The Nation September 05, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Gunmen kill Ekiti Varsity lecturer

Ripples over Oyinlola’s N18.3b Osun loan

NEWS

NEWS

•It’s unneccesary, says ex-HOS

Page 45

Page 7

•Friend also killed in attack

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TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 7, NO. 2239 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

N150.00

Jonathan, Dangote, others back N5000 amid protest Economic Team endorses plan

•From left: Chairman of Forte Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Group Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, and the President’s Special Adviser on Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof.

Sylvester Monye, during the Economic Management Team’s meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja... yesterday

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

O

PPONENTS of the N5000 banknote may have lost the battle, it emerged yesterday.

The National Economic Management Team (NEMT) – a conclave of some senior government officials and prominent businessmen – blessed the idea, following a briefing by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

The President had earlier approved the proposal.

But the battle to stop the new banknote got onto the street yesterday, with protesters seizing the frontage of the CBN office in Abuja.

The new higher denomination will be introduced along with the new coins of N5, N10 and N20. The policy is expected to take effect in 2013.

Meanwhile, the National Asembly has asked the CBN to pull the brakes on the proposal - for now.

But NEMT argued that it was the primary responsibility of the CBN to effect changes in the nation’s currency with the approval of the President.

The economic team also allayed the fear that the note will heighten inflation, saying that there is no link between inflation and currency denomination.

Besides, the group argued that the introduction of the higher currency will help shore up the naira’s value as most people who store money in hard currency will now embrace the high denomination.

The NEMT, which is headed by the President, comprises the Minister of Finance and coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sanusi, Minister of National Planning Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), one representative each of governors of the South and the North as well as key private Continued on page 2

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN

‘

Police nab man with Cynthia’s phone

But the question now is this...the CBN is trying to place a patient on chemotherapy before diagnosing cancer

‘

By Jude Isiguzo

T

talk on the state of health of the First Lady because those who followed her to Germany have been censored by security agencies.

“None of them has been allowed to establish telephone contacts with Nigeria to avoid a misrepresentation of the state of health of Her Excellency.

“Only the First Family has up to date information on how she is faring. That is why it has been difficult to issue a state-

HE police have made another breakthrough in their investigation into the murder of Nasarawa State Graduate student Cynthia Osokogu.

Miss Osokogu, 25, was last month lured to Lagos by two men she met on a social media site, who lodge her in a hotel in Festac, where they allegedly murdered her.

Four men are in custody in connection with the murder.

Lagos State Police Commissioner Umar Manko said the late Miss Osokogu’s blackberry Bold 5 (9910 model) handset was recovered from Nonso Ezike in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said Ezike is a graduate of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Federal University of technology (FUTO), Owerri.

Manko said the develop-

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

’

If I were the CBN Governor, I will prefer to print N10,000 notes. Last year, Nigeria spent N47billion to print these small, small notes

’

•Melaye addressing the protesters...yesterday

PHOTO: SANNI ONOGU

Ailing First Lady’s aides can’t make calls

N •Mrs Jonathan

IGERIANS may have to wait for a while to ascertain the condition of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, following security censoring of some of the key aides who followed her to Germany for medical treatment.

It was learnt last night that the aides have been barred from telephone contacts with Nigeria.

But a source in government last night confirmed that the First Lady was a victim of food poisoning in Dubai .

•Treating food poisoning abroad is ridiculous, says Okogie •See Page 59 •Food poisoning, by nutritionist From Yusuf Alli and Yomi Odunuga Abuja

The source said the fact-sheet indicated that she did not undergo any surgery in Germany, as reported by a section of the media.

The source said: “No one can actually

•SPORT P23 •MONEY P30 •INVESTORS P32 •POLITICS P43 •LIFE P25

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

NEWS Tinubu, Fayemi, Ikuforiji, Alake at Democratic Party convention

A

•Asiwaju Tinubu (second left), Fayemi (second right), Ikuforiji (left) and Alake at the venue of the Democratic Party’s convention in North Carolina, United States...yesterday

Ailing First Lady’s aides can’t make calls Continued from page 1

ment by the Presidency.

“Everyone is in the dark in the Presidential Villa on how far the First Lady has gone with her treatment and when she would return.

“The media outage is understandable in view of the kind of media attention the sickness has attracted as if the First Lady is not human.”

More facts emerged yesterday on how the First Lady contacted food poisoning in Dubai late last month.

A Presidency source told our correspondent that after efforts to stabilise her worsening health condition proved abortive by the Presidency’s health team, the office of the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, was contacted on Friday, August 24 to arrange for a flight to Italy where she was expected to be treated at a specialist hos-

pital.

Mrs. Jonathan would have been flown earlier on Saturday, but getting a permit to fly European skies was said to have frustrated the move, until about midnight when a positive response was obtained from the German authorities.

Following the approval, a presidential jet left Abuja on Saturday for Frankfurt, carrying the First Lady and a few trusted aides.

The First Lady was taken to Wisbaden where she is being treated for food poisoning.

The source said: “I am aware that she contacted food poisoning in Dubai. We really can’t say exactly what she ate in Dubai, which resulted in the ailment. But as soon as it was becoming difficult to get her stabilised here, we were advised to fly her to Bologna, Italy where a particular hospital is said to be good

in handling such matters.

“Because it was an emergency case and there was no assurance that a permit would be granted for the team to fly European skies that night, we were still thinking of an alternative until word came in from the German authorities that we could fly in the next day. Calls were made to those asked to be on the alert for a journey to Italy as they would now be flying to Germany.

The team left for Frankfurt the next day, Saturday, August 25 and Madam was then taken to Wisbaden where she is currently undergoing treatment.”

Asked why there was no official statement on the matter, another source said:”I really can’t say but there is no truth in the rumour that she underwent any operation. Before she left, the medical team was sure it was food poisoning which came out of what she probably ate in Dubai. I am

not in the media team of the First Lady and, therefore, would not know why a statement was not issued.

“All I know is that the First Lady is recuperating and even shook hands with some of the aides that followed her to Germany before she was admitted. She was never flown out in an air ambulance but in an official presidential jet.“ Since the news of her ill health was published by an online news agency, the Presidency has kept mum, insisting that she had simply travelled out for some “moments’ rest” following her doctor’s advice.

A pro-development civil society group-the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has frowned at the practice whereby government officials continue to seek foreign medical treatments thereby neContinued on page 59

CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday spoke of his dream for democracy when issues and ideas will dominate politics.

He was reflecting on the preparation ahead of the National Convention of the Democratic which opened yesterday in Chalotte, North Carolina, United States (U.S.).

Tinubu said there is much to be learnt from the American politics before Nigeria can get on track for the journey to true and ideal democratic culture.

There was security lock down in Charlotte, the city hosting the convention .

A tight security cordon was thrown around the roads leading to the Time Warner Convention Grounds.

Over 30 security screening and sweeping points were mounted.

It was gathered that over 1,000 officers in mufti, drawn from around the country were

drafted.

More than 4, 000 Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were in place.

The city looked impregnable.

Access to the major hotels around the convention centre was almost impossible.

Guests must be cleared first by the security desk at the hotel and from the convention list.

Tinubu arrived in Charlotte on Monday in the company of Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Lagos Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji and former Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy Dele Alake for the convention. The group, whose names have been verified on the VIP list, will be joined by others to hear President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle, who delivered her speech.

Her speech set the tone for the convention.

President Obama will give his acceptance speech tomorrow night.

Police nab man with Cynthia’s phone Continued from page 1

ment is due to the painstaking investigative effort of the Area Commander ‘E’, Mr. Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Recounting how the phone was tracked, Okoro said: “We were having problems on how to get the late Cynthia’s phone. We met her father who gave us Cynthia’s pin number from there, we started chatting with the person using the phone and he told us he bought it from someone. We told him that we needed the phone and we pledged to pay him for it. But the buyer said the phone was giving him problems and he intended to send it back to the person who sold it to him.

“We traced the mast and discovered he was chatting from Port Harcourt. He told

me he bought the phone from Lagos. A few days later, he called to say he had returned the phone to the actual person he bought it from. We urged him to ask the person to return the phone to our office in Area E Command, Festac. The person eventually came to our office with a lawyer to drop the phone and I asked my men to arrest him immediately. “Coincidentally, the man who came to drop the phone with us is a junior brother to the prime suspects who are being arraigned in court. He confessed to the police of having sold 3 telephones given to him by his brothers at several occassions. He also confessed that he sold Cynthia’s Blackberry telephone for N68, 000.00.

Continued on page 59

Jonathan, Dangote, others back N5000 amid protest Continued from page 1

sector players.

Usman spoke at the end of yesterday’s NEMT meeting presided over by President Jonathan.

He explained that contrary to criticisms that the introduction of the N5,000 note will bring about inflation in the economy, the new denomination according to him, will rather assist in big business transaction.

The note, he said, will not be high in circulation but will be used mostly by the banks.

Usman said the higher denomination is not at variance with the cashless economy proposed by the CBN. His words: “Clearly, the N5000 note will not lead to higher inflation. There is absolutely no link. I am an economist; I have been deputy governor (Operations) of the Central Bank.

“During the last review of the introduction of N1000 note and the various coins, I was deeply involved, it was my responsibility at the Central Bank.

“There is absolutely no link between inflation and the currency denomination.

“So, obviously, the discussion today was basically to endorse.

“Mr. President had already approved; that is the only re-

Protesters march on CBN over banknote

P

ROTESTERS numbering over 300 yesterday marched on the Central Business District (CDB) headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja. They expressed displeasure with the planned introduction of N5000 banknote.

The group, under the aegis of the AntiCorruption Network, a non-governmental organization, defied the early morning down pour to register their opposition to the proposal.

They chanted anti-CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi solidarity songs and carried placards and banners bearing inscriptions that denounced the plan.

The banners read: “Sanusi is wicked”, “Sanusi must go”, “Nigerians say no to Sanusi’s crooked notes”, “Sanusi’s notes will aid Boko Haram, corruption” and “Nigerians reject the wicked N5, 000 notes”, among others.

There was traffic gridlock on most of the roads connecting the CBN Tower.

Armed soldiers and policemen were drafted to the area. quirement by law. The CBN is to propose and Mr. President is to approve. And since Mr. President has approved, really, what is important is to just explain. “ I personally had some concerns about the coins but since some discussion with the CBN governor, he has actually clarified that even the media didn’t undertsand.

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network, Mr. Dino Melaye, said the controversial move by Sanusi would not only worsen inflation but contradictory to the CBN’s cashless policy.

The former House of Representatives member likened the N5000 note to the ravages of the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and the dreaded Islamic fundamentalist sect, the Boko Haram.

Melaye said: “Our position is that N5000 note is equivalent to HIV. N5000 is equivalent to Boko Haram; N5000 will not do us any good. We have graduated from N20, to N50, N100, N200, and N500 to N1000.

“The layman’s interpretation is that this negative concomitant progression has not resulted into any positive impact for Nigerians. Rather, it has devalued our currency; it has enslaved Nigerians and taken us 25 years backward.

“Our NGO, the Anti-Corruption Network, was part of the NGOs, on our own volition, that went out to make flyers to

The coins are being introduced on an introductory basis so that if people accept them and are using them, then gradually they will withdraw the other notes but they will run concurrently with the notes. Those were my concerns, initially, because you remember during my time in the CBN, we introduced the one naira and

promote the cashless economy that is being introduced by the CBN. “We also propagated and supported the N150,000.00 limit cash withdrawal per day as introduced by the CBN. “But the question now is this...the CBN is trying to place a patient on chemotherapy before diagnosing cancer.

“You are saying you want cashless economy and you are introducing a N5000 note which bundle is half a million naira.

“Is the problem of Nigeria, is the economic instability in this country, is the inflation going to be solved by the introduction of N5000? Can N5000 provide water? Can N5000 provide electricity? Can N5000 provide roads? Can N5000 provide hospitals?

“If we introduce this policy it will only be beneficial to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and billionaires in this country who carry big, big money.

“For the Talakawas and the Maikunus, for the poor palm wine taper in

two naira coins.

“Unfortunately, they were not utilised at all. Part of that is really the value of one naira and two naira today; what can you buy? So because they are higher denomination, they may be accepted.

“I think even that aspect didn’t come out well in the communication and so the CBN is going to communicate

Continued on page 59

to Nigerians that the coins will run concurrently with the note. They are like testing the waters; if they get accepted and are being utilused, only then will they take subsequent actions.”

On the N5000 note being at variance with the cashless policy, Usamn said: “It is not . In most of the economies Continued on page 59

CORRECTION The picture above was published in yesterday’s edition to illustrate the story on former Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki.

The person in the picture is the late Sultan Muhammadu Maccido and not former Sultan Dasuki.

The mix-up is regretted

ADVERT HOTLINES: 08023006969, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

4

NEWS OLABODE OLATUNDE VINCENT (1925-2012)

Ola Vincent for burial tomorrow •Anyaoku, Okoya-Thomas, Sanusi others pay homage

T •Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola presenting a gift to the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr. Ryuichi Shoji during the visit of teh ambassador to the governor at the Government House, Osogbo...yesterday. With them is Deputy Governor Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (left).

• Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (third left), Managing Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola (second left), Commissioner for Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun (third right), Branch Manager, Abeokuta Branch, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Bola Onifade (left), Regional Business Executive, Mr. Ayo Adebayo (second right) and Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Investment, Mrs. Nike Aboderin (right) during a visit by the management of the bank to the Governor's Offce in Abeokuta...yesterday

• Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda , Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Yahaya Miya and the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija at the oath taking ceremony of the Care taker Committee chairmen at the Government House, Bauchi ...yesterday

•Chairman Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije(left), Minister of Education Prof. Ruquyat Rufai and Registrar,Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria Dr. Victoria Okojie (right) during the 3rd induction for Registered Librarians in Abuja... yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

HE remains of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Ola Vincent, will be interred at the Ikoyi Cemetery tomorrow.

A church service will hold at the African Cathedral Bethel.

Statesmen, foremost bureaucrats and top government officials yesterday thronged the late Vincent’s 8, Balarabe Musa Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos home to express their condolences.

Vincent, a one-time Central Bank Governor, died on Monday at St. Nicholas Hospital after a suffering “geriatric-related illness”, his daughter Taiwo Vincent-Bali said.

Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) said: “My very first memory of him was as a child.

When we wrote test on who was the Governor of Central Bank and Federal Commissioners. His name always came up; people like him had defined themselves at that time as leaders who had a clear vision and a clear path for the country. Up to the first time I met him and as an adult I continued to draw inspiration from the kind of leadership, vision and selflessness with which he served this country at critical and challenging times. I pray that he rests in peace. He has lived well. It is for us now as the next generation to emulate persons like Ola Vincent. There is nothing wrong with this country, we just need people to come forward and play their part as he had done.”

In the condolence register, Fashola wrote: “Papa Vincent will be sorely missed, but we will remember with pleasant and fond memories, his selfless service to the country and the leadership that his generation provided at very critical times. He truly served, and we remain inspired by such virtues of patriotism.

Former Secretary General of Commonwealth of Nations Emeka Anyaoku said: “Mr. Ola Vincent was a truly outstanding governor of our Central bank and he was a great human being in the sense of representing the finest quality that one wishes in a human being, he was ever so generous and humane in his relations and treatment to people irrespective of their social standing. He will be greatly missed by all of us. I will miss his quiet sense of humour. He didn’t flaunt his views; he was a selfeffacing man and a truly dignified individual.”

Ola Vincent was survived by a wife Mrs. Edith Adenike Vincent; Children: Capt. Jaiye Vincent, Kehinde Vincent, Mrs. Taiwo Vincent-Bali and Bamidele Vincent and grand-children.

Edith Vincent, his wife for over55 years, said: “I loved him and cherished him and I will never forget him. I pray that in another world yet to come we shall meet again. As a father and grandfather he loved his children and grand-children and he would give them whatever they wanted. He was easy-going and nobody could offend him, rather to be angry at people, he would ignore their transgression. I would miss

•Vincent

‘

He has lived well.

It is for us now as the next generation to emulate persons like Ola Vincent.

There is nothing wrong with this country, we just need people to come forward and play their part as he had done

‘

By Damilola Owoyele and Segun Balogun

everything about him.”

Taiwo Vincent-Bali said of her late father: “He was a very wonderful man. I thought he would never die. I had thought of him as immortal, but he is indeed mortal. I will miss him greatly. You could never offend my father, he always wanted peace. He was a stickler to details. He wrote his speeches by himself. I remember the discussions we had and the advice he would give; he was a very wise man. The lessons he had imparted that I will remember most was on honesty, integrity and hard work. I could not have asked for a better father. I will miss him.”

Joseph Sanusi, who is also former CBN governor, wrote in the condolence register: “Oga Vincent was a unique professional. A central banker to the core; he was a mentor, a role model and true icon. I will miss him.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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NEWS OLABODE OLATUNDE VINCENT (1925-2012)

• Director-General, Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) Dr. Uju Ogunbunka (left) and CIBN President Mr. Segun Aina at the late Vincent’s residence...yesterday • Revd. Julius Abbe signing the condolence register...yesterday

‘ • Chief Herny Omenai and Dr. Chris Ogunbanjo...YESTERDAY

• Alhaji Hassan Fasinro signing the condolence register...yesterday PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI

Jonathan condoles with family of ex-CBN governor

P

REIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has condoled with the family of the late former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Ola Vincent.

He died on Monday at 87.

The president, according to a statement by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the late former governor of the CBN had a fulfilled life of service.

The President also joined members

The President/Chairman-inCouncil of Chartered Institute of Bankers, Mr. Segun Aina, said: “His death is a sad loss to CIBN because he was a distinguished member of the board of fellows. We will miss his contributions, his wise counsel and matured positions on issues. He was Governor of Central Bank for about five years, which was the time CIBN started in Nigeria, so he imparted positively in getting the support of the CBN on the institute’s activities. And up to his last days he was still contributing in CIBN affairs. His passing has left a vacuum.”

Justice George Oguntade, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, said the late banking luminary attained great heights in life, and despite his achievements, he was very humble.

He related well with the younger ones. And he was a man of impeccable integrity. “If we all emulate him Nigeria would reach greater heights.”

Otunba Subomi Balogun, the Chairman of First City Monument Bank, the late Vincent was the best

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

of the Vincent family, his friends, and associates in mourning the passage of the illustrious economist and banker who served Nigeria meritoriously in several capacities during his long public service career. The President urged them to give thanks to God Almighty for Vincent’s successful and fulfilled life of service to his family, community and the nation.

The President believes that Mr. Vincent’s very distinguished service in the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the African Development Bank for which he received the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 1982 would stand to his eternal credit.

He also prayed that God would grant his soul peaceful rest.

The statement reads: "``The

Funeral rites SEPTEMBER 6 (Dress code: Green Head tie/Cap Lying in State at his residence 8, Balarabe Musa Crescent, Off Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos: 9:00am-100am.

Funeral Service takes place at Africa Church Cathedral (Bethel) 59, Broad Street, Lagos 11:00 interment shall be at the Ikoyi Cemetery.

Reception of guests thereafter shall be at the HAVILAH HOUSE OF EVENTS, Chief Yesufu Abiodun Way By City of david Church, Off Ligali Ayrinde, Victoria Island.

Sunday 9th September 2012 (Dress Code: Royal Blue tie/cap Outing Services shall be at the African Church Cathedral, at 10.00 a.m Reception follows, thereafter at HAVILAH HOUSE OF EVENTS, Chief Yesufu Abiodun Way by City of David Church, Off Ligali Ayorinde Victoria Island governor central bank ever had and his name would loom large in history. “Ola Vincent was the banker of all bankers. He was the man purposely sent by God to do good. He was an embodiment of not just simplicity, but also humility and godliness.

Vincent’s Stature towered even beyond his profession. He was

very analytical and could be blunt on issues. He was honest, a man of integrity and a professional per excellence. He was my mentor; he contributed to a lot that I have become. “ Representative of the International Chamber of Commerce, Olubunmi Olatunji, said: “ICC had the privilege of

President joins members of the Vincent family, his friends, associates and all who knew him in mourning the passage of the illustrious economist and banker who served Nigeria meritoriously in several capacities during his public service career. ``As they mourn him, however, the President urges them to give thanks to God Almighty for Mr Vincent's very successful and

fulfilled life of service to his family, community and the nation. ``The President believes that Mr Vincent's very distinguished service in the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the African Development Bank for which he received the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 1982 will stand to his eternal credit in the collective memory of Nigerians.''

having him as a Special Guest of Honour last November and his words of wisdom still lingers.”

Molade Okoya-Thomas, renowned industrialist, said he was classmate with Vincent’s widow in the primary school. He said: “A good man will die the way he has died, peacefully, without any suffering. There is a lot the younger generation can learn from him.”

Former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing Femi Okunu described him as a great Nigerian who was never afraid to speak the truth about public issues. “I will miss his geniality, laugh, and wisdom,” he said.

A condolence register entry by Yomi Balogun, made on behalf of the Young Women Christian Association, sai: “When I came here on 2nd September to inform you of YWCA anniversary as our Grand Patron, I did not know I had come to say goodbye.”

Workers in the late Vincent’s household were also aggrieved by

the demise of their boss. Moses Anzaku, a guard, said the late Ola Vincent was “a man of the people, simple and very handsome”.

The deceased's daughter, Mrs Taiwo Bali, described her father as a hardworking and caring person.

She said: "My father was a wonderful, very hardworking, loving and caring person. We will forever remain grateful to him. We will forever miss him."

The Chairman, Court of Governors, College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Mr Obafemi Olopade, said the late Vincent's ideals about the economy should be pursued.

Olopade said the late former CBN governor was a simple, humble and an upright man as well as an embodiment of integrity. ``Let it be known that Nigeria has lost a gem of high moral value, `` he said.

His driver, Chukwuma Uwa, said the loss was unexpected and very shocking. They both said they had lost a father.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

6

NEWS

2012 Hajj: Private operators protest disqualification for alleged ‘security clearance’ B

ARELY two weeks to the airlift of this year’s pilgrims, some private operators are protesting against their disqualification by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

Also, the private operators are unhappy over alleged “strange $35 service charge” levied on pilgrims by NAHCON. The commission will rake in over N52.5million from the strange service charge outside the N70.5million it had charged 141 private operators as licence and application fees.

Although NAHCON sought 100,000 slots, the Saudi Arabia Government has so far allocated 95,000 seats to Nigeria, it was learnt.

The Federal Government is still lobbying for additional 5,000 seats.

Of the tentative 95,000 slots for the 36 states and the FCT are to share 85,000 and 10,000 Hajj seats allocated to private operators.

The battle for the 10,000 seats by private operators has created a crisis, with some of the operators alleging bias by some commis-

Jonathan, Sultan,CAN for NLC security summit

NAHCON :it’s normal to seek clearance From Yusuf Alli,Abuja

sioners in NAHCON. It was gathered that some of the private operators who had been managing Hajj operations in the last five to six years were last week suddenly disqualified for new entrants who had never been involved in the exercise.

It was learnt that some of the disqualified operators had been okayed by the Saudi Government for “good performance” in the past.

A source said: “We are calling on the Federal Government to look into the allegation of bias by some commissioners in NAHCON. At a period the nation is consolidating on its gains of hitch-free pilgrimage, those who are experienced operators are being disqualified while new operators have been engaged because of ‘vested interests’.

“Many operators applied, but so far only 141 private operators have been shortlisted as follows: Southwest-

2,275(30 companies); Abuja Zone-3,315(48); Kano4,410(63); Southeast(none).

“NAHCON alleged that some of the operators have been disqualified because of alleged lack of security clearance. They did not tell us how they came about this security issue. “We are suspecting that they used the so-called ‘security clearance’ to edge out some operators and create room for others being bankrolled by some Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

“In fact, those disqualified

by Saudi authorities have been allocated Hajj seats through surrogate operators.

“The disqualified operators said they are not security risks and NAHCON has not deemed it fit to present concrete proof on why their operation licences have not been renewed this year.”

A $35 service charge has been imposed on each of the 10,000 pilgrims to be ferried by the short-listed private operators.

If NAHCON goes ahead with the levy, it will rake in a b o u t $350,000(N52.5million).

The operators are querying the rationale for the levy after they had paid N500, 000 each for licence (N300, 000) and application (N200, 000).

NAHCON will also earn about N70.5million from these fees too.

One of the licensed operators said: “NAHCON does not render service to any of the private pilgrim; we cannot understand the rationale behind the service charge of $35 per head.

“There is no evidence that the service charge was officially approved by the Federal Government. It is regretful that more burden will be created for innocent pilgrims in the guise of a levy.

“NAHCON is not a business venture; it relies on huge subvention from the Federal Government. What is the basis for this levy?

“The Federal Government should assist us to find out why Nigerian pilgrims have to pay $35 service charge each.”

The spokesman for NAHCON, Alhaji Mana Uba said: “It is normal to seek clearance from security agencies on these private operators. For every operator to be able to convey pilgrims to Saudi Arabia , it has to send its application to NAHCON containing details of its registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and its directors.

We used to send these information to security agencies for clearance.

“It is those cleared by security agencies that are allowed to operate. We do not want a situation whereby we will give any operator a licence and he or she will get to Saudi Arabia and start having problems with Saudi Arabia authorities.

“As a matter of fact, we used to make each operator to pay a caution deposit of N30million but we have reduced it to N5million.”

Uba confirmed that NAHCON has charged each pilgrim on private operators’ ticket a service charge of $35.

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

HIS year’s Independence Day celebration will be low-keyed, following security challenges facing the country, the Federal Government said yesterday.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Morro told reporters that the administration believes that proper foundation should be laid before any celebration.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan’s agenda has taken off, describing it as an athletic race which should not be celebrated until he or she wins.

“The world today is troubled; there are cries of infrastructure decay in Nigeria and insecurity.

Rather than commit money into celebration, we will rather use it for the development of the country, it will be too immature to embark on flamboyant activities while there are large number of unemployed youths in the country,” he said.

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Nigerian troops for Guinea Bissau

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W

ORRIED about the state of insecurity in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has invited President Goodluck Jonathan, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to a security summit in Abuja.

According to NLC President Abdulwahed Omar, the summit is scheduled for September 18.

He said the peace summit, titled: “Labour for Unity, Peace and Development”, is planned to find workable solutions to security challenges.

Omar spoke at a news conference in Abuja yesterday. He said the congress resolved to hold the summit in view of the deteriorating security situation despite government’s effort.

Low key Independence

•Omar flanked by his deputy, Promise Adewusi (left) and Vice President Issa Aremu at the briefing...yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

HE Minister of State for Defence, Mrs Olusola Obada, yesterday in Abuja said troops were undergoing training at the Nigeria Army Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji , Kaduna State, their pending deployment to Guinea Bissau.

Mrs Obada made this known while receiving ECOWAS Commission President Kadre Ouedraogo in her office.

“The situation in Guinea Bissau had prompted ECOWAS to invoke its mandate once again leading to the formation of ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau.

“While acknowledging the diplomatic efforts at stabilising the country, Nigeria, along with other member states, have pledged full participation within the framework of the ECOWAS Standby Force.”

We didn’t collect money from Zambian govt, says Anyiam-Osigwe brothers

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HE Anyiam-Osigwe family yesterday said none of its members or their company received any payment or compensation from the government of Zambia for crude oil supply.

In a protest letter to the Deputy High Commissioner, Zambian High Commission, Abuja, the family, in a letter signed by Mr Michael Anyiam-Osigwe, urged the government to retract in its entirety what it called a false and baseless allegation.

The family said it was determined to take all necessary measures to protect its integrity and obtain redress for what it said was a “gross act of recklessness.”

Zambia’s Permanent Secretary, Mines, Energy and Water Development, George Zulu, had said he recently travelled to Nigeria where he met a businessman, George Anyiam-Osigwe, who, according to him, claimed that he had been act-

•Family protests allegation of $5m crude oil supply payment

By Joseph Jibueze

ing as a middleman between Zambia and Nigeria for the supply of crude oil.

Zulu said the oil purported to have been supplied did not reach Zambia, yet documentation existed indicating that the Zambian Government had paid for the supply of the commodity.

He said: “In Nigeria, there’s a gentleman called George Anyiam-Osigwe, a Nigerian national, who claimed he was given $5million commission from the Zambian Government over the deal.

“I sought permission to go to Nigeria to speak to Anyiam-Osigwe and it is true. This man was engaged.’

But Anyiam-Osigwe denied participating in any such oil transaction.

In the letter to the Zambian Deputy High Commissioner, Ambassador George

Mpombo, Anyiam-Osigwe wrote: “Please see the attached Zambian newspaper publications. As you very well know, the Permanent Secretary Mr George Zulu never met me or any member of my family during his said visit to Nigeria and the company in question, SARB is totally unknown to me or anyone in my company.

“You would recall that you called me on my cell number to inform me of the official from Zambia who was visiting Nigeria on a fact finding mission with respect to the G-G crude contract awarded to Zambia by Nigeria.

“I had informed you that I was out of town and would not be able to meet with the visiting official in Abuja.

Later on I received another call from you and you put the visiting official on the phone.

“My conversation with him was to the effect that he was interested to know what

happened to the crude oil allocations of the Zambian GG. My response was to the effect that as we have in the past made several representations which clearly stated our role in helping to secure the G-G contract and the injustice we suffered when we were denied the right to operate the contract.

“Our representations also explained that we have no idea whatsoever what became of the crude oil allocations under the said contract as we were edged out of the transaction without any compensation of any kind for our efforts and were not privy in any way to what happened with the contract thereafter.“ “It is, therefore, imperative that this false and baseless allegation is retracted in its entirety without any delay. We at no time received any form of money directly or indirectly from the Zam-

bian government or any organisation or individual in Zambia or any where in the world on account of our honest efforts in assisting President Rupiah Banda’s government to secure a G-G crude oil contract from Nigeria.

“On the contrary we were denied our rightful place to act as operators of the contract having facilitated the award of the contract. Secondly, the Zambian Daily Mail quoting the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development, George Zulu, claims that ‘according to bank records, US$5million was paid to a Nigerian national identified as Anyamu Osigwe ….”

“We challenge any one or organisation, the Zambian Daily Mail, including the government of Zambia to show evidence that any member of the Anyiam-Osigwe family or their company was paid a

single cent or any money in any currency or any form of compensation on account of our having assisted the government of President Rupiah Banda to obtain a G-G contract from the government of Nigeria.

“In fact we make bold to say that we have had no financial dealings of any discription or value with any government or company in Zambia at any given time.

“I would therefore appreciate your most urgent intervention in bringing this complaint to the attention of Mr. George Zulu and other relevant officials including as high as the president of Zambia to ensure that everything necessary is done to retract this erroneous allegation with immediate effect.

“We on our part are unreservedly determined to take every and all necessary measure to protect our integrity and obtain redress for this gross act of recklessness. I look forward to your prompt response.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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NEWS Osun, Japan explore fresh areas of cooperation

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HE Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr. Ryuichi Shoji, has hailed the development of Osun State under Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The envoy said Japan would explore economic cooperation with the state and exchange ideas with its officials for mutual benefits.

This came as the Group Managing Director of First Bank PLC, Mr. Olubisi Onansanya, said the bank is proud to associate with the Aregbesola administration and that the financial institution would continue to support the state’s developmental projects.

Shoji spoke yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, during a visit to the governor at the Government House.

He was in company of Japan’s First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Mr. Takeshi Hagino, and the Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Seki Tetsuo.

The ambassador said he discovered that within a short period of his last visit to the state, there has been tremendous development, especially in Osogbo.

He added that during his visit to the Osun Osogbo grove, he also discovered similarities between the Yoruba culture and that of the Japanese.

Shoji noted that the belief in gods and goddesses is an indication that both nations are related in their cultures.

He hailed Aregbesola’s initiative on the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), which he described as the best model to save the youths from unemployment in Nigeria.

I didn’t support Oyinlola’s N18.3b loan, says ex-HOS M

ORE controversy continued to trail the N18.3billion loan the ousted Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration in Osun State obtained from the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

At its sitting yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, the Commission of Enquiry probing the loan and other financial deals of the ousted administration between May 2003 and November 2010 was told that many top government officials were not aware while others were not sincere on the matter.

A former Head of Service (HOS), Elder Segun Akinwusi, told the commission that he did not support the loan.

He added that the Oyinlola administration kept him out of the processes that led to the loan and what the government did with it.

When the commission’s members asked him to justify the viability of the loan, Akinwusi said he never supported sourcing for loans to finance social services.

He added: “The loan was

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

unnecessary, but as a civil servant, I could only have a say and not a way in the matter.”

The memo he wrote to the commission was read by its chairman, Prof. Femi Odekunle.

The former HOS said: “The loan issue was a messy affair.

Those involved are either saying half truth or no truth at all.

The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Gbenga Abiola, is denying his ignoble role in this infamy. It is a scandalous saga in our history.”

Akinwusi said Abiola knew more than he claimed to know about the loan.

When asked why he was severally at the meetings where the loan was discussed and he claimed not to have contributed to the discussion, the former HOS said since no letter was written to him about

‘It was not the mandate of my office to award contract or source loan for the government. I was not consulted; I cannot say I knew anything about it’ the loan, he could neither officially nor privately advise the former governor on it.

He said: “It was not the mandate of my office to award contract or source loan for the government. I was not consulted; I cannot say I knew anything about it.”

Some officials of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), led by its Legal Counsel, Sam Adikankwu, testified before the commission.

Adikankwu said the bank was only invited verbally alongside other banks.

He did not name the other banks.

The lawyer also told the commission that the bank offered the loan to the government after a negotiation.

The bank representative said the government never asked for a moratorium because he believed there was enough cash for the government to repay.

According to him, the government first sourced for the N15 billion loan before it later reviewed it upward to N18.3 billion.

A former Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation, Femi Farombi, said the former Speaker Adejare Bello suggested the idea of raising the loan to finance the 2010 Budget to Oyinlola.

The former lawmaker said this happened when the ousted governor presented the budget to the Assembly.

On the justification for the loan, Farombi said it was well

conceptualised though some people mismanaged the assignment.

Like the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Abiodun Akintaro, the former lawmaker said the governor set up a special committee to source for the loan after he had agreed to finance the 2010 Budget with loans.

Among the committee members Akintaro listed are the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Special Adviser to the former governor, Mr. Gbenga Abiola. Others are the former Accountant-General, Mr. G. A. Babatunde; Commissioner for Finance, Elder Ojo, and himself.

He said the committee was only saddled with a responsibility to source for the loan and not how to utilise it.

Akintaro added that he and the former Accountant-General opposed sourcing for the loan and told the governor their minds.

The commission, which sat till 7pm, will resume further hearing today.

Court strikes out Railway’s suit against Oyo

By Precious Igbonwelundu

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N Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, the state capital, yesterday struck out a suit filed by the Railway Property Management Company Limited against the state government for want of diligent prosecution.

The company had filed the suit before Justice O.I. Aiki, challenging the government’s revocation of all lands, except those being used for rail tracks and railway staff quarters.

The lands were hitherto vested in the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on grounds of overriding public interest.

Justice Aiki held that the claimant did not show due diligence in prosecuting the matter, especially because the suit was being heard as a matter of urgency.

He said: “The action of the claimant has fallen short of prosecuting the matter with due diligence deserving of a suit being heard as a matter of urgency during the court’s vacation.

“The suit is hereby struck out for indolent prosecution on the part of the Railway Property Company Limited.”

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adebayo Mutalubi Ojo, urged all persons, companies and associations, whose roots of titles were obtained through the Railway Property Company Limited, to contact the Ministry of Land, Housing and Surveys.

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (middle, in glasses) leading members of the State Executive Council during an inspection of the Mokola Overhead Bridge, which is under construction in Ibadan...yesterday.

Police arrest ‘masquerade’, four others for alleged robbery in Ekiti •Three arrested for ‘stealing’ goats in Ikere-Ekiti

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HE Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a 24-year-old man, Osalusi Sunday, for his alleged role in a robbery in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Police spokesman Victor Olu-Babayemi, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), told reporters that Sunday, who lives at Ijigbo Quarters in Ado-Ekiti, allegedly robbed Akinniran Akinyele in company of six others, wearing a masquerade hood on September 1.

He said the “masquerade”, called Sinrinminyin, was later found to be that of Sunday’s family.

Olu-Babayemi said the police have arrested four of the suspected seven-man gang: Deji Owolabi, Ayodeji Obamoyegun, Peter Akinwale and Oluwatosin Adefemi.

The police spokesman explained that two other suspect-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ed members of the gang, Danjuma Saheed and Oguntayo Saheed, escaped.

According to him, the leader of the gang, Odunayo Kolawole, 24, was killed during a robbery at Abebi Street in the Stadium area of Ado-Ekiti.

Olu-Babayemi said: “While the gang members were dispossessing their victims of their valuables, a police woman sent a distress call to the police. Men from nearby police stations and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) descended on them.”

Kolawole, who was said to be watching for other gang members from the rooftop, was killed during a shootout while the others were arrested, the spokesman added.

Olu-Babayemi said the

‘While the gang members were dispossessing their victims of their valuables, a police woman sent a distress call to the police. Men from nearby police stations and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) descended on them.’ hoodlums “inflicted machete cuts on some of their victims and attempted to rape some ladies among them”.

Wearing the masquerade hood, Osalusi said it was the tradition of his family to bring out the masquerade on specific instances.

He admitted he wore the garb to disguise during the robbery, adding that it was

his older brother who was the masquerader.

Some of the items recovered from the hoodlums included two locally made single-barrel guns; two locally made pistols; 10 live cartridges; five expended cartridges; three cutlasses; six handsets; face masks; two wrist watches and assorted charms.

The police said they have arrested three siblings, including a lady, for allegedly stealing goats in Ikere-Ekiti.

Olu-Babayemi said the suspects are Jumoke Obamoyegun, Damilola Obamoyegun and Bamidele Obamoyegun.

The police spokesman explained that the suspects were arrested with a “vehicle-load of goats three days ago in the dead of the night”.

He said the suspects would soon be charged to court.

LUTH promises continuous services

By Olatunde Odebiyi

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HE AIDS Prevention Initiative Nigeria (APIN) Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, yesterday promised to continue the treatment of patients and administer drugs.

The centre was last Thursday razed by a fire.

The Clinic Coordinator Dr Titilayo Adeyemo said the fire did not affect the treatment and accessing of drugs to patients.

He said all clinical services would continue at the centre.

Dr Adeyemo said: “The fire does not affect clinical activities for HIV/AIDS patients at the hospital. In fact, we need to state it clearly to all our patients that the fire is not affecting treatment and drug access to them.

Thus, all patients should come for their treatment and drugs.”

The doctor said all activities that went on in the centre before the fire have been shifted to the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course Centre at the hospital.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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NEWS ONDO 2012

‘Mimiko plans to implicate ACN leaders’ •Party urges IGP, SSS to probe plot T

HE Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday alleged that the ruling Labour Party (LP) is planning to implicate ACN leaders ahead of the October 20 governorship election.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, the organisation alleged that some security agents are involved in the plot.

The statement reads: “The Akeredolu Campaign Organisation wishes to bring to the attention of the good people of Ondo State the lat-

‘The latest in the series was the meeting held by Governor Mimiko with State Security Service (SSS) commanders in the 18 local governments to generate negative security reports to implicate the leaders of our party and forward such to Abuja through the Ondo State SSS Director’ est antic of the drowning Labour Party and Governor Olusegun Mimiko the plans to instigate the security agents against the leaders of the ACN. “This is coming on the

heels of meetings he (Mimiko) has been holding with vigilance groups, being funded by the state government, to cause chaos in the state.

“The latest in the series was the meeting held by Gover-

nor Mimiko with State Security Service (SSS) commanders in the 18 local governments to generate negative security reports to implicate the leaders of our party and forward such to Abuja through the Ondo State SSS Director.

“Leaders of our party listed for this dubious act include: Chief Tayo Alasoadura, the Director-General of ACO; Chief Ade Adetimehin, Senator Ajayi Borrofice; Chief Noah Adesoji, the Ondo State ACN Chairman; Mr. Timehin Adelegbe, Wale Akinteyinwa and Olakayo Aribo.

“In fact, at the meeting,

Mimiko allegedly told the security agents that LP would not allow ACN supporters to hold meetings in the state, as LP is not ready to allow campaigns in the wards and local governments. He directed them to always put the blame at the doorstep of ACN leaders.

“Supporters of ACN were attacked at Lafe Ward II, in Akure, when they were holding a ward meeting.

Many of them were injured; the police stood aloof watching innocent people being attacked.

“ACO and ACN hereby call on the IGP and the National Director of SSS to probe the matter.”

ACN picks medical doctor as Akeredolu’s running mate

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HE Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday picked Dr. Paul Akintelure as its deputy governorship candidate for the October 20 election.

Dr Akintelure hails from Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government Area. He is the Otunba of Ikale land.

It was learnt that ACN governorship candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), nominated Akintelure and sought the approval of the party’s national leadership last week.

The deputy governorship candidate has submitted his nomination forms to the Ondo State office of the In-

Lawyer urges probe of threat From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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N Owo, Ondo State, lawyer, Kola Olawoye, yesterday urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to investigate an alleged plan to assassinate a chieftain of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Otunba Timehin Adelegbe.

In a letter to the police chief on September 1, the lawyer alleged that in the last one week, Adelegbe has been receiving anonymous phone calls from some faceless persons threatening to assassinate him.

He said the suspected assassins considered Adelegbe as an obstacle to their political ambitions.

The petition reads: “Our client did not take the threats serious until Saturday, August 25, when news got to him, from a reliable source, that three Labour Party (LP) leaders, including a politician from Ute, a top official of Ose Local Government Area, and a federal lawmaker, met in a hotel in Akure.

“At the meeting, they conspired together with some of their followers to assassinate the ACN chieftain before or during the October 20 election in Ondo State.

“They argued that Adelegbe is the major obstacle they have in Ekamarun axis of Ose Local Government Area, being a strong member of ACN in Okeluse town.

“We strongly believe that nothing should be left to chance with regard to any threat to life.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

dependent National Electoral Commission in Akure (INEC).

He was the ACN senatorial candidate for Ondo South in last year’s National Assembly election. Dr Akintelure was reportedly chosen yesterday by ACN national leaders at a meeting in IlaOrangun, the home town of its National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande.

The form of the state ACN Secretary, Mr. Olutope Adedipe, which was submitted for the deputy governorship candidate, has been withdrawn.

•Dr. Akintelure

The Director of Publicity, Media and Strategy of the

Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO), Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, said: “Akintelure is qualified to be the deputy governor of Ondo State. He is a successful medical practitioner who has paid his dues as a committed member of the ACN in the state.

“He contested the Ondo South Senatorial election last year on the platform of the party and he is well respected by the people of Ikale, where he holds the chieftaincy title of Otunba of Ikale land.”

Akintelure is the proprietor of Broad Hospital, Lagos. He has participated in grassroots development, especially in his Ikale, Ondo

State community.

He has been with the ACN in the state and working for the success of the party in the October 20 poll.

Akintelure has also been in public welfare services.

He has offered scholarship to 42 students in various institutions besides offering free medical services to indigent patients.

The ACN chieftain attended Manuwa Memorial Grammar School, Iju-Odo in Okitipupa and the University of Ibadan (UI), where he obtained an MBBS degree.

He is also the Otunba of Osooro land.

Akintelure is married and has children.

I’ve performed, says Mimiko at campaign rally

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NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has said the people would vote for him because he has done well.

The governor addressed his supporters in Oka-Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government Area, yesterday.

He said his administration has paid over N7.5 billion to contractors handling various roads inherited from the Dr. Segun Agagu administration.

The money, he said, is besides the N11 billion his administration inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration for the execution of 468-kilometre roads.

Most of the roads, said the governor, were hurriedly awarded by the Agagu-led administration shortly after the ruling of Justice Nabarumaled Election Petition Tribunal and were cash-backed with

over-generous mobilisation, in contravention of the laid down contractual rules of the state.

Mimiko said his administration did not abandon any of the projects, adding that most of them have been laid with asphalt.

The governor opened a market with 264 open stalls and 92 lock-up stores at Oka–Akoko, health centres at Akowonjo, Igbo

Egun and Iwaro Oka, where he also inaugurated a town hall.

He gave N16million cheques to various market women groups in Oka as micro credit loan. Besides, 21 Nissan cars were distributed to some beneficiaries, according to a statement by Kolawole Olabisi, the Director, Publicity and Media Relations, Olusegun Mimiko Campaign Organisation.

•Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka; Ambassador of the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Ryuichi Shoji, and Commissioner for Integration, Mrs Bunmi DipoSalami, when the ambassador visited the deputy governor in AdoEkiti...yesterday.

LP National Chair Nwanyanwu ‘is a political parasite’ From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday said the Labour Party (LP) National Chairman, Dan Nwayanwu, is a political parasite seeking relevance.

Nwanyawu had told party supporters in Owo that the residents should not vote for “aliens” who would cart away their resources from Ondo State.

ACO described the statement as coming from someone it described as a confused and frustrated political leper who has no base at home but pretending to be a political heavyweight in the Sunshine State.

In a statement by its Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, the organisation said: “The question the people of Ondo State should ask Nwanyawu is: ‘who is an alien between him and Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), the son of the soil; or Asiwaju Bola Tinubu?’

“Tinubu, a National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) leader, fought alongside the late Ondo State Governor Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Segun Osoba, Alhaji Lam Adesina, among others, to liberate the Yoruba from the jaws of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

“Indeed, one cannot imagine a man who cannot mount the rostrum in his home state, coming to Owo, the cradle of progressive politics in Nigeria, to abuse the leadership of the ACN. “He is a man who cannot produce a councillor in his ward but is feeding fat on the resources of Ondo State, as the Pro-Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba Akoko. What an irony!”

ACO said it was not surprised about Nwanyawu’s antics.

It said: “He has always been a willing tool the hands of the reactionary forces. He played the same role in Lagos, when he propelled Otunba Femi Pedro, the former Deputy Governor of Lagos, against the progressives in Lagos. But he was defeated.

“Also, he went to Edo State to work against Governor Adams Oshiohmole. He was sent packing with his drowning LP. Like Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Nwanyawu could not make a single policy statement on what LP and its government will do in Ondo State, if re-elected.

“Did Nwanyawu’s mind not prick him that Mimiko’s government has not inaugurated a single road in the last three years? Did Nwanyawu’s mind not prick him with the massive youth unemployment in the state?

“Did Nwanyawu’s mind not prick him with the abandonment of Owo-Akure, Ondo-Akure, Arakale dualisation road, Akure Township Stadium and many more?

“He may have been feeding fat on the resources of the state, but ACN wants to assure him that his drowning LP and Governor Mimiko will be rooted out of Ondo State come October 20, by the people.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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NEWS Govt to release Industrial Revolution Plan

•Wike (right), Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Zainab Maina (left) and President National Association of Female Teachers (NAFET), Lady Chikanele Asuru, unveiling the association’s journal...yesterday

Wike urges teachers to promote girl-child education INISTER of State for Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has urged female teachers to champion girlchild education.

He spoke at the 5th National Conference of National Association of Female Teachers (NAFET) in Abuja yesterday.

Wike said the presence of female teachers in the system is critical to encouraging girls to embrace education.

He said: “The relevance of

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female teachers cannot be overemphasised. Apart from your primary responsibilities as providers of knowledge and skills.

Female teachers are relevant for enhancing girls enrolment, retention and performance in our schools”.

The minister challenged female teachers and other women leaders to serve as inspirational teachers in the school system.

He said: “While the government is doing its best within the

limitation of resources to provide a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning to take place in our schools, the expectations of parents in terms of students achievements and performance may yet be realised unless teachers across all levels of the education system demonstrate patriotic commitment to their duties.”

He urged the teachers to work as mentors, pointing out that they should work as examples to the

children.

First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, represented by Minister of Women Affairs, Zainab Maina, commended the female teachers for their contributions to National Development.

Highpoint of the occasion was the investiture of the First Lady as the Grand Patron of NAFET. The association also conferred a performance award on the Minister of State for Education.

Fed Govt to release $4m to clean up Zamfara lead poisoning site

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HE Federal Government is preparing to release more than $4 million to clean up the site of the worst outbreak of lead poisoning in modern history.

International aid group Doctors Without Borders said it fears that without measures to ensure the funds reach the communities, thousands more children could be infected by “staggering” levels of poison.

A few years ago, gold prices surged and small-time miners in Zamfara State increased their incomes as much as tenfold, to $10 or $15 a day. Since then, lead poisoning associated with the mining has killed hundreds of children and about 4,000 are still sick.

In June, the Federal Government pledged more than $4 million to clean up the lead.

Now, as they get ready to disperse the funds, some people worry that with so much cash being spread around in a country well known for corruption, some of the funds may disappear.

“I think everyone in Nigeria has seen programs gone awry due to issues of accountability. It is my fervent hope that this will be an exception because this is not a game. Children are dying. It’s really important that corruption not derail this effort,” said Ivan Gayton, head of Nigeria’s Doctors Without Borders.

He said thousands more children could be infected, risking death or severe brain damage if the cleanup is not successful.

Human Rights Watch said children have been found in Zamfara with as much as 70 times

the amount of lead in their blood than is considered safe.

But Gayton said people continue gold mining despite the danger.

He said if authorities attempt to enforce a recently-reported ban on gold mining, it would only drive miners underground. Fear already keeps many parents from reporting that their children are sick, he said.

“People are very poor there and when they come across this fairly lucrative economic activity they can do they’re afraid to lose it. And I have to say, if it’s a choice between poisoning your child in the future but being able to feed your child today,” said Gayton. “It may sound easy for us to say, ‘Well, you shouldn’t do this.’ But it’s very hard to not go out and earn the money that allows you [to] feed

US honours Nigerian •Jonathan

your child today.”

Gayton said after the villages are cleaned up, safer mining practices need to be put into place and sick children need treatment. He says he hopes that some of the government funds allocated for clean-up will be diverted towards establishing safer mines for the future and urges authorities to both literally and figuratively “get the lead out.”

Alleged bribe: Police commission boss knows fate Sept 13

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FEDERAL Capital Territory High Court will on September 13 deliver judgment in a suit by a Deputy Director of Budget, Police Service Commission (PSC), Mr. Emmanuel Ibe. Ibe is challenging his suspension by the commission, following the administrative panel of inquiry set up to investigate the allegation of bribery and extortion levied against him.

Ibe accused the commission of suspending him on August 14, a day after the court ordered parties to maintain status quo, pending the determination of the substantive matter.

The Commission, in an August 2 query, accused the plaintiff of alleged involvement in the extortion of N250,000 each from Abosede Joshua and Sani Aminu Godwin,

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

under the pretext of recruiting them into the police as cadet inspectors.

He is also accused of collecting N300, 000 from Alkasim Abubakar and Kasim Junaidu through a proxy, Mr. James Nzerem, to recruit them into the police.

Counsel to the respondent, Chief Ogwu Onoja, in a 16-paragraph counter affidavit, urged the court to dismiss the application for lacking in merit.

He said the Commission has a duty to investigate allegations of bribery and extortion of money under false pretences, internally, using the civil service rule to set up administrative panel of inquiry.

Urging the court to dismiss the

application, he said, the action of the applicant does not arise since he has not been indicted.

Ibe’s Counsel, Mr. Gordy Uche, in a motion on notice dated and filed on August 13, pursuant to Order 2 Rules 1-5 of the fundamental right enforcement procedure of 2009 and section 36 of the 1999 constitution as amended, prayed the court for among others an order of the court, enforcing and restoring the applicant’s fundamental right to fair hearing as enshrined and guaranteed by section 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian as amended, which is being threatened with violation by the respondent.

He also urged the court to order that “the applicant is presumed innocent of the allegations against

THE Federal Government is finalising work on the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), to improve productivity and true growth of industries.

Minister of State for Trade and Investment Samuel Ortom spoke yesterday at the PROPAK West Africa 2012 Exhibition at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos.

He said the NIRP also aims to focus on industries “in which we have comparative and competitive advantage to become top five globally, that can create jobs and that have import substitution potentials”. He added that the plan also involves skill development “to significantly increase pool of local skills required to deliver on our growth aspiration”.

The minister praised the organizers of the exhibition for being ally in the quest for increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He said: “Today’s event is a demonstration of PROPAK West Africa’s commitment towards the realization of its mandate in providing an exciting forum for trading, product sourcing and education. I am indeed impressed by the initiative and the excellent arrangements put in place for this exposition and I wish to express the appreciation of the ministry to the organisers for this effort.

“This is not only appropriate and timely given government’s commitment to a private sector driven economy but also strategic as Nigeria continues to enjoy investment interest from all over the world.

“Exhibitions and seminars are veritable platforms not only for sensitisation, cross fertilisation of ideas and dissemination of information but also an avenue for critical appraisal and assessment of the level of acceptance of policies and programmes of government.

“This is why the Ministry has always welcomed and encouraged the mounting of exhibitions, seminars and workshops aimed at showcasing the performance of industrial sectors as well as highlighting their prospects and challenges.”

him by the respondent, which constitute criminal offences and are still being investigated by the police for which the applicant is yet to be arraigned and or found guilty by a tribunal or court of competent jurisdiction”.

Uche pleaded that “any findings, reports and recommendation reached by the administrative panel against the applicant in respect of the aforesaid allegation that constitute criminal offences, when the police is yet to conclude investigation into the matter, wherein the applicant is yet to be arraigned, is hasty, baseless, premature and unconstitutional.”

An order declaring as unconstitutional, null, void and of no legal effect whatsoever, any purported findings, recommendations, reports of the said disciplinary panel in respect of the alleged offences.

THE United States Department of State has selected a Nigerian, Grace Ihejiamaizu, as September’s State Alumni Member of the Month in recognition of her dedication to developing Nigeria’s next generation of leaders.

The department, in a statement released in Washington, said Ihejiamaizu participated in the 2010 Study of the United States Institute for Student Leaders (SUSI) Programme on the theme of Social Entrepreneurship.

The statement reads: “She has since applied these entrepreneurial concepts in Nigeria by founding an after-school youth programme.

“Ihejiamaizu’s SUSI experience allowed her to examine how business techniques and entrepreneurial skills can be used to address social issues. Motivated by this knowledge and following her passion to help young people, Ihejiamaizu returned to Nigeria and launched Raising Young and Productive Entrepreneurs (RYPE). This after-school youth development program offers skills trainings, internship placements, volunteer activities, and a peer mentoring club to educate, engage, and empower Nigerian youth to become leaders and entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 2011, RYPE’s has reached more than 150 Nigerian youth.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

10

NEWS OLABODE VINCENT (1925-2012)

•(Left to right) Dr Chris Ogunbanjo, Vincent’s widow Edith, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Dr Sehinde Akinsote and Chief STO Coker...yesterday

•(Left to right) Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, Chief Segun Osunkeye and the widow

•L-R: Fashola and the widow Edith

•Alhaji HAB Fasinro and Chairman, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Otunba Michael Subomi Balogun

•Alhaji GOT Otiti (left) with former CBN Governor Chief Joseph Sanusi

•Dr Pascal Dozie (right) with Mr Richard Okafor

•Chief Philips Asiodu signing the condolence register

•Retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice George Oguntade (left) and Chief Adeniyi Williams PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI

Mark, Fashola, Kalu, others mourn ex-CBN chief

S

ENATE President David Mark, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Uzor Kalu former Abia State Governor were among eminent Nigerians, who paid glowing tributes to the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor the late Chief Olabode Vincent.

Mark referred to the exCBN chief as a banker per excellence, describing his death as a huge loss.

He lamented that the late Vincent died at a time his wealth of experience was needed to help the country sail through the socio-political and economic challenges.

Speaking through a con-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja

dolence message to the government and people of Lagos State, the Senate president described the late Vincent as a quintessential economist, banker and industrialist with very high moral standing and integrity.

The message was signed by Paul Mumeh, who quoted his boss as rating the late Vincent among the pioneer economists and foremost bankers, who laid the foundation for today’s Nigeria apex bank.

The statement reads: “Ola Vincent was a patriotic Nigerian, a philanthropist, a diligent and meticulous banker who stood to be counted when it mattered.

“We shall miss his humility. We shall miss his sense of humour. We shall miss his knowledge, intelligence and wise counsel. We shall miss his kind gesture”.

Fashola, who paid a condolence visit to the family, urged the youths to draw inspiration from the late Vincent’s patriotism and selflessness.

The governor charged the future leaders to take a cue from the patriotism and selflessness with which the deceased served the country.

Fashola was received at the Victoria Island home of the Vincent’s by the widow, Adenike and some of the children. He noted that all the country needed was for more

good people to come forward and play their part at the appropriate time.

The former bank chief, Fashola said, played his part before he took the final exit on Monday.

The governor recalled that his first memory of the former CBN chief was as a child in primary school who had to write a current affairs test on the then CBN governor on a federal commissioner, adding that pupils had to memorise the names of their preferred personalities.

Fashola explained that it was very symbolic that the late Vincent and his generation had distinguished themselves as leaders who had a clear vision and clear path for

the country.

He said the impression lived with him until he eventually met the deceased for the first time as an adult and till today.

The governor stated that he continued to draw inspiration from the kind of leadership , the kind of vision and the kind of selflessness with which the late Vincent served the country and managed the affairs of the country at very critical times of peace and prosperity and in times of very enormous challenges.

The former Abia governor described Vincent’s death as the exit of another dependable Nigerian.

Kalu said with the exit of

Vincent, the country has lost another dependable citizen, who could be trusted to give undiluted opinion on any issue, especially economic policies, without considering whose ox is gored.

Kalu, in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Emeka Obasi, said the late Vincent proved himself as capable of handling the pressure of his office with the sound economic policies put in place during his tenure at the CBN between 1977 and 1982.

The statement added: “Despite the fact that the military was in power then, it was obvious that the late Chief Vincent stood his grounds in terms of policy formulation and implementation.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

11

CITYBEATS

LASAA restructures THE Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has restructured its operations.

Its Managing Director, Mr. George Noah, said in a statement: “The initiative is to apply staff to their areas of strength and is geared towards evolving a more efficient way of conducting the Agency’s regulatory function.”

Noah said the teams were spread across four main categories of outdoor media including billboards, street furniture, transits and alternatives.

Mr. Gbolahan Dixon takes charge of Mobile Advertisement which includes corporate vehicles, Lagbus, LAMATA, trucks and taxis; Mrs. Tessy Adeboye will be overseeing billboards; small formats will be managed by Omorinola Lawal and Anthony Babaniji, will oversee street furniture which comprises bus stop shelters and lamp poles.

He said: “The last category which is temporary and alternative advertisement including water, night projections, aerial signs, sky signs, water tanks, boat branding and fast track applications will be headed by Bolade Ojaide.”

Noah said a new departments-fines and penalties is to be managed by AdewaleAganano, market branding by Bayo Aluko and building branding will be handled by Yinka Adegboyega.

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

No hiding place for terrorists, say police

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ITH the passing out of 228 bomb technicians and investigators, the police yesterday unveiled another plan in the battle against terrorism.

The commissioner of police in charge of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Anti-Bomb Command, Mr Foluso Adebanjo, said during the graduation at the Police College Traffic Training Wing, Ikeja, Lagos, that there would be no hiding place for terrorists.

He said: “We are all aware of the bizarre use of bombs in annihilating lives and property of innocent citizens by hoodlums and other challenges relating to the misuse of explosives and allied materials, which was before now alien to Nigerians.

“This incident brought about the initiative by the InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP), Muhammed Abubakar, who gave approval for the training of 500 bomb technicians and investigators.

“What we are witnessing today is the fulfilment of the IGP vision and police transformation agenda, which are brought to bear by successfully passing out the third batch of 228 police

By Ebele Boniface

officers who have just completed the basic EOD training, including participants from foreign countries like Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coker Victor from South Africa.”

Adebanjo said during the fourweek intensive training, graduands were trained in recovery, identification, evacuation and disposal of explosives.

He said IGP Abubakar is embarking on massive capacity building in his transformation agenda.

Adebanjo said: “There will be periodic training, retraining and refresher courses that would from time to time be arranged to expose you to more superior operational techniques to sharpen your professional skills in combating terrorism and insurgency currently bedeviling the country.

“What it means is that some of you will soon be called upon to go for further advanced training abroad. This year alone, 16 EOD officers and men had undergone advanced postblast course in America and Europe, while other officers

were also trained on similar courses in the country and in some African countries.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) EOD, Friday Eboka, told graduands to shun unethical conduct and corrupt practices, adding that the details of the training should be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Adebanjo, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Njoku and ACP Lazarus Vani, who represented the Police College, Ikeja, Commandant Commissioner I.F. Yerima, presented certificates to successful graduands.

Mechanic arraigned for alleged burglary

A

25-year-old mechanic, Kalu Obioma, was yesterday arraigned before an Ojo Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, for allegedly stealing N10, 000 brocade material.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Friday Eze told the court that the accused burgled the apartment of a woman to steal the material.

He said Obioma, who resides at Ilogbo in Ajangbadi, a Lagos suburb, committed the offence

By Precious Igbonwelundu

on August 29.

Eze said: “The accused unlawfully entered the house of Miss Ifeoma Okeke, at 22, Ikalewi Street, Ilogbo, Ajangbadi, about 10:45pm while the complainant was at a vigil and stole brocade materials worth N10, 000.

“The clothes were discovered wrapped up in a bundle in Obioma’s apartment by

concerned neighbours.”

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Sections 305 and 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty and was granted N20,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum by Magistrate T.O. Shomade.

The matter was adjourned till October 8.

Police arraign two for alleged theft

By Fisayo Ige

A 28-YEAR-OLD man, Enanaya Akoyi and Omattah Uzor, 28, were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court yesterday for allegedly stealing a N8 million Honda Crosstour car with registration number FF546APP belonging to Folashade Kumolu Johnson.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Julius Oyakhilome said Uzor was a driver to the complainant and Enanaya is his guarantor.

It was alleged that the accused wanted to sell the car to a dealer who tipped the police off.

“It was the car dealer that gave the police information about the date and time the accused will bring the car to his outlet where he was arrested,” Oyakhilome said.

Uzor however alleged that they had gone to the car dealer’s outlet to know the market value of the car when Enanaya told him that one of his friends inquired about the car’s price.

He claimed that he was ignorant of the plot to sell the car. The accused pleaded not guilty.

The offence is punishable under Sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Code of Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2012.

Magistrate Mrs A.F.O Botoku granted the accused N500, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

The matter was adjourned till October 5.

•Kiddies having fun with the largest bouncing castle in Nigeria, at Cowbell Choco Summer camp.

Lagos promises to assist other states in judicial reform

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HE Lagos State Government will assist other states in judicial administration reforms, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Ade Ipaye said yesterday.

He spoke when he received a delegation on Justice Sector reforms from Bayelsa State.

The delegation toured the Lagos State Multi-door Courthouse and the Citizens’ Mediation Centre (CMC) to understudy the implementation, process and workability of the alternative dispute resolution procedure.

Ipaye said it was the responsibility of a responsive government to resolve disputes amicably among its citizenry without any financial recourse to the people.

The state, he said, introduced legal aid for the indigent and mediation as an alternative to litigation to hasten the delivery

By Miriam Ndikanwu

of justice through the CMC and Office of the Public Defender (OPD).

He said the mediation centres resolve cases in lesser time compared to adjudication in courts.

The leader of the Bayelsan delegation, Mr. Orukari Amaebi, said its choice of Lagos

was predicated on the state’s vibrant judicial reforms.

He expressed the Bayelsa government to adopt the process and workability of the CMC in order to improve the delivery of justice in the state.

Orukari said Lagos was far ahead of others, hence the visit to tap into its resources to enrich Bayelsa’s judicial system. He hoped the study with engender

effective justice delivery in Bayelsa, which he noted had emulated Lagos on other judicial reforms which have been helpful.

CMC Director Mrs. Sedoten Ogunsanya urged the delegation to avail itself of the positive impact of the judicial reforms and learn more about the mediation alternative of resolving disputes.

‘I didn’t order market demolition’

HE Iyaloja of Mushin Market in Lagos State, Alhaja Abibatu Alase, has denied ordering the demolition of the market.

She said yesterday that some traders had been going about saying she had contacted a developer to demolish the market with the aim of rebuilding it.

She said: “What pains me most is that some of my colleagues have been lying that I want to take over the market. How can I? Mushin Local Government is the owner of the market. They informed us about two years ago that they want

T

to rebuild the market. We cannot prevent them from doing this because it is a good idea.

Besides, they are the owners of the market. They have given us enough time. The three-day ultimatum they gave us to quit the market is even a kind gesture.”

Mrs. Alase appealed to the government to allow the traders return to the market after the reconstruction. “I would appeal to the local government to allow us return to the market by making the rent affordable. This is what I expect my colleagues to ask for.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

12

NEWS

NNPC: we have stock to meet 30 days demand

C

ONTRARY to reports of an imminent short age of petroleum products, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured that there is sufficient quantity to last a minimum of 30 days.

In a statement, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Fidel Pepple, said there, is no truth in the reports of an imminent nationwide fuel scarcity, as the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Corporation, has enough fuel to meet national demand for at

• We are not on strike, says NUPENG From John Ofikhenua, Abuja and Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

least 30 days, even if all the local refineries were down and there was no importation.

“What we have discovered is that there is panic buying of fuel as a result of reports that some marketers have stopped importing fuel and that NNPC does not have enough to go round. But the true position of things is that we have enough PMS to meet national demand for a minimum of 30 days even if

all our local refineries were down and there was no importation,‘’ he stated.

He explained that major marketers have not been importing fuel for some time now due to reasons that are public knowledge, saying NNPC as a national oil company, has sustained supplies all the while, adding that “NNPC will ensure that there is no shortage of supply.’’

He called on marketers and fuel station managers to desist from hoarding or diversion of the product, as

any marketer caught will be sanctioned.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has said it is not on strike and could not therefore be held responsible for the shortage of petroleum products being experienced in Abuja and Lagos.

In a statement, the Ag. General- Secretary, Comrade Isaac O. Aberare, said it is up to the Federal Government to let the people know the reason behind the current petroleum products shortage.

NICON Insurance partners FRSC on road safety

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S the ‘ember’ months crept in, NICON Insur ance Limited, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have called on Nigerian youth to avoid all acts that could lead to road disasters across the country.

This charge was given at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) monthly walking and jogging exercise over the weekend, in Abuja.

The Managing Director of NICON Insurance Limited, Emmanuel Akinmolu Jegede,

Industrial plan targets full employment, says Minister

M

INISTER of State, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, said the government is pursuing a national industrial development plan aimed at ensuring full employment and social progress. Speaking after inspecting a factoryVegefresh engaged in processing of high quality cassava in Lagos, yesterday, Ortom, said unemployment among Nigerians is high and intensifying, assuring that government has resolved to create more jobs.

He said the ministry has an expanded mandate to attract investments, combat unemployment and reduce imports of agric commodities through building competitiveness of local producers, adding that Nigeria has comparative advantage in agri-

By Daniel Essiet

culture, necessitating the repositioning of the sector.

He said government is ready to work towards building a healthy environment that fosters entrepreneurship and allows farms to grow and diversify. By doing so, productivity in the agriculture sector will grow and agribusinesses will be better able to compete in an increasingly competitive global market.

Ortom, said government is ready to encourage agribusiness owners to increase investment to boost productivity and growth, by removing excessive taxation and regulatory burden.

The minister, spoke during a visit to Vegefresh Compant Limited, a cassava processing outfit.

The Group Managing Direc-

• From left: Mr Samuel J. Samuel MD/CEO Orgin Group of Company showing the new company sketch to Dr Samuel Ortom, Hon Minister of State, Trade and Investment and Dr Francis Alaneme, Assistant Director Federal Ministry of State and Trade Investment, during the visit of the Minister to the company at Eric Moore, Lagos. PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

tor, Samuel Joseph Samuel, said one of the major challenges facing farmers is where to process cassava. With the government policy that flour

millers utilise cassava flour in their production, he said the project, when completed, would assist producers.

He said the company has

invested much in the plant to ensure adequate production of high quality cassava flour and processing of other agro commodities.

while commending the FRSC on its efforts at preventing Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) , called on Nigerian youth to take road safety more seriously. He was represented at the occasion by the General Manager (Marketing and Strategy), Steve Ajudua.

He said the high frequency of accidents such as air, fire in homes and factories, road accidents and boat mishaps, coupled with the resultant loss of lives and economic losses, have confirmed that though accidents could be avoided or minimised by other methods, insurance, he maintained, still remained the most veritable mechanism of risk management.

“Consequently, NICON has introduced Travellers Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (TIPAS) to cover travelers among which the youth constitute the majority. TIPAS covers both the passengers, drivers and conductors. It provides lump sum compensation for death, permanent disability and medical expenses as a result of road accidents. The premium payable by passengers is usually between N50 and N100 per person per trip.

“Tickets evidencing the insurance contract to the passengers are printed and supplied

by NICON Insurance Limited to transporters operating the scheme,” he said, adding that the Manifest is very crucial for claims payment as only passengers whose names appear on the manifest will be deemed covered by the policy in the event of accident,” Jegede stated.

JOBS

EDUCATION

NGO trains rural women

Kwankwaso awards scholarship

Lagos

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Kano

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

REHAB

NRC technicians refurbish

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Minna

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Page 13

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

Suswam’s wife flags off milk intake campaign

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•Mrs Suswam fills up her cup to launch the milk campaign in Benue

HE wife of Benue State Governor, Mrs Yemisi Suswam, has flagged off a daily state. milk consumption campaign in the She also did it in style, reaching for a cup and tilting forward slightly for a fill-up from a giant milk tap.

Behind the campaign, is Freisland WAMPCO, a milk-making firm, which was in the state to sensitise residents on the importance of daily intake of the product.

The firm’s Senior Activation Manager, Mr. Steven Madewale, said the campaign was aimed at informing Nigerians that “there are other ways of consuming milk apart from the daily tea-coffee usage.

At the event, tagged Drink Milk Everyday Campaign, Mr. Madewale said it was designed to reach out to all levels of the

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

populace, adding that it also aimed at improving the health of Nigerians.

Mrs Suswam boosted the campaign by drinking some milk in the presence of an excited crowd which urged her to drink more.

She commended Friesland WAMPCO for choosing Benue for the launch of the campaign. She advised the people, especially women, to drink milk everyday for healthy living.

Hundreds of cartons of peak milk were distributed to the people during the campaign which was launched in four cities, namely Otukpo, Gboko, Alliade and Makurdi.

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HERE is nothing to gain sitting by and waiting for government to swim or sink. Do what you can to help it succeed.

That sums up the worldview of Innoson Group, a carassembly firm based in Nnewi, Anambra State’s industrial town.

The administration of Governor Peter Obi has been praised for lifting the standards of the state. Obi has been commended for constructing roads and boosting the operations of several institutions in the state.

The state-owned broadcasting station, ABS, has received enormous help from the government.

Recently, the Obi administration brought in four transmitters to boost its radio and television stations in their service delivery and coverage.

But Innoson believes the job of growing the state does not lie solely with the government; everyone should play a part.

That was why the firm donated a brand new 18-seat bus to ABS. Very soon, the station will relocate from Awka to Enuguukwu, according to the actring Managing Director of the station, Oseloka Offor, for better service with enhanced programmes aimed at recapturing the audience. Before now, the station had been provided with other equipment such as cameras courtesy the Obi administration which staff claimed were lacking.

Speaking with Newsextra after the donation of the bus to the staff of ABS, the Head of Administration, Innoson

• Gbulie (left)hands over the bus keys to Offor. With them are ABS staff From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

group, Mr Gbulie StevenMary, said several factors motivated the firm to give out the bus to the station. One, he said, the station belongs to the people of the state. Two, ABS tellS the world about the people of the state and, three, Innoson has a responsibility to help the Obi administration.

“The government cannot do it alone by footing all the bills

Help comes for Anambra Firm donates vehicle to parastatal of all the parastatals,” he said.

Steven-Mary did not end there; he equally told Newsextra that more goodies will come the way of ABS from the company to encourage the outfit to reach out to the world better.

The new vehicle, he said, is worth N2.5m which he said had been given to other institutions in the country including Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of

Nigeria, Nsukka, among others.

Innoson also partners several other states and transport companies, including Enugu, Benue, just as it teams up with individuals and corporate organisations.

•Continued on Page 47

THE NATION WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

14

Kano awards scholarships

K

ANO State government has awarded scholarships to 501 graduates to pursue masters degree programmes in various universities abroad.

Governor Rabi’u Kwankaso presented the admission letters to the beneficiaries at Government House, Kano.

Kwankwaso said the gesture was part of the government's efforts to ensure that the best students were given opportunity to further their education.

According to him, the state has been experiencing shortage of qualified manpower for quite some time and that the programme is meant to bridge the manpower gap.

He directed the Ministry for Higher Educa-

• Kwankaso

“P

Monarch donates relief materials to flood victims

Kano tion to ensure that only graduates with First Class and Second Class Upper Division were selected for the programme. ‘’Government will not tolerate any breach of the stipulated conditions,’’ the governor warned.

He said the state government would also sponsor ``100 brilliant secondary school students to study medicine, while another batch of 100 would undergo training in piloting''. ``The sponsorship will be a continuous process whereby students with first and second class degrees will be sponsored abroad to further their education,’’ he said.

Kwankwaso urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the state and the nation by exhibiting good conduct during their studies.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Umar Doguwa, praised the governor for initiating the programme.

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HE Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammdu Aliyu Mustafa, has donated relief materials to some flood victims in the state.

Presenting the materials to the victims at the Damare refugee camp in Girei Local Government area, Aliyu urged them to see the disaster as the will of God.

Women farmers to register 100 groups

NGO seeks protection of women’s rights

ROJECT Agape’’, a non-govermental organisation,based in Lafia, Nasarawa State , has called for the protection and enforcement of the rights of women against violence in the society.

Mr David Allu, the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, made the call at a sensitisation campaign in Lafia.

Allu, who was represented by Mr Friday Joseph, said the NGO was established to sensitise the public on issues affecting them and also to reduce the high rate of poverty in the rural areas.

He said the rights of women had been violated and that there was the need to create awareness on how to protect their rights in the society.

He gave an example of Kenya and sub-Sahara African countries, where women’s Property Rights were unequal to those of men.

Nasarawa “But here, women’s rights to own, inherit, manage and dispose of property are under constant attack from customs, laws and individuals.’’

Allu said there was the need to protect the rights of women so as to give them the opportunity to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

He said the significance of women in the society could not be over-emphasised and hence the need to protect their rights.

“Most of the work is done by women, but women are at the receiving end in the society, their rights are constantly being violated.’’

Allu called for a positive and distinctive strategy which would protect the rights of women in the society.

“Government should abolish all laws, customs, regulations and practices discriminating against women.

“We also need to advocate for women’s participation in the political, economic, social and cultural life on the basis of equality with men.

“No development can be achieved without the extensive participation of women who account for half of the country’s population.”

Allu also said that government should ceaselessly enact and perfect laws and regulations to protect women’s rights in the society.

The NGO boss noted that traditional rulers, religious leaders and the government at all levels, had a vital role to play in the fight against violence on women’s rights in order to give them the opportunity to contribute their quota to the development of the society.

•From left: Mr Anthony Akhieien, past President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria; Mr Azubike Owor, President and Mr Olumide Akintayo, Deputy President during the press briefing at Pharmacy House in Lagos on the murder of Ms Cynthia Osokogu.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Taraba to partner Cuba in medicine, agriculture

HE Taraba State government will partner with Cuba to enhance the well-being of the people of the state, Governor Danbaba Suntai, has said.

The governor, who gave this indication at a cultural event in Jalingo, said the partnership would be in the areas of cultural exchange, agriculture and medicine.

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Lawmaker advises students

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HE Chief Whip of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon.Adigun-Hammed Abiodun has charged students at all levels in the state to be more committed to their studies, assuring that government is ready to address their needs.

Hon Adigun made this known at the Polytechnic Ibadan while inaugurating some major projects constructed by the Federation of Ibadan Student Union (FOSU) at the middlebelt area of the campus.

The projects which include: a relaxation centre for students, a big sign post at the south campus and a new site for notice board that will supply information to students in the north campus.

The lawmaker appreciated the creative efforts of leaders of the union for utilising revenue collected from the students very well.

According to him “personally, I appreciate the good gesture of your executive for embarking on three major projects at a time. They did not see it as a means of extorting students but rather the means of impacting a little they have for the betterment of the students on campus.

“I want you all to focus on your purpose of being here which is to study. Thank God governor Ajimobi is taking education to the next level in the state by improving standard of learning and our teachers are now well remunerated to ensure that they take good care

By Jeremiah Oke

of you.

“Iam saying this to let you know that education is the only means to achieve greatness in life and this message is not limited to you students of the Polytechnic Ibadan alone but to students at all levels in the state”.

The lawmaker also used the medium to reiterate his commitment to support the students and revealed his pipeline programme for them.

“By the time we are through with the project we are doing in my constituency, we intend to give scholarship award to students because we understand that some of us are not having the financial strength and we are genius. Another thing we are going to do soon is that of a busary award which I have discussed with your president.I have told him to send to me the names of eligible students as soon as your Amala Day approaches.

“I am sure this will go a long way in our studies if we use it judiciously because some of us will use it to buy one or more text books for research when the need arises,” he said.

In a remark,, the president of the union, Polytechnic Ibadan chapter Ashimiyu Olalekan, thanked the lawmaker for honouring their invitation for the commissioning and the assistance he had given since the inception of his tenure.

•Chairman, Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area, Hon. Abiodun Mafe flanked by his Vice, Hon Opeyemi Akindele (left) and Leader of the Legislative Arm, Princess Veronica Olusoga during the inauguration of the secutity committee at the secretariat, Ipaja, Lagos.

Briefly

ACN meeting

•Hon. Adigun inaugurating one of the the projects.With him on the right is the the president of the association, Mr Olalekan

MEMBERS of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Delta North Senatorial District have said the party would rule Delta State in 2015. The members met with ACN gubernatorial candidate in 2011 elections, Ben Enwose-Williams in a town hall meeting.

The party faithful that attended the meeting held in Agbor last Monday included the Chairman of the party in the district, Hon James Ebeye, Chief G. Ngoben and all council chairmen.

Williams said members of the party must work towards uprooting the ruling party from the nooks and crannies of Delta State come 2015.

He described the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a curse to the state and Nigeria. He stressed the need for integrity, consistency and conviction among members to ensure “100 per cent victory at the poll in the next general election.

Williams said ACN is the only political party that can lead Nigerians to the promised land.

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Taraba He emphasised the need for an interface between Taraba and Cuba in view of the similarities in their culture.

Suntai noted the rise of Cuba in terms of development, owing to its unique cultural values and its programmes that were underpinned by the needs of the Cubans.

"Cuba has remained a leader in agriculture and medicine over the years because it was focused on upholding its cultural identity,’’ he said.

The governor said he would soon lead a delegation of senior state officials to Cuba with a view to identifying areas of mutual benefits.

He said that the rich cultural heritage of Taraba and the Cuban culture could blend very well in boosting the vast tourism potential of the former.

The governor praised the Cuban government for preserving the country’s cultural heritage in respect of language, clothing and artefacts, among others, for the benefit of its future generations. ``What makes a people unique is the cultural identity,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr.Hugo Milanas, had said the Cuban delegation was in Taraba to showcase their country’s culture and study the Taraban cultural heritage.

He said the visit would also afford members of the delegation the opportunity to appreciate the village life of a typical African setting as well as organise a Cuban Cultural Exhibition in Jalingo.

The event featured cultural displays from Cuba and some local government areas of the state.

Chief Justice challenged on transformation

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HE Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, has been charged to begin a reform process in the nation’s judiciary, so as to enhance speedy dispensation of justice and restore greater hope in the judiciary.

Vice Chairman Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, Lagos State, Alhaja Fausat Hassan-Olajoku, who gave the advice recently , said the reform should be enduring and must protect the Nigerian women, children and the less-privileged people in the society, who always suffer deprivations and neglect.

According to her, “Justice Mukhtar’s appointment is well merited, and it is a morale booster for the Nigerian women. However, apart from fighting corruption in the judiciary, she should also focus on women, widows, children and the poor masses of the country, who had been subjected to abuses and neglect.”

She described the CJN as a thorough-bred professional, who has the temperament and capability to bring sanity into the third arm of the government and stabilise our democracy.

Hassan-Olajoku, who is also the Founder/ President, Grassroots Widows and Orphans Initiative, a non- governmental organisation, regretted that the Nigerian women were often denied job opportunities, access to loans, land

and properties, and called for a drastic change to redress the situation.

“We (women) have often said that we are unique in many ways, and we deserve to occupy sensitive positions like top political offices or heads of governmental ministries, department and agencies like the men,” she said.

She advised the nation’s political leaders to take a cue from the developed societies like A m e r i c a , Germany and Britain, which g i v e opportunities to their citizens irrespective of their sex or religion or any primordial sentiments.

She, however, called on women to live above board and eschew violence and corruption so as to enable them take their right splace •Mrs Hassan-Olajoku in the country.

Adamawa He also advised them not to build their houses on water ways. ``What we are donating to you today is not compensation, but a form of relief because we share the pains you are going through,’’t he Lamido , who was represented by Alhaji Umaru Yahaya, the Secretary of the Adamawa Emirate Council, said.

He urged the relevant government agencies responsible for town planning to prevent the people from building their houses in floodprone areas.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the district head of Girei, Alhaji Mahmudu Abba, thanked the monarch for the gesture and assured him that the materials would be equitably distributed to the victims.

He also urged the people to support the emirate in its efforts to maintain peace and security.

•Governor Lamido Materials donated included 700 bags of rice, 500 bags of maize, 2,000 cartons of bottled water, 500 rubber mats and cooking oil among others.

Katsina

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HE Katsina State’s Women Farmers Association has begun the registration of 100 women farmers groups to enable them to enjoy government and other agencies support.

Hajiya Binta Dalhatu, the Chairperson of the association, said that the essence of the exercise was to “unite women farmers in the state and encourage them to embrace agricultural activities.”

Dalhatu said that three groups from each of the 34 local government areas would register with the association and in turn represent the other women groups in their respective areas.

According to her, the three registered groups will collect whatever may be given relating to agricultural development, on behalf of the other groups.

The chairperson revealed that the state governor’s wife, Hajiya Fatima Shema, had been supporting the association by encouraging the womenfolk to access government and other agencies’ support.

Dalhatu also urged members of the women farmers groups to ensure honesty in all their dealings.

In his remarks, Alhaji Bishir Zango, the technical adviser on the registration and representative of the state Fadama Office, warned the groups against delay in the registration.

He also advised them not to allow one woman to pay the N5,000 registration fee on their behalf, in order not mortgage the association to her.

Church holds harvest CELESTIAL Church of Christ, Gloryvine Parish, (Eyin Oju Oluwa) will hold her seventh annual harvest and thanksgiving service on September 9, at No. 14 Taiwo Akinsanya Street, Oke-Afa, Ilamose Estate, Jakande B/Stop, Ejigbo. The theme of the harvest is: Harvest of a Greater Height.

According to the shepherd, Snr. Evang. Duro Babayemi, “Number has a meaning in the agenda of God and as we are celebrating the seventh anniversary, perfection shall be the portion of every soul that attends the harvest”.

Among the officiating ministers expected are: Sup. Evang. G. O. Jerry, Sup. Evang. I. O. Ajao, Sup. Evang. S. K. Daniel, Sup. Evang. Idowu Ajara, Sup. Evang Kunle Matesu, V/M/S/E Michael Hanson, Snr. Evang.

Orimogunje, Cape Elder Babafemi Ilo, Leader Itidi, Prophetess (Dr.) W. A. Alimi, Prophetess Kemi GbadelaOjerinde and M/C H. I. Oladoke.

The special guest of honour is Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan, Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area.

•Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mr Oladele Adekanye (left) decorating the Vice Chairman, Mrs Omolola Essien, who is also the council’s Supervisor for Environment during the inauguration of the New Environmental Sanitation Corps of the council

'Peace central to meaningful investment'

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OKOTO State Governor Aliyu Wamakko says peace and unity are essential to attract meaningful investment to the coun-

try.

Wamakko said this in Sokoto at the inauguration of a 40-room Pinnacle Guest Inn and Resort Ltd., established by Mr Francis Adinnu.

Represented by the state Commissioner of Commerce, DIG Hamzat Ahmed ( rtd ), the governor said: ‘’ without peace and unity , there could be no meaningful local and international investment. ‘’It is only through such needed investments that the nation’s socio economic development could be bolstered. ‘’ Nigeria in general and Sokoto State in particular require patriotic persons to invest in Nigeria to show their confidence in its strength

Sokoto and growth.’’

Wamakko praised Adinnu for the investment and assured that the state government would continue to provide the needed environment for investors from across Nigeria and beyond.

He said the establishment of the ultra modern hotel had further boosted the state’s hospitality environment . ‘’The state government recently took the bull by the horn and gave a face-lift to the stateowned Shukura and Giginya Coral Hotels.’’

In a remark, Adinnu, the hotel proprietor, said it was part of his contribution to the socioeconomic development of his host community.

•Hon. Kunle Ademoye, former Chairman, Committee on Housing, Lagos House of Assembly and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia

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COMMENTARY EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

EDITORIALS

Obama’s chance to take high ground

Agba Osun •Aregbesola raises the stakes in caring for the elderly

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HE recent announcement by the State of Osun that it had concluded plans to provide its elderly citizens with monthly social welfare payments is a truly positive development in a country where politicians complain about the lack of funds instead of putting what they have to good use.

Called the “Welfare Scheme for Our Senior Citizens,” under its Agba Osun (the Elders of Osun) policy, the programme seeks to further enhance the state’s efforts to ensure that its eldest citizens have unimpeded access to food, qualitative medical care and financial assistance. Previously, the state government had been providing comprehensive medical care for critically-ill senior citizens, in addition to offering free medical check-ups and spectacles.

The welfare scheme is the logical culmination of these interventions. After a thorough enumeration of senior citizens in the state, it was realised that the regular provision of financial assistance would help many of them to weather the economic difficulties facing the country. As in other states in Nigeria, Osun’s elderly are squeezed between an outrageously inefficient pensions system, ever-rising prices and dwindling assistance from their children, whose own straitened circumstances make it hard to provide for them.

Like Ekiti, the State of Osun fully understands that the welfare of its citizens is a sacred duty that transcends the rhetoric of political campaigns. No matter how impressive a political party’s election manifesto may be, it is meaningless if it does not translate into concrete and measurable improvements in the lives of the people,

particularly the most-disadvantaged citizens. Instead of hiding behind the readymade excuse of paucity of funds, both states have courageously decided to put their money where their mouths are. Their achievement is all the more impressive when it is remembered that neither state is among the top recipients of subventions from the Federal Government.

The benefits of welfare payments to the elderly are numerous. They demonstrate the commitment of the state to the wellbeing of its people, and that in turn makes it easier for the citizenry to perform their civic obligations with increased willingness. By paying special attention to the elderly, the state is able to ensure that prospective health issues are quickly recognised and dealt with, thereby prolonging their lives. This is a good development, especially in a culture where elders are traditionally held in great relevance. The longterm implications are positive as well, because such payments could constitute the basis for a more wide-reaching system of welfare that would incorporate even more vulnerable citizens.

For too long, Nigerians have lamented the absence of social welfare packages in spite of the country’s enormous oil wealth. Most social services are ludicrously inefficient and expensive. Compared to countries where generous subsidies are provided for medical, educational, vocational and other services, Nigeria is virtually unique in its inability to ensure that its inhabitants enjoy a better life. The poverty-alleviation schemes established by successive Federal Governments have been riddled with corruption, insincerity and bad faith, and have failed to help the social groups they were

ostensibly meant for.

It is in this regard that the State of Osun must ensure that its laudable welfare schemes are self-sustaining. There must be continued government commitment to ensure that funds are available in spite of competing priorities. In addition, emphasis should be placed on bureaucratic efficiency, which will ensure that the funds are put to optimum use. Increased efforts must also be made to obtain public co-operation, especially in the payment of the taxes and dues which help to fund such programmes.

The Federal Government and other states of the federation would do well to take a leaf out of the Osun playbook. Nigerians are tired of endless promises of a better tomorrow: Osun, like Ekiti, has shown that a better tomorrow starts today.

‘Like Ekiti, the State of Osun fully understands that the welfare of its citizens is a sacred duty that transcends the rhetoric of political campaigns. No matter how impressive a political party’s election manifesto may be, it is meaningless if it does not translate into concrete and measurable improvements in the lives of the people, particularly the most-disadvantaged citizens. Instead of hiding behind the ready-made excuse of paucity of funds, both states have courageously decided to put their money where their mouths are’

Ethnic obsession •It was a comedy that Jonathan’s kinsmen parleyed over his safety

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S President Goodluck Jonathan in danger? This question is prompted by news of a meeting of prominent Ijaw leaders behind closed doors at the Government House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on the security situation in the country and the President’s safety. Given that Jonathan is Ijaw from Bayelsa, the reported gathering had a clearly ethnic colour.

The said meeting, which was reportedly convened by Governor Seriake Dickson and lasted over six hours, was attended by former Chairman of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, Chief Albert Horsfall; former Governor of the old Rivers State, Alfred Diete-Spiff; and former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Others were former Minister of Aviation, Alabo Graham-Dou-

‘The secret meeting by the President’s kinsmen is simply an emotive response to a situation that goes well beyond ethnic connection, and it has taken support for him to a new level of absurdity and sycophancy. Why would the gathering believe that it has a greater stake in the safety of the President just because of the ethnic factor? This drama has all the ingredients of selfseeking behaviour, which should be denounced’

glas; former President of Ijaw National Congress, Chief Joshua Fumudoh; and a Niger Delta activist, Aniko Briggs.

According to one of the leaders that attended the meeting, “We are worried about the physical and political security of our President, who is our kinsman. His security is very important. He has to be protected so that he can deliver on his electoral promises. We are also aware that most of the security chiefs are not from our region and we are appealing to them to redouble their efforts in protecting our President. We are aware of the many obstacles in the way of his administration to portray him as being weak and incapable of managing the affairs of the country. We also condemn the condition given to him

by Boko Haram to convert to Islam.”

This looks like a case of paranoia and ethnic obsession. The President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is supposed to be in control of the state security apparatus, irrespective of where the security chiefs come from. It therefore amounts to extreme and baseless suspicion to think that President Jonathan could be unsafe on account of the fact that the security chiefs are of different ethnic origins. Such line of thought is dangerously divisive, and does little to promote unity in the country. The President’s physical security is certainly not a thing to be tied to mere ethnic sentiments in the context of the country’s multi-ethnic structure.

The same line of reasoning applies to his political security, which should be dependent on good governance and performance in office, and not his ethnic prov-

enance. In this case, what will count in the President’s favour is his vision for the country and how well he is able to move it in the direction of progress and development. It is easy to make sugar-coated electoral promises, but in the final analysis what is important is the public measurement of results. So, let President Jonathan effectively address the country’s multifaceted challenges, and let the people judge.

While it is true that the President has been the target of strong public criticisms relating to his leadership ability, it is obviously simplistic to attempt to link the negative assessment of his administration with his ethnic base. It amounts to a trivialisation of the weighty business of political leadership to imply that poor headship should be excused because of ethnic considerations.

Furthermore, it sounds like a gross exaggeration to imply, as his kinsmen have done, that President Jonathan is unsafe because of the activities of Boko Haram, the Islamic fundamentalist group that has unreasonably demanded that he should convert to Islam, which it cannot enforce.

The secret meeting by the President’s kinsmen is simply an emotive response to a situation that goes well beyond ethnic connection, and it has taken support for him to a new level of absurdity and sycophancy. Why would the gathering believe that it has a greater stake in the safety of the President just because of the ethnic factor? This drama has all the ingredients of self-seeking behaviour, which should be denounced.

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F Barack Obama loses in November, the names Bowles and Simpson may come back to haunt him. Last year the US president rejected the findings of the 18-member fiscal commission even though it was he who created it. Most of the rest of 2011 was devoted to a game of fiscal high jinks with Congress that resulted in the first ever US sovereign credit rating downgrade. It is never too late for Mr Obama to embrace Bowles-Simpson. Indeed, it could help carry him over the electoral finishing line.

There are just nine weeks before the general election, which means there are nine weeks and one day to go before Mr Obama begins the next game of chicken to stop the US going over a fiscal cliff. On Thursday Mr Obama will give his set piece address to the Democratic convention in Charlotte. The case for championing Bowles-Simpson is compelling both on the politics and the substance.

Widely feted as the Republican party’s most serious fiscal reformer, Paul Ryan has spent much of the past three weeks undermining that reputation. Mr Romney and his running mate talk tough on fiscal policy but they have failed to offer credible numbers.

Mr Ryan was one of the seven members of the Bowles-Simpson commission to reject its report. In his speech in Tampa last week he attacked Mr Obama for failing to endorse the report. He omitted to mention that he had voted against it.

The Republicans want to reap the political rewards without taking on any of the risks.

So too does Mr Obama. The president promises to solve America’s fiscal problems without raising taxes on the bottom 98 per cent.

By promising to rescind George Bush’s tax cuts only for the wealthiest – families earning over $250,000 a year – Mr Obama perpetrates the fiction that America’s budgetary problems can be fixed without middle-class sacrifice. It is not credible. And it exposes him to the charge of hypocrisy in his attacks on Romney-Ryan’s credibility.

Bowles-Simpson spells out a path to US balance in which spending cuts outweigh tax increases by roughly three to one. The plan is entirely consistent with additional shortterm stimulus to revive the US economy.

Only by demonstrating his backing for longterm reform can Mr Obama make the case for fresh steps to help revive the US economy. It is good politics and good economics. Endorsing the Bowles-Simpson recommendations would place Mr Obama on the high ground for this election – and afterwards.

– Financial Times

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: The raging debate in the country about the desirability or otherwise of the state police is interesting. The trigger for the debate is the insecurity in the land and inability of the security forces to contain it.

Former military president, Gen. I.B. Babangida averred that with state police, detection of crime in their environment would be easy as there will be no problem identifying criminals since the policemen are drawn from the environment.

Chief Ayo Opadokun, pro democracy activist is of the opinion that security is essentially a local matter within a geographical entity. He submits that the current structure of the police is injurious to governors, who as chief security officers in their states lack the power to

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Nigeria not ripe for state police enforce the laws passed by the House of Assembly without clearance from the Inspector General.

In the same vein, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, the Most Rev.d Alfred Adekunle Martins opined that if we are to practice true federalism, each component unit should have its police, as the key to solving the problem of insecurity.

Taking the submissions of the protagonists of the state police on

the face value, one would have no option but to fall for their argument.

However, there are equally those of the view that creation of state police could lead to disintegration of the country. Former Inspector General of Police Alhaji Muhammad Gambo Jimeta, opined that states of the federation already finding it difficult to provide amenities for their people would find it even

harder to fund an efficient police.

More than the above however, the possible abuses of the state police by the state governors makes it undesirable. It should be noted that the climes where state police exist have solved their nation-building problems and hence possess the structure that sustain it. This is unlike Nigeria where we are still grappling with problems of weak structure. Third World politics, like

Ilorin-Offa-Erin Ile road needs urgent attention

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IR: By the provision of section 20 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), it is the primary duty of government at all levels to ensure adequate protection for citizens and improvement of the environment: the water, air and land, forest and wild life in Nigeria. While it would not be just to expect the government to repair all roads at once, it is a fair comment to say that government is expected to fix all strategic roads within the state.

Ilorin-Offa-Erin Ile road is in southern Kwara State stands out among those strategic roads begging for attention. The road is arguably the busiest intra-state road in Kwara State. Not only that. The road also serves as a major link to the South-west State of Osun. The state of the road, has been causing excruciating and harrowing pain to road users, making passage a complete nightmare..

The state government, in whose jurisdiction the road is located, has regrettable and lamentably kept a sealed lip on the issue. The failure of government to act is an indictment and a conscious dereliction of duty. After all, a government that does not place any premium on the lives of its citizens has committed an unpardonable crime against humanity and should be reprimanded without a second thought. Government must understand that every life lost on that road would be re-

garded as a murder, with the government as the culprit and felon.

When would the state government hear the cries of helpless road users, who are on daily basis, confronted with the grim consequence of an atrocious road? Is it when most of the road users have been hospitalized, if at all they survived? Is it when the road has become a river of blood? Or is it when people go on their knees in prayer that top government officials become victims of the road before the govern-

ment would appreciate the terrible condition of the road?

The argument that the said road is a federal road is completely unacceptable and should be regarded as a failed attempt to justify the inaction of the government. The leadership of the state should understand that they subscribed to an oath to ensure the protection of lives and welfare of its citizens.

Bringing up excuses would not be tolerated. Does the government need to be reminded that good

roads are sine qua non to a blooming and flourishing economy?

My appeal to the state government is to step up to the plate and live up to the responsibility of its office by ensuring that Ilorin-OffaErin-Ile road and any other roads within the state are rehabilitated in the interest of all, for in the end, they would be remembered not only for what they have achieved but for what they neglected to do.

• Alatise Taofeeq Nasir Ilorin

power, is a zero-sum game. State being the major means of production and source of primitive accumulation, getting state power has always being a ‘war’. With a state police, the party in control in the components units would use the state police to its advantage, through intimidation and arrests of opponents, and during elections, ballot stuffing.

Babangida, although a protagonist of state police, reminded us the menace of ‘Yandokas’ a form of state police in the North in the 1950s. According to the ex- president, the ‘Yandokas’ formed by the northern regional government led

by Northern Peoples Congress were used to intimate and suppress opposition elements in the north in the 1950s.

In the same breadth, Babangida tried to remove the fear of the possible abuse of the state police by the state governors by stating that the victims of victimization could seek redress in the law court. As easy as the suggestion is, it is elitist. How many Nigerians have access to court?

The possibility of abuse by government functionaries makes the idea of state police in Nigeria undesirable. Federal government is advised to implement the report of various panels set up on police reformation.

• Adewuyi Adegbite Apake, Ogbomoso.

Thoughts from Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini

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IR: It is not all the time the death of a Cardinal at the Vatican is talked about, most especially in high or controversial tones. However, the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini on August 31 has continued to generate debate, most importantly at a time when the Italian media more than ever before, churns out series of the so-called “Vatileaks”.

Cardinal Martini, was a popular individual with liberal views on many issues. He was highly respected by both Pope John Paul II and current Pope, Benedict XVI. As the head of Europe’s largest Catholic diocese, he was known to be quite outspoken and was regularly critical in his writings and comments on church teaching. At 85, he understood his death was coming

near, hence his last interview to a fellow Jesuit priest and a journalist in August.

An Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published Martini’s last interview, where he described the Catholic Church as being “200 years behind” time. He was unequivocal when he urged the Church to recognise its errors and embark on a radical path of change, which surprisingly was to begin with the papacy. It is quite unusual, many who are in the know about the church would argue, to see one of the leading lights in its hierarchy to openly challenge church teaching or to put it succinctly, criticise the way in which the church often expressed its teaching with negatives and prohibitions rather than encouragement to believers.

Martini was quoted to have said: “Our culture has grown old, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our religious rites and the vestments we wear are pompous.” He challenged the church on the issue of divorce and lamented that: “Unless the Church adopted a more generous attitude towards divorced persons, it will lose the allegiance of future generations.” Martini quickly proffered a solution on this when he stated that: “The question is not whether divorced couples can receive Holy Communion, but how the Church can help complex family situations.”

Cardinal Martini might have left for heavenly glory, however, his criticism of church teaching has once again opened the debate on

whether those who hold its affairs would conform to modern day realities or stick to old necessities. If Martin Luther in 1517, had challenged the doctrine of the church (and not the church itself as many are wont to argue), which led to a major journey of doctrinal transformation, those who hold the church today must as a matter of fact do all in their capacity to transform (or reform) ‘in the light of present realities’. To conquer the tiredness of the church, a “radical transformation, beginning with the Pope and his bishops” must be re-engineered.

Was Martini wrong with his assertions?

• Raheem Oluwafunminiyi (creativitysells@gmail.com ) Lagos.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

COMMENTS

Cost of an RTA Death; A PhD is a ‘PotHole Death’; Potholes need PWD and pothole thieves

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RSC reports nearly 2,000 deaths Road Traffic Accident (RTA) in six months. What is the cost of an RTA death? The economic, Tony social and emotional Marinho costs of such a huge number of deaths are not yet calculated by NISER and political and social sciences and psychologists in Nigerian universities. For victims’ families there is no ‘happiness factor’ to see them through Nigeria’s difficult living terrain. Broken bones usually mean broken dreams. Dead bones usually mean dead dreams. How many road deaths are due to bad roads and no signboards for potholes and dangerous bends? Happily Lagos State has banned alcohol sales at motor parks but the buildings one inch from such motor parks sell alcohol so the effect will be limited.

The introduction of compulsory breathalyzer tests before travel for commercial vehicles could work.

Back to the potholes – as they have not gone away yet.

Nigerian government should pay compensation to vehicles for pothole damage like the local governments in the UK are paying motorists 750,000 pounds. It is abundantly clear that we have total failure of the proper relationship between politicians and professionals, in this case engineers. No serious engineer would like to see good work ‘spoil’ when a stitch in time saves nine! No caring engineer would wait for a pothole to grow and kill ‘fellow Nigerians’ before filling it. We are really backward and we must learn from our and other people’s history. The Romans had the right idea. They built roads that have lasted 2000 years and every year they added to their network. Premier Awolowo built roads that have lasted 5060 years. Since then, politicians have seen little value in building a stronger wider long-lasting road network by adding new kilometres every year. Thousands of high tonnage ‘overweight’ trailers annually devastate the roads with huge axle weights. This is in defiance of modern

transport trends towards railway evacuation of volume and heavy goods and huge passenger numbers. We lost the initiative spearheaded by the British through Nigerian Railways and taken on by Governor Jakande and his Metro Rail of which Funsho Williams was a key engineering and political part. Of course it was deliberately abandoned with $184m costs for breach of contract by the Buhari/Babangida axis of evil.

Our politicians converted the road network contracts into a corruption cesspool. The worse the road, the worse the corruption history with repeated contract awards often to politicians, National Assembly (NASS) members and political or royal family members. The money gets stolen! The Ife-Ibadan, Ore-Benin, East West and Sokoto North-South road are a few examples and victims of ‘The Great Nigerian Road Corruption Contracts Scams’that were the equivalent of the NPA in Bamanga Tukur’s i970s time. These road corruption scams were the 1970s equivalent of the current NNPC and pension scams and should be investigated and prosecuted with equal vigour. They have made the road network just another huge financial scam. Nigerian politicians would rather do ‘repeat jobs’ i.e. the same five kilometres of road every year and repeatedly steal the funds for the other 50km. Politicians must realise that a pothole-free road is a human right and an economic necessity for rapid economic transformation or the nation will be stuck in a pothole!

A PhD is a ‘PotHole Death’ that nobody wants and can be filled by PWD-Public Works Department. Imagine the effects and costs of a deep pothole in traffic, in time and on wear and tear of 1million vehicles and 100million bodies. Imagine the number of tyres, brake pads, car horns, accidents, extra fuel burnt in go-slows –all costing foreign exchange. Add the terrifying moments a pothole causes. A few seconds are turned into hours unless you have a police escort and a siren. Eliminating police checkpoint has reduced travel times by 30%. Travel times will be further reduced if potholes are regularly monitored and filled, even if unscrupulous tow truck owners and traders dig them overnight to create business. LGA, com-

munity, state and federal‘POTHOLE FILLING UNITS’ are more important and valuable economically that beautification projects that make things beautiful around a blood thirsty pothole!

When one of the two million Nigerian potholes is‘discovered’ by NTA or Channels or CNN, it sets in motion a checklist of at least 20 administrative events. A report activates a monitoring team for mobilisation, evaluation, another report to higher up the chain of command to the commissioner, the governor and or the table of the Minister of Works. Then an estimate goes through procurement, contract advertising, contract awarding and release of funds. Then various vultures extract their pound of flesh before the contractor even sees any money or else he must pay up front before taking the cheque –the petty balance of which he will execute the contract with if he is on seat, not on leave or on transfer! Meanwhile, the pothole has grown, watered by the blood ‘fellow Nigerian accident victims’ in it. The pothole is now beyond budget and the whole process has to suffer ‘variation’ while the pothole murders more vehicles and people. Who cares?

Does no one love Nigerians enough to fill her potholes?

Please find a thief or kidnapper to steal or kidnap Nigeria’s potholes. Maybe Akpos of Internet fame will find such a pothole thief or pothole kidnapper for us?

‘Imagine the effects and costs of a deep pothole in traffic, in time and on wear and tear of 1million vehicles and 100million bodies. Imagine the number of tyres, brake pads, car horns, accidents, extra fuel burnt in go-slows –all costing foreign exchange. Add the terrifying moments a pothole causes’

Face to face with Seriake Dickson

I

N his book, Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders asked: “What do we mean when we use the word leadership? If I were asked to define it in one single word, the word would be influence.” According to him, “The late President Henry Truman often referred to leaders as people who get others to do what they don’t want to do- and make them like doing it.”

The above quotations are relevant to the unfolding scenario in Bayelsa State. It is needless to recap the events that led to the emergence of Henry Seriake Dickson as the governor of the state because doing so would be tantamount to shedding crocodile tears. That is now history, as there appears to be a new attitude towards governance and following in the glory of the Gloryland.

My first contact with Bayelsa State was at its creation in October, 1996, 16 years ago. At that time, my brother and good friend, Professor Steve Azaiki, was the pioneer commissioner for agriculture in the state. The only road in and out of Yenagoa then was the Mbiama Road coming straight from the EastWest Road and tearing through the heart of the state capital. Since my first visit in 1996, I had been a regular visitor to the state until late 2005 when Azaiki, who had served for two terms as Secretary to the State Government, “stepped aside”.

However, two Saturdays ago, I had the privilege to return to the state to attend the wedding ceremony of the son of my good friend and two-term Senator Emmanuel Paulker. That morning, I flew to Port Harcourt from Lagos with the

7.15am flight, while Azaiki left for Port Harcourt from Abuja about the same time in the company of Navy Captain Caleb Omoniyi Olubolade, the police affairs minister, who represented Mr. President at the wedding.

After the normal airport procedures, we headed for Yenagoa, through the East-West Road, which has been permanently under construction. For years, I have read a lot about the terrible state of the road as many travellers recount their nightmares on the road. It was my turn that day.

At the Omagwa end, shortly after leaving the airport, the long queue of vehicles, most of them oil tankers and articulated trucks, was frightening. Even the Hilux used by the police escort, almost got stuck as it manoeuvered in and out of marshy swamps and pot holes which could swallow a whole bungalow in an attempt to escape from the traffic gridlock. Since I was in the second vehicle trailing the minister who was seated with Azaiki, I was unable to get his comments at that time.

As the convoy entered Yenagoa, I saw a transformed city. It had been expanded to the left, right and centre of what used to be a small community. In those days, I could drive to the Government House all alone, but on this day, if I must confess, I got lost as more and more houses of various kinds had sprouted up within the city.

The Minister’s first port of call was the office of the deputy governor Rear Admiral John Jonah Gboribiogha (rtd). When the deputy governor sighted Azaiki

“Dickson has clearly demonstrated that good governance, itself, is a total package and it is not limited to physical projects alone”

coming behind Olubolade, he simply retorted, “Ha, you came with your commissioner.” Azaiki was three-term Commissioner for Agriculture under Ayeni, Olubolade (both Navy Captains) and Edor Obi, an army Colonel, before he was later appointed as Secretary to the Government in 2002.

After a brief stay with the deputy governor, he volunteered to lead the minister and his entourage to his boss. We met the governor dressed in a white short and T-shirt with a fez-cap to match. Apparently, he had just arrived from the monthly ritual of jogging to keep fit alongside civil servants and others in the state. All three of us were ushered into our seats before the deputy governor took his leave.

Since I was meeting the governor one-on-one for the first time, I seized the opportunity to throw some questions at him. First was the adoption of a flag and national anthem by the state which had attracted controversy. His answer was: “Yes, have you noticed that so many states have done that in the past and it was only when Bayelsa did its own that people started making a molehill out of nothing?”

In his opinion, what they have simply done is what other nationalities have done for a very long time.

The Ijaws are people trying to reposition themselves and see themselves as part of this nation. “People are only reading meanings to a simple thing because the President is from here. Even if he were not from here, we could still have done the same thing. We are a people, and we need to defend our heritage and identity.”

We also spoke on quite a lot of issues ranging from sustainable governance, his vision for the state and all that. Considering the fact that it was an impromptu meeting, the governor’s grasp of issues, his understanding of contemporary development in the nation’s polity,

his vision and idealism were amazing.

The governor comes across as someone who possesses critical leadership values that are necessary to assist him to drive the levers of government in the state. Already, there is a paradigm shift as he embarks on a realistic restructuring of the bureaucracy of governance. In this regard, the governor said he has put in place an ambitious template both for himself and the people of the state. According to him, “the government must meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people, while the people too must hold the governor and other officials of government accountable for their actions at all times.”

This, the governor said, he hoped to achieve through the various legislations already passed by the House of Assembly. These include, Bayelsa State Income and Expenditure Transparency Bill, Bayelsa State Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill, Bayelsa State Government and Local Government Compulsory Savings Bill, among others.

Just like the country’s vision 2020, the governor said he has set a target for the state to be the third most developed state in Nigeria by 2022.

What an ambitious target in such a landlocked state where it costs a fortune to develop infrastructure and get the state going. I am sure the governor knows quite well that in order to achieve his optimum for his people, he must stamp out corruption and entrench accountability. This was probably why the “Transparency and Accountability Bill”was one of the first bills he sent to the House on assumption of office.

The governor’s vision and idealism are encapsulated in his “Restoration Agenda”. To get his people to change their old ways, he has embarked on a set of new values to create a new people that will be development-oriented, while shun-

Dele Agekameh ning evils like cultism, militancy and the rest, which have seemingly retarded the progress of the state for a long time.

In Memoirs of Field Marshal Montgomery, Bernard L Montgomery said, “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and having the character which inspires confidence.” Therefore, it is apt to state that the Bayelsa governor has unleashed unstoppable machinery for the total regeneration of the state.

This he is doing by nurturing formidable institutions, popular participation and consensus building.

Dickson has clearly demonstrated that good governance, itself, is a total package, and it is not limited to physical projects alone. There are other parameters through which good governance can be put in place. But when one considers where the state is coming from, one would agree that he has started well. There is no doubt that he loves Ijaw people, and he is ready to defend them wherever they may be.

One only hopes that the current tempo would be allowed to endure!

Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

22

COMMENTS ‘It is on record time that this country is porous in all facets of human endeavour, and security is left to suffer. Anonymous All the nooks and crannies of this nation need to be flooded with high-level security gadgets and every other security initiative. All hands must be on deck to ensure better security and good environment. Alhaji Gawat must be found alive. I wish the late Cynthia a perfect rest in peace.

From Ade Adesanya, Special Adviser’

•Jonathan

For Olatunji Dare Re: Cyber bullies at work. I pity Senate President Mark if he was misquoted and never meant what was interpreted from his 1992 statement about NITEL. My observation is that under this civilian dispensation, he has been more humane. I do not subscribe to people abusing the media or social media, either in writing nonesense or in settling scores. Prof, ride on; you are an objective writer, a great columnist, an unbiased journalist and a principled leader-journalist. Some people will envy you, let them. Your column and work are objective. Ignore the biased critics.

From Lanre O. I read your column as usual and felt your pains on the activities of cyber bullies. It is a shame and a dent on the achievements this noble profession has recorded over the years. Do not worry, sir, your reputation precedes you. From Dayo Asaju Prof, you went on defending yourself in your article. You need not go on the defensive; we know you as an upright and public-spirited person. If the country can have many of your type, a better society would have been assured. From Moronkeji Olatunji Dare, because you have always wanted to “remain free to write foolish things”, you are warming your way back into my heart. From Gbola Gbolagunte President Jonathan should have appointed a credible person as his attack dog instead of Doyin Okupe who was booted out of Aso rock by President Olusegun Obasanjo, his benefactor. From Alh. Adeboye Lawal Having read your Cyber bullies at work, I have chosen you as my number two exemplar of Nigerian heroes after Professor Tam David West. May your days be long!

From Dr. Fred A. Amadi I would have loved to comment on your Cyber bullies at work, but I consider myself a novice in the most interesting issues you raised. I am not saying this because I do not have what to say but I am reserving my comments on this topic for now. From Nnanake Offiong, Warri I have just finished reading your piece.

We are happy that you remain “free to write foolish things.” Foolish us will love to continue to read your thoughts. And do not forget, these recent foolish writings are due for another “Matters Arising”.

The first volume is one book l cannot finish reading. From Adewale Adegoke, Ibadan Dare, carry on with your foolish writeups. We the majority of foolish people you are writing for are enjoying and getting your message. Ride on. From Elder Macaulay Ovienria, Lagos After reading your write-up on Cyber bul-

lies at work and what you refused so you can keep writing foolish things to educate foolish people like me, I say, God bless you. From Pastor Sam Igwe, Kaduna It beats the imagination of defenceless Nigerians that the government is afraid of criminals; goes into secret negotiation with them while playing the ostrich with the US. The truth of the matter is, government is afraid to take the bull by the horns because of corruption in the system. Anonymous For Segun Gbadegesin It is on record time that this country is porous in all facets of human endeavour, and security is left to suffer. Anonymous All the nooks and crannies of this nation need to be flooded with high-level security gadgets and every other security initiative. All hands must be on deck to ensure better security and good environment. Alhaji Gawat must be found alive. I wish the late Cynthia a perfect rest in peace. From Ade Adesanya, Special Adviser Mr President has tried hard with his power sector reform. But he has not told us the fate of Ministry of Power under a privatised PHCN. From O. A. B For Gbenga Omotoso It beats one’s imagination to see the level our nation has decended to, and the bitter lesson from social networking with total strangers. The Awake magazine warned about this danger. I sympathise with the grief-striken parents over this irreparable loss, and kudos to the police for a good job. From Kris Mike, Delta From Cynthia’s case, it is apparent that those who commit crimes against us are close enough to know our movements. Let us all watch out. From Akin Aluko, Lagos The police need to be commended. I cried like a child after reading Cynthia’s story; what a pity for somebody to have been killed by those she trusted. I wonder how the parents of the girl are feeling. Well, two wrongs cannot make a right, Baba dari jin won nitori pe won ko mon ohun ti won nse.

Jesus said. Anonymous The murderers are not supposed to live among human beings, I suggest they should be hanged to death, immediately.

From Sani Momo Isah, Makurdi It is a sad news for young men under 35 to have involved themselves in such a criminal act; in fact, it a shame to their families. I advise that the police should also apprehend their parents because all these are due to lack of home training.

When the foundation is wrong all other things will go wrong. Anonymous I really appreciate the effort of the police in fishing out these bad guys who took life out of the young lady, prematurely.

They deserve instant judgment without wasting much time and money on them in court since they confessed. From Kunle Emmanuel, Ondo State

The killers of the late Miss Cynthia Osokogu are heartless and inhuman.

They should face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to other criminals.

God should comfort the family of Major Gen. Frank Osokogu. May her soul rest in perfect peace with the Lord, amen. From Enna Lafia Nasarawa State.

Its unfortunate that this girl fell prey to the boys. It is a lesson for youngmen and women not to meet people they don’t know their background behind closed door; and if you must meet them, conclude your business in the open. From Tony.

In the name of Jesus, those fools deserve to die by hanging. I don’t know why such devils should be charged to court. From Felix Okeke.

The murder of Cynthia Osokogu is disheartening, tragic and callous. The murderers are heartless and ungodly. Women should be extremely careful and vigilant in their relationships with boys/men, especially on facebook/ICT generally.The murderers should be prosecuted and appropriate punishment meted to them.

From L.A.Yakubu, Epe. The second VC of the Ogun State University was kidnapped from his office by undergraduates. He was taken to a place in Sagamu and advised to send a last message to his wife. Anonymous I never knew Nigeria had such PSYCHOs. I’ll give kudos to the police for using new methods to fish out the culprits. Anonymous It’s sad for the deceased’s family and the nation. I pray God gives us them the strength to bear the agony of Cynthia’s passing. Anonymous This tale of woe reminds us of the need to protect our identities once online. Government and citizens take note! From Ere Silva.

Cynthia Osokogu’s killers are barbarians; they are wicked, callous and brutish. Though they deserve a fair hearing but they are not worth living on this earth.

From Ndukwe K. O. Simon Jnr. Cynthia’s murderers should not go the wasteful way of court process, for what?

Their limbs should be severed by one by one till they die. Their act is devilish. From Ben A. I am a vendor; so many people stopped reading our newspapers because of this issue which you pointed out, I mean inconclusive reportage of news. Permit me to say that Nigeria is a country where leaders grope. May God have mercy. Anonymous This is a signal to young girls who trust strangers on Black Berry Chat. If not, how could a stranger pay for your flight, pay your hotel bill without looking for gains, to the extent of serving her drinks. Much as I pity her and, especially her parents who must have had great expectations from her, I believe she was looking for awuf or naive of the wicked world. May her soul rest in peace. From Florence Abiodun.

Those boys are criminals, they‘ve been in this wicked game for long. The blood of Cynthia has caught them. I wish their ex-

• Cnythia

ecution will take the following format: chopping off their toes, limbs, plucking off their eyes and so forth. From Clem Ozoemena.

It is just very painful. This girl was so beautiful and did not deserve to end like this. Nevertheless, its a lesson to all, especially on friends made through social media; friends we don’t see and friends we don’t know their real identity. Anonymous What is this world turning to? What manner of society are we in? Those two devil incarnate should be summarily tried and if found culpable, killed gradually.

They should be inflicted with intense injury over a period of two weeks till they die. Their punishment should be televised for all to see, including their family members. Anonymous Re:Lest we forget. All the pains exhibited in your write-up can be summarised for Nigerians thus: greed, selfishness, indiscipline, poor leadership, poor orientation of followership leading to underdevelopment! Please, let their be maximum penalty for the rogues who killed Cynthia Osokogu although she erred in a few areas unconsciously. The public should help us find Gawat Razak. From Lanre Oseni.

Cynthia Osokogu’s case is a lesson to all young girls who go too far on the social media. It’s a pity for one from such a background to trust animals she never met.

Those animals, if found guilty, deserve to die by hanging. May her soull rest in perfect peace. Anonymous On Cynthia killers, better are the blows of a friend than the false kisses of an enemy. Every hope you have on any man is simply a sinking ground. They should be sentenced to a prison term of 80 years; they are a disgrace to male folk. From Dakwo Emmanuel Thinker, Abuja.

The police should be praised on this issue. Poor young Cynthia, it could happen to anybody. Those young men are not hungry robbers they should be extremely investigated to know what they really did.

If found guilty, noting short of a death sentence would do. From George Tormelabu, Benue State.

Cynthia Osokogu, the younger sister to my friend, William, has gone like that.

Those criminals are to die, no court or lawyer should plead for them. Just kill them.

That is all. From Bulus De-don It is very tragic to say the least. The duo are hardened criminals and one wonders the type of homes they come from. It is disheartening that our youths who should be using the opportunity presented by the internet for positive things are engaged in nefarious activities. Kudos to the police; they should investigate the other atrocities confessed to by the suspects.

May her soul rest in peace. From Demola

EUROPA LEAGUE

NIGERIA/LIBERIA CLASH

Prove you are Africa’s best, Rubin Kazan drops Keshi tells Moses

Pg. 24

Obafemi Martins

Pg. 41

Sport Wednesday, September 5, 2012

PAGE 23

JAPAN 2012 FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

NFF proud of Falconets’ feat

•Says it’s disappointing losing 2-0 to USA in semis •Charges team to win 3rd place match

•Ngozi Okobi (r) of Nigeria and Morgan Brian of USA in a tackle during the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012, Semi Final match between Nigeria and USA at National Stadium, yesterday in Tokyo

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

NATIONSPORT WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

24

41

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

Lone Star: Elderson issues battle cry to Eagles’ stars

Liberia lists 14 professionals to face Eagles

EUROPA LEAGUE

NIGERIA/LIBERIA CLASH

Rubin Kazan drops Obafemi Martins

Prove you are Africa’s Best, Keshi tells Moses

•Echiejile

Enyimba ‘strike gold’ with Uche Kalu

Liberia travel plans perfect—NFF •Keshi endorses arrangement From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

•Victor Moses

•Martins

USA U-20 ends Falconets’ World Cup dreams •Meets reigning champs Germany in final •Nigeria to face hosts Japan in third place match

Flamingoes migrate to Faro

Pillars demand Ocean Boys decision

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

Life

•Nok terra cotta

25

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Text only: 08023058761

•Ife-head

Push for return of Nigeria’s stolen artefacts •Eight objects on loan to Royal Academy of Art, London Oyo celebrates first Oranyan Festival – Page 27

Badagry tourism gets ferry services – Page 38

•STORY ON PAGE 26

Edge of the brink: Campaign for national renewal – Page 40

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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Following the 1897 British punitive expedition to Benin, thousands of artefacts worth billions of naira were stolen.

These objects are now in museums and galleries in Europe and America. The Federal Government has tried to recover these artefacts without significant success.

Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman has launched a fresh campaign to recover these objects. Will he succeed?

Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

•Mallam Usman

•Shyllon

Push for return of Nigeria’s stolen artefacts

H

E has a rather tall ambition. As Director-General of the National Commission for Musuems and Monuments (NCMM) Mallam Abdallah Usman is determined to recover artefacts stolen from the country over 100 years ago. These artefacts are in Europe and America. Many before him had tried in the past to recover them without significant success. Usman believes he will succeed where others failed.

For the umpteenth time last week, he spoke of reclaiming the artefacts, saying the commission would continue to fight against illicit trafficking in Nigerian antiquities. Speaking in Lagos on the partnership between the commission and the Royal Academy of Arts, London that culminated in the loaning of eight pieces of bronze sculptures from Ife, Benin and Igbo-Ukwu for an exhibition holding in London between September 15 and December 9. Usman reiterated the NCMM’s commitment to the conservation, protection and promotion of the nation’s cultural heritage. The objects left the country last Thursday with one curatorial and two exhibition workers of the commission.

Usman said: “We are not going to change our tactics wholesomely. We will continue to work with international best practice. First, we have decided to secure what we have in our collection. Secondly, we are policing our archaeological sites. And the safety of the objects is that of all. We will continue to dialogue with those having our objects in order to get our works back.”

The objects for exhibition include a crowned head, mask (Oni Obalufon), a seated figure of a male, figure of a bowman, a vessel (shell), head of a Queen mother, a pair of aquamaniles in form of leopards, and warrior and attendants’ plaque. Explaining the terms of the partnership, Usman said the Royal Academy of Arts would be responsible for the transport and insurance arrangements and costs. He said the objects have been approved, recorded, appraised and documented by a team of curatorial experts, staff of NCMM according to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) standards. He said: “The objects will travel with one experienced curatorial staff of the NCMM who will serve as courier.

The mounting of the exhibition will also be done by two exhibition staff of the NCMM and colleagues from the British Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts. As a way of boosting capacity building in the commission, the two exhibition officers will undergo an internship programme during the period of exhibition.” Usman explained that the objects would go through the same careful routine of condition reports and checks when they are brought to the country.

The objects will be viewed alongside other sculptures from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iran, China in the exhibition that will be curated by Prof David Ekserdjian, a leading authority on sculpture with Ceceilia Treves of the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

The exhibition, according to organisers, will among others, present sculptures in bronze as the nearest thing to a global art form; assemble outstanding pieces originating from all over the world and from earliest times to the present and reflect the fact that bronze has been employed as an artistic medium for over four millennia.

The chairman and chief executive of Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF), Prince Yemisi Shyllon is, however, picking holes in NCMM’s campaign for the return of the stolen objects, saying the exercise has not been consistent and focused. The commission, he said, should be consistent in the demand and be discreet in accepting travelling offers by

MONUMENTS these museums that are keeping the objects. Instead of being consistent and focused in its campaign, the commission, he claimed, is partnering with foreign museums that strategically arrange cheap and insulting foreign trips for some low and middle level staff of the commission to do curatorial works for private and public collections.

To loan objects to the Royal Academy of Arts, London is in order because there is usually the need for co-operation between museums, he said, adding that if it is an explicit request for Nigerian art work for an exhibition, I don’t see anything wrong in it. His grouse is what he calls the tendency of the bureaucrats at the commission not to have focused plan and programmes in place, and not to be consistent in demanding the return of the looted works.

Shyllon said: “We all know how Ethiopia consistently called for the return of its looted works of art by Italy and how they eventually got them back. What I am complaining about is that, when one arm of government is saying we want our works that have been looted returned, on the other hand, that same organisation is being tricked into encouraging lower and medium level civil servants with the connivance of their seniors in the civil service, for reasons best known to them to undertake foreign trips.

“They send our young civil servants who have never had the privilege of travelling abroad and who see such invitation of getting the facility to travel outside Nigeria as a very great gift, or as a great incentive or a motivator. So, they fall victim to being invited by an organisation like the British Museum and pretentiously work or be trained.”

“The British Museum in avoiding the consistent and increasing pressure for the return of our looted artworks have in recent past, strategically arranged some assisted, cheap and insulting trips to England for some low and middle level civil servants of the National Commission for Museum and Monuments to carry out some curatorial works for private and public collections in England in exchange for payment of mere pittance to the Nigerians, when compared to what they would have paid if they had used their own citizens.”

He claimed that the art works in the British Museum are mostly those carted away from the country by imperialists during the 1897 Benin massacre and colonialism.

Penultimate Saturday, Shyllon presented a paper entitled: The

‘It is not true that museum has been inconsistent and not focused in its fight for the retrieval of stolen objects. What we have been doing is to first contact the foreign galleries and museums keeping Nigerian objects to establish the authenticity of such works. From there we entered into dialogue on how to return the works to Nigeria. But, one thing we vowed never to accept as condition for returning the stolen objects is to make any form of payment for them’

general ineptitude to creativity in Nigeria at the Annual General Meeting of the Society of Nigerian Artists at The Meridien Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. He said the nation’s collective intelligence was insulted by a spokesman of the British Museum when asked what Britain is doing to return the looted objects.

Shyllon said: “In reply, he said we should rather concentrate more on the benefits accruing to us from the on-going humancapacity development programme of the British Museum by their assisted training programme in England, of civil servants instead of calling for the return of the looted works.

“The reality is that, our civil servants are just unconsciously being made to serve as curatorial semi-slaves of the British Museum and as pawns by the British in their strategic positioning of retaining their looted Nigerian artworks.”

One other noticeable insult at the nation’s intelligence, he said, was that by the Museum of Art in Vienna through its funding of a widely publicised exhibition of lace textile materials in the Lagos Museum under the pretext of helping Nigerians to celebrate lace textiles, as part of their collective heritage. He described the funding of the exhibition by the Austrians as a way to reactivate the dying Austrian lace export trade to Nigeria.

This, he said, became necessary because Austria has since lost its domineering market of lace cloth materials in Nigeria to China.

The fight for the restitution and return of artefacts is not lost yet.

The commission is currently demanding the return of 32 works of Benin art recently donated to the museum of Fine Arts in Boston, United States (US), which the workers are likely to have been stolen during the 1897 punitive British expedition to Benin.

Reacting to Shyllon’s position, he said:“It is not true that museum has been inconsistent and not focused in its fight for the retrieval of stolen objects. What we have been doing is to first contact the foreign galleries and museums keeping Nigerian objects to establish the authenticity of such works. From there we entered into dialogue on how to return the works to Nigeria.

But, one thing we vowed never to accept as condition for returning the stolen objects is to make any form of payment for them,” The DG noted that Nigeria’s case in terms of quantity and quality of objects in foreign collections is quite different from those of other African countries because Nigeria has a large collection of works that are in very high demand across the globe. This, he said, made it relatively difficult for the commission to get most of the objects off the collectors’ hands.

On the issue of foreign training, the DG said: “Local and foreign training opportunities are not limited to museum alone.

Other sectors do undertake such exercise. In fact, you do not expect a trainer to transfer knowledge free as well as pay the recipient. The onus rests on the trainee to accept the terms or turn it down. And again, the training programme has no link with the return of stolen objects.”

In a recent report, Usman recalled that dialogue has brought about an interface with most of the major museums in Europe.

He said: “The Commission instigated discussions on modalities of returning Benin objects to Nigeria. This has resulted in the meeting of the major museums in Europe and the Commission in Vienna, Austria and Berlin, Germany in 2010 and 2011.

“A third meeting is scheduled for Benin City before the end of this year. The heads of these European museums have signified their intention to attend this meeting. It will be recalled that Nigeria was one of the strong voices in the Egyptian Conference of 2010 where the return of the pieces of each country’s priceless antiquities were demanded.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

27

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Okediji’s engaging creative experiences

POEMS

Boko Haram’s

By Akewusola Habib

•Eye of the Storm, by Moyo Okediji

P

ROF. Moyo Okediji is not a regular face in the Lagos exhibition circuit.

But, he is a well informed about goings on in Lagos and Abuja, where most media houses are located. His recent solo exhibition, The New Modern: Explosive Images and Incendiary Times, at the Watersworth Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos reflects the inner workings of the art scholar who though is far away in the United States (US), is abreast with happenings in Nigeria. Given the content and message of the exhibition, Okediji demonstrates the critical challenge of engaging the explosive culture of terrorism that has engulfed the globe, particularly, Nigeria. The artist, who teaches at the University of Texas in Austin, US, is surely ‘at home abroad.’

Put in context, the solo art exhibition is a mirror-image of current happenings in the country, especially in the socio-political spheres where safety of life and property has taken a new dimension. But as a creative artist, he equally explores the medium of found objects in the spirit of ‘waste-to-wealth’ to express his inner feelings about some of these issues. From the title of his works, he simply says it the way it is without mincing words in order that most viewers will not lose sight of the message, even if the works are not aesthetically appealing.

It is stating the obvious that the nation is currently grappling with cultural collapse, fragmentation and regeneration as captured by the works. In order to recreate all of this, Okediji

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

VISUAL ART spent his summer break at a serene studio in companion of his old friend, former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Tola Wewe in Ondo Town, Ondo State to produce collection of works that is a genre of convincing and emerging creative experiences. Titles of works such as Point of no return, Things Fall Apart, Falcon and Falconer, No Man’s Land, Ceremony of the innocent, and the Pharaoh’s series readily tell the story of the exhibition. Unlike many, he is not pretentious of the reality. He has unequivocally narrates in visual form, the position Nigeria suddenly finds herself a part of a global new modern that is ‘waiting to be recognised and defined’.

For instance, Things Fall Apart is a good example of how the artist perceives the new trend.

The work, (a hand-woven metal) captures the new meaning, as influenced by the new media.

At the beginning in Ondo, the artist did not find the method easy to overcome especially when in a hurry to get result. “But weaving aluminum is a slow, laborious, and tedious process. My progress was slow. I needed a faster medium, and began to explore aluminum collages. This work, titled North and South, is one of the large pieces that I executed with

aluminum collage techniques.

“For those who understand the mapping of the world as geographical expressions, the cultural conflict between the northern and southern hemisphere is yielding under the pressure of new technology and globalization. But within Africa, the cultural divide between the north and south of the Sahara seems difficult to reconcile. So, also is the divide within Nigeria, where Boko Haram terrorism reigns in the north that is associated with Islamic fundamentalism, and the Niger delta terrorism that is associated with Christian fundamentalism. This work plays upon the amplification of these cultural conflicts, while concluding that there are only two tribes in Nigeria: the rich and the poor.

Similarly there are only two races in the world: the affluent, and the indigent,” he said in a social media posting after the opening of the exhibition.

However, Okediji is not strange to this experimentation with found objects. During his graduate studies days at the University of Benin, he explored various alternative materials as means of color, as part of his desire to define an African painting aesthetics.

But as a graduate student he also thought he could build an African aesthetics of painting around mixed media and found objects, superimposed on indigenous techniques. One of such techniques was weaving, especially weaving of mats, which came in handy at Ondo this last summer.

There, he began to weave aluminum strips.

Happy worshipers dance, Sending praises to her Redeemer.

Sound from guns is the instrument That intercepts every song, Bomb has become duplicate For expressing love.

Various kiosk has closed up, No one sells my regular Palm frond.

You fill proud destroying this Present world Carrying toothless tongues, You search to relocate any Church situated in the north.

Don’t be a coward, Come and speck with one voice, Even if you are pronounced Deaf and dumb, Show me signs your war Hasn’t been cursed.

Virgin blood are spilled into My soil, Mass grave instead of farming Maize.

I can identify some of these Selfish hawks Fighting for slots at all cost.

Explosion is your blueprint For reaching the top, I hear you wear horns Claiming to be Fulani’s Son. Boko Haram is a tatted shop Would be eliminated by a Collective tractor.

I now protect the security Force His gun just got burnt All his swords are also blunt.

Lets await the rhythm of a New song, Hold hands and walk towards Luck sited in between joy, Niger can never spoil, Who will claim He knows my source?

Don’t make my faith become A disgrace Your ways are extinct trace On the lane of waste, To eventually fail in shame.

Oyo celebrates first Oranyan Festival

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N September 8, indigenes of Oyo will gather in the historic town for the maiden celebration of Oranyan Festival. The organisers said it would form the only authentic festival for metropolitan Oyo and the Yoruba race.

Speaking at a world press conference in Oyo, the Vice Chairman, Oranyan Festival Organising Committee, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu (rtd.), said the festival was coming after so many years of efforts. He said: “We rejoice that after so many years of trying, we have finally agreed on Oranyan Festival, which is the only authentic festival for metropolitan Oyo and the Yoruba race in which all Yorubas, both at home and in the Diaspora, can joyfully, enthusiastically and patriotically participate.”

The festival, he said, would showcase Oyo’s rich culture and unique cultural heritage. “Not only that, it would be used to expose our tourists’ sites and attractions, such as Sango Shrine in the palace and Koso; Sogidi stream in Awe; Agidam Hill of gods and goddesses; the grinding stones of the Queens at Arole Oba House; Bara (the burial place of the kings); Soro Hill or the talking forest and the architectural marvel of the Alaafin of Oyo’s palace,” he said.

Ladigbolu added: “It would also be used to re-awaken a new sense of cultural appreciation among our youth; create opportunities for greater interaction among citizens of the metropolis for the socio-economic and political development of our area and engender people’s greater appreciation of the contributions of Oranyan to the development and sustenance

By Seyi Odewale

of Yoruba culture and civilisation in general.”

The bishop explained that the festival would be celebrated like other prominent traditional festivals such as Sango; Oya; Obatala; Elegbara; Kori;m Ogun and Egungun observed in the town and its environs. He noted that within the palace precincts there are various festivals covering virtually every week of the year. “These are festivals which have designated male and female priests and priestesses,” he said.

Explaining the uniqueness of Oranyan in Oyo and Yoruba history, Bishop Ladigbolu said: “It is incontrovertible that in Yoruba history Oranyan was the pre-eminent founder and builder of Oyo Empire and the imperishable Yoruba Kingdom, whose fame spread to all nooks and crannies of West Africa. Oranyan is the direct linear descendant of the founder of the Yoruba race (Oduduwa). He was reputed to be the head of the kings and princes in Yorubaland.”

“The rise of Oyo under Oranyan as the first Alaafin,” he continued, “marked a new phase in Yoruba history. It also witnessed the transfer of effective political power from Ife tom Oyo.” He added that Oranyan the Great was a very brave and warlike prince, and of an indomitable courage. “It was Oranyan who inherited the Sword of Victory from Oduduwa. This mark of special favour has lent force and brilliant success to the endeavours of Oranyan in his war efforts and campaigns. He criss-crossed the region, Yoruba/Edo in a streak of valour with

•Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

permanent territorial footmark,” Bishop Ladigbolu said.

Present at the conference were the Basorun of Oyo, who is also the Chairman of the committee, Chief Yusuff Akande, Layinka I; the Oyo Meesis (the traditional chiefs of Oyo) and

princes and princesses.

In the words of the chief executive of the consultant marketing the event, Adeoye Aderinwale of Catalyst Communication, the festival would be the rallying point for all sons and daughters of Oyo and the whole Yoruba race.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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

‘Why creative writing should be compulsory in schools’ Dr. Onyeka Iwuchukwu of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University (NOUN), Lagos, links the dearth of creative writing among Nigerians to its non-inclusion in school curriculum.

The young, she says, should embrace writing at an early stage. INNOCENT AMOMOH and PAUL OLUWAKOYA met her.

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ORRIED by the increasing decline in the reading culture among the youth, Dr Onyeka Iwuchukwu of the National Open University (NOUN) has recommended the introduction of creative writing in secondary school curriculum. She said works by playwrights and theatre professionals would be appreciated and sustained if government made it compulsory in pre-tertiary academic institutions.

She observed that most renowned playwrights and theatre professionals who are celebrated didn’t achieve it in a day. “Apart from their spontaneous drives, they have learnt to formally acquire the skills to be good writers, right from the elementary stage of their academic pursuit,” she noted.

According to Dr Iwuchukwu, many works in circulation lack core requirements of creative writing. She said a formal trend is needed to guide young writers.

“It is one thing to have abundant talent; it is another thing to weave it together with the necessary skills. No matter how talented you can be, you still need training on the techniques of writing creatively. Since tutoring is very important in creative writing, why don’t we start it at the elementary stage? she added.

The author of nine plays said creative writing should be taught in schools from primary four, urging the government to include it in schools’ curriculum.

“At the Senior Secondary level those who have passion for it could offer it, while those who do not, should not be forced to offer it.

I, therefore, plead with all icons of creative

INTERVIEW writing in Nigeria to see to the establishing of a formal method that could guild aspiring writers as they pursue a career in literary arts.” she said Meanwhile, Iwuchukwu whose work Our Honourable Member was presented at the 9th International Women Playwrights Conference hosted recently in Riksteatern, Stockholm, Sweden, said a creative writer is like a fashion designer who carves out his works in different styles saying the case is not the same with most Nigerian young writers.

The play, which was picked among the three best from Nigeria for the presentation, she said, was well received in Sweden as it addresses the political experiences of many countries. She added that Ava-Gail Gardiner, a playwright and theatre practitioner whose play The cage was read at the conference, is now working with her to stage the play in Jamaica.

“Well, they say a writer is influenced by his background. During my school days, my lecturers saw the originality and quality of my works and I was encouraged. Today, I have written more than eight published works Regal Dance, Sons of my son, Into the world, Self reliant, Like father like Son and Whose Fault received nods from international reading committee, dramaturges and critics, who have good knowledge of theatre world-wide.

She noted that she used the Nigerian political scene as her background in Our Honourable Member.

•Dr. Iwuchukwu

On recognition in the sector, she said: “If it is not Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Chinua Achebe any book written by any other Nigerian is hardly recognised. And this must not continue. The Nobel laureates are not writ-

ing again. Young writers must be given the right platform to be the best that can rule the world of creative writing. And this can be achieved if government will create enable environment for student writers.”

Eboigbe emerges NANTAP chair

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•Ajayi (left) and Obiago

Obiago tours Olu Ajayi’s studios

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N art collector Joe Obiago has said the studio of a frontline artist at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The visit is to foster understanding between the artist and collectors. Obiago said Ajayi’s works were of high quality and standard. He said: “Olu, I must con-

fess that your works are sophisticated and esoteric.”

The collector also saw the-top-of-therange professional materials the artist uses in producing his works. The open studio session will welcome another distinguished guest at the end of September.

AGOS State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) has elected officers to run its affairs for three years.

The leader of the new executive is a theatre practitioner, Eki Faith Eboigbe.

Until her election, she has served the association in various capacities at state and national levels, including Director of Business, FESTINA (Festival of Nigerian Plays), Chairman ITD (International Theatre Day) 2010, among others, is also the Creative Director/CEO of Entertainment Bus-Stop Ltd. (an Art and Event management Consult).

Eboigbe said she would serve the association with everything she has, pledging renewed and unflinching commitment to serving the association diligently.

She said her mission is to create an enabling environment that will eradicate alienation, re-introduce a sense of integrity and values, as well as increase members involvement and participation; and to harness the potentials that “we know abound in the Association towards a sustainable development and networking benefits for members and our association”.

She underscored the need to as part of funds drive, liaise with the State Government for participation in all State cultural activities, i.e., organise a stakeholders forum with all the local governments/local council development areas in Lagos state for the official presentation of ‘Orientation kit-tool’ that will enhance performance and productivity within their environment.

With her election, Eboigbe has become

•Eboigbe

the first woman to occupy that position in NANTAP Lagos State chapter.

Other members the new executive are Mr. Williams Ekpo (vice chairman), Kaptaintony Ofili-Akpom (General Secretary), Mr. Friday Francis (Director of Finance), Miss Dorothy Effiom (Director of Business), and Mr.Tony Okuyeme (Director of Publicity).

A formal inauguration date will be announced soon.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Forecasts Q3 Sept 2012 Oasis Ins Turnover N450m Profit after tax N63.894m Access Bank Gross earnings N54.782b Profit after tax N11.907b Resort Savings & Loans Gross earnings N960.736m Profit after tax N165.540m Trans-Nationwide Exp Gross earnings N170.342m Profit after tax N40.568m GT Assure Gross premium N9.525b Profit after tax N1.241b Pharma-Deko Turnover N454m Profit before tax N10m Cornerstone Ins Premium Revenue N919.418m Profit after tax N41.002m Skye Bank Gross earnings N99.710b Profit after tax N13.933b CCNN Turnover N3.683b Profit after Tax N402.165m Custodian & Allied Gross Premium N8.540b Profit after tax N1.345b UPDC Turnover N10.274b Profit after tax N1.002b Nestle Nig Turnover N28.850b Profit after tax N4.014b UACN Turnover N48.313b Profit after tax N4.611b Julius Berger Turnover N125.541b Profit after tax N3.993b Diamond Bank Gross earnings N27.315b Profit after tax N3.107b Oando Turnover N123.207b Profit after tax N2.967b Presco Turnover N2.400b Profit after tax N613.760m Berger Paints Turnover N976.303m Profit after tax N88.258m Eterna Turnover N56.413b Profit after tax N859.734m Consolidated Hallmark Ins Gross premium N4.110b Profit after tax N511.564m MRS Oil Nig Turnover N76.804b Profit after tax N1.068b Transcorp Total income N2.658b Profit after tax N1.507b Evans Medicals Revenue N1.619b Profit after tax N64.656m AIICO Ins Gross premium N2.561b Profit after tax N344.406m GSK Nig Turnover N6.756b Profit after taxation N580.824m Abbey Building Society Gross earnings N1.300b Profit after tax N217.537m Regency Alliance Gross premium N1.300b Profit after tax N303.777m Total Nigeria Turnover N54.466b Profit after tax N1.804b Red Star Express Turnover N2.888b Profit after tax N200.557m Cadbury Nig Turnover N9.873b Profit after tax N735m Okomu Oil Turnover N2.176b Profit after tax N667.068m Continental Re Turnover N10.028b Profit after tax N1.207b Livestock Feeds Turnover N1.379b Profit after tax N51.654m IEI Gross Premium N4.250b Profit after tax N533.898m

•INSIDE:

As far as local content is concerned, the ICT industry is uncompetitive because it is cheaper to import a base station than to fabricate one in Nigeria. It is cheaper to import a chip card than to make and personalise in Nigeria.

- Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology

NSE to elect new council members T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) would elect new members of its national council later this month as the Exchange hurries to host its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on the last working day before the statutory deadline for such meeting.

A source said members of the council, who were appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into the council of NSE, would step down and be replaced at the meeting.

The board of SEC had consented to removal of eight members it appointed unto the council of the Exchange. The appointees included the former interim national president, Mallam Ballama Manu,Mr Emmanuel Ikazoboh, Mrs. Yemisi Ayeni, Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, and Mrs. Dorothy Ufot (SAN).

Stockbrokers, who own the NSE, said the impending election should be in line with the Memo-

•Brokers seek adherence to Memart

By Taofik Salako randum and Articles of Association (Memart) of the Exchange.

They said elections should restore the Exchange back to its status as an independent self regulatory organisation.

A leader of the major trade group said the Memart has adequate provisions for constituting the council including the number of representatives from the brokerage community and other stakeholders.

Stockbrokers said compliance with the provisions of Memart of the Exchange would further engender confidence in the market and put the council in a position to implement widely acceptable policies.

The NSE has scheduled its 51st AGM for Friday, September 28, 2012, ahead of the statutory deadline of Sunday, September 30,

2012.

Members of the NSE are expected to consider the report of the national council and financial statement for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Section 345 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (Section 345) mandates the Exchange to lay its financial statements before a general meeting of its members no later than nine months after the year end covered by the statements.

The meeting would also be used to appoint members into the national council of the Exchange, which is the governing body of the NSE. It consists of 21 members including 13 individual ordinary members, one institutional member, and seven dealing members.

The council directs business and financial affairs, strategy, structures and policies of the

NSE; monitors the exercise of any delegated authority; and deals with challenges and issues relating to corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and corporate ethics.

Consequently, the NSE embarked on consultative process to ensure orderly disengagement of the appointees.

The disengagement of the SECappointed members and reconstitution of the council were the highpoints of the first meeting of the council of the NSE to be presided over by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who was reinstated by the Court of Appeal.

At the meeting, the council of the NSE had considered the disengagement process and decided that Dangote should consult with stakeholders of the Exchange to assist council to come to an informed decision on timing and manner of the disengagement, as well as reconstitution of the council.

The consultative process was in line with SEC’s directive that the disengagement for the appointees must be done in s u ch a way that will enhance market confidence and ensure continued stability of the Exchange and the capital market.

The disengagement of SEC’s appointees from the NSE would assuage stockbrokers, who championed a massive campaign against what they described as “micromanagement of NSE”.

The NSE is a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) and a private company limited by guarantee and owned by several individual and institutional members, especially stockbrokers who form the majority of the members of NSE.

Access Bank targets N15b profit in Q4 •Managing Director, Unity Bank Plc, Ado Yakubu Wanka (centre), being presented with ISO certificate for Information Security by the MD/CEO, Digital Jewels, Adedoyin Odunfa, at the ceremony in Lagos. With them is Unity Bank’s Executive Director, Lagos & West, Lanre Elisha Fagbohun.

CBN: Currency overhaul to recover patent for HE proposed currency overNaira spokesman, “people the world haul being championed by the over thought polymer will be a

T

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will assist Nigeria recover the patent for the naira.

Speaking to reporters in Lagos, CBN Spokesman, Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said Nigeria needs to take back all its patent and right on the naira from foreigners.

“We need to take back all our patent and right. Right now, some of the patents and rights do not belong to Nigeria or the CBN. We had a rude shock when that became an issue when we wanted to print a particular set of notes. So, we are using this exercise to take back that right. If it belongs to Nigeria, nobody will hold us to ransom,” he said.

The CBN recently announced that it would be restructuring the Naira.

Under the proposal, the existing N50, N100, N200, N500 and N1,000 notes

‘Market recovery’ll be sustained’ •Page 32

By Collins Nweze

will be redesigned with added new security features. Sanusi explained that the lower banknotes -N5, N10 and N20 will be in coins, meaning that the currency structure will be 12 - six coins and six notes. While the coins will be 50k, N1, N2, N5, N10 and N20, the notes will be N50, N100, N200, N500, N1,000 and N5,000.

Ugochukwu also said the apex bank will put pictures for the visually impaired in the proposed N5,000 note. The features, he said, will help them recognise different currencies.

He said the regulator has resolved to stop the production of polymer currency notes, in circulation, to pave way for the new currency. According to the CBN

great replacement for paper currency, but it has not turned out the way it was planned.”

He said the N5,000 note would not cause inflation. CBN, he said, only needs to control the amount of money in circulation, adding that the policy will make movement of cash and other business transactions easier. The N5,000 note may not be as circulated as other notes, and may only be used in high volume transactions.

“Thiscannotcauseinflationbecauseitisinflation that leads to currency devaluation. We needhigherdenominationbecauseofthecashless economy. Other countries that have embraced the cash-less initiative have gone past this stage and are using more of plastic and electronic for their transactions,” he said.

Untapped opportunities in insurance worth N60b •Page 34

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CCESS Bank Plc would make an average pre-tax profit of N27.3 on every N100 top-line earnings of the bank during the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2012, the board of the bank has stated.

In a forecast for the fourth quarter, directors of the bank estimated that pre-tax profit margin would be 27.3 per cent just as investors could earn about 52.4 kobo on every share during the period.

According to the report, the bank is expected to make profit before tax of N15.38 billion on gross earnings of N56.40 billion during the period. With tax provisions of N3.38 billion, net earnings after taxes is estimated at N11.99 billion.

Access Bank had distributed N8.944 billion as cash dividends for the 2011 business year, with shareholders receiving 50 kobo on every share.

With earnings per share for the •Continued on page 33

How I make money from the internet •Page 35

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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MONEY

‘Short term funds hinder infrastructural growth’ M

OST banks in the country cannot key into financing infrastructural projects because they have short-term funds at their disposal, the Director & Head Project & Structured Finance, FBN Capital Limited, Patrick Mgbenwelu, has said.

He spoke at the Finance Houses Association of Nigeria (FHAN) Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

The theme of the event was: Public-private partnership (PPP’s), the private sector and imperatives for finance companies.

He said assets of most PPPs’ deals required debt maturities in excess of eight years and most banks cannot key into such projects because

Stories by Collins Nweze

they have short term funds.

He explained that the pool of existing and projected local bank debt funding is insufficient to meet Nigeria’s infrastructure investment requirements in the country.

“The size of domestic banking system is insufficient to finance existing pipeline of deals. Besides, financing projects in local currency has historically proven to be quite challenging on cash flows given the levels and volatility of local interest rates,” he said.

Mgbenwelu said Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit is estimated at $4.2 trillion, adding that a bankable

PPP project is expected to satisfy a set of viability tests that include project having a market; technically feasible; transfer risks appropriately; financially and economically feasible.

He listed other fundamental issues in financing infrastructure to include capital intensive, long term funding and transparency.

The FBN director said there was the need to consider lender due diligence on the strength of cash flow generating capacity even as robust contractual arrangements are fundamental to costs and revenue balancing.

He said borrowing in foreign currency exposes projects to addi-

tional risks, which could prove expensive to hedge, but there remains limited and relatively short-term hedging solutions from local banks.

According to him, the market is full of immense opportunities but is still viewed as risky, when it comes to infrastructure funding.

“Although the Nigerian market is still in its infancy, tangible commitment will only be seen once a few transactions get off the “drawing board” and become operational even as sovereign and/or state support/performance is critical in PPP transactions,” he said.

He explained that private sector’s view remains that contracting with the state or governments is risky and that financiers will, therefore, seek avenues for mitigating against a range of state or sovereign type risks.

To ensure that these challenges are addressed, the government is working on a blueprint focused on drafting Infrastructure Finance

Policy for the country.

The proposed policy is expected to, among others, specify the infrastructure financing options, dispute resolution mechanisms, roles of stakeholders, and incentives offered by relevant government ministries and agencies.

This will serve as a guide to investors and other stakeholders in making infrastructure project investment/financing decisions.

The policy is expected to leverage private finance for infrastructure development; diversify and develop the non-bank sources of long term debt finance of Infrastructure and reduce the cost of projects.

It will also promote the involvement of specialised funds and/or multilateral agencies and international banks in financing a growing some development projects and determine and recommend incentives to spur local and international investors to invest in infrastructure projects in the country.

IMF to assist members develop skills

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• From left: Delta State Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah; Chairman, Delta State Economic Advisory Team and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismark Rewane; and member, Delta State Economic Team, Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, during a press conference in Lagos.

ICAN chief seeks improved skills for accountants

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HE Registrar and Chief Executive, Institute of Chartered Accountants Nigeria (ICAN), Olutoyin Adepate, has emphasised the need for improved skills among accounting experts to tackle money laundering and financial crimes in the country.

Speaking at the induction of new members of the Association of Accounting Technicians of the instituter sin Lagos, Adepate noted that the promulgation of the

Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism 2011 Acts demanded for specialised professional expertise to deal with emerging issues in the banking and economic environment.

He said accounting technicians needed to develop skills to assist the government in the crusade to curtail the growth of money laudering.

With the government is making legislations to combat money laundering and terrorist financing,

Adepate urged accounting officers to ensure the soundness, integrity and stability of the financial system is not compromised.

He stressed the need for officers to acquaint themselves with international accounting standards to institutionalise greater transparency in financial reporting.

The registrar said the world is moving to a single set of high quality accounting standards that would make financial statements comparable around the world.

Half year forex inflows hit $10b

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has recorded foreign exchange inflow worth $10.02 billion in the second quarter of this year.

This figure represents a decline of 17.3 per cent below the level in the preceding quarter, but an increase of 13.2 per cent above the level in the corresponding quarter of last year.

Analysis of the inflows show that outflow amounted to $9.61 billion, showing a decline of 1.5 and 12.4 per cent below the levels in the preceding quarter and the corresponding quarter of last year. This resulted in a net inflow of $0.41 billion, compared with a net inflow of $2.36illion in the preceding quarter.

However, it contrasts with a net outflow of $2.12 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of last year. The fall in inflow relative to the preceding quarter was attributed to the decline in crude oil sales

• CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

and non-oil receipts, while the fall in outflow was attributed to the decline in the Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS), Forward Contract and Nigeria National Pe-

troleum Corporation Joint Venture Company Cash.

Available data on aggregate forex flows through the economy indicated that total inflow amounted to $27.43 billion, representing a decline of three per cent below the level in the preceding quarter, but an increase of 19.5 per cent above the level in the corresponding quarter of last year.

Oil sector receipts, which accounted for 35.2 per cent of the total, stood at $9.66 billion, compared with the $11.63 billion and $8.47 billion achieved in the preceding quarter and corresponding quarter of the year.

Non-oil public sector inflows, which accounted for 1.3 per cent of the total foreign exchange flows, declined by 26.6 per cent below the preceding quarter’s level, while autonomous inflow, which accounted for 63.5 per cent, rose by 7.8 per cent above the preceding quarter’s level.

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it is committed to helping member countries develop their skills base and build more robust economic and financial institution.

In a statement, the fund said a new department incorporating the former IMF Institute and Office of Technical Assistance Management, will enable stronger synergies and better co-ordination between its technical assistance, training and other elements of capacity development.

It will also assist to better adapt to member countries’priorities and needs, and facilitate fund raising.

“Technical assistance and training are a core mandate of the Fund, along with surveillance and lending,” IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde

said.

She expressed confidence that the new institute will take the lender’s activities in this area to a new level, making the best use of our resources and those contributed by our donor partners.

The Fund announced its decision to launch the new department in January, this year following the Executive Board’s discussion in November 2011 of the Report of the Task Force on the Fund’s Technical Assistance Strategy. “ The Institute for Capacity Development is mandated to further define and develop the Fund’s strategy on capacity building; coordinate the provision of technical assistance and training, deliver world class training to the Fund’s global membership and strengthen partnerships with donors,” she said.

CIBN mulls customer complaints strategy

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HE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) is addressing various issues, which pitch banks against their customers.

It has organised workshops on complaints management for its members.

The event tagged: Complaints management in the Nigerian banking industrym, held in Ibadan, Owerri and Abuja at the instance of the Sub-Committee on Ethics and Professionalism of the Bankers’ Committee.

In a statement, the institute’s President Segun Aina said there was the need to instill culture of excellence in the management of consumer complaints in banks to restore banking public confidence as well as to forestall risks and losses.

It said during the exercise, experienced professionals were able to address key strategic issues, such as consumer complaints management in the banking sector, best practices in managing complaints and challenges in the banking environment, ways of coping and handling and satisfying difficult customers.

Others issues addressed include framework for complaints management in banks, practical case studies from the Sub-Committee

• Aina

on Ethics and Professionalism, among others.

The said customer complaints arose mainly because of poor customer service, high bank tariffs, frauds and forgeries as well as bank distress, and such could threaten confidence in the banking system.

The training was also aimed at encouraging good banking habits and promoting efficiency in the delivery of financial services as well as boosting public confidence in the system.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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MONEY

Why JP Morgan delayed Nigeria’s listing T

HE inability of Nigeria to meet the requiremen for listing on JP Morgan’s Government Bond Index Emerging Market (GBI-em) is responsible for the delay in the country’s listing, the Director, Market Development Department, Debt Management Office, Mrs Patience Oniha, told The Nation on phone.

“There are requirements, which a country must meet before being considered for listing in such market.

Each instrument included in that kind of a market must meet the requirements. One of the requirements is that the securities must be in the secondary market.

There must be a two-way market; that is, the product must be sold and bought in the market.

Since 2008, we have focused on the secondary market. It is now that we have met those requirements,” she said.

She said it was not every instrument that could be considered for listing in the Bond Index Emergin Market, adding that the instrument must meet certain criteria before it is considered.

“It is not that I have a product, which must be automtically listed in the JP market. The market is not for every Tom

Stories by Akinola Ajibade

and Dick products,” she added.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer, Lambert Securities Limited, Mr David Adonrin, said JP Morgan must have seen certain good indices on the economy, and, therefore, want to include Nigeria on its emerging market.

He said there has not been any organised platform for the trading of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN Bonds), adding that the FGN Bonds were being traded on the Over the Counter (OTC) platform of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

“I cannot say precisely the indices, which JP Morgan is using to consider Ngerian bonds for inclusion in its Government Bond Index Emerging Market. But what I know is that JP Morgan must have seen some indices on Nigerian bonds that hitherto are not there.”he said.

Adonrin said the proposed listing of Nigerian Bonds was a step in the right direction, adding that if a foreign organisation came up with plans

to include Nigeria’s bonds in its market, the idea should be welcomed.

In a related development, the former Director, Banking Supervision, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Titus Okunronmu, has attributed the delay in considering Nigeria for the market to poor economic environment.

Okunronmu said the issue of timing and environment weigh heavily in the considerations of internationally acclaimed financial investors, adding that institutions, such as JP Morgan, was scared of Nigeria’s environment, in spite of its relationship with the country.

He said: “Our condition was not ripe for foreign investments, hence the decision of agencies like JP Morgan to wait for long before considering Nigeria for its Government Bond Index Emerging Market in August. Prior to this period, all indices showed that the economy was in a comatose. I believe that JP Morgan must have seen some stability in the Nigerian market, and, therefore, wanted to leverage on it.

Though I do not know the indices JP Morgan has used before trying to consider Nigeria for a place in its market, the near stability of the economy might be responsible for this development.”

Banks tackle e-fraud The Group Managing Director, Union Bank Plc, Mrs Funke Osibodu, has said it is imperative to reduce the activities of electronic payment fraudsters in the country.

Speaking during the August meeting of the Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFT) in Lagos, Osibodu said the activities of such fraudsters are getting sophisticated and need to be curtailed in the interest of the industry.

Represented by one of the bank’s Executive Directors, Ibrahim Kwargona, Osibodu traced the history of e-payment in the financial landscape and the efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to curtail the activities of fraudsters. She noted that the apex bank had made the system more reliable and efficient for increased customer’s confidence and patronage. She said the electornic payment system is the inthing globally, arguing that all efforts must be on deck to make it work in Nigeria.

“The need for members’ understanding, balanced and unambiguous platforms for blame and loss sharing, issues solution and timely settlement of resultant penalties should be addressed,” she said.

Also, the Group Managing Director, UBA, Mr Philip Oduoza, said new threats and fraud risks must be contained to grow the industry well.

Oduoza, represented by the bank’s Executive Director, Operations and Technology, Mr Femi Olaloku, said the cash-less Nigeria and the drive to migrate payment transactions to electronic platform create greater opportunities for the banking industry and the economy. He noted that they also come with the threat of electronic fraud.

He said when the electronic frauds are curtailed as much as possible, customer would have greater confidence in the industry.

Group harps on training THE National Association of Micro Finance Banks (NAMBs) will continue to hold capacity building seminars for management and the junior staff of the banks, NAMBs Chairman, Southwest Mr Olufemi Babayide has said.

He said this became imperative to assure the safety of the banks, depositors among other stakeholders.

He said because many people run MfBs like conventional banks, they get into trouble. He said the only way to avoid the mistakes of the past was to engage in manpower development as at when due.

He said efforts were being made to make the banks competitive and grow the economy.

“I think the best way to grow the bank is to train the workers well.

When the workers are well equipped with adequate knowledge, they would work as a team and mitigate the operational risks that have affected the banks in recent time,” Babayide said.

He advised the operators to avoid risks that would jeopardise the interest of the customers and the sub-sector in particular.

According to him, the operators are in the best position to access the state of their banks and correct their mistakes if any.

“It is high time the banks got their acts together and put in place measures to grow. We have, in line with the CBN’s directives on capacity building for operators of microfiance banks, been trying to eduate our members on how to practise microfinance banking well. It is a mandate that we have been keeping since the past tthree years.” he added.

‘Aggrieved tax payers can seek redress’

• Managing Director/CEO, UAC Foods Limited, Dr. Tawanda Mushuku (right), presenting the prize of a brand new MPR Van to Mrs. Pauline Nwana, Proprietress, Rondasy Enterprises, and number one distributor of UAC Foods Limited, at the UAC Foods Customer Awards in Lagos.

‘TBs growth will boost banks’revenue’

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ANKS will experience a surge in revenue because of the growing patronage of Treasury Bills (TBs), experts have said.

They said the tempo of activities is gaining momentum in TBs market, considering the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to mop up money in circulation via issuing of the instruments.

According to experts, who spoke on the backdrop of increase in the sales of treasury bills, the development would bring in more revenues to the banks.

During the treasury bills auction in the last two weeks of August, N30.65 billion worth of 91-day was offered and sold at the rate of 14.00 per cent as against N32.06 billion sold at the rate of 14.50 per cent at the previous auction.

Also, N20 billion worth of 182day was offered and sold at the rates of 15.08 per cent compared with N50 billion sold at 15.30 per cent at the previous auction. Total subscription during the auction stood at N136.93 billion against N50.65 billion on offer, which

translates to a 170.35 per cent oversubscription.

CBN had in the first week of August sold N172.1 billion ($1.1 billion) in treasury bills and increased the yield it offered on the shortdated paper to mop up liquidity and further support the currency.

CBN said it had sold N50 billion of 182-day Treasury bills at a yield of 15.30 per cent, higher than 14.94 per cent at its previous auction last month.

It sold 90 billion naira of 364-day bills at a yield of 15.38 per cent, compared with 15.60 per cent a month ago, and N32.06 billion of 91-day bills at a yield of 14.5 per cent, higher than 13.94 per cent at the last such auction a month ago.

The Vice-Chairman, Anchoria Investments Securities Limited, Dr Olusola Dada, said treasury bills rates are becoming attractive and are bringing more investors to the TBs net.

Dada said banks, among other dealers of treasury bills, would benefit by making good profits.

He said: “The more treasury bills

that are being auctioned, the higher the patronage, the better for banks and other dealers. “Considering the quantum of TBs being sold, coupled with over-subscriptions recorded in the market, it is safer to safer that dealers are in for a good deals. Though the market is not without volatilities, the gains from the sales of TBs are still better averagely,” he said.

He said banks are making money from the sales of treasury bills and fixed accounts.

“To the best of my knowledge, the money market rates are getting better. Many look at fixed-income products from the angle of Treasury bills and bonds only, but it is beyond that. The money that people are keeping in banks is equally a fixedincome product. Banks are making profits from it as well,” he added.

A market analyst, Mr Tayo Bello, said are going to make good profits, if activities in the TBs market remain upswing. He said if CBN continues with its liquidity tightening measures, dealers in TBs will benefit greatly.

THE Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) has said aggrieved tax payers have the right to seek redress from the government-approved agencies within 30 days of receiving tax assesment.

The Chairman, Publicity Committee, CITN, Mr Chukwuma Eze, said this in Lagos.

Speaking during the Mandatory Professional Training Programme for tax stakeholders, Eze said such tax payers are expected to send letters of objection to the tax authorities where the liability attached to them would be challenged.

He stated that the objection must be raised within 30 days of the receiving the tax assessment, after the problem might be attended to.

He said the National Tax Policy envisages that there would be disputes between tax payers and organs of government and has made specific resolutions on them.

The policy, he said, recognises that the organ of government that is responsible for the assessment and collectioin of taxes and levies at the Federal and state government levels, is the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS) or State Boards of Inland Revenue Service (SIBR).

He, however, said tax authorities have cause to disagree with tax payers while discharging their duties.

FIRS has a Tax Dispute Resolution Committee (TDRC) for this purpose, while a state, such as Lagos has the Tax Audit Reconciliation Committee (TARC).

Firm trains staff on IFRS TO ensure the smooth take-off of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) next year, Baker Tilly International has organised a training aimed at enhancing skills of operators in both public and private organisations on the subject.

Speaking with reporters at the workshop, Senior Partner, Baker Tilly International, Mr Titus Soetan, explained that the training was organised to upgrade and acquaint members of staff and clients with what IFRS entails.

He stressed the need for the private and public organisations to embark on similar training to facilitate a clear understanding before next year’s implementation target.

“There is the urgent to boost the capacity of clients and those concerned with the operation. The world has become a global village and IFRS is the bedrock of reporting standards. Adoption by Nigeria would be of great advantage. Apart from foreign direct investments, the adoption would also align our financial reporting standards with that of other countries of the world,” he stated.

Soetan, who is also a board member of Financial Reporting Council (FRC), lauded efforts being made by organisations, such as FRC, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), accounting firms and others to ensure the effective implementation of the standards.

Partner, Baker Tilly International, Deacon Solomon Adeleke, noted that the adoption of IFRS by Nigeria would bring its accounting standards on par with global financial reporting standards.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

32

THE NATION INVESTORS

Market recovery’ll be sustained, say experts •Era of jumbo returns gone

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HE modest recovery at the stock market would continue to build up into substantial competitive returns as continuing good earnings from quoted companies and concerted efforts by market operators and stakeholders further impact on the capital market.

Against the background of a year-to-date return of 14.57 per cent at the start of this week, major investment managers and stockbrokers said the recovery at the stock market has already started and would be sustained in the period ahead.

President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Ariyo Olushekun; Managing Director BGL Plc, Mr Albert Okumagba; Managing Director, Goldbanc Management Associates Limited; Mr Abayomi Sanya; Managing Director, GTI Securities, Mr Tunde Oyekunle and Managing Director, Fund Quest, Mr Bisi Oni were unanimous in their reviews of the capital market expressing optimism that the market has begun a stable and sustainable recovery.

Olushekun, who is also the Managing Director of Capital Assets Limited, said the positive return of the market would be a sustained recovery because stakeholders are more than before focused on improving the macro and micro variables that would further drive the market.

He noted that the Capital Market Resuscitation Committee set up by the Federal Government through the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been working and would come up with recommendations that would give a fillip to the market recovery.

Olushekun and other major market operators spoke just as the CIS steps up preparations for its

Stories by Taofik Salako

maiden national workshop, which would bring Ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Communications Technology as well as director-general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and other key stakeholders to brainstorm on macroeconomic development.

Olushekun said foreign and domestic investors who had seen potential gains in the undervaluation of the market have been taking positions across the market, which explained the sustained high demand in recent period.

“Even with the current return, we expect more gains before the end of the year. There is opportunity to make significant gains. But there is need for education, investors should put their money on the basis of fundamental analyses but anyone that lacks the capacity, should invest through mutual funds,” Olushekun said.

Sanya said the gains by several stocks indicated broad recovery of the market, noting that he has achieved return of 37 per cent on his own portfolio management, which illustrated the substantial gains investors who know their onions are making in the market.

He, however, cautioned investors not to expect the kind of jumbo returns that marked the capital market boom era, pointing out that price discovery in the market has now matured into a more disciplined process that rewards only good fundamentals.

He said his interactions with investors showed gradual return of investors’ confidence in the market, adding that the investors appeared willing to commit funds now than before.

He pointed out that the market recession contributed to fine-tun-

•From left: President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Ariyo Olushekun; Group Managing Director, BGL Plc and Chairman, CIS National Workshop Committee, Mr Albert Okumagba and Managing Director, Fund Quest and member, CIS National Workshop Committee, Mr Bisi Oni at a briefing in Lagos on the forthcoming maiden annual national workshop of the institute ... on Monday.

ing the processes, products and services in the market as market operators have learnt to be more creative in their products and services, citing the use of insurance by fund managers to hedge against risks.

Oyekunle said third quarter earnings of companies would provide another rallying force for the market.

He said there were indications that several companies would record improved earnings in the third quarter, which would signal good returns and spur investors to further take positions in equities.

He said stakeholders must work towards sustaining the market stability, noting that the market needs supportive policies now.

Okumagba, who highlighted the efforts by brokers under the auspices of CIS to impact the

macro economy positively, noted that the recovery of the market would further drive the performance of the economy as the performance of the capital market is an impetus for economic growth and development.

According to him, the national workshop of the CIS, scheduled for September 13, has been structured to provide an interface between the policy makers and capital market stakeholders with a view to establishing an on-going dialogue that will, ultimately, facilitate better policies that will aid and sustained economic development.

“Our desire is to facilitate national discourse that will serve as a platform for generating strategies for driving visible and measurable changes in the Nigerian economcy,” Okumagba, who chairs annual national workshop committee of CIS,

said.

He noted that the effectiveness of the capital market would go a long way in addressing socio-economic imbalance as capital provides the impetus for the growth in productive activities and its distribution.

Oni added that the focus on the macro economy was to stimulate growth that could trickle down to the capital market.

“When we get issues right at the macro level, then they will impact on the micro level and capital market is a micro part of the macro economy,” Oni said.

Citing the clamour for the listing of major companies in the telecommunications and oil and gas industry, he said right macroeconomic policies would have provided the incentives for the companies to list their shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

‘Sovereign wealth fund should be invested in capital market’

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OVERNMENT should show commitment to the development of the capital market by investing the funds in the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) in the capital market, Managing Partner, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Chief Anthony Idigbe, has said.

Idigbe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and leading commercial lawyer, said the government should combine pragmatic approach, such as direct investment of sovereign funds in the market with fiscal incentives that would enhance the attractiveness of the market.

According to him, combination of government’s direct commitments, incentives and legislative provisions would result in an attractive and competitive capital market that will create a balance

between public and private sector’s interests.

He urged the government to encourage increase in pension fund administrators’ investments in the equities market to provide enough domestic drive for the market.

Idigbe cautioned that legislating compulsory listing may not be the best way to bring major companies in the telecoms and oil and gas industry to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

He, however, noted that the government should make a law that requires certain percentage of the shares of any public enterprises earmarked for privatisation to be listed on the NSE within a limited number of years after they are sold to the

core investors.

He added that the government could make legislation to make listing on the NSE one of the conditions for the renewal of telecoms and oil and gas licenses to encourage companies operating in those sectors to list their shares.

“There should be more incentives to encourage small and medium sized companies to list their shares as part of their contribution to the development and growth of the Nigerian economy.

Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) should be passed into law quickly and definition of indigenous petroleum company be retained,” Idigbe said.

He noted that the PIB introduced good incentives by defining in-

digenous petroleum company to include a company listed on any stock exchange in Nigeria with a majority of directors.

According to him, the PIB definition of indigenous companies would improve access to capital and confer privileges of first consideration on certain businesses in the oil and gas sector under the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act. He urged capital market authorities to work to reduce fees and charges to make the market more competitive, citing examples of such reductions in Egypt, South Africa and Kenya.

“Major exchanges across Africa, e.g. Cairo Stock Exchange (CSE), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and Nairobi Stock Exchange

(NSE), have introduced incentives to entice upstart companies to list.

The Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX) while opening a new Headquarters of the exchange in Cairo announced an initial listing fee exemption for new entrants in the market to allow for fresh listings.

JSE on its own has since eliminated cost on single Futures and Options to encourage liquidity providers and retail investors to continue to patronise the market,” he added.

He said multiple taxes in Nigeria have tended to hinder investments in the market because of their burden on investors while frequent fluctuations in exchange rates and negative real rate of return on investment often force investors to move their investment outlets out of the economy.

Nestle sees N20b profit in 2012

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HE board of Nestle Nigeria Plc has estimated that the food and beverages company could record profit of N4.9 billion in the last three months of this year as it moves toward its full-year target of N19.77 billion.

The forecasts indicated that turnover would be N29.76 billion during the last quarter ending December 31, 2012 while profit after tax could be N4.2 billion.

The board of the company esti-

mated that full-year net profit would be N16.89 billion on a turnover of N112.97 billion.

Nestle Nigeria had this year lived up to reputation as the leading blue chip on the Nigerian stock market as the food and beverages company blazed the trails with announcement of a final cash payout of N8.76 billion for the 2011 business year.

Shareholders received a final dividend per share of N11.05 in addition to an interim dividend

per share of N1.50 earlier paid in the last quarter of 2011. This brought total cash payout for the 2011 business year to N9.95 billion.

However, contrary to previous payout trend of almost full distribution of net earnings, the company distributed 59 per cent of net earnings in 2011, which had soared by an admirable 33 per cent to N16.81 billion.

Nestle Nigeria, the highest-priced stock on the Nigerian Stock Ex-

change (NSE), recorded significant growth in sales, although rising bank loans counteracted the impact on the bottom-line. A significant reduction in taxes, however, lifted net earnings.

Key extracts from the audited report and accounts for the year ended December 31, 2011 showed that turnover rose by 22.3 per cent from N80.11 billion in 2010 to N97.96 billion in 2011. With finance costs rising from N753.30 million in 2010 to NN3.2 billion

in 2011, profit before tax inched up by 1.6 per cent to N18.54 billion in 2011 as against 0N18.24 billion in 2010.

Short-term borrowings had spiked up to N6.78 billion in 2011 compared with N3.40 billion in 2010, underlying the financing challenge posed by the downturn at the equity market.

Substantial retained earnings boosted shareholders’ funds to N23.49 billion in 2011 as against N14.87 billion in 2010.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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THE NATION INVESTORS

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Manufacturing stocks lead stock’s returns

ANUFACTURING stocks posted the largest year-todate returns on the Nigerian stock market with stocks in the chemical and paints sector recording three-digit capital gains.

Year-to-date analysis for the eight month period ended August 31, 2012 showed that low-priced Paints and Coatings Manufacturing Company returned the highest gain of 301.92 per cent. Another paints company, CAP Plc, followed with a gain of 100 per cent while Livestock Feeds rode on the back of its recent acquisition deal with UAC of Nigeria to gain 81.33 per cent.

United Bank for Africa (UBA) recorded the fourth best overall gain with eight-month return of 73.18 per cent, the highest in the financial services sector. Healthcare company, Evans Medical returned 56.72 per cent while Cadbury Nigeria trailed with a return of 56.58 per cent.

Other top gainers included Access Bank, 54.14 per cent. First Bank, 52.13 per cent; UTC, 50 per cent; RT Briscoe, 47.54 per cent; NCR, 40.92 per cent; Okomu Oil Palm, 36.36 per cent; Smurfit, 42.31 per cent; NB, 29.47 per cent up while Zenith

Stories by Taofik Salako

returned 27.53 per cent during the period.

However, packaging company, Avon Crown Caps recorded the highest loss of 63.13 per cent during the period. Union Bank of Nigeria followed with a drop of 51.89 per cent while Custodian & Allied Insurance lost 47.83 per cent.

Other stocks with substantial losses during the period included Prestige Insurance, 46.81 per cent; MRS Oil, 45.27 per cent; Vitafoam, 43.5 per cent; Japaul Oil & Maritimes, 39.36 per cent; Oando, 37.5 per cent; May & Baker Nigeria, 36.06 per cent and Portland Paints and Chemicals’ market consideration dwindled by 36.06 per cent.

The stock market made cumulative capital gains of about N1.03 trillion during the eight-month perod.

Contrary to some analysts’ predictions of a slowdown, the overall market situation remained bullish in August with a month-onmonth gain of N219 billion or 2.99 per cent.

With this, aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equi-

ties closed August at N7.560 trillion as against its opening value of N6.533 trillion for this year. The All Share Index (ASI), which tracks prices of all quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and doubles as Nigeria’s country index, also posted year-to—date return of 14.57 per cent at 23,750.82 points compared with its index on board of 20,730.63 points for the year.

The Nigerian stock market had witnessed its biggest month-onmonth rally in July as investors pocketed N446 billion in capital gains in a period that saw several stocks trading around their highs.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted companies closed July at N7.341 trillion as against its opening value of N6.895 trillion for the month of July, representing an increase of 6.5 per cent or N446 billion.

The ASI also showed corresponding return with a month-on-month return of 6.77 per cent for July. The ASI had opened the month at 21,599.57 points and closed yesterday at 23,061.38 points. With the rally in July, the seven-month return at the NSE stood at 11.24 per cent, equivalent to a gain of N808

billion.

The market had also closed the first half on the positive as equities rallied on the back of good corporate earnings to override negative return in the first quarter. The ASI closed the first half at 21,599.57 points, indicating a gain of 4.19 per cent.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities also showed modest increase of 5.54 per cent at N6.895 trillion.

The upswing since the second quarter counterbalanced the negative performance that started the year. The market had closed the first quarter with a negative yearto-date return of 0.38 per cent as declines in share prices of highly capitalised stocks overwhelmed the market situation. The ASI closed the quarter at 20,652.47 points, 0.38 per cent. Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities closed the first three months at N6.550 trillion, a slight increase of 0.26 per cent, which was attributed to new listings during the period.

Monthly analysis of price movement in August showed that DN Meyer recorded the highest gain of 62 per cent within the month.

International Breweries followed

with a gain of 48.24 per cent while Cadbury Nigeria rose by 24.83 per cent.

Other top gainers during the month included UTC Nigeria, 22.95 per cent; CAP, 20.33 per cent; RT Briscoe, 20 per cent; First Bank of Nigeria, 18.36 per cent; Union Bank of Nigeria, 16.17 per cent; Fidson Healthcare, 15.07 per cent; GlaxoSmithKline Consumer, 13.17 per cent; Eterna, 10.58 per cent while Nestle Nigeria added 10 per cent gain during the period.

On the other hand, Japaul Oil & Maritime Services suffered the biggest loss in August with a double-digit rate of 10.94 per cent. Mobil Oil Nigeria followed with 10.79 per cent while National Aviation Handling Company dropped by 9.85 per cent.

Other losers included Morison Industries, 9.61 per cent; Transnational Corporation of Nigeria, 9.18 per cent; Vitafoam Nigeria, 8.81 per cent; Sterling Bank, 8.70 per cent; Skye Bank, 7.90 per cent; Dangote Sugar Refinery, 7.33 per cent; Goldlink Insurance, 7.14 per cent; PZ Cussons, 6.73 per cent and Dangote Flour Mills, which lost 6.54 per cent.

Access Bank targets N15b profit in Q4 •Continue from page 29

fourth quarter expected at 52.4 kobo. Market analysts said the earnings outlook indicated possible increase in payouts for the 2012 business year. The bank’s 50 kobo dividend for 2011 represented 67 per cent increase over the 30 kobo paid in the financial year ended December 31, 2010.

Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Mr Aigboje AigImoukhuede, in a recent review, said the future holds a lot of promises for the bank.

According to him, the current business year would see the bank leveraging its culture of excellence, leadership and customer focus to achieve market leading levels of operating efficiency as well as deliver outstanding customer service to millions of customers.

He added that sustainability gives the bank a noble purpose for being and will ensure that the bank maintains the necessary emotional connection with customers, employees and host communities, which ultimately will

lead Access Bank to its goal of being Africa’s Most Respected Bank.

A review of the Access Bank’s 2011 financial performance and operational indices shows that profit after tax grew by 51 per cent from N11.068 billion in 2010 to N16.708 billion 2011. Gross earnings went up by 52.5 per cent to N138.949 billion in 2011 compared with N91.142 billion in 2010.

Access Bank returned a total asset and contingency position of N2.02 trillion, up from N804.8billion in 2010, representing an increase of 151.24 per cent.

Total deposit increased by 300 per cent from N379billion in 2010 to N1.2trillion in 2011 just as branch network quadrupled from 103 branches to 310 branches including offshore branches.

Analysis of other key indices revealed that its customer base jumped by 500 per cent from 1.2 million customers to 5.7 million customers with its Automated Teller Machines (ATM) network deployment gaining 870 per cent from 165 ATMs to 1600 ATM locations across the country.

•From left:. Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide (left); Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the 2013 Budget Presentation by the FCT Administration, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja ... yesterday.

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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INSURANCE

Untapped opportunities in insurance worth N60b

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OTS of untapped opportunities exist in the insurance sector, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and experts have said.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, who spoke in Calabar, identified micro-insurance and agric insurance as two untapped opportunities in the sector.

Micro-insurance is the protection of low-income people against specific perils in exchange for regular premium payment proportionate to the likelihood and cost of the risks involved. The targeted market is the low-income group. The target population typically consists of persons ignored by mainstream commercial and social insurance schemes.Agric insurance covers risks in the sector.

Daniel enjoined operators to channel their energies to the development of micro-insurance and agricultural insurance to develop the market at the grassroots and in-

Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

crease the sector’s contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said the commission had put in place a draft guideline for micro-insurance business, adding that the draft was being exposed to operators, experts and other stakeholders for their input and contributions before it would released to the industry.

Daniel said NAICOM had studied micro-insurance in collaboration with GIZ, a German agency for sustainable development and Access to Insurance Initiatives (AII) and its local consultants The NAICOM boss added that the group was divided into smaller teams and each was assigned to a specific region of the country. He said NAICOM was reviewing and analysing the reports.

Daniel maintained that micro-insurance has the potential for developing the insurance sector, not-

ing that the population of the country gives an added advantage to the industry to grow its market.

The development of micro-insurance is, indeed, one of the objectives of the Market Development and Restructuring Initiatives (MDRI), designed to increase the premium generated by licensed insurance companies and make meaningful contribution to the economy.

On agric insurance, Daniel said the commission expected some developments in the industry though the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) is empowered by its enabling law to insure subsidised agricultural risks in the country.

Besides, the Managing Director, Riskguard-Africa Nigeria Limited, Yemi Soladoye, said over N60 billion micro-insurance opportunities were untapped by insurers in the country, adding that micro-insurance remained the panacea for poverty eradication.

He urged insurers to develop

products that suit the needs of the public, stressing that any product that did not note defaults would fail. He said most insurers sold products and not solutions.

He noted that research has revealed that Micro Finance Banks (MFBs) in the country have over 20 million customers, adding that the customers are good prospects for micro insurance.

He said the problem of insurance is that most people lack education on how it operates, adding that it is worrisome that most operators recycle products developed by their counterparts.

Soladoye said 90 per cent of insurance operators were confused about the difference between insurance education and advertorials, stressing that people do not buy insurance because they lack knowledge of the benefits it provides.

The Executive Vice-Chairman, In-

Fidelity Bond Group urges NAICOM to lift suspension order

F

• From left: Lucky Dip winner of Lumia Smartphone, Ayodele Ojo; Ecosystem Developer Experience (EDX), Nokia West Africa, Teemu Kiijarvi and Marketing & Busienss Operations Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Awawu OlumideSojinrin, at the Microsoft/Nokia Developer/Imagine Cup Phone awards press conference, in Lagos.

Insurance stocks net gains amid apathy

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ESPITE apathy, the insur ance sector recorded profits last week.

Reports obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed that insurance stocks moved upwards, ending the week on a positive note.

The sector, which together with banks form the Financial Services Sector of the Exchange, contributed 76 per cent in terms of total volume of stocks traded and in financial involvement.

In a statement, the Exchange said the stocks sustained their rally through the week, ending the month positively. A turnover of 1.461 billion shares worth N10.142 billion in 20,322 deals were recorded this week, in contrast to 878.53 million shares valued at N9.907 billion that exchanged hands last week in 11,633 deals.

In price movement, the NSE activity report week showed that the Bloomberg NSE Insurance Index appreciated by 1.52 per cent to close at 124.08.

Further analysis revealed the following position at the beginning of trading on the floor of the exchange. The insurance index opening position was 122.22, whereas at the close of trading last Friday, the position stood at 124.08, giving a positive weekly change of 1.86 and percentage change of 1.52.

Despite the positive closing position recorded last week by the insurance sector, its percentage Year to–date change closed negative, at -13.56 as the week closing position was a far cry from the Year opening position which stood at 143.54.

Also last week, Mansad Insurance Plc submitted its audited half-year results for the period ended June, 30, 2012. Its

audited gross premium stood at N7.890 billion as against N6.101 billion recorded in the same period in 2011, compared with N10.004 billion as at December 31, 2011.

Profit After Tax for the reviewed period stood at N902.144 million, as against N555.006 million in the same period in 2011, compared with the total audited profit of N964.933 million recorded as at December 31, 2011.

Its net asset as at June 30, 2012 stood at N14.119 billion, compared with N13.866 billion recorded at the end of 2011.

Prestige Assurance Plc and Custodian & Allied Insurance Plc, have sent in their half year unaudited results for the period ended June 30,

2012. According to the result, its gross premium moved from N2.001 billion in 2011 to N2.201 billion in 2012.

While the profit after tax reduced from N464.404 million in 2011 to N92.710 million in 2012 the net assets of the company rose from N4.743 billion in 2011 to N4.855 billion in the reviewed period.

Custodian & Allied Insurance Plc on recorded N4.584 billion as their premium revenue for the period ended June 30, 2012 compared with N3.958b in a similar period in 2011. Profit after tax stood at N957.825 million by June this year compared with N1.285 billion in the same period in 2011.

However, the net asset increased to N12.896 billion compared with N12.382 billion last year.

IDELITY Bond Group has urged the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to lift its suspension order on the firm or it would seek legal redress.

The firm’s lawyers, G.C. Ndubisi & Co. in a letter dated August 16, 2012, sent to the commission and made available to The Nation, said the brokering firm intended to take the regulatory body to court, one month from that date, if it failed to retract the order.

The letter reads in part: “That sometimes ago, precisely on August 13, 2012, the National Insurance Commission published a public notice that Fidelity Bond Group had been prohibited from trading as a Fidelity Bond Group for a period of six months and to be renewed for another period if the alleged infractions of violating insurance Act 2003 and NAICOM Act 1997 are not addressed”.

It stated that Fidelity Bond is not an insurance company and, as such, is not subject to insurance laws.

“The statement by NAICOM was made negligently and recklessly

I

larceny by employee (seven counts), corporate m(seven counts), Felony conspiracy (seven counts).

Edward Earl Waters, 61, of 610 Walston Ave., Kinston, is charged with: obtaining property by false pretense (seven counts), embezzlement (seven counts), larceny by employee (seven counts), corporate malfeasance (seven counts), felony conspiracy (seven counts) and Franklin Ronnie Steed, 65, of 453 Flat Swamp Lake Road, Denton, is charged with: obtaining property by false pretence (six counts), embezzlement( six counts), larceny by employee (six counts), corporate malfeasance (six counts) and felony conspiracy (six counts).

and has caused hardship and damages to our client and its business,” the statement added.

The lawyers said they intended to start legal action against NAICOM to seek the following reliefs: a declaration that the publication purporting to prohibit Fidelity Bond Group is unconstitutional, ultra vires and, therefore, null and void and in bad faith and damages N5 billion for negligence and unconstitutional acts, among others.

On August 7, 2012, NAICOM suspended two insurance firms and a brokering firm, Fidelity Bond Insurance Brokers, from transacting business for six months, from August 6, 2012.

The suspension, NAICOM stated, was as a result of the failure of firms to comply with relevant provisions of the NAICOM Act 1997 and the Insurance Act 2003.

The alleged offences of the firms include non-rendition of accounts, misrepresentation and non-disclosure of liabilities; non-remittance of premiums and commissions and corporate governance abuses.

Life insurance giants fined for claim payouts

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TATE insurance regulators have sanctioned four life in surance companies that operate in Minnesota for allegedly steering death-benefit recipients to keep the money in special accounts the companies run, instead of taking lump sum payouts.

The companies — Prudential, John Hancock, MetLife and ING — were each fined $200,000 and ordered to change their claims

Four arrested for alleged $5.3m fraud NSURANCE Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has announced the arrests of four individuals accused of participating in an embezzlement scheme involving $5.3 million.

Edward Roland Steed, 67, of 109 Wind Dance Lane, Swansboro, is charged with: obtaining property by false pretence (seven counts) embezzlement (seven counts), larceny by employee (seven counts), corporate malfeasance (seven counts), felony conspiracy (20 counts).

Marvin Lyle Quinn, 55, of 120 Cassedale Drive, Goldsboro, is charged with: obtaining property by false pretence (seven counts), embezzlement (seven counts),

surance Brokers of Nigeria, Mr Prosper Okpue, said insurance penetration within the critical mass market was very low. This is because the supply chain to capture that critical mass is under-developed. There are not enough insurance brokers who could deal at micro and personal insurance levels. What is more, absence of professionally educated insurance agents and middlemen who are supposed to help the market build the bridge to the micro level is not there.

Aside penetration, the average person lacks confidence in insurance. The suspicion that claims would not be paid limits growth of the insurance market. This suggests that underwriters will have to improve their business practices. Nevertheless, there is a need for education of insurance consumers on the importance of buying insurance products.

The North Carolina Department of Insurance opened a criminal investigation in November 2011 after officials from Discovery Insurance in Kinston notified the department of financial discrepancies in the company’s claims department.

Edward Steed, a former employee of Discovery Insurance, is accused of fraudulently using company claim funds to write checks to fictitious businesses owned by Quinn and Waters.

Franklin Steed is accused of receiving and cashing checks from Discovery Insurance that Edward Steed had allegedly made out to names of fictitious individuals. The men are accused of conspiring to split the embezzled funds.

forms in Minnesota and re-establish cash lump sum payouts as the default option, according to the consent orders the state Department of Commerce has said. The pacts don’t provide direct compensation for individual consumers.

The department estimates that thousands of Minnesotans were affected by confusing paperwork and said the practices have gone on for years and, in the case of some companies, decades. The companies agreed to the penalties without admitting wrongdoing.

“Some folks don’t even realise that they could have had a lump sum payment,” Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman said. “It’s certainly wrong. It’s inappropriate.”

The insurance company accounts aren’t FDIC insured like a bank account, and function like a money market account. The company gives beneficiaries access to the death benefit money and pays interest on it — a Prudential spokesman said it pays around 0.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, the companies invest the money and pocket the profits as a bank would.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

35

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

• Mrs Odutola

-Adebola Orolugbagbe

How I make money from the internet I

N the beginning, it was rough for the Chief Executive of Cyberkonsults Limited, Toye Oyeleke, the first Nigerian to make $1 million from doing business on the internet.

In 10 years, he’s moved from selling e-currencies and web hosting to entertainment..

Although he was at the forefront of those doing business online, he fell a victim to scammers and hackers and lost a substantial amount of money. Nonetheless, he survived the shock.

Oyeleke started his business in 2002, when he was a third year Chemical Engineering student at the Lagos State University (LASU). Frequent strikes had kept him more at home than in school.The experience was tiring and was a source of concern to him and his father. One day in the later part of the year, his father who had been reading Success Digest Magazine, saw an advert in the journal that struck him.

It was about the first internet seminar ever to be held in Nigeria, which the creator, Dr. Sunny Obazu-

Stories by Daniel Essiet

Ojeagbase, called S.O. Boot Camp. It was about the income generating potential of the internet. His father felt the training would keep his son busy for six months because of another strike by his lecturers. He told Oyeleke about it, and he immediately loved the idea, and together, they enrolled for the event.

After that class, things never remained the same again for Toye. His mindset was changed. Instead of thinking of finishing school and joining the army of unemployed graduates roaming the streets in search of jobs, Oyeleke saw how possible it was for him to create a business on the internet and become his own boss.

With N4,000, he bought a $20 virtual visa card, with which he registered a domain name and hosting.

That was how his internet business, Cyber Consult, was born. This was in 2003, his fourth year in the university.

From this modest beginning, Toye began trying his hands on different ventures that could fetch him money on the internet.

His posting to the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to for his one year National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) didn’t kill his passion for the business. He came back and worked on his dream.

He started with marketing of information products. From there, he moved into web hosting business. He did a little multilevel marketing, when it wasn’t very popular. He also did some HYIP (High yield Investment Programmes) in 2006.

Having experimented with different money-making models on the internet, Oyeleke found and settled on e-currency exchange business in 2006, which he started with $2,000 under the business name - Gold Naira Exchange, with the websitewww.goldnairaexchange.com.

His business began by exchanging Egold for Nigerians who needed the e-currency to participate in certain online programmes, and before long, he had become one of the biggest Egold exchangers in Nigeria.

Eventually, Egold started having problems with the United States government, and it eventually collapsed

in 2007. But Oyeleke’s business didn’t fall with it, unlike many other exchangers that thrived on e-gold at the time. He believed that e-currency had come to stay, and would never run out of use, not with so many countries still not in the mainstream of internet. ‘’As long as there are many countries that can’t use the main payment solution on the internet, there will always be need for e-currency,’’ Oyeleke said. Consequently, he started looking for the best alternative to e-gold while his competitors closed shop or jumped on other business. ”When we saw that e-gold was going down, I did a research to find out which e-currency will likely take over and I found Liberty Reserve. They were not popular then. I wrote them, and told them I could make them popular in Nigeria. They accepted my proposal, and we signed some agreements, and we started Liberty Reserve,” said Oyeleke.

And just like he envisioned, Oyeleke has made Liberty Reserve very popularly in Nigeria, and his business the largest exchanger of Liberty Reserve in the country. In appreciation to him for bringing them big business, Liberty Reserve featured his website, www.goldnairaexchange.com on the home page of their website,

www.libertyreserve.com, which became the first African firm to be so featured. This has given his business more global exposure. To accommodate the increased demand for his service from different parts of the world, including Ghana, India, US, and Iran, Oyeleke set up an international arm of his business, goldnairaexchange.net, to cater for foreign customers, thus becoming a truly international firm.

Apart from being Liberty Reserve’s largest exchanger in Africa, Oyeleke’s Gold Naira Exchange was also the major e-bullion exchanger for Nigerian Betonmarket customers.

Betonmarket is a brokerage service provider for financial fixed odd traders. Without doubt, Oyeleke’s clear vision, and unshakable focus on his e-currency exchange business has paid off beyond his wildest imagination, and within such a short time.

By the close of 2007, Gold Naira Exchange was almost hitting the $1 million yeraly mark. Today, with increased business, it’s grossing more than $1 million in a year, making it the first Nigeria Internet business to make that amount.

Oyeleke told The Nation he had to quit digital currencies business because of scammers.

Fed Govt urged on retailing

T

•President,Success Attitude Development Centre(SADC),Dr Sunny Ojeagbase, his Esther and Oyeleye during the event in Lagos.

T

HE Director, Real Sector, Accenture, Mrs.Juliet Anammah, has called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders in the industrial sector to create a conducive environment for the growth of the retail industry in Nigeria.

She said this while presenting a paper at the BusinessDay Annual Retail Conference entitled: The future of retail in Nigeria in Lagos.

Experts have listed logistics, power, funding, distribution and lack of skilled manpower as the bane of the retail business in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s population has experienced an explosion in recent times; with a population of over 150 million and with a growing middle class, the opportunities for the retail industry are immense.

According to the Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), China was

Agric business as a career

O participate in development in the society, young people must become entrepreneurs, particularly in the agricultural sector.

Depriver Adesegun is one of the participants of the Lagos Agric Youth Empowerment Scheme established by the Lagos State government.

When the 2007 graduate of Urban and Regional Planning, Lagos State University (LASU) heard of the scheme, he resigned from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and joined the programme. Today, he has fulfilled his dream.

He lives in the Agric YES premises at Araga in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, where he owns and manages a vegetable and crop farm.

According to him, the business produces many vegetables, which are sold within and outside the farm.

He was taught how to grow water melons for commercial purpose. He laernt how to prepare a soil for cultivation.

The settlement provides the land for him to grow cash crops. A field of 150-long vine watermelon plants produces on average five water melon fruits per plant.

Adesegun said with N50,000 invested in water melon in its season, one can realise N200,000.

As a boy, he had an aspiration of owning his own business. Today, he has found water melon a business of his dream.

The programme, established in 2009, was designed to equip unemployed young agricultural graduates to enter the agri-business sector, develop entrepreneurial skills in youths in agri-business, assist participating youths to build up the required skills for entry into the market and assist participating youths to set up and develop their own agribusiness enterprises.

For other young farmers, such as Adesegun, the scheme provides an opportunity for them to learn more about farming. He spent six months acquiring training in crop production and six months in internship.

He said the programme was very informative and developed his entrepreneurial skills.The scheme’s clientele includes grocery chains, civil servants, the Eko farmers marts and hawkers.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, sees Lagos as a source of quality and nutritious foods.

One of the factors driving this is the desire of the people of the state to improve their diets and experience new tastes.This means consumers in the state are buying higher value foods.

Consequently, he said there are opportunities for youths to be in agro business and make a living.

According to him, today’s agriculture goes with new technologies. But the old farmers are no longer match-

ing with the requirements, use of high-yielding varieties, application of input and weather forecast compliance, among others.

He said engaging, equipping and supporting young entrepreneurs in agricultural is key to long-term vitality and sustainability of rural communities.

Under Agric YES scheme training, participants learn business management to become super young investors and young entrepreneurs.

For Lawal, if agricultural education is combined with entrepreneurial education and practical experience, the students should be able to create wealth and jobs.

This is what the state government created at the AgricYES village, where the young entrepreneurs operate in a supportive environment.

The participants grow crops and produce eggs, which are sold in many palces, including the the state Secretariat, Alausa.

Following the success of Agric YES, many young people in Lagos now see entrepreneurship as a career.

They recognise that the economy has changed in the past decade, and that agriculture is creating new opportunities for small businesses to compete.

With 100 slots provided yearly, more than a 1,000 youths have shown interest in the programme.This poses a great challenge for the state government.

As a result, it is seeking agricultural entrepreneurship classes in

schools for pupils to learn how to start smicro-businesses. To boost self-employment among students, the state government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives is promoting youth agriculture entrepreneurship in secondary schools by educating them on profitable farming techniques.

Speaking during the flag-off of the summer school coaching organised for Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) pupils of various schools in the state at the Agric YES premises, Lawal said the programme was put together by the ministry to groom and prepare the youth for farming.

He implored them to make use of the knowledge they would gain.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, advised the pupils to take advantage of the opportunity to explore various endeavours, such as aquaculture, poultry, vegetable and other aspects of farming.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Dr. Yakub Olajide Basorun, represented by the Director, Finance and Administration, Mrs. Azeezat Adeyemi, implored the students to assist the state government in ensuring that poverty is eradicated in the state through food production.

He thanked the state governor for developing agriculture in the state.

ranked number three on the list of countries with the best developing retail industry; and this is a product of China being able to exploit the large demographics of young people at her disposal.

Skilled manpower is another major challenge for the retail industry; with retail talent a critical differentiator in developing markets, finding and retaining talented workers is a core component to success.

As the industry grows, there will be the concern of getting well-educated persons to support the operations of international retailers that will enter and expand in the market.

She emphasised that retail would continue to grow on the back of a working age population, rising incomes and rapid urbanisation.

“We will see an increasing shift from traditional retail channels, such as open markets, pop stores and kiosks to more formalised and structured modern trade. ‘’Retail will also become the key link between agribusiness and the consumer as farms will see retail as their route to market possibly in the form of private label food items for established retailers”, said Anammah.

There are three key mega trends that are shaping the consumer landscape and these will affect how retail evolves. The first one being the polarisation of consumer values, which is at the top and bottom of the pyramid. The second is the urbanisation and expectation of convenience and the last one is the interconnected consumer.

Anammah said: ‘’Rapid urbanisation is driving growth in demand for formal retail. Formal retail continues to grow on the back of urbanisation and demand for convenience. Shoppers are shopping more frequently even if they buy less per trip and have an increased need for convenience.

“Retail is the bedrock of the consumer economy; it contributes 19 per cent to GDP and is set to grow significantly. Consumer spend in Nigeria is estimated to rise to $165billion in 2020 and about 73 per cent of that will be through retail,” she added.

Financial institutions play a role in the development of retail business in Nigeria by providing retail infrastructure through financing commercial retail real estate development. They will also play a greater role in retail locally as they expand their consumer finance offerings.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

36

AVIATION NAHCO invests $40m in projects

•A new operational equipment acquired by NAHCO

$70m BASA fund intact, says Oduah

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HE $70 million Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) fund in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is intact, Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah has said.

She said of the amount, $60million was okayed by the government for the ongoing airport remodelling.

The approval followed request by the former Aviation, minister Mrs Fidelia Njeze, who could not access the fund before leaving office.

But on assumption, Princess Oduah re-applied for the fund and has since been using it for the projects.

She said: ''It is not possible.

It is absolutely impossible for anybody to access that fund without all necessary approvals. First, don't forget that the money is in the CBN, and the money has not been spent even though we are subsequently going to spend what has been approved.

“But before you can spend it, you must secure presidential approval, the two Aviation Committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate must equally give their approval and above all, the CBN must certify that you have followed all the processes before they can allow any withdrawals.In summary, all envisaged processes have been followed and the necessary approvals secured. ''Nobody can, therefore, access that fund fraudulently or otherwise; so those spreading the rumour are mischievous and unfair to the Ministry'', adding that no amount of blackmail or name-calling will distract her from her vision and mission to reposition the aviation industry in Nigeria.

A

RIK Air has started flights between Lagos and Douala in Cameroon.The first commercial flight on the new route was held last week. It will run operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The outbound flight will depart Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and arrive in Douala International Airport, Douala . Inbound flight will depart Douala and arrive

Minister denies report on airlines VIATION Minister Princess Stella Oduah has denied preventing some international airlines from landing in Abuja or Kano. She also denied diverting any airline to Enugu.

In a statement by her Special Assistant on Legal Matters, Mark Jacob, the minister said it was inconceivable for people to assume international airlines, operations could be regulated mainly on sentimental basis.

She admitted meeting with some airline operators, during which she tried, based on statistical data, to convince them about the profitability of not limiting their operations to Lagos and Abuja.

The minister described as unfortunate comments credited to a lawmaker, who she accused of introducing ethnic and regional coloration to the matter.

She said the lawmaker could have called her to enquire about the true position of things before commenting on such issues of national importance.

The statement reads: “It is not correct that the Minister of Aviation has prevented any international airline from landing in

A

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

The Minister said the government meant well for the sector and, therefore, needed to build the sector to achieve the goal of transforming it as the main catalyst for the socio-economic growth of

By Eric Ikhilae

Abuja or Kano. And neither has the Minister diverted any airline to Enugu as alleged.

“Where airlines take off from and or land are issues guided by commercial agreements and in such agreements, the airlines are concerned about profitability and not regional or political balancing especially foreign airline operators, who know little or nothing about any Northwest or Southeast.

“The decisions by operators to fly particular routes are taken solely based on commercial viability, safe operating environment and of course, availability of aircraft. Therefore, the Minister and or even the National Assembly cannot dictate to an airline operator on the subject matter.

“On the Emirates and Etihad issue, I was at a meeting with the Minster recently with these Airlines and I am aware that contrary to the falsehood being circulated, the Minister made a strong case for the decentralisation of the operations of these airlines from Lagos and in line with international practice, presented commercially convincing data showing the the nation. ''Government has carried out a serious system audit for the aviation sector and has realised its importance to the overall economy. That is why we must give it all the necessary push to play its

Arik Air gets new route in Lagos.

The new Lagos-Douala route is Arik Air’s second foray into Central Africa coming after the inauguration of Lagos-Luanda (Angola) route on December 13, 2011.

The Lagos – Douala route will be served with a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft. The 737-700 is a two class compartment and the configuration is 12 Business Class seats and 112

Economy Class. Business Class passengers can enjoy a 44” seat pitch, cradle style seat while Economy Class passengers will equally enjoy plenty of room on the one hour ten minutes flight with a seat pitch of 34”.

Arik Air’s Executive President/Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue, said of the new service: “This is another exciting moment for us all at Arik Air, launching our first new international destination in 2012.

possible commercial benefits that the airlines can get if they start operating from Lagos, Kano and Enugu.

The airlines were convinced to look at these and went a step further to even sign some agreements.

“I read with amazement the contents of that report particularly the comments credited to a lawmaker.

“In his position, he could have just placed a call to anyone in the Aviation Ministry to confirm the position of things or at least limit his comments to reasonable responsible standards. For anyone to recourse to regional or tribal horse on matters like this, without verification, is a disservice to the nation.

“Nigerians must stop this sort of sensationalism. He threatened that they will summon the Aviation Minister. That the Minister should resign.

“This matter is just one of those matters that come up as tools of cheap blackmail and insult, otherwise when the Minister refurbished the abandoned, decayed hajj terminals/camps in Kaduna and Kano last year and transformed them to beautiful edifices, why was it not remembered then that she is Igbo.” pivotal role for the nation's economy, she said.

It will recalled that in 2010 Mrs Njeze, proposed over N91 billion for the re-modelling of some airports.

Douala is our 10th African point and the third sub-Saharan destination. The importance of Douala as Cameroon’s commercial capital and home to the country’s largest port makes it imperative for Arik Air to connect the city with Lagos, which is also Nigeria’s commercial capital.

“Guests on the new route can, as usual, be assured of Arik Air’s highest safety and service standards”.

NIGERIAN Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) PLC has invested over $40 million in new equipment.

According to the Managing Director of the cargo firm, Mr Kayode Ojo, the company’s investment in the new equipment forms part of the bedrock in its transformation, which entail infrastructural renewal and re-fleeting of ground support equipment. The transformation, he said, transcends equipment renewal to efficient service delivery aimed at supporting government’s vision for airport modernisation.

He said: "We, at NAHCO Aviance Plc, should be at the forefront of change and to attain this. We must move at the speed of change.This is key because the aviation industry offers the fastest commercial means of moving goods and persons. It means we are at the cutting-edge of transportation technology."

In the last two years, there have been massive investment in facilities and equipment. So far, $40 million has been spent on the company’s ultra-modern warehouse and fleets of ground support equipment worth millions of dollars. The company also responded to the heightened security challenge by investing in bomb/explosive detection machines and CCTV surveillance system.

The management of NAHCO aviance is thrilled by the investments in the GSEs and the warehouse which have the capacity for cargo regional hub, and is poised to translate them into improved performance and higher returns as the industry moves into high activity season in the second half of the year.

The company’s subsidiary, NAHCO Energy and Power Ltd, has been prequalified for the privatisation of the country’s power sector, while the Nahco FTZ Nigeria Ltd is expected to stimulate economic activities at the nation’s airports.

This is coming at a time NAHCO has announced plans to expand its operations to other parts of Africa.

On how the government could assist operators in the sector, Ojo said: "Let me take it in the micro economics context. If the power supply problem is solved in Nigeria, a lot of things will happen. It will unleash so many things. That is why I said let’s take it in a major micro economics context. You need passengers to fly the planes and you need planes to operate for ground handlers to make money. If you bring it to the industry specifics, I’m not sure what the government can do beside that. The industry is long term. Assets and finance’s lifespan, are not up to three years. At least, there must be support for those kinds of assets’acquisitions whether planes, push back tractors and the rest.”

NAMA completes survey NIGERIAN Airspace Management Agency(NAMA) has announced the completion of the World Geodetic Survey (WGS84) of Bebi airstrip. With this, the strip has joined other major airports prepared for satellite-based navigation system.

The Managing Director of the agency, Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, approved the submission of the report carried out by NAMA experts.

The report was submitted to Cross River State government

by Mr John Onyegiri, NAMA's General Manager, Safety Management System and the WGS-84/PBN project.

NAMA achieved the feat through the competence transfer by the WGS-84/PBN project on 24 airports.

With this development, NAMA prides itself as having experts in WGS-84 Survey, PBN Procedure Design and Cartography. It has also acquired through same project, state-of- art digital survey equipment and GIS LAB, the agency added.

"The agency is ready to collaborate with any organisation that requires this service within and outside Nigeria, with the assurance of delivery in accordance with international standards to ensure safety of air navigation", Udoh said.

SAA introduces new policy SOUTH African Airways (SAA) has introduced changes in its airline’s baggage policy. From tomorrow, it will move away from its previous weight baggage policy to a new piece baggage arrangement in all its routes.

According to Thobi Duma, the airline’s Country Manager in Nigeria, a routing of Lagos to Johannesburg will afford a Business Class passenger three piece of luggage at a maximum of 32kg each, while the Economy Class passenger will carry a three piece of luggage or a maximum of 23kg each.

On size, the airline said the volume is 158-centimetre cube, as excess baggage charge will apply for each piece of baggage that exceeds this dimension.

Under the new concept, baggage rules are clearer, easier to understand and enforce, enabling passengers to easily identify which charges, if any, will apply to their baggage. ‘’The move will also provide easier connection for passengers on to Star Alliance or other carriers as SAA promises excess baggage charges will become far more competitive,” she said.

She also said the move will benefit passengers through simplicity, transparency, convenience and competitiveness.

Global traffic drops THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced global traffic results for July. It shows slower growth in air travel and freight, but with considerable variation by region and market.

July passenger demand in aggregate was 3.4 per cent higher than the same month last year, compared to a 6.3 per cent increase in June and average growth of 6.5 per cent over the first half of the year. This slow down in travel growth is being driven largely by the recent fall in business confidence in many economies.

July freight demand was 3.2 per cent lower than it was in the same month last year. This is down on the 0.1 per cent yearly growth rate of June.

37

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

BOOK REVIEW Reviewer: Title: Author: Publishers: Year:

Uzor Maxim Uzoatu Fine Boys Eghosa Imasuen Kachifo, Farafina, Lagos 2011

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ERTRUDE Stein back in time said her bit about “The Lost Generation” while Wole Soyinka added the dimension of “The Wasted Generation”, but in my book, as far as so-called generations go, what commands the most demanding attention is the age of Structural Adjustment across the African continent that I here name The Wounded Generation. It was a generation that laid bare the modern-day fall of man, the destruction of whole peoples and the unconscionable unraveling of societal and communal values. The birthing of wounded children would in time compromise all mores. This is the premise of the 379page novel, Fine Boys by Eghosa Imasuen, a sending-up of campus life in the upside-down world of post-IMF Nigeria. The advent of the military presidency of General Ibrahim Babangida all but turned Nigeria on its head, and the concomitant rise to power of his sidekick General Sani Abacha after the ruinous annulment of the June 12 presidential elections literally unhinged the cosmos.

Imasuen who lived through all the crises to qualify as a medical doctor can, like the great Russian playwright and short story master Anton Chekhov, vouch that medicine is his legally wedded wife while literature is his mistress such that when he gets tired of one he spends the night with the other! Imasuen’s protagonist Ewaen in Fine Boys incidentally studies to qualify as a doctor at the University of Benin, a campus beset by Nigeria’s utter bewilderment in the murderous years of General Abacha.

The novel which flows quite seamlessly is divided into three parts: “Year One: January 1993 – March 1994; Year Two: March 1994 – March 1995; Year Three: June 1995 – Eternity.” Early in Fine Boys Ewaen bonds quite roundly with his middle class family such that his daddy entrusts upon him the task of doing the school runs. He is the elder brother of the somewhat paradoxical twins, fair Osaze and dark Eniye who were at once “intense rivals and soul mates”. Ewaen matriculates into the cults-addled University of Benin from Federal Government College, Warri as the coming-of-age tropes up in tension.

Ewaen’s parents are an uncanny couple, as Imasuen limns: “Daddy and Mommy had their major quarrels every two years. It was like clockwork. Every even year I could remember, ’82, ’84, ’86, ’88, ’90, all had a month or two when we packed up and left with Mom to our granny’s, Nene. Most times this displacement was preceded by a night of terror from which Mom emerged with a black eye here or a bruise there. But she always came back.”

Violence at home of course pales in comparison to the

Note on violence, chaos

A

WE is indeed a beautiful and insightful response to Uwem Akpan’s stunning debut “Say you’re one of them”. It shows the remarkable stories that humanise the perils of poverty.

The theme of the book carves out of childlike innocence struggling in a socio-economic environment. The book is a collection of five stories, short indeed but puts you on a long thought. Each story represents children that portray a violent situation.

The first story is about an eight-year-old boy, Jigana, whose 10-year-old sister strives to follow the part of their eldest sister who engages in prostitution to sustain their family. The story is set at Christmas time. It represents the fate of children in Africa and the tragedy that confines them, especially poverty.

In the second story, “Fattening for Gabon”, Kotchikpa and Yewa are not on their way to a life of success as the title of the story suggests. Kotchikpa’s uncle is referred to as ‘Fofo kpee’ and he tricks the children with a flashy motorbike. An aspiring “Agbero” (miscreant), who has suffered many injuries as the book describes him. He packs the bike with fruit, toilet paper, yams, and five persons for a jolly ride. The caretakers that take Kotchikpa and Yewa are only in the business of selling children as work slaves. They provide the youngsters with food and meat and a white string that holds the pellets that killed the animal. It portrays a group of

The wounded generation mob wars on campus which eventually leads to the brutal death of Wilhelm whom Ewaen introduces from the beginning as “one-half of my crew of best friends.”

Riots are the staples of campus life with student union leaders linking the incidents “to the attacks on our democracy, to the annulment of June 12, the stepping down of the gap-toothed general we called Maradona, the inauguration of the interim national government and its overthrow by General Abacha.”

Like Kenya’s Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Imasuen has his finger on the pulse of lived history. The boys’ company of

BOOK REVIEW Title: Say you’re one of them Author: Uwem Akpan Year of Publication: June 2008 Pagination:354 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Reviewer: Ngozi Chilaka people who are fighting for their lives in a dangerous and unsafe environment.

Akpan provides deep sketches of children as they all witness horrific events to survive. He sees the lens of his writing through the eyes of African children. His writing is more photographic eyed; he narrates what he sees and tries to put it into fiction. No wonder this novel was one of Oprah Winfrey’s 2009 selections for her book club and this earned him credits of being a one-time guest at her popular talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.

When asked where he draws his inspiration from, Father Uwem’s answer was simple. “I was inspired to write by the people who sit around my village and share palm wine after Sunday mass, by the Bible, and by the humour and endurance of the poor”. He gave an example of when he was growing up; his mother told him folktales and got him and his brothers to read a lot. This is how he became a fiction writer during his seminary formation.

The Nigerian-born Jesuit priest, Uwem Akpan, simply transports the readers of his book into gritty scenes of chaos and fear in his rich debut collection.

the novel, notably Ewaen, Tuoyo, Wilhelm, Odegua, KO and Ejiro, are in Imasuen’s remarkable softness of touch not submerged by the sordid history. There are human vistas of, for instance, the young hero discovering that Gulder but not Guinness is his preferred brand of beer, and failing to make the girl who has no time for a Jambite!

The visit to the offices of “Dr. Spirit and Law, the White Wizards” in the search for Mesiri’s stolen money emotes the lower frequencies of run-of-the-mill Nigerian life writ large.

The depiction of actual Nigerian contemporary events lends subtle verisimilitude to Imasuen’s Fine Boys thusly: “While MKO was in jail, while the Italians were shaming Nigeria out of the World Cup, while the universities burned, while students sat idle at home, a paradigm was shifting in the delta… Just over a year ago, the arrest of Ken Saro Wiwa on allegations of incitement to murder had made him a cause célèbre for the aspirations of the people of the delta.” Further on in the novel we learn: “November was a very memorable month. It was also the month Saro Wiwa was executed, hanged and finally pronounced dead after five attempts. He and his men were then bathed in sulphuric acid to make identifying there remains impossible for their families. If that was not enough, the men were buried in secret unmarked graves to prevent the site from becoming a shrine. The international community was in an uproar.” This could read like special pleading.

Students’ confraternities in Nigerian universities remain controversial ever since the well-intentioned formation of The Pyrates Confraternity by Soyinka and his six pals at the then University College, Ibadan. In Fine Boys the deadly confra boys of Back Axe and Cosa Nostra are killers, leading up to the mauling of Wilhelm who gets “brought in dead” (BID) to the hospital. The tragedy speeds Ewaen’s dad to send Ewaen and his brother Osaze away from the University of Benin to resume their schooling in the UK, presciently foreshadowing the brain-drain that became the lot of The Wounded Generation.

Imasuen is indeed a very engaging storyteller. He has definitely upped the ante from his first novel, To Saint Patrick, which deigned to tell the alternate history of Nigeria. Imasuen and his editor, Molara Wood, deserve plaudits. Fine Boys tells the Nigerian story in an unapologetically Nigerian style that does not bend over backwards to dubious universalism. If the matter deserves to be called wahala, Imasuen calls it wahala without italics or roundabout explanatory notes. But the publishers and their printers deserve knocks for not binding the book well. I treat a book I love and want to review like a sweetheart deserving of all styles of engagement, ranging from the good old missionary position to the “impossible Indian position” as identified by Ayi Kwei Armah in The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born. It detracts from having a great climax when the pages of Fine Boys almost always fall apart at every turn.

Well, the menace of a bad binder-cum-printer should not lead to a withdrawal from an author who has so much on offer. Eghosa Imasuen is an eloquent voice of The Wounded Generation.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

38

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Ibadan, running splash of rust and gold – flung and scattered among seven hills like broken China in the sun.

S

HORT. Sharp. Succinct. Pithy. Vivid.

This gem of a poem that so graphically captures the essence of the sprawling, ancient city of Ibadan in just 19 words drew me irresistibly to the poetry of Professor John Pepper ClarkBekederemo over three decades ago as a secondary school student in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Whatever the subject of his rumination – ‘Night Rain’, ‘Fulani Cattle’, ‘Abiku’ or a ‘Child Sleeping’- JP Clark never ceases to engage and fascinate as a poet. His imaginative fecundity is astonishing making his verse ever so beguiling. Yes, trying to unravel the linguistic riddles as well as plumb the many layers of meaning embedded in Wole Soyinka’s poetry can be a most thrilling and stimulating intellectual exercise. But there is something sublime, soothing and uplifting about the unobtrusive profundity of JP Clark’s poetry. They remind you of the lyrical quality of the biblical psalms or the enchanting poetic cadences of Rabidranath Tagore, the Bengalese poet who was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1958. JP Clark’s keen perception and amazing power of observation take the most common occurrences and experiences of daily life and moulds them into enduring and elevated ‘songs’ to nourish the human soul. This is one poet who not only looks – he sees. It is certainly not for nothing that on the cover of Professor Femi Osofisan’s new book, ‘JP Clark: A Voyage’, the literary icon is described as “the main animating force in African poetry”.

The reader will, of course, understand the eagerness and enthusiasm with which I dug into Osofisan’s characteristically engrossing account of the life and times of JP Clark. Trust Osofisan, his gifts as one of the brightest stars on Africa’s literary firmament sparkle in this definitive biography. In just under 300 pages, he takes the reader on an exciting cruise around the literary, intellectual, political, cultural and spiritual landscape of JP Clark’s fascinating life. This is one book that kills several birds with one sling shot. It offers new insights into Nigeria’s often turbulent politics and demonstrates, once again, how the lives of our great-

Segun Ayobolu sms to 07032777778 segunayobolu2@yahoo.com

J.P. CLARK: A POET’S ODYSSEY est writers are so intimately intertwined with our history as a people. The biography is also a concise introduction to the works of JP Clark particularly his poetry. Osofisan deftly intersperses his narrative with generous offerings from Clark’s poetry to illustrate the latter’s evolution as a writer, thinker and teacher. Again, the book offers brief but exciting glimpses into Osofisan’s own development as a writer. We also have Osofisan’s refreshing perspectives on other great writers – Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Olu Obafemi, Niyi Osundare, Christopher Okigbo or Catherine Acholonu.

In one memorable scene, for instance, Osofisan recalls how the great poet, Christopher Okigbo, drove all the way from Fiditi, picked him up from Government College, Ibadan for an all night session of poetry writing at the office of Mbari. To the budding writer’s consternation, Okigbo, after labouring all night, casually tore up everything he had written the next morning

saying it was not good enough!

One reason why I found this book irresistible is that my early ardour for JP Clark was soon to wane and, indeed, for several years I would not touch anything the distinguished poet and dramatist wrote. This distaste for Clark was informed by widespread reports that he had betrayed his friends on the Biafran side during the war; that he was not only hands in glove with the Federal Military Government during the war but had even been sponsored on a world tour to discredit Wole Soyinka who was then in prison for his perceived ‘treasonable’ support for the Biafran cause. Osofisan convincingly debunks this allegation in the book and the JP Clark that one encounters comes across as a man of strong character and unblemished moral integrity. Yes, Clark’s collection of poems on the civil war, appropriately titled ‘Casualties’, was widely perceived as being disturbingly distant, coldly dispassionate and aloof

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‘This is one book that kills several birds with one sling shot. It offers new insights into Nigeria’s often turbulent politics and demonstrates, once again, how the lives of our greatest writers are so intimately intertwined with our history as a people’

against the background of the tragedy of its subject. However, Professor Olu Obafemi, who is Osofisan’s collaborator and interlocutor on the biography, plausibly explains JP Clark’s psychological distance in ‘Casualties’.

According to Obafemi, “Medically I think there is a name for it. I don’t remember it now. But you know, a person who is suffering, who is aching inside, tries to master the pain by denying it, putting it at a distance from himself, putting up an outward show of indifference, whereas he’s in utter shreds inside”. Reading through the book, one can readily appreciate what Professor Olu Obafemi is talking about here. JP Clark had forged very strong fraternal bonds with some of the key actors who found themselves on different divides of the civil war tragedy.

These included Achebe, Soyinka, Okigbo and one of the architects of the Janury 1966 coup, Emmanuel Ifeajuna. Indeed, Clark was one of those co-opted to travel to Ghana to persuade Ifeajuna to return to Nigeria after the failure of the January 1966 coup. JP Clark’s attitude to the war was thus informed both by his own psychological trauma as well as his own personal conviction that the vocation of the writer certainly did not include carrying arms and taking to the battle field as Okigbo did with tragic consequences. Although Osofisan does not mention this in the book, it is not unlikely that Clark’s disposition to the war was also informed by the fact that the minorities of the South East were not particularly enamoured with the idea of Biafra.

In the practiced hands of Osofisan, the rich history of the Niger Delta, especially JP Clark’s Ijaw nationality, comes alive so vividly. We thus see how Clark’s complex personality is a product of diverse factors – his cultural heritage, family background, traditional and spiritual influences from his village, Kiagbodo and, of course, his illustrious educational trajectory. Osofisan does not necessarily say that the fiery, tempestuous, abrasive Clark of the popular imagination does not exist. But he insists and proves that there is also another Clark – kind, caring, compassionate and sensitive. Here, we encounter Clark in the different phases of his life as child, student, civil servant, journalist, teacher, administrator, theatre entrepreneur as well as loving husband and father. As you come to the end of this riveting rendering of a poet’s odyssey, the reader cannot but marvel and wonder – “What a life”.

Badagry tourism gets ferry services A

FERRY service has been launched in Badagry to boost tourism and commercial activities. It was unveiled last weekend by Waterbird Ferry Servuices Limited The firm’s Managing Director, Mr Tony Osareren, said the service would promote tourism in Badagry.

“The ferry service will help fun seekers as they hire the boats to visit sites at Ibese, Ilase, Ikare and Gberefun Point of No Return on weekends. It is also available to visitors, tourists, heritage lovers and those who come to Badagry for leisure,” he said.

In addition, the ferry service will serve a commercial purpose, carrying passengers from Badagry to CMS, Lagos daily, he said.

De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1, Akran of Badagry unveiled the Badagry-CSM ferry service at the Old Slave Port.

The royal father, who was accompanied to the venue by some of his chiefs, described the ferry service as an alternative means of transportation in Badagry.

“The ferry service is new, innovative and it will save the people in Badagry the trouble of travelling to Lagos by road,” he said.

The ferry has multiple engines for emer-

•A scene during the celebration Badagry Festival

TOURISM gency, global positioning system, compass and radar.

The Akran of Badagry prayed for the safety of passengers using the ferry. osareren said it was introduced in Badagry to beat the ever-busy road, avoid congestion and stress.

“The ferry will run four routes:Marina-

Badagry, Mile 2-Badagry, Badagry–Mile 2 and Ebute-Ero-Badagry,” he said.

The ferry, which has been approved by Lagos State Waterways Authourity (LASWA), sits 26 passengers.

He said Waterbird Ferry Services, owned

by Mr Itsume Tamaoka, a Japanese, has three boats, locally made in Port Harcourt, River State.

“On safety measures , we have life jackets for passengers, good navigation system,

•De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1

First Aid Box and Trans-silver,” he said.

Passengers going to CMS from Badagry Waterside will pay N1,500 , while those for Mile 2 will pay N1,000.

Speaking on the security of the ferry service, Osareren said LASWA Police, Marine Division of Nigeria Police and Nigeria Customs Marine Unit are there to protect passegenrs against pirates.

The company also operates ferry services from Ikorodu to CMS and Epe to CMS.

39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Azuka Onwuka worked briefly in the bank before he left to co-found August Consulting, a brand management firm, in 2008. He is also the country director of Silver Bullet, a reputation firm. He speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, on why it took him 22 years to publish his first book.

‘Why it took 22 years to publish Wings of the Night’ •Onwuka

W

HY did it take you 22 years to publish Wings of the Night?

It took me that long because I believe in the maxim that anything worth doing is worth doing well. After writing the story in 1989 shortly before my 19th birthday, I felt that I was not endowed with the necessary literary capabilities to produce a novel that would be reckoned with. I realised that my vocabulary was limited and inadequate. My control of the English language was tenuous. But having read literary works like Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, The Gods Are Not to Blame, The Concubine, Petals of Blood, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and other thrillers of James Hadley Chase and Agatha Christie, I knew that my ability to weave words like these masters and hold the reader captive was still rudimentary. I read books and decided to do some writing to keep myself busy. So, it took me a month, between early July and early August of 1989, to complete the novel. By the end of that year, I got admitted to study the course of my dream, English, at the University of Nigeria, which buried the attempt of everyone around to make me study medicine.

Upon graduation, I began working. I continued to read and edit the 1992 script. I went ahead to publish two books, English Incorporated in 2001 and 20 Success Secrets of Great Achievers in 2008. In 2006, I typed the manuscript and began the serious work of re-writing it on the computer until in 2011 when I decided that it was ripe to be published.

What is the central theme of Wings of the Night and how is it relevant to our society?

Wings of the Night has many themes, but the chief among them is that we should not give up in the face of challenges no matter how weighty or insurmountable they may seem.

Challenges are meant to bring out the best in us, not defeat us. There is also the theme of the need for us to know our genealogy or ancestry and not be ashamed of it. I was thrilled when President Barack Obama came to Kenya while he was still a senator and was able to trace his ancestors to

LITERATURE the seventh generation. How many of us know our ancestry beyond our grandfather or great-grandfather? That is one aspect of our life I am using this novel to challenge us to get interested in and pass on to our children. A people without a past are a people without a future.

I also want to use this novel to challenge the belief among our people of all religions that when tragedies befall a person, it is a sign of divine punishment. Just before I wrote the novel in 1989, former President Shehu Shagari had a tragedy: an accident claimed about three of his children with their driver. I heard many people say that it was a punishment for the way he ruled Nigeria. Curiously, there is a method in this type of madness. If a popular person witnesses such a tragedy, such comments don’t spring forth.

For example, if a popular person has an automobile accident and is crippled, the blame goes to the bad roads and politicians who embezzled funds meant for road construction - it is not described as retributive justice. The same thing happens if such a great person dies of cancer, cardiac arrest or stroke. But if a hated person dies of cancer, cardiac arrest or stroke, Christians and Muslims and others immediately decipher the mind of God and come out with their verdict that it is karma that has been released from the terrestrial realms on such a person.

So you are not an apostle of art for art’s sake?

I am definitely not. I believe that art should teach and edify. But, I also believe in realistic literature - literature that mirrors society rather than literature that recreate society the way it is not. For example, anyone that writes about colonialism in Nigeria and creates a situation where Nigerians defeated the British will be guilty of historical and literary falsehood, because the British actually conquered us and colonised us. That is why our religion, dressing and language have changed to those of the British. But I believe

that art should either directly or subtly teach society a lesson. That is why I like the realism in Achebe’s novels. In Things Fall Apart, even though the Whites defeated Okonkwo and the people of Umuofia, we are made to see that what they achieved was a sort of pyrrhic victory, a hollow victory that even the victor should be ashamed of.

In trying to pass on some messages in Wings of the Night, I was also careful to ensure that it is a book teenagers can read without being sexually charged. I like writers who employ double entendre or sexual innuendoes that are witty and funny. I don’t also believe that I should use sex to attract readers to my books. I find that cheap and desperate. If I can’t attract readers with my storyline and story-telling art, then I have simply failed as a novelist.

Shortly after I received the first few copies of Wings of the Night, for example, my seven-year-old boy saw it on the table and began to read it. Even though I knew he would not understand certain words and expressions in the book, I was not in any way ill at ease that he would be confronted with adult scenes in the book.

But more importantly, I also noticed the degeneration in our spoken and written English. Once these wrong expressions are introduced into our lexicon, they remain as immovable as the Rock of Gibraltar. And regrettably, many of our novelists and journalists are sucked into this trap. You therefore see our writers write things like “to warm his way into her heart” (rather than “to worm his way into her heart”); “in the twinkle of an eye (instead of “in the twinkling of an eye”); “she placed the baby on her laps” (instead of “she placed the baby in her lap”); “in his heydays” (instead of “in his heyday”); “to fold one’s hands” (instead of “to fold one’s arms”), an so on. I ensured that, to the best of my ability, these expressions were written correctly in Wings of the Night.

But why is Wings of the Night not a big book?

I noticed that there are two main reasons people shy away from reading literary fiction in Nigeria: first, most novels are unnecessarily long; second, most novels are not ‘unputdownable’. Someone would read a John Grisham that is about 500 pages but would not want to read our novel that is about 300 pages, because Grisham presents the exciting periods in the story and links up the events so well that you don’t want to drop the novel until the last page. It is true that crime novels and thrillers cannot be compared to literature books, yet literature writers need to borrow a leaf from them by ensuring that stories concentrate on the most important events in the story. Many of our novels cover dayby-day events that span over a 10-year period or even 30 years, making the novel drag on forever. Some start when the protagonist is a child and drag on to adulthood.

But what I have done in Wings of the Night is to intentionally cut off all the fat and bones in the story, leaving the reader with only the flesh. Wings of the Night starts in the middle of things or in medias res, as the classical Greeks would say, and ends shortly after in about 140 pages. While I was filleting the novel, I tested the water by giving the manuscript to about five classes of readers: a teenager, a university student, a graduate, a middle-aged man and a middle-aged lady. Their responses helped me a lot. One common message I got from all of them was that once they started reading the novel, they were eager to get to the last page.

I believe that it is not the size of a novel that determines its quality. The most read African novel Things Fall Apart is among the smallest. One of the most memorable novels on earth is Animal Farm and it is one of the smallest novels in history too. So my view is that if a writer has the capacity to hold his readers captive in 300 pages, no problem. But if he can’t, there is no need punishing his readers by making a novel drag on forever. Our ambition as novelists should be to compete with crime and thriller writers in the ability to hold the reader’s attention till the last page. Literary works should be fun to read.

Reviving tourism for economic growth

D

ELTA State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Mr Richard Mofe-Damijo has stressed the need for communities with viable tourist sites to partner with the government to develop such sites.

He said such partnership would create jobs and enable youth to engage in genuine means of livelihood.

In a paper entitled: Tourism the untapped wealth of Nigeria delivered at an event at the White House, Ikeja, Lagos, Damijo, represented by his Senior Special Assistant, Mr Ufuoma Kerewi, said Nigeria tourism potentials could be tapped to become a major revenue earner.

According to Damijo, Nigeria is exceptionally blessed with natural and human resources, some of which are untapped. He noted that it only needed policies devoid of political or self interest, a well mapped out marketing and strategic plan as well as improved infrastructure to harvest the gold in the tourism sector.

A tourism operator, Mr Austin Eruotor, who chaired the event, flayed the attitude of every government which is only interested in collecting tax without adding value to the industry in terms of infrastructural development. According to him, a revived tourism will highly boost the economy. “If

By Nsikak Daniels

TOURISM this done it will contribute to the fight against unemployment, take development to the grassroots and give the people an endurable lease of life, as well as give the younger generation hope for a better tomorrow,” he added.

Public Relatuions trainer Mr Vincent Utere, who anchored the event, said he would ensure that the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) lifted the sector for recognition, adding that if only government would stop playing politics with everything, especially policy formulation, the sector would grow.

He urged the government to revive viable areas of the economy, such as tourism, agriculture, fisheries, ensure uninterrupted power supply, as remedy for the insecurity in the land.

He said the forum in conjunction with NIPR and Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations was planning a two-day tourism public relations workshop with the theme Developing Public Relations Attitude for Business Growth for stakeholders in the sector.

The programme is a periodic gathering

•Mofe-Damijo

of public relations professionals and stakeholders in tourism and hospitality business sector to appraise the state of the nation as it affects them and proffer solutions where necessary. Chairman, NIPR, Lagos State chapter, Jide Ologun, said to de-

velop Nigeria to be at par with countries Nigerians run to for medical checks, holiday and academic pursuit, “we must stand our ground, and ensure that we use what God has given to us for the well being of all, irrespective of affiliations.”

40

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

•Truly fit for the job?

Edge of the brink: Campaign for national renewal

T

HE many national questions which constantly re-echo at different fora may soon find a fresh platform of expression on the dramatic turf as Edge of the brink, a play written by Ifechi Jane Odoe, hits the bookshelves soon. Topical issues such as infrastructural decay, corruption, violence, kidnapping, robbery and other forms of human rights abuses are some of what the play spotlights with a view to effecting change.

The 133-page book, published by Authorhouse in Bloomington, Indianapolis, United States, is an expose of the author’s everyday experience put into a dramatic format in an attempt to mirror “ourselves as a people.” To her, the book is not a stop-gap but a reflection of ourselves.

Odoe, who once worked with The Guardian, described the book as a slice of what an average Nigerian passes through everyday, which, she said, is an embodiment of stress and survival.

In a chat at her Ikoyi home, Odoe was never in doubt that this vicious circle would soon come to an end because no society thrives under such deplorable situations Nigerians find themselves today. She said Nigerians would learn some lessons from the book because it is a call to duty and patriotism.

Thinking of a revolution? She responded simply: “Often time, we pretend the problem does not exist. However, we are getting to a point when a revolution is inevitable.

But, it may not exactly be such that will cost us bloodshed. It will soon come to a time when all will say enough is enough.”

Continuing, she added: “The book is a critical appraisal of ourselves almost like a mirror. It calls on us to be more serious in tackling issues such as corruption, which is in all places both high and low. And as members of a society we have to look at our value system and query sources of wealth because

Developing talents outside school

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

“M

DRAMA we have reached a point when we should turn things around as a nation.”

On the chances of staging the play, she said there are plans by the publisher to put it on stage, but that she does not want to be seriously committed to that because it would be expensive. According to her, she chose drama as format because it will serve as an effective window to channel her message to the people.

She recalled that Edge of the brink should have been out a year ago, but she was not sure all the ‘t’s and ‘i’s are crossed and dotted. “It is my first book and while I was writing, I was not sure I was doing it right. I am sure you know I did not study drama. However, my biggest challenge was time to sit down and put the ideas together properly.”

The former reporter with The Guardian explained that her choice of a foreign publisher was informed by fear of being tagged as anti-Nigerian by local publishers who would not muster enough courage to publish such manuscript.

Edge of the brink chronicles how Chidi, one of those persons on the lowest social ladder survives all the odds a rotten society throws at him to find himself at the corridor of power. But when he and his friends-Kod, Ayo, Edu, Abudul- foist themselves onto power, they fail to do the right thing. Instead of turning things around, they join the band cult of selfish leaders, who continue to deepen the wounds of bad leadership.

They ignore the people’s continuing cry for reprieve in the form of unemployment, crimes of all sorts, broken infrastructure, incessant loss of lives and property and poverty while the leaders corruptly enrich them-

•Odoe

selves. However, this vicious circle of suffering is broken by one a man, ‘Better Land’ though not without fatal consequences.

The author studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for her first degree, and later had her Masters in the same discipline at the University of Lagos.

Y name is Chiamanda. I am three years old. I love my mummy and daddy. Sit back and enjoy the show.” That was the introductory message from one of the participants, which set the tone for this year’s Children’s Creative Station and the command performance of Hansel and Gretel, a play by Ian Faraday and Andrew Oxspring.

Venue of the performance that featured dance, drama and music was Cinema Hall 2, National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, last Sunday. It was organised by the National Troupe of Nigeria, (NTN).

The children who were in their elements, had lots of fun as they thrilled the guests including their parents, to modern and traditional dance steps, songs and theatrical performances. Even the under-five among them, did not miss in action. Of all the presentations, the Ohafia war dance and the Urhobo dance were spectacular on stage. The children, especially the little kids, decked in the rich costume of the tribes, were a delight to watch. However, the main drama, Hansel and Gretel, let many guests dosing. Apart from poor audio, the stage craft left some members of the audience wondering the thrust of the play. At the outset, it appears as if the children were reciting poems. Notwithstanding, the presentation lived up to its category; an all children experiment in theatre.

Guest of honour at the performance, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Tourism Culture and National Orientation, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote commended the management of National Troupe of Nigeria, for the successful hosting of this year’s children creative station particularly the command performance of Hansel and Gretel.

"Didier is not here anymore so there is more responsibility for me and I'm ready for the challenge. Hopefully, everything is going to be OK and we will work hard. Now I am looking for new personal targets, which is to get as many goals as possible and, hopefully, I will score more than I did in my best season at Liverpool.

We have the squad to do that and we have five more trophies to play for, so it could be a magic season."

Chelsea striker, Fernando Torres revealing his plans to do his best for the Blues in view of Didier Drogba's move to China.

Heitinga unhappy over bench role

E

VERTON defender John Heitinga has hit out at manager David Moyes for leaving him on the bench for their 2-0 defeat to West Brom on Saturday.

The Dutch centre-back has yet to start a game for Everton this season despite being named the club's Player of the Season last year.

And he has criticised Moyes for his failure to name him in the starting line-up

after his side's poor display at the Hawthorns.

"I've felt better reporting for international duty. The Everton boss' decisions feel bad," he said.

"It's a bullet I must bite every year. I was also left out for most of our early games in the two previous seasons.

"But I was soon in the side. I don't expect to wait long to get into the starting line-up."

PODOLSKI ready to replace RVP

L

UKAS Podolski declared himself ready to be Arsenal's latest matchwinner after scoring his first goal in English football.

Germany forward Podolski opened his account in Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Liverpool and immediately set his sights on more goals and points for his new club.

The Gunners lost star striker and captain Robin van Persie this summer but Podolski told their official website, www.arsenal.com: "When I'm on the pitch, I can win

•Podolski

matches."

He added: "I'm very happy to score my first goal at Liverpool with their amazing fans and stadium. I'm also very happy that we won and got the three points.

"You must always work hard in matches. You must fight, you must run and you must score goals."

Podolski's goal was also Arsenal's first of the season following scoreless draws against Sunderland and Stoke.

He said: "We played very well in the first two matches. But when you don't have the three points, the press write that you play no good.

But I think we played very well we just didn't score a goal.

"This is the Premier League and you must fight and run. This is my

Torres eyes

‘magical season’ with Chelsea

C

HELSEA striker Fernando Torres is aiming to put last year's goal scoring problems behind him as he eyes a 'magic season'.

The Spaniard is the only out-and-out striker left at the club after Didier Drogba's departure to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

And having been reassured as to his Chelsea future following a substitute's role in the Champions League final, Torres has started the new campaign with a bang, netting twice in three games.

"Didier is not here

anymore so there is more responsibility for me and I'm ready for the challenge," Torres told Chelsea Magazine.

"Hopefully, everything is going to be OK and we will work hard.

"Now I am looking for new personal targets, which is to get as many goals as possible and, hopefully, I will score more than I did in my best season at Liverpool.

"We have the squad to do that and we have five more trophies to play for, so it could be a magic season."

42

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

•Ronaldo

Ronaldo demands £25m a year pay C

RISTIANO RONALDO wants Real Madrid to give him a staggering new contract which could be worth £25million a year.

The unhappy forward is

desperate to start talks on a fresh six-year deal, even though he has three years to run on his current agreement.

Ronaldo, 27, is on £9.6m a year but, because of Spain’s easygoing tax regime, takes

OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...

PISTORIUS

escapes punishment over blades comments

O

SCAR Pistorius will not face censure for his comments on regulations governing prosthetic running blades, the International Paralympic Committee said today.

The South African

•Pistorius

yesterday apologised for raising his concerns over the length of some rivals' blades immediately after being beaten to T44 200 metres gold by Brazil's Alan Fonteles Oliveira on Sunday night.

IPC communications director Craig Spence said: "There will be no disciplinary action against Oscar for his comments."

A date is still to be set for a meeting between Pistorius and the IPC, with arrangements being taken place through official channels.

"We're waiting for the national Paralympic committee of South Africa to go through the relevant channels and contact the IPC and then the meeting will be set up," Spence added.

KOMPANY

ready for Real test

M

ANCHESTER City captain Vincent Kompany can't wait to get stuck into his side's Champions League opponents when the group stage of the famous competition kicks off later this month.

The Citizens have been paired with Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund with their first match against the Spanish champions scheduled for Tuesday the 18th of September at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Last season, Roberto Mancini's men failed to make it out of a group including Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal.

But Kompany is relishing the opportunity to put that right this season.

He said: "That is why you are in the Champions League. I thought it couldn't get much more difficult than last season but here you go. It is a great challenge.

"I do think we are the kind of team that gets better as the challenges are greater. That is perfect for us. There won't be any moments where we will be surprised.

"The motivation will always be sky-high. The atmosphere will be great in each of the six games we have in the group. I couldn't think of a better way to play the Champions League."

home £7.2m.

He is now demanding takehome pay of £12m a year.

Even under existing tax rules, that would mean £14.5m a year gross.

The problem for Madrid is that, in two years’ time, Ronaldo’s tax rate will jump from 24 to 52 per cent.

And it means that in order for him to get £12m after tax they will have to cough up almost £25m a year — £480,000 a WEEK. Ronaldo has been seeking talks about a new deal since January.

But Madrid chiefs have baulked at the figures he has been discussing, especially with UEFA’S new financial fair play rules due to start in two years’ time too.

•Kompany

Song: Vilanova helped me a lot N

EW Barcelona signing Alex Song has thanked head coach Tito Vilanova for his support ahead of the midfielder's La Liga debut against Valencia at the weekend.

The Cameroon international joined the Blaugrana from Arsenal this summer, and was part of the starting XI for the first time in the 1-0 win over Valencia on Sunday.

"The coach spoke with me ahead of the game and explained what he expected of me," Song

was quoted as saying by Sport.

"That really helped me calm down a bit and gave me a lot of confidence. My team-mates also talked to me a lot and that was very helpful.

"I know that it's important at Barcelona to pass the ball directly.

But strangely enough, sometimes it's even easier to drive the ball forward and keep possession."

Barcelona currently sit atop of La Liga with nine points from three games.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

43

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Governor of Cross River State Senator Liyel Imoke met with reporters in Calabar last weekend. Though he foreclosed any question on Bakassi and the 76 oil wells, he spoke on politics of power shift in the state. NICHOLAS KALU was there.

Imoke: Power shift now inevitable O

N handing over power to the North ern senatorial district in 2015?

Cross River has three senatorial districts, like every other state. Two senatorial districts (southern and central) have produced, by the grace of God, governors. One has not. Would it be fair for us not to allow the other senatorial district a governor? This is a simple question of fairness. Just like we had Presidents from the North, then Southwest and now from Southsouth; there is no big deal. It is a natural sequence. That is why I supported “it openly. Some people have been saying ‘oga keep quiet over this matter, this is not how to do it.” But I say I don’t know any other way to deal with what is honest, sincere, correct and right. This is what I have always stood for in my politics.

My politics has always been about uniting Cross River. That is why I started my politics by taking on the most difficult challenge.

That was when they said no Efik man can ever be governor of Cross River State and I said no. So there is no set of Cross River people that cannot be governor. So I fought that. And then I wasn’t governor, I wasn’t anything, and by the grace of God we managed to win that battle that changed the face of Cross River. That united all of us and that thing that we used to call an atomistic society, perpetually at war with itself is no more.

That, I think, is one of my greatest achievements – uniting our people. The final seal on that unity would be that the next governor of Cross River comes from the Northern senatorial district.

The state’s debt profile The Special Adviser on Debt Management is on leave. So I don’t have the numbers. So if the SA was here, I would have the numbers but we have been relatively conscientious in our debt obligations. I always say that, and I always tell my colleague governors, who came into power and they start by saying, can you imagine what my predecessor left as debt, I will investigate my predecessor. I tell them leave this matter. Believe me after eight years, you dare not go and tell the people that the reason I could not do road or schools was because I inherited debt. Debt is something that would exist in any government. Whether it is federal, state or United States or anywhere, debt is a part of government, period. Let us understand it for what it is and deal with it. The key thing is that there are international standards of borrowing. What they call debt to income ratio. So the question is have we exceeded that limit and the answer to that is no. So we try to make sure we don’t exceed those limits. The one mistake you don’t make in answering that question is throwing out the wrong figure.

State police I have already made my views known on the state police. Very simple. If we had massive reduction in crime, if we had a society where there is hardly any danger or serious crime and so on, I don’t think anyone who even mentions state police would be listened to. So, let us start from that perspective. Why are people clamouring for the state police?

Let us not go to the perspective of abuse by the politicians. My question is why the clamour for a state police? It is because the current federal police is seen to be inefficient and not capable of dealing with the challenges of crime in a developing society.

If that question was answered, would any one ask for state police? No. so why don’t we take it from that perspective rather than saying let the inefficiency increase, let the crime rate increase, let all of us be closing our work at six or seven o’clock because we are afraid for our lives. Let us pray that armed robbers don’t visit us today that it is

‘My politics has always been about uniting Cross River. That is why I started my politics by taking on the most difficult challenge. That was when they said no Efik man can ever be governor of Cross River State and I said no. So there is no set of Cross River people that cannot be governor.

So I fought that. And then I wasn’t governor, I wasn’t anything’ • Senator Imoke

not our turn because the politicians would abuse state police.The function of the police is internal security. We started with a very nice efficient police with highway patrol, anti-robbery units etc. Most of you are too young to know that age. Then we started seeing inefficiency and started finding solutions. Civil defence came, road safety came, Peace Corps came. All answers to inefficiency. We even have the police now talking to us about community policing. Then the worst part now is that the armed now in charge of internal security. Traditionally, the armed forces anywhere else would be in charge of external security aggression. Now the armed forces are now doing internal security. Marine police, their job has now been taken over by the Navy and JTF. What are we talking about? We are talking about Nigerians, not politicians. We are talking about the security of the citizenry. Our arguments have to be focused on the people that we govern. Even if the state police law come to the constitution, I will be out of office before the constitution is implemented. So of what benefit would it be to me as a former governor that there is state police in Cross River. My argument is the protection of the lives and properties of the citizens of Cross River State and we cannot run away from it.

When we trivialize it and say politicians would use it I don’t like generalizations. I don’t like stereotyping, saying these politicians. So there no good people in the society? I don’t think that is the approach. I think we need to agree on solutions to the rising insecurity in society and one of the possible solutions is the state police. We can call it anything, but the point is that there must be some level of community policing that is recognized. You don’t even need to use them for elections if that is what people are afraid of. Let us fight crime and insecurity in our society before they overtake our society.

There are countries that have many levels of policing everywhere in the world. We have copied the American presidential system, but I don’t know who the Inspector General of Police is in the USA. Yet we have copied a presidential system of government from America. I need not say more about this.

N5000 note Quite frankly I have not understood the arguments for and against, but they seem similar to the arguments for and against the one thousand naira note. If you recall there

were exactly the same arguments for and against the one thousand naira note. All of a sudden the one thousand naira note is almost the lowest denomination. I don’t think anybody did an analysis of the inflation that came as a result of the one thousand naira note. But typically, there would always be those arguments. I think the most important thing is the convenience of doing business. I have always looked at other countries and I wonder if they have these arguments. There is a one thousand dollar bill which is N160, 000 naira note. There is a one hundred dollar bill which is N16, 000. It makes it easier for them in America to carry their cash to transact their business, so I don’t know if the N5, 000 note, I am not that good an economist to say that this is the impact that kit would have. But I think those who are responsible must have done an analysis before deciding to introduce that currency. I also understand that it costs far much more money to continuously print N1000 notes than it does to print the N5000. So I think all of these things should be taken into consideration.

Call for Sovereign National Conference I don’t know about the National Conference. The thing I like is the constitution amendment. My only problem with the amendment is why it should be limited in scope. I think that if we can expand the scope of the review of the constitutional amendment, then all the fears, then all the fears and need for the conference may not be there. So the constitutional amendment is fundamental to our sustained national growth, development and unity. I don’t think there is anything wrong with extensive constitutional amendment. I just don’t see how we can have 66 items on the exclusive list and less than 20 on the concurrent list. Just that would tell you that you are not operating a federal constitution. It means that it is just a federal constitution in name not in practise. These are some of the issues that I think we need to address. We should not limit the scope of discourse of the constitution amendment. I think it should address issues that seem to have been raised on our unity.

Insecurity

in Calabar-South

Every time you make this case, I like to hear it because you defend me on issues of security and state police. I am not criticising anybody but do you notice that anytime there is a new Commissioner of Police, security changes in Cross River. There has never been a Commissioner of Police who has been posted that was on my recommendation. We just get word that there is a new Commissioner of Police. I just believe that if we have a CP or an area commander who is from Calabar South and I call him and say, see this is not acceptable, you would lose your job. He will know all the nooks and crannies of Calabar-South. But we politicize these things. We politicize every issue. It is very frustrating because I have to call the Commissioner of Police in the middle of the night to raise all these issues. Why are there no longer patrols? We bought all the patrol vehicles. Have you seen any bought by the Federal Government? They are all bought by the state. We set up Quick Intervention Squad (QIS), brought more vehicles and gave them. Sometimes I see QIS vehicles and I wonder. The QIS vehicles have tracking, so we know where they are at any given point in time. Sometimes they call the QIS and say there is a crime, we track their vehicles and see that the do not move to the spot. They wait until the criminal is gone then they go there. I cannot sack the policeman, I cannot sack the QIS, I cannot even query him. And people are saying politicians would use the state police. What are we even talking about? We are talking about the lives and property of our citizens. We really need to find a solution to these problems. We talk about Calabar being a safe city. We always try to address the issue of security in Cross River. Even this issue of cultism, I have always related cultism to crime. Sometimes I seem to be the only person, the lone voice against cultism. The magnitude of people that are in cults in Cross River State, big men and small men all inside. So they don’t have the moral ground to be able to come out openly because they are afraid someone would say, ah see who is talking. There is absolute need to deal with this issue of cultism. It is something I am determined to fight and I would continue to solicit your support to get the message across that that is the worst vice that you can have in a society like ours and that is what is leading to the increase in crime. So for us we need to continuously fight this issue of cultism and crime.

Spate of environmental disasters in the state I want you to understand why I have been so emphatic about the environment. Part of most of it man made. What you see in Boki, Biase, Ekorinm and so on. All the ecological disasters you see are caused by us by our refusal to acknowledge our environment and the need to protect our environment. When I talk people would say this man is talking too much, na environment we go chop? But you are beginning to see the manifestation of our ignorance, our failure to understand the environment. Now if you see the level of flooding that has taken place now across the state, we know the cause. It is because of our failure to manage the environment. We have been tampering with the ecosystem.

And we are beginning to see the consequences. When you cut down the trees that God in his infinite wisdom knew he was doing, but we would hear hacksaws everyday taking down the trees, destroying the environment. Our own immediate problem is that the price of roofing timber. Yet we can see what we are experiencing. In another twenty to fifty years it would be worse unless we do something now about our environment.

44

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

POLITICS Stella Dorgu represents Ekeremo/Sagbama Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State in the House of Representatives. Last month, she visited her constituency, met with the people and outlined her plans for them. She spoke with journalists and declared that empowerment should be tangible. ISAAC OMBE reports.

‘Empowerment should be tangible’

H • Oshiomhole

• Airhiavbere

Tribunal removes PDP as petitioner in Edo From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

T

HE three-man Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal headed by Justice Suleman Ambrusa yesterday began its sitting over the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the July 14 election, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (rtd) challenging the re-election of Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Other members of the panel included Justices Esor Teetito and Danlami Senchi.

Ambrusa appealed for cooperation from members of the Bar and the parties in the case just as he said they would not be intimidated in the discharge of their duties.

“We solicit for your cooperation throughout the duration of proceedings.

On our part, we assure that we will abide by our oaths of office, we will give the parties fair hearing and ensure that justice is done to all parties.

“We will, however, not succumb to any form of intimidation in the delivery of our duties. We urge you to give the best to your clients to ensure fairness in the temple of justice. We should not hang on certain technicalities to delay this matter.”

Efe Akpofure (SAN) led 12 other lawyers as counsel to Airhiavbere, while Rickey Tafa (SAN), Niyi Akintola (SAN) and Omoruyi Omonuwa (SAN) led seven other lawyers for Oshiomhole’s team. Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), Ken Mozia (SAN) and Rotimi Ogunreso (SAN) led the legal team of the ACN. But there was a mild drama between counsel to the PDP Kingsely Obamogie and that of Airhiavbere, Efe Akpofure (SAN) when Obamogie argued that Akpofure did not get the permission of the PDP to include it in the petition since the party had indicated its decision not to challenge the result of the election.

Obamogie said he relied on Order 9 Rule 35 (1) of the Federal High Court, Civil Procedure Rule 2009 which stated that change of counsel does not need to be formally granted by the court but that through a notification letter such changes could be effected.

It took one hour 34 minutes for the two supposed partners to argue their position before the panel ruled that the application by Obamogie that the PDP be removed from the petition. Ambrusa ruled that “The name of the second petitioner/applicant, PDP, is hereby struck out and the petition now reads Major General Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (rtd) vs Adams Oshiomhole and 4 others.” There was no noticeable presence of PDP leaders in the court except its counsel.

Summing up the day’s proceedings, the panel chairman said “Whatever is the case, no adjournments once we start, we must finish our work within the stipulated time. Let us abide by the simple procedure we have agreed with counsels” Speaking to journalists shortly after the sitting, Edo State deputy governor Pius Odubu called on Airhiavbere to tow his party’s line by withdrawing his petition. He said he had confidence on the panellists. “Looking at the credibility and capacity of the panellists, there is no doubt in my mind, and at the end of the day full justice will be served.I wouldn’t say I am excited but I think the first petitioner should also be encouraged to withdraw his petition because there is absolutely nothing in the petition”.

On his part, the ACN state chairman, Thomas Okosun said “It is very clear to us that the people of Edo state voted on July 14, that ACN was the party they wanted. Adams Oshiomhole and Pius Odubu are the ones they wanted because what they have done for the people and for anybody to think they can turn that, is an exercise in futility. I want to assure you that the same result that we got in the poll is what we will get at the tribunal.”

ONOURABLE Stella Dorgu, the first female federal law maker from Bayelsa State has pledged to actively engage residents of her constituency in governments. The legislator who hails from Asambiri community in Sagabama Local Government Area of the state took time out to visit her constituency recently when the House went on recess.

She unveiled her plans for the constituency and stressed the importance of Constituency projects and why lawmakers should be very serious with such projects.

“I believe that Constituency projects are the easiest means of bringing Federal presence to the people at the grassroots considering the fact that only 360 people are representing more than 160 million people at the House,” she said.

She argued that it should not only be in the area of constituency projects only that lawmakers are seen as identifying with the people in the various constituencies. She listed among other things, good network of roads, water, citing of institutions and the empowerment of different segment of the society in various formats as other means through which lawmakers can announce their presence in their constituencies.

However, in what could be described as an indictment of what some lawmakers are wont to showcase as constituency projects, she expressed her object to handouts.

“I do not believe in those clippers handouts or sewing machines handouts. I believe in skills acquisition. I always use my village as an example.

How many barbers can I give clippers to in Asmabiri community that will ensure sustainable livelihood, how many women can I give sewing machines to in that same village, or how many women can I give driers to or give a kit in hair dressing that will give them sustainable livelihood. I think that most of the time we do not have research to back what we do. How many vulcanizers can

• Dorgu

you possibly train and put in Yenagoa and which will provide for them sustainable livelihood. Did we do a feasibility study that shows that in a particular area you would need ten hair dressers to the ratio of this population etc. Have we spent time doing that? No we haven’t, but we just do what we think we should do.

So I don’t believe in that. I believe tangible things”.

She disclosed that she has a Foundation which is designed to facilitate not just empowerment but also the emancipation of women and youths.

Dr Dorgu said she is an ardent supporter of human capacity development.

“I have a foundation which was launched recently. It is essentially designed to empower and emancipate women and youths in the real sense of it. Governor Seriake Dickson is proponent of human capacity building and I agree totally with that. We must educate our people. This year alone, for the first time, five girls from three Ekeremo Sagabama axis will have scholarships to study in any school of their choice anywhere in Nigeria.

“Also this season, I’m giving schol-

arship to ten engineering graduates who are going to study Marine Engineering, some in the University of Benin and University of Port Harcourt. By the grace of God we will start increasing it. We will have free medical screening and do some cataract surgery, to also provide free eye glasses to about 200 to 500 people because eye sight problems may hinder progress most times. These are the kind of things I believe and I define as empowerment not the giving out Ten Thousand Naira”.

She revealed that her recently launched NGO, which would be used as the vehicle for her laudable plans for the constituency would go into partnership with the state’s First Lady, Mrs Rachael Dickson.

“I am going to be partnering with the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Rachael Dickson who has launched a programme for the girl child education, to save the girl child, because I believe that the education of the girl child is so important and a lot of time we just under value the education for girl child. Besides, immediately I got in there (the National Assembly), I got water engineers, water experts to come and look at how we can get good water supply in the Sagabama/ Ekeremo axis. I got in touch with officials of the Federal Ministry of Water resources to make sure that those things are done.

“Other projects I wish to complete in the constituency include some shoreline protection projects abandoned for years in Agbere and other communities in the oil rich but under developed constituency. For the uncompleted shoreline projects, I have reached out to NDDC to do something about them. There are road projects.My constituency should expect that I will do the best for them because that is what I am committed to do. I will make sure that the educational profile of the area is enhanced, whatever is there from the Federal Government on education for the state I will make sure my constituency gets what is due to it.”

‘You’re celebrating 14 years of Nigeria’s ruination’

T

HE Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for wasting Nigeria’s 14 years and dragging her to pre-historic era with its politics of despoliation and impunity. The party said that rather than beating its chest in self adulation, the PDP should be remorseful and apologize to Nigerians from leading an oil rich nation to the very nadir of want and penury which is akin to war torn Somalia.

• Akwa-Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio (second right), Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties and Agreements, Hon. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu (second left), Deputy Committee Chairman, Hon. Akpodiogaga Emeyase (right) and Hon. Ifeoluwa Arowosoge (left) after a courtesy call on Governor Akpabio as part of the committee’s oversight visit to the state.

In a staement yesteday in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary Joe Igbokwe, the party said that the 14 years of PDP misrule has been a curse to Nigeria and that Nigerians have cause to regret ever being saddled with the excess burden which the PDP has proved to be. It advises the party to warm up to the harsh verdict of history which will record the PDP period as a period of unmitigated plundering and wholesale looting that shrank life in the sixth largest oil producer in the world to the very depth of want.

“We are not surprised that in its tradition to play pranks with the intelligence of Nigerians, the PDP is loudly celebrating fourteen years of its ruinous reign in Nigeria with mischievous pomp. We are not surprised that the PDP is adding to the mounting Nigerian woes and sense of hurt by celebrating what Nigerians see as their darkest period where the promises of prosperous nation was dashed with state-licensed public stealing and a grandiose elevation of corruption, election rigging and other forms of impunity to directive principles of state policy. But the question is: what are Nigerians celebrating the PDP for in these past fourteen awful years? For a party that cares about its image, it would have been apt for the PDP to find out who and who is celebrating with it at this very stretch in Nigerian history. It would have been good if PDP feels the pulse of Nigerians on its

present celebration of ruination and plunder. It would have found out if the last fourteen years have left Nigerians better than before its unfortunate advent fourteen years ago.

“We wonder what PDP is thumping its chest about. Is it the chain of unresolved political assassinations that assumed a frightening frenzy in the last fourteen years? Is it the acute poverty level that has risen to over eighty per cent in a period Nigeria harvested trillions of Naira from oil proceeds? Is it the widespread cases of armed robbery, which the government has accepted as a way of life in PDP’s Nigeria? is it the worsening incidences of kidnapping, which has its root in the buccanneerist politics of the PDP and which has become intractable today?

Is it the worrying take over of the country by sundry armed gangs, killers of all sorts, suicide bombers who have brought Nigeria to the level of strife torn Somalia, as an eminent founder of PDP confessed recently? Is it the state of unemployment that has soared to the extent that tens of thousands of graduates apply for truck drivers’ post as shown in the Dangote drivers’ recruitment exercise going on at present? Is it in the total breakdown of infrastructures in every sector to the extent that the country has become decay that has made the country a morgue of decayed and obsolete infrastructures? Is it on corruption, which the PDP celebrates as a virtue and has elevated to such height that nothing works in Nigeria again?

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

45

NEWS

•Igbokwe during the inspection

•Rusty joint of a mast

Lagos warns owners of derelict masts, base stations

F

OR the umpteenth time, banks and telecommunication companies operating in Lagos have been warned to always keep their masts and base stations in good shape.

The warning, served by the Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU) of the Lagos Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, followed the discovery that some of the facilities were made of substandard materials.

Already, the Unit has dispatched its team of inspectors to ascertain the structural integrity of facilities in the Centre of Excellence.

The move is to check the strength and specifications of the masts to ensure they are in good condition and do not constitute threats to residents.

Leading UFRU’s technical team of inspectors is the unit head, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the unit decided to embark on the inspection to ensure safety of lives and property.

Igbokwe said the government cannot fold its hand while sub-standard masts are being mounted in its domain, pointing out that there had been cases of collapsed masts that killed innocent Lagosians and destroyed properties worth

billions of naira.

According to him, the unit would draw the attention of owners of weak and derelict facilities to either evacuate or strengthen them to avoid calamity.

The team was Agidingbi, Ikeja, Ogba, Oba Akran and CMD Magodo, where some masts and base stations were inspected.

Expectedly, the team discovered weak and faulty masts, which was attributed to lack of maintenance plan by their owners.

The enforcement team wrote in its report that most of the masts have outlived their normal lifespan of five

EKSU lecturer, friend killed in Maiduguri by gunmen A SENIOR lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Mr.Mohammed Sani and his friend, Mohammed Salisu, were reportedly killed yesterday by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Reports said that the late Sani, who hailed from Biu, Borno State and reputed to be a gifted lecturer, loved by students for his patience and accommodation, travelled home to process the admission of one of children into a school in Maiduguri, the Bornu State capital.

Varsity spokesman Bunmi Ajibade confirmed the development in a telephone interaction with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, yesterday.

He, however, could not give details of the lecturer’s death.

Ajibade, who noted that the varsity community received the news with shock, described the death as “unfortunate and most ill-timed.”

He said as soon as the university confirmed the incident, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Patrick Aina, paid a condolence visit to the

‘Sani was more or less a son of the soil. he did not see himself as somebody not from this area (Southwest) he contributed tremenduous to the development of development of the Law Faculty’ From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti and Abiodun Joseph, Maiduguri

Dean of the Faculty of Law and the family of the deceased.

“Sani was a brilliant man in the university and he had always insisted that the school recruits brilliant brains to teach. It is unfortunate that he died in such a gruesome way. We will

truly miss him”, he said.

When the news was broken, some lecturers in the Law Faculty boycotted lectures for the day.

The Dean, Post Graduate School, Prof Eddy Olanipekun, described the late lecturer as “a pleasant gentleman.”

He noted that it was unfortunate that Sani was killed.

“Sani was more or less a son of the soil. He did not see himself as somebody not from this area (Southwest) he contributed tremenduous to the development of development of the Law faculty”, Olanipekun said.

In April, the late Sani had lost property valued at several millions of naira when fire ravaged his private accommodation in the school.

Sani, who holds the Otunba chieftaincy title in Isinbode, a community in Ekiti East Local Governnent Area of the state, was reportedly murdered by yet-to-be identified killers, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect.

to six years, and that some were built with hollow pipes instead of solid metals while others were locally fabricated.

Igbokwe told reporters that the team went round to appraise the height of masts, the level rust, the fixing of bolts and nuts, as

well as the base of the mast, which he said must be very solid and spacious.

He said owners of the facilities have already been advised to confirm the integrity of their masts from time to time to avoid cases of masts collapse.

He warned the owners

against waiting for the government to carry out its enforcement as doing so could lead to the forfeiture of any mast that collapsed.

The UFRU head urged them to do structural checks on the structures as cars and houses are periodically maintained.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTERMBER 5, 2012

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Edo praised at entrepreneurs’ graduation

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DO State government has been hailed for supporting the Technology Incubation Centre, Benin-City, a skill acquisition outfit.

The Centre has graduated 10 of its trainees who have received tutelage

By Michael Odigbe

in varying entrepreneural skills.

Dr (Mrs.) Julie Momah, manager of the Centre, said the state government has been supportive since the inception of the Benin

City-based outfit.

Momah made the commendation during the graduation ceremony of the second batch of trainees. The ceremony was held at the premises of the centre in Benin-City.

She also had a request.

Momah said: “The centre wishes to remind the state government of its promise to renovate and partition our second warehouse which is Phase II of the building project. The centre also is appealing to the people’s governor to assist it with an access road, a product gallery unit at the centre for entrepreneurs, seed capital, a utility vehicle and an industrial park.”

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, who represented Governor Oshiomhole, promised to convey all the requests made by the manager of the centre to the governor.

He praised the centre for its innovative micro-enterprises in Nigeria, which he described as catalyst for industrialisation.

Those who graduated from the centre are Messrs K. Eraigbor, Kasimu Lucky, Noma Iguisi, Emmanuel Oguekema, Don Marvellous, Emeka Ugwu, Kalu Onyemaechi and Bernard Okpara.

Others are E.D. Ofovwe and Mr. Eghosa Osaikhuiwu.

Some of the graduates were presented with award of excellence for their dedication. Mr. Noma Iguisi, an Industrial Chemist won the centre’s Most Innovative Product Award while Mr. Kasimu Lucky was voted Best Entrepreneur.

Highlight of the ceremony was

•Mrs Momah

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MEMBER of the House of R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s representing Ekiti South West, Ikere and Ise/Orun Federal Constituency, Dr. Ifeoluwa Arowosoge, has marked his first anniversary in Ekiti State legislative chambers with goodies for his people.

The event, which held at Holy Trinity Primary School, Odo Oja, Ikere in Ikere Local Government area of the state, featured distribution of six buses, two apiece to each of the three constituency offices, including 20 motorcycles which the lawmaker said, would strictly be for party works at the constituency level.

The event also witnessed the award of N10,000 scholarship grant to 150 tertiary education students selected across the schools in the constituency. Songs of appreciation filled everywhere for the legislator’s kind gesture.

According to Arowosoge, the

•Dr. Arowosoge

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

buses and motorcycles would serve the need of the members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on party activities.

The lawmaker who distributed materials valued at N45 million noted that the constituents needed to be paid back as a way of appreciating them, disclosing that additional 170 committed party faithful would get N5,000 as a token of appreciation of their support.

Other items distributed included 73 electricity generating sets, 32 spraying machines and an equal number of rain boots.

In attendance at the event included the Chairman, ACN in Ekiti State, High Chief Jide Awe; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu and a host others.

Delivering his address, Arowosoge, said the planned scrapping of the Ministry of Police Affairs and merger of some federal

the signing of MoU between Mr. Noma Iguisi and the Edo State government for the supply of 500 pairs of natural rubber hand gloves which is one of his product portfolios.

Other important dignitaries who attended the event were Mr. Osikhena-Boih Donald, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry as well as high-ranking officials from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, National Board for Technology Incubation and other stakeholders.

The Centre is appealing to the people’s governor to assist it with an access road, a product gallery unit at the centre for entrepreneurs, seed capital, a utility vehicle and an industrial park

Help comes for Anambra •Continued from Page 13

The factory was commissioned in October, 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan which boosts a total workforce of about 1,700.

While speaking with Newsextra, the new managing Director of the station, Oseloka Offor described the gesture as wonderful, adding that it had never had it so good.

He said: “We have been praying to God for something that will power the wheel of broadcasting in the state, it is a thing of joy.

“At Enugwu-ukwu, we will erupt like a volcano that will eclipse other broadcast stations through our entertainment programmes.

“Honestly, it is good that individuals and corporate organisations like Innoson group are springing up everywhere to help our amiable governor, Mr. Peter Obi who has done enough for this station.

“The people of Anambra should take over their property which is ABS and I am using this opportunity to call on other groups and individuals to help the state government of Mr. Obi in lifting this station, we are really going to show class”.

Obi has equally transformed the health sector in the state as well as other sectors.

With the latest acquisition of transmitters, the station is likely to hit the highest decibels.

Ekiti lawmaker gives back to constituency agencies would worsen the security situation of the country.

Arowosoge used the avenue to speak on some burning national issues. He said the planned moves to merge the agencies through possible constitutional amendment would consequently be counter productive.

He noted that the federal government could use state creation and desegregation of the federal police into constituent states to check ongoing insurgencies than rationalising or scrapping strategic establishments.

The member of the House Committee on Agriculture, while reacting to the recommendation of Chief Parry Osayande-led Presidential Committee on the reorganisation of the Nigeria Police, noted that the scrapping of the Police Affairs Ministry would not bring desirable good to the

country.

He added that the FG should put priority more on improving people’s security rather than on how much would be save through the merger.

He disclosed that, in supporting the state government in its job creation drives in the state, he had domiciled N17.6 million with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to train 70 youths in the constituents on small scale industrial management.

Advising the youths to be focused rather than dissipate their energies on unproductive ventures, Arowosoge said participants who would be drawn from the 32 wards making up Ekiti Southwest/IseOrun/ Ikere Federal Constituencies, would be mobilised from the state N17.6 with SMEDAN to set up small scale businesses.

Noting the necessity for exploring agriculture which he saw as fertile and promising for the youths if they could explore it, the lawmaker disclosed he was in talks “with some development partners on how to train some youths in his constituents in farming.”

“It is disheartening that Nigeria is not getting it right in Agriculture.

Even, Israel, which is situated in the desert still rely on Agriculture as

the main stay of its economy.

“Nigeria allocated the sum of N900 billion to the security sector in 2012 budget. If this is spent on youth empowerment and commercial farming for youths, I believe the country will feel the impact better than this.

“It is my wish and plan to assist a minimum of 250 ambitious and interested men and women from this constituency in self employment before 2015”, he said

It is my wish and plan to assist a minimum of 250 ambitious and interested men and women from this constituency in self-employment before 2015

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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NGO trains rural women in Lagos

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SEARLy as 6.30am, thousands of women in Lagos suburbs took to the road heading for a training programme in Ikeja Local Council Development Area.

The women seemed convinced that the world would not wait for anyone who fails to develop himself.

Thus, they trooped out to acquire whatever skill they could at a programme convened by Mrs. Kemi Olofinkua of National Women Builders (NWB), a nongovernmental organisation (NGO).

An estimated 4,000 participants were scheduled for the programme, according to Olofinkua whose organisation partners Corporate Entities for Women Empowerment, another NGO. Olofinkua noted that the annual training programme tagged: “Adding value to womanhood”, was to complement whatever the three tiers government were doing to empower Nigerian women.

She said further that the NGO is poised to help develop women and add value to their lives.

She explained that the massive turnout was typical since the women have always shown great interest in the NGO’s programme in the four

O

SUN State has stepped up efforts to ensure adequate security of lives and properties in all nooks and cranny of the state with the inauguration of communication equipment that will boost rural policing and protect the border towns of the state.

The inauguration of modern communication gadgets built for the Nigerian Police at Odo-Otin Local Government Area and the launch of the local government’s website were strategies to ensure effective policing through seamless communication among the stakeholders.

The state Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs.) Titi Laoye-Tomori, who inaugurated the communication gadgets and website, noted that Osun shares boundaries with five neighbouring states of Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Kwara with the latter serving as the link between the North and

•The women at the event

By Paul Oluwakoya

years of its life.

She, however, described the eagerness shown by Nigerian women to acquire vocational skills as a step in the right direction, as it will help them to augment their family’s income.

She said: “The uniqueness of this year’s programme was not only in dishing out 10 different practical trainings in some lucrative vocational skills to the participants but we have also partnered with some corporate organisations which have enlightened them on the various business opportunities surrounding their products and to

create avenues for them to join our course to support grassroots women in order to alleviate poverty.

“Some of the participants you see here today slept here, are here not just because they want to impress us to get sponsorship into vocational schools or win corporate organisations’ support for their

business but they are tired of depending on their husbands.

“The economy is so bad that most of their husbands are jobless, some of them are widows, but they realised that they are potential employers of labour if they could fully avail themselves of the •Continued on Page 52

Osun boosts grassroots security

By Taofeek Salako

the Western parts of the country.

According to her, Odo-Otin Local Government Area is naturally positioned as the gateway to Kwara State and consequently a major route for vehicles connecting the Northern parts of the country and vice versa.

She further said that it was import investing in the security of lives and properties in the border areas as the task of eliminating crimes and criminal activities cannot be left alone for law enforcement agents.

“Effective communication among law enforcements and the host communities is very vital in the bid to frustrate crimes and criminal activities. This is in recognition of the limitations the Global System

of Mobile Communications (GSM) had posed in the last five years. It is either a locality is outside the coverage area of a service provider or ‘the number you dialed is not responding, please try again later,’” Laoye-Tomori said.

The culture of sophistication with our communication gadgets cannot be over- emphasised in our bid to fight crime.

She urged residents of various communities to be vigilant and promptly report strange movements of persons, goods, services and voices at odd hours of the day and nights to the police, adding that members of the police on their part, should diligently protect residents of their host communities who hitherto were victims of the activities of “men and women of the underworld.”

She commended the new website of the local government as another initiative that would create effective interface for development and security.

“A visit to the website reveals your local government is already on the Facebook and the Twitter, hence the justification for thousands of visitors to the website.

They have been duly informed about different people and dialects of the local government, their major occupations, investment opportunities, education, health, transportation, housing, financial institutions, culture and judiciary,” Laoye-Tomori said.

She added that the website would attract potential investors from different parts of the world not only to Odo Otin but also to the State of Osun urging the people that “the garment of Omoluabi is what you

should put on in your daily endeavors to give us the representations we need to other states of the federation and the international community.”

The deputy governor said it was very exciting to note that the vision and the mission of this administration conceptualized are beginning to yield intended fruits in the nooks and crannies of our great state.

She reiterated the resolve of the government that it would give protection to its people, protect life and property, impose peace and security and maintain law and order.

“It is under this environment that people can enjoy their liberty, engage in fruitful and legitimate economic activities and realise the full potentialities of their personality,” Laoye-Tomori said.

Effective communication among law enforcements and the host communities is very vital in the bid to frustrate crimes and criminal activities. This is in recognition of the limitations the GSM has posed in the last five years

•From left: ACP Kayode Egbetokun, Olokuku of Okuku, Oba Samuel Oyebode, Deputy Governor, Osun State, Mrs. Titi Laoye Tomori and Executive Secretary, Odo-Otin Local Government, Hon. Tope Adejumo at the presentation of modern communications gadgets to the Nigeria Police in Okuku, Osun State

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTERMBER 5, 2012

49

I

N a bid to curb crime committed with commercial motorcycles in Oluyole Local Government area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, the Chairman, Transition Committee of the Council, Mr Ayodeji AbassAleshinloye has opened a database of commercial motorcycles operating in the council.

He said every motorcycle will be numbered and their riders registered for proper administration.

By this, commuters can easily identify government registered motorcycles and riders, thereby making it easier to check crime in the council.

This came as Abass-Aleshinloye distributed 500 free crash helmets and reflective identification jackets to the registered motorcyclists in the local government.

The exercise, which was held at New Garrage area of the city, was part of the projects marking his first anniversary in office.

He said all the commercial cyclists operating within the council area would be given identification numbers that would be conspicuously printed on crash helmets and reflects jackets, adding it is now an offense to be operating commercial motorcycle business in the local government area without putting on the identification kits.

The council boss urged all the commercial motorcycle owners and riders to register their names and motorcycles in the council secretariat, which in turn will be submitted to the security and regulatory bodies, adding that any commercial motorcyclist apprehended without the registration kit will be arrested and persecuted.

Giving account of his stewardship in the last one year, AbassAleshinloye recalled that three weeks after he was sworn in, the council witnessed one of the worst flood disasters in the history of the local government, destroying property worth millions of naira.

But he said the council was able to get over it through the prompt intervention of Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Abass-Aleshinloye said his

•Hon. Abass-Aleshinloye presenting a cash gift to a physically challenged person

Council opens okada database to fight crime From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

tenure has successfully executed several people-oriented projects and programmes which cut across all sectors. They include: education, water supply, agriculture, environmental sanitation, works

We picked the education sector as one of our priority intervention areas within our 100 days in office by donating free books to the 110 primary schools and 46 public secondary schools in the council area

and infrastructure, staff welfare, primary health care services, poverty alleviation, revenue generation, peace and security.

He said: “We picked the education sector as one of our priority intervention areas within our 100 days in office by donating free books to the 110 primary schools and 46 public secondary schools in the council area, also we have renovated in a block of classrooms in three schools and also the building of public toilets for the schools in conjunction with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). There was no functional boreholes within the council areas when I assume office, so within our six months in office

we were able to drill nine boreholes in 9 communities. “ In order to maintain a clean and sustainable environment, I employed 55 street sweepers who have been deployed to ensure the cleanliness of all our major roads and highways. In view of the pivotal role which good roads plays in the socio-economic lives of people, I have carried out a census of vital feeder roads across the 10 wards of the local council, thereafter we identified those that needed urgent rehabilitation, as at today we have completed the asphaltic construction of the Kolajo- Ile sheu, and Abegunde Oremeji roads in Olomi and Odo-Ona areas of the local government, while we have equally awarded contracts for the

construction of reinforced box culverts at Ire Akari Estate, Soka, Bogunbe/Boluwaji, Aba Abo linking Ona Ara Local Government.

Also 250 youths have been empowered through the distribution of income generating equipments and tools to alleviate poverty.”

As part of the activities to mark his first anniversary in office, the council boss commissioned over 20 projects among which including 10 modern public toilets across the council area, a new 16 bedded primary health centre at Ajofeyinbo area, two boreholes at Jaleyemi.

Aleshinloye also empowered over 65 physically challenged people, the aged and the widows with the sum of N700,000

PLWHA network urges action action on HIV in Bayelsa

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ONCERNED by the alarming increase in HIV cases in Bayelsa State, the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs in the state has called on Governor Seriake Dickson to drive the campaign to prevent new infections and manage existing cases.

The network spoke through a member, Mr. Alfanso Olotu, who disclosed that over 150,000 people have been infected in the state.

He, however, commended Dickson for sending a bill to the state Assembly to upgrade the Action Committee on Aids (SACA) to an agency, but noted that there has been no activity at the agency.

According to him, for over eight months now, the agency

•Pensioners of the Nigerian Railway Corporation during their verification exercise in Lagos

From Isaac Ombe,Yenagoa

has no office in the state because its rent has expired, and there no drugs to administer to people living the virus whose number is quite huge in every hospital in the state.

The stipends given to PLWHA during the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the state has stopped ane people have been dying of the ailment everyday.

“This is a clarion call to the executive governor of Bayelsa Chief Hon. Seriake Dickson to act right and quick by turning the Bayelsa State HIV/AIDS situation around by not only making public pronouncements on his readiness to fight the HIV scourge but by showing a •Continued on Page 50

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

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Imo gives N10m loan to tricycle operators

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N fulfilment of his campaign promises; Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has empowered tricycle (keke) operators in the state with an interest-free revolving loan of N10m.

The governor, while handing over the cheque to the executive of the operators at Government House Owerri, said the loan would

bring about positive changes in their lives.

Okorocha, who was represented by the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Hon. Uche Nwosu, urged the beneficiaries to pay back to the union at the end of the stipulated time for others to also benefit.

According to him, the loan will assist them to repair their tricycles,

The loan will assist them to repair their tricycles, foot the bills for any member under hire purchase and take care of other pressing needs…It would be unfair to abuse the benevolence and magnanimity of the governor

•Continued from Page 49

strong leadership character and dexterity through his HIV/AIDS “The Bayelsa public is sick of a known ailment with a known solution,” Olotu said, but government seems not to have acted accordingly.

He decried that a “state with a population of about 1.7million and a HIV prevalence of 9.1 runs the risk of being exterminated within a very short period of time if urgent measures are not put in place to contain the scourge”.

Further regretting the large number of people being infected daily, Olotu noted that in every passing minute, more than six persons in the state are newly infected with HIV. “This ugly situation is orchestrated by the complete abandonment of the HIV project in the state. For about eight months now, HIV testing has been on a halt. No HIV test-kits can be found in any health facility in the state. Those on drugs have been without drugs for eight months now,” informed Olotu who further decried that HIV/AIDS public education and awareness campaigns in the state have not commenced for

foot the bills for any member under hire purchase and take care of other pressing needs.

He, however, advised them to ensure judicious and prudent management of the loan, even as he stated that it would be unfair to abuse the benevolence and magnanimity of the governor.

Hon. Uche further explained that the loan was made possible as a result of Okorocha’s passionate feelings about their plight, noting that such money, in the past, would have been used to service one political godfather or more.

He also announced the commencement of the free petrol for them, which was stopped for some unknown reasons.

Continuing, he warned them to beware of critics of the governor who are desperate to heat–up the polity, explaining that such politicians do not mean well for

our dear state.

“They only storm the state to cause trouble after that they will bounce back to their base in Abuja, leaving the people to suffer and the government to struggle to find its feat,” Nwosu stated.

Contributing, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Nonformal Sector, Mr. Stanley Dike described the gesture as a promise made and fulfilled, noting that it was part of their experiences of true democracy dividends in the rescue mission of Governor Okorocha.

Mr. Dike also used the opportunity to urge the operators to help checkmate security lapses as disgruntled elements from the opposition camp have vowed to destabilise the state.

In his remarks, the chairman of the operators Mr. Austin Chikere, who received the cheque on behalf

•Governor Okorocha of the association, promised to utilise the fund prudently. He thanked the governor for keeping to his promise.

PLWHA network urges action on HIV in Bayelsa 2012. All civil societies and HIV/AIDS collaborating partners and other service providers have packed out of the state. The entire state has just one CD4 Count Machine at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobi”.

He expressed dismay that “Whereas the World Health Organisation is considering making the globally acclaimed N10,000 monthly nutritional support scheme for Bayelsans living with HIV/AIDS introduced by Mr. President during his tenure as Governor Bayelsa State mandatory for member nations, the programme has been on hold for over eight months in the state”.

“Can’t a laudable programme that is germane to the survival of the people be sustained?” he asked and pointed out that hospitals in the state are flooded with HIV infected persons who are left unattended due to lack of drugs, and expressed fears that the state government’s clarion call on investors to come to the state may not see the light of day if the burning issue of HIV/AIDS

was not addressed in accordance with the prevailing situation scourge in the state.

“Efforts by the state government in woo foreign investors may hit the rocks as Bayelsa HIV crisis is comparable to those of Uganda and Kenya which forced investors to pack out of those countries because the threat and ravaging effect of HIV affected every house-hold and businesses”, he noted.

Further expressing concern over the cause of inaction on the Bayelsa HIV Project, Olotu asked, “Is it lack of funds, lack of Political will or a low value attached to the lives of Bayelsans by those in leadership positions in the state? Or is the health of the state not among key priority areas. Time is running out and quick action is required”.

He also called on President to be interested in HIV case in the state, saying “is Bayelsa not the home state of Mr. President?, where is the President of Nigeria, is Mr. President aware that Bayelsa State’s HIV prevalence is 9.1%? Is he aware

•Some youths examining particles of an exploded bomb in Sabon Layi area of Gombe metropolis

that Bayelsans are dying of HIV/ AIDS, or does he not see the danger that lurks around his home? HIV/AIDS used to be Mr. President’s darling project as Governor of Bayelsa state.

During his time as governor, the world held Bayelsa State in high esteem, owing to the premium he attached to health, especially HIV/AIDS.”

Efforts by the state government in woo foreign investors may hit the rocks as Bayelsa HIV crisis is comparable to those of Uganda and Kenya which forced investors to pack out of those countries

ACN national leadership urged to intervene in Delta crises

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H A I R M A N S H I P aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Delta State, Chief Tony Erukeme has urged the national leadership of the party to speedily intervene in what he called the crisis in the state chapter by removing officials installed by the then leadership of Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, former governorship aspirant of the party.

Erukeme said such action will prevent the party from being ruined in the state.

He was speaking at the OtorhoAgbon, headquarters of Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.

Erukeme made the call while addressing party supporters from the eleven wards of the local government, saying there was need to put the state ACN house in order in order to be able to sweep the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of office in 2015 as well as in the forthcoming local government elections.

It has been said that for ACN to progress in Delta State, the national body should work closely with Senator Adego Eferakeya, who is said to have suffered much in the hands of fake ACN members.

Erukeme agreed with this position, describing some parading themselves as ACN card-carrying members as moles planted by the PDP to destabilise Delta ACN. Erukeme further called on his supporters to be wary of unserious followers in the wards because they are

•Chief Tony Erukeme

everywhere to cause confusion.

Erukeme said going by the one man one vote campaign, only those who are honest and transparent will make it at the end of the day.

While calling on the people of Ethiope East to embrace the wind of change and support ACN and its vision for a better and purposeful administration, Erukeme explained that his ambition for the local government is to ensure he brings government closer to the people at the grassroots.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

We intend to partner with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in providing facilities at the major train stations in the state. By doing this we will also be providing a conducive environment for the commuters

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HE Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has devised a programme aimed at preventing financial wastage and ensuring effective utililisation of available facilities.

The corporation is refurbishing most of its disused coaches nationwide, utilising mostly its personnel in workshops across the country, with little recourse to external hands.

Of the 117 of such coaches earmarked for refurbishment under the programme’s first phase, 18 were recently fully refurbished and have been put to use on the Minna-Kaduna-Minna Mass Transit Scheme.

Launching the refurbished coaches in Minna, Niger State, the Commissioner for Transportation, Abubakar Mohammed praised the decision by the NRC management to utilize its in-house personnel in putting the coaches back on the rail.

He said aside the job to be created by the new scheme, functional train will ease commuter movement along the corridor currently being covered.

Mohammed assured the corporation of the state government’s support in providing facilities like water, information, communication and telecommunication facilities in passengers the Minna main train terminus.

“I feel great because this is starting in our time, and because residents of this state will benefit from the service. I urge the Federal Government to pay more attention to the development of the railway sector. This will go a long way in reducing the hardship being encountered by commuters.

“We intend to partner with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in providing facilities at the major train stations in the state. By doing this we will also be providing a conducive environment for the commuters.

“The FG is dredging the Baro River and the road is terribly bad.

So, we urge the FG to upgrade the railway facility on that axis to ease operations at the port that is being built there.

NRC’s Director of Operations, Niyi Alli explained that the corporation’s decision to resort to in-house maintenance of its coaches was informed by the need to safe cost and ensure effective utilasation of existing facilities in the organisation’s workshop across the country.

•NRC technicians at work in Zaria workshop

NRC technicians refurbish coaches

By Eric Ikhilae

He said the 18 coaches launched in Minna, repaired at the corporation’s Zaria workshop, had both its interior and exterior facilities fully refurbished.

“The good thing about our decision to engage in-house experts in the repair of our coaches is an attempt to return to the good old days of the railway where everything is done in-house.

“We are looking at restarting our local workshops where the staff and expertise are in-house to the railway. The decision is intended to enable us to be able to maintain our facilities in future. It is cheaper.

And it is a long term thing.

“Under this project, a total of 117 coaches and wagon will be refurbished across the country. The intention is to improve the quality of customers’ experience. And we are going to do this nationwide.

This is just phase one,” he said.

Alli added that “similar thing will be happening in Lagos, where we will be re furbishing all the coaches currently being used for the Mass Transit Train service (MTT). We will do the same in Ilorin and Kaduna in the next few weeks.

“We are also working on others to be dedicated to the Lagos-Kano route. That will be launched in a

couple of weeks,” he said Alli said the delay in the commencement of the Lagos-Kano train services is being delayed by the repair works on Bridge 73, just close to Minna. He said repair works on the Akere Bridge has been concluded and that trial runs of train have commenced.

He said measures have been put in place to enhanced security of passengers and their property on the trains.

“We are improving on our security measures by having additional patrol of the rail tracks, we are in the process of installing scanning devices on train and stations and also increase the number of our security personnel.

On plans to enhance personnel’s capability, Alli said the corporation was working on succession planning aimed at ensuring that old and retiring personnel are promptly replaced.

NGO trains rural women in Lagos •Continued from Page 48

•Bauchi State Head of Service, Mr Abdon D. Gin (left), and Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Alhaji Hashimu Dori, at a news conference on joint public service negotiation council on the N18,000 minimum wage in Bauchi

valuable information and opportunities to income generating and diversification that we bring to them. They want training to enable them run their own businesses and be self-reliant.”

She added, however, that it is high time government did more in providing the enabling environment for career and rural women to excel in their various trades. According to her, women in the rural areas across the country are not only living as wives and mothers; they are also labouring to provide food that nourishes the nation’s workforce.

“Women constitute approximately 40% population of a nation. If she is given the task for the development of the country, she can make a wonder. She is more dedicated, more hard-working, more sincere, more devoted to the cause. Many social evils like dowry, illiteracy among the females, killing of the girl-child in the womb, ignoring the hygienic values, police etc. can well be tackled by the active involvement of

women,” she said According to Mrs Funke Ishola a participant, 34, from Makoko who attended one of the training exercises carried out in the program shared her experience saying wire works is lucrative and their is awesome market for it. “I have been looking for opportunity to be a master on wire works, I am a full house wife with two kids, though i run my own petty trading but i have always desire a vocation. I like to make earrings, necklace, wrist chain with my hand and sell. A lot of ladies now like the wire bead fashion and the metals that could damage either the ear or the neck. All the knowledge I need to start my market I have acquired it. I will only need to persuade my husband for the toking capital. I will be doing the business with exploit for more challenging vocations.” she said But the factors militating against their urge is the lack of opportunity around their convenience, as there is hardly one around them, they often have their ears in the air in search for one they could avail of.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

53

NEWS FIRS sues five firms

Five firms get N25b for SURE-P C projects ONTRACTORS handling the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme fund (SURE-P) projects have been paid N25 billion, it was learnt yesterday.

The SURE-P office in Abuja also said the committee headed by Dr. Christopher Kolade has approved the appointment of workers supporting the programme on Maternal and Child Health

From Nduka Chiejina, (Assistant Editor)

in some states.

The contractors who benefited from the N25 billion pay out include Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company-for handling the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road (Abuja-Sheda junction) and the 510-kilometre Kano-Maiduguri (Kano-Wudil-Shuarin) Road dualisation scheme.

Also paid was the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), handlers of the rail project running from Idu-Kaduna and the Jebba-Kano rail line rehabilitation.

Other companies according to a statement were Messrs Raynold Construc-

tion, co handlers of the EastWest road section 3(Port Harcourt-Eket) and BeninOre-Shagamu section 1.

Reserved West Africa was paid for the Eastern rail line projects from Port Harcourt-Markurdi and Nigeria Construction Limited for the Enugu-Onitsha road dualisation.

Costain West Africa was paid for the Abuja-Lokoja road.

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

T •Dr. Kolade

Deadline for PHCN on metres From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

T

HE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has given the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) an 18 months deadline to ensure every house has a metre.

The Head of the Southsouth Zonal office of NERC, Marcellina Abang, told reporters in Calabar yesterday, that they have been working assiduously towards ensuring that there is a metre in every house.

She said, “We are trying to rectify the absence of metres.

Some houses do not have metres and those ones are being given estimated bills.

Estimated bills must follow a particular modality to arrive at the estimate and we have also come out with regulations guiding them in case they need to give you an estimated bill.

Fayemi’s lawyer writes Compass, NULGE over ‘libellous publication’ From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

E

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi may sue The Nigerian Compass and the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) over libellous publication.

The governor, through his counsel, Mr. Rafiu Balogun, has written Western Publishing Company, publishers of The Nigerian Compass, and NULGE. He is demanding a retraction of what he called “tendentious and irresponsible publications”.

The letter followed the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum the governor gave the newspaper and NULGE to retract the allegation or be prepared to defend it in court.

•Members of the Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria taking the oath of office at the third induction in Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

Ajimobi calls for conference on threats to journalism practice O

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday canvassed the convocation of a general conference by Nigerian media practitioners to deliberate on emerging developments that threaten the profession.

The governor said this has become necessary because of the challenges the profession faces.

He noted that if they are not addressed with utmost urgency, they could adversely affect the profession and rubbish the integrity of the practitioners.

Ajimobi spoke in Ibadan, the state capital, at the launch of a book: A Servant to His Colleagues, written by a veteran journalist, Mr. Tunde Akingbade, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre.

Speaking through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Bosun Oladele, the governor

drew the attention of media practitioners to the emerging trend in the profession - online media.

He said: “A few months ago, the whole world woke up to the news of the great and influential 79-year-old Newsweek announcing the shutdown of its hard copy edition and stating that it would soon begin to publish online.”

Ajimobi expressed concern over “great threat” that the current global economic downturn poses to newspapers across the globe, particularly in Nigeria.

He said: “In Nigeria, the first and most daunting attack to the sustenance of hard copy newspaper publication is the shrinking purchasing power of the Naira and the terse purses of Nigerians.

“In those days, newspapers

were available in every home, especially in the highly educated Southern part of the country. Today, because of the poverty in the land, purchasing newspapers is a big task.

This has ensured that the print run of many Nigerian newspapers has dwindled considerably, ultimately affecting the fortune of newspaper houses.

“Indeed, there is this allegation that the print runs of all newspapers in Nigeria today cannot be compared to the 500,000 and 200,000 copies of the Sunday Times and the Sunday Tribune of the early 1980s.”

The governor identified the availability of same stories on the internet as another reason that newspaper publication in Nigeria are under threat.

“Many newspaper readers do not have to purchase hard copies of newspapers but resort to reading the content of the news online. This has affected the fortune of newspapers greatly. Many great newspapers, like Next 234, have had to close shop due to the capital intensive nature of newspaper publication and the dwindling returns from advertisements and circulation,” he said.

Though he said online publications requires less capital and 24-hour availability of news to readers, the governor identified the infiltration of non-professionals and all manner of people into journalism as one of the greatest challenges posed by the new trend to the profession.

The governor noted that this has swelled the ranks of falsehood peddlers and character assassins of the elite without verification of their reports.

We won’t finance projects with bond, says Amosun

O

GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday said despite the unwarranted “obsession with bond” by fifth columnists and a section of the people, his administration would not go for it to finance capital projects.

The governor, who is a chartered accountant, noted that though bond, a financial instrument, is good and has been explored by some sister states to meet their fiscal challenges, it is not currently a viable option for the Gateway State.

According to him, the crippling N87billion debt burden the former administration of Gbenga Daniel left behind has made it impossible that any

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

such bond proposal would be approved by relevant agencies, such as the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), among others.

Amosun, who addressed reporters through the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, with the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the “financial recovery of the state is on course”.

He explained that because of the various socio-economic and capital projects billed to be

•‘Ogun not ripe for N100b bond’ undertaken by the government, Ogun State may opt for short term financial instruments such as “promissory notes” and treasury bills provided it enjoyed legal backing from the state House of Assembly. We have said we will borrow for capital projects, we will not borrow for anything else. We will maintain that discipline.

“I learnt that they said we want to do N100 billion bond.

If we want to do N100 billion bond, we must have a project that we want to use it for and we don’t have that. But right now, we believe that we are not

ready for bond, so we have to look for other ways to finance our infrastructure. And at the moment, there are a lot of contractors that are willing to partner with us.

“There is no hidden agenda. We are not running away from bond. I think there is an obsession with bond in Ogun State. We’ve been trying to be more creative than that. Bond is very, very good. Many of our sister-states have bonds. But we came in Ogun State, the debt was so high, the income was so low that I just felt that this is a waste of time.

“It will take us one year to do a bond and I’m not sure we would raise much. So, why don’t we try and repair the finances of the state, then we can look at our options. So, we are not running away from bond, we are not scared of the approval process, we simply don’t think that bond is the only option at the moment and we don’t think bond is our appropriate option at the moment.

“Let me address the issue of bond further because it has come out; we have not applied for a bond. I worked with one of the issuing houses for the Lagos State bond. I’ve done a number of bonds. Bond is a very long process.

HE Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) yesterday sued five companies before the Northeast Tax Appeal Tribunal in Bauchi for non-payment of taxes between 2001 and 2007.

The companies are: Gombe Pharmaceutical Chemist Limited, Maiduguri International Hotel, Yarimari Guest lodge, BB Investment limited, and Confer Laundry Services.

FIRS alleged that the firms did not pay the Company Income Tax CIT, Withholding Tax (WHT) , Education Tax (EDT), Value Added Tax (VAT) ,a default that attracts a penalty of over N 29 million.

Counsel to the plaintiff, AA Alhassan told the tribunal that Gombe Pharmaceutical was owing over N5.3 million taxes for between 2001 and 2006. He alleged that Yari Mari Guest Lodge refused to pay N711,572 from 2006- 2010,while BB Investment was yet to pay N330,181,.27 .

Confer Services Ltd paid its tax out of time but has to pay N350,000 penalty fees to FIRS. Maiduguri International has to pay N19.7 million owed between 2001 and 2006. The counsel urged the Tribunal to compel the companies to pay the monies.

In their separates submissions, counsel to the companies raised preliminary objections to the charges and alleged that they are not suppose to pay the amount as charged.

Yakubu J Nama, the Deputy Director, Litigations, Borno State, who stood in for Maiduguri International Hotel, argued that the 30 exhibits presented before the tribunal by the appellants were photocopy not certified true copy(CTC).

In his ruling, Justice Suleiman Audu ordered the FIRS to file the CTC of the documents within 30 days.

‘Govt has no business doing business’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

C

HAIRMAN of the Oodu’a Investment Company Limited, Chief Sharafadeen Alli has attributed the failure of public ventures to government’s political interests in the transaction of businesses.

He said the government has no business in doing business, adding that the rapid growth of the newly industrialised economies has been underpinned by high levels of private sector activities.

Sharafadeen spoke yesterday after delivering a lecture entitled: “Industrialisation of the Nigerian Economy: The Role of the Private Sector” at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Ibadan Network station’s guest of the months programme.

According to him, majority of the government ownedcompanies are primarily controlled by individuals with no professional experience in the field, and who are basically concerned in protecting their own political interest at the expense of the company’s future.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 4-9-12

Union Bank trades 2.27b shares at N12.7b

U

NION Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc was the toast of the stock market yesterday as investors bought 2.27 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each valued at N12.74 billion. The shares were exchanged in 99 deals, representing 13.4 per cent of the outstanding shares of the bank.

The cross deals suspected to have been bought from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) by the core investors in Union Bank to consolidate their holdings reinforced investors’ confidence in the bank. Consequently, transactions pushed Union Bank’s share price by 4.86 per cent to N5.61 per share.

Transactions on Union Bank coloured the overall market situation with the deals on the bank accounting for 95.4 per cent and 92.7 per cent of total volume in the banking sector and aggregate turnover respectively.

With this, the banking sector recorded a turnover of 2.38 billion shares valued at N13.72 billion in 2,506 deals. This accounted for 97.14 per cent of aggregate market turnover of 2.45 billion shares valued at N14.58 billion in 4,598 deals.

The market remained on the upswing with 34 stocks appreciating as against 19 that depreciated. The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), spiraled upward to

•Market remains on upswing

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

24,012.57 points from its opening index of 23,864.05 points.

Aggregate market value of all quoted equities also rose from N7.596 trillion to N7.643 trillion.

Mobil Oil Nigeria led the advancers with a gain of N2.99 to close at N114.50. Guinness Nigeria rose by N2.50 to close at N255 while Flour Mills of Nigeria placed third with a gain of N2.27 to close at N57.77.

However, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria led the slackers with a drop of N1 to close at N30.80. Arbico followed with a loss of 60 kobo to close at N11.50 while UAC of Nigeria dropped by 49 kobo to close at N36 per share.

Market analysts said keen interests in shares of Union Bank were indications of improving investors’ confidence in the bank, which had rode on the back of the success of its recapitalisation and restructuring to grow group net profit by 69 per cent to about N8 billion in the first quarter of this year.

Interim report and accounts of Union Bank for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 showed that group bottom-line performance was driven by significant improvement in the profitability of the bank, which net profit rose by 127.2 per cent to N6.32 billion in 2012 as

against N2.78 billion in 2011.

Group net profit thus spiraled upward to N7.62 billion in 2012 compared with N4.51 billion in corresponding period of 2011.

The report, presented in compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS), showed that the bank’s profit before tax rose from N3.92 billion in 2011 to N4.87 billion, thus pushing group’s pre-tax profit to N6.38 billion.

Earnings analysis showed a bright outlook for the bank with basic earnings per share of N1.17 in first quarter 2012 compared with 18 kobo posted in comparable period of 2011 and a loss per share of N14.06 recorded for the full-year ended December 31, 2011.

With the first quarter net earnings indicating earnings yield of more than 26 per cent at current share price on the secondary market, the report showed impressive investment outlook for the bank. Annualised, the first quarter earnings implied probable basic earnings per share of N4.68 for the full year ending December 31, 2012, showing greater prospects with earnings yield of some 106 per cent at current market consideration.

The report showed that Union Bank continued to improve on the efficiency and profitability of its core banking operations as net interest margin improved from 72.9 per cent to 74 per cent. Interest income stood at N20.8 billion while net interest income was N15.33 billion. Net fee and commission income rose from N3.33 billion to N6.63 billion, representing an increase of 99 per cent.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 4-9-12

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

Nigeria’s consumer market estimated at N15 trillion

N

IGERIA’S consumer market is estimated at N15 trillion with the food and drinks accounting for the largest component. This was disclosed by the Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Limited in its August Economic Report obtained by The Nation.

FDC Managing Director, Bismark Rewane said that with a population of approximately 168 million people, majority of which are in the 16 to 35 age bracket, Nigeria remains the eighth most populous in the world with a growing consumption base.

He said that the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector has benefited the most from this young burgeoning population. The sector grew 10 per

T

Stories by Collins Nweze

cent from 2000 until 2010, with its contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing from 13 per cent to 24.3 per cent over the same period. He said the FMCG sector remains one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy such as reiterating that opportunities still exists in this sector.

“The size of the market is heavily influenced by the country’s demographic dynamics and the profound influence that western culture is having on consumer tastes. The changing consumer taste has led to food items like pasta and noodles, which are not of Nigerian origin to now make up a significant portion of the

strongest contributor to revenue and profit line. The food segment contributed 75.5 per cent of group revenue in the first quarter of 2012, up from 66.3 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year. Of the total, profit before tax and general costs, the food segment accounted for 85.5 per cent of the total, which is significantly higher than the 49.4 per cent contribution in the same period last year.

Rewane noted that cement segment of the business saw a decline of 91.1 per cent in revenue as an import ban on cement impacted heavily on the company’s inventory. Stripping out the cement segment of the business, FMN’s revenue grew by a whopping 26 per cent.

population’s diet as well as consumer spend. This positions the flour millers at the forefront of opportunities in the country,” he said.

Consequently Rewane placed ‘buy’ call on Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, adding that there are several things going in favour of the company.

“Fundamentals are stack in favour of the company, a diverse portfolio of business, a real long-term growth prospect with a series of projects coming out of infancy stage. The firm’s market position, size and the strength of its brand makes it a compelling ‘buy’ for long-term investors,” he said.

The FDC boss said the food unit of the business remains the

NIBSS implements fraud control measure

HE Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said it is taking measures aimed at reducing the volume and value of fraud perpetrated in the Nigerian banking sector.

NIBSS Executive Director, Operations, Niyi Ajao said one way it is achieving this objective is through the use of its anti-fraud portal developed by the firm to check financial frauds in the Nigerian banking sector.

He said the portal became exigent following complaints by banks using the NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP), which allows customers transfer funds on its secured platform.

The portal he said was designed to enable chief inspectors of banks to report fraud

cases, and for other approved banks’ officials as well as regulatory bodies view reported cases of fraud.

Ajao, who spoke at the Nigerian Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) held in Lagos, said the portal has two categories of users. The first is chief inspectors of banks, and they are the only users that can create report on fraud incidence. The other categories are labeled users only,

as they can only view the fraud reports for their own official use.

This category, he said, comprise banks’ chief executive officers or designated senior management officials, regulatory officials such as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

He said the fraud reports on

TANDARD Bank will press ahead with expensive plans to open another 30 branches in subSaharan Africa this year, aiming to cash in on booming loan and deposit growth even as the costs of such investment hit its bottom line.

Africa’s biggest bank by

assets, Standard is 20 per cent owned by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

It blamed a below-forecast nine per cent increase in firsthalf profit on costs of investment.

“It really has been grow-

S

the portal will contain name, account details, picture of the suspected fraudsters (for individuals) or the Registration number (for corporate). It will also contain the type of fraud and when it was committed as well as the amount involved.

He the portal also has a news update segment, where chief inspectors of banks can use to immediately alert the industry about fraud or robbery cases.

ing rapidly and we’ve continued to invest, which is part of the reason for the cost growth that you’ve seen,” Chief Executive Jacko Maree told Reuters Insider, referring to its 16 operations across the continent.

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 4-8-12 SYMBOL

JBERGER INTBREW OKOMUOIL CADBURY UBN ETERNA NPFMCRFBK BAGCO FO MAYBAKER

O/PRICE

28.00 8.80 32.50 18.74 5.35 2.30 1.05 1.50 10.47 1.39

C/PRICE

29.40 9.24 34.12 19.67 5.61 2.41 1.10 1.57 10.95 1.45

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

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

O/PRICE 12.10 6.68 0.89 1.37 0.72 1.19 1.80 0.63 31.80 10.00

C/PRICE 11.50 6.35 0.85 1.31 0.69 1.15 1.74 0.61 30.80 9.70

CHANGE 0.60 0.33 0.04 0.06 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.02 1.00 0.30

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

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

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 4-8-12

SYMBOL ARBICO MORISON TRANSCORP CUTIX UTC CUSTODYINS RTBRISCOE CONTINSURE GLAXOSMITH UAC-PROP

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

1.40 0.44 1.62 0.93 0.26 0.11 0.05 0.07 0.48 0.06

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

“But if you look at the profitability in Africa you saw the profits growing by some 80 per cent, just looking at the on-the-ground banks on the continent, which is a very big jump.”

there was some late demand. The currency earlier rallied on speculation that oil companies were going to sell dollars in the market, Gadio said.

Fuel imports have been a source of pressure on the naira, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, with the country relying on imports to meet more than 70 percent of domestic fuel needs because of a lack of refining capacity.

The yield on Nigeria’s seven per cent domestic bonds due October 2019 dropped 29 basis points to 13.52 per cent, according to Monday’s data on the Financial Markets Dealers Association website. Yields on the nation’s $500 million of Eurobonds due January 2021 slid seven basis points to 4.89 per cent yesterday.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

OBB Rate Call Rate

T

HE naira fell for a third day against the dollar on the Nigerian interbank market as import demand increased.

The currency fell 0.2 per cent to N158.5 to a dollar. The naira has advanced 2.4 per cent this year, the best performer in Africa according to data compiled

by Bloomberg.

An emerging markets strategist in London at Standard Bank Group Ltd., Samir Gadio, said

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

•Rewane

price. Notwithstanding, FDC boss said the first quarter results are an indication that Flour Mills Nigeria’s business is sustainable even without the cement segment.

Naira falls as import dollar demand climbs

Standard Bank’s costs hamper profit

FGN BONDS

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

Rewane said that although the 2011 was a bad year for Flour Mills Nigeria shares 2012 has not been any better.

“While the firm’s peers in the food production sector have seen significant rerating of their share price this year, its share price remain submerged under the waters. The second-biggest flour miller in the country, Dangote Flour Mills Plc has witnessed a 25 per cent appreciation in its share price, while 20.55 per cent of FMN’s share value has been wiped out this year,” he said.

He explained that losses at the cement plant coupled with soaring wheat prices have blurred outlook for the company and have resulted in a lower target

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Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 124.37 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 100.11 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.77 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.10 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.93 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,740.52 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 9.75 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 8,308.39 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 124.22 108.78 0.74 1.10 0.91 1,737.02 9.28 1.33 1.80 8,036.24 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

56

NEWS Asaba bomb scare: Uduaaghan says no cause for alarm

Cross River ACN demands appeal panel

A

T

FETISH object, mistaken for an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), yesterday caused a scare in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The strange-looking object was discovered on the premises of the Cabinet Office Complex, close to the official residence of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

The incident coincided with the visit of the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police, Zone 5, Mr. Hashim Argungu, to the state.

A street sweeper, Mrs. Caroline Iseh, discovered the object at the entrance of the complex about 6am.

Explianing in Pidgin English, Mrs. Iseh said: “I see the carton for dis place and I tink say na sacrifice, but as I come see the clock dey tick, na I remember Boko Haram people. I com go call the security man and im come call police. I run comot make the ting no go explode before police come (I saw the carton at that place and thought it was a sacrifice, but when I saw the clock ticking, I remembered the Boko Haram sect. I reported to the security man and he notified the police. I ran away before the police arrived, because I was afraid that the object might explode).”

When men of the Police Bomb Disposal Unit arrived, they cordoned off the area and removed the object.

They said the object was not an IED and urged the people to go about their daily activities with-

RSUST to begin exams on Sept 17 From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

THE second semester examination of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, will begin on September 17, despite the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

In a statement yesterday, the institution’s Registrar, Mrs. Daba Odimabo, said the decision was reached at the 189th regular meeting of the Senate, which resolved that “there will be no amendment in the calendar of academic activities for the 2011/ 2012 academic session.”

The registrar said she had been directed to inform all staff of the university to go about their duties diligently.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

•Uduaghan (second left), Aduba (third left) and others at the scene...yesterday. Inset: The object.

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

out fear.

Uduaghan inspected the object at the Government House and said it was a fetish object.

Flanked by Commis-

sioner of Police Ikechukwu Aduba and other senior police officers, the governor said: “From the anti-bomb experts, there is no way this could have exploded because there is no explosive inside.

The watch is not con-

nected to any power source.

“Some people just put some things together like a juju house. It is a fetish object. There is no bomb in Asaba and it will not come

by God’s grace.

“But we need to improve

on intelligence gathering. I urge the public to report any strange object around your environment to security agents.”

However, workers failed to go into the complex. They gathered in clusters discussing the incident.

Edo Election Tribunal assures parties of fairness

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HE Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, headed by Justice Suleiman Ambrusa, yesterday held its inaugural sitting on the petition by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 governorship election, Maj.-Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd).

Other members of the panel are Justices Esor Teetito and Danlami Senchi.

Airhiavbere is challenging the victory of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the election.

He is claiming that the election was marred by irregularities and challenging the authenticity of the governor’s educational qualifications.

Justice Ambrusa urged counsel to the parties to co-

•PDP withdraws from petition From Osemwengie Ogbemudia and Osagie Otabor, Benin

operate with the tribunal to ensure a speedy hearing of the petition.

He warned them against delaying the proceedings with “technicalities”.

Justice Ambrusa said: “We solicit your cooperation throughout the proceedings and assure you that we will abide by our oaths of office.

We will be fair to the parties and ensure that justice is done.

“We will not succumb to any form of intimidation in the delivery of our duties.

We urge counsel to give the best to your clients to ensure fairness in the temple of justice. Do not hang on certain

Bayelsa monarch freed From Isaac Ombe,Yenagoa

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HE Head of the Okordia Clan in Bayelsa State, King Richard Seiba, who was kidnapped in Ikarama about two weeks ago, has been released.

Seiba was abandoned in the creeks of Amassoma about 11pm on Monday.

Police spokesman Fidelis Odunna said the police trailed the hoodlums to Amassoma Creek, where the gunmen abandoned the monarch and fled.

technicalities to delay this matter.”

Airhiavbere was represented by Mr. Efe Akpofure (SAN) and 12 others.

Mr. Rickey Tafar (SAN), Mr. Niyi Akintola (SAN), Mr. Omoruyi Omonuwa (SAN) and seven others represented Oshiomhole.

Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), Mr. Ken Mozia (SAN) and Mr. Rotimi Ogunreso (SAN) led the ACN’s legal team.

PDP’s counsel Mr. Kingsely Obamogie urged the court to remove the party from the petition.

Obamogie argued that Akpofure did not get the PDP’s permission before including the party in the petition.

He added that the party does not wish to challenge the election result.

The panel granted Obamogie’s application and removed the PDP from the petition.

Justice Ambrusa urged parties to file all applications before the pre-hearing period, adding that there would be no adjournments during the hearing.

He said: “Whatever is the case, there would be no adjournments once we start. We must finish our work within the stipulated time. Let us abide by the simple procedure we have agreed on with counsel.”

Justice Ambrusa said the date for the commencement of the hearing would be communicated to the parties. He urged the petitioner to get his witnesses ready for the hearing.

Speaking with reporters after the sitting, Deputy Governor Pius Odubu said he had confidence in the tribunal.

He said: “Looking at the credibility and capacity of the panellists, I am confident that justice would be served. I think Airhiavbere should be encouraged to withdraw his petition, as his party did, because there is absolutely nothing in it.”

Edo ACN Chairman Thomas Okosun said: “It is very clear that the people of Edo State voted for Oshiomhole on July 14 and any attempt to overturn the people’s decision is an exercise in futility. I assure you that the result we got in the poll is what we will get at the tribunal.”

PDP leaders were not in court.

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Cross River State has decried the alleged reluctance of the President of the Appeal Court to set up an appeal panel after the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal ruled in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on July 17.

The ACN had challenged the PDP on the grounds that it did not conduct a fresh primary election after Governor Liyel Imoke was removed from office by the January 27, 2012, Supreme Court judgment, which also sacked four other governors.

The PDP had its primary election on January 23.

The ACN, on March 23, filed a petition challenging the declaration of Imoke as the winner of the February 25 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The ACN and its candidate, Mr. Usani Usani, challenged the validity of Imoke’s nomination as the PDP’s candidate in the election.

The ACN argued that having failed to conduct a fresh primary election, the PDP did not qualify to present a candidate in the election.

ACN Chairman Hillard Eta, in a statement yesterday, said: “Allow me to bring to the notice of the world that over 48 days after the judgment of the governorship election tribunal in Calabar, the Acting President of the Court of Appeal is yet to set up an appeal panel to enable the ACN seek a review of the obnoxious and unacceptable pronouncements of the tribunal. “It is instructive that after 60 days, the case shall be consigned to history and I suspect that this is what the PDP and its collaborators in the judiciary want.

“We urge Nigerians to join us in calling on the Acting President of the Court of Appeal to do the needful without delay and constitute the appeal panel immediately.

“We are aware of the devices of the conservative reactionaries to totally conscript the judiciary into an enterprise that would destroy us all. But we shall not sit by and allow our community to be consumed by such.

“We intend to be lawabiding, only if those who tend to our laws present them to us unadulterated and undefiled. Any design not to do so is to invite us to anarchy and we shall respond most appropriately.

“Normally, when you finish from the tribunal, there must be an appeal panel set up by the President of the Appeal Court to allow parties, who are not satisfied with the judgment of the tribunal, to express their grievances. From there, you move on to the Supreme Court.

“We have just a few days to go now because the judgment was given on July 17 and the law is that you have to appeal within 60 days.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

57

NEWS Awka NBA chair condemns purported sack From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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HAIRMAN of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in Awka, Anambra State, Chief Stanley Mbanaso has condemned his purported sack by some members of the association.

Some members have accused Mbanaso of misappropriating the association’s funds and usurping the functions of the executive committee.

They alleged that he failed to render account of his stewardship, 13 months after he assumed office.

At the weekend, the group of members purportedly sacked Mbanaso, after he allegedly failed to appear before the congress.

Speaking with reporters in Awka, Mbanaso accused his predecessor, Mr. John Igu, of being the brain behind his purported sack.

He said he is still the chairman of the NBA in Awka, adding that there is no provision in the NBA constitution for the sacking of the chairman.

Mbanaso said the matter is in court.

He said: “Those instigating my sack are disgruntled elements, whom I defeated during our election in 2011. Igu is championing it because the body plans to probe the embezzlement of N2.5 million during his tenure.”

In a statement, over 30 members of the branch alleged, among other things, that Mbanaso had misled the branch in many areas.

The statement reads: “Mbanaso, contrary to an undertaking he signed with the Committee of Elders of the NBA, Awka branch, to be rendering financial account of the branch every two months, has failed to render any account in more than 13 months.

“Mbanaso, without the authorisation or approval of either the officers of the branch, the executive committee or the general assembly, recklessly misappropriated N168,000 in the process of repairing or refurbishing our branch bus, which had no mechanical or body defect.

“Mbanaso has committed acts unbecoming of a legal practitioner, such as forging a Quit Notice in the name of Mr. Gab Moneke and extorting money from Mr. J.C Ajekwe before releasing photocopies of a statement in a matter he was prosecuting with fiat.”

Soldiers beat up MASSOB officer on sick bed T

HE Administrator of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Onitsha Region 4, Chief Arinze Igbani was yesterday beaten up on his hospital bed by soldiers from the 302 Military Regiment, Onitsha, and arrested.

Igbani had been in the hospital since he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident three months ago.

MASSOB National Director of Information Uchenna Madu said: “About 25 soldiers from the Army barracks in Onitsha stormed the hos-

•18 others held

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

pital, where Igbani was receiving treatment, about 11am.

“The soldiers arrived in three Hilux vans and, without any information as to their mission, dragged Igbani out of bed.

They stripped him naked and beat him up until he went into a coma, breaking his gradually healing leg.

“The soldiers arrested Igbani and 18 of his visitors and seized about five motorcycles belonging to them.

“MASSOB has taken enough humiliation from soldiers in Onitsha and may be compelled to react.

The soldiers, who carried out the dastardly raid, are Hausa and Fulani? Their actions were borne out of their pathological hatred for the Igbo, because they see in Igbani a representa-

tion of Biafra, which they do not want to hear.

“It is absurd for soldiers to exhibit such wicked gallantry on a helpless Igbani, while members of the Boko Haram sect continue to tear the nation apart unchallenged.

“I advise them to release Igbani and the 18 people arrested with him without further delay.”

Madu said the incessant attacks on innocent Nigerians by security agencies has become unbearable and urged the authorities to call them to order.

All efforts to reach the army spokesman failed.

Igbinedion hosts widows, disabled persons From Osagie Otabor, Benin

•Igbinedion

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HE Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, yesterday treated widows and disabled persons to a lavish party as part of activities marking his 78th birthday.

Giving out gifts to his

guests, Igbinedion regretted that beneficiaries of the N5 million loan he gave out two years ago did not pay back.

He said it was meant to be a revolving loan, so that others could benefit.

Igbinedion pledged to provide more loans for the widows and provide motorised wheel chairs for disabled persons .

Igbinedion began his birthday celebration on August 31 and the activities will end in London on September 28.

Abia to build roads after rains

By Joseph Jibueze

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BIA State Governor Theordore Orji yesterday said road projects in Aba would continue after the rainy season.

Orji praised the Federal Government for its willingness to repair dilapidated federal roads in Aba and other parts of the state.

The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Communication, Ben Onyechere, said: “Before now, Abia State could be regarded as an abandoned project, because it existed without a proper secretariat, Government House, conference centre, regular water and electricity supply, good roads and reputable hospitals.

“My administration is saddled with the enormous task of building the state from scratch, which is the reason we are in a hurry to meet the expectation of our people.

“The reconstruction of Aba, which is presently hindered by the raining season, is the hub of my administration’s policy thrust and cannot be toyed with.

“It is pertinent, therefore, to prepare the minds of Aba residents, who must brace up for the impending massive construction work that will follow after the rains, because we cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs.

“My determination to rebuild Aba derives not only from the fact that it is the commercial nerve centre of the Southeast, but also to realise the dream of Sam Mbakwe, who shed tears at the dilapidation of the infrastructure.

“I am encouraged by the readiness of the Federal Government to partner the state in the ongoing rehabilitation effort, particularly as it concerns the condition of federal roads that run across the state.”

From left: Anambra Sate Governor Peter Obi; Deputy Governor, Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr Kingsley Moghalu; and the Director-General of the Bureau For Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Emeka Ezeh, at the meeting of the Economic Management Group with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja...yesterday.

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Air Nigeria suspends operations for 12 months IR Nigeria has anIbrahim said: “Corpora•Sacks workers nounced the suspentions are like individuals,

sion of all its operations -local, regional and international - with effect from September 10.

The suspension, according to the management of the airline, is largely due to staff disloyalty and environmental tension, “which are not conducive for business in the aviation sector”.

The airline regretted any inconvenience the decision will cause its loyal passengers and advised passengers to contact agents from whom

they had purchased tickets for a refund.

The Chairman of the airline, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, said it was difficult to continue investing in the airline with the high level of staff disloyalty and weak business environment.

“But we are strongly committed to ensuring that Air Nigeria survives,” he added.

Ibrahim said about 50 loyal workers from various departments of the airline

had been selected with a mandate to recommence business within 12 months.

He said other workers had been relieved of their employment.

Ibrahim thanked stakeholders for their support in the last two years of Air Nigeria’s operation under the new management.

He said the suspension of the airline’s operations was not unusual.

who naturally will get sick.

The usual thing to do is to admit them in hospitals, either for corporate surgery or for treatment, as the case may be.

“During such periods, it is not likely that they will work in full capacity, depending on the nature of the illness.”

He said the suspension of operations was due to staff disloyalty and a weak business environment.

Amaechi seeks equity in boundary adjustments

•Amaechi

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IVERS State Governor Chibuike Amaechi has called for equity and justice in boundary adjustments.

Amaechi spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, at the Coordination

and Advisory Board on Survey Training Conference organised by the Office of the-Surveyor General of the Federation.

He urged surveyors to be professionalism and remain steadfast in the face of pressure.

Amaechi said compromise by surveyors would damage their reputation.

He said: “Do not ever give in to the pressure from government officials, because when you do, those of us watching from the back will go to court and bring to bear the pressure of an expert.”

The governor stated that Rivers State would seek fair play in the next boundary

adjustment exercise.

He said: “We are coming back to the Boundary Commission and we are coming with a lot of noise. So, if you are perverting justice, the world would know you are perverting justice.

“We will be singing and shouting until they pronounce the right judgment, because from the way boundaries are changing in the Niger Delta, the way oil wells are flying from left, right and centre, we must shout to make sure that our oil wells do not move without process.”

Amaechi said an official of the Federal Government admitted flaws in the 11th edi-

tion and promised to correct the error in the 12th edition of the exercise.

Underscoring the need for research and development in surveying, the governor said he has appointed a SurveyorGeneral for the state to fast track the city’s transformation.

He said his administration has opened up the state for development, adding that non-indigenes are free to contribute to the emergence of a new Rivers State.

The Director of Planning, Research and Documentation, Surveyor C.V. Nwankezie, thanked the governor for encouraging surveyors in the state.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

58

NEWS Lagosians urged to pray for Fashola administration THE former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Adebisi Sosan, has urged Lagosians to pray for the success of the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration so that they would enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Mrs. Sosan, who spoke yesterday at a prayer session organised by the Patriotic Christian Leaders Forum (PCLF) at the Sacred C&S Salem Evangelical Church of Christ, Obanikoro, Lagos, said: “We should continue to pray for our leaders to lead us properly.”

The President of the PCLF, who is also the Senior Special Assistant on Religion (Christian) to the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. A.Y. AkitoyeBraimoh, said the prayer session tagged: PCLF Pray 2012 with the theme: “In wrath, remember mercy, oh Lord”, was organised to seek divine intervention to end insecurity, prevent calamities and solve socio-economic problems.

The first Governor of Lagos State, Brig. Mobolaji Johnson (rtd) and Governor Fashola’s mother, Mrs. Omolara Fashola, were among the personalities that attended the event.

Flood kills five, displaces 300 in Niger IVE people have died and over 300 in 145 communities displaced in Niger State, following torrential rains and discharge of water from the Jebba and Shiroro dams, the Director-General, Disaster Management Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Shaba, has said.

The affected communities are located in 10 local governments. Farmlands were also submerged in the flood.

Briefing reporters in Minna yesterday, the DirectorGeneral said the flood would affect the production of foodstuffs, especially rice, as most of the rice farmlands

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From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

have been affected.

The 10 affected local governments include, Mokwa, Lavun, Edati, Chanchaga, Shiroro, Borgu, Bida, Bosso, Munya and Wushishi. The value of the damaged property has been estimated at N500 million.

Shaba said the agency needs about N50 million to cater for the victims, adding that N2 million has been spent to run the internallydisplaced camp set up for flood victims.

He lamented that the state does not have the resources

to cope with the disaster and decried the politicisation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which has delayed giving succour to the victims.

The Director-General said: “The residents are the cause of the disaster because some areas have been marked for demolition. They are not supposed to be residential areas, but people have converted them.”

He said flood in Chanchaga Local Government was caused by the blocking of drainages and building of houses on channels by the

residents.

Shaba said efforts have been made to resettle the victims at a makeshift camp, adding that they would return to their homes after the rainy season.

He urged the government to make available, standing funds where money for emergency purposes could be accessed without the agency going through bureaucracy.

Shaba enjoined the Federal Government to reduce the level of politicisation and decision making in NEMA, stressing that decision should be made at the local level to benefit the people.

From Muhammad Bashir, Lokoja

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kogi State has urged Governor Idris Wada to be accountable to the indigenes.

The Chairman of the party, Haddy Ametuo, advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration to inform the indigenes how much the state gets monthly from the federal allocation and how much it spends. He said Kogi indigenes and residents did not deserve to be kept in the dark concerning the state’s financial status.

Ametuo added: “You can see poverty everywhere. The majority of our youths are idle. We don’t know how much we get from the federal allocation. We don’t know how much we spend. We only know that we owe, but we don’t know who we owe and how much we owe?”

He attributed the high rate of crime to unemployment among the youth.

“If we had a free and fair election and they allowed the ACN to rule, creating jobs for youths would have been our priority.”

According to him, the PDP government should resign in the face of the unemployment it has been unable to address.

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Woman, 77, arraigned for N5.4m ‘fraud’ From Samson Ademola, Ilorin

Immigration repatriates 112 aliens THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) repatriated 112 illegal aliens from Gombe State to their countries in the last eight months.

Alhaji Yunusa Aliyu, the Comptroller of the NIS in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe yesterday that the exercise followed a ministerial directive.

According to him, security service chiefs in the state would embark on another round of operation to identify illegal aliens.

Aliyu said most of the aliens repatriated were Nigeriens, who were found in Gombe and Akko local government areas.

“Initially, most of the people we repatriated were from Niger Republic, but now with the situation in Mali, we are having problems with Malians.

“These Malians are mainly in transit, but that does not mean that some of them are not around here.

“They are in transit to where? Some of them are coming here through Adamawa to Cameroun.

“This is why whenever we apprehend them, we make sure we take them out to the Cameroun border until we hand them over.

“We have been having Malians, one or two, but in the past one or two months, we have seen some of them coming on transit,” he said.

Aliyu urged the people of the state to assist the service to ensure security in the country.

Kogi ACN advises Wada

•Motorists queuing for petrol on Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Central Business District, Abuja...yesterday.

Forget Offa Council, ACN advises PDP

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) not to entertain the thoughts of regaining the political control of the Offa Local Government, no matter the level of its political shenanigans, intimidation or hallucination.

In a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party enjoined its members and peaceloving but politically-sophisticated people of Offa to ignore the threats, grandstanding and intimidation of the

indolent PDP-led government and continue to do what the community for ages has been renowned for- that is trouncing and humiliating at the polls, clueless and visionless political parties such as the PDP. According to the ACN, only a party with no sense of history like the PDP will toy with the resolve of the people of Offa. It reminded the PDP that Offa people had established their progressive and independent democratic credentials even before some of the present leaders of the PDP were born.

“When almost the entire Northern Nigeria was under the stranglehold of the defunct Northern Peoples Congress, Offa people dared to be different. They cast their lot with the defunct Action Group and no amount of political persecution, cajoling or intimidation changed their resolve. It is the sons and daughters of these worthy people mindful of their political heritage and place in history that humiliated the PDP during the last council poll and will continue to do so.”

The party congratulated

the council chairman, Saheed Popoola, for his visionary and purposeful leadership which has made Offa Local Government the only performing, transparent and accountable council in Kwara and urged him to ignore the antics of some political turncoats, discredited and expired politicians who have lost relevance in the community.

ACN appealed to its supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the outcome of the appeal and warned the PDP to desist from overheating the polity by its reckless statements.

Police arrest eight suspected motorcycle thieves

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HE Kogi State Police Command has arrested eight people who allegedly stole motorcycles from commercial motorcyclists.

The suspects, Sule Adebayo, Sunday Sumaila, 28, Muhammed Siaka, 25, Mohammed Adogu, 24, Momoh Ojo, 24, Yunusa Bello, 35, Hamidi Tijani, 19 and Abu Idowu, 19, were apprehended by the police at the Adavi Division with 15 motorcycles.

Parading the suspects, the acting police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi said they were arrested after their leader revealed their identities.

He said: “On August 7, acting on a tip-off, men of the Ambush Squad attached to

From Muhammad Bashir, Lokoja

the Adavi Division, Okene, arrested Sule Adebayo of Osisi Adavi Local Government with a new motorcycle, and during investigation, he confessed to being a leader of a 10-man syndicate that specialised in stealing mo-

torcycles.”

Okasanmi said the suspects comprising technicians and mechanics operated within and around the state.

He added that their professions made it easy for them to dismantle, assemble motorcycles and sell them to the public.

“After stealing the motorcycles, they forged the receipts with which the motorcycles were sold to the public,” the police spokesman said.

He said the suspects would soon be charged to court and urged the people whose motorcycles were stolen to bring their original particulars for identification and claim.

Kwara urges residents to cooperate with waste collectors

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WARA State Government yesterday urged residents to support waste collectors to ensure efficient service delivery.

The Director of Environment, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Alhaji Sikiru Olanipekun, who decried the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in gutters, drainages and waterways; enjoined Kwarans to make cleanliness their watchword.

From Samson Ademola, Ilorin

He said they should ensure that the environment is kept clean.

Olanipekun enjoined residents not litter the roads and streets with refuse.

He said: “People should buy plastic waste bins and bags from the Kwara Environmental Protection Agency (KWASEPA) at affordable prices and make use of them.”

77-year-old woman, Felicia Olu Obaoye and four others were yesterday arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court for alleged N5.4 million fraud.

Other accused are Musa Abubakar, Abubakar Salami, Babalola Martins and Sunday Michael.

The suspects were arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and advance fee fraud, contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code and Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences.

One of the accused, Musa Abubakar, allegedly ordered for a 33,000 litres of diesel from Gbenga Okunlade and Adesina Qamar, who are business partners, but declined payment of N5,412,000 as agreed on delivery since April.

According to the charge sheet, the 33,000 litres of diesel was supplied to Musa Abubakar at Beyick Filling Station, owned by the 77-year-old accused and managed by Abubakar Salami and Sunday Michael in Erin-Mope via Omu-aran, Kwara State.

The complainants alleged that instead of being paid the agreed sum, Abubakar complained that the diesel had been siphoned by Tayo and Akin, who are still at large.

Investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) showed that the septuagenarian is notorious for using her filling station at Erin-Mope to swindle the public.

While Abubakar pleaded guilty to the offences, the other three pleaded not guilty.

Counsel to the second, third and fifth accused persons, Segun Jolayemi, urged the court to admit the suspects to bail to allow them prepare for their trial.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

59

NEWS

Food poisoning, by an expert

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NUTRITIONIST yesterday described food poisoning as a contaminant introduced into a food item either deliberately or ignorantly.

The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said such contaminants could be “chemical, germs, wrong processing of the food, e.g cassava, storage and spoilage among other factors”.

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha and Olatunde Odebiyi

“Even if food is left uncovered, that is, exposure to unfavourable conditions, such could become poisonous and unwholesome for consumption, likewise over storage in fridges of foods, especially leftovers, beyond certain days, like three days, in most cases, could lead to food poisoning.

“Botulism is a very serious

form of food poisoning that can be fatal. It can come from improper home canning.”

The nutritionist said the contaminant in the food item would determine the severity of the individual’s reactions, but the best step to remedy the situation is to rush the sufferer to an hospital for quick medical attention and not induce vomiting. Once the patient is able

to get to the medical facility on time, medics would be able to determine the type of contaminant which will further aid proper diagnosis and course of treatment.”

People are at higher risk of food poisoning, if they have a serious medical condition, such as kidney disease or diabetes; a weakened immune system or is exposed to organisms that cause food poisoning.”

Police nab man with Cynthia’s phone Continued from page 2

“The Commissioner of police gave us express instructions to ensure that no person who has a role in this dastardly act is left unpunished. The driver to the killers has also been arrested sequel to information given by the suspect in our custo-

Jonathan, Dangote, others back N5000 amid protest Continued from page 2

•Programme Officer, T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, Mrs Lady Amedormey (left), presenting a certificate to Miss Chiamaka Oguonu, a participant at the Afrigrowth Enterprise Development Training, during the graduation in Abuja…yesterday.

With them is the President Afrigrowth Foundation, Mrs Dayo Keshi.

Treating food poisoning abroad is ridiculous, says Okogie

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MERITUS Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Anthony Cardinal Okogie yesterday described as “ridiculous”, reports that First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan is allegedly receiving treatment in Germany for food poisoning.

He described the report as sad, but sympathised with President Goodluck Jonathan and his family over the incident.

Okogie said treating food poisoning abroad is indicative of the deplorable healthcare system in Nigeria.

He spoke in a statement issued from Britain where he is attending an international church programme.

Cardinal Okogie urged the Federal Government to use the challenge faced by the reported hospitalisation of Mrs Jonathan in Germany by upgrading the country’s

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

health system to meet international standards.

“This is sad, indeed. However, I wish to appeal to the Federal Government and other relevant agencies of government to urgently do something about improving the standard of healthcare in our once cherished nation, Nigeria.

“Food poisoning, strictly looked at in other civilised nations, is an ailment associated with kid gloves medical practice in the 21st Century. It is uncomplimentary of the Nigerian Government that the country’s First Lady would need overseas treatment for a matter as minor as alleged food poisoning.

“We thank God for the advancement of technology in our time in this century; but

we must urge our government to join in this race of advancement instead of lavishing money on irrelevant things and discouraging those Nigerians who are ready to use their wealth and talents to improve the lot of the common citizen.

“It is never too late to begin to encourage full participation of the private sector in the improvement of the healthcare system in Nigeria . Private sector participation should be open and unbiased and must not be subject to any form of political and tribal sentiments.”

“We wish the First Lady and permanent secretary of Bayelsa State speedy recovery from her ailment and quick return to her dear nation, Nigeria,” Cardinal Okogie said.

Ailing First Lady’s aides can’t make calls Continued from page 2

glecting local health care infrastructure.

In a statement jointly authorised by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the Rights group urged President Goodluck Jonathan to end this retrogressive medical tourism by the top political elite from Nigeria but to build World class health facilities in the six geo-political

zones to save Nigeria from capital flight. The group also challenged governors to rehabilitate the collapsing primary healthcare facilities.

The association, which stressed that it sincerely wishes Mrs. Jonathan a very speedy recovery, however, lamented that successive administrations continued to pay lip service to health care delivery.

HURIWA said: “We read with shock the media report

that the wife of the President Mrs. Jonathan was flown to Germany... the first thing that comes to our mind immediately is to ask probing questing on the actual state of those first class medical facilities reportedly bought and installed at the Presidential Villa during the days of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s administration? What has happened to the several billions of tax payers’ fund injected into the running of the

presidential mansion in Abuja including the presidential health facilities? It is wrong for Nigerian political elite to tacitly destroy our local health facilities just so that they can enjoy foreign medical services at highly exorbitant cost to the poor tax payers who do not have the privilege and benefit of enjoying any workable primary health care all across the rural areas of Nigeria.”

Protesters march on CBN over banknote Continued from page 2

Umuleri, the Talakawa in Kano and the Maikunu in Ogbomoso, he does not have access to N1000 not to talk of N5000.

“So the introduction of N5000 will enrich looters, promote money laundering, terrorists financing and we are saying that the CBN cannot be approbating and reprobating.

“They are talking about cashless economy; they are talking about electronic banking; they are talking about limit of N150,000.00 cash withdrawal per day and yet on the other hand they are introducing N5000.

“The Senate has asked them to stop it and they are ignor-

ing the Senate but we want to prove to them that power truly belongs to the people; that the voice of the people is the voice of God. They can reject the Senate but they cannot reject us.

“We reject the introduction of the 5000 naira note and call on the CBN to immediately discard the idea and instead embark on economic policies that will provide growth and development in all facets of our national life.

“If the CBN refuses to harken to the voice of reason, we will have no choice than to prove to them that democracy must continue to be government of the people by the people and for the people.”

Melaye handed over the

position paper of the AntiCorruption Network to the apex bank’s Deputy Governor of the CBN in charge of Operations, Mr Tunde Lemo.

Lemo assured the NGO that the leadership of the bank would study their grievances and respond appropriately.

He debunked insinuations that the apex bank would expend N40billion to print the N5,000 note.

Lemo said: “The most important task of the CBN is to fight inflation because inflation hurts the masses more than anybody else. I am yet to read your paper but we will go through it.

“Let me tell you, for the leadership of the CBN led by Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanu-

si, we are interested in ensuring that the masses of this country are well taken care of.

“But let me debunk something that I have read in the newspapers. We are not going to print N5000 note with N40billion.

“Whether we introduce N5000 note or not, every year we print money and whatever we decide to do it is to make sure we reduce the cost of printing money. Anything we decide to do we will make sure we reduce the cost of printing money.

“I can assure you that we are sensitive to the masses; we are sensitive to the people. We will look at all the issues and we will respond.”

dy”, Okoro narrated.

The driver was said to have been hired to convey them around anytime and anywhere they have a victim. He was also said to have been moving their loots to where they were sold.

Manko said the suspects would be charged to court.

you look at, the Euro has the •500 note. If you go to the countries where Euro is in use, you will not get the •500 note in normal circulation.

But it is used by the banks and a few other heavy cash users to store higher value. I have been in parts of the United States where you draw the $100 bill and give it to somebody and they start looking at it as if it is something strange; they probably have not seen it. So, the higher denominations are there to create higher value. There will not be in the widest of circulation but other countries usually have this higher denominations. And I think what is important is that there is no link between it and inflation.”

On the question that there is a link between the N5000 note and corruption, the minister said: “It’s an area that I obviously know nothing about. I think people alleged that part of that corruption is being done in dollars, a $100 bill is N16,000, N5000 note will be $30. So which one is bigger to carry, if you are doing corruption? So, I don’t think it’s necessarily going to increase the level of corruption. Those doing corruption will probably find that too small; the $100 bill is still bigger than the N5,000 note.”

Atedo Peterside, a banker and NEMT member argued that besides the fact that it does not add to increase in cost of printing of currency, money, being a store of value, the higher the denomination, the better it is for the economy as those who made money legally and illegally will want keep their loot in naira rather than hard currency.

He said: “If I were the CBN governor, I will prefer to print N10,000 notes. Last year, Nigeria spent N47billion to print these small, small notes. If we were printing bigger denominations, we will print fewer number and you make phenomenal savings. Secondly, money is a store of value, all these thieves, rogues and vagabonds running around in various states and all over the country, when they steal money, they will want to keep it outside the banking system.

“So they need a higher denomination notes. Right now, they are using the $100 notes all over Nigeria because they are the best store of values for them. If you give them a better store of value in Nigeria, they will move away from those dollars and reduce the demand for the hundred dollar notes and move into our own currency as opposed to the use of $100b to hide their loot and so on.

“Right now, the country is losing in two ways; one: we are importing massive US dollars to finance the activities of all these roguesbecause the US dollars offer the higher store of values for them and two, we squander our resources

printing large volumes of worthless notes.

“There is no inflationary impact; that is voodoo economics. Let me tell you one thing, if you know that printing N5000 notes will create more inflation, why don’t you reduce the value of your notes and see whether you will not experience inflation in the process. This is simple logic.”

Access Bank Managing Director Aigboje Aig-Imoukuede described the reactions trailing the N5000 note as unfortunate.

He said: “It is very rare for you to have a central bank that does not look at the issue of currency management and issue new notes from time to time based on the reality of the economy. In the case of Nigeria, our economy is such that a N5000 note which is in effect a $30note is not strange.

“The greatest argument I have heard about is causing of inflation; the other argument is that it will cost money to introduce the new note. There is no relationship between the issuance of higher legal tender and inflation. It is unfortunate that some have misled people into thinking that it will lead into higher inflation.

“Every central bank by the nature of currency management will issue new notes all the time. So, printing of notes is an ongoing operation that every central bank engages in.

“As you are introducing five thousand Naira note you print less of one thousand and five hundred naira notes. It is not going to add to the cost of printing; it is going to basically fall into your normal annual budget for printing. What you should also understand is that with less notes in circulation, it is cheaper in the long run based on quantities ordered to print N5000 denomination than lower denominations; it’s just logical.”

Frontline businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote said: “The introduction of the N5000 note has nothing to do with inflation. I think it is even to protect the economy. The cost of printing is not anything different from the amount they are using in printing any other note. It is the same cost.

“The only difference is the design and the figure printed on them. Sometimes minting the coins can even help.

If I have a product, which I am selling for N5 and I want to raise the price to N6, I wont be able to do that. It is either I swallow the bullet and take it to N10 or I don’t increase at all.

“A lot of companies have not been able to increase their prices even though they are losing money.

“People are saying that Central Bank is going to spend N40 billion on the new note. Of course, last year, when you look at the budget, they spent N47billion to print currencies. So it is not different at all.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

60

FOREIGN NEWS Territorial tensions ripple as Clinton visits Beijing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Beijing for talks Tuesday, with competing maritime claims of China and its neighbors expected to dominate the agenda.

Tensions over territorial disputes have spiked this year between China and a string of countries around its coastline — from Vietnam in the southwest to Japan in the northeast — and the United States has been drawn into the fray.

Clinton met with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Tuesday. She is scheduled to hold a news conference with Yang Wednesday and meet with several leaders, including President Hu Jintao.

Yang welcomed Clinton and stressed “important progress in some areas” in their relationship, according to remarks released by the U.S. State Department.

“Maintaining the healthy and steady development of our relationship serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples and is conducive to stability, peace, and development in the Asia Pacific region and beyond,” he said.

Clinton stressed “the importance of the practical cooperation that underlies our comprehensive relationship.”

“We are committed to building a cooperative partnership with China; it is a key aspect of our rebalancing in the Asia Pacific. And we have had a lot of in-depth consultations and high-level meetings over the last three and a half years.”

Democratic convention to make case for four more years T

HE United States Democratic Party is poised to launch its national convention, as it seeks to convince voters that President Barack Obama deserves a second term.

First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton are among those who will address the three-day jamboree in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney is expected to spend the week preparing for a series of debates with Mr Obama.

A recent opinion poll shows Obama maintains a thin lead over Romney.

With November’s election looming, the president will aim to recapture the political spotlight over the next few days, after last week’s Republican convention.

Obama is expected to answer Republican attacks that his economic policies have failed, and present himself to voters as an experienced and caring alternative to Romney.

Ahead of the convention, the president is spending the day campaigning in the swing state of Virginia on his way to North Carolina.

The chair of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, will gavel the gala into session.

Mrs. Obama’s address on Tuesday night is expected to

highlight the president’s character and attributes as a father and husband.

Speaking to the convention radio, SiriusXM, Mrs. Obama said: “I am going to remind people about the values that drive my husband to do what he has done and what he is going to do for the next four years.”

Her remarks will inevitably be compared and contrasted with those by wouldbe first lady Ann Romney, who gave a glowing tribute to her husband last week to

the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida.

The Democratic convention is likely to highlight the party’s diversity, with young black and Hispanic party members set to deliver speeches.

On Tuesday, Julian Castro, the Latino Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, is due to give the keynote address.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff, will also take to the stage.

There is a mystery at the

heart of American politics what exactly President Obama would do if he wins another term in office?”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is missing a Democratic convention for the first time in more than 40 years on account of ethical guidelines preventing cabinet heads from participating in political activities.

Nor will California Governor Jerry Brown and former Vice-President Al Gore be present, because of personal commitments.

Morocco bus in 500ft plunge

M

YSTERY surrounds the cause of a crash which left dozens dead or injured between the tourist city of Marrakesh and Ouarzazate.

Police are trying to identify the victims More than 42 people have been killed and at least 25 others injured after a coach plunged 500ft down a ravine in Morocco’s worst ever bus crash.

Police said the overloaded coach was travelling in the Atlas mountains, between the popular tourist city of Marrakesh and Ouarzazate, when the accident occurred.

•42 dead King Mohammed VI issued a statement, expressing his condolences to the victims’ families. He said he would pay for their transport, funeral and burial costs.

Most of the passengers are thought to be Moroccan. It remains unclear whether any foreigners are among the dead.

Authorities are trying to find out the identities of those killed in the crash in Haouz province, some 60 miles south of Marrakesh.

The injured have been taken to different hospitals across the region.

A child is treated in hospital after the accident Four of the injured are understood to be in a critical condition.

Officers said the cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

They said the bus had 67 people on board but was only authorised to carry 54.

It is the worst bus crash recorded in the country, which has a particularly bad safety record with 4,200 people killed on the roads last year.

In November 2010, 24 people drowned when a bus carrying workmen tumbled into a river near the capital Rabat

P

RESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday met local authorities, rescue workers and victims of the big storm which hit the US Gulf Coast.

He tours the hurricane damage in the Ridgewood neighbourhood of La Place, Saint John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana.

President Obama is joined

by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as he sees the damage first hand.

The President walked from house to house, asking residents about what happened and posing for photos.

Obama met residents in hard-hit St John the Baptist Parish, 30 miles outside of New Orleans.

“We’re here to help,” the President told those affected.

“What I’ve pledged to these folks is we’re going to make sure at the federal level we are getting on the case very quickly about figuring out what exactly happened here and what can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again and expedite some of the decisions that may need to be made,” Obama told reporters.

President Obama’s visit took place three days after Republican rival Mitt Romney made a surprise tour of flooded homes and businesses in the area.

Obama took time out of his campaign trail to fly into New Orleans to meet local authorities, rescue workers and victims of the big storm which ploughed in off the Gulf of Mexico last week.

Authorities say a quarter of a million people are still without power in Louisiana and Mississippi after Isaac struck.

Obama said his government would do all it could to help people get back on their feet.

Book on bin Laden raid released

‘Queen of Cocaine’ killed in Colombia AN elderly woman who was known as Colombia’s “Queen of Cocaine” was gunned down in the northwestern city of Medellin, police said Tuesday.

Griselda Blanco, 69, was killed by two bullets at close range — a violent end not unlike the ones that authorities say she ordered during her prime in the 1970s and 1980s.

Witnesses heard the roar of a motorcycle and two gunshots Monday afternoon, Medellin police spokesman Diego Chavarria said. By the time authorities arrived at the scene in Belen, a residential neighborhood in Medellin, they found Blanco lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Blanco, also known as “the godmother” and “mafia’s mother,” gained notoriety in the 1970s and ’80s when, authorities say, she was responsible for shipping multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Miami. She was also the mastermind, investigators say, of countless murders. She was also linked to drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Obama visits victims of hurricane

D •SYRIA, AL-BAB : Syrians inspect a destroyed residential building following an air strike by the Syrian army in Al-Bab in the northern province of Aleppo on September 3, 2012. It was the third air strike in as many days on Al-Bab, a town the rebel Free Syrian Army seized in late July along with large swathes of Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital.

PHOTO: AFP

Syria refugees reached record levels in August, says UN

M

ORE than 100,000 Syrians fled their country in August, the UN says - the highest monthly figure since the conflict began in March last year.

This almost doubled the total number of refugees to 235,300 in the space of a month, the UN refugee agency says.

The figures emerged as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, met President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The ICRC said Maurer had asked for better access for aid workers in Syria.

August was arguably Syria’s most violent month yet,

with the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting more than 5,000 deaths.

The UN children’s fund estimates that 1,600 people died last week alone.

The escalating fighting has led to what the chief spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Melissa Fleming, described as “an astonishing number” of refugees.

“It points to a significant escalation in refugee movement and people seeking asylum, and probably points to a very precarious and violent situation inside the country,” she said.

The UNHCR says the total number of refugees from

Syria who have either been registered or are awaiting registration now stands at 235,300, with 103,416 people seeking asylum in August alone.

But the unregistered numbers that have entered countries bordering Syria are thought to be even higher: Turkey says it has taken in more than 80,000 people, with another 8,000 waiting at the Syrian border.

Jordan says up to 183,000 have entered the country since the uprising began they are currently arriving at a rate of about 1,000 a day.

The UN says the number crossing into Iraq has risen to about 500 a day, compared with 500 a week in the first

three weeks of August.

Lebanon, too, is struggling to provide shelter for the increased numbers of refugees - many who were staying in schools are now under pressure to move out because of the start of term.

The UN says the situation is precarious, with aid agencies struggling to prepare camps and distribute resources.

The Syrian president held talks with ICRC chief Peter Maurer The ICRC described Maurer’s brief meeting with Assad in Damascus as “positive”, but warned that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating.

ID Navy Seal spill secrets? “In the judgment of the Department of Defence, you are in material breach and violation of the nondisclosure agreements you signed. Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements,” Johnson wrote.

Bissonnette’s lawyer, responded in a letter last week saying the author “sought legal advice about his responsibilities before agreeing to publish his book and scrupulously reviewed the work to ensure that it did not disclose any material that would breach his agreements or put his former comrades at risk.”

It is unclear how the Defense Department will proceed or if Tuesday’s release will launch a court battle.

The controversy has not extinguished the hot demand for the memoir.

Publisher Dutton had originally planned to release 300,000 copies, but after fevered hype, it increased the number to 575,000, according to Publisher’s Weekly.

In the 336-page book, Bissonnette wrote about his concerns that bin Laden would put up a fight, after the SEALs’ helicopter crashed near bin Laden’s compound.

61

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

FOREIGN NEWS

Suicide attack kills 25 in eastern Afghanistan

A

SUICIDE attack in eastern Afghanistan killed 25 people Tuesday, the police chief in Nangarhar province said.

Chief Abdullah Stanikzai said the attack happened during the funeral of a local elder in the Dor Baba district, near the border with Pakistan.

Fifty people were injured in the incident, local officials reported. Among the wounded was the district chief of Dor Baba, Stanikzai said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, in a statement from his office.

While it is not yet clear who was behind the blast, it is the latest of many to strike Afghan civilians.

A recent United Nations report found that while vi-

olence against the Afghan population fell in the first half of the year, it is still taking a “devastating toll on civilians.”

About 80 per cent of the attacks against civilians are by anti-government forces such as the Taliban, the report said.

Nangarhar, which has Jalalabad as its capital and borders Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has seen several recent International Security Assistance Force operations targeting militants.

Afghan and coalition security forces arrested an alleged Taliban bomb-making expert in Nangarhar’s Khugyani district earlier Tuesday, an ISAF statement said.

The man “is believed to be a leading figure in the

movement and provision of explosives for attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces throughout eastern Nangarhar,” the statement said.

Several other suspected insurgents were seized in the same operation, as well as firearms, military uniforms and explosives, it said.

A separate operation last week in Nangarhar’s Hisarak district led to the arrest of an alleged Taliban insurgent accused of using his status as a member of the Afghan National Police to conduct an attack in May which killed two coalition service members in Helmand province, ISAF said.

Prior to his capture, the man was attempting to join the Afghan National Army, ISAF said.

Kenya’s Navy shells Kismayo in Somalia

•Kenyan leader Mwai Kibaki

K

ENYA sent troops into Somalia last October accusing alShabab of threatening its security The Kenyan navy has shelled Kismayo, the main Somali city controlled by militant Islamist group alShabab, a military spokesman has told the BBC. Colonel Cyrus Oguna said the attack was part of a push by an African Union (AU) force to capture the city.

Residents told the BBC that al-Shabab was reinforcing its positions in the city and people had started to flee.

AU forces have vowed to capture Kismayo - a port city that is key to financing and arming the al-Qaeda affiliate.

The move on Kismayo comes as Somali MPs prepare to choose a new president under a UN-brokered peace plan.

The election is due on 10 September.

Kismayo residents said the port area was shelled twice and the airport three times.

Al-Shabab was testing its weapons and mounting guns on battle wagons, the residents said.

Some residents were fleeing, either towards the capital, Mogadishu, or the border with Kenya, amidst fears that a big battle could take place, they added.

Last month, al-Shabab lost control of Merca, the third biggest port city after Mogadishu and Kismayo, to AU and pro-Somali government forces.

In June, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga appealed to the US and EU to give financial aid for a “final onslaught” on Kismayo.

Kenya sent troops to So-

malia last year, saying that it wanted al-Shabab defeated because the militants threatened its security.

Kenyan soldiers have since joined the AU force in the country, boosting its numbers to nearly 18,000.

Al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, withdrew from Mogadishu last year after heavy fighting with AU and Somali government forces.

But it still controls many areas in southern and central Somalia.

In July, a UN report said the export of charcoal from Kismayo and Merca helped al-Shabab generate millions of dollars - despite a UN Security Council ban on countries buying charcoal from Somalia.

The report accused the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia of failing to uphold the ban.

The total trade volume of charcoal exports from southern Somalia in 2011 increased to between nine million and 10 million sacks, generating revenues for the al-Qaeda group in excess of $25m (£16m), the investigators found, it said.

Senegal floods uncover ancient artefacts in Dakar P

IECES of jewellery, pottery and iron tools dating back thousands of years have been discovered in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, following recent floods, researchers say.

The discovery was made at a construction site, local academic Alioune Deme told the BBC. A colleague, Moustapha Sall, stumbled across the items after the rains washed away sand, he said.

The objects could date back between 2,000 and 7,000 BC, Mr. Deme said.

“The exact date will only be known after tests are carried out,” he told the BBC French Service.

Deme said he hoped the construction site where the discovery was made could be secured, as he wants to carry out more excavations.

“Someone is building a house on the site because in Dakar, people are building everywhere,” he said.

“Maybe we will be lucky enough to learn more about the history of the Dakar area.”

Sall, who like Deme works at Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop university, said he came across the objects by chance in the city’s flood-hit Ouest-Foire suburb, AFP

news agency reports.

“While visiting the flooded zone, I stumbled upon... pieces of pottery, perforated shells reused as jewellery, iron scoria and small stones including blades which could have been used to cut or carve,” Sall is quoted as saying.

“The water washed away the sand and revealed these archaeological objects.”

He then called Deme, who lives nearby, and the pair recovered the artefacts.

The floods claimed at least 13 lives and left thousands of people homeless.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

62

SPORT EXTRA

Paralympics: Nigeria wins another gold medal Eagles’ form thrills Keshi

L

OVELINE OBIJI has won a gold medal in powerlifing at the ongoing London Paralympic Games to take Nigeria's gold

medal tally to five.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that she won the gold in the 82.50kg category.

The athlete, who would be

22 on September 11, lifted 145kg to beat Egyptian Mahmoud Randa, who won a silver medal with a lift of 140kg.

XU Yanmei of China lifted 129kg to place third.

Nigeria now has five gold, five silver and a bronze medal.

NUGA set to unveil plans for Collegiate Marathon

A

S part of efforts to make Nigerian Universities produce future world and Olympic champions for Nigeria like the Universities have done in the USA,the Nigeria Universities Games Association,NUGA,is planining to hold a half-marathon competition among all the Universities in Nigeria next year.

The competition, according to NUGA general secretary,Bola Orodele will be tailored after the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA ) marathon competition in the USA. The idea,according to Orodele is in direct response to the realities that sports can only develop if Nigeria adopts the very successful USA model of grooming its athletes through the school system.

'NUGA is already envisaging a situation where Nigeria will return to school sports as a way of unearthing and developing new talents.The primary and secondary schools will provide the raw materials as it were,just like the high schools do in the USA, while the colleges provide the platform to fully develop them into semi elites and elite athletes that can represent Nigeria at international competitions'',said Orodele who cited several athletes who won medals for the USA while still in

PUBLIC NOTICE BABAJIDE I,formerly known and addressed as KOKU BABAJIDE, now wish to be known and addressed as McCARTNEY ENIOLA . All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE This is to informed the general that on Sunday 2nd November 2008 Chief Emmanuel Olorundipe Bola Died at the Specialist Hospital IkareAkoko Ondo State after a brief illness at the Age of 92 years, with the death certificate issued by the hospital.

THIS NOTICE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION AND RECORD PURPOSE.

colleges and universities. ''The likes of Steve Lewis and Quincy Watts,both trained by John Smith won the 400m gold at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics respectively.Lewis was at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) when he won gold in the 400m and 4x400m as a 19 year old in 1988 in Seoul.Watts was also a student of University of Southern California (USC).He twice broke Lee Evans' Olympic record of 43.86, (set at 1968 Olympic games in Mexico), clocking 43.71 in his semi-final, before going on to record 43.50 in the final. He was a member of the 4 x 400 m relay team, running the second leg in 43.10, which smashed the world record in a time of 2:55.74.Even the great Florenth Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo) who still owns the world 100m and 200m records achieved her phenomenal feats while still an undergraduate student at UCLA,just like Jackie Joyner Kersee,one of the greatest heptathlete of all time.In fact UCLA alone has produced 110 Olympic gold medallists for America and other countries'',reveals Orodele adding that the inter-collegiate half-marathon competition is the first of many new competitions NUGA is planning to introduce to ensure Nigeria not only takes its rightful place in international sports but also provide avenues for the teeming youths in the universities to find proper and productive avenues to effectively unwind as well as dissipate their energy.

•Loveline Obiji

Rangers throw open gates for Super Friday

E

NUGU Rangers will again throw open the gates for their final match against Sharks as they push for their first major trophy in 28 years.

Last month, over 16,000 fans cheered Rangers to a crucial 3-0 victory over Sunshine Stars when no gates fees were charged for the game.

“The gates will again be thrown open for the fans to come and cheer their team to victory,” Rangers spokesman Foster Chime informed MTNFootball.com Rangers are third on the table on 61 points from 37 matches, but they could be crowned champions on Friday if they beat Sharks in front of their fans and leaders Kano Pillars and second-placed

Lobi Stars fail to win their away games against Sunshine Stars and Kaduna United, respectively.

“We’re poised to be champions,” declared Chime.

“The players have moved into close camp and are highly motivated for this game as even the 25% balance of their sign-on fees is cooling in the bank and they are aware of this.

“Sharks cannot stop our title dream and it is only left to the Nigeria Premier League to ensure that nothing funny happens in the games involving Lobi and Pillars.”

In the meantime, fullback Ambrose Onyeama has resumed training after injury and has told MTNFootball.com he is hopeful he will be fit in time for Super Friday.

MTN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Golfers National Finals tee-off on Saturday

T

HE MTN World Golfers Championship national finals will tee-off at the prestigious Ibom Golf Club inside the Ibom Le Meridien Hotel in Nwaniba, Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State from September 8 to 9, 2012.

Considered to be one of the best in Africa, the club will play host to regional qualifiers for the national finals to determine Nigeria’s representatives at the World Finals in Durban, South Africa between October 27 and

November 3, 2012.

General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi says MTN has come up with many innovative products and services to make golfers talk more, laugh more and love more during and after the national finals. “In further demonstration of our commitment to the enrichment of the lives of our customers, we have slashed our rates so low now that all customers including golfers can talk more for less”. He stated

The long journey to the national finals began with the Eastern regional qualifiers on May 26, 2012 in Port Harcourt. The event saw golfers from all over the Eastern part of the country and their counterparts from the South-South region converge on Port Harcourt the Garden City, as is fondly called, for the three day event. Mr. I. Kalio, playing off handicap 4, returned with a gross score of 77 and net score of 73 to emerge winner in handicap 0-5, category one.

• Says Liberia, Nigeria weather similar • Happy to train on grass pitch in Abuja • Reuben doubtful for Liberia

S

UPER Eagles handler, Stephen Keshi is banking on the form and fitness exhibited by the members of the team in Tuesday’s evening training to overcome the Lone Stars of Liberia when the Nigerian team battles the host team in Monrovia in the first leg of the last round qualifying series of the 2013 Africa Nations Cup. It was a full house as 24 players trained under the able supervision of the chief coach who dealt with the shadow marking technique ably supported by his assistants, while Ike Shorunmu handled the training exercise of the goalkeepers involving Chigozie Agbim and Daniel Akpeyi.

Vincent Enyeama was the only player missing from the party.

He is due to join the team today.

“Psychologically, this team is ready to go. They are simply good. I am seeing good things coming up and I am happy with what I have seen so far most especially in this (Tuesday’s) evening training. We really need to focus and concentrate and this is what I am beginning to see.

They have given me what I wanted to see; their concentration and focus in the training was good. I think it is going to come out right,” Keshi told SportingLife shortly after the training in Abuja.

He also allayed fears on the weather condition in Liberia.

“We have the same weather with Liberia and it is rainy there as it rains here too. That is why we are training around this time (6pm) because we are going to play in the evening around this time in Monrovia. We usually train in the morning but we had to shift the training schedule to evening since we are playing around that time.

There are doubts as concerns

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja Kano Pillars’ combative midfielder, Reuben Gabriel who the Coach couldn’t confirm for the match as he expressed doubts about his readiness and fitness for the match. “There is injury concern because Reuben is still injured.

We tried to play him today to see if he can touch the ball but it was not so good. But we’ll see how it goes in the next 48 hours.

He, however, confirmed only two training sessions before the team’s departure for Liberia on Friday. “We will train tomorrow (today) and Thursday evenings before we travel to Monrovia on Friday”.

The Big Boss also expressed happiness over the availability of the grass pitch of the Abuja National Stadium which afforded his team to train on a grass pitch that they would play on in Monrovia on Saturday. “We are happy that we have the opportunity of training on grass despite the fact that the pitch is not that good. So, we should be able to play on Liberia’s grass pitch too,” he disclosed.

•Keshi

Eaglets leave for Niger IGERIA U-17 Thursday national team, the

N

Golden Eaglets will leave for Niamey, Niger Republic on Thursday ahead of their CAN U-17 qualifier this weekend.

The Eaglets have stayed long enough in camp perfecting strategies and tactics with their CAN elimination tie in Niger in view.

Having camped in Abuja and their current base in Calabar, the team made up of 18 players and officials will make a short trip to Niamey to play the first leg encounter against one of the finalists at the last CAN U-17 championship in Algeria.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi who

• 18 players and officials to make the trip • NFF hopeful of a good result in Niamey From Tunde Liadi, Owerri

disclosed this to SportingLife affirmed that blending would not be a problem because the Eaglets have stayed together in camp both in Abuja and Calabar.

He also charged them to replicate the form with which they slaughtered the Junior Wasps of Rwanda 50 and 3-0 respectively within the spate of three days when they lock horns with their Nigerien counterparts on Saturday, September 8th.

63

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

SPORT EXTRA

LONDON PARALYMPIC GAMES

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FTER years fighting claims his high-tech blades gave him an advantage, now Pistorius cries foul over rivals' performance.

Without wishing to diminish his pioneering and inspirational role in the advancement of disabled sport, there was something slightly unseemly about Oscar Pistorius’ grand entrance into the Paralympics last Saturday night.

The over-theatrical hype began long before he took to the track, with the stadium announcer reminding us we were about to witness the incredible Blade Runner – as if all the other athletes striving gamely for medals were merely warm-up acts performing before the star came on stage.

One felt even more uneasy when the South African sprinter finally emerged for his qualifying heat of the 200m race for double-amputees, for he was the only competitor deemed worthy of a personal introduction to the 80,000 crowd.

His unknown rivals had surely overcome equally daunting challenges to compete in the biggest sporting event of their lives, but alongside the Paralympic Poster Boy of London 2012, it seemed, they didn’t even rate a mention.

Everyone expected Pistorius to win easily and he didn’t disappoint, setting a new world record in the process.

The entire stadium rose to acclaim him, and he clearly revelled in the limelight: rightly so, for he had lived up to his billing – and then some.

The following day, however, when 25-year-old Pistorius returned for the event final, something quite extraordinary happened.

The mighty Blade Runner was dramatically overtaken by Alan Oliveira, an anonymous outsider, six years his junior, who bounded past him like a turbo-charged kangaroo.

Pistorius is not accustomed to losing – at least not to rivals with similar disabilities – and instead of accepting defeat gracefully and acknowledging the Brazilian’s remarkable performance, he

Raging Oscar and a hint of hypocrisy promptly cried foul.

‘We’re not running a fair race here,’ he fumed. ‘I can’t compete with Alan’s stride length ... it’s absolutely ridiculous.

‘Some athletes make themselves unbelievably high. His knee heights are four inches higher than they should be.

‘We have spoken to the IPC (International Paralympics Committee) but it has fallen on deaf ears. Guys are coming from nowhere to run ridiculous times.’

In fact, according to one of the world’s leading sports scientists, Dr Ross Tucker – who also happens to be a South African – these claims are utterly unfounded.

While the Blade Runner completed the 200m course in just 92 steps, Dr Tucker calculated that Oliveira took 98, suggesting that superior technology played little or no part in his shock victory.

Deconstructing Pistorius’ argument still further, Dr Tucker points out that the outcome of a foot race is, in any case, determined by various complex factors, and not just stride length alone.

If it were, less tall sprinters such as Yohan Blake would never beat the 6ft 5in Usain Bolt – yet they can, and do.

Moreover, Oliveira is only 20, and though Pistorius may indeed have been stunned by his markedly improved performance, it ‘may be due to the blade length, it may be due to his technical skill, it may be due to his improved strength, it may be due to some weight loss.’

According to the Brazilian Paralympic camp, incidentally, their

man also stands shorter than Pistorius when wearing his blades – at 5ft 11½ins compared to the South African’s 6ft 1ins.

Leaving aside the fine details, however, isn’t there more than a whiff of hypocrisy about the Blade Runner’s outburst?

After all this is the young man who has spent his entire career fighting claims that his blades actually give him an unfair advantage when racing against able-bodied athletes, and who in 2008 finally persuaded the international Court of arbitration in Sport to overturn the ban that prevented him competing against them.

For all his belated insistence that he welcomes the astonishing advances that have been made in disabled sport during London 2012 – and the intensity of the competition they bring – does Pistorius fear he is about to be usurped by the young Brazilian?

If so, his fears are understandable; for not only is Alan Fonteles Cardso Oliveira just as good-looking and personable, but he also comes with a similarly heart-rending (and would-be sponsors will doubtless consider marketable) back-story.

Whereas Pistorius was born without fibulas – the long, slender bone which runs down the outside of the lower leg, the Brazilian lost his lower limbs at three weeks old as a result of a congenital illness.

Raised in a poor suburb of Belem, the rubber-manufacturing city on the fringes of the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil, he was fitted with the most rudimentary of prosthetic limbs at nine months old, and soon

began toddling around the backstreets with remarkable stealth and speed.

Like all Brazilian boys, he loved football, but when he was eight, his mother, Claudia, took him to see one of Brazil’s track stars heroes compete at an athletics meeting and he was smitten by the sport.

Soon afterwards he persuaded his mother to take him to a local club, where he trained with able-bodied boys, astounding them with his courage, determination and swiftness on his ill-fitting wooden legs.

By 15 he had represented Brazil in his first international meeting for the disabled, and the following year he went to the Paralympics in Beijing, where he won a medal in the relay but was not yet strong enough to impress in the individual sprint.

By then he had swapped his wooden prosthetics for the most modern carbon fibre models, supplied by an American charitable foundation, but his coach Suzete Montalban dismisses the notion that they have anything to do with his remarkable progress.

‘He was always a fighter, he always had a strong will to impress,’ he said.

‘But of all the many qualities he possesses, he has something very different that caught my attention.

‘It is that he never uses his disability to benefit from anything.

He always plays fair and wants to be treated as an equal.’ His mother agrees that he possesses unusual inner strength, saying he could ride a bike competently when he was

only two.

‘He never had barriers and had always been bold, playing soccer like any other boy his age. Nobody could believe it,’ she said.

Yesterday, Oliveira was clearly hurt by Pistorius’ comments, and understandably so.

He said his blades were perfectly fair and had been cleared by referees before the race.

‘Many people told me Pistorius is beyond beating – that he’s from another planet,’ he said.

‘I showed that it is not this way. It’s not just about the prosthetics. My performance was about hard training. I get upset to hear this kind of thing. I compete within the rules.’

However, he refuses to criticise the South African.

‘He is not a bad loser,’ he said.

‘Pistorius is a great athlete. I am just said with the interview. He is a great idol and to listen to that coming from a great athlete is really difficult.’

Quite so, and the great Oscar could learn a thing or two from his diplomacy.

The Blade Runner would also do well to remember that technological improvements are not peculiar to disabled athletics.

They come to all sports, invariably improving the quality of performance and the thrill of the spectacle.

After all, without them Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal would still be competing with wooden tennis racquets and Wayne Rooney would be kicking a rain-sodden, leathercased football.

In the Paralympics, they will inevitably produce extraordinary new feats of strength and speed, perhaps even elevating supposedly disadvantaged runners, jumpers and throwers beyond their able-bodied counterparts.

When the Blade Runner grasps the fact that he is no longer a bounding certainty to win gold medals, he will surely celebrate this progress in a field to which he has contributed so much.

Culled from Dailymail.co.uk

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.7 NO.2,239

‘Imagine the effects and costs of a deep pothole in traffic, in time and on wear and tear of one million vehicles and 100 million bodies. Imagine the number of tyres, brake pads, car horns, accidents, extra fuel burnt in go-slows-all costing foreign exchange’ TONY MARINHO

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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RETTY early in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo, his AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige, went to the Supreme Court ( SC) over “Resource Control.” In allocating revenue from the Federation Account to the three tiers of government, the President had insisted the principle of derivation be applicable only to onshore oil revenue, contrary to the demands of the oil producing littoral states that it must also apply to offshore oil.

Apparently, it was this dispute that prompted Chief Ige to go to the SC for judgment, even though for some strange reason the man himself insisted Resource Control was not what he went to court for. “I have not gone to court for resource control,” the man whose way with words was legendary, vehemently insisted in an interview with editors of Tempo (March 22, 2001), since rested. “I continue to ask you my friend,” he told the weekly newspaper, “go and read my writ of summons and go and read my statement of claims which are only 10 paragraphs. Have you read it?”

Tempo: I have.

Ige: What did I ask for?

Tempo: You were asking for the interpretation of that section you quoted (earlier in the interview, i.e. Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution).

Ige: Good, where did you get the idea that I went to court for resource control, where did you get that from?

This altercation, which spoke volumes about the sensitivity of the issue, went on for a while before Chief Ige finally ended it with an answer that even the Supreme Court’s judgment would not be the final word on the controversy.

“The Federal Government,” he said, “feels one way, the littoral states feel another way.

Let the court be the arbiter. And I continue to say one thing, the judgment of the court, whatever it is, will be the beginning of further political engineering in Nigeria. I hope you understand what I mean.”

Chances were the chief, the accomplished lawyer that he was, knew the judgement was likely to favour his principal – it is a notorious fact that offshore resources are owned exclusively by nation states that are signatory to the United Nation’s Law of Sea Convention, which Nigeria was, and not by their constituent littoral states which, in any case, are not recognised by international law.

Not surprisingly the court ruling which favoured the Federal Government elicited cries of “I told you” so from leading opponents of resource control, notably the late Professor Sam Aluko, whose response I said I will quote in this piece.

The reader will pardon me if I quote him extensively because what he said provided, in my view at least, some insight into a way out of the resource control conundrum.

“I told them,” he said in an interview in The Country (May 20-26, 2002), since rested, “they could never win. No country has ever won it.

No state can say it wants to control resources offshore. The offshore belongs to the whole country, not to a particular state... When the case began I wrote a letter to the Attorney-Gen-

RIPPLES

I ACHIEVED ALL MY TARGETS AS PRESIDENT - Obasanjo

...including those FUEL PRICE HIKES?

People and Politics By MOHAMMED HARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Again, the resource control furore (II)

•Kwankwaso

eral that I wanted to join the Federal Government in the suit against the states. And I cited examples of Canada, Australia and United States judgements on this type of resource control, that in every instance, they lost. And some of them were my friends. Governors Dr. Peter Odili and Chief Lucky Igbinidion of Edo State where I grew up and Chief James Ibori, Dr. Diepriye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa where my wife comes from. She is Ijaw...Frankly the resources are near them, but the resources are developed by the whole wealth of Nigeria, not by their wealth. They talked about cocoa, but the Nigerian farmer plants the cocoa, he tends it, harvests it, bags it and sells it. Is this the same thing with oil?”

If Chief Ige went to court probably confident of winning, he did so also knowing that a judgment that favoured his principal was even more likely to generate greater heat than there was before he went to court, hence his attempt at mollifying opponents of his journey to the SC by his remark that the court judgment would not be the final word on the issue.

And indeed, it wasn’t; far from being the fi-

nal word it became a call to war by the oil producing littoral states. And they deployed every weapon in their formidable arsenal – the media, threats, sabotage of the oil infrastructure and, above all, money which they already had aplenty - to ensure victory against the SC judgment.

That victory came in the form of the February 2004 enactment by the National Assembly which abolished the onshore/offshore dichotomy that the SC judgment had affirmed in 2002.

The federal legislators passed the law by overriding President Obasanjo’s veto, thanks obviously to the greed of many of its members who sold their souls and the interests of their constituencies for a mess of oil money. Obasanjo’s initial executive bill, which was his attempt at the “political engineering in Nigeria” which Chief Ige had spoken of, had limited the application of derivation to offshore oil revenue to 24 nautical miles (45 kilometres) seaward. The legislators extended it to 200 nautical miles.

This is the law that some northern governors, led by that of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, want revisited, a revisit which President Goodluck Jonathan, in an un-statesman-like partisanship, has dismissed as “disruptive, outright mischievous and aimed at causing disaffection.”

Obviously, if the 2002 SC judgment had merely left the resource control issue hanging fire, so also has the 2004 law abrogating the onshore/offshore dichotomy the court had affirmed.

Unlike our President, I do not see why calling for a revisit to the abrogation of the onshore/offshore dichotomy on oil revenue allocation is mischievous and malicious. I do agree with him, however, that it could – indeed will - be disruptive, witness, for example, the none-too subtle threat by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, the leading

HARDBALL

littoral oil state, that such a revisit may take us back to the darker days of militancy in the Delta region.

“When the Niger Delta militancy was on,” he said in an interview with Daily Trust (August 9), we were producing only 960,000 bpd (barrels per day) of oil. We are now producing 2.7 bpd so if you do something to incite people and they go and stop people from doing their work then it will not be good for the country.”

The solution to the resource conundrum seems obvious; we should revert to first principles and we must uphold transparency and accountability in governance. First principles dictate that offshore oil belongs to all and should be shared equally by all. But it also dictates that derivation should attract no less than 50 per cent for onshore oil. That was the principle the old three regions – and later four freely agreed on and applied before the soldiers ended the First Republic six years after Independence in 1960. And the agreement, contrary to Professor Aluko’s inferences, was not just on agricultural produce. It also included mineral resources. The logic was obvious; compensation for the environmental degradation mining activities caused in the mining regions.

Even more important than going back to first principles, is the issue of transparency and accountability. The fight over oil money by our elite is simply because it is cheap money which our leaders do not think they should account for. This explains why so many of the northern governors that are now demanding for more of it are notoriously mixed up in their spending priorities. Two ready examples are the billions Zamfara State spent last month, ostensibly to feed fasting Muslims during the just ended Ramadan, and the plan Niger State has of building structures for the three arms of government, a la the Three Arms zone in Abuja. A more extravagant waste of resources than any of these two is difficult to imagine.

The trouble with going back to first principles and upholding priorities is that they are easier said than done. The same, however, cannot be said of reviewing the vertical allocation of our revenues among the federal, state and local governments. Almost everyone agrees that the current formula gives too much to the Federal Government, which is why it dabbles into things that are best executed by states because they are closer to people, things like health, agriculture and education. This is why, for example, the central government has dabbled into building schools for almajirai, something clearly best handled by local governments.

Allocating less than 50 per cent of federal revenue to the Federal Government will be a good place from which to start looking for a solution to the seemingly intractable issue of revenue allocation.

•For comments, send SMS to 08023211188

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Dame Patience and the Unofficial Secrets Act

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HE past few days have seen a frenzy of speculations by media houses on the health of Dame Patience Jonathan, the First Lady. First to break the news was an online news portal, Saharareporters, which claimed over the weekend that Dame Patience suffered food poisoning after a trip nearly two weeks ago to Dubai. Newspapers latched on to the story and attempted to get an official reaction from the Presidency. But officials who could provide an explanation were evasive. Finally, two days ago, both the President’s spokesman and that of his wife provided a half-hearted explanation for the First Lady’s absence. She had travelled out of the country to rest, not to have surgery or because she was ill, they said.

Why the Presidency is uncomfortable with straight and honest answer is a puzzle. Of course the Nigerian Presidency, since the Obasanjo and Yar’Adua years, has always been tongue-tied when it comes to talking about illness in the corridors of power. They hid Yar’Adua’s illness until it became impossible to sustain the masquerade. Then they hid him as they scurried around the world from one hospital to another, again until it became impossible to keep up the pretence. Then they hid him until he died, and even in death

continued to hide him, thereby denying the country the opportunity of giving him a befitting state burial.

This column does not entertain morbid thoughts towards Dame Patience. But it really seemed she was ill and needed medical attention abroad. The Presidency could have provided a simple explanation to the public, for definitely the public deserved to know because the First Lady is a public figure. Illness or even disease is not something to be ashamed of, and Dame Patience is not a bionic woman immune to occasional bouts of high fever, exhaustion, food poisoning or even appendicitis. Surely, one does not need an appendix to perform the role of a First Lady with dignity. It is suspected the Presidency hoped it could hide the news from the public until she came back and put up an appearance.

When it became obvious the news could not be hidden or delayed, officials should have come clean. But instead of coming clean, they waffled for days, hoped the Unofficial Secrets Act would do the job, and allowed the media to have a field day.

While the tragicomedy of Yar’Adua’s battle with heart and kidney diseases lasted, the government failed to harness the empathy the

public felt for the beleaguered First Family and the goodwill emotive Nigerians could have lent his government. This comical affliction of living in denial is apparently still running rampant in the Presidency, especially seeing how paralysed they seem over managing the information side of the First Lady’s indisposition.

Whether under Yar’Adua or under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, whose wife Stella, stole out to Spain to have surgery and died in the process, or still under the Jonathan Presidency, it is clear the Nigerian Presidency still casts nostalgic eyes towards colonial and military eras when the Official Secrets Act often stopped any speculation about top government officials and their wives dead in its tracks. But to worsen the discomfiture for a heedlessly secretive Presidency, not only was the Official Secrets Act disobeyed by the Nigerian media, it is also now overridden by the Freedom of Information Act. If the media feels as comically inclined as the Presidency, one of these days, they may even have the temerity, under a constructive corollary of the FOI law, to ask how many times a week the President, er, er, well, fight with the First Lady. That’ll be the day!

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