could not ascertain who dumped him there, or when he was dumped, it was his cry that drew the attention of passers-by, who rescued him. Sadly, sources said he died minutes later.

‘My wife beats me with pestle’

MAN, Oluwafemi Olanrewaju, has asked the Customary Court at Agege, a Lagos suburb, to dissolve his two-year-old marriage to his wife, Yetunde. He explained how his wife allegedly denies him of sexual satisfaction whenever he demands it and how she always beats him with pestle. Oluwafemi told the court: “Sex is one of the reasons we got married; why she does that, I have no idea. A year after we got married, she started the strange attitude. I remember trying to make love with her; instead of refusing me politely, she brought out a pestle to beat me. She also went as far as injuring my hand with a pen. I have never forced a woman in my life.” He revealed another bone of contention: “Sometime in February 2013, I don’t know what prompted me to check her wardrobe; to my surprise, I found a nylon with an inscription: “Lover’s spiritual transformation,” including a note which instructed: “By 1am, strip yourself naked and call your husband’s name seven times.” My lips went dry in utter shock. She has never related well with me since I told her about what I discovered in her wardrobe. All I got for an answer whenever I asked her anything has been ‘No.’ It is just two years; I don’t know why this is happening to my marriage.” Yetunde, however, said: “My husband once left home for months. I am not enjoying the care a wife should. My husband was not there to care for me when hoodlums attacked me. I thought we could settle our differences amicably, but since he has brought it to court, I am ready for a divorce. I still love him though.” The court president, Mr Philip Adekunle Williams, advised the couple to tolerate each other and made them realise that the marriage is too young to end abruptly. He, however, ordered a mediation session for both parties.

Monarch, others advise youths

By Jeremiah Oke

HE Akran of Badagry, Oba De Wheno Aholu MenuToyi 1, has advised youths to rise to challenges and keep their hopes alive. The ruler, who was represented by the Baale of Iragbo, Chief Thomas Yemiayinse, at the median edition of Badagry Youths Award, which was organised by a group, Refined Communications, noted that it was hightime the youth made changes in other to rise to leadership positions in the country. He said: “The youth should be on the alert to face challenges especially during the forth-coming elections because they are the future of this country.” The Otunba of Kweme Kingdom, Hon. John Jimoh, described Nigeria as a blessed country with talented youths who can improve the productivity and human development in Africa and beyond. Mr Kehinde Adeyemi, Chief Executive Officer, Redefined Communication, said the award was organised based on merit, to also encourage the youth to rise up to national development challenges and recognise their contributions in the area.

• Scene of accident along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos ... yesterday

Fake soldier bags seven-year jail

NE of the alleged fake soldiers paraded by the police on Tuesday, Israel Amuzu (24), has been jailed seven years for impersonation. He was sentenced to jail with hard labour on a threecount charge after he pleaded guilty on all the charges. The other defendants, Joseph Jidai, John Henry Musa, Azubuike Peter, Obi Chinyere Stephen, Paul Ohalate, Sulaiman Raheem, Hammed Gbadamosi and Oguntamu Abiola, were remanded with option of bail in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in like sum

By Jude Isiguzo

each. The prosecutor, Inspector O. Festus, told the court: “On April 17, May 15 and May 17, 2014, between 1200hrs and 1800hrs, at FESTAC and Abule Oshun areas of Lagos State in the Lagos Magisterial District, the defendants were found unlawfully wearing army uniform and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 79 (a) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State Nigeria 2011. “On the same date, time and place, at the aforementioned magisterial district,

‘On the same date, time and place, at the afore-mentioned magisterial district ... the suspects did impersonate members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Police’ they did impersonate the Nigerian Army before the general public and thereby

committed an offence punishable under Section 378 (I) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011. “On the same date, time and place, at the afore-mentioned magisterial district as a civilian, the suspects did impersonate members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Police and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 77 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.” The other defendants pleaded not guilty. The Chief Magistrate of Apapa Court 1, P.A Ojo adjourned the matter till June 25.

88 babies adopted, 2,217 beggars rescued

HE Lagos State Government has given out 88 babies for local and international adoptions. Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, who disclosed this yesterday to reporters said government released the babies after screening over 1200 applicants. He said: “Eighty eight babies were released for adoption while 87 adoptions were legalised through family courts; 62 were local, 20 international, while five were relative international adoptions. One fostering order was extended at the family court. “The state government is committed to ensuring that adequate care and protection are given to vulnerable children, abandoned, homeless, abused or other children

‘Evacuation of beggars from the streets of Lagos is a continuous exercise ... The government has also handed over 458 persons to their relatives’ By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

whose rights and privileges as stipulated by the Child

Rights Law have been trampled upon.” Badru also said about 2,217 beggars and the destitute were rescued on the streets. He explained that 1,412 of the destitute and beggars were taken to the rehabilitation and training centre, Owutu in Ikorodu, where the government made provisions for facilities to help in turning their lives around. He said 78 able-bodied persons suspected to be criminals were handed over to government task force for

Bamigbetan assures residents on project

HE Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area in Lagos State, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, has assured that the ongoing Ejigbo Jetty

Mushin Day holds tomorrow

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

By Nneka Nwaneri

HE annual Mushin Day festival will hold tomorrow at the popular Ojuwoye Market in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State. Besides merrymaking, the event, it was learnt, serves as an avenue for youths to interact and for residents to thank God for His grace. In a statement by the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Prince Yaya Aileru, it is an avenue for the community to assess the government and chairman of the Local Government on areas of neglect in the environment. He gave the theme for this year as: Unity and Celebration. Lagos State Commissioner for Works Hon. Femi Hamzat is expected to chair the occasion and the Iyaloja General Alhaja Folashade Tinubu-Ojo will be the mother of the day. Popular Fuji musician Wasiu Alabi Pasuma will thrill all at the celebration.

project being handled by his administration will be completed before leaving office in October this year. Bamigbetan, who spoke with The Nation in his office yesterday, said that in 2011, his administration initiated the project as an alternative means of transportation for residents who, for many years, had been experiencing traffic bottleneck in and out of the area. He explained further that the jetty, when completed and commissioned, would give residents the opportunity of getting to Lagos Island, Mile 2, Apapa and Amuwo Odofin and other areas within 20 minutes with ferries plying the Oke-Afa canal. The council chief added that the jetty, which he described as the first of its kind in the council area, was approved by the state government to be of international standard during an inspection of the project last year.

prosecution, adding: “Evacuation of beggars from the streets of Lagos is a continuous exercise and the office liaised with other security agencies to rid the streets of beggars and the mentally challenged. The government has also handed over 458 persons to their relatives.” Commissioner for Sports, Youth and Social Development, Mr Enitan Oshodi, said the state government is committed to making Lagos a hub for international tournaments in Africa.

• Bamigbetan

For smooth transportation of residents along the waterways, the council boss assured that the Oke-Afa canal would be properly taken care of before the ferry begins operations. Bamigbetan said the jetty would be located beside the cenotaph of victims of January 27, 2002 bomb blast in Ikeja. He added that the jetty comprises a platform structure and a shopping mall with toilet facility to give residents the opportunity to buy various items while waiting for ferry services.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS Deadliest attack on Ukrainian troops

DAWN attack on a checkpoint in eastern Ukraine has left at least 14 soldiers dead, in the worst loss of life for government forces to date. Heavily armed militants attacked the checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, in one of four attacks reported overnight in eastern Ukraine. It is unclear who attacked the checkpoint, with one Ukrainian officer telling the BBC it was not separatists. The attacks come just three days before Ukraine’s presidential election. Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Coun-

cil, saying he has evidence of Russian involvement in the violence. Photographs taken by an Associated Press news agency crew show bodies lying in a field or inside a car outside the village of Blahodatne, which is near the town of Volnovakha. Three charred armoured infantry vehicles, their turrets blown away by powerful explosions, and several burned lorries could also be seen. Residents told AP the attackers had used an armoured bank lorry which the unsuspecting Ukrainian soldiers had waved through the checkpoint. The attackers then reportedly shot down the soldiers at pointblank range.

Thai military seizes power in coup

HAILAND’s military has announced it is taking control of the government and has suspended the constitution. In a TV statement, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed to restore order and enact political reforms. The cabinet has been told to report to the military, TV broadcasting is suspended and political gatherings are banned. A nationwide curfew will operate from 22:00 to 05:00 local time. The coup follows months of political turmoil in Thailand. On Tuesday the army imposed martial law. Talks were

Russia, China block Security Council referral of Syria to ICC

HINA, Russia vetoed yesterday a Security Council resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in Syria, the Security Council was unable today (yesterday) to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the wartorn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent members Russia and China. The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the Court the mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has

witnessed the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, the displacement of millions and widespread violations of human rights. “The Syrian people have a fundamental right to justice. The United Nations and its Member States have a fundamental duty to defend that right,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in remarks delivered on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prior to the vote. “Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, I have persistently called for accountability for perpetrators of grave human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The recent attacks against humanitarian convoys and personnel, which may constitute war crimes, add to the urgent need to see action now

on accountability in Syria,” he stated. “The Security Council has an inescapable responsibility in this regard. States that are members of both the Security Council and the Human Rights Council have a particular duty to end the bloodshed and to ensure justice for the victims of unspeakable crimes.” In February 2013, the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry concluded that the ICC is the appropriate venue to pursue the fight against impunity in Syria. “If members of the Council continue to be unable to agree on a measure that could provide some accountability for the ongoing crimes, the credibility of this body and of the entire Organization will continue to suffer,” Mr. Eliasson warned.

then held between the main political factions, but the army announced the coup on Thursday. Political party leaders, including opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban, were taken away from the talks venue after troops sealed off the area. Troops have reportedly fired into the air to disperse groups of rival supporters but there are no reports of violence. Gen Prayuth said he had taken over power because “of the violence in Bangkok and many parts of the country that resulted in loss of innocent lives and property, [which] was likely to escalate”. He added: “We ask the public not to panic and to carry on their lives normally.” In a later a statement read on television the military said that “in order to run the coun-

try smoothly, [it has] suspended the constitution of 2007, except for the chapter on the monarchy”. The statement said Gen Prayuth would head a ruling military body - the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council - but that the upper house of parliament and courts would continue to function. The army has ordered acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan and his ministers to report to the military on Thursday “in order to keep peace and order”. The TV statement also carried a ban on “political gatherings” of more than five people, adding: “Anyone who violates the ban will be subject to a one-year jail term, 10,000 baht ($307) fine, or both.” The army has staged at least

11 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932. The latest unrest began in the Thai capital late last year, when then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved the lower house of parliament. Demonstrators have blockaded several areas of Bangkok for months. Earlier this month, a court ordered Ms Yingluck’s removal for alleged abuse of power. Thailand has faced a power struggle since Ms Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as prime minister in 2006. Mr Thaksin and Ms Yingluck have strong support in rural areas and among poorer voters. Correspondents say they are hated by an urban and middle-class elite who accuse them of corruption and abuse of power.

•Hundreds of residents from the Ndirande township queue to vote in Blantyre, Malawi...on PHOTO:AFP Wednesday.

‘Malawi poll marred by rigging’

ALAWI’s elections have been marred by “some serious irregularities”, including vote-rigging and computerhacking, the president has said. Joyce Banda called for an immediate manual audit of the results. Mrs Banda faced a strong challenge in Tuesday’s election from three other presidential candidates, including ex-Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika. Earlier, a minister killed himself at his home in the capital, Lilongwe, police say. Deputy Local Government Minister Godfrey Kamanya was found shot dead inside a locked bedroom. Godfrey Kamanya’s suicide note, released by the president, alleged he feared being killed by the DPP His spokesman denied reports that his suicide was linked to him apparently losing his parliamentary seat. However, Mrs Banda released what she said was Mr Kamanya’s suicide note which stated that he took his life because he feared being killed by Mr Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). In a statement about the elections, Mrs Banda said that irregularities included: • The arrest of presiding officers who were “caught in the act of rigging” • Some people voting up to three times • “Serious anomalies” where some candidates won more votes than the number of registered voters • Discarded and tampered

•Vote counting system flops •Minister commits suicide

•President Banda

ballots • Communication device of some monitors being blocked. Eleven candidates ran against Mrs Banda, but her main challenger is seen as Mr Mutharika, the brother of former President Bingu wa Mutharika who died in office in April 2012. MEC chairman Maxon Mbendera denied their computer system had been hacked. “Our electronic counting system has crashed, yes, and last night we migrated to our Plan B - manual counting of the results, so I wonder why the People’s Party [of Mrs Banda] is complaining since we have not announced any results yet,” Mr Mbendera said. Around 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the fifth elections since the end of one-party rule 20 years ago. The MEC will only an-

nounce results when 30% of the votes have been counted, and is currently “not anywhere in the neighbourhood” of that figure, MEC chairman Maxon Mbendera said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, deputy minister yesterday committed suicide, apparently over losing his parliamentary seat in this week’s general election, Zodiak broadcasting station and other media reported. Outgoing deputy Local Government Minister Godfrey Kamanya shot himself in his home. Official results of Tuesday’s election are still to be announced. But preliminary election results aired on radio stations indicated Kamanya was faring badly in the poll and was likely to lose his parliamentary seat. In a suicide note now held by police, Kamanya reportedly said he took his life because of misunderstandings related to politics. He also outlined how his wealth would be distributed and asked incumbent President Joyce Banda, under whom he served, to help pay school fees for his child. About 1 300 candidates also contested the 194 seats in parliament. Several broadcasters said Mutharika and Chakwera had taken an early lead. Banda’s rule has been tainted by a massive corruption scandal known as Cashgate, which led to donors slashing aid that had made up 40% of Malawi’s budget.

THE NATION FRIDAY, 23, 2014

SPORT EXTRA Oshodi: Hosting international sporting events increase revenue generation

BABAYARO INSISTS:

Eagles can’t win World Cup T

ORMER Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Emmanuel Babayaro has told soccer loving Nigerians including administrators, coaches and players to wake up from their slumber and face the reality of live that the Super Eagles on Nigeria cannot win the 2014 World Cup holding in Brazil as from June 12 this year. Optimism is on the rise from all Nigerians led by the Honourable Sports Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo

•Babayaro

ORONTO FC of Canada’s striker, Bright Dike has stepped up his race to recovery after he began running and kicking the ball on his own. Dike suffered an injury that ruled him out of the World Cup finals last February but he has commenced another phase towards his full return to

•Stop dreaming

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja who set the win the 2014 World Cup target for the Super Eagles while the Eagles gaffer Stephen Keshi, players and eminent Nigerians have also joined in the campaign of “Nigeria can win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil”, but the former International has come out to say Nigerians should wake up from their slumber and face the reality that we don’t have the material and capability to win the World Cup now. The ever blunt former Eagles goal tender told NationSport in Abuja yesterday that Nigerians talk out of wish. “We are very religious and believing people. 99.9 percent when they speak they speak out of wish but not out of preparedness. I just finished a song now titled let us go and win and bring the World Cup. This is our way and our wish but funny enough you will be amazed that millions of Nigeria will

“But if 150 out of 170 million or more come together to pray to God for victory for a team you know what that means so the miracle could just Happen and the Eagles might just win it.”. he disclosed. He also stated that the defense of the Eagles is the biggest problem of the team/ “Our biggest problem is our defense. I am not scared of the attack. Our attack might not be the best in the world but they have a way of wriggling themselves out and creating one or two chances. Our midfield is slightly okay but our defense is the biggest, biggest problem”, he warned. Babayaro, however tipped the Eagles to sail through to the second round of the competition. “I am cock sure that the Eagles will qualify for the second round d of the competition. If they fail to, God forbidI will personally look for cane to flog my senior and my boss, Stephen Keshi”, he said jokingly.

Dike begins light training •FC Toronto star already running From Tunde Liadi,Owerri football with his latest recovery programme. He has concentrated on biking

Confluence Queens place six on transfer

HE management of Nigeria Women Premier League NWPL, side Confluence Queens FC have sent six of their players to be labour market. In a statement signed by the Confluence Queens’ spokesperson, Tosin Ojo, the decision by the management became necessary as a result of plans for the club to do well this second round and to create room more promising players that can assist the Wada Queens achieve the set goals. “Players have to go while some have to come in. She said “We have placed six of our players in the transfer market, our plans is to do better in the second round than we did in the first round, some players have to leave for others to come in to the team, what the

actually fast and pray for the Eagles to win the World Cup. ‘Yes this is possible but when you are talking technical now, preparedness and otherwise we know we do not have what it takes. But that is where the average Nigerian will tell you that that is where the grace of God comes in because the grace of God make something that you don’t deserve you get it at the end of the day. Are we deserving of the World Cup? No, should we get it? Yes by the grace of God like Nigerians pray and believe. “The truth is simple, technically, I keep saying that we are better now but we are still not up there. As regards preparedness we are even starting very late because I learnt that the Eagles are just starting camping this weekend while other teams coming for the competition have already shaped up and have gone ahead to name their final 23 man squad for the competition. In terms of preparation I think we are really not prepared.

and swimming to accelerate his recovery rate but he has ended that to take his present training regimen so as to link up with the rest of his colleagues in Toronto FC without further ado.

management want is for the team to be among the best in the league.” Ojo, further revealed that the club has sent invitation to some players for trials. “There are plans to bring in fresh legs to compliment the players we already have on ground, the management has sent invitations to some players, some are already here and we are still expecting other invitees to arrive.” The players who were placed in the market are forward Oge Tina, midfielders Mabel Jimoh and Ehibor Charity, defenders Chineye Okafor, Edet Favour, and goalkeeper Adeyemo Fasilat. Interested clubs are expected to contact the management of the Lokoja base NWPL team, Confluence Queens FC for the services of the dropped players.

“I can tell you that Bright has started light training with the ball. He told me he would be doing that till the end of the month before he would analyse what remains of his training schedules,” a close source of the Nigerian said.

•Dike

By Stella Bamawo of Ghana in Jalco Cup, as a role model whose life both on and off the pitch was worthy of emulation . And added that Anambra state is fully set to accord him a state burial.

The commissioner stressed that the state Government is already discussing with the Onyeanwuna’s family and other stakeholders for the burial rites fixed from August 26-31, 2014 in Lagos, Awka and Abatete, his home town which is a normal thing

when a hero dies. Nnachetta took time off to commend the vice president of the Nigeria football Federation , Mike Umeh who inspite of his tight schedules at this period of world cup, still find time to join him at the condolence visit.

have to do a lot of work because all the countries are very strong right now and they are all ready to also give their best but I know that Nigeria will come out of the group stage” Azeez featured for Almeria on the last day of the 2013/2014 La Liga season and was instrumental as the club forced Athletic Bilbao to a 0-0 draw to

remain the Spanish top flight football. The former U17 captain made 30 appearances for Almeria scoring 2 goals in the process. Azeez because of his impressive form this season in Spain also made Coach Stephen Keshi’s 30-man provisional list of players ahead of the World cup this summer in Brazil.

Azeez: Eagles’ll be successful in Brazil

D Almeria of Spain and Eagles midfielder, Ramon Azeez has submitted that he sees the national team having a successful outing in Brazil provided they work hard as a team and prepare well for the world cup. “I think we are going to go far in this competition but we’ll

By Bowale Odukale sporting activities to Lagos State. "We have continued to maintain development of staff of the ministry as well as added to the revenue generated by the state through the numerous games we have hosted, trainings of our athletes and exposure of same through competitions with their counterparts from all across the world" he added. Continuing Oshodi said through the existing infrastructural development, the state has not only become the trail blazers in all spheres of human endeavours, but has been able to identify potential stars for the future. "We upgraded our sport facilities and have continued to maintain these facilities by continually hosting and accommodating both National and International tournaments”.

D’Tigers captain calls for programme to nurture talents from DAWN Games

L U M I D E Oyedeji,Captain,national male basketball team, D’Tigers, on Thursday urged the Southwest governors to draw up a comprehensive programme to nurture newly discovered talents at the ongoing DAWN Games. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that he was impressed with the level of skills that were exhibited in the different sports by the participating students. “The skills that were shown during the Games are a sign that Nigeria is not lacking in sports talents. “What is needed beyond this sports fiesta for students is a well thought-out training programme for those with potential to do this nation proud in international tournaments. “The core goal of the programme for the national team hopefuls among the students should be to nurture them so as to sustain their zeal for sport,’’ he said. According to Oyedeji,the DAWN Games are one event that will bring sustainable

transformation to Nigeria’s sports sector. In the same vein, Ben Orakpo, Lagos State Badminton Coach, said the Games would be a source of encouragement to other geographical regions in Nigeria to organise similar events. He said the competition would boost the popularity of sports in the South-West region, improve sports business and marketing as well as encourage more youths to become sportsmen. “Governors of the participating states can also reach out to neighbouring countries to organise similar students’ sports competitions. “Our political leaders are now coming to the realisation that sport is a viable tool for education, culture and economic diplomacy. “It is important that the South-West governors continue to host this event because of its social, economic, mental and physical benefits to students and the sports-loving public,’’ he said.

Brazil 2014:Nigerians must respect Keshi’s decisions —Lawal

Obiano promises to immortalise ex-Green Eagles’

HE Anambra state Governor, Dr Willie Obiano, has promised to immortalise Late Green Eagles Play-maker, Albert Onyeanwuna who died in Lagos on April 21, 2014. The state commissioner for sports, Ogbuefi Tony Nnachetta made this known in Lagos on Wednesday when he visited Onyeanwuna’s family home in Fetac Town Lagos to console the family Nnachetta hinted that Governor Obiano who was really touched by Onyeanwuna’death, described the late legendary footballer who debuted for the Red Devils on October 30, 1955 against the Black Stars

HE incessant organisation of world class sporting events in Lagos state has been described as the factor responsible for the increase in revenue of the state this year. Making this assertion is the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Enitan Oshodi ,at the Ministerial Press Briefing held at Baguada Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa to mark the 3rd anniversary of the second term of the Governor Babatunde Fashola’s Administration. He said that by so doing, the state prides itself as the hub for international tournaments, adding that Lagos have become a centre of sports development. According to him “Over the months, through partnership with the private sector we have continued to encourage, organise and draw more

ARBA Lawal says Nigerians must respect Stephen Keshi’s selection decisions even if they don’t agree with them. Questions have been raised regarding the exclusion of certain players and call up of some supposedly injured ones to the provisional squad. But Lawal, a member of the NFF’s technical committee, says the coach must be allowed to do his job. “Not everybody can be called up at the same time,” he told KickOffNigeria.com. “We have to respect the decision of the coach. “It is his job to decide who he invites to the team and who will give him what he wants so he has his reasons and even if you don’t agree with him, you have to respect his decision.” Lawal added that he is confident Keshi will do well with the squad at his disposal. “We have seen what he has done since he came in and I’m sure he will

do very well at the World Cup. “Talking about who is not there now, will not help anybody.We just have to support the team to do well.”

•Keshi

TODAY IN THE NATION

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

S terror ventures out of its base, the imperative of a truly secular polity becomes categorical. At the inception of its campaign of terror, the haven of Boko Haram was the Northeast where it has ravaged families and battered innocent lives. Then, it bared the fangs of its horror at Abuja, the ultimate symbol of the nation’s strength and pride, and sadly for our bloated sense of national honour, the terrorists claimed victory. Now, basking in its “successes” against the weak “infidels”, as it describes all individuals and institutions that reject its jaundiced jihadist religious ideology, Boko Haram has ventured into the North Central, which has had a tradition of mixed religious identities since the beginning of times. If it succeeds in the Middle Belt, nothing prevents these agents of death and self-appointed soldiers of a God of peace, from marching south. What will stop them? Who can stop them? It is not as if nobody saw this coming. As recent as the beginning of the fourth republic, the seed of religious discontent and confrontation was sown by bigots and watered by both the legislature and the executive who chose to look elsewhere. Sharia Law was legislated in the name of religious freedom at the same time that opportunity for functional and quality education was curtailed for the youth, who then got recruited into the army of God. We have a constitution that is secular only in name because politicians and elected officials lack the essential spine of political courage to stand up to religious bigots and career religionists. The deliberate politicisation of religion at the highest level of government is sickening. Some years ago, I suggested that the spread of terror across the North pointed to the urgency of a dialogue over the place of institutional religion in a secular state like Nigeria. I made this point at that time because, then, as now, the avowed reason for the anger of Boko Haram is its demand for the complete islamisation of the entire North in particular, with the propagation and enforcement of Sharia Law. An update is warranted because lately, the sect has moved the goal post further. Now it would not accept a non-Muslim to rule over its members and all who subscribe to its hatred of other religions. This is its rationale for venturing out of its base. Granted that the publicised grievance of the sect may diverge from its unspoken gripe against the state; it is reasonable to assume that religion is central to its raison d’etre and it is the source of its angst. In the circumstance, it’s unclear how a secular state can oblige the sect without undermining its

“T

HEN the Lord spoke to Moses saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge and in manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they make all that I have commanded you: the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle — the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base – the garments of ministry, the holy garments of Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.” (Exodus 31: 1-11 NKJV). The tabernacle of God is with men: If only every leader were a high priest of sort and the office he occupies, his tabernacle. That is the impression that comes to mind each time one reads the intriguing passage above. One has lifted so copiously from it to showcase God’s originality and purity in enact-

VOL.9 NO.2,857

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

As terror ventures out

•Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

secularity. This may explain why the focus of the reaction of concerned citizens has been the poverty index and the impact this has had on the psychological and material wellbeing of the people. A hungry man is an angry man and the resentment emanating from a state of acute poverty can find an exit in any number of outlets, including a pseudo-religious one. The reasoning then is that religion is a camouflage for the underlying effect of poverty. Treat the disease of poverty and all will be well. If poverty is the foundation and religion is only a superstructure, one can keep hope alive that the cause of peace and stability is not beyond the nation’s reach provided that the political will is summoned to combat poverty. We can get at poverty and expect desirable results in due course. I confess that I sympathised with this reasoning as an important element of the crisis. But Shehu Sanni recently disclosed his encounter with university graduates who confirmed to him that they shredded their diplomas in order to be recognised as authentic members of the sect. This should not be a surprise. The masterminds of the 9/11 attack in New York were university-trained engineers. It is safe to assume that not all members of

the sect are complete outliers with regard to western education. Even if most of them are out of the box of western education, the leadership of the group isn’t. Furthermore, I would like to assume that in view of the resources that they have access to in the conduct of their deadly campaigns, they must have a close affinity with those whose educational attainment give access to comfortable living and giving. With all these assumptions, I hypothesise that the group is benefitting from Western education which it has roundly condemned and rejected as sin. Of course, one may benefit from something that one truly finds to be evil and sinful, not necessarily by being a hypocrite; it may just as well be out of ignorance, as in not knowing that the said benefit is from a sinful or evil source. But it seems to me unlikely that Boko Haram members are innocently ignorant of western education as the direct or indirect source of some of the resources at their disposal, including access to video technology and YouTube. While the sect’s recent attacks (in Abuja, Bauchi and Jos) have been indiscriminate, it has not always been vague about its targets, which have included churches and security agents and agencies; the latter presumably because they are the instruments of the state campaign against it. With respect to churches, the message does not get clearer. The sect perceives churches as evil and worshippers as demons. Is this perception poverty-driven? Perhaps the suicide bombers that attacked churches during Sunday worship hours were paid handsome compensations to carry out their mission in addition to the promised reward of a paradise of blissful lives ever-after, giving them an additional motivating force. Yet this doesn’t detract from the religio-spiritual persuasion without which material compensation is meaningless. If we ignore this, we fall into the same mistake of explaining ethnicity as essentially a symptom of the disease of poverty.

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

STEVE OSUJI

EXPRESSO

steve.osuji@yahoo.com

Nta’s tabernacle ing his first sanctuary of worship – the tabernacle. In the making of the tabernacle, we are apprised with the majesty of omniscience. We see how He named every material for use by name and every measure to the finite unit. Aren’t you struck by the strict code of production up to the colours of garments and the ingredients of anointing oil and sweet incense. And of course, these are followed by unambiguous injunctions about code of conduct and mode of worship. This is at the beginning of the book. At the end; in the book of Revelation (21: 3), it says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.” The corruption of theft: This rather long excursion into the Bible had been triggered

by the comment credited to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, to the effect that Nigerians mistake stealing for corruption. In receiving members of the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria in his office in Abuja, the anti-corruption czar took an especial umbrage, noting that “Stealing is erroneously reported as corruption. We must go back to what we were taught in school to show that there are educated people in Nigeria.” Mr. Nta was simply re-echoing his boss, President Goodluck Jonathan, who had spoken in like manner and logic during a Presidential Chat recently. Nta and the president seem to be upbraiding Nigerians for construing every misdemeanor as corrup-

We have to accept that just as there is the disease of poverty, for which an adequate cure is required and which a capable state would effectively deal with; there is also the disease of extreme and radical religiosity which the state cannot afford to accommodate because its fury is limitless and is capable of consuming the state. A policy of non-accommodation of radical religiosity is the normative ground for affirming the secularity of the state, especially in a multi-religious state where people of different faiths are inextricably welded together. Paradoxically, it is the educational achievement levels of its members that facilitate, though without guaranteeing, the affirmation of secularity, and the rationale for a secular polity in a pluralistic society. Educational levels enhance the probability of individuals understanding that freedom of religion, that is the liberty to make choices of religious doctrines and affiliations, is essential because spirituality cannot be forced even in monolithic societies since each person must account for him or herself on the judgment day. If education enhances this understanding, it is not a surprise that religious fanatics and spiritual radicals would find it evil and sinful. This is why Boko Haram is against western education. If education is loathed and, therefore, prevented from performing its task of opening the eyes and clearing the mind of its idols, what is the recourse of a state focused on peaceful coexistence among peoples of different faiths? 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 affiliation anywhere and everywhere in the country; and identify radicals and fanatics, including political opportunists that stand in the way, enemies of the nation. At a time such as this, the hope of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Nigerian nation depends solely on the collective will of our political leaders and their religious and traditional counterparts. Will the Committee on Religion at the ongoing Confab place the career interests of religious bigots above the nation’s interest in a secular state that provides opportunities for religious freedom but no preferences for any particular religion? Conference delegates must send a clear message to agents of hate and religious bigots: Nigeria is a secular state and secularism is her strength. •For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

tion. They are trying to educate us on the fine distinction between plain stealing and perhaps the more dignified ‘art’ of corruption. But Mr. Nta would have done well to explain that fine difference between theft and corruption; something beyond the analogy he furnished the visiting engineers that tagging theft as corruption is like calling a roadside mechanic an engineer. Chief priests of tainted tabernacles: But there is no validity to what is clearly Mr. Nta’s Freudian slip: stealing is not just corruption, it is the most invidious kind. Here are some examples. When the chairman of a commission favours his front company to win a contract in his commission, he has not only corrupted the procurement system, he has stolen the commission’s funds. Two, when a director steals about N27 billion of pension funds, he has not only managed to damage the pension scheme, he is liable to corrupt the judiciary and the police prosecutorial and investigatory order, especially in a regime of weak institutions like our. It will be difficult to convict such a thief because he can buy his way through. So is a minister who has unrestrained access and indeed helps herself to her ministry’s treasury; even the ICPC would not dare probe her. •Continued on page 7 •For comments, send SMS to 08111526725

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