The Nation September 06, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Osun’s $1m traced to bank

Weep not for Cynthia, says family NEWS Page 4

NEWS Page 10

•Two summoned over $3m job

•Friends, others at Service of Songs

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 7, NO. 2240 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

CBN defends N5,000 note amid calls for Sanusi’s sack Bank: no plan 60 shops, millions gone in Ibadan market fire to spend N40b NMA, CNPP, CDHR angry

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Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)

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PPONENTS of theN5,000 banknote are not giving up, despite the official support for the plan.

In fact, they have raised their demand – from asking the government to tell the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pull the brakes on the scheme to calling for CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s sack.

But the CBN, again, defended the plan yesterday, saying it will not cause inflation – as feared in many quarters – and will be economical to produce.

The CBN explanation came amid fresh protests by some organisations, who are opposed to the plan. They called for Sanusi’s sack.

Angry are the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP).

The CBN plans to spend less than N32 billion to print the new regime of currencies, which will be introduced from the first quarter of next year.

A statement from the CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said the apex bank had over the years reduced the cost of printing and minting currencies, as such, the printing and minting of the proposed new currencies will follow the same trend.

Okoroafor said: “Under the new currency structure, in which the N5000 denomination will be introduced, our projection is that the total volume of currency to be produced will Continued on page 2

•The scene of the fire...yesterday

Gunmen attack MTN, Airtel masts in Kano, Borno, Bauchi, Yobe

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HE fundamentalist group, Boko Haram (Western education is a sin), appears to have changed tactics in its relentless insurgency. It now targets telecommunications operations.

Masts belonging to major telecoms companies were yesterday attacked by gunmen, who are suspected to be members of the group.

Besides, there were explosions in five cities in the North – Bauchi, Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum and Kano.

Some traders were killed in Maiduguri, the

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano, Duku Joel, Damaturu and Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

Borno State capital, where the office of telecoms giant MTN was set on fire.

The torching of the MTN office came a week after the Joint Task Force (JTF) raided the Dala Ward home of a suspected key commander of the sect and recovered 54 assorted SIM cards, in addition to arms and ammunition.

The MTN Regional Office in West- End on Baga Road and nine telecommunications Continued on page 2

•Mr. Sarafa, an eletrical parts seller, whose shop got burnt, mourning his loss...yesterday PHOTOS: FEMI ILESANMI

•GOVT RESTORES DANA AIR’S LICENCE P2 •LAGOS TRAFFIC LAW ON P7

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

NEWS Gunmen attack MTN, Airtel masts in Kano, Borno, Bauchi Continued from page 1

•From left: Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, Winner of the Mike Okonkwo Essay Competition for Secondary Schools 2012, Master Fego Ahia and Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr Mike Okonkwo during the 13th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture with the topic, “Dependence of Nigerian Economy on Crude Oil: Any Alternatives?” at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos…yesterday

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Obi launches battle against kidnapping

HE Southeast has launched a massive crackdown on kidnapping, a menace that is rampant in the region.

Following Monday’s arrest of a main kidnapping suspect – Osita Olisagbo Ifedike alias Ofe Akwu – Anambra state Governor Peter Obi yesterday supervised the demolition of buildings belonging to Ifedike at Umunakwa Ifite Village in Oraifite, Ekwusigo local government area of the state.

The kidnap suspect had been apprehended on Monday night by the Inspector General of Police (IGP’s) Special task force team working with the State’s special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

More than 27 AK 47 rifles and over 12,800 live ammunition, 143 fully-loaded magazines, rocket launchers, general purpose machine guns, and granades among others were found in the suspect’s armoury. They were seized.

Apart from the under-

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

ground structure, there is also an extended building with toilet facilities behind the bungalow suspected to be the cell where kidnapped victims were kept. In a small building attached to the gate wall, there was a shrine allegedly used by the father of the suspect, Mr. Patrick Ifedike alias Ogbujingidi, believed to be a native doctor.

The buildings, before their demolition, were obviously attacked by suspected angry mobs, who burnt parts of the building, smashed the windows, doors and furniture.

The state government’s three caterpillars dismantled the suspect’s mansions to the delight of residents of the area who went into a frenzy.

Obi vowed to flush out kidnappers in the state.

He said: “After these demolitions, we will go after his businesses, we heard he has a hotel in Ghana, Rivers state and Umuahia in Abia state”.

“I will call my elder brother and Governor of Abia state, Chief Theodore Orji, to make sure that what is going on here also take place there to his property and businesses.

“We can no longer continue this kind of life. People must live purposeful lives; we are going to start looking for his business associates also and that is why I am here today to supervise the demolition of these buildings.

“This is part of my administration’s effort in making sure that criminal activities are eradicated in Anambra state. We will not stop until Anambra becomes safe” Obi said.

He explained that the efforts are geared towards eradicating crime and flushing out hoodlums from the State. The Governor said due process of the law had been initiated to prosecute the suspect while government was going after all his invest-

ments in the country as no kidnapper or criminal would be allowed to enjoy the proceeds of his illegal activities.

Some of the indigenes of the area who spoke with the Nation yesterday at Oraifite confessed that the 36-yearold suspect was a terror before he was arrested.

•Obi

masts belonging to various companies were attacked.

Early in the year, Boko Haram had issued a statement threatening the telecommunication industry.

The MTN office was set ablaze at about 2am. The office houses all the communication facilities of the frontline GSM operators in the country.

Also set ablaze yesterday are the telecommunication masts in Dala, Bulunkutu, Bayan Quarters, Gwange, Sulimanti, Bolori, Adam Kolo and Bulabulin wards of the metropolis.

An eye witness said the Bulumkutu mast was burnt down by some armed youths at about 8pm on Tuesday.

Those killed were said to be traders.

JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa confirmed the burning of the MTN office and

some masts in Maiduguri, but denied any killing.

Lt.-Col. Sagir said: “I can only confirm to you that some telecommunication masts and MTN Regional office were set ablaze by suspected Boko Haram men, but I am not aware of any killing in Gwange. Please, give me time; as soon as I get details, I will communicate to you.”

In Kano, the gunmen attacked MTN masts and Airtel installations in Sharada and Hotoro.

Security operatives immediately deployed their men in the area.

Security was strengthened around the facilities spread across the city.

Sources said the attack was carried out by men on motorbikes, who stormed the two locations early yesterday.

According to the police, the Continued on page 59

Govt lifts DANA Air’s suspension

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HE Federal Government yesterday lifted the suspension on Dana Air’s operating licence, freeing the airline to resume commercial operation, 93 days after its aircraft crashed, killing 153 passengers on board and other people on the ground in Iju Ishaga, Lagos State.

Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah said the lifting of the ban followed the government’s satisfaction with the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit.

She explained that government would continue to strengthen its oversight and regulatory functions to ensure that all airlines operating in the country, including Dana Air, adhere strictly to safety procedures as required by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act and all other local and international regulations that ensure and

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

promote sustainable air safety.

The operating licence of Dana Airlines was temporarily suspended following the June 3 crash as a safety precaution.

Agitation by passengers and the desire not to create a near monopoly in the aviation sector may have accounted for the lifting of the ban on the suspension, investigations have revealed.

The lifting of the ban did not come to many observers in the aviation industry as a surprise, as the dwindling fortunes of other carriers on the domestic scene may have created a wide vacuum in the sector.

Since the crash, passengers have had to struggle to get seats on the existing carriers following the closure of other carriers including Chanchangi Airlines limited, which is curContinued on page 59

N5000: NMA kicks as CDHR, CNPP call for Sanusi’s sack

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HE Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) yesterday described the planned introduction of N5,000 banknote as wicked.

While the NMA said it will lead to inflation, CDHR urged the National Assembly to begin the process of sacking CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi before “a national mass revolt against this affront.”

National Vice Chairman of CDHR, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, faulted the CBN governor for “his recurring display of power- arrogance and unapologetic agency for imperialist policies and dictates.”

Otitolaye who spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said: “The introduction of the N5,000 notes is a confirmation that Sanusi and his cronies are playing the script of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and other Imperialist agencies.

This is an attempt to further entrap our economy to the desires of Western countries. To enforce this economic regime is a lost focus by the Jonathan administration, hence creating a diversionary discussion.

“It is also a disconnect with the mass of our people. More

CBN defends N5,000 banknote Continued from page 1

drop and the total cost of production will drop consequently.”

He pointed out that “ giving that the total cost of printing in 2011 amounted to N32.627 billion, it is evidently false that a single high value denomination (N5000), which will be printed in relatively small quantity, will cost N40 billion.”

Okoroafor based his argument of the past costs of printing currencies for the country, which he disclosed to be N47.1 billion in 2009; N45.5 billion in 2010 and N32.627 billion in 2011.

Okoroafor maintained that the total cost of currency management will drop and there will be significant savings in cost, stating that “cost reduction had been a major accomplishment in the Bank’s currency management in the last couple of years.”

The CBN spokesman, reacting to recent reports that contracts have been awarded for the printing and minting of the new currency, denied any such move and declared that “no decision has been taken on any contract pertaining to the proposed currency restructuring exercise”. ”It is, therefore, also false that firms have been From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

than 100 million Nigerians live below the poverty line; must we commit over N40billion into a wasteful exercise when such money can be employed to create sustain-

contracted to produce the currency notes.”

Said Okoroafor: “Before any contract for the printing or minting of currency notes and coins is awarded, several steps must be taken. These include, the determination of the indent – the number of currency notes to be produced, the structure, volume and their special features.”

The new currency notes, he explained, will have tactile marks to aid the visually-impaired and “also eliminate the existing dependence on patents held by non-Nigerian entities. For the first time, the Nigerian currency will feature female personalities,” he said.

According to the CBN spokesman, “one major consideration in the volume of the new currency to be introduced is the rate at which existing currency notes are rendered unfit through usage.”

The proposed currency notes he reiterated, will not all be introduced at the same time but phased, and both the old and new currency notes will circulate side by side for an orderly withdrawal.

The proposed N5, N10, and N20 coins “will also circulate side by side with notes of the same denominations until such a

able jobs for the unemployed?

“This is a roadmap to further inflation. Acceding to this obnoxious policy will lead to the introduction of higher denominations in the near future which continues to devalue our currency, erode our econ-

time when we are assured that the coins have gained wide acceptability.”

The CBN, Okoroafor said is required to withdraw and destroy unfit currency notes, adding that “one of the reasons for the ongoing campaign for greater respect for the Naira is to reduce the frequency of replacement and therefore the overall cost of currency management”.

The planned currency restructuring, he explained, will not cause inflation in any form whatsoever as it will not increase money supply.

Instead, the currency restructuring he said, will make payments easier and check unnecessary rise in prices that come through ”rounding up”.

Currency restructuring, Okoroafor noted, may actually help in tackling inflation, noting that when “the CBN introduced the N500 banknote in 2002, inflation dropped from 16.5 per cent to 12.1 per cent in 2003. Similarly, when the N1,000 banknote was introduced in 2005, the inflation rate actually dropped from 11.6 per cent to 8.6 per cent (single digit) in 2006 and dropped further to 6.6 per cent in 2007.”

omy and dehumanise our people. The amount of money required for petrol (PMS) to fill a tank could buy a brand new Peugeot in the early eighties. Nigeria has become a dumping ground even for third world economies”, he

said.

The chairman and secretary of the Kwara State Congress of Nigeria’s Political Parties (CNPP), Lekan Alabi and Adebayo Lawal in a statement said “the catalogue of misrule and anti-people policies of

the Jonathan-led administration is assuming a greater dimension by the day as Mallam Sanusi’s action is threatening the welfare of Nigerians with the proposed introduction of the N5000 note.

NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele who spoke in Abuja said: “NEC of NMA strongly advises the Central Bank Governor to review his planned introduction of the single 5000 Naira note, and 20 and 50 Naira coins, on account of the likely negative implications for the economy.

“The Association notes that despite several similar changes made in the past no significant improvement in the economy was witnessed. Increased inflation rate have more often than not been the lot of similar policies in the past. ”We therefore advise that rather than waste the counContinued on page 59

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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NEWS SERVICE OF SONGS FOR CYNTHIA

Weep not for Cynthia but her killers, says family •Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo (right), President, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwahed Omar (left) and Mr. Augustine Etato during the second Africa and Middle East Conference of the Building and Wood Workers International in Abuja...yesterday

• Hotel where she was killed illegal, says NTDC chief Runsewe •NMA seeks speedy justice

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• Minister of State for Trade and Investment Samuel Ortom cutting the tape to open the Propak West Africa 2012 on Tuesday. With him are publisher of Where to Print Mr. Joju Adekanbi (right) and Mr. Alexander Angus of Montgomery UK

• Director-General, Nafdac, Dr Paul Orhii (left) receiving I-check Equipment used for measuring quantity of Vitamins and Minerals in flour, oil and sugar from the Director, Gain Geneva, Dr. Tina Van Den Briel in Abuja... yesterday. With them are Country Director, Gain Nigeria, Mr. Larry Umunna (second right)and Chief Executive Officer, Bioanalyt, Germany, Prof.

Florian Schweigert (right).

•Assistant Inpector General of Police (retd) Tunji Alapimi (left), Consul General , South African High Commission , Mr. Mokgethi Monaisa and Managing Director, Ocean Basket, Mr. Kayode Olu Matins discussing at the launch of Ocean Basket in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

RIENDS, family members and neighbors of the late Cynthia Osokogu last night gathered at the St Morumba Catholic Church, Jos. They were there for a grim but necessary rite, which will culminate in her remains being interred in Delta State on Friday.

The service of songs was a somber affair, with many battling tears.

Men and women in black attires stated filing into the church around 6pm.

The service was officiated by the parish priest of St Murumba, Jos , Revd. Father Philip Dung. He was assisted by Revd. Father Peter Ucun, the principal, St Murumba College, Jos. In his sermon, the parish priest, Rev Father Dung, said: said: “Cynthia is more of a family of the church than the Osokogu family because she worshipped here in this church. However, we joined friends and well wishers in this condolence, which is a painful one.

“Cynthia did not die for nothing because she died a Christian. She never allowed her educational career and her business to deprive her from worshipping her creator.

“But we need to say this loud and clear to whoever cares to listen, the death of Cynthia is another sad report card of our nation that fails to protect its citizens. The case of Cynthia may be one out of many.

“It is time for government to shift attention to the kind of havoc caused by ICT. We focused too much attention on fighting Boko Haram and other forms of terrorism. It is time to focus on cyber made terrorism because it has claimed lives of many Nigerians silently.

“The case of Cynthia should be used to salvage other potential victims of cyber crime because it is obvious that there are so many Nigerians who have gone through more terrible experiences than that of the late Cynthia.”

Giving testimony on behalf of the family, Mr. Ralph Monye said: “The family is currently going through trauma as a result of the sudden death of their only daughter. I want the church to pray for them over their present condition so that they will be able to overcome this trauma. If you are in the shoes of the family, you will not even want to wish your greatest enemy this kind of trauma.

“But as friends and relations, I will tell you not to weep for Cynthia; you rather weep for his killers because they have committed crime that cannot be compounded. In law, it means it cannot be settled amicably with the killers. I wonder how God almighty will forgive them, but I wish God

• The late Cynthia

• Revd. Dung...yesterday From Yusuf Aminu Idegu, Jos and Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

forgives them.”

Ene, a friend of the deceased while speaking for her friends, said the death of Cynthia has marked the end of their 15-year-old friendship. She urged the church and well wishers to pray to God to console the parents of late Cynthia because “it is like one of the eyes of the family has been removed”.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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NEWS SERVICE OF SONGS FOR CYNTHIA

• The deceased’s mother, Mrs. Joy Osokogwu

• A family member of the deceased...yesterday

• Monye

‘ • A group of Cynthia’s friends ...yesterday

• Cynthia’s friend in mourning mood at the church...yesterday

• Church members at the Service of songs...yesterday

The Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has said Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate near Festac Town, where the late Cynthia Osokogu was murdered, is operating illegally.

Runsewe said the NTDC would sue the owners of the hotel for operating without being registered by the NTDC. He said a query had been issued to the hotel. Runsewe, in a statement in Abuja, said the management of the ho-

• Cynthia’s best friend, Ene (right) and another friend at the service...yesterday. PHOTOS: YUSUF IDEGU

‘

The case of Cynthia should be used to salvage other potential victims of cyber crime because it is obvious that there are so many Nigerians who have gone through more terrible experiences than that of the late Cynthia tel has admitted operating illegally.

The late Cynthia Osokogu was killed at Cosmilla Hotel, Lagos by

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her social media ‘friends’ after they drugged and dispossessed her of her belongings.

The Director-General insisted that the law would be followed to the letter in dealing with the hotel.

He said: “We will allow them to do their job after which we will go to court.”

He commended the security agencies, especially the Police and the SSS for a job well done on the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.

The NTDC is empowered by law to register, classify and grade ho-

tels and other hospitality outfits.

The National President, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, yesterday said it was important that government enforce strict prescription rights on drugs before being sold out.

He called for the speedy dispensation of justice in the murder of the late Cynthia.

Enabulele, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, condoled with the Osokogus.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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NEWS Mum from Presidency on First Lady’s whereabouts

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HE Presidency kept mum yesterday on the whereabouts of First Lady Patience Jonathan and when she is expected back in the country.

She has been speculated to be recuperating in a German hospital after being treated for food poisoning.

Presidential sources had said Dame Patience was flown out of the country on Saturday to treat the food poisoning she contracted in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), during an earlier visit.

Officials in the Presidency and in her office declined to speak to our reporters yesterday. An official insisted that nobody had a clearance to speak on her condition and that officials with her in Germany are under instruction not to speak.

Our reporter’s attempt to have a glimpse into what should be her schedule for the day and the week was also met with lack of cooperation from officials contacted.

But President Jonathan carried on with his full schedule of activities yesterday, without betraying any emotion.

Apart from chairing the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, he also visited the national football team – the Super Eagles – in training to motivate them ahead of weeked’s African Cup of Nations match against Liberia, among other activities.

‘NGOs are now conduit for money launderers’

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HE Head of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUM) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Angela Nworgu, has said that NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) are now serving as conduit for money laundering and sponsorship of criminal activities.

Nworgu made the disclosure in an opening remark at the annual seminar for Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFIs) at the EFCC Academy , Karu, Abuja .

A statement by EFCC’sHead of Media and Publicity Wilson Uwujaren, quoted Nworgu as attribut-

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

ing her claim to a research by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The statement said: “Nworgu disclosed that research by the Financial Action Task Force(FATF) indicates that money launderers “who use NGOs to carry out layering of stolen wealth through several countries…to disguise the actual origin of the money do not mind loosing 40 per cent of the total amount in the process, because it is money gotten from illegitimate means”.

She said the essence of the seminar was to expose compliance officers to their obli-

gations and responsibilities in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The participants, drawn from various DNFIs such as Bureau De Change, Hotels, Law firms, Jewelers, etc. were taken through the provisions of the Money Laundering Act 2011, KYC (know your customer) principles, Anatomy of CTRs/STRs, implication of the CBN circular on AML/ CFT compliance, among others.

One of the resource persons, Emma Igbodekwe told the participants that the newly amended Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 is “more robust with strict punishment for its violation.

“That does not invalidate its application on culprits who might have committed the offence long before it was passed into Law, because it’s provisions also encompasses all the provisions in the Money Laundering prohibition Act, 2004", he said.

Also an official, Mr. Mathew Enu said the objective of the CTRs/STRs regime is to help detect and deter money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities.

“It is also to facilitate investigation and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist activity financing offences.

“This includes reporting, record keeping, client identi-

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (second left); retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Bola Babalakin (left); Prof.

Ogunsheye and former Chairman of the defunct Peoples Bank, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, at the book launch ...yesterday

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Obasanjo urges Fed Govt to celebrate heroes

•Mr Penninck

Hajj: Why we charge $35 per pilgrim, by NAHCON From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

Bi-Courtney appoints CEO for MMA2 I-COURTNEY Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer for the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), Lagos. He is Mr. Christophe Penninck.

According to a statement by the company, Mr. Penninck, a Belgian and Polish, is joining the organisation with a wealth of experience, spanning over a decade in global aviation, including airport operations, passenger safety, as well as airline and safety management in different countries.

The statement added that Penninck, a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (also known as the Harvard of the Sky), Daytona Beach, United States (U.S.), and multiple award winner in the global aviation industry, has a passion for aviation that has earned him several senior management positions in various airlines, such as Swissair/Sabena Belgian World Airlines, Kenya Airways, Menzies Aviation in Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa, Qatar Airways and and Aero Contractors, Lagos, among others.

fication and compliance regime requirements for individuals and entities,” he added.

Highlight of the occasion was the award of certificates to participants who were drawn from DNFIs across the country.”

The statement said most of the participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the provisions of the money laundering prohibition law and its implementation.

•Biography of late UI don launched

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ROM former President Olusegun Obasanjo came yesterday a piece of advice to the Federal Government: celebrate citizens with outstanding achievements during their lifetime.

Their records of achievements should also be documented, he said.

It was at the presentation of a biography of the late university don, economist and industrialist, Prof. Ayo Ogunsheye entitled: “Ayo Ogunsheye: The workers’ Economist.” in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital Obasanjo said biographies and records of works of heroes and professionals can serve as effective guides for youths in pursuing self advancement.

He said: “By remembering men and women of integrity in the land, we would have helped in moving this country on the part of restitution and turn it from the status of anything goes.”

The former president lamented that the overzealousness of the youths about money makes them deride values such as hardwork, honesty and professionalism, stressing that such biographies of outstanding people like the late Ogunsheye would help many youths draw enough inspiration to succeed through the acceptable means.

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From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan He said:”I want to urge family members of good Nigerians whose records we like to have but we have not had to work towards documenting their history and achievements.

“This will help in putting right the history of our country.

It will also help to impact on the younger generation who will be the leaders of tomorrow.

“It is necessary particularly now that we have a country where anything goes. The moral value was very high in the country in not so distant past. That time, we had men of God,” he said.

Paying glowing tributes to the man he regarded as one of his mentors, the former president described Prof.

Ogunsheye as a man of many parts with somewhat contradictions but added that he distinguished himself in all.

The President of the Ogunsheye Foundation and wife of the late economist, Prof. Adetoun Ogunsheye, said she took up the challenge of writing the biography to meet the same need Obasanjo highlighted.

She said that her husband sought the collective good of the people and did not use his position to amass wealth.

HE spokesman for the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria(NAHCON), Mallam Mana Uba has clarified that the agency is collecting $35 service charge from each pilgrim on private operators’ ticket to defray the cost of inspecting their facilities at home and in Saudi Arabia .

Uba, who made the clarification in a chat with our correspondent, said the fact that about 10,000 pilgrims will be airlifted does not mean that NAHCON has no say in their welfare.

He said: “The private operators are managing the Hajj as business ventures.

And NAHCON has a responsibility to inspect their Hajj facilities in all the six geopolitical zones and in Saudi Arabia .

“Without NAHCON’s clean bill of health, the Saudi Government will not allow them to bring in pilgrims.

For all these things we do for the private operators, we charge $35 per pilgrim to cover our expenses.

“As a responsible agency, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure that pilgrims on government or private operators’ ticket are adequately catered for by the airlifting agencies.”

He said NAHCON was not out to extort pilgrims as being insinuated by some aggrieved private tour operators.

Uba added: “If you see what some of these private operators do, you will be shocked. They are complaining about $35 service charge, but they are charging N850, 00 per pilgrim outside estacode to be sourced by these pilgrims on their own.

Jonathan retains power reforms committee chair

O improve power supply across the nation, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday reconstituted the Presidential Action Committee on Power and the Presidential Task Force. The two bodies are charged with the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Federal Government’s agenda for power sector reforms.

Jonathan retains the chairmanship of the Presidential Action Committee (PACP).

The committee was established in June 2010 to provide leadership and guidance for the rapid development of the power sector and determine

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja the general policy direction and strategic focus of reforms in the sector.

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo is the deputy chairman. Other members include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of Service, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, the Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, the Minister of Power, the Minister of State for Power

and the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

Other members include the Minister of National Planning, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, the Special Adviser to the President (Performance Monitoring & Evaluation), the DirectorGeneral – Bureau of Public Enterprises, the DirectorGeneral – Bureau of Public Procurement, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power is Secretary.

Reynold Dagogo-Jack, an engineer of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) is to assume the chairmanship of the Presidential Task Force on Power. The Task Force is to develop and drive the action plan for the power sector as well as articulating a proper plan of action for implementation in power generation, transmission and distribution.

Other members of the task force are the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, the Chief Executive Officer

– Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Gas Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Geregu Generation Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Ughelli Generation Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Eko Distribution Company, the Chief Executive Offcier, Abuja Distribution Company, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Company, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria and Mr. Evaristus Mogbo.

THE NATION THURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

CITYBEATS ‘She beats me U because I can't buy her a new car’

By Precious Igbonwelundu

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LAGOS Grade 'A' Customary Court in Ojo, Lagos, yesterday, heard how a 50-year-old lawyer is being maltreated by his wife because he cannot buy her a new car.

Adewoyo Adetoro, a lawyer who resides at 5, Adekanbi Lane, Okokomaiko, married his wife,Ronke 12 years ago. The have three children aged 11, nine and five.

Adetoro alleged that his wife has become egocentric and materialistic especially since she started keeping a clique of high class women as friends.

He said: "All had been moving on well with my marriage until she started keeping the company of high class women some years ago.

"In 2006, my wife engaged me in a fierce battle over my inability to buy her a car. She even bit-off my lower lip because I told her I had no money for a new car.

"I have received several slaps from this woman I call wife.

"I had initially sought dissolution of this marriage in 2006, but her family members intervened and I relented. She makes unnecessary demands that are too hard for me to meet."

Adetoro alleged that since the beginning of the year, she has increased her demand for a new car because all her friends have cars. He said he had to sacrifice his own car for her, but she is insisting on a new car.

"I even sacrificed my own car for her just for the sake of peace, but she told me that she was not a second hand wife and should be given a new one."

He said his wife demanded that daily food allowance must be increased from N600 to N2, 000.

"Worst still, this woman told me that I must change the cooking stove to a gas cooker.

"Without my consent, she used my money to open a shop at Iyana-Isashi, but my anger now is that she makes my children go to school late and leave early so that they can come and sell for her. I don't like it because it is affecting my children's education," the lawyer said.

He said: "My wife is too selfcentered, money conscious and wicked to be called a wife or mother.

"I pray this court to dissolve our union since I have endured beyond acceptable limit.

"I also appeal that I be granted custody of our three children as I would never allow them grow under the hands of such a greedy woman."

The court president, Mr S.B. Giwa, adjourned the case till September 11, for the woman's response.

7 08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

NION leaders will, henceforth, be tried for any robbery committed with commercial motorcycle in Lagos State, Commissioner for Transportation Kayode Opeifa said yesterday.

At a meeting with commercial motorcycle transport operators in his office on the Lagos Traffic Law, Opeifa and the government did not ban Okada business under the law.

The meeting, he said, became necessary to sensitise them about the law and its implementation.

Opeifa urged the operators to comply with the law and stay off those roads where they have been banned.

He said: "The beauty of the law is

Govt to prosecute union leaders for okada robbery

By Miriam Ndikanwu

that we have not banned you as other states have done. We are only telling you to keep off prohibited roads. You can operate from where people can't get bus, to where they can board commercial bus."

Chairman, Lagos Taskforce on Environment Unit, Bayo Sulaimon urged the union leaders to ensure compliance with the law saying the police and other law enforcement agencies are worried commercial motorcyclists are still violating the

W

claiming affiliation to recognised and registered groups, as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), but not truly affiliated could be charged with criminal offence.

The Chairman Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA Mr Young Arabamen, charged the unions to cooperate with the government in changing the face of public transportation.

Liberian woman brutalised over N11, 000

By Jude Isiguzo

• Ms Thomas

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LIBERIAN woman, Ms Fatu Thomas (25), has accused a Nigerian of brutalising her following an attempt to recover two months’ salary owed her sister, Janet (17) by a hair dresser in Okota, a Lagos suburb.

Janet is a part-time stylist in the hairdresser’s salon.

It was gathered that Janet, a student of Ijesha Senior Secondary School, took up the job during the long vacation. The hairdresser was said to have agreed to pay Janet N5, 500 monthly, and she started work towards the end of June.

At the end of July, her madam was not around and when she returned on the middle of last month, she promised to pay Janet two months’

salary at the end of August.

Thomas said: "At the end of August, my sister complained to me that her madam was yet to pay her for the two months that she had worked and I told her not to worry, promising to follow her to the saloon to find out.

"On Saturday, September 1, I was going to attend a funeral at Ago Palace way and I asked Janet and another sister of mine, Grace to follow me to see the woman.

She said: "When we got to the shop, we met Janet's madam and her male friend. We greeted them but they did not respond, so I told her madam what my sister reported to me and demanded to know why she has refused to pay her for the two months that she worked. Before the woman could respond, the man asked her why she was talking with us and ordered us out of the shop.

“The man said they should have got us arrested, because the shop's spare key is still with my sister. At this point he pushed me and held my neck, trying to strangle me. He hit my head hard on the wall and I lost consciousness.

"He kept shouting and telling the people that wanted to rescue us that he will kill us and that nothing will

happen, until some people who were attending a wedding somewhere around rushed over to rescue us.

They saw the way I was bleeding and asked my sisters to rush me to a hospital. That was how I ended at Isolo General Hospital, where I was treated. We later reported the matter at Okota Police Station."

Janet said the spare key was handed over to her by her boss to ensure easy access into the shop. She said her sister lost two Nokia mobile phones, a Blackberry Bold four and a small bag containing N7,000, a gold necklace and two ATM cards.

She said when investigators at the Okota Police Station were acting as if they had been compromised, they reported the matter to former Liberian Consular General in Lagos, Chief Cliff Nzeruem, who complained to the Area 'D' Command, Mushin, which ordered that the case be transferred to Mushin.

The Investigating Police Officer was reported to have presented a wrong suspect after allegedly releasing the real suspect on bail.

Sources at Area 'D' told The Nation that the case has not been transferred, adding that the suspects are still at large.

• From right: Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Hakeem Muniru; Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka and Chairman Isolo LCDA, Hon. Shamsudeen Olaleye, during the inauguration of the Isolo Primary Healthcare Centre, Isolo

Groups fault coroner's suspension of inquest AS the Lagos Coroner right on adjourning indefinitely the inquest into the June 3 Dana plane crash following a suit challenging its objective power?

Two rights groups Access to Justice (AJ) and the Coalition of Lawyers for Good Governance (CLGC) yesterday say it erred by adjourning the case.

They said there was no specific court order that the inquest should be halted; therefore, a mere notice of a suit was not enough to stop

law.

He said: "Do not say you are enforcing some parts of the law and are other parts not implemented, we don't want to start pouncing on you in the name of enforcing the law. By the time we begin full enforcement, you may not like it.

That is why government is calling on you and other union leaders to warn your members before we start enforcement properly."

Sulaimon said unions that sought government's recognition by

•Court hears suit today

By Joseph Jibueze

proceedings.

Last Monday, the Coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, adjourned the inquest indefinitely after it was served with processes of a suit by a non-governmental organisation, Civil Aviation Roundtable Initiative, led by Captain Dele Ore. AJ's Executive Director, Joseph Otteh said suspending the

proceedings could ultimately deny the public the right to know what caused the crash and how to prevent a recurrence.

Otteh said: "I think the coroner was wrong to have suspended it.

As far as I know, there is no injunction against the coroner sitting.

"In my view I think it's illadvised for the coroner to let this sort of interest dictate the progress of the inquest. The coroner was clearly not under any legal duty to suspend proceedings and it's a

wrong precedent.

"We don't want these kinds of things happening in the future. So it's really a wrong precedent and I'm certainly opposed to the suspension."

CLGC's founder, Joe Nwokedi said the mere filing of a suit does not amount to a stay order, as the outcome of the suit is uncertain.

His said: "There has to be a specific court order or ruling to the effect that the inquest should be suspended. In the absence of any such express order, I don't think it is in the interest of the public to adjourn indefinitely or suspend proceedings.

•Eboma

Sergeant re-arrested for internet fraud

By Boniface Ebele

A POLICE Sergeant Ebuka Eboma, is back in police cell, one year after he was freed of alleged robbery and murder.

Sources said he was arrested following intense efforts by the police to track him down Eboma was described as a specialist in Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and internet related fraud.

A source said reported cases of ATM fraud had been on the rise since Eboma regained his freedom, a development that gave him out as having resumed his nefarious trade.

The source said Eboma would soon be charged to court.

The trial of Eboma 38, was stalled last year because his offences could not be tried by the magistrate’s court. He secured his freedom before his case could be transferred to the high court. He was alleged to have bribed his way out of custody with N14 million.

A source said Eboma was rearrested last Sunday for alleged involvement in Internet fraud and was remanded in SARS cell at Ikeja pending the completion of investigation.

He was charged, last year, along with Corporal Victor Folorunsho, 38, who is still at large, a welder Gabriel Sunday, 38, and Shola Atoki, 29. Eboma last year led his gang to successfully rob a new generation bank at Akowonjo, a Lagos suburb.

When policemen from the Ipaja Police Station on stop and search stopped Eboma in his Hummer Jeep, an AK47 was found. He was arrested and his case referred to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) O. Kaoje who alerted the then police chief, Muhammed Alkali, who directed Superintendent of Police Abba Kyari to investigate the matter. His investigation led to the arrest of Sunday, Omoloye, Atoki, but Folorunsho of Mopol 20 disappeared when he got wind of Eboma's arrest.

Police recovered one AK47 rifle and one Danfo bus that Ezekiel allegedly bought with his own share of the loot. In Garbriel's house the police also recovered a gas cylinder, sledge hammer, cutter and a Nissan Xtera SUV. Although the two policemenwere dismissed by Alkali, before they were charged to court Sgt Eboma (dismissed) was rearrested for ATM fraud.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

8

NEWS ONDO 2012

Activist calls for transfer of security chiefs from Ondo

‘Mimiko filling civil service with his family, friends’ From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday urged the residents to rise up against the alleged plan by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to bastardise the civil service.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, the organisation alleged that in the last two years the governor has been secretly filling important positions in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with members of his family.

It said Mimiko, last week, submitted 20 names of his relations to the State Teaching Service for employment.

The statement reads: “This is worrisome, because the recent recruitment/appointment was done in flagrant abuse of the normal procedure of recruitment, as contained in the rules and regulation of the State Civil Service. It is not in compliance with the State Character, which stipulates that all local governments in the state should be represented in recruitments into civil/ public service.

“The action of Dr. Mimiko is unprecedented in the history of the state civil/public service. If unchecked, it could cause disaffection among the teeming unemployed graduates in the state in the nearest future.

“This brings mediocrity into the service. Besides, the recruitment was not done through a competitive examination. We appeal to the citizenry to call Mimiko to order.”

Governor: Protect your votes From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday urged the electorate to protect their votes from being hijacked by thugs on October 20.

The governor addressed Labour Party (LP) supporters in Odigbo Local Government Area during the continuation of his re-election campaign.

He warned the people to refrain from selling their voters’ cards.

Mimiko said “desperate politicians” were on the prowl to deny the electorate the right to choose their leaders by offering money for their voters’ cards.

The governor said this was a ploy by some politicians to deprive the electorate the right to vote according to their conscience.

He, however, assured the people that the “desperados’ would fail.

The governor inaugurated some projects.

Addressing party supporters at Imorun-Lege community, Mimiko said his administration has been working to alleviate their suffering by establishing development projects.

•Ilori (middle) with party supporters in Ondo...yesterday

Why Ondo indigenes will reject Mimiko, by Aregbesola’s aide

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•‘Mimiko worshipped in Tinubu’s temple’

CHIEFTAIN of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Bola Ilori, yesterday urged the residents to vote out the ruling Labour Party (LP), led by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, in the October 20 governorship election.

He said the LP administration has neglected Ondo, adding that there is no development to show that Mimiko hails from the ancient town.

The politician accused Mimiko of ingratitude to former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Ilori recalled that the ACN National Leader stood by Mimiko during the legal battle to regain his mandate from

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ilori, who is the Special Adviser on Environment and Sanitation to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, addressed a large crowd of party supporters at the Ondo West secretariat of ACN. The ACN chieftain: “If Mimiko and his government have conscience, they would not have attacked Asiwaju Tinubu, who stood by them during the election petition and helped him to retrieve his mandate from the PDP. “If Tinubu was a foreign god, then Mimiko is the first priest that worshipped in his temple.”

He urged the residents to vote for ACN on October 20 to change the defects in Ondo kingdom since Mimiko assumed office.

The governor’s aide empowered each ward in Ondo West and Ondo East local government areas with a motorcycle and N100,000. Both councils have 22 wards.

The politician noted that under the Mimiko administration, Ondo Kingdom is suffering infrastructural and moral deficits.

He said: “Ondo are not traitors. It is so unfortunate that the present administration, headed by an Ondo man, is denting the image of the community.”

Ilori said Mimiko, being an

illustrious son of Ondo town, has allegedly betrayed every successive government he served.

The politician said he was dejected by the situation of Ondo Kingdom.

He added: “Anytime I come home (to Ondo) and move round the town, I weep because of its deplorable situation.”

The governor’s aide regretted that some people might judge Ondo indigenes by the way Mimiko has acted.

Ilori said: “Mimiko is an illustrious son of Ondo and, by every standard, people will begin to judge all Ondo indigenes by Mimiko’s act of betrayal.”

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From Damisi Ojo, Akure

seized and burnt in the presence of security agents.

Babalola said: “We were at the executive council meeting this afternoon (Tuesday) when one of our men hinted us about a strange white cow.

On getting there, we saw a cow with the inscription of two prominent parties. It was about to be slaughtered… So, we rushed to the regent and informed her of what was happening. The cow was dragged to the Onirun’s palace.

“The State Security Service (SSS) and the police were

•The cow...yesterday

later invited...”

But police spokesman, Adeniran Aremu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said

the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Akoko North West denied knowledge of the incident.

Akeredolu promises Energy Ministry

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HE Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has promised to establish a Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, if elected in the October 20 election.

The former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President said this would lead to the development of the energy resources and human capital, particularly among the Ilaje

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

in the coastal areas.

According to him, the Ilaje are the natural owners of the crude oil from which Ondo State and indeed Nigeria have benefited so much.

Akeredolu spoke in his Owo home town when he hosted some professionals and eminent state leaders.

He said: “Let me assure you that the Ilaje will not be left out in the ACN govern-

Kudos for ACN on choice of running mate From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Police arrest ‘ritualists’ in Ondo community HERE was apprehension in Irun-Akoko, a town in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, following the arrest of some suspected ritualists allegedly hired to bury a live cow for a sacrifice ahead of the October 20 governorship election.

It was learnt that the cow had the inscriptions of two prominent parties on it.

It was about to be buried alive when the suspects were reportedly arrested and taken to the palace of the regent.

An eyewitness, Jide Babalola, told reporters that the regent ordered the cow

HEAD of the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, a rights activist, Mr. Morakinyo Ogele, yesterday called for the transfer of security chiefs in the state for allegedly collaborating with the ruling Labour Party (LP) to arrest members of opposition parties.

The activist cautioned politicians against encouraging thuggery, saying this might lead to a repeat of the political crisis that occurred in 1983.

Speaking with The Nation in Akure, the state capital, Ogele said there were reports that opposition parties, particularly the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), accused the LP of plotting to instigate the security agents against its leaders.

The lawyer decried the attitude of the security chiefs since the beginning of the preparation for the poll.

He alleged that security agencies have been unfair to Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s opponents.

Ogele said: “The alert by the ACN that the LP is collaboration with security agents is another dirty game hatched by security agents and the LP. I have been warning our security agents that they should stop forming a criminal alliance with politicians, especially with the LP.

ment, as a Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources will cater for the people of the area.”

The ACN candidate promised that his government would create opportunities in the oil and gas sector by marketing the state’s potential within and outside the country.

The frontline lawyer said companies in energy business in the state would be directed to have their main offices in Akure, the state capi-

tal, and Ilaje with priority for the employment of indigenes.

Akeredolu also said the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) would be strengthened to develop the Ilaje community.

He said the commission would be reformed to function effectively and be rid of corruption, which has allegedly led to the looting of N65billion.

GROUP, Yoruba Awareness Forum (YAF), yesterday hailed the choice of Dr. Paul Akintelure as the deputy governorship candidate of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the October 20 election.

It described the choice as a catalyst for the success of the party in the poll in the Sunshine State.

The Secretary-General of the forum, Mr. Olusegun Folurunso, told reporters in Akure, the state capital, that the emergence of Dr. Akintelure, who is the Otunba of Ikaleland and a former senatorial candidate of ACN in last year’s general election, is a true reflection of the wishes of the entire people of the state.

The group noted that the choice would enable the residents to enjoy what those in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Edo states.

It hailed the deputy governorship candidate for his loyalty and dedication to ACN and the Yoruba nation.

The group urged Ondo State electorate to vote for the party.

It noted that voting for ACN would enable the state to partake in the Yoruba Integration Agenda, especially now that many parts of the country are working for a regional autonomy.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

9

NEWS

We must build a country where love overshadows hate, says Jonathan

‘CPC in alliance talks with ANPP, ACN, LP’ THE Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has said it is working on multiple alliance ahead of 2015 general elections.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), CPC National Secretary, Malam Buba Galadima, said the multiple alliance had become necessary to effect change of baton at the federal level in 2015.

He said: “CPC is doing this in collaboration with many political parties and stakeholders because there is urgent need for change and Nigerians must make concerted efforts to ensure that there is a change of baton in 2015.”

Galadima said CPC was in alliance with ANPP, ACN and Labour Party with a view toward creating an understanding and form a unified block to promote transparent, free and fair elections.

He said series of lessons had been learnt “from our failure in the last merger before the 2011 elections therefore all the progressive forces are treading carefully”.

He said the party had set up a think tank committee that had met with various groups from Kebbi, Zamfara, Katstina and Gombe states seeking their opinions and strategies for the move.

He said that renewal, finance, negotiation, reconciliation and restructuring committees had been set up by the party in more than 24 states as part of the measures to ensure success.

Galadima said it was the outcome of this various meetings that would lead to the next line of action of either to create an alliance or merger as a single party in 2015.

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to build a country where love overshadows hate.

He spoke yesterday at the Airport Hotel, Lagos at an event organised by the Chief Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation to mark the third anniversary of the death of the human rights activist.

He described the late human rights activist as a “very great Nigerian.”

The President said: “This is the time to join hands together and build our country, a country where love overshadows hate, a country where unity takes precedent over political or sectional interest; a country that guarantees equal opportunities irrespective of your social or economic class, a country of justice and equity for all. “ Jonathan, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on International Media, Mr. Ken Saro-Wiwa jnr, said the occasion should serve “to remind us of the constructive role citizens can play in shaping government policies and enhancing the welfare of our people”.

Jonathan said: “I looked up to Gani because of his

‘Gani a very great Nigerian’

By Eric Ikhilae and Precious Igbonwelundu

intelligence and foresight.

His methodical approach to public interest advocacy is legendary. He always reasoned with clarity and never resorted to threats to make his point. Even during military dictatorships he had an abiding faith in the rule of law. He used his considerable knowledge of the law to advance his advocacy.

“He came, he saw, he fought and dared us all. He dared the weak, to be strong and fight for equal rights; he dared the ignorant to be aware of injustice and inequality. He dared even those who dared him and took the fight and struggles for social justice to new levels earning himself the title of the Senior Advocate of the Masses.

“Whether you liked him or not, Gani Fawehinmi was a defender of the poor, a defender of the rule of law, an unrepentant believer in justice, fairness and equal rights. He was a patriot and indeed a statesman who did not allow his personal preferences to cloud his

‘

This is the time to join hands together and build our country, a country where love overshadows hate, a country where unity takes precedent over political or sectional interest

’

struggles for justice and fair play. His love for Nigeria and the well-being of her people were unparalleled.

“Some describe Gani as a social critic. I will prefer to describe him as a patriot.

Few in Nigeria today understand developmentcriticism as Gani did.”

He said he signed the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act because of the

struggle of the late Fawehinmi.

The president said: “It is in that belief and struggle of Gani that this administration has tapped into to pursue vigorously the signing of the Freedom of Information, FOI, Act. It is in the same-shared belief with Gani that we will continue building this administration on the foundation of rule of law, freedom of the press, freedom of association and respect for the rights of every Nigerian irrespective of tribe, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation.”

Speaking at another event organised by children, friends and associates of the late rights activist, it was agreed that for the country to achieve progress, it must evolve a set of values and ethics that would drive its growth aspirations.

The event, which held at the Nigerian Law Publications House, Alausa, Ikeja also witnessed the launch of two books "Gani in his words", written by Richard Akinnola and "Problems with the Federal Government of Nigeria: A lawyer's subjective perspective," written by the deceased's first son, Mohammed.

Navy rescues tanker from pirates

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Court fines French firm $630,000 for bribing Nigerians A French court yesterday fined electronics group SAFRAN 500,000 euros ($630,000) for bribing Nigerian officials to obtain a huge ID card contract.

The case concerned offences committed by former electronics firm SAGEM, which merged with company SNECMA in 2005 to form SAFRAN, a major French electronics, aerospace and defence group.

The charges stem from allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that between 2000 and 2003, SAGEM executives paid Nigerian officials bribes ranging from $30,000 to $500,000 to win the $214 million identity card contract.

The court dropped charges against two former SAGEM executives: JeanPierre Delarue, then a sales manager with the company in Nigeria, and Francois Perrachon, then the company’s director for identification systems in Paris.

Speakers included Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and rights activist, Femi Aborisade.

Oshiomhole, represented by the state's Information Commissioner, Louis Odion, eulogised the deceased.

He said it was in appreciation of the late Fawehinmi's immense contribution to the human rights movement in the country that a neighbourhood was named after him in Benin, Edo State.

He urged Nigerians to ensure that the ideals for which the deceased lived were preserved.

Mamora noted that Fawehinmi was known for his "doggedness, integrity, courage, consistency, justice and fairness." He described him as a man of integrity, who walks his talk and not a man, who will say one thing and do something else.

Mohammed said his decision to write his book, a collection of his press releases issued last year, were informed by his belief that his position about the Federal Government should be made public, with a view to pointing out areas requiring modifications.

•Wike (right), Epelle (left) and acting Permanent, Ministry of Education, Mr. Musa Hassan during the inauguration of the committee by the minister in Abuja... on Tuesday.

Fed Govt inaugurates committee on albinism

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N order to tackle the issue of discrimination and stigmatisation suffered by albinos, the Federal Government has inaugurated a National Committee to draft a national policy on albinism.

Minister of State for Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Tuesday.

Wike said the Jonathan administration recognises that albinos are not only people with special needs, but people with equal rights as other members of the society.

He said: “We are determined to put an end to the inequities that hinder the personal progress and well being of albinos in our country by respecting, protecting and fulfilling their fundamental rights to a life of equal respect, opportunities and dignity”.

The minister urged the committee to draft a policy that will give a direction on the development and implementation of viable programmes for the albino population.

According to the minister, the terms of reference of the committee include: •Identify all relevant stakeholders capable of contributing

positively to the development of the proposed national policy on albinism; •Research, collate and produce reliable information that will form a strategic data base for developing the national policy on albinism as well as strategies for achieving the policy objectives with timelines; •Identify global precedents with regard to the operation of similar policies in other countries focusing on the challenges, successes and best practices.

The chairman of the committee, Mr. Chike Uwazioke assured the minister that the committee would produce a policy that would help resolve the challenges facing albinos.

The vice-chairman of the committee and founder Albino Foundation, Jake Epelle, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for placing the welfare of albinos on the frontburner.

Members of the committee are drawn from the Federal Ministry of Education, relevant government parastatals, Albino Foundation and other civil society groups.

HE Navy yesterday rescued an oil tanker and its 22-man Indian crew hijacked near Lagos.

The vessel, Abu Dhabi Star, was seized on Tuesday night, around 14 nautical miles from the entrance to the Lagos port, Navy spokesman Kabir Aliyu said, adding that the crew members had hidden in a room on the ship.

Security firm AKE said the boat was Singapore owned. “Reports claim the tanker was laden with fuel and is now sailing into the Gulf of Guinea, which suggests that some or all of its cargo will be offloaded into a waiting vessel and subsequently sold on the region’s illegal fuel market,” an official at the company said.

Piracy offshore of Nigeria and other countries in West Africa’s oil-rich Gulf of Guinea is on the increase, and the region is second only to the waters off Somalia for the risk of pirate attacks, which drives up shipping insurance costs. It nets huge sums for armed gangs from stolen cargo, although unlike their Somali counterparts they rarely ask for ransoms, releasing crew as soon as they’ve looted the vessel.

A Greek-operated oil tanker seized off Togo at the end of last month was tracked down on Wednesday off the coast of Nigeria under the control of pirates.

AKE said some 3,000 tonnes of gas oil, worth around $3 million at market value, was stolen.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

10

NEWS Osun councils’ caretaker committees dissolved

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HE Osun State House of Assembly yesterday dissolved the 30 local government caretaker management committees.

The Speaker Najeem Salaam announced the dissolution during a plenary following the expiration of the six-month tenure of the committees.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tenure of the caretaker chairmen began on March 2 and lapsed on September 2.

Salaam ordered the chairmen to hand over government property in their possession to the heads of administration.

He said the Assembly had not received the list of fresh nominees to replace the outgoing chairmen.

The Speaker added that the accounts of the local governments have been frozen.

Ijesa forum seeks release of abducted tycoon

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HE Ijesa forum has begged the abductors of enterpreneur Mr. Idowu Obembe to free him without delay.

In a statement in Ilesa, the group condemned the abductor of the industrialists and urged people to remain vigilant.

The statement reads: “Over four weeks ago, an Ijesa entrepreneur, Mr. Idowu Obembe, proprietor of Nobiliity Stores, Ilesa was abducted at an unholy hour in Ilesa.”

PUBLIC NOTICE I, JIBRIL AHMED hail from Ajigwara of loko in Nassarawa State but Indigene by birth in Ikende L.G.A of Kogi State. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE I, OTI OBIORA NWACHUKWU, lost my International Passport with passport No AO1339481 on the 3rd Aug., 2012 at Lagos State effort made proved abortive.

Please if found return to the nearest Police Station or call 07030806758.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (left) and Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr. Ryuichi Shoji (middle) inspecting a gaurd of honour led by the Commanderte of Osun Youth Empowerment Sheme (O-YES) (second left) during the visit of the ambassador and his team to the governor in Osogbo.

Osun Commission uncovers unspent $1m in bank

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WO persons, Vincent Suberu and Afolabi Adedeji, who were handling one of the projects of the Free Trade Zone during the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration on behalf of a firm, International Development Group, yesterday escaped a warrant of arrest by the Osun State Commission of Enquiry, led by Prof. Femi Odekunle.

The commission said it has uncovered $1 million (about N160million) allegedly paid to Ecobank Plc, formerly Oceanic Bank Plc, to source and guarantee a loan for the Oyinlola administration but which the bank reportedly failed to execute.

The Regional Manager of the bank, Mrs. Adepuju Adenike Oduola, said the money was intact with the bank.

Suberu and Adedeji were summoned before the sixman commission in connection with a N1.1 billion and another $3million (about N480milliom) contracts awarded to their firm, International Development Group.

The commission is exam-

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

ining the circumstances surrounding the procurement of the loan and other major financial transactions of the Osun State Government between May 2003 and November 2010.

Suberu was represented by his three-man legal team of Kolawole Abiri, Gboyega Merotori and Dotun Oso. The lawyers told the commission why their client could not appear before it.

Abiri, quoting Section 7c of the Commission of Enquiry Law, said the commission did not have the power to summon a person who is not a Nigerian and not resident in the country.

He said Suberu is an American who is also not living in Nigeria.

The lawyer averred that a case on the matter of the free trade zone had been before a court since July before his client received an invitation by the commission in August.

The state counsel, Kunle Adegoke, disagreed.

He said all the claims by Suberu’s legal team must first

•Two escape warrant of arrest be verified and established to be true.

The lawyer said the case in court is about the dispute on the relationship between the Osun State Government and the International Development Group and not in connection with the circumstances surrounding the award of the contract for which the commission was mandated to work out.

When the commission realised that the legal team was taking so much time with its lengthy presentation, Adegoke moved that the commission should go on a recess to deliberate on what to do.

Abiri asked for permission to brief Suberu on the matter. He promised to return to the commission on September 11 and 12 with a reply.

Prof. Odekunle overruled the arguments of Suberu’s legal team.

The chairman said the commission would have issued a warrant of arrest on Suberu as well as Adedeji,

who was also connected with the project awarded to International Development Group.

First Bank of Nigeria Plc, represented by its Group Head, Public Sector, Ibadan Region, Mr. Timothy Olubanjo Arowoogun, said it offered a loan to refinance the failed N18.3 billion loan of the Oyinlola administration with a 10 per cent interest.

The governor said as Nigeria makes efforts to reduce its reliance on petroleum, all hands must be on deck to tap other non-oil sector to make Nigeria’s economy robust.

Aregbesola urged engineers to encourage governments at all levels to invest in infrastructural development for the socio-economic development of the country.

The governor added that it is incumbent on engineers to invest in the development of the profession to make it attractive to governments.

He said: “We should be more earnest in our effort to make governments realise

that for us to realise our development dream, we must invest in and develop indigenous engineering. There is no other way. We can also champion the cause for the acquisition of s maintenance culture, which is one of the factors responsible for the continuous decline in the nation’s infrastructure.”

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mallam Musa Sada, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Linus Awute, said the ministry would develop and present a minerals and metal policy to the public.

The minister said this would be the basis for the establishment of the Mining Act and Mining Regulation.

He added: “At the moment, the non-ferrous metals and industrial mineral production appear to be dormant.

But the outcome of the recently concluded Airborne GeoScientific coverage of the country by the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency has afforded investors information and data on mineral occurrences in the country.”

Aregbesola calls for massive production to tackle unemployment

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SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday said the solution to unrest in parts of the country is a massive production base that would make Nigeria less dependent on oil.

The governor spoke in Osogbo, the state capital, when he delivered an address at this year’s annual conference and annual general meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), entitled: Harnessing the Potentials of Non-Ferrous Metals and Industrial Minerals Produc-

tion in Nigeria, at the Leisure Spring Hotel.

He noted that poverty is at the root of the crises in parts of the country.

Aregbesola described poverty as a condition in which a person who is afflicted with it becomes careless about his or her environment.

The governor urged Nigerian engineers to develop the vast deposits of native and compound non-ferrous metal-based minerals and industrial minerals, which have been neglected for a long time in our country.

He noted that since the resources are abundant in Nigeria, there is need for the right action to make Nigeria produce and supply non-ferrous metals.

Aregbesola said: “As engineers, one of the ways we can tackle the socio-economic development problems in Nigeria is by bringing creativity and innovation to bear on what we do and how we do them. After all, creativity and innovation are at the core of the engineering profession.

“There are immense opportunities in the country in the

area of bringing many of its numerous potentials to realisation, if we can muster the courage and creativity. This, I believe, is part of what this conference will address, as reflected in its theme.

“It is interesting that serious attention is finally being directed at making meaningful use of the vast deposits of both native and compound non-ferrous metal-based minerals and industrial minerals, which have been neglected for a long time in our country.”

Ogun to spend N600m more on increase in pupils mary schools have received GUN State Governor figures, says Amosun free textbooks and instrucIbikunle Amosun tional materials, such as ex-

O

yesterday said his administration would spend an additional N600million in the new academic year following a surge in enrolment figures of pupils.

The governor said this was enhanced by the free education policy in the state.

He said his administration is committed to provid-

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

ing free and qualitative education to children in public primary and secondary schools, adding that 200 additional schools are targeted for the second phase of renovation.

Amosun spoke in Abe-

okuta, the state capital, when he received a delegation of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, led by its Prelate, Dr Sunday Ola Makinde.

The governor told the delegation that the procurement of free school bags for pupils had reached an advanced stage while pupils of public primary and post-pri-

ercise books, pencils, biros, file jackets and mathematical sets.

He decried the derelict infrastructure, especially school buildings, his administration inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration led by Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

You will be surprised that we have some of these tractors in this country but they are all obsolete or need refurbishment. So if we have the arrangement to provide the spare parts and workshop where the tractors can be repaired when they get spoilt, then we are making sense..

- Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture

Nigeria offers LNG cargo for Oct. loading

Naira firms as foreigners eye bonds

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IGERIA has launched a sell tender for one cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the spot market, loading in mid-October, industry sources said.

The tender for the standard-sized 140,000-cubic metre cargo according to Reuters news closes on September 11 and loading is due between October 13-14, one of the sources said yesterday.

Nigeria LNG did not immediately reply to emailed requests for information.

Nigeria, which is also the world’s seventh-biggest LNG exporter, loads tankers from its Bonny Island liquefaction plant in the Niger Delta for export to Europe, Asia and the United States.

It has targeted gas exports into Asia over the past year to take advantage of the biggest price differentials to Europe since 2009.

Falling demand from top importers Japan and South Korea since May, combined with increased shipping costs, has made sales into Asia less profitable, however.

The price differential has narrowed to the point where the cost of shipping now outweighs Asia’s premium over Europe.

Nigeria LNG cancelled a sell tender last month after receiving offers that were deemed too low, while global prices have deteriorated even further since then, a trade source said.

Asian spot LNG prices dived to $12.80 a million British thermal units (mmBtu) last week, compared with a four-year high of $18/ mmBtu in May. UK gas prices are about $9.50/mmBtu.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$107/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -10.5% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending -22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $35.8b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

• From left: Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Seni Adetu, Executive Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Sesan Sobowale, during a courtesy visit paid by the management of Guinness Nigeria at the Governor’s office in Abeokuta, Ogun State ... on Tuesday.

SEC invites police to probe market T infractions HE Securities and Exchange Commis sion (SEC) has invited the Police to help probe capital market infractions.

Director General of SEC, Ms Arunma Oteh disclosed this yesterday at a brief ceremony for the 18 police officers seconded to the commission from the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

She said that despite the successes recorded in tackling fraudulent practices in the market, the commission is still battling with illegal fund managers, wonder banks and possible cases of market abuse.

These infractions she said informed the partnership between the police and the SEC. She informed the police management team that the unprecedented decline in

A

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst.

Editor) and Mercy Madu, Abuja

the Nigerian stock market between 2008 and 2009 was caused by excessive risk taking and various market abuses.

To ensure speedier resolution of cases, the commission she said was compelled to approach the police to deploy officers to jointly work with staff of the SEC in investigating criminal issues in the capital market.

To achieve a successful collaboration between the police and the SEC, Oteh disclosed that “the commission will expose the officers to further appropriate training (both locally and internationally) for

deeper understanding of capital market laws, operations and investigation techniques.”

In addition, the logistics required for the efficient operation of the police unit will be provided by the SEC to adequately equip the police at the SEC with the needed skills and logistics to successfully discharge their duties.

Arunma Oteh said that the Attorney General of the Federation has also agreed to deploy some staff from the department of public prosecution to the commission. She said that the deployment of the staff from both the police and the office of the public prosecutor will speed up the pro-

cess of investigation and prosecution of capital market related offences, which would boost investor confidence and market discipline.

In his address, the Inspector General of Police Mr. Abubarkar Mohammed said the police while giving support to the SEC will no longer fold it’s arms and allow any act of criminality in the country.

The IGP stated that the time was over for criminals in Nigeria and urged them to either change their ways and become good citizens or get caught and face the wrath of the law.

He enjoined the officers seconded to the SEC to discharge their duties with honour, dedication and honesty both to SEC and to Nigeria while doing justice to all.

Greenfield refinery secures N270b financing pact

PRIVATE refinery has secured a N270 billion ($1.7 billion) financing agreement for the establishment of a refinery with a 100,000 barrels capacity per day.

The joint venture financing agreement between Niger Delta Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Ltd and a Singapore-based Eton Group that was consummated in Abuja on Monday. A break down of the deal shows that N222 billion for the re-engineering and construction while N47.7 billion ($300 million) is for start up and operation and feedstock.

The construction of the greenfield refinery, to be located in Ubeno Local Government Area of

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

Akwa Ibom State is expected to begin in December and to be completed in 24 months.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of Niger Delta Refinery and Petrochemicals, Allan Rennie said funding has been a challenge after the company secured its license in 1996.

He said: “We have been in financing, construction and oil business for a long time not only here but elsewhere. We have the proper ingredient to finance and construct and we know that finance has always

stopped financing of any private refinery in this country.

“So we are here to make a statement that we have the ability and happy that we have a partner that is committed to ensuring that the project come to fruition.

“We are also aware that the government legislations and policies are still in place to allow the success of projects of this nature and if the government can offer a little assistance along the ways, we are sure that the commencement and completion date would be met”.

In his remarks, Mr. Es-

sen Ekanem, who represented Qua Petroleum Ltd, noted that the State would benefit immensely from the project as employment would be created for the teeming youths.”

He said the government of Akwa Ibom State has assured that security would not pose a challenge as the project would boost socio-economic standing of the State.

The state-of-the-art refinery that has a design capability to produce petrol, kerosine, diesel, heavy fuel oil, lubricating oil, greases and bitumen is expected to generate 750 directed jobs with another 4,000 to 7,000 jobs created externally in support operations.

HE naira firmed against the U.S. dollar on the interbank market yesterday, supported by foreign exchange inflows from offshore investors ahead of a bond auction.

The local currency according to Reuters news, closed at N158.20 to the dollar, higher than the N158.55 naira it closed on Tuesday.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold $200 million at N155.80 to the dollar, the same amount it auctioned at its previous sale on Monday.

Dealers said foreign investors were buying naira to participate in a treasury bill sale yesterday, which helped lift the local currency.

The apex bank offered N142.9 billion ($902million) in treasury bills with maturities ranging from three months to one year, at its twice-monthly auction yesterday.

The bank sold 32.9 billion worth of 91-day bills, N50 billion in 182-day paper and N60 billion in 364-day bills.

Results of the auction were expected on Thursday, dealer said.

FCTA farmers get N250m loan From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

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HE Federal Capital Territory Administra tion (FCTA) has provided about N250 million community empowerment agric revolving loan to 385 communities across the six area councils of the FCT. The Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, said this yesterday during an inspection tour of farms in Kuchibuyi and Guita Communities of Bwari Area Council and meeting with farmers in the two communities.

The Community Empowerment Agriculture Initiative is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project Support of the FCTA under the Department of Economic Planning, Research and Statistics (EPRS).

The minister according to a statement, was accompanied on the tour by the Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Hon. Peter Ushafa; Director of EPRS in FCTA, Alhaji Ari Isa Mohammed; Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat in the FCT, Mrs. Olvadi Bema Madayi and the Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Agriculture and Rural Development. Others are Alhaji Oyinloye Oyeleke; Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Area Councils, Mr. Abu Jisalo; FCT MDG Coordinator, Mr. Abubakar Sani; Task Manager, Youth Empowerment Programme of FCT MDG, Mrs. Nancy Sabantie; Manager, Community Empowerment Agricultural Initiative, Dr. Shuaibu Adamu, and other officials from the FCTA and Bwari Area Council.

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THURSDAY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

BUSINESS NEWS

‘Systems defect liable for corruption’ T HE Federal Government has identified defects in the system as being responsible for corruption in the country.

Speaking at a sensitization workshop for stakeholders on the adoption of a roadmap for the International Public Sector Accounting Standard(IPSAS) ,in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Lawal Ngama, said although corruption has been seen as being responsible for cash outflow, the problem really has been that of system defects.

He advised accountants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to avail themselves with the technical and operational skills required for a hitch-free adoption of the IPSAS as well as the implementation of the

From Nduka Chiejina

(Assistant Editor) and Mercy Madu, Abuja

on-going International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS).

Represented by the Accountant General of the Federation, Jonah Otunola, Ngama noted that the SubCommittee of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) which is behind the move for all tiers of government to adopt IPSAS, expects that at the end of the implementation process, it would deliver to the nation, a Standardised Uniformed Chart of Accounts and General Purposes Financial Statements that will meet international best practices as required by IPSAS.

The minister described the adoption of the IPSAS as one of the strong platforms that would drive the on-going transformation agenda for a better Nigeria International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) are a set of high quality, independently developed accounting standards aimed at meeting the financial needs of the public sector. IPSAS are developed by the Internationals Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), which is an arm of the International Federations of Accountants(IFAC).

Several governments are adopting IPSAS as the financial reporting standard because of it‘s inherent qualities of promoting transparency and accountability, Nigeria must therefore not be left behind.

• From left: Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar at the inauguration of the police unit in Abuja ...yesterday.

‘Osun requires $1.4b for urban renewal’

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HE State of Osun, will require over $1.4 billion to separate and rebuild houses to achieve the administration’s urban renewal programme, Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said.

The governor said this at the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum (WUF) 6 Mayors’ Roundtable at Naples, Italy.

In a statement, he stressed that his administration discovered that more than 38,000 buildings have either become dilapidated or are deteriorating.

Aregbesola, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Arch.

Olumuyiwa Ige, held that when the administration came into office in Novem-

ber 2010, it undertook an assessment of the condition of urban centres in the State and discovered that not only can they not sustain their present populations, they are in no shape to accommodate the future.

He added that it was also discovered that a significant shift in the economic pattern affected cities negatively, stating that cities were built with wealth realised from exported cash crops, which when the commodities economy collapsed, the houses and structures built from this wealth suffered neglect and were either decaying or collapsing.

The governor said: “This situation, therefore, requires leadership and exceptional governance ca-

pabilities. The urgent task before us is to renew the urban centres, upgrade the slums and build future cities, while ensuring good governance.

“Our first response was to put in place a committee of seasoned professionals and academics in urban and regional planning who are working assiduously to develop a modern urban outlook for our numerous towns and cities. In the first phase of this project, one kilometre radius of the urban core of nine cities will be renewed – with roads, drainages, infrastructure and full municipal services. Through this programme, we intend to transform the urban centres into modern ones, and ensure their s

‘Dangote’s most certified company ANGOTE Group is the management of in Nigeria’ mended the most certified Dangote Cement for its gi-

D

company in Nigeria, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has said.

The Organisation said this during the visit by the management to the Ibese plant of Dangote Cement Plc in Ogun State.

It also announced an impending clampdown on substandard cement when the Organisation begins an enforcement action within the industry.

Director-General of SON, Joseph Ikemefuna Odumodu according to a statement, said that the Organisation was very proud of the ex-

ploits of the Dangote Group, describing the company as an example of can do spirit of Nigerian entrepreneur.

After the tour of the factory by the top officials of the SON, Odumodu explained that the SON of recent has been focusing on construction industry because of the affordable housing policy of the federal government. He said the organisation is monitoring events in the industry to ascertain what needs to be done for the government policy to succeed.

The SON boss com-

ant strides in the cement industry, noting that what he saw at Ibese plant was a success story that should be replicated in other economic sector to create jobs in the country.

He stated the SON was particularly happy that the management of Dangote Cement has been carrying along the Organisation in all its stages of operations and that all the products from all its plants across the country have been certified as not only meeting established standard but surpassing it.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

NEWS

FEC approves N65.223b to repair Benin-Sagamu Expressway

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PPROVAL was yesterday given for the N65.223 billion Benin-Sagamu Expressway at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.

The contract, according to Information Minister Labaran Maku, covers the reconstruction of outstanding sections of Benin-OfosuOre-Ajebandele-Sagamu section (Phase III) of the highway.

Maku named Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Limited, as the firm hired to deliver the road within 36 months.

He said the FEC’s approval followed a memo

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

initiated by Works Minister Mike Onolememen.

The minister noted: ”The outstanding sections of the road are in disrepair, there is need to reconstruct them to ease traffic flow along the route.

“The road, when rehabilitated, will not only improve the socio-economic activities of the area, but also reduce operating costs of transporters, travel time and accidents on the road.”

He also said that when completed, it will generate employment for Nigerians as well as impact positively on the informal sector of the economy.

The FEC also approved

Minister assures of work on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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F the words of Works Minister Mike Onolememen are anything to go by, the concessionaire of the LagosIbadan Expressway Messrs Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited (BHSL) will swing into full action during the forthcoming dry season spell.

Onolememen told reporters at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, that the Federal Government was still discusing with the firm on the 2009 agreement. He assured that Nigerians would be adequately informed once a decision has been taken on the issue.

Bi-Courtney has been shopping for financiers to upgrade the 120kilometre highway since it got the nod as the preferred handler on May 26, 2009.

The Federal Executive (FEC) had at its weekly meeting on April 23, 2009, approved BHSL for the reconstruction, expansion and modernisation of the road on the Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) scheme under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

The original agreement gave the concessionaire the liberty to collect toll on the highway and manage it for 25 years to recoup its investment.

Southwest governors once approached President Goodluck Jonathan with a request to cede the road to them to fast track its rehabilitation.

Though the President never got in touch with the governors as promised, he later endorsed the competence of BiCourtney to fix the road.

Other stakeholders, including the Southwest Forum of Senators have expressed concern over the state of the highway, which has not only become a death trap but a haven to robbers.

Onolememen, who briefed reporters alongside his information coun-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

terpart, Labaran Maku and the Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, assured that work would begin as soon as the rains subside.

He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to deliver the road on schedule because of its strategic importance.

His words: “The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Work, is determined to ensure full rehabilitation of that road.

“It is a task that we must deliver. We are engaging the concessionaire and that engagement is still ongoing “I can assure you that immediately after the rains, the job will be done.

We are committed to doing that. Once the final action plans are raised, we will let Nigerians know.”

BHSL spokesman Kehinde Dipo confirmed that the firm and the Federal Government are still locked in discussions.

He said the company has been carrying out remedial rehabilitation on critical sections of the road, while concerted efforts are being made to resolve the grey areas stalling the project.

Kehinde said: “We have revitalised more than 600metre stretch at Ibafo, on the south-bound carriageway and a total length of 570 metres has been cleared and backfilled.

This work has contributed appreciably to ease the traffic congestion usually experienced along the stretch.

“So far, we have done the asphalt overlay of more than 13, 000 square metres at Sapade, Alapako, Isheri, Ibafo, RCCG area, North-bound from Danco Filling Station towards Conoil Filling Station. More than 5000 square metres of potholes patching have been executed and we have done extensive work to reclaim the most failed portion at the Aramed Hospital end of the highway, near Ibadan.”

the purchase of search and rescue operation items for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He listed the items to be supplied as: N161.406 million GSSI Life Locator by Messrs DAMS-A (Nig) Ltd, in the sum of; Rapid Intervention Vehicles by DANCLINTON (Nig) Ltd, ( N400,551,272.00); Fully Equipped Emergency Rescue Vehicles by B.T.L Brothers Ltd (N251,680,000.00) and 328 units of Helmets, Harness, Lanyards & Absorbers, Descenders, Fall Arrestors, Ascenders, Allunimium & Steel Carabineers by DOM Communications Ltd (N120,227,377.64).

Justifying the contract,

Maku said: “The rampant increase in the spate of disasters in the country has continued to stretch the resources of NEMA on terms of equipment and logistics.”

Another contract approved was the construction of Southern Parkway for N10.901 billion, raising the project profile to N16.235 billion.

He said the approval was part of efforts to reduce the traffic being experienced in Abuja.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) initiated the construction of the Southern Parkway from the Christian Centre S8/S9 to a 10-lane ring road to complement the existing Northern Parkway.

When completed, Maku

said the Southern Parkway would ease the heavy traffic usually encountered in the southern parts of the FCT, within the developed corridors and fast-developing districts, such as the Central Area, Garki, Gudu and Durumi.

Also approved was N2.835 billion for the Phase II contract for the provision of infrastructure to Apo Estate Layout.

Yesterday’s approval brought the project cost for Phase I and II to N5.755 billion. It was awarded to Messrs Cat Construction Group (Nig.) Ltd. The FEC also ratified the President’s anticipatory approval for the Sagbama erosion control rehabilitation in Bayelsa State in favor of

•Onolememen

Messrs Nigerian Westminister Dredging and Marine Limited.

The N1.501 billion project has a completion period of 12 months.

14

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

INDUSTRY

N5000 note will lead to money laundering, says industrialist

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HE planned introduction of the N5000 note by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) next year will aid money laundering, corruption and inflation, industrialists have said.

According to the Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Apapa, Lagos branch, Mr John Aluya, it the proposal would also increase crime rate.

Aluya said: “Corruption will increase because there will be movement of cash here and there. You will realise that armed robbers don’t go to homes again because people don’t carry cash again, but when this higher is introduce, there is tendency that people will again carry cash home because it will be handy.”

With the plan, he said, CBN is contradicting cashless policy adding that this will pass a message to the international community that Nigeria’s currency has no value.

“It seems as if the CBN is confused. Early this year, the CBN introduced cashless society which means less movement of cash. That is, we should stop carrying big

Nnaji’s exit may scuttle power reform Stories by Toba Agboola

HE Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has expressed fear that the resignation of the Power Minister, Prof.

Barth Nnaji, may affect the power reform programme.

Speaking with reporters, the Chairman of MAN on Infrastructure, Mr Reginald Odiah, said the sudden resignation of Nnaji may lead to a reversal of the privatisation programme given that the alleged conflict of interest as seen in the former minister’s role may be viewed as lack of transparency in the power reform programme.

Odiah said if the government did not find a good replacement for the former power minister the privatisation process may run into trouble.

According to him, the labour crises in the power ministry is enough to slow down the privatisation programme, adding that the disagreement over the bid process by those who claimed they were sidelined from the GENCOs and DISCOs. He said these factors may have painted the picture that the power reform process lacked transparency.

The MAN boss noted that Nnaji’s interest in the power sector from the beginning as the owner of Geometrics Power was bound to clash with his position as the power minister even though he had resigned from the Board of Geometric Power and transferred his shares to a trust.

The resignation of Nnaji has been alleged to be his interest in the companies that bidded for Enugu DISCO and Afam power plants. Both Geometric Power and Eastern Electric Limited have links to the firms that had interest Enugu DISCO and Afam.

amount of money. But with the introduction, people will be encourage to cash so much cash because it will be handy. I think what the CBN needs to do is to strengthen our currency like Ghana did and international community have confident in it,” Aluya said.

Director-General, Nigeria Textile Manufacturers Association of Ni-

geria (NTMA), Mr Jaiyeola Olarenwaju, said the plan would lead to inflation because it would discourage the use of coins, adding that the minimum note will be N50.

He said the result of this is that coin such as N10, N20 will be valueless. He said it will also encourage traders to jerk up the price of their goods.

“ People will not spend coins again and price of goods will increase. Before you know it, people will forget N20 and this will cause inflation,” he said.

Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, said although the idea of restructuring the currency is welcome, “there is a flip

T

side to the policy.”

He said: ”The initiative is a negation of the cash-lite policy of CBN, if it is now much easier to carry around large amounts of cash.

The introduction of N5,000 note will aid corruption as many cases of bribery and extortion involve use of cash. The higher the currency denomination, the better the use of cash as instruments of corruption.

“The risk of counterfeiting increases with denominations. The higher the currency denomination, the higher the risk of faking and this is something to also worry about,” he stated.

On the other hand, Yusuf said this would mean that the use of Ghana must go bags would no longer be necessary to move large amounts of cash.

His words: “The new currency restructuring initiative of the CBN is a step in the right direction. It should be seen as a policy response to current economic dynamics. I believe the introduction of higher denomination of N5,000 would reduce the volume of cash needed for transactions in the economy.

Firms partner on business development initiatives •To lead 100 entrepreneurs on special project

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N indigenous firm, Goldridge Development Company Nigeria Limited, in partnership with Full Input Investment Limited, South Africa, is planning to roll out a special project initiative that will foster business relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.

The special project tagged: “Celebration of Ubuntu”, according to the Managing Director of Goldridge Development Company, Okey Nwamadi, would give entrepreneurs and captain of industries in Nigeria an opportunity to meet with South Africa and build a sustainable mutual relationship, between Africa’s two foremost economies, as well as challenge Nigerians to start investing in Africa, nothing that ‘there is a huge market yet to be captured.’

He explained that Ubuntu is a South African word for “Friendship,” which suggests a platform for both countries to develop mutual understanding and social-cultural integration through the ordinary people–people interface and relationship.

Nwamadi, who submitted that there is an imbalance in trade between the two countries, said: “there are quite a good number of South Africans, who

operate in Nigeria and kudos goes to them and their expatriate drive. They have not asked our people not to diversify into the South African economy.

“Every country welcomes foreign investors, even the first world countries only that Nigeria has not exercised same investment drive to invest in Africa like the South Africans and looking inwards into Africa as a trade block. “ We are aware of the imbalance of trade between the two countries but this event, Nigerian businesses are going to expect open doors for them, policies and rules being bent a little to allow Nigerian companies to compete favourable with South African.

“It would become raw material for government officials to redefine their policies,” he added.

According to him, Nigeria and South Africa are Africa’s leading nations. However, he noted that factors, such as perception of criminality ascribed to Nigerians in South Africa and xenophobia, of which South Africans are accused of having played out negatively on both countries in recent years is capable of jeopardising the relationship between both countries.

Poverty level worries UNDP •Decries GDP growth despite poverty rise

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HE United Nations Development programme (UNDP) has expressed concern over the rising unemployment and worsening poverty in Nigeria.

Speaking at the 53rd yearly conference of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) in Abuja its Resident Representative, Daouda Toure, said.

He noted that for about a decade, Nigeria has been experiencing high economic growth rate not commensurate with employment opportunities and reduction in poverty among its citizens.

According to him, the situation is what is often referred to by some analysts as jobless growth.

He decried statistics, suggestions that poverty in Nigeria had, worsened between 2004 and 2010.

“Unemployment figures also indicated that the number of unemployed members of the labour force continues to grow from 12.3 per cent in 2006 to 23.9 per cent in 2011.

“It is even more disturbing to note that on the average, youth unemployment rate in Nigeria was 46.5 per cent in 2011,’’he said.

He said the situation called for con-

cern and attention, adding: ”That we are barely less than three years away from the target for achieving the MDGs’goals on the reduction of poverty and hunger.

“It is recognised that there is need for integrated and comprehensive approach that included interventions at both macro and micro levels.”

The representative commended NES for beaming its conference searchlight on youth employment and poverty reduction.

He said Nigeria, like most African countries, has a huge share of the young and growing in its population.

“This huge proportion of young and growing population presents both opportunities and challenges. In terms of opportunities, it provides abundant labour supply with much creative potential,’’ Toure said.

He urged the government to engage in growth patterns that generate jobs on a large scale to absorb the additional labour.

“There is need for a rethink and shift from jobless growth strategies toward inclusive and pro-poor growth strategies that equip youths and women with required skills for decent employment,” he added.

•From left: President , Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria, (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama, Director, Commodities and Products Inspectorate, Mr. Umar Goni Ahmed, President National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Mr Henry Olatudoye and Vice President ,NPPAN, Mr. Zeribe Ezeanuna and other officers during the association’s election at the Raw Materials and Research Development Auditorium, Maitama, Abuja.

Group calls for import policy review

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HE National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) has urged the Federal Government to review import policy SON to create jobs.

Speaking at the opening of the union’s recent 21st Industrial Relations Seminar in Akure, Ondo State, with the theme: Industrial relations in the face of unstable national economy: Implications for chemical and non-metallic sector. Its President, Mr Boniface Isok, said importation was destroying the country’s economy.

He said factories in operation find it difficult to sustain production because same products are brought into the country.

“The adverse effect of this action is rendering the masses jobless while boosting the economy of other countries and creating employment for their people,’’ he said.

He noted that the deplorable state

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

of the roads had contributed to the closure of factories as many companies could not move their goods from one state to another.

He advised the Federal Government to empower the various state governments to repair federal roads within their domain and reimburse them.

The union leaders also reiterated the need to revive the power sector to sustain the operations of functioning companies in Nigeria.

He condemned the kidnapping, bombing and violence in various parts of the country.

Isok urged the Ondo State government to tighten its security because of the killings at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene.

He said the seminar was part of the union’s effort to educate its members.

Earlier in his goodwill message, Chief Emeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity advised the

union to reduce friction during negotiation or dialogue with employers.

Wogu, who was represented by Mr Olusola Folayan, a Director at the Ministry, said that redundancy was a global problem which labour unions must tackle with caution.

He said labour unions should not be rigid during any negotiation with the government or employers.

Chairman, National Joint Industrial Court (NJIC), Mr Femi Adekunle, commended the union for the event, noting that the training would enhance production as well as improve the lives of workers.

In her solidarity message, Mrs Bosede Daramola, urged participants to curtail workplace conflicts because without their jobs, there would not be a union.

She advised employers to value the efforts of workers to improve productivity and avoid crisis in the companies.

Delta to privatise moribund industries

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HE Delta State Economic Advisory Team , headed by the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives, Bismark Rewane, has said in the next 90 days the state will commence the process of privatising all moribund industries.

This was made known through a communique and press briefing after a meeting the team had on with the

Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Rewane said the team has noticed that there is potential GDP in the state especially from revamping the moribund sector.

“We noticed that there is potential GDP in the state. Most problems noticed are in the Moribun sectors. All you need is to reactivate these indus-

tries or dormant companies, package them, and inject equities for active investors,” Rewane said.

He said further that the road the economic roadmap to achieve the set objective is anchored on five pillars, which he listed as capacity, entrepreneur, infrastructure, policy and market adding that team is in the state of action to implement the programmes.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

INDUSTRY

Taiwanese praise govt’s zero-tolerance policy

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HE on-going campaign for zero tolerance against substandard products in Nigeria has been commended by a visiting trade mission from Taiwan, which described it as one major initiative of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

According to a statement by SON, the Taiwanese mission members said the agency’s zero tolerance policy, if well sustained, will reduce the level of import of substandard products in the country.

The mission’s position was conveyed by the Representative and Head of the Taiwanese Mission in Nigeria, MrTim Yang, when the Director-General of the SON, Dr. Joseph Ikemefuna Odumodu, visited the mission in Abuja.

Odumodu was at the mission’s office as a result of the increasing number of Taiwanese firms seeking to import their products into Nigeria.

The SON boss, therefore, used the occasion to solicit the co-operation of the mission to assist the agency in deal-

Stories by Toba Agboola

ing with the issue of substandard products coming into Nigeria.

Odumodu decried the way some foreigners, with the connivance of their Nigerian collaborators, had turned the country into a dumping ground for all products.

Expressing dismay at the nefarious development, the SON helmsman wondered why such people did not see “anything bad” in what they were doing.

He said since assumption of office, he had put in place a lot of programmes/campaigns, including the zero tolerance policy against substandard products, which was aimed at discouraging the importation and patronage of such goods in Nigeria.

So far, products from Taiwan pose serious challenge to the Nigerian market. He, nevertheless, asked the Taiwanese Mission in Nigeria not to relent in its efforts to ensure that good and quality products continued to come to Nigeria.

He said: “Nigeria is one great na-

tion that is well placed in Africa and in world affairs; hence the need to work together to achieve and continuously sustain the existing relations between Nigeria and Taiwan.”

In his response, the Taiwanese Head of Mission in Nigeria, Yang acknowledged the successes recorded by Odumodu so far, since he assumed office, and urged him to keep up with the good work he was doing for Nigeria.

He said he had watched with keen interest the zeal with which Odumodu operated at SON. He called for co-operation from importers and other stakeholders in and outside the country.

Yang said: “Nigeria is one great country that is being looked at in very bad light because of the stories told by those who, particularly, had not visited Nigeria.These are people, who do not mean well for the country. So far, business relations between Nigeria and Taiwan have been cordial. I hope the two countries will explore other areas that can further boost the investment opportunities of both countries.”

European firms to hold maiden business forum

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HE German Delegation of Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, the Nigerian-German Business Association and the Nigerian Belgian Commercial Information and Documentation Centre are to organise the first European Nigerian Business Forum in Lagos.

A delegate of the German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, Mr André Rönne, stated this during a briefing in Lagos.

According to him, the initiative is being supported by the delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in

Abuja, and the European Consulates and Embassies in Nigeria.

He explained that last forum which was held in 2011 in Abuja brought together 450 participants from the German and Nigerian public and private sectors, adding that it was hosted by the two Heads of Government Chancellor Angela Merkel, and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

He said: “Based on this experience, we decided to enlarge our focus towards the European business community in Nigeria and open the forum for international businesses between October 23 and 24. We have been in constant contact and ex-

change with most of the European trade associations and consulates in Nigeria and realised that we all believe in the strong economic potential of the Nigerian market despite its challenging business environment.

“We, therefore, decided to put our strengths together to defend our common interests in making Nigeria more attractive for European investors and companies, while using the window of opportunities for Nigerian and European businesses in Nigeria to create, on mid and long term, a lobbying platform for European companies and their representatives.’’

How not to audit a sector

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HORTLY after the June 3, Dana plane crash, the Federal Government instituted a Technical and Administrative committee, to probe the accident.

Issues thrown up by the report of the committee, headed by Group Capt.

John Obakpolor, call for a re-examination of the panel’s mandate and indeed, its technical competence to undertake the probe. It is obvious that the committee’s report was driven by sentiments, related to the mood of the nation at the time of the crash.

By experts’ analysis, the panel’s work was not guided by any established global aviation standards and practices. It was part of the committee’s job to find the immediate and remote causes of the accident and proffer solutions to avert a recurrence.

These serious issues were clearly beyond the technical competence of members of the committee. Did all the members have the requisite training and certification to undertake such an assignment? Did many of them have the moral standing to be so included in the committee?

These are soul-searching questions that still beg for answers! Some analysts reason that the somewhat ‘absolute powers’ given the committee were not helpful in the sense that they made the committee assume supremacy over the aviation industry for the period its mandate lasted. For reasons which may not be unconnected with the lack of technical know-how and experience, the members failed to observe the laiddown procedures for undertaking such a task in a specialised industry like the aviation sector.

It has virtually become a tradition that soon after any fatal air crash, government is quick to set up a probe panel to investigate the crash and even go further to review the aviation sector.

This may be a way of dousing tension instead of tasking the established aviation agencies to do a perfect technical job.

The consequence has been that the nation has been in fits and starts in matters related to air safety management since 1996.

The Obakpolor panel has since submitted its report, blaming DANA Air’s maintenance system and the unsatisfactory discharge of safety oversight functions by the Nigerian Civil Avia-

tion Authority (NCAA) for the crash.

Though the Commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) was a member of the panel, this is not sufficient criterion to confer legitimacy on the committee’s task because of its lack of collective technical competence.

Certain moral issues were clearly discernible to observers of the Committee’s activities.

Why for instance, would Captains Austin Omame and Mfon Udom, both professional pilots, be morally justified to audit DANA Air and the NCAA, in view of their involvement in ADC Airline’s top management, when two of the firm’s aircraft had two fatal accidents? To date, NCAA has yet to release the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) of ADC Airline because of the airline’s handling of families of the accidents’ victims.

Second, Fidelis Oneyiri, the immediate past Director-General of NCAA, was relieved of his job in the wake of series of air crashes in 2005 and 2006 that involved ADC, Bellview and Sosoliso airlines.

How could he then effectively probe a sector he had failed to properly manage? Third, Capt. Adamu Mshelia had, various times attacked NCAA for refusing to grant air operating permit to his company to run a flying school.

NCCA had cited incomplete documentation as reasons for its refusal to grant the permit.

Though Obakpolor is respected for his views on the aviation sector, his technical competence to audit the industry cannot be justified, at least in the opinion of perceptive aviation analysts.

Being an airline pilot or an aircraft engineer does not automatically provide the required skill and knowledge to properly audit an airline or investigate an aircraft accident.

These are specialised fields and only experts so trained in those areas are best disposed to do the work, in order to achieve the required objectives.

In Nigeria today, only NCAA and AIB’s specialised personnel are adjudged competent to audit and investigate the aviation industry and air crashes.

It is high time that the technical competence of such personnel be respected, accepted and utilised rather than inviting arm-chair critics and job seekers to perform strictly professional tasks and responsibilities.

Group to boost palm oil production

T •From left: The Sector Commander , FRSC, Lagos State, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio; GM, Sales and Marketing,

DN Meyer Plc, Mrs Tonia Akinkugbe; Unit Commander, FRSC, Ojota Unit, Mr Adeleye Adegboyega during the presentation of Raincoats and unveiling of new signage to FRSC, Ikeja Unit.

HE National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), has promised to ensure increase in the production of palm oil and also encourage Nigerians to take planting of tress in their environment serious.

The new President of NPPAN, Mr Henry Olatudoye said: “The association will target increase in production and encourage Nigerians to plant one or two tress in their compound as well as encouraging the youth to take up the challenge of palm oil production, adding that the mandate given to them through election will help them to transformed palm produce and create employment opportunities for Nigerians”.

He said the new executives will do everything to make fruitful change in the industry by sensitising Nigerians on the need to cultivate the habit of growing tree crops.

In his address, the President, Federation of Agricultural Commodity As-

sociation of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama said various commodities association have been collaborating with the Federal Ministry to promote value additions and employment generation in the sector.

He stated that the idea of commodities stakeholders coming under one umbrella was initiated to promote unity and efficiency in their operations which he said took the stakeholders in the sector more than 20 years due to their in fighting for positions to organiSed and be inaugurated.

In his words: “ The Ministry has good intention; the house divided against itself cannot stand as a unit. The unity of purpose we have today has started to grow the sector to the benefit of members, Nigeria and yet unborn generation”.

Dr. Iyama said with the successful conduct of NPPAN election they will achieve a lot to develop palm oil production in Nigeria.

Firm, others bag award

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From left: Director, SOS Village Mr Benjamin Buraimoh, Brand Manager, Close up Nig, Miss Osato Evbuomwan and Social Worker, SOS Children’s Village, Dr Bolanle Nassar during Unilever courtesy visit to support the SOS Village, in Isolo, Lagos.

IGERIA’S leading indigenous metering service provider, Momas System Nigeria Limited, and others have bagged the African Governance and Corporate Leadership Awards.

The ceremony, which was organised by the Institute for Government Research and Leadership Technology, held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

The Chairman of the Institute, Dame Priscilla Kuye, noted that the award

was given to the recipients for their contributions to the nation’s development.

The Chief Executive Officer, MOMAS System, Kola Balogun, described the award as significant and a recognition of the company’s contributions to the nation’s development, especially in electricity metering solutions.

Balogun said the award would further spur the company to strive harder in its contributions to the development of the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

18

NEWS

Concerned citizens move to impeach Aliyu A

GROUP, under the aegis of the “Concerned Citizens of Niger State”, yesterday accused members of the House of Assembly of complacency in the discharge of their duties.

It alleged that the legislature has closed its eyes to what it described as the mismanagement of the state’s resources and financial recklessness of the Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu administration.

The group accused the lawmakers of being stooges of the executive, adding that they ought to have begun a process for the impeachment of the governor for his failure to implement the budgetary laws passed by the House in the last five years. It regretted that the lawmakers failed to check the financial recklessness of the executive.

The allegations were in a petition signed by the group’s Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Moude Usman and his deputy, Mohammed Awaisu Giwa Wana. It was addressed to the Speaker, Adamu Usman and delivered to the Clerk, Alhaji Mohammed Kagara.

The group, which claimed to have members across the state, said it was disheartening that the lawmakers had turned blind eye to the manner in which the state funds were being utilised by the administration.

The petitioners decried

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

the lukewarm attitude of the lawmakers. They alleged that it was apparent that they must have been conniving with the governor in the misapplication of funds.

The petition reads: “Nigerlites have watched with dismay, the annual budget presentation to the Assembly, with its discouraging easy passage, which has dented its image in the eyes of the people.

“These budgets (since the past five years) have remained unimplemented by the Mu’azu administration.”

The group urged the lawmakers to redeem their image and regain public confidence.

The petitioners implored the Speaker to tell the public what the Assembly had done in five years.

“Has the Assembly invited the Commissioner for Finance and the AccountantGeneral to brief it on what the state generates and how it is spent?” the group asked.

The Clerk of the Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Kagara, received the petition.

He thanked the petitioners for the confidence they reposed in the Assembly and assured them that the petition would be delivered to the Speaker when the lawmakers resumed.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Danladi Abdulhameed, dismissed the allegations against the governor. He said the petitioners were not current with the developmental initiative of the governor.

According to him, the petition was politically- motivated and aimed at undermining the cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive.

Abdulhameed described the claim by the petitioners as frivolous and enjoined the public to disregard it. He alleged: “We are focused.

We will not allow these miscreants to distract us.”

Meeting on traffic laws HE Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, will today explain the role of Christian leaders in the new traffic laws at a meeting of the All Christian Leaders and Ministers Forum (ACLMF) at Abule Egba, Lagos.

According to Dr. Sam Ogedengbe, the President of ACLMF and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Religion (Christian), the meeting will start at 10am.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

19

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Festering pensioners’ pains •435 NIPOST retirees die awaiting their pension; yet the ‘killer’ is still with us

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T is a most pathetic story, but death and desolation have become part of us so much that life seems to amount to naught in Nigeria today. Though reports claim that about 435 former workers of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have died in the last six years without being paid their pension, more tragic however, is that many more are set to go the same way out of hunger and deprivation because the management of NIPOST seems to have no solution whatsoever to the problem.

As reported, thousands of retired workers have, out of frustration, elected to occupy the headquarters of NIPOST in Obalende, Lagos, as a last ditch effort to make the management of the agency live up to its N4 billion responsibilities towards the ex-workers. But not even this siege seems to work as the postmastergeneral and chief executive, Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba is quoted to have said that he was equally touched by the plight of the protesting workers but that his hands were tied as his efforts to save the situation yielded no positive result.

“They are only channelling their grievances to the wrong person. Their protest should be towards the Accountant –General of the Federation, not me,” Baba says.

By the account of the workers, it appears the NIPOST management wishes that the pensioners would all perish or simply vanish so that the problem would die with them because there seems to be no plan whatsoever to redeem the pension liabilities. Since early July when the picketing started, NIPOST management has only been able to give the workers the

runaround, pleading with them for restraint, buying time, weaving and dodging until now that they seem to have run out of all excuses. It is troubling the way Nigeria’s leaders run national affairs with so much laxity and unseriousness. For more than two months that the NIPOST pension affair has come to the fore, one would have expected the offices of the accountant-general, the finance minister or even the Presidency to have intervened and made a definitive statement, but mum has been the word from these quarters.

The impression is as if it does not matter that Nigerians who have put in a lifetime of service to fatherland are dying without getting their pensions and due reward for what they toiled for now that they need it most. We wonder if it was not time that the Presidency took a decisive action on what may be described as the pensions malaise in Nigeria today!

As it is common knowledge, it is not only NIPOST ex-workers who are left in the lurch by the system but almost every government agency and parastatal is in this deathly bind.

The stickiest problem in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) transaction is as concerns the workers’ pension worth about N330 billion. This huge sum seemingly disappeared into thin air, stalling the unbundling and privatisation of the power monolith. It is the same story at NITEL and the mammoth state telecommunication company rots away as huge pension funds have been spirited away. The workers are

stranded and liabilities are too heavy for new takers. The defunct Nigeria Airways as well as the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), to mention just a few examples, are all still battling with pension palaver.

Certainly this state of affairs is unacceptable in a civilised society. Government has a bounden duty to ensure that pension funds are secure, save and properly managed, and not tampered with especially by government itself. We surely cannot continue like this. One would have expected that the simmering pension scams across the country would have moved this government to clean out the entire system and bring it to speed with modern practice. With 435 people down already, let us stem this unconscionable killing by starvation.

We urge that the NIPOST affair be made the turnaround point.

‘One would have expected that the simmering pension scams across the country would have moved this government to clean out the entire system and bring it to speed with modern practice.

With 435 people down already, let us stem this unconscionable killing by starvation. We urge that the NIPOST affair be made the turnaround point’

Ola Vincent (1925-2012) • With the death of this great banker, Nigeria has lost an epitome of integrity

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IGERIA’s banking firmament suffered a yawning loss with the death of Ola Vincent, illustrious banker and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He passed away on Monday, aged 87. Mr Vincent will be fondly remembered for his integrity and the way he stabilised the apex bank between June 28, 1977 and June 28, 1982 that he was its fifth helmsman.

Sometime in August 1992, he chaired a seminar that extensively discussed the issues of ethics and professionalism in the nation’s banking industry and he left no one in doubt as to where he stood concerning the issue. Even outside the CBN, he was still contributing to and showing concerns for the general wellbeing of the banking sector that brought him international acclaim.

‘Despite his well respected opinions and aversion for unethical banking practices, it is quite apparent that the banking sector is replete with several unethical and unprofessional acts today. But it could be said to his credit that in his time, Mr. Vincent tried his best to leave an enviable legacy for upcoming generations to learn from. He was widely acknowledged to be a meticulous professional and a decent and humble person, too’

Despite his well respected opinions and aversion for unethical banking practices, it is quite apparent that the banking sector is replete with several unethical and unprofessional acts today. But it could be said to his credit that in his time, Mr. Vincent tried his best to leave an enviable legacy for upcoming generations to learn from. He was widely acknowledged to be a meticulous professional and a decent and humble person, too.

Born in Lagos on May 16, 1925, he attended CMS Grammar School, Lagos, between 1936 and 1939. Mr Vincent also attended the Administrative Staff College of England in 1951. He was at the University of Manchester from 1953 to 1956 for his degree programme.

He started to show patriotic zeal and commitment to the nation early in life.

He served in the Nigerian Armed Forces between 1942 and 1946, and later worked in the Financial Secretary’s Office, Lagos, between 1946 and 1956. His brief adventure into teaching saw him serve as part-time lecturer in the Economics Department of University of Ibadan from 1957 to 1960.

Mr Vincent joined the civil service in 1959 as Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. From there, he began his banking career when he moved to the CBN as an assistant general manager in 1961 and later, general manager.

He was also a Director at the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (1964– 1966). From the CBN, he secured an appointment as Vice-President of the Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire-based African Development Bank (ADB) from 1966 to

1973.

Mr Vincent returned home from that West African country into the CBN in 1973 as adviser and became its deputy governor in 1975. As far back as 30 years ago, Mr Vincent had received a meritorious national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). He was a life member of notable professional bodies, including the Nigerian Economic Society and the Society for International Development. He was until his death patron of numerous charity organisations, including the Red Cross Society and the Nigerian Society for the Blind.

He proposed the creation of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) upon leaving office to cater for bankingrelated risks. His proposition came to fruition in June 1988, six years after he left the CBN. The former CBN governor was a philanthropist and God-fearing man who took his religious activities seriously, especially at the African Church Cathedral Bethel, Lagos, where he was patron of many societies.

Nigeria would remember Mr Vincent as one CBN governor who, unlike what obtains today, bequeathed a well guided economy with well supervised five commercial banks. During his tenure, the naira exchange rate was 0.647 to the United States dollar. He left the naira at 0.673 to a dollar at the time of his retirement. What a wide disparity to the N162 naira to a dollar in contemporary Nigeria!

May his soul rest in peace.

Egypt’s economic struggle

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IGHTEEN months after Egypt’s revolution, President Mohamed Morsi, the United States and the International Monetary Fund finally seem to be pulling in the same general direction on the question of how best to revive the country’s devastated economy. Their efforts are long overdue and will require a sustained commitment as Egypt struggles with its transition to democracy.

Mr. Morsi and his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, initially adopted the self-defeating posture of rejecting outside assistance. Since his election in June, however, Mr. Morsi has become much more pragmatic as he confronted the real challenges of governing.

Egypt’s problems — a huge budget gap, a perilous drop in currency reserves, the need for thousands of new jobs and better schools — are simply too big to solve without international help.

Last month, Mr. Morsi acknowledged as much when he requested a $4.8 billion loan from the I.M.F. The deal is expected by the end of the year.

The Obama administration’s announcement on Monday that it is close to an agreement with Mr. Morsi’s government on an assistance package is the latest good news. Egypt’s debt to the United States exceeds $3 billion, and President Obama has now offered $1 billion in debt relief. The Americans and Egyptians are still negotiating the terms, but the relief is likely to take the form of a direct cash transfer to Egypt’s treasury.

Mr. Obama has also offered $375 million in financing and loan guarantees for American companies and banks that invest in Egypt and a $60 million investment fund for Egyptians to invest in new enterprises.

Mr. Obama offered an aid package last year, not long after the revolution. It languished, too long in our opinion, while Egypt’s transition played out and Washington waited to see whether the Muslim Brotherhood and the military would stick to a democratic path, which it has, though with rocky moments.

Some in Congress worry whether Mr. Morsi will abide by the peace treaty with Israel, and there are legitimate concerns about his harsh treatment of critics of the news media and whether he means to represent fairly all Egyptians, including Christians. But he has, so far, upheld the peace treaty, handled a militant attack in the Sinai Peninsula reasonably well and, on a trip to Tehran last week, publicly lambasted the Iranian leaders for supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

There is no reason Congress should not support the administration. Lawmakers should also be prepared to provide more aid as needed and to work with the administration to rebalance the relationship so that assistance goes to development projects, not just the military, which has received roughly $1.3 billion per year for three decades. Increased trade is also vital. An American-sponsored trade delegation to Egypt planned for next week should be the first of many.

It would be hard to overstate the importance of helping put Egypt, the most important nation in the Arab world and the key to Middle East stability, on a firm economic footing. China — which last week promised Cairo a $200 million loan and signed various deals involving agriculture, the environment and telecommunications — sees this clearly. So should Congress.

– New York Times

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

•Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

•Chairman, Editorial • Executive Director Board Sam Omatseye (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi • Gen. Manager (Training and Development) •Editor Online Soji Omotunde Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli

•Chief Internal Auditor Toke Folorunsho

•Managin Editor Waheed Odusile

• Senior Manager (Sales) Akeem Shoge

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon •Deputy Editor (News) Niyi Adesina

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike •IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness

•Group Political Editor Bolade Omonijo

•Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi

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•Manager, Corporate Marketing Hameed Odejayi

•Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu

• Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: As the National Assembly commence discussions on the amendment of some sections of the 1999 constitution, the demand for state police is on high reckoning. And it appears the demand is having more and more converts daily.

It is not in doubt that the reason for the demand for state police is not unconnected with the present security challenges. Some state governors blame their handicap on inability to control the police in their states. It would be recalled that the issue of state (regional) police generated much debate during the pre independence days.

While the NPC in the North under the late Sir. Ahmadu Bello and the AG in the West under late Chief Obafemi Awolowo favoured regional police; the NCNC in the East led by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe (Zik) opposed it.

Zik’ reason for opposing the regional police was obvious. His

kinsmen, the Igbo lived and did business (like now) in all parts of the federation, unlike the Yoruba in the West and the Hausa/Fulani in the North that rarely then ventured outside their regional homesteads. Zik felt that with regional police, his people, the Igbo would be the worst for it, especially in notoriously crisis-prone areas where the Igbo usually were (as now) the targets of attacks.

This fear Zik had in the 50s is still rife even much more so in our now highly polarized polity with obvious ethnic-religious hatred. With

IR: Nigeria is a picturesque country where the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It has waters – seas, lakes, rivers – where ships, yatchs, boats – berth and set sail. It is the country of the rolling hills and verdant vegetation; it is a country with forests where monkeys, rabbits, ewe and other animals make their habitation. Nigeria is with large landmass that is arable. Beneath our soil lie bauxite, tin-ore, limestone, gold and crude oil. One out of every five black person is a Nigerian. And, millions of skilled and highly educated Nigerians are resident in the Diaspora, where they are contributing their quota to the development of their host countries.

But, why is Nigeria not a technologically advanced country for all her human and material resources?

Chinua Achebe, the inimitable storyteller, correctly diagnosed Nigeria’s problem as failure of leadership. Every Nigerian is agreed on his postulation and political diagnosis that our national woes are not unconnected with leadership crisis.

Now, we’ve been experiencing civilian administration for 13 unbroken years. But, are Nigerians better off now than during the reign of the Jackboots and brass hats?

Not much has changed in our country. Our standard of living has not improved; the rate of unemployment is high; there is infrastructural decay; our educational system is dysfunctional; and, the issue of insecurity of lives and property has assumed a dangerous dimension what with suicide bombing and kidnapping happening daily. Corruption is choking life out of Nigeria.

Our past successive governments had done little to diversify our mono-economy that is solely dependent on revenues accruable from the sale of crude oil. In the past, agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy; and, we earned revenue by exporting cash crops to other countries, then.

Now, our government’s negligence of the agricultural sector has sounded a death knell for the sector. Engaging in mechanical agriculture can boost our economy and

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net

State police: In whose interest the present 36 states (and yet to be created states as being demanded) it means we are likely to have about 40 or more state police commands if the demand for more states and state police sails through.

The demand for the creation of state police re-enforces the need for a truly federal structure as we had at independence to allow each component part take measures to guarantee peace and security in its area within the context of one Nigeria.

And what this also entails is reducing the number of component units

to six or thereabout.

Beyond this, there is a way we can re-organize the Nigeria Police and make it effective without necessarily balkanizing it. We can, for example, put into meaningful effect the much trumpeted community policing whereby bulk of the Nigeria Police officers in each state would come from their respective states of origin and deployed to rural communities that may not necessarily be their native villages.

This could entail giving the various state commands a measure of

Nigeria’s problem is leadership

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create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed millions of Nigerian youths. But, the easy money we realize from the sale of crude oil has diverted our leaders’ attention away from the potentials and advantages derivable from encouraging and supporting industrialized agriculture in Nigeria.

We have always been denied the services of politicians with leadership qualities and probity by the imposition and luck factor as to the

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emergence of national leaders. So, we are always landed with leaders who are helpless and clueless regarding how to fix our monumental national problems. We are yet to have a detribalized leader who sees the whole country as his constituency, and who will strive to achieve national integration, cohesion and unity knowing that unity is the bedrock of national growth.

• Chiedu uche Okoye Uruowulu -Obosi Anambra State

power or authority to deal (in collaboration with governors with security issues promptly without necessarily having recourse to the central police command, unless when occasions demand.

As has been stated times without number, the unfortunate security problems and spates of disaffection all over the Federation cannot be unconnected with the poor state of the economy made more manifest with the alarming rate of unemployment in the land. If the governors had, for example, adopted people/youth oriented programmes that can engage the youths and other idle hands, and absorb their energies; there wouldn’t have been much of the security challenges we are having today.

Our approach to governance must be realistic and result-oriented. What, for example, stops the Northern governors, in collaboration with the Federal government, from asking Boko Haram members ‘angling’ for amnesty to surrender their weapons at designated places and register there within a given period for amnesty, just as the late Yar Adua did to Niger Delta militants without any pre-condition? Many surely will respond once there is sincerity of purpose on the part of government. And this will be a leg forward. I think what we need is more of action and less of lamentation.

• Obiallor, Cas Obiallor, Abuja.

Still on the N5000 note brouhaha

IR: Why is the Nigerian government never responsive to its citizens? Obnoxious policies are imposed by power hungry hawks in government not minding the consequences and implications. When the expired set coins were to be introduced, the same excuse were given and what happened to the economy? Inflation became hyper. The coins became useless

as people rejected them.Where are they today?

Now they want to convert N5, N10 and N20 to coins.That means a satchet of water is coming to N50. My question is that who will benefit from the N5000 notes because research has shown that 85% of Nigerians do not have access to N5000 in a week. They have been so pauperised that they cannot save

any amount because of the cost of living. Only political appointees these days are living things; others are just existing things.

They just make up the figures of the population.

The CBN is helping the nation in the gradual process of extinction.

• Akinrinmade Aderemi Ile-lfe road, Ondo.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

21

COMMENTS

Farouk Lawan and the rest of us

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HAVE waited this long to comment on the Lawan Farouk affair so that whatever I say will be informed by wisdom and some reflection. As a professional historian, it is better one allows things to settle down overtime before engaging in analysis. We try to avoid the pitfalls of “instant history”. This is what separates the historian from a political scientist. Having said that, great historians such as A. J. P. Taylor and Alan Bullock in England, Arthur Schlesinger Jnr. and Henry Kissinger in the United States brought their skill to serve public cause without compromising the Cannons of scientific research and enquiry.

Now to Lawan’s story. Lawan Farouk has been in parliament since 1999 and was leading a pressure group of self styled Integrity Group. He rode on the wave of public discontent with the shenanigans characteristic of corrupt Nigerian politicians. Whatever scandal and they were many, that came into the open, and this stormy petrel was at the vanguard of those clamoring for its probe. Over time, many came to see him as a champion and tribune of the people.

Not many people knew his background; all we know is that he comes from Kano and for observers of Nigerian politics, that is good enough. There are three towns in Nigeria that provide a gauge for radical politics in the country. These are Lagos, Kano and Ibadan. Any study of non-conformism in politics of Nigeria without clinical studies of the politics of these three cities would miss an important point. It is the Kano of Aminu Kano, Ibadan of Adegoke Adelabu that provides intellectual excitement for serious scholars of Nigeria’s politics. Lagos, being a cosmopolitan city “sired” people like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Samuel Akinsanya, Ernest Ikoli, Ladoke Akintola during the colonial days to the extent that the politics of Lagos was more or less the politics of Nigeria.

Lagos of course is what shaped Gani Fawehinmi’s practices.

Another point as background to the Lawan Farouk story borders on psychology of the short man syndrome. When I was in the University of Ibadan, there was a famous Nigerian professor who liked to drive huge American cars. Students used to joke that whenever one saw a car driven by itself, because the man was so short that you could hardly see his head over the steering, it must be the professor. The short professor needed the huge car to compensate for his small stature. A small man like Lawan has to be in the public eye all the time to be noticed. Whatever he did was done to attract public attention. So all along his “integrity tag” was for show and it did not have roots in any soil. After deceiving successfully all of us he began to have big ambition. He wanted to become governor of Kano. He needs a lot of

money to realize his ambition. This is why Mr. Integrity saw nothing wrong in joining his colleagues to award themselves one million dollars per annum salary compared with 400,000dollars salary for the President of the United States, the most powerful office in the world. Our own Mr. Integrity and others went round skimming off more millions from their “oversight” duties and their constituency allowances. These were still not enough. So came in the Oil Subsidy Probe. He had to hijack the chairmanship of the probe from more qualified people, after all there are chairmen of finance and general purposes committee, petroleum and gas, budget and so on, people whose committees are more relevant. This little man muscled his way in using the fact of his being one of the longest serving members of the National Assembly.

After pestering Otedola for gratification, the police and SSS were informed and he fell into well laid out plan of ensnarement. He went to his victim’s house to collect 620,000 dollars. That is over a hundred million naira. When the story first broke, he said he didn’t know Otedola’s house not to say of going there to collect money. After a while he said he remembered going there to collect money in order to show the money to the chairman of ethics committee, Adams Jagaba how Otedola was trying to bribe him. Later he said he had even alerted the police. O. k where is the money? He said he left it with Jagaba who promptly denied the story and said he would sue Lawan. Lawan at a point said he took money from Otedola and not bribe. Well, after taking the money he got his committee to remove Zenon Oil and AP, companies in which Otedola has majority interest from the list of companies that benefitted from oil subsidy.

Lawan should be told that a bribe is an inducement one takes in order to grant an unmerited or undeserved favor.

What he took was not just money but a bribe. Interesting enough our Honorable, Mr. Integrity was reportedly captured on film taking money from Otedola pocketing some and hiding some in his cap. Now came in the honourable house to the rescue. It shamelessly setup a committee to probe the allegation of the bribe scandal and said it would be done in secret. What kind of characters are these MPs? How can a house funded by the people keep secret a public scandal? This is where we are and our country has been reduced to a laughing stock at home and abroad.

In the meantime, the Report of the Oil Scandal is as dead as dodo because no one believes in a bought report. It will be interesting to find out how many other oil companies were visited by Lawan and his committee members during the

writing of their report. Of course we all know about the corruption and rapacity surrounding the oil sectors in Nigeria. The Lawan scandal should at last provide the police and the judiciary opportunity to begin cleansing the sector.

One of the tragedies of our time is that corruption has become so endemic to the extent that there is no longer any fear of punishment or retriJide bution. People steal at Osuntokun will without the fear of punishment. Whenever a looting story breaks, the country will be seized with it for some weeks, then the Hullabaloo will die down gradually until the whole episode is forgotten. It is almost a given fact nowadays that the heavier the amount stolen the more likely that the culprit will escape justice. But when a hard pressed villager steals a goat he is more likely to be apprehended and sent to prison and in some parts of the country his hand, the thieving hand, may be chopped off.

Until punishment is sure, swift and certain corruption will fester in Nigeria. I suggest that Lawan Farouk’s case should be referred to the Sharia Court in Kano for proper and quick adjudication without unnecessary dogon turanci.

‘Until punishment is sure, swift and certain corruption will fester in Nigeria. I suggest that Lawan Farouk’s case should be referred to the Sharia Court in Kano for proper and quick adjudication without unnecessary dogon turanci’

First Lady, Cynthia, N5000 and other stories

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HESE are interesting times, the kind that try the souls of men.

There is always a season for such times, but nobody, since we are mere mortals, knows when they will sneak in on us. Check: the well-being of First Lady Patience Jonathan. Check: the gruesome murder of that charming girl, Cynthia Osokogu. Check : the planned introduction of the N5000 note. Check: the leakage of the data of State Security Service (SSS) operatives on the internet. Check: Nigerian paralympians outstanding performance at the ongoing paralympics in London.

Right now, there is a brewing controversy over the well-being of the 'mother of the nation' and Nigeria's First Lady permanent secretary. On Sunday, the online medium, Sahara reporters reported that Dame Patience is hospitalised in Germany. The agency claimed that she had been in the hospital for four days then, adding that she was taken to the hospital by an air ambulance ''under emergency medical conditions''. Quoting Presidency sources, it said: ''the emergency airlift departed for Wiesbaden, Germany, but it could not be confirmed if her treatment is being undertaken in that city''.

With such a report, one would have expected the Presidency to react immediately and clear the air over the well-being of Mrs Jonathan. As usual, officialdom is keeping quiet, allowing speculations to grow over whether or not the First Lady is ill.If she is ill, don't we have the right to know since she is the wife of our president? Since when did illness become a taboo that we should be ashamed of telling others about? It is not a curse to be ill. Illnesses show that we are all human, no matter our status in life.

So, why should the Presidency be ashamed to tell the nation that the First

Lady is ill? In other countries, the citizenry will be briefed on the hour on such a matter. When will we grow up?

As I write this on Tuesday night, there is no official information yet on the issue. The press has been left to keep on speculating, so that tomorrow they may have something to hold against us for not confirming the story before use. In doing so, they will conveniently forget the fact that all efforts to confirm the story were rebuffed by them.

Up till now, the media team of the Presidency has not deemed it fit to say anything. It has maintained silence on a matter which requires urgent clarification. Is Mrs Jonathan ill or not? What is she suffering from?

‘Food poisoning,’abdominal pains, toothache, backache, fever, diarrhoea or what? It costs nothing to answer these questions. But in Nigeria, such matters are big deal. It's a pity; no wonder we are where we are. We wish her speedy recovery. So much for the living.

This weekend, the remains of Cynthia Osokogu will be buried in Agbor, Delta State. Cynthia was lured to Lagos by two young men, Okwuma Nwabufo and Elize Olisaeloka, whose motive was to dupe her. They thought she had money and so gave her a treatment deserving of a queen so that she would be impressed. Cynthia was so trusting of her facebook friends that she lowered her guard. By the time she realised what they were up to, it was probably too late. They had drugged her with Rophynol and dispossessed her of her belongings. When they didn't get the kind of money they were looking for, they roughened her up and she died.

Murder is murder whether committed intentionally or otherwise. The boys will have their day in court, so

‘With such a report, one would have expected the Presidency to react immediately and clear the air over the well-being of Mrs Jonathan. As usual, officialdom is keeping quiet, allowing speculations to grow over whether or not the First Lady is ill’

we are not going to try them here.

The social media network on which Cynthia and the boys met is an advanced technology embraced by many of us, especially, the youth. It is a technology subject to abuse and instances abound of it being used to dupe people. Remember the yahoo boys! The youth are easily carried away by things like this and as such, parents owe it a duty to monitor their use of the social media. The lesson in this saga is that parents should no longer feel unconcerned with their children's use of the Internet. We should not shy away from telling them to be mindful of making friends on the net.

OR them, it is hip to do so, but the heartache can be traumatising if the worst happens.

Nobody prays for that, but you can never know what that your facebook friend may be up to until he shows his true colour when both of you are alone.

By then, it may be too late to cry for help. May we not fall into wrong hands through the Internet. But then, where are these boys from? Who are their parents or guardians? Are they living alone or staying with their parents? If they are living alone, for how long have they been catering for themselves? Is it not baffling that no one has come out to identify himself or herself with the boys? Does it mean that they are orphans? Don't they have other relations even if their parents are dead? Time will tell.

The SSS, it appears, has been beaten in its own game. An agency, which should be exposing people and corporate bodies involved in criminal acts, seems to have been exposed with the leakage of the names of some of its agents on the Internet. As its name implies, the SSS thrives in secrecy, but that shield seems to have been removed from some of its agents, who were so exposed. Who could have done that to the secret agency? Could it be those averse to what it is doing? What do such people wish to achieve with their action? To show that the SSS is vulnerable or what? Well, the harm has been done.

What this shows is that no agency, be it

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secret service or what have you, cannot be infiltrated. The SSS, though painful to admit, opened its flanks for its enemies to get in.

This is what its spokesperson did not realise when she was denying the story last week. Hear her: ''The report is false because the Associated Press (AP) reporter that filed the story failed to give me the link to the website that allegedly published the personal data of our personnel. How come it was only the AP reporter that saw the website? ...''

Three days later, the story changed as the SSS was said to have traced the leakage to the the Pension Office. The agency is said to be after the perpetrators. The SSS should also look within for this 'enemy'. It may be looking at the wrong direction for the perpetrators without first looking inwards. If there is no insider collaboration, it may have been difficult for an outsider, that is the Pension Office, to leak such personnel data.

Let the SSS begin the search for the mole/s from inside before extending it to the Pension Office. What will that office gain from leaking such sensitive information. I hope this is not an attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. If the SSS has a score to settle with the Pension Office, it should not use the leakage of its personnel's data to get at the establishment.

Very soon, we will start spending the N5000 note. The CBN is expected to introduce the note next year. CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi has told us that the bank got President Goodluck Jonathan's approval to introduce the note. Many Nigerians are against the introduction.

And what is more no two economists seem to agree with the note's introduction. Rather than help those of us who are illiterates in economics and fiscal policy matters, they are confusing us the more. The proponents say the proposed note won't bring about inflation and that its introduction is long overdue; the antagonists claim that it will cause inflation and devalue the naira, adding that it negates the extant cashless policy. The essence of the cash-less policy is to reduce the use of cash in transactions.

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204

Will the introduction of the note reduce or increase the use of cash in transactions? Will it lead to inflation and devalue the naira? Your guess is as good as mine. But then we are economics illiterates whose views count for little or nothing in this debate.

The introduction of the note is a fait accompli. Whether we like it or not, it shall come to be and the pointer to this is no less the endorsement of its introduction by the Economic Management Team on Tuesday. Wanna bet? The Federal Executive Council will also endorse the proposed note at its meeting on Wednesday (which was yesterday). Can the National Assembly stop the CBN? I doubt if it can. All the CBN needs do is to secure the president's nod before introducing a new note and this it claims it has done. End of discussion. But is the N5000 note what we need now?

By Tuesday, they had won five gold medals, a feat which their able bodied compatriots could not achieve during the Olympic games. We call them paralympians, but I don't think their feat can be described as such. There is nothing to show that the medals they won are deformed or disabled.These paralympians, I believe, would have done better than their compatriots if we had sent them to the real Olympic. It is never too late, they can be our representatives at the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Congrats, our worthy ambassadors.

SMS ONLY: 08099400204

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

22

COMMENTS

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AGOS has since the colonial times been home to the African intelligentsia, made up predominantly of Yoruba ex-slaves, Sierra Leone repatriates and disgruntled western educated elite sidelined from colonial administration. They were derisively described by the colonial administrators as ‘Lagos agitators’. The then rulers who’s ‘ears were jarred’ (apology to Wole Soyinka) by their endless noise also saw them as ‘aggressive, insulting and self righteous’.

Almost a century later, little has changed. The Lagos agitators remain vibrant, scoring victories after victories starting with the dismantling of the colonial rule.

It was they and their press that ‘delegetimised’ (apology to Professor Ayo Olukotun) Buhari’s ‘fascism,’ legitimised’ and later delegitimised Babangida’s hilarious military presidency and his eight year fraudulent transition. They fought Abacha to the end even while operating from ‘Afghanistan’ and their leaders chased out of town .They proclaimed Obasanjo a statesman in 1979 and disrobed him in 2007 blaming him for all our woes. They rescued Jonathan from the claws of both the ‘Kaduna Mafia’ headed by the respected Malam Adamu Ciroma and a more vicious Yar’ Adua ‘Katsina mafia’, made up of his wife, his sons in-laws and jailed James Ibori. They packaged him as a winning brand (remember Dr. Reuben Abati’s pre-2011 election 10-part fairly objective series in The Guardian) securing a pan Nigerian mandate. But Lagos agitators have no permanent friends. Within months of a landslide victory, Lagos agitators had to be subdued by soldiers sent to the street of Lagos by President Jonathan.

In recent times he has been saying with friends like Lagos agitators and their press, a president needs no enemy. The fear of Lagos agitators has driven the president closer to the embrace of his militant Ijaw kinsmen who have been handsomely compensated with mouth-watering contracts.

Their latest victim is Dr. Doyin Okupe, a scion of ‘Agbon magbe’ moneyed dynasty, a man who like the coconut can boast of his own water independent of rain water, and an astute business man using what he has in abundance: guts and his intimidating presence, to get what he wants.

His travails started as soon as he was recalled to a job he performed so well a decade ago under Obasanjo, that PDP controlled

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SUBJECT of very critical national dimension was missed by most Nigerians, recently. And the reason for the levity with which this fundamental national assignment was taken for granted was the extensive loss of confidence which many citizens have developed for governments and their numerous unfulfilled promises in the past.

The danger in this kind of apathy of a people towards governance is that they become the biggest victims of poor execution of the Nigerian project because they have abdicated their role as custodians of the ultimate sovereignty.

While the ministers serving in the President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet filed out to perform what should be regarded as a landmark assignment in signing the performance contract system, there is a need to do an assessment of the more than 35 ministers from the binoculars of ordinary Nigerians whose fortune is directly affected by the righteous or unrighteous conduct of these public servants.

It is quite easy to categorise the ministers into three groups.

The first category of performing ministers are those known for their obvious record of achievement in the last 12 months, who through their reformist and pragmatic disposition to the myriads of problems confronting their sector have displayed deep knowledge of these problems, isolated them and despite glaring dangers in tackling these ‘monsters,’ have gone ahead to effect changes and consequently are impacting the society, positively.

In the second category are those who do not seem to have understood the calling of their office, could not be bothered with society’s expectation and therefore have outrightly displayed incapacity to function. They are the non-performers.

And finally, a third group has emerged as men and women whom it has become quite difficult to evaluate their service delivery because of the enormous and energy-sapping controversy that their assignments have attracted to them. Some Nigerians would erroneously want to believe ministers in this third category are responsible for what they are facing presently. That is subject for another day.

Back to the elite class of performing ministers.

Perhaps, only three ministers stand out and are qualified to be in this group and on account of their records in the last couple of months, they have proven they are world class technocrats who have rightly found their way in government.

They are Dr. Akinwumi Adeshina the Minister

In defence of Doyin Okupe (2) states all over the country were falling over each other to reward him with award of contracts. The aggressive and self-righteous Lagos agitators promptly labeled him an ‘attack dog’. Not even Okupe’s indignation and rejection of the condescending title and his expressed preference for upgrade to an ‘attack lion’ on account of his age has mellowed the strident attack on his person.

But first the facts.

Benue State Government awarded Messrs Value Trust Investments Limited owned by Doyin Okupe a contract on April 24, 2004 to construct 230 kilometres of rural roads in the state at the cost of N2.3billion. The Lagos agitators now joined by Benue State alleged that Okupe and his company, after collecting the sum of N886.8 million abandoned the project. PDP noted for treating members financial scandals as ‘family affairs’ invited Okupe for fact-finding.

With facts and figures, he was able to prove his company, Value Trust Investment Limited, had executed the contracts above the money it got for the job. In fact it is Benue state that still owes his company N358m having completed 40% of the job with only N545m of the N2.3billion contract paid. He said both the Economic and Financial Crime Commission and the Federal Ministry of Works had all inspected the work done. He has challenged the former governor of the state, Senator George Akume, and current Governor Gabriel Suswan to talk about their involvement or risk being sued for “defamation of character”. I think he should join the ‘aggressive insulting’ self-righteous Lagos agitators

Similarly, in 2005, during the tenure of Governor Achike Udenwa, Okupe went to Imo State with a business partner, the Israeli businessman Ilan Salman. Okupe got a contract to import Romix Soilfix, a soil stabilizing substance, from South Africa for the construction of four kilometres of road in each of the 27 local government areas at the rate of N14 million per km. With just about 8km out of the 108km Romix promised to construct, they claimed Okupe was paid over N1.2billion. They alleged he abandoned the work with the help of the former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Godfrey Dikeocha. A settlement agreement out of court was reached by the parties. No one was aggrieved except perhaps the Lagos agitators that weep louder than the bereaved.

They have kept on pouring scorn on Okupe.

What if one may ask has Okupe done that other PDP members has not done better?

James Ibori until he was jailed by a London court was never drilled by PDP. An Asaba High Court cleared him of all charges. The intellectuals from his place supported him.

Journalists, (and Ibori’s Delta can boast of many past and present illustrious ones), gave him awards. The militants stood by him telling outside meddlers, that if Ibori stole, it was their money he stole.

But is it not an irony that Okupe who can rightly lay claim to be part of the Lagos intelligentsia, but chose not to fish in Lagos waters is still being pilloried? If money was stolen at all, it could only have been monies belonging to Benue and Imo. Yet Lagos agitators bore ill-feelings against Okupe, a PDP star, they loathe at home but loved by

Morning after the Performance Contract

By Alexander Ifeanyichukwu of Agriculture and Rural Development who has brought to the ministry his enormous experience in development agriculture strategies. Eliminating the old bottleneck associated with fertiliser distribution in the country and making farmers have direct access to funds, implements and distribution of produce is akin to availing them heaven while still there on earth.

He has gradually restored the self-worth of farmers through the various Cassava initiatives, that produce is becoming integrated into mainstream Nigerian culture where it rightly belongs and his success rate is the only basis for the President’s Agriculture Transformation Agenda which seem to be a pragmatic attempt to veer the nation away from being an incurable dependence on oil revenue.

Another minister whose one year in office has served as a hope builder for Nigerians is Architect Mike Onolememen. Like Adeshina, it only took him a few days in office to begin one of the fastest reforms ever to be experienced in the Nigerian public sector.

Across the country, there is hope restored in what used to be lost paradises. From the ApapaOshodi Expressway, Shagamu-Ajebandele-OfosuBenin Expressway, Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Expressway, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Between the Niger bridge and Upper Iweka), Kano-Maiduguri Expressway, works are going on simultaneously and reducing to the barest minimum the carnage that was rife on Nigerian roads before now.

The third Minister in this category is Olusegun Aganga who is managing the innovative Trade and Investment ministry; a first of its kind since the country’s independence. His success as a minister is directly tied to his complete grasp of what this new ministry is intended to be – a catalyst for industrialisation of the nation.

Since the inception of the ministry, there has been at least 1.4 million employment generated, a clear policy on rice importation which pegs the end of importation of the commodity in the coun-

try at 2014, and in one exhilarating move, the former Goldman Sachs Hedge Funds Managing Director announced that it is mandatory on Federal, States and MDAs to patronise made in Nigeria products.

Outside the three above, the Goodluck Jonathan cabinet is filled with men and women with high profiles who have not been able for various reasons to maximise the impressive credentials which they have on parade.

Most of these are caught in the controversial category. And they include minister of Finance and head of Federal Government Economic Team, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala whom Nigerians have not still found place in their hearts to forgive for the controversies that raged since that January 1, petroleum products subsidy removal and announced by the President.

A foremost global financial and development expert, Okonjo-Iweala understands thoroughly the Nigerian situation knowing what it was like to grow up in the country during the country’s civil war, but there is a challenge in creating an economic and monetary policy for a country with the huge gap between the rich and the poor.

Then, there is Petroleum Resources minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. If there was a great expectation and hopes founded on her past records in the private sector, Alison-Madueke’s posting into the Petroleum Resources Ministry since 2010 seem to have eroded such lofty credentials. The saying that where there is oil there is war is playing out well for her just as for every past occupant of that portfolio. The successes that the Petroleum Resources ministry has recorded during her tenure are nearly diminished by the controversies that have trailed her tenure.

It is on record that in April 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Nigerian Content Act, which aims to increase the percentage of petroleum industry contracts that are awarded to indigenous Nigerian businesses - a reaction to the domination of the sector by foreign operators.

She like Okonjo-Iweala has not received the forgiveness of Nigerians since the removal of subsidies on petroleum products. Unfortunately, the most celebrated controversy in the nation’s

PDP governors as a reliable business partner.

It is a credit to Jonathan that he has a talent for attracting stars like Okupe. Let us start with Anyim Pius Anyim, secretary to the federal government. He was the senate president for two years and left unscathed. In fact, when his bank took him to court over an outstanding loan of N300million, it turned out it was outstanding loan he took to complete his mansion in Abuja. Vice President Namadi Sambo, who Jonathan single handedly picked was an astute business man, a resourceful architect that had performed creditably well handling contracts for federal government and northern states. We can add Diezani Alison-Madueke, the oil goddess, and Arunmah Oteh. The president thrives more in the midst of those others feel uncomfortable with.

If you ask me, I will say the Lagos intelligentsia needs a man of Okupe’s stature as their representative in the midst of Jonathan’s winning team. Dr Reuben Abati is inside as an outsider. He can only do what he does best, mesmerise with words about the Jonathan he knows as against the one we know.

AS for Okupe, my advice is that he should apologise for his indiscretion. It will be recalled that while he was trying to lobby for this job, he had inferred, those who criticized the president’s failed attempt to rename Unilag after MKO Abiola among whom were Professors Wole Soyinka, Ade Ajayi and Ibidapo-Obe are ‘not true born Yoruba sons’.

After all, Yoruba political establishment accommodates various tendencies including PDP’s ‘’chop and chop’ ideology.

‘I will say the Lagos intelligentsia needs a man of Okupe’s stature as their representative in the midst of Jonathan’s winning team.

Dr Reuben Abati is inside as an outsider. He can only do what he does best, mesmerise with words about the Jonathan he knows as against the one we know’ economy revolves around the sector she oversees – the fuel subsidy probe and its report.

Two other Ministers who were appointed with much expectations given their pedigree but have had those impressive records come under threat are the Labour Minister, Barrister Emeka Wogu and Princess Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, the Aviation minister.

Labour unrest has been the lot of Barrister Wogu while Mrs. Ogiemwonyi’s seeming smooth run got a big knock from the recent Dana Air crash that claimed the 153 persons on board the aircraft.

There is a third and final category of non-performing Ministers. The reader need not be bored with the long list but one common denominator that bind them together is that whereas the ministers in the first and to a certain extent those in the controversial group, have a clear road map founded upon a reformist agenda; these third category of non-performing ministers have not shown an understanding of the President’s Transformation Agenda.

Some of them have just acquiesced to the old tradition of not saying anything and therefore not attracting any fire which is another way of maintaining the status quo.

It could be argued that one year is too short a time to do a thorough assessment of a minister but this argument cannot stand in the context of what the government has succeeded in doing within the same period under review.

Indeed, this must have become obvious to the President and has sustained the need for the performance contract as a way of providing an equal level playing field for all ministers; even though the President tried to downplay this when he announced to them that the PCS would have been introduced right from their appointment in July 2011.

A performance contract is a global standard practice among governments committed to deliver on promises to the people. It is forms the concrete basis of assessing how funds are deployed for the purposes which they are planned and in the long run, it is still the best form of modern check and balances in governance.

Indeed, a performance contract is a ready mode of evaluating delivery of public office holders and ensuring that resources are apportioned based on value-added. The introduction of PCS should mark the beginning of bringing the benefits of democracy to their doorsteps and allowing the public office holders to be accountable and responsible for service delivery.

• Ifeanyichukwu writes from Enugu

2012 PARALYMPICS

Falconets NFF charges 10 African nations to go for bronze win 71 medals so far Pg. 24

Pg. 41

Sport Thursday, September 6, 2012

PAGE 23

2013 AFRICA NATIONS CUP QUALIFICATION

I can’t afford to fail —Keshi

Pg. 24

•Can’t promise victory in Monrovia •Says no pressure on President Jonathan’s call to beat Liberia

Liberia match will be tough Pg.

•Yobo

•Team spirit, unity 24 will give it to Eagles

•Keshi

BATTLE OF MONROVIA

Ideye: I'll mark Eagles return with goals

B

ROWN IDEYE has promised to mark his return to the Super Eagles after a two-year absence with goals in Liberia on Saturday. The on-form Dynamo Kiev of Russia striker told MTNFootball.com that he is looking forward to transferring his goal scoring form at his club to the Super Eagles.

Ideye, who has averaged one goal a game this season, also disclosed that he is delighted to be back in the Eagles after

•Brown Ideye

almost two years in international wilderness.

"The dream of every striker is to score goals whenever he is on the pitch. That is my aim this weekend, I hope to transfer my club form to country because we all know how important this game is to Nigeria and as a team we are to go get the result in Monrovia,” said Ideye, who scored Dynamo’s all-important goal that ensured they qualified to feature in this season’s

UEFA Champions League.

"I am happy to be back. It’s my first time under coach Stephen Keshi and I must confess I am happy with what I have seen in camp."

Former Nigeria U20 star Ideye was first capped by Nigeria in 2010 and was a late replacement for injured Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Moses upbeat on Eagles’ triumph

Pg. 24

24

41

NATIONSPORT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

NATION SPORT BATTLE OF MONROVIA

NATION SPORT

Ogunjobi silent on league winner •Says Pillars, Lobi, Rangers good for the trophy

F

ORMER Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) and the incumbent Chairman, Osun Football Association, Taiwo Ogunjobi says Kano Pillars, Lobi Stars and Enugu Rangers all have the quality to win the league and will not anoint any of them.

Ogunjobi, a former player and

•Ogunjobi

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri an administrator of high repute said that it was for the good of the game that three top clubs were still in the race for the league shield.

He charged the NPL to find a lasting solution to the lingering Ocean Boys saga and ensure that top notch match officials and secret assessors are sent to match venues on the last day of the season to ensure that the best club emerges victorious.

"The three clubs: Pillars, Lobi and Rangers are all good clubs and they are all endorsed by me to win the league. Gone are the days when you can predict the outcome of matches but now a game is decided after 90 minutes.

"I will advise NPL to clear all outstanding issues before the last games are decided.”

2013 AFRICA NATIONS CUP QUALIFICATION

Arik to airlift Eagles to Liberia

O

NE of Nigeria's leading airline, Arik Air has been contracted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to convey the Super Eagles to Monrovia on a chartered aircraft for this Saturday's 2013 Africa Nations Cup first leg qualifier against the Lone Stars of Liberia.

An NFF source revealed to NationSport that the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth trip have been firmed up by both NFF and the private airline which is expected to depart from Abuja on Friday.

"It is already a done deal. What we are just waiting for is for the team to depart on Friday," our source said.

"We all know how important this match is to Nigeria, which is why we do not want to take anything for granted.

The team is due back in the country on Saturday to prepare for

Liberia match will be tough •Team spirit, unity will give it to Eagles

Moses upbeat on Eagles’ triumph

C

HELSEA new signing Victor Moses has advised Nigerians to be optimistic that the Super Eagles will come out shining on Saturday in Liberia, saying that the bad pitch in Monrovia should not be an excuse for the team not to return home with the maximum point.

“Come Saturday, we are going to the pitch to give our best, and ensure that Nigerians are made happy. We are looking forward to the match in Liberia, and the pitch

From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja should not be an excuse for us not do well. We have been training hard, and playing matches, that of Saturday would not be an exception. We need to work harder to get the maximum result.

I don’t think we should be under any pressure. We just go there to enjoy ourselves, on the pitch, and ensure that we put smiles on the faces of all Nigerians” he said.

2012 PARALYMPICS

10 African nations win 71 medals so far

T

EN AFRICAN countries have so far won a total of 71 medals at the ongoing 2012 London Paralympic Games.

The medal haul is secured more than half way into the Aug. 29 to Sept. 9 Games. They have so far, 22 gold, 22 silver and 27 bronze medals.

Nigeria is still leading the African medals challenge with five gold, five silver and a bronze

medal.

Nigeria is closely followed by Tunisia with four gold, four silver and two bronze medals. South Africa has three gold, five silver and seven bronze medals, with Egypt having three gold, three silver and six bronze medals.

Others are: Morocco (3-0-1), Kenya (2-1-1), Algeria (1-1-7), Ethiopia (0-1-0), Namibia (0-1-0) and Angola (0-0-1).

S

UPER EAGLES’ Captain, Joseph Yobo has predicted a tough match against the host team, the Lone Stars of Liberia when the two teams slug it out on Saturday in Monrovia in the first leg final phase of the 2013 Africa Nations Cup qualifying series.

The gangling defender, although optimistic about his team’s chances in the match was quick to warn that it is not going to be an easy game since the Lone Stars will be playing before their vociferous fans which may likely include the president of the country.

“I would plead on behalf of the team that our fans should support us in Monrovia. It is not going to be easy playing against Liberia on their home soil. It is going to be one of the most difficult games away from home. Away from home has never been easy since I have been around and we know this. Now we have another opportunity to put things right. So if we don’t lose this game it is good and if we get a draw it it’s not bad because we will also play them right here in Nigeria. But the most important thing is whatever happens we cannot lose this game” Yobo told NationSport yesterday in Abuja.

The Fenerbahce Football Club of Turkey towering defender also disclosed that his team is used to antics of host fans and if such happens in Monrovia on Saturday, Nigerians should be rest assured that the chants boos and other negative

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja antics from Liberia fans won’t affect the performance of his team in the all important match.

I think we are used to it. The players playing in Nigeria are used to not being cheered by host teams’ fans away. We the foreign based players are also used to this. When you play away from home in Europe the host fans rain curses at you, they jeer at you, throw stones at you and all sorts of threats. This is our career and this is what we are used to. So we are not pressured by this if the Liberian fans employ this tactics against us come Saturday. We just need our home people to support us and be behind us in the match.

He, however, revealed to NationSport the motivating factor behind the present team under Head Coach Stephen Keshi which he called unity in the team and the coaching crew which was lacking in the former squad that lost out in the qualifying race for the last Africa Nations Cup. “You cannot say this current Super Eagles’ squad is better than the former one. The major difference (and unique attribute of this new team) is that there is more unity in the team and this is the only difference. You cannot say this team is better than the other squad. I will totally disagree with you. There is unity in this present

gates open for Akwa match F

Okorocha, the Sport Commissioner, Kenneth Emelu and other members of cabinet, in ensuring that Heartland FC finish the season on a high including a retention of the Federation Cup trophy and the capturing of another continental ticket.

“We are happy with all those who supported us even when we thought we were having a turbulent period. Our fans all over and Imo people in particular stuck with us and therefore, we want to invite them to watch our match against Akwa Utd free,” he said.

The former president of the Sport Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) said kudos must be given to the Chief of Staff to the governor of Imo state, Prince Eze Madumere for making sure that

Heartland FC was able to access funds to prosecute their matches and for staying positive in at every difficult moment, to save the club from financial troubles.

He explained that although Heartland FC has secured a ticket for the CAF confederation Cup campaign next season, they would still like to finish the season on a very respectable position hence, they want fans to troop out en masse and support the team against Akwa Utd on Friday.

Ndubuoke said although Heartland does not consider itself as being relegation threatened, they ,however, wish to ensure that no stone is left unturned when they confront Akwa at the Dan Anyiam Stadium.

T

•Yobo

to fail —Keshi

•Commends people and Imo govt for support

•Can’t promise victory in Monrovia •Says no pressure on President Jonathan’s call to beat Liberia From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

•Keshi

S

UPER EAGLES’ Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi says he may quit his job if he fails to beat Liberia and book a ticket to the finals of the 2013 Africa Nations Cup slated for South Africa.

The Nigerian senior national team has a

two legged date with the Lone Stars of Liberia beginning from this Saturday which would decide the eventual team that would participate in the 2013 ANC finals and the former Togo and Mali national team coach has vowed to do all his best with the support of his players, backroom staff and soccer loving Nigerians to make it possible for the Eagles to be among the teams in South Africa come January 2013.

He, however, declared that if situation demands quitting the job he won’t hesitate to do so. When asked if the game turns other way round in the two legged affair

against the Lone Stars of Liberia that would he be thinking of resigning, Keshi replied, “If it gets to that point why not?”.

He also said in a game of this magnitude losing an away match can happen. “It happens because it is a game”, but the respite is that the team has another chance of turning the table when they (Eagles) play on home front in Nigeria.

Keshi was also very careful in making promises of victory against Liberia in Monrovia saying that making such pronouncement would be very difficult even for arguably the best coach in the world, Jose Mourinho.

“I don’t think there is any coach in the world that will come out and say yes I would win outright. I don’t think there is

the second leg encounter which is billed for U.J.Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

A total of 21 Players comprising 11 home based and 10 foreign based will make the trip. Just this week, nine Players all from the domestic league were dropped by Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi.

In February this year, Keshi parading only home-based players defeated Liberia 2-0 in an international friendly with both goals scored by Sunday Mba. The match which was played at the Antoinnette Tubman Stadium in Central Monrovia was the Lone Stars first home loss to Nigeria in 27 years.

This time around, Keshi, anticipates a keener test because of what is at stake as the winner picks the qualifying ticket for the Nations Cup in South Africa next January.

Both teams failed to qualify for the last Nations Cup held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

NFF charges Falconets to go for bronze

I can’t afford

Heartland throws

EDERATION CUP champions, Heartland FC of Owerri have announced that there would be no gate-takings at the Dan Anyiam Stadium when they host premier league opponents, Akwa Utd of Uyo in the last game of the season on Friday, September 7, 2012.

General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Naze Millionaires, Chief Fan Ndubuoke said after a meeting with his management members on Tuesday that they had decided to reward their numerous supporters and fans in their last league match of the season.

Ndubuoke said the club highly appreciates the support it received from all Imo people especially, the Executive Governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas

team and unity in a team will take such team a long way and achieve bette r. “ W e n o w have a good blend in the team now which is quite good. Here in the t e a m n o w y o u cannot tell who is foreign based player or who is not. This is very good. This is one thing I really do appreciate. In the past (last squad that lost out of the 2012 Nations Cup qualifier) we have every good talented players but we have no team. But now we are trying to build a team probably with less talents. For coaches this is something that is very important. Team and the squad is very important. In the past we had individual players but not a team. If you look at the names on paper it was like these players can go and win matches 4-0 but we go out there and struggle because we had no team. I think that is the difference”, Yobo disclosed.

From Ejiro Femi-Babafemi and Andrew Abah, Japan

any, not even Jose Mourinho (of Real Madrid, Spain). So all I can tell you is that we are going out there to perform”, he observed.

On the call by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan charging the team to beat Lone Stars in Monrovia on Saturday, the former Mali Coach said it was a normal call which should not put any undue pressure on the team.

“There is no pressure, it is about motivating the team. The Director General of National Sports Commission (NSC) Chief Patrick Ekeji was in our hotel camp to also motivate the team. So it is a good sign to see our big Ogas in our camp, it is good”, the Eagles gaffer told NationSport yesterday.

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday charged the U20 Women National Team, Falconets, to fight hard and win the bronze medal match of the on-going FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup against hosts Japan on Saturday as consolation for Nigerians who had supported the team through the qualifying race and tournament proper.

Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama urged the ladies not to be dispirited by the semi final loss to United States of America on Tuesday, as they were not in any way disgraced.

“Of course, the team was not disgraced. The players put up good fighting spirit and gave it their all, but it was not their day. They created more chances than the Americans, had greater ball possession and had more actual playing time than their opponents.

“We want them to go all out for the bronze medal on Saturday in order to compensate ball fans and the generality of Nigerians who have supported the team ever since. It is something they can do against the Japanese, by being well-organized and disciplined.”

Inyama revealed that the NFF is oiling its technical machine to discover more players for all the women teams, but noted that the performance of the Falconets in Japan means there is hope they could form the nucleus of the new Super Falcons.

He said: “The age grade competitions are strictly developmental, and to that extent, the Falconets have done fairly enough to be considered for the next level.”

Nigeria takes on the tournament hosts inside the 60,000-capacity Tokyo National Stadium on Saturday in the third place match of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals.

On Tuesday, the Falconets gave their all but failed to get beyond the Americans, and a goal each half against the run of play condemned the Nigerians to the third place match.

Final statistics showed that Nigeria had 32 minutes actual playing time to America’s 23, had 58% of possession, had 10 shots on goal and seven corner kicks to the Americans’ six.

Back at their Hilton Tokyo Hotel, Leader of delegation, Chief Effiong Johnson told the Falconets’ players and officials to take heart and rather look ahead to their third place match against Japan, saying the team was not disgraced and gave its all against the Americans.

The girls took Wednesday off to go and see the town, and will train on Thursday and Friday for the confrontation with the Japanese team on Saturday. All four teams •Ordega left in the competition are staying at the Hilton Tokyo Hotel.

25

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

INSIDE Lagos NUT threatens strike

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

email:- education@thenationonlineng.com

Teachers agree that the revision of the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC) was done with the best of intentions, but they are worried by its implementation. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports.

TEACHERS in Lagos State have said the September 25 deadline given by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) for a nationwide strike remains sacrosanct, except their employer implements...

-Page 28

Parents appeal for WASSCE results THE Ondo State Ministry of Education and security agencies have been urged to wade into the plight of about 400 candidates who sat for the last May/June senior school certificate examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council, (WAEC) but are yet to get their results -Page 38

CAMPUS LIFE

•Pupils of Queen’s College Lagos in the computer classroom.

Our grouse with revised curriculum, by teachers

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

For their culture, they rise IN colourful costumes, they moved round the campus and its host-community, with staves in their arms. They also had silver-rimmed head gears adorned with long strands of artificial feathers.

-Page 29

COURTESY GOOGLE

•Education Council: blame your states, not us

W

HAT is in a curriculum, some are wont to ask?

Plenty, say principals of secondary schools, who rose from a meeting in Lagos last week, seeking a modification of the revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC). They believe that the curriculum cannot be implanted as it is. Reason: the demands of the curriculum cannot be met by the realities on ground.

While hailing the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) for the revised SSEC, the All Nigeria Confideration of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) said as laudable as the revision is, it is fraught with danger. ANCOPSS' National Executive Council (NEC) met in Lagos to examine the issue under the theme: "The New SSEC: Application and Challenges to School Administrator."

Schools began using the curriculum during the 2010/2011 academic session, with the first set of pupils that passed through nine years of basic education (six years of primary and three years of junior

Old Curriculum

New Curriculum

Core subjects

Core subjects

English Language General Mathematics Biology One Nigerian Language One of Food and Nutrition, Clothing and Textile or Home Management

English Language General Mathematics Computer Science One Trade/Entrepreneurship subject

secondary education) introduced by the former President Obasanjo administration on September 30, 1999.

The aim of the curriculum is to make pupils well-rounded in learning and character, and designed to make secondary school leavers self-reliant upon graduation. The curriculum reduces in the number of subjects offered at each of the basic education levels from 22 to between 11 and 14. It also emphasises experiential learning, and introduction of vocational subjects into primary school curriculum. It is expected that collaboration during schools, the organised private sector, craftsmen and artisans in the local industry, would provide workplace

experience for pupils through the much desired traditional education tool of 'learning by doing', and schooling beyond participantobservation. The curriculum has five cross-cutting core subjects, English Studies General Mathematics, Entrepreneurial Trade subject, Computer Studies, and Civic Education. It also has four distinct fields of study as Senior Secondary Education Science, Humanities, Technology and Business with 34 Entrepreneurial Trades to provide required skills for job creation and poverty eradication.

Some of the trade subjects are: GSM Technology, Book keeping, Clothing and Textile, Woodwork, Building Construction, Auto mechanics, Technical Drawing, Home

Management, Food and Nutrition, Typewriting and Shorthand. Others are: Carpentry, Basic Electronics, Applied Electricity, Agricultural Science, Principles of Accounts, and Commerce.

Teachers fear that the demands of the curriculum do not reflect the situation in most states.

A delegate from Taraba, who pleaded not to be named, said apart from inadequate facilities, the state lacks teachers especially in core subjects.

He said: "There is lack of personnel in most of the schools in Taraba. "In most schools, we don't have teachers in English and Maths.

We only make do with corps members posted to serve in the state, but there is no continuity since they usually come and go. Yet our students are expected to write the same external exams with their counterparts in other states that have permanent teachers."

He said they improvise by "going out to private schools where we pay the teachers some kind of part-time money to teach the pupils. But it's not helping much; what we need are permanent teachers.

"I put the blame on (state) government. In those days, teachers of English and Maths are paid certain subject allowances which ginger would-be teachers to go into • Continued on page 26

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

26

EDUCATION

NERDC revises UBE curriculum •2013/2014 academic session for take-off

T

HE revised Basic Education Curriculum will come into use at the beginning of the 2013/ 2014 academic session next September for primary one and JSS1 pupils.

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) completed the revision of the nineyear curriculum, which commenced last December at an editorial workshop in Enugu last week.

The review was finalised by experts in curriculum, subject matters specialists, teachers, education policy makers, employers and parents during the two-day workshop.

However, before it is put to use next year, NERDC Executive Secretary, Prof. Godswill Obioma said it must be ratified by the Joint Consultative Council on Education (JCCE) and the National Council on Education (NCE).

The Professor of Mathematics Education and Evaluation said while the structure of the curriculum in use comprises of 20 subjects, the newly revised curriculum has 10. This reduction in subject’s listings, he explained, was achieved by grouping related disciplines.

His words: “Related UBE subjects curricula like Home Economics and Agriculture are brought together to create a new UBE subject curriculum

• From right (front row): Dr. Ola Adeniyi, Director of Research, Book Development Centre; Dr. Ismail Junaidu, Director of Research, Curriculum Development Centre; Dr Kate Nwufo; Prof. Obioma; Mrs. Fatima Jiddum Ahmad, Deputy Director Sectors/ Desk Officer Education Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs and other delegates to the editorial workshop which held in Enugu.

called Pre-Vocational Studies.

Similarly, Islamic Studies, Christian Religious Studies, Social Studies, Civic Education and so forth that focus primarily on the inculcation of values (societal, moral, interpersonal) now form a new UBE subject called Religion and National Values” Obioma added that the review has ensured that topics are not repeated in various subjects.

“Key concepts in the former curricula now form integrating threads for organising the contents of the

new subjects into a coherent whole.

In the process of the review, particular efforts were made to eliminate content repetitions within and across subjects to further reduce the overload and encourage innovative teaching and learning techniques,” he said.

In line with the framework for reviewing the curriculum which was adopted at a national stakeholders’ forum on February 9, Obioma said pupils in primaries 1-3 are to offer a minimum of seven subjects and

maximum of eight subjects; while those in primaries 4-6 are to take a minimum of eight subjects and maximum of nine subjects.

JSS 1- 3 students are to offer a minimum of nine subjects and a maximum of 10 subjects – a huge departure from the 14-18 subjects they took before. He explains the rationale for reducing the subject listings at the basic education level from 20 to 10.

He said: “Recent feedback on the implementation of BEC suggests that the curriculum is overloaded in

terms of the numbers of subjects offered at the basic education level.

A major outcome of the presidential summit on the state of education in Nigeria which held on October 4 and 5, 2010 was the need to reduce the curriculum offerings. For example, pupils in Kenya offer seven subjects; Tanzania, eight subjects; United States of America, six subjects; Malaysia and Indonesia, nine subjects each. Consequently, NERDC was mandated to revise the nineyear BEC”.

Our grouse with revised senior secondary curriculum, by teachers •Continued from page 25

those fields. But now, the state has scrapped it, and so people no longer wish to go for those tasking subjects again. They prefer subjects that are comfortable."

A teacher in a public school in Lagos said to implement the new curriculum, some teachers now teach trade subjects related to their subject areas.

She said: "We have started implementing. What they did in my school was to go into teachers records to check their background. For instance, Social Studies teachers can teach Civic Education; an Economics teacher can teach Commerce; while Home Economics teacher can teach Home Management, food and nutrition. This new curriculum is going to give problems. The combination is even weird that we keep going back to check it for clarity."

Principal of FESTAC Senior College in Lagos, Mr Abayomi Adegunle said the school only picked five of the 34 entrepreneurial trade subjects.

He said: "We use teachers with relative subjects for the vocational subjects. For instance, My Commerce teacher now combines it with Insurance; Account teacher takes Book Keeping; while Civic Education is handled by the Government teacher. We also sent the Physics teacher for a successful training in Computer and he will now combine an additional 12 periods to the 12 he already has for Physics."

Mr Kareem Olanrewaju of Rockville College in Ojo, Lagos, said the curriculum is being implemented skeletally.

"We hope to commence its full implementation when the children resume in the new session. For now, we have collapsed some of those vocational subjects under Creative Arts. For instance, the Intro Tech. teacher now combines welding and carpentry, and electronics and all that.

We are only managing the resources at our disposal," he said.

ANCOPSS chair for Kaduna State

Kassim Inuha Zom told The Nation that the association organised a sensitisation workshop for about 250 teachers on the new curriculum. The training, he said would be ineffective without the tools teachers need to work, especially those in rural areas.

He said: "The scenario is an eyesore here. There are inadequate computers in the schools, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology), according to the new curriculum, should be a compulsory subject. The situation is a bit better in Zaria because we still have few computers in some schools. But outside Zaria and in the hinterlands, the situation is so bad."

Another challenge of the curriculum is the stipulation that artisans be invited to provide practical training in various trades.

Zom thinks this may be problematic because many of such unskilled workers are not literate.

"The new system also stipulates that we buy machines and employ artisans; people that we don't have on ground to teach the children. The problem is that how do we do these things. I personally forsee a problem in future because the artisans are generally not educated people and our children will be writing exams created for educated people. Teachers are willing to adapt to the new curriculum but these are the constraints," he said.

Former ANCOPSS National President Chief Adeniyi Falade said there must be a system in place to support the involvement of artisans in the school system.

"What are the efforts made in that regard to bring in artisans? It is not school administrators that should bring in the teachers. It has to be regulated, it has to be formalised. At least in every state, there is a board for technical education. They should be responsible for coming up with the modalities of how the artisans will be brought into the schools," he said.

Falade is worried that if things continue this way it will be difficult to examine pupils in the subjects when they sit for the Senior School Certificate Examination in 2014.

He said: "Like other policies before this curriculum, implementation has always been our problem giving the impression that our leaders are not interested in providing quality education.

"For the traditional subjects like English, Physics Chemistry and Biology, the teachers are not there.

You now have teachers under the trade section - fisheries, hair dressing, how do you get the teachers for it? A year has already gone and these children are supposed to write exam based on the curriculum in 2014. My school is a typical public secondary school. The problems we are grappling with - lack of funds; we don't have teachers in the right quality or quantity, the children are not ready to learn and parents are not really parenting."

Except there is urgent intervention in Bayelsa overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated facilities will hamper implementation of the curriculum, according to the state's ANCOPSS secretary, Francis Obong.

He said education has suffered such devastating blow in the past that the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson has declared a state of emergency in the sector.

Hear him: "A new government has just come on board, and we want to give it the benefit of the doubt because it has declared a state of emergency in education. Before the new government, we had the challenges of infrastructure and dilapidated houses.

"For instance, in DGSS Akemfa, a school where I presently serve as the principal, the population is about 800 pupils; but we have just six blocks of classrooms. Each classroom houses between 120 and 150 as against the 30-35 pupils recommended per class.

How do you think the new curriculum will work? Aside, manpower is not there, and there is no incentive for teachers. So, we are not even talking about computers now. Dilapidated structures need to be given a facelift and teachers' welfare package improved before we start talking about ICT." In Rivers State, where the government has done well in rehabilitating and equipping schools, ANCOPSS President (Southsouth) Dr Augusta Fubara said teachers still need to be encouraged.

"In all fairness, the government of Rivers State is trying to meet the challenge of the curriculum. But we are still telling them (government) to do more. Teachers are ready to work if government encourages us with provision of tools and conducive atmosphere," he said.

‘For instance, in DGSS Akemfa, a school where I presently serve as the principal, the population is about 800 pupils; but we have just six blocks of classrooms. Each classroom houses between 120 and 150 as against the 30-35 pupils recommended per class. How do you think the new curriculum will work?

Aside, manpower is not there, and there is no incentive for teachers. So, we are not even talking about computers now’

ANCOPSS is seeking inclusion in the drafting of the curriculum in future and increased sensitisation and capacity building to help teachers implement the curriculum. But NERDC Executive Secretary Prof Godswill Obioma said the agency cannot be faulted as it prepared the curriculum three years ahead of its implementation and informed the states and other relevant stakeholders.

He said: "The SSS curriculum which started last year was approved by the National Council for Education (NCE) in December 2008. The idea behind its advance approval was to enable state governments put in facilities and structures ahead of its implementation. So let the principals channel their grievances to their respective state governments."

On the claim of non-inclusion of ANCOPSS in the drafting of the curriculum, Obioma said qualified professionals were involved.

"The SSS curriculum was drafted by experienced secondary school teachers both public and private and university lecturers. We don't invite unions or institutions but qualified personnel nominated by their state governments. We have all the names and addresses of those invited in the drafting," he said.

Critical to the implementation of the curriculum, especially the ICT subject is the availability of electricity to power the computers.

To correct this, National ANCOPSS President, Hajia Fatima Abdulrahman has appealed to the Federal Government and other stakeholders to intervene as inadequate power supply would make it difficult to implement the ICT and other vocations that may require electricity to function appropriately.

"We know the challenges of power.

We hope government does something especially in schools in the hinterland. We are equally calling on non-governmental organisations and well-meaning individuals to assist us in this cause", she said.

Additional report by Kofoworola BeloOsagie

27

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

EDUCATION

Never lie to visa officials, advises U.S. don •Varsity offers scholarship for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

A

GOLDEN rule for any Nigerian seeking student visas into the United States is to tell nothing but the truth, says Dr Merv Fishback, who represents many U.S. universities.

Fishback who gave talks to prospective students at the Best Western Hotel, Allen, Lagos last Saturday, said telling a lie could bar such students from entering the U.S. for life when detected.

He said getting a visa is not as difficult as people think given the number of Nigerians studying in the country.

With 7,100 students, Nigeria accounts for the highest number of African students in the U.S - more than Ghana (4,000), Kenya (2,500) and Tanzania (about 1,000) combined.

Even if the truth is unpalatable, Fishback advised that it is better the visa applicant tells it than a lie. He added that once students can establish they have been admitted, have genuine transcripts, show evidence of being able to finance their education, convince the visa officials that they would return to Nigeria, and pass security checks, they are almost certain of getting the visas.

"Do not tell lies. Once you tell a lie,

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

you will not get into the U.S. ever.

They will not ask you questions they do not already have answers to. If your sister went to the U.S. and did not return and they ask you do you have a relative in the U.S. and you say no, you will not get it," he said.

Fishback said there are up to 15 million undocumented aliens in the U.S. While the authorities may not go out of its way to look for them, embassy officials who granted their visas are penalised.

"The guy who issues the non-immigrant visas at the embassy is watching out for his job. He is usually fresh from the Foreign Service College in Washington D.C. and on probation. His confirmation is dependent on the number of applicants that pass through him who return to their countries. This to test his sense of judgment," he said.

Fishback, who said he has been representing various universities in over 100 countries he has lived in for 43 years, however said it is more difficult for MBA students to secure visas because they can earn more after their programme if they remain in America.

"A student with an MBA will earn

• Fishback (middle) with Mr Kenneth Ilallokhoin, Managing Director, Global Networks (right) and Mr Frank Dike, Business Development Manager, Global Networks, at the event.

$99,000 in a year - that is $8500 a month; $400 a week. That is a lot of money. Many companies are now seeking such skills. The embassy officials know this," he said.

Speaking on the Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine of the South Baylo University, California, one of the university he represents, Fishback spoke of plans to give scholarships to one in five Nigerians that register for the programme. This, he said, will be

followed by the establishment of an acupuncture clinic in Lagos and a school to train specialists in the field.

Fishback said the founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the university, Dr David Park is interested in establishing a school in Nigeria because of her people's hunger for education.

He said the scholarship will cover tuition fees for the three-year programme, adding that modalities on how to select beneficiaries have

not been decided yet.

Even for those who do not get the scholarship, Dr Fishback said funding the MSc programme is affordable compared to what is obtainable in other universities.

What is more, he said the programme does not require applicants to have first degrees. After the MSc programme, he said students can work for one year on their student's visas and afterwards enroll for a doctorate in the field.

CAANU urges Fed Govt to address insecurity

T

• From left: Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina with Vice-Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof Femi Mimiko and the Registrar, Mr Bamidele Olotu after the AAUA 11th public lecture delivered by Adesina

HE Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities (CAANU) has urged the federal government to address the problem of insecurity in the country so as not to deter foreign students and academics from visiting Nigeria on exchange programmes.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the third quarterly conference of the group hosted by the Ektiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, the group also condemned the recent kidnapping of Prof. Cyprian Onyeji, the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) on August 17.

Speaking at the conference, its Chairman, Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho said insecurity could affect the quest of universities to internationalise.

By Ramat Musa

''This is capable of discouraging the exchange programmes for students and lecturers with reputable foreign Universities needed for the advancement of learning and teaching in our universities. While we rejoice at the release of Professor Onyeji on Friday 24th August, 2012 after a week in captivity, we urge that the security concerns in the country should be given top most priority,” he said.

Concerned about the lack of accreditation of some programmes run by universities, CAANU also urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) not to advertise courses that are not accredited so as to put a stop to the sufferings of students who have to spend extra years waiting for accreditation.

Good news from basic education sector

I

N recent years, the release of results of the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, SSCE, conducted by the West African Examination Council, WAEC, and the National Examination Council, NECO have been greeted by outrage from stakeholders in the education sector.

The reason for the outrage is not farfetched. The percentage failure was on the high side.

The percentage of candidates who score five credits including English Language and Mathematics has become a generally accepted mode of measuring success in public examinations in the country. Though this is not entirely correct, to the general public, it is a way of gauging the standard of education in the country.

Last year, when WAEC released the results of the May/June SSCE, Nigerians naturally expressed their displeasure with the percentage pass. For that year, the percentage pass of students who scored five credits including English Language and Mathematics stood at 31percent.

It was also after the release of the 2011 May/June results by WAEC that the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike took a transparent action of bringing the WAEC Head of National Office, HNO, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae to explain to members of public why two different sets of

By Simeon Nwakaudu

results were released. The issues were resolved in favour of the Nigerian Educational system. The take-away from that inquiry was that nobody would be spared if the public examination architecture is negatively compromised. The four WAEC staff found to be complicit in that error faced commensurate disciplinary measures.

The May/June results for 2012 have been released by WAEC. Though it is not yet celebration time, there has been a marked improvement in the percentage of the number of candidates who passed with five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. This year's percentage stands at 38.81.

Announcing the release of the results, Head National Office of the council, Dr. Iyi Uwadaie commented that the results show a marked improvement in candidates' performance of the 2010 and 2011 WASSCE. The improvement is the outcome of series of investments by the Federal Government in the basic education sub-sector. These investments have been supported by a dedicated supervision of all the agencies and parastatals running the basic education sub-sector. The supervision of this sub-sector comes under the pur-

view of Wike as Minister of State for Education.

Commenting on the improvement, Wike noted that the nation would in the coming years witness more improvements in the sector. He said that the benefits of the programmes and projects being implemented by the Jonathan administration will be completely manifest progressively.

He said though the nation is yet to get to the Promised Land as regards basic education development, it was surely on the path of recovery.

It is imperative to point out some of these programmes and projects that have impacted positively on the nation's basic education sub-sector.

In the last one year, the Federal Government has trained more than 500,000 teachers in public primary and secondary schools and basic education managers across the country. To achieve this feat, the Federal Ministry of Education has collaborated with State Ministries of Education and other agencies to drive the training programmes.

Under Wike's watch, the states now play prominent roles in the training programmes of their teachers. The Federal Government between last year and 2012 invested N11billion in the training of teachers and basic education administrators. The funds were handed over directly to the state agen-

cies with officials of the Federal Government monitoring their implementation.

Through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)self-help projects programme, infrastructure in basic education institutions have been improved in all the states of the Federation in the last one year.

Mathematics, one of the core subjects relevant for the development of science and technical education has witnessed remarkable investment already yielding results. The Federal Government is collaborating with the Japanese government under the Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education, SMASE, programme.

Under SMASE, teachers have been trained in Mathematics and Science teaching techniques. This programme suffered a setback until Wike intervened to get it back on track.

Another training programme with the Korean government has led to the training of education administrators in the basic education sub-sector in the last one to improve service delivery across these institutions in the country.

The foundation being laid by the Federal Government through the sustained distribution of books to pupils and students in basic education institutions will bear fruits for several years to come. Closely tied to this is

•Wike

the Bring Back the book programme Initiative of President Goodluck Jonathan which is being promoted by the Federal Government.

It is true that attaining 38.81 per cent is below the overall national expectation, however, the current growth is an encouraging sign. The sad commentaries will soon give way to positive results all across the entire gamut of the education sector.

The coordinated approach to tackling the setbacks in the basic education sub-sector will certainly translate into sustained growth for the nation. Beyond doubt, the nation's basic education sub-sector is on the path of ascendancy and this is a fact that cannot be contradicted.

•Nwakaudu is Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike

28

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

EDUCATION

Lagos NUT insists on strike over TSS

FUNAAB FILE No fee hike, says VC THE Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof Olusola Bandele Oyewole, has debunked the speculation of a hike in tuition fees in the 2012/2013 academic session.

Oyewole spoke at a luncheon organised for the Students' Union leaders at the International Scholars' and Resource Centre, in appreciation of their contributions to the success of the 2011/2012 session.

The union President, Comrade Kareem Bamigbade, in his remarks sought the ViceChancellor's clarifications on the alleged plan to increase school fees; take-over the Students' Union Building (SUB) and stop their elections.

The Vice-Chancellor assured the students that fees would not be increased, neither would their building be taken from them after its rehabilitated by the university.

He implored the student leaders to lead by example, shunning thuggery, violence and other social vices that are inimical to peace and progress on campus.

The Vice-Chancellor and the student leaders agreed to meet quarterly, to deliberate on important issues and to avoid communication breakdown.

More internet bandwidth on campus WORKING on the internet will become more effective with the increase in the university's bandwidth from five megabytes per second (mbps) to 50.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oyewole, who approved the expansion, said the low bandwidth made it difficult to work online.

"I will tell you that when we came in, we felt the need to improve on internet service on campus. The problem is that the bandwidth was as low as five mbps. Last week, we increased it to 50mbps. What that means is that access to the Internet is now higher", he added.

He appealed to workers and students to bear with the management on the inconveniences being experienced as a result of the ongoing rehabilitation of CampAlabata Road.

"The road under construction is a Federal Government road and we really appreciate this project. The Federal Government just started it and when construction is on, there will be inconveniences. I want to appeal to members of the University community to please bear with us," he said.

Late registration not allowed Prof Oyewole has closed the window of late registration for students.

From now on, he warned that no student woukd be allowed to register after two weeks of resumption, as stipulated in the university regulations.

Oyewole said the aim is not to collect late registration fees but to instill discipline in the students.

He said: "I want to tell our dear students through their leaders that are here today that it is now mandatory for them to register within two weeks of resumption, because I am surprised that some students were still registering when the semester examinations were on.

"Our regulation stipulates registration within two weeks of resumption. I am not interested in your money. My interest lies in inculcating discipline and values that will ensure your progress in life", he stated.

T

EACHERS in Lagos State have said the September 25 deadline given by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) for a nationwide strike remains sacrosanct, except their employer implements the report of the committee set up to work on the contentious 18.5 percent teachers’ allowance.

Chairman of NUT Lagos wing Comrade Kayode Idowu has said the state should be ready to extend the ongoing long vacation.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, has, however, assured that teachers in Lagos would not join the planned strike as the state would meet their demands.

The Lagos State Ministry of Education set up a technical committee early last mionth, comprising representatives of the NUT and the ministry, to put together statistical data of the amount involved in the payment.

The committee had since wrapped

By Adegunle Olugbamila

up sitting and submitted its report.

Idowu lamented that their members have been kept in the dark on the outcome of the report.

“The strike will go on as planned since the governors of the affected states have failed to reach a tangible resolution with the union after fresh moves to forestall the indefinite strike. We are going ahead with the strike if nothing tangible is done by the governors to forestall the strike,” the national president of the union, Comrade Michael AlogbaOlukoya, had said while declaring the strike.

Responding on the planned strike, Mrs Oladunjoye said the government was working on implementing the committee’s report.

“You can ask them (NUT). We are working together on it. There are committees that have been set up by government because they know the government is working to pay

• Oladunjoye

•Kayode

it. The governor is also looking at the outcome of the committees’ meetings, and I can assure you the government is going to pay it.

Lagos State teachers are not going on strike. Before then (September 25), we will meet their demands if not totally at least substantially to discourage the strike,” she said.

Olukoya, however, said:“She (Mrs Oladunjoye) has not said anything!

Our position is clear. On the 25th of September we are downing tools, leaving the classrooms empty; the holiday continues. Although a com-

mittee was put in place, we have finished the work but, up till today, we have not heard anything. And that means there is more to our demand from the government side.

“Our demands have been age-long.

They (government) paid nine per cent but that is not our agreement.

We want them to pay the totality of 27.5 per cent.”

Idowu said the said the committee had arrived at N144 million as the additional amount to be paid to teaching and non-teaching staff in the state.

Community gets first PhD holder

F

OR the Utange community in Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State, Mr Hyacinth Nongonan Apya, has blazed a trail after successfully defending a Doctor of Philosophy thesis at the Benue State University, last Wednesday.

Apya, 44, is a lecturer in the Department of Arts and Theological Studies, Veritas University, Abuja.

It took him six and half years to achieve the feat based on his work on the Nigeria-Cameroon border conflict. The title of his dissertation is "Between Hegemony And National Interest: A Historical Analysis of the Nigeria-Cameroon Border Conflict 1960-2006."

He submitted the work to the History Department of the Benue State University where he had began the programme in 2005.

Gathered to examine him were seven distinguished academics including the external examiner from the Lagos State University, Prof Charles Alade; Head of History Department and chairman of the examining board Prof Mike Odeh and a representative of the Faculty of Arts, Associate Prof Alloy Ihuah and that of the Post-Graduate School, Dr. Terkura Tarnande.

Others were the Internal Examiner, Dr. Emmanuel Ayangeor; Project Supervisor Associate Professor Saawua Gabriel Nyityo, as well as departmental Ph.D coordinator,

• From left: Akaanan Terver, David Achaku, Daniel Iordye, Kumawuese and Member Tahav, Apya, and Mlumun Iordye, rejoice with the candidate shortly after his successful defence From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

ProfOkpeh O. Okpeh (Jnr). The examiners subjected him to more than four hours of brainstorming at the Faculty of Arts boardroom after which they asked him to excuse them to take a decision.

After a few minutes they called him in and broke the news that he had passed and advised him to make a few amendments and submit a final copy of the thesis.

Apya, a 1981 pioneer student of Igbo Memorial Secondary School,

Akerior, expressed gratitude to God, his supervisors and sponsors for the feat. He obtained a Bachelor as well as Master of Arts in History at the Benue State University in 2002 and 2005.

Asked what it takes to complete a Ph.D programme, he quoted Prof Yakubu Ochefu, his mentor.

"One needs discipline, lots of money, good health and a good supervisor," he said.

Some of Apya's family members and friends waited patiently out-

side the examination hall to share the good news of his success and they jubilated, hugged and shook his hands when he emerged victorious.

Mr. Tahav Agerzua, president of the Independent Print-Media Publishers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN) and pioneer staff of Igbo Memorial Secondary School, where Apya began his academic journey, represented the community.

Agerzua is one of the two surviving pioneer staff of the school.

Oko Poly, Indian Varsity to collaborate on Nano Technology

T

• Prof Onu with Prof Gajbhiye after the signing

HE Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar, India, to collaborate on Nano Technology last Friday.

The signing took place at the office of the Rector, Prof Godwin Onu. Nano Technology, which has to do with the application of very minute things to get better quality products, cuts across all fields of sciences such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics Material Sciences and Engineering.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Varsity Prof. NS Gajbhiye, expressed hope that the five-year agreement would afford both institutions the opportunity to explore other areas of research, adding that he was impressed by the commitment shown by the polytechnic.

On his part, Prof Onu noted that

his vision was to make the polytechnic one of the best in the country, adding that the institution had signed a similar agreement with another Indian University, Sharda, on renewable energy.

According to the MoU, “the institutions will encourage joint research projects in various areas of science, technology, humanities and management. Both parties will endeavour to enable their faculty members to put joint projects and apply for funding to the appropriate agency.“ The two institutions, the agreement continued "will support research and develop projects in the areas of science, technology, humanities and management by providing research and technical support to the extent agreed upon."

Other areas of understanding included utilisation of facilites, faculty visits and seminars, and intellectual properties rights, among others.

,

29

Memories are forever

*CAMPUSES

Jubilation greets VC’s return

Page 31

*NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS

Page 34

*GRANTS

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0802-4550-354 email: ladycampus@yahoo.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Israel Fagbemigun is a 300-Level Microbiology student at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. He is the coordinator of Impact Makers International, a nongovernmental organisation, and the General Secretary of the National Association of Ondo State Students. He spoke to KEMI BUSARI (300-Level Political Science) on the activities of the organisation.

‘Good certificate not measure of success’

•Israel •Continued on page 30

•Some female students in the procession on campus

PHOTO: TOLULOPE OGUNLEYE

It was fun all the way when indigneous students of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) held their maiden carnival on the Ikorodu Campus last week. GILBERT ALASA (400Level Foreign Languages, University of Benin) and TOLULOPE OGUNLEYE (HND 1 Mass Communication, LASPOTECH) report.

For I their culture, they rise

N colourful costumes, they moved round the campus and its host-community, with staves in their arms. They also had silver-rimmed head gears adorned with long strands of artificial feathers.

One of them sprang forth before the crowd, stroking the onlookers with the staff in his hand. With him were young men and women dressed like Brazilian revellers.

The procession could be mistaken for the famous Rio de Janeiro Carnival. But, this was not Brazil. It was the Ikorodu Campus of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).

Welcome to the festival organised, last week, by the Na-

tional Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) to celebrate its cultural day. The students were clad in attires with sequins. Some played the role of kings and queens, others, were followers.

The students danced excitedly to the music wafting from band groups in the procession.

The theme of the funfair was: Sometimes in August: A reality of culture and heritage of Lagos State. It kicked off with a dance parade from the auditorium ground. The students stopped at every faculty amid pomp and ceremony. They extended the merriment to residents of the host community. On their return, they met a crowd at an open field on campus.

At 2pm, the carnival was officially declared open by the Rector, Dr Abdulazeez Abioye-Lawal, who urged the students to strive for excellence in their academic pursuit.

He said: “In the past, people believed Lagosians were never-dowells. But the notion has changed now with the avalanche of scholars and personalities of Lagos extraction who have distinguished themselves in various fields of human endeavour. So, I charge all of you to toe the path of excellence as you journey through life. That is how we can sustain the essence of the Lagos spirit.”

President of the Lagos State stu•Continued on page 31

•British varsity honours Nigerian graduate • Dinner for graduating student -P33

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

30

CAMPUS LIFE Perils of cultism on university campuses (1)

W

HILE on holiday from my studies some years back, I witnessed firsthand issues bothering on cultism in university campuses that left an indelible mark on my consciousness. A group of cultists from two universities in the south east came to Makurdi, Benue State to avenge the alleged “brutalization and death” of their members by a rival group after receiving “reports” of the rival groups activities. In the ensuing melee one of the “advance party” members from the south east shot an undergraduate in broad daylight at a popular spot in one of the campuses. Rather than scamper for their lives, the student did the unthinkable, they confronted the gun totting cultist after he had dispensed of the bullets in his pistol, disarmed, apprehend and handed him over to the authorities.

That same night, another group stormed the other university in the town and wreaked havoc by murdering an undergraduate in cold blood. Not done with their mission, they went to the off campusresidence of another adversary who had wind of their coming and had prepared by getting drunk, apparently to be bold when they come. Unfortunately he was asleep when they came with the burglary protector of his door wide open and the padlock unlocked. The cultists couldn’t imagine their “luck.” They locked him inside, doused the house with the fuel he bought for his generator and set the building ablaze. He eventually died an excruciating death.

So when Wale Ajetunmobi reported last week the story of a clash between two rival cult groups at Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma, Edo State, the story I recounted above came alive in my mind. According to the report, trouble started last semester when a member of Vikings Confraternity waylaid two students at a quiet off-campus location, dispossessing them of their mobile phones.

Unknown to the attacker, one of his victims was a brother to a Black Axe member. This development re-ignited the age-long war between the rival cult groups. But the fracas, it seemed, was postponed to the current semes-

ASUU flays Amaechi for re-appointing VC

T

HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi of meddling in the affairs of Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

The president of ASUU, Dr Nasir Isa, said at a media briefing in Abuja that the governor had shown a clear violation of the statutes establishing the university by the “undeserved and illegal” re-appointment of Prof Barineme Fakae as the Vice-Chancellor.

Pushing Out with

Agbo Agbo 08052959489 (SMS only)

•aagboa@gmail.com ter.

When the new semester kicked off a few weeks ago, the report continued, a violent clash ensued between members of the Black Axe Confraternity, popularly called Aye, and the Vikings. This time, the Vikings alleged foul play in the university’s anti-cultism war. The other group allegedly accused the Vikings of “profiling”.The Black Axe accused Vikings of using its former members now working in the university’s anti-cult unit to spy on Vikings members and activities. Attempts to settle the rift failed as a member of the Black Axe was allegedly gunned down. In retaliation, members of the Black Axe shot two students.

While we bemoan the incessant strikes by ASUU, the improper funding of the university system by government, dictatorial tendencies of some Vice Chancellors, lack of infrastructures and myriad of other problems that confront the system, one cannot run away from the fact that the issue of cultism on campuses is self-inflicted and more damaging to the psyche of undergraduates when the leave the ivory tower and to society at large than the other problems put together. The reason for this as far as I’m concerned is not farfetched; a cultist will always believe that he can get whatever he or she wants by using brute force or terror, so with this kind of mentality and mindset how can he fit into a structured and disciplined society?

Since the issue of cultism on campuses did not emerge overnight but was progressive, it will be apt thatI put it in context so that we can see if there are ways we can get out of it. In any progressive society,the campus environment is expected to be devoid of strife and dissent which gravely affects academic activities more than any other. A researcher or anyone engaged

in academic pursuit needs a quiet and decent environment to think and conduct researches, this is the main reason a university is structured as a community where everything from filling stations to market and any other thing that will take an individual outside its confine is obtainable.

What is known as secret cult in tertiary institutions started at University College, Ibadan in 1953. It was formed

by Nigeria’s only Nobel laureate, Prof.

Wole Soyinka and a group of other students which includeProf. Muyiwa Awe, Pius Oleghe, Aig-Imoukhuede, Ralph Opara and Nat Oyelola. The pirate confraternity was an adventurous organization founded by these exuberant young men whose main agenda were noble. It was to demonstrate freedom and nationalism which the youths believed the University environment bestowed on the students. They engaged in regular discussions and plans of action to make members become notable and respectable on campus. Members of the confraternity are champions of human rights, they formed a vanguard against colonialism, they engaged in charity work by visiting homes, giving a helping hand to the needy in the society and engaging in community development work.

Professor Soyinka saidin 2001 that other noble ideas and ideals acted out even in the immediate years following the inception of the fraternity include blood donation to hospitals, accidents wards and emergency units, visitations to Cheshire home, Public sanitation and Traffic control”. These are no doubt noble ideals which they carried out diligently. Unfortunately, many splinter confraternities emerged since then and this are what we now know today as cults in our higher institutions who are tormenting not only their fellow cult members but also innocent students and members of the public.

Although the philosophical underpinning of this group could be appropriately located in the realm of utopianism, their ideas were both patriotic and altruistic as it was not imagined as a secret cult, but simply known as the Pyrates Confraternity or the National Association of Seadogs. Their objectives which revolved around the maintenance of polite behaviour among people of different background and chivalry portrayed the dreams of the Founders.

So the question to ask is why did the students of that era decide to form such a group? The answer lies in the fact that Nigeria in the 1940s and 1950s was on the verge of gaining political

‘Good certificate not measure of success’

From Damilola Olayemi ABUJA

He said the VC’s appointment by Amaechi in 2008 was illegal as it was not the responsibility of the governor to do so but that of the university’s governing council.

He said the appointment of the Fakae did not follow due process and when the matter was challenged by the university branch of the union, the governor pleaded that the matter be laid to rest.

“The governor and Visitor to the university knew the appointment of Prof Fakae in 2008 did not follow due process as spelt out in the University Law. When this was challenged by the RSUST branch of ASUU and other unions and groups on campus, Amaechi made time out to visit the university,” Isa said.

independence. The nationalistic fervour in the country gave a warning signal to the colonialists that the sun was about to set on the British Empire. Trade union consciousness and militancy had soared under the leadership of Late Pa Michael Imuodu. Political parties sprang up in the major centres of the country which raised political consciousness and awareness and questioned the continued stay of the colonialists in the country.

Nigerian students were not left out of this social change. They questioned the conscription of Kings’ College students into the colonial army to fight in the World war II and eventually created a conducive background for the emergence of the popular National council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (later Citizens) (NCNC). The idea of the students was to respond to the demands of the time, enhance cultural nationalism and fight the “tribalisation” of politics which was given a boost by the Richards constitution of 1946.

It is noteworthy and appropriate for me to emphasise here that the group was not to harm, maim, kill and destroy as their cohesiveness and absolute allegiance to rules made it become an elite club, only for the cleanest, brightest and the politically conscious. Did you get that? They organised political events and held important positions within the student body like President, Chief Judge, P.R.O and Secretary. Their existence was well known by students and was not associated with weird and spiteful character of latter-day confraternities. The anti Anglo-Nigerian defence pact with Britain riot and the “Ali must go” students protest by university studentsin 1978 was ably handled by members of the Pyrates confraternity.

Over the years, however and due to doctrinal differences and inability of intending members to meet required standards of the Pyrates confraternity, splinter groups started emerging like the Buccaneers, Mafia and Vickings. The early nineties witnessed a boom as every university was plagued with cult explosion such as the Black Axe, Black Cats, Trojan Horse, Black Panthers, the Twelve Disciples, Mgba Mgba Brothers, Eiye, Maphites, Temple of Eden, The Jurists, Klu Klux Klan, The Executioners, Black Beret, Dreaded friend of friends, National Association of Adventurers, Black Scorpion, Eagle Club, Termites, Red Sea Horses, Knight Cadet, Sonmen, White Angels, Amazons, Daughters of Jezebel, the Black Brassieres and others.

•Continued from page 29

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HAT informed the setting up of Impact Makers International?

I observed the suffering of the indigent in the society. I felt I could do something to help them. The inspiration came when Pastor Enoch Adeboye visited OAU sometime in 2010 for a programme. Afterwards, I discussed it with a colleague, who also shared a similar view. So, we started it in February 2010.

What does the NGO stand for?

It serves as the intermediary between the lessprivileged and the rich in the society. The ideology behind this organisation is that it is our responsibility to help people who can not afford basic things. We hold empowerment seminars for the indigent and pay their school fees. We also hold various other programmes.

We believe that success is not determined by how much wealth a man gets or his longevity but by the positive impact he makes on the people.

As the coordinator, how do you balance the NGO work with your studies?

It is always good for one to remember the reason he is on campus. We are students but the purpose of living to me is not measured only by academic excellence but by the impact we make at different moments. I devote my time to studies and NGO work and I am doing well in both.

What are the challenges?

The major challenge we have is funding. This organisation is being financed members and that is why we are calling on well-meaning Nigerians to help in impacting positively on the lives of others.

What is your advice to students?

My advice to them is that it is good to be successful academically, but it is not all about the First Class certificate but how much one has affected the lives of others. I enjoin them to diversify their potentials and they should not run away from leadership roles.

Fourth CAMPUS LIFE Annual Awards

•A financial expert, Glenn Cripe (standing in middle), Director of Outreach, Africanliberty.org, Mr Dayo Thomas (in fez cap) and students from Nigeria, Mozambique and Kenya during the 2012 International Conference of Young Professionals by African Liberty Organisation held recently in Mozambique

ENTRIES are now being received, from our correspondents, for the fourth Coca-Cola/NBC CAMPUSLIFE Annual Awards.

Award categories: There are eight prizes up for grabs. The first seven are: Culture Report prize, Investigative Report prize, Entertainment Report prize, Campus Politics prize, Campus Personality Profile prize, Opinion Writing prize and Campus Sport report prize.

The last and overall CAMPUSLIFE reporters of the year will be awarded by the judges on the correspondent whose entries make the most impression on them.

Eligibility: Entries must be sent in by the particular writer who authored the article. Articles must have been published between September 2011 and August 2012.

Deadline: Nominations will be received between September 6 and 30, 2012.

Guidelines: For each category, only ONE entry will be allowed from each one. A nominee can apply for all categories. Two writers can nominate an article they co-authored. No nomination sent after September 30 will be accepted.

Each entry, with title and date of publication as well as category on it, should be sent to ladycampus@yahoo.com. The email must have as titled: 4th CAMPUSLIFE Awards.

A panel of judges, made up of senior Editors and journalism teachers, will decide the winners. The award ceremony will hold in November; the date will be announced.

Good luck to all our correspondents.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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CAMPUS LIFE The University of Lagos (UNILAG) Press Club, last week, honoured the late CAMPUSLIFE girl, Mrs Ngozi Agbo. WALE AJETUMOBI and AYODEJI ADESINA report.

•From right: Agbo, Babatunde, Abimbola, Otufodunrin, Tosin and a member of the club after the programme

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INCE her death, her children, students of higher institutions in the country, have not stopped honouring her. Last Thursday, students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) held a post-humous media lecture for the late Editor of CAMPUSLIFE, Mrs Ngozi Agbo. The event took place at the ultra-modern auditorium of the Faculty of Education.

The lecture, organised by the UNILAG Press Club, began at 2pm.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu chaired the event. She was represented by the Chief Press Secretary to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr Olakunle Abimbola.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Online Editor of The Nation, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, who represented the Managing Director; the guest lecturer and Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State chapter, Mr Deji Elumoye, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Jimoh Babatunde; the widower, Mr Agbo Agbo, and journalists from other media houses.

Senator Tinubu urged the campus journalists to focus on self discovery. Describing the late Mrs

•A cross-section of students at the event

Memories are forever Agbo as a virtuous woman. She urged young writers to contribute to the rebirth of a new, progressive society.

She said: “Mrs. Agbo showed the way forward for the youth before she passed on. That we all gathered here in her memory shows we have all bought into that glorious dream of a better, more socially-conscious and responsible and, of course, better nation for all.

“In her vocation, she displayed passion, focus and purpose – three key traits often missing in many of today’s youth, even as they battle the harsh socio-economic environment. Mrs Agbo did not only confront life’s daunting challenges, she gave her own life a purpose and meaning. Not only that, she also dared to share her passion for purposeful living and positive youth engagement with the bevy of youths she mentored on our university campuses. Thanks to the Campus Life project.

“Today, Mrs Agbo may be no more, survived by a loving husband and a sweet son she died giving life to. Her son would grow up to hear and be immensely proud of the patriotic exploits of his beautiful and remarkable mother.”

Senator Tinubu added: “Everyone among you must devote his energy anew to this worthwhile cause. Ngozi Agbo mentored you all during her life. Now is the time for you all to mentor others in those key values that she preached: self-discovery, hard work to hone your talent, focus, all of which make a responsible youth.”

In a lecture entitled Raising fearless Campus writers: A dream to change Nigeria, Elumoye stressed the need for campus journalists to be factual and objective in their reports. He advised the students to be conscious of the hazard inherent in their environment before they investigate issues, saying people naturally fell threat-

ened by the presence of journalists, who he described as the watch dog of the society.

Otufodunrin described Mrs Agbo as an amazon of Nigerian journalism, adding that she would be happy at the number of youth she mentored in her lifetime. He advised the youth to be conscious of their environment, saying: “You must be wise while reporting because you need to be alive to report an event.”

Agbo, a public relations practitioner, thanked the club for the honour done to his late wife. He urged campus journalists to stand by the values their late mentor stood for.

The president of the club, Tosin Adesile, eulogised the late Mrs Agbo, whom he described as a worthy mentor to many budding young writers on campuses across Nigeria.

“The growing number of campus writers is a proof that aunty influenced many youth. She sparked our interest in journalism and ensured

For their culture, they rise •Continued from page 29

dents, Oluwakayode Adelaja, HND II Computer Science, said the rich cultural heritage of Lagos was on the verge of extinction because of western influences. He said the carnival afforded the students the opportunity to revive key aspects of their culture.

He said:“With this carnival, we are promoting the true culture of Lagos and its unique blend of festivities. We are sending a message to Lagosians all over the world to promote our rich culture and heritage. Our obsession with western culture is a threat we cannot ignore. We need to return to the roots and preserve our collective identity”.

The students went into a frenzy when the NULASS president ended his speech, with the slogan:“Eko O Ni Baje”. Students gathered in groups for various cultural displays. Others took turns to dance with the Eyo masqueraders, who performed dazzling stunts.

Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE,

•The revellers at the rally in Ikorodu...last week

HND 1 student of Mass Communication, Ahmed Daramola said the carnival was a replica of the annual Lagos Carnival. “We are making history today as the first Nigerian tertiary institution to host an indigenous carnival. What

we have here today is a semblance of the annual Lagos Carnival. We also want to place our institution on the social radar. So, we are having great fun and I am very excited.”

Our correspondent learnt that

the choice of costume and colours conformed with that the carnival held yearly by the Lagos State Government. Each cultural division brandishes its unique colours.

On Lagos Island, the Olowogbowos use yellow and

•The late Mrs Agbo

our views got published every week. Our voices matter today because Aunty Ngozi gave us the platform. Therefore, such a woman of value and virtue must not be forgotten”.

Mrs Agbo died in May, following complications from child birth.

She conceived CAMPUS LIFE, to give Nigerian youth a voice. white, Oko Faji, blue, white and red, Isale Eko, fly green and white, Lafiaji, white and red, Epetedo white and blue.

The immediate past Students’ Union president, Gafaru Adedayo, said the LASPOTECH carnival was a combination of all colours. “This combination is to ensure that no cultural division is left out,” he stated.

At the cultural parade, gender and social status vanished as students mixed, some dressed to hide their genders.

For the revellers, it was an opportunity to affirm their prime place in the structure of Lagos.

“We are the landlords while other residents of Lagos State are merely tenants. So, we hold the ace in this land. I am proud to be a Lagosian,” said Muibat Salam, the Iya Eko of the association.

Students, who spoke to CAMPUSLFE, said the celebration enlivened the campus after last week’s release of results in which many did badly. ”Our results have just been released. They fell below expectations. Quite a number of us are depressed. So, I came here to shake off the trauma I had been battling for days. For me, the carnival is well-timed,” said a student, who did not want her name in print.

A former union leader, Taofeek Babajide, lauded the initiative and urged tertiary institutions to fashion out modalities for preserving indigenous cultures.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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CAMPUS LIFE Imo students hold Cultural Day

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TUDENTS of Imo State studying at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) have held their Cultural Day. Speaking at the occasion, the president of the National Association of Imo State Students (NAISS), Emeka Onyeukwu, said the organisation was formed to showcase Igbo cultural heritage. According to him, each of the 27 local governments in the state has peculiar cultural traits.

He said the association organised a charity programme tagged

Computer Science holds workshop

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From Tolulope Oguneleye LASPOTECH

Professional of Nigeria (CPN), Mr Idowu Olushile, Mrs Titilola Martins of NIIT and chairman, Publicity and Events Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Mr Jide Awe. National President of NACOSS, Segun Adanigbon, said the role of IT to the development of the economy could not be overemphasised, urging the participants to take their studies serious.

Awe described a developed economy as one that comprised

high income in a global competitive industrial and service sector.

He said such economy must be driven by highly skilled human resources, modern education system, efficient production sector and modern healthcare system He said the government would develop the economy by providing access to the IT as a roadmap for development.

Olushile praised the efforts of the students, saying the nation has a good future with the caliber of students at the vent.

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CAMPUSLIFE reporter from the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA), David Osu, has been nominated for the Youth Advocacy Group for Education First, a United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Global Initiative on education.

David was among the five African youths drawn from Nigeria, Zambia and Cameroon nominated after careful selection from numerous requests received by the UN Youth Advocacy Group committee.

According to a release on the website of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa, David’s nomination was as a result of his efforts towards making education more accessible through his write ups in the media and his activities to improve the quality of education and fostering of global citizenship.

Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, David, 300-Level student of Urban and Regional Planning, appreciated the management of MDGs in Africa for the honour.

He said: “I am humbled by this nomination. It is to the glory of

Don donates books to varsity

A •Augustine in a handshake with Dr Egbe after he delivered the items at the college

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FORMER student of the University of Calabar (UNCIAL), Augustine Obi, has donated educational materials to his alma mater.

Augustine, who is a former president of faculty of Allied Medical Science Students’ Association (FAMEDSSA), donated medical textbooks and three flat screen desktop computer to the department of Medical Radiography and Radiological Science.

The Acting Head of the department, Dr Nneoyi Egbe, who received the items on behalf of the Provost of the college of Medical Science, described the gesture as a great demonstration of large-

Alumnus donates to alma mater From Isaac Mensah UNICAL

heartedness towards his alma mater.

Obi said his choice of books and computer set was based on the fact that they were the basic needs of students. “Students did not have access to computers; they go to business centres and cyber cafes to get information. During my tenure as faculty president, we wrote several letters to some organisations and individuals for financial support to acquire same items but there was no positive

response and college budget never provided for the purchase of these items either. We knew we were lacking, this made me to decide that I would fill the gap at the right time. I thank God for giving me the privilege to fulfill the promise now,” Augustine said.

Augustine said if properly used, the items would afford students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through latest researches and publications as well as introduce them to technologybased ways of studying with the help of computer software.

Students beg management on school fees

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TUDENTS of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) have implored the management of the institution not to increase the school fees. They said hike of the tuition fees would discourage indigent students to pursue their studies.

The students made the appeal during a youth empowerment programme held at the faculty of

“Good Samaritan Day” by visiting So-SAID Charity Home of Vulnerable to present gift items. The gesture was to copy Governor Rochas Okoroacha, who, Emeka said, was known for his large-heartedness.

A Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor Lisa Asugha, implored members of the association youths to promote Igbo language. According to him, the Igbo language was fast drifting into extinction.

CAMPUSLIFE reporter selected as UN youth advocate

•Cross section of the students at the seminar

HE National Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) chapter, has held a seminar on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to mark its annual week.

The seminar with the theme Developing Our Nation through Information Technology was declared open with an opening prayer from Oluwaseyi Ogundare.

The seminar was graced by many dignitaries in the Information Technology industry, who included Directors of Education, Computer

From Olawale Dawodu YABATECH

From Oladele Oge UNN

education new lecture hall. The plea came on the heels of increment in the fees being paid by students in Enugu campus of the institution.

The Vice-Chancellor of Prof Bath Okolo, had earlier promised that his administration would not make

life unbearable for the indigent students, saying his mission was to change the face of the university and to make the graduates of the school competitive in the job market.

The students, however, expressed worry that increment in the fees could lead to deferment of studies, because many of them may not afford it.

LECTURER in the Political Science department of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Dr Patrick Akwayi, has donated 100 copies of a book entitled A wind of change: Bekwarra in an age of globalisation to the university library.

Dr Akwayi donated the books in an event that took place at the institution’s council chamber last week It was witnessed by the UNICAL Vice-Chancellor, Prof James Epoke, Librarian, Dr Margret Edem, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Eugene Anyia, and his Agriculture counterpart, Prof S. O. Abang, who presented the book, and Associate Prof James Okoro among others.

Dr Akwayi noted that he donated the books towards contributing to the academic development of the university. He stated

•David From Isaac Mensah UNICAL

my maker and to the betterment of our society. I want to use this medium to appreciate the management of MDGs in Africa for believing in us.”

From Emmanuel Ahanonu UNICAL

that out of the 100 copies, 25 were to be donated to Political Science department, while the rest would be taken to the library. He further described Prof. Donald as “a likable, unassuming, steadfast academia, dedicated to hard work, a young man who is very close to my heart”.

Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Dr U. Agbo of Political Science noted that the donation was a challenge to other lecturers in the university, who often attach financial benefits to their work. He advised the management to be cautious in releasing the books to students, who would not return them to the library.

The author, Prof Donald Omagu, graduated from the university in 1989 and was the Students’ Union Government (SUG) General Secretary during his undergraduate days. He finished his Master’s and Ph.D degree in UNICAL. He is a professor of African History, who lectures at the City University of New York, Staten Island, New York, United States.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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CAMPUS LIFE Department holds personality lecture

British varsity honours Nigerian graduate

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HE Association of Communication and Language Arts Students (ACLAS), University of Ibadan (UI) chapter, held its fourth edition of distinguished personality lecture last week. The event was held at Trenchard Hall of the institution. The theme was The role of the media in attaining sustainable development Nigeria.

In attendance Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Prof Olu Owolabi, Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Femi Mapaderun; Head of Department, Communication and Language Arts, Dr Ayo Ojebode, Staff Adviser, Communication and Language Arts, Dr Raphael Ojebuyi, Sub Dean, Faculty of Arts, Mr Bisi Olawuyi, staff and students of the institution.

In his address, Ojebode said: “It is noteworthy to state that we are gathered here today to discuss an

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GRADUATE of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Sunday Olaniran, has been honoured by the University of London, United Kingdom, with a Graduate Scholar Award.

He received the award at a conference on New Media, Multi-Modality, and Learning held at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Over 500 participants from various countries were present.

Olaniran was the only Nigerian among the 17 scholars, who were honoured for demonstrating exceptional skills at the forum.

Presenting a paper entitled Towards Meeting Education for All Goals by 2015: The role of Literacyby-Radio Programme in Nigeria, Olaniran said the realisation of the goals in 2015 was hinged on government’s swift action to establish community radio stations across rural and urban communities in the country.

He said: “It does not speak well that only community radio stations available in Nigeria are the ones being operated by the universities, which only cover university communities. Federal and state governments must take a critical step in establishing community radio which is seen as a formidable tool for poverty reduction and literacy promotion, especially among rural dwellers.”

Olaniran, a graduate of Adult

Dinner for graduating students •Olaniran (left) receiving the award from Dr Bill Cope at the conference From ‘Seyi Oluwalade AKURE

Education, noted that the radio literacy programme of the National Commission for Mass Lit-

eracy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) was to promote literacy especially in providing basic literacy skills for non-literate adults and out-of-school youths in Nigeria.

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RADUATING students of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State have organised a dinner party. The event, which was hosted by the Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES). It made the students to reflect on their days before leaving the institute.

The programme also featured a seminar on easy ways to get employment. The guest speaker, Mr Victor Ekpe, who spoke on How to get a job and keep it, said: “School leavers must have the right mindset as they step into the labour market. In a typical Nigerian situation, it is better for job seekers to be more flexible rather than being bent on doing only a particular job

From Mayowa Okekale UI

important issue that is germane to national development. I must also clearly emphasise that we are one of the departments that run a high level spectrum of communication and our students are ambassadors of the institution.”

Chief Dokpesi, while delivering his lecture on the role of media, said media bodies were agents of socialisation and purveyors of information. He said: “There was a need for the mass media to be used effectively so as to stimulate the minds of the people toward achieving development.”

He, therefore, urged Nigerian media outfits and the Federal Government to encourage the distribution of newspapers to rural dwellers, with a view to sensitising and mobilising them to enhance the sustainable development in Nigeria.

From Akindotun Akintomide PTI

or vocation. Creativity and dynamism are what employers of labour look for in any job seeker.”

Mr Ubong Umoh, an alumnus of the institution, who spoke on How to start and run a successful business, said: “Though, I graduated as a mechanical engineer but I am proud to say I am now a successful entrepreneur because I saw the need and I fulfilled it.” Admonishing the students not to always delay in making life decisions, Umoh said: “New money in your pocket should not mean a new snicker in your wardrobe.”

The atmosphere became moody as students came out to give their farewell messages. While bidding farewell to the graduating students, the final year students’ coordinator, Leo Anselem, said: “I wish we could be together for a little more time, but life has set some other amazing plans for us.

I wish you all a good luck in all your future endeavours.”

Education students meet on youth restiveness

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•Tombari (second left) and other contestants with members of the panel of judges after the competition

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HE Nigerian Universities Engineering Students Association (NUESA), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) chapter in conjunction with students’ wing of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has held a paper contest for engineering students. The programme was held penultimate Wednesday at the NUESA secretariat, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, FUTO. Out of the 12 applicants, five students where shortlisted for the contest but three emerged winners.

They are Tombari Akpe, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, Uchechukwu Asiegbu, 300-Level Petroleum Engineering and Iheanyichukwu Anyanwu, a civil engineering student.

During the contest, Tombari presented a research project on feasibility of a Hybrid Hydro-Photo Voltaic Power system for FUTO

FUTO correspondent wins contest From Francis Egwuatu FUTO

community. He explained to the audience how the hybrid system would operate. He also explained the criteria for the selection and configuration with mathematical calculations. He concluded his presentation with the expression: “For Nigeria to meet up with its power demands and join the global community to improve the environment through minimising fossil fuel burning, hydro power generation is the answer.”

Uchechukwu presented a paper on Mercury Removal Technology and its application. He described new technique for the removal of mercury, a contaminant from sub-

stances. He said: “The demand for natural gas in the world is on the increase; so efficient and cost-effective method that will enhance productivity should be adopted.”

Iheanyichukwu presented a research work on handling construction waste in Nigeria.

After the presentation, the panel of judges that included Engr. U. Mark, department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, and Engr. J.O. Osueke, department of Mechanical Engineering, announced the result. Tombari, a FUTO correspondent of CAMPUSLIFE, won the contest.

Quincy Okechukwu, 300-Level Food Science Technology, commended NUESA for the programme.

HE Nigerian Universities Education Students Association (NUESA), University of Benin (UNIBEN) chapter, has held a youth summit with the theme Education as Panacea for Youth Restiveness. The programme also featured an award ceremony.

Addressing participants at the event, NUESA president, Kelvin Ogelenya, said the theme was carefully chosen to reflect the growing issue of youth restiveness which “is assuming a dangerous dimension in the country.” He urged students to eschew violence and other immoral activities capable of ruining their future.

The former Director of State Security Services (SSS), Mr Mike Ejiofor, who spoke at the event, described education as an essential tool in a democratic society, saying it enabled

From Nosakhare Uwadiae UNIBEN

people acquire basic knowledge that would make them understand the activities of government. He added that illiteracy causes conflicts in a society.

Ejiorfor called on youth to embrace education as an important tool in curbing restiveness, saying they must strive to contribute their quota to nation building by channeling their energies towards meaningful endeavours in the society.

The high point of the ceremony was the presentation of awards to deserving personalities from the institution and outside. Among those who received awards included UNIBEN Vice-Chancellor, Prof Osayuki Oshodin, Ejiofor and former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Edo State, Hajia Maimuna Momodu.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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CAMPUS LIFE

Jubilation greets VC’s return Nine days after his abduction, Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) Vice-Chancellor Prof Cyprian Onyeji regained his freedom, throwing the school into wild jubilation.

GERALD NWOKOCHA and CHINENYE IGWE (200-Level Statistics, Federal University of Technology Owerri) report.

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VEN without seeing him, the university erupted in wild jubilation at the news of his release. To the staff and students, the release of the kidnapped ViceChancellor (VC), Prof Cyprian Onyeji, was the news of the year and a sign that God answers prayers.

They had prayed and fasted for his release after his kidnap at the school’s gate on August 15.

When Onyeji was kidnapped, his three police orderlies were shot.

Two of them were seriously injured. The kidnappers demanded N200 million ransom. To show their love for their VC, staff and students gathered daily to seek divine intervention for his release.

Nine days after his abduction, their prayers were answered and Onyeji was released penultimate Friday.

CAMPUSLIFE could not confirm if a ransom was paid.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Enugu State Police

Command, Ebere Amaraizu, said the VC was found in Igbariam in Anambra State.

Last week, staff and students discussed the development in groups, thanking God for Onyeji’s return.

They said his release removed the tension pervading the institution.

Chimaobi Ifebude, a final year Accountancy student, said when news kidnap, activities were paralysed in the institution. He hoped that things would return to normal with his release.

Chinyere Okoro, another student, said: “I pray that something like this will not happen in this university again.”

Rejoice Orji, 500-Level Mass Communication, said lectures were irregular during the VC’s absence.

She thanked God for delivering the VC back to the students.

Joe Michael, a Business Administration student, prayed that God should not allow the “sad incident”. He said it was the prayers

•ESUT gate. Inset: Prof Onyeji

of the staff and students that ensured that the VC was released unhurt. Joe described Onyeji as a students’ VC, which was why, he said, students turned out en mass to be part of the protesters that went round some major streets in Enugu making a case for the VC’s release.

An Abuja corps member, Geraldine Nkiruka, who graduated from ESUT, said she asked God

why He allowed the incident to happen at her alma mater. She said: “I thank God that the VC has been freed unhurt.”

When CAMPUS LIFE visited Onyeji’s residence on Independence Layout, Enugu, last week, the family members were upbeat in apparen.

A family member, who pleaded for anonymity, told our correspondent: “All of us have re-

mained in pains in the past days.

Onyeji has never been known to be troublesome. Ordinarily, if one is not told his status, nobody would know he is a vice chancellor of a big university. We are still wondering what could have led to his abduction by the gunmen.”

A release from the university senate said Onyeji would be allowed to rest for two weeks before resuming.

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) was shut and the Students’ Union Government (SUG) proscribed on August 26, last year, following a demonstration. Students relive the ugly incident, one year after. EMMANUEL SHEBBS (500-Level Political Science) and STANLEY UCHEGBU (400-Level Accounting) write.

Remembering UNICAL’s day of fury

•Chima...his killing led to the protest •Protesters gathered at a location on campus

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•Some of the vehicles destroyed during the incident

HE mention of August 26, at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), brings back sad memory. On August 26, last year, all hell was let loose on the campus following the students’ demonstration. During the protest, the students destroyed properties worth millions of naira. The incident shook the campus. By the time the dust settled, the management shut the school for six months.

A week before the demonstration, gunmen had invaded Hall 4 in the male hostel of Malabo Republic, robbing students of valuables, such as laptops and phones.

As the gunmen were leaving, they shot at a 400-Level student of Public Administration, Chima Agbai, who was returning from a fellowship programme off-

campus.

These incidents as well as irregular power supply and the hike in school fees led to the demonstration, which snowballed into a riot which lasted till the morning of August 27. The protesters were disbanded by armed mobile policemen. Cars were vandalised, buildings torched and window louvres shattered.

Meeting after the protest, the senate resolved that the Students’ Union Government (SUG) should be suspended.

It also recommended that the students must pay for the damages and swear to affidavits that they would be of good conduct.

Students relived the sad event last Sunday. They sent texts to their colleagues commemoration of the day.

A message readS: “Today (August 26) marks a year anniversary of the UNICAL riot. May the soul of our faithful Malabite, who fell during the struggle, find rest in the bosom of our Lord.

Amen. Long live Malabo Republic. Long live UNICAL. Aluta continua, Victoria acerta.”

Chima, who was shot by the robbers, was remembered at an informal programme. Students believed it was his death that led to the protest. The victim, before his death, was the president of Ohafia Stu-

dents. Chima was a respected Igbo student. He was remembered penultimate Sunday by students, who placed his pictures on cardboard papers pasted at strategic locations on campus.

Promise Iyak, a student of Management Science, said: “The six months break was a punishment from the management. Less than 10 per cent of the UNICAL students committed the offence but all the students were punished.”

Glory Essan, 200-Level Education Administration and Planning, said: “The students should obey the school management and be respectful. On the other hand, the management should have sympathy when taking certain decisions, especially those that will affect the entire students.”

Bassey Ayang, 300-Level Curriculum and Teaching, said he was not in support of restoration of SUG. “I want to believe that the present SUG would not repeat the ugly incident we witnessed last year,” he said.

A student of English and Literary Studies, who pleaded anonymity, said: “We expect the management to ensure maximum security to protect lives and property on campus. It is through this that we will not witness the repeat of the protest that made the school to be closed down last year.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

35

CAMPUS LIFE

Reflection on the 2012 London Olympics

By Segun Odunayo

A

LTHOUGH the 2012 London Olympics has come and

gone, the event ignited discussions and probes in some countries. Many athletes are now celebrities; some are hiding their face; from their countrymen because of their lacklustre performance at the games. The 17day event, which had 912 medals up for grabs, was full of drama from the opening to the last day.

Nigerian athiletes performance was below expectations. Although

some say they never expected any miracle from Nigerian contestants.

Their catastrophic performances gave many sleepless nights as we all waited and waited for at least a bronze to show for our participation.

But it was not to be as our athletes came home the way they went. From Chika Chukwumerije, Jonathan Akinyemi of the D’Tigers, the wrestlers, the boxers, the table tennis player Segun Toriola and Funke Oshinaike; the athletes – Blessing Okagbare, Gloria Asunmu, Ajoke Odumosu, Obinna Metu and the rest, the news was nothing to cheer about.

One wonders if the about N2.3 billion spent by the Federal Ministry of Sport did not go down the drain. It is sad considering the fact that a country, Granada, which population is about 150,000, has a gold medal to its name while our own country with about 160 million people could not boast of a medal.

But then, is it about population?

There was excitement at the games.

The likes of Usain Bolt, Mohamed Farah, Kilani James, Shelly Ann, Frazer Pynce, David Rudisha, Sanya Richard-Ross, Carmelita Jeter, Allyson Felix, Moussa Conate, Os-

car Pistoriusin, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James shone like million stars.

Bolt referred to himself as a “living legend” after winning the 200 metres gold. He also said he was the biggest thing after Bob Markey to come out of Jamaica. The 25-year-old Jamaican proved to the world that he is the fastest man in the world.

The 100 metres race was the most tensed because Bolt was not fully fit for the race; Yohan Blake was tipped by some to win; Justin Gatin had threatened everybody, Tyson Gay, Dwain Chambers and Asafa Powell managed to qualify for the final.

Though Bolt started late, he still bolted from the back position and gapped Blake, the first runner-up and Gatlin, who won the Bronze.

Then came the 200 metres final that paraded three Jamaicans. Bolt and Blake came first and second respectively, while an otherwise little known Warren Weir came third.

It was the first time one country won gold, silver and bronze in the track event. The Jamaicans

broke a world record in the 4x100 metres race with each athlete running an estimated 9.2 seconds. It was majorly a showdown between Blake and Tyson Gay of the United States, who ran the leg before the anchor leg. Justin Gatlin of the US and Bolt ran the anchor leg.

Bolt simply blew away from Gatlin to claim the gold medal for Jamaica.

The Canadian team came third but was later disqualified allowing the Trinidad and Tobago team to get bronze. The 100 metres for women was won by Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Frazer-Pryce, while Veronica Campbell-Brown came third in the 200 metres, which she initially won in Beijing, four years ago. Allyson Felix won the gold.

Mohammed Farah won the 5,000 and 10,000 races. The Somali-born British runner became more famous because of his celebration, which Usain Bolt copied after the Jamaicans won the 4x400 metres. Farah in turn copied Bolt’s popular celebration display which became famous at Beijing after winning the 5,000 race.

David Rudisha broke the 800 metres record. Sanya Richard-Ross of

the US won the 400 metres gold in the women’s category while Kirani James, a Grenadian, won the 400 meters gold in the men’s category.

Serena Williams trounced Maria Sharapova to win the women’s tennis single while Andy Murray in a similar fashion defeated Roger Federer in the men’s final to win gold for Great Britain. The US team won gold in the men and women category in the double event of tennis.

Michael Phelps emerged from the water as the greatest Olympian ever with 22 medals to his name. However, Brazil will be hoping to win gold in football in Rio de Janeiro in four years time after losing to Mexico in the final. The US defeated Japan in the women’s final.

A 16-year-old Chinese swimmer made history and it should not come as a surprise if she repeats the feat in Brazil in 2016. Nigerians can only hope that those in charge of our sports go back to the drawing board so that the disaster our contestants precipitated in 2012 Olympics will not repeat itself in Brazil 2016.

Segun just finished ND in Mass Comm., LASPOTECH

Should govt dialogue with Boko Haram?

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T is easy to dodge responsibilities, but it is not always easy to dodge the consequences of dodging responsibilities. This however reminds one of the present security challenges facing the country, especially the Boko Haram debacle, which, in recent times has been causing panic in Nigeria.

However, if every citizen would say the truth, this menace did not just start in a day. When the monster was rearing its ugly head, our so-called leaders chose to look the other way and pretended to be deaf.

As a student in the North, when one hears “Boko Haram”, one becomes scared because the expression has become a fearful household name in that part of the country. However, having carried out

most of it activities in cities, such as Kano, Jos, Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the question that has remained unanswered by the authority is: who is behind the group that has placed Nigeria on the list of terrorist nations?”

I want to believe our leaders do sincerely know those behind this menace and I want to say here that they should rise up and face the challenges instead of allowing innocent citizens to suffer for the sin they know nothing about. According to the panel set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, the leadership of the country should dialogue with the sect, create employment and reduce poverty in the country.

We all know dialogue is the best

form of conflict resolution for any nation facing this kind of problem.

But, in my opinion, it is absolutely cowardly for the presidential panel to have recommended dialogue alone as a way out. Rather, the panel should also have recommended that the people who are sponsoring the sect should be called to order.

There must be a clause also that they should direct the money with which they purchase arms and ammunition for the sect to better the lives of the misguided youths instead of encouraging them to carry arms against the government.

I expressed the above opinion because dialogue encourages other criminally-minded people in the country to take up arms against the government and get away with it. I

will like to say those who make peaceful changes impossible, will make violent changes inevitable. It is high time we stopped using dialogue to resolve a criminal problem.

However the northern leaders must rise up to the challenges. They must come up with poverty alleviation initiatives that will better the lives of their people, instead of building treasures for themselves on earth. Therefore, all tiers of government, especially, should wake up to the challenges of unemployment, poverty and other problems militating against the nation which is the cause of the tribulation Nigeria is facing today.

Yinka, 200level Chemistry, IBBU Lapai

Making a case for work-study

By Esther Mohammed

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OOPERATIVE education, sometimes referred to as work-study, is a model of structured learning that mixes education with practical work experience. Advocates of workstudy believe that students perform best when they actively participate in a learning process, and learn best when they can apply school lessons to reality during the schooling period.

In today’s competitive job mar-

ket, it is important to make as many professional contacts as possible and get one’s foot in the ground early. Work-study provides you with this opportunity.

It can also refer to a special programme created to assist students, who are financially challenged. The employers of workstudy students are within the campus of an institution or it may even be the school. Income in wages and hour restrictions apply to work-study.

Jobs in the library, sports centre, administrative block, information desk, health care centre and so on are made available for students to choose from. For many years, work experience, career education and similar programmes have played an important role in assisting secondary and university students to understand the employment strategy.

Today, employers prefer graduates that have some work experiences prior to graduation. Pursuing a work-study programme is an excellent way for a job seeker to differentiate himself from other applicants by demonstrating knowledge and career experience.

Students jobs, in all forms, whether one gets paid or not, play a good role in our lives after graduation. Work-study assists students to recognise the links between education, training, work and life style, and the economic and social factors that affect job opportunities.

Work-study helps develop students’ skills in accessing work-related information, presenting themselves to potential employers, and functioning effectively in work place.

Kelechi Ezeoke, 200-Level Mass Communication student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), who works in the school library, where she is being paid N5,000 monthly, wished that more student embrace the work-study benefits.

“The work study programmes have been of great help to me, financially and academically. Working in the library has made me realise how important it is to be educated. I work four hours per day, and four days in a week. I don’t work for the money; I work for the experience, because it is the best teacher.

Working in the library has given me the opportunity to spend more time with my books,” she said.

Technologically, social and economic factor are rapidly changing the nature of work and traditional patterns of work organisation. Preparing students for such a future require general work-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Being generic, rather than industry-specific, work-study provides a frame work within which students may explore several areas of vocational interest.

While some student decides to work for the experience, some work for the financial consideration. This is the case of Glory Bernard, 300Level Mass Communication at UNIBEN, who declared that the money was important to her than the experience. “I so much appreciate the fact that I am a student and at the same time, a worker.

The working hours are so favorable that it doesn’t clash with my school activities, and now I don’t have to wait for my parents to send me money, because my monthly payment from the work study play a very important role,” she declared.

The money receives from work study can help students’ social life too. Most students like having their own personal income source.

It provides them with a sense of

By Yinka Olatunbosun

independence. Work-study gives room for students to learn how to function in a working environment before graduation from school. It teaches them how to respect individuals and cultural differences in their various work places.

Fulfilling a role in the workplace is required of every employee. Employers expectations from employees includes, punctuality, interest, initiative, appropriate dress and behavior, good working conditions, time management, stress management, fulfilling duty statement, among many other expectations. Work studies gives student the opportunity to adapt to such conditions in their work place after graduation from school.

Life on campus is totally different from the life outside. Undergraduates preparing for the future, the work experience from the work-study would enlighten on best behaviour in a work environment. It will also help them to understand the day-today activities of professionals. On the campuses of developed countries, students are allowed to work when it is convenient for them, and the work time is most convenient for them, their working hours do not clash with their study time.

Esther, 300-Level Mass Comm., UNIBEN

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

36

CAMPUS LIFE

Corp member sensitises pupils on HIV

From Adenike Ashogbon SOKOTO

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N a bid to increase awareness among pupils in Sokoto State on the pandemic HIV/AIDS disease, a seminar was organised last week, by a Corps member serving in the state, Oluwaseun Omole, for students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.

The seminar, which took place in the UDUTH Auditorium, was to educate the pupils on modern techniques of HIV/AIDS care and support. Oluwaseun, a Batch A Corps member, who is also a member of Peer Education Trainers (PET) Community Development Service (CDS) group, said the group was saddled with the responsibility of educating teenagers, youth and adults on issues of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS. She said the programme was her own “little way” of

giving back to the society.

She explained the role politics played in the spread of HIV in Africa, saying successive governments in Nigeria were shying away from investing money to fight the disease in the area of research to discover new drugs and education.

Giving the opening remark, the guest speaker, Goodluck Odiase, emphasised on the importance of awareness seminar which, he said, created an enabling environment to learn and share information about the dreaded disease.

Another speaker, Rebecca Ptil, explained the concept of HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) to the pupils. She differentiated between the terms “Counselor” and “Counselee”. She used two volunteers to demonstrate to the pupils how HCT work. She analysed stages vital to the HCT process.

el-Rufa’i urges students to participate in politics HE former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufa’i, has, last week, delivered lecture on fuel subsidy at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. The lecture, which was titled Removal of fuel subsidy: Prospect and challenges, was organised by Equity Chamber, a Law students’ association at the Faculty of Law, ABU. The minister, who is now an opposition figure, said the government was not telling Nigerians the truth about the removal of fuel subsidy. He blamed the government for not fixing the refineries and appointing

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From Awwal Mijnyawa ABU

competent to man the oil sector, saying this was the reason for the import of fuel in to the country.

He maintained that those who described fuel subsidy as fraud were right. He urged students to show interest in national politics, adding that their non-participation would pave the way for incompetent people to run the government for their selfish ends. el-Rufa’i said he supported the creation of state police which, according to him, would be used to tackle the problem of insecurity in the country.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•Some of the Corp members at the seminar

Three stages were identified, which included Pre-test Counseling, the Test period and the Post-test Counseling.

Ptil also commented on the impact of HIV/ AIDS on the economy, saying the pandemic

was a burden on the economy and result to loss in financial, human and material resources. Over 600 participants attended the two day capacity building programme.

AAU holds union election next week

S

TUDENTS of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma will, next Thursday, go to the poll to elect leaders of the Students’ Union Government (SUG). Aspirants for various positions have started campaigning to outdo one another.

Five students have picked the nomination forms to run for the presidency of the union.

They are Famous Osawaru, 400-Level Law, Alexander Oleije, 400-Level Law, Joel Asuenimeb, 200-Level Accounting Education, Andrew Iyere, 300-Level Engineering, Isaac Ariajegbe, 400-Level Engineering and Chucks Ojie, a Computer Science student.

For the office of the Vice President, only Florence Awani, 400-Level Law, showed interest, an indication that she may emerge unopposed. Junior Best, a 300-Level Engineering student and Michael Figbele, 400-Level Law will slug it for the post of Secretary General, provided they scale through the screening exercise.

Sales of forms ended last Friday. Screening to the various offices was scheduled for yesterday. The outcome was not immediately known as at the press time. The screening

Leaders for Cross River students

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HE National Association of Cross River State Students (NACRISS) has inaugurated its newly-elected leaders that will steer the affairs of the association for the 2012/2013 academic session. The inauguration took place at the department of Public Administration.

Administering the oath of office on the executive members, the Chief Justice of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Students’ Union, Kabir Abdullahi, charged the members to leave up to expectation. He admonished them to be transparent, reminding them that their conduct in the school would

From Nosakhare Uwadiae AAU

will eventually determine the fate of those that picked nomination forms for their choice offices.

Students are determined to elect leaders that will fight their interest. However, it was speculated that the management had already concluded plan to foist its candidates on the students, a development many students have said would not work. A student of Political Science who claimed anonymity said: “We won’t allow any management candidate. The students’ votes must count because we need a representative leadership that will address our challenges.” But a source close to the institution’s management said the management has no interest in students’ election.

It would be recalled that since the dissolution of the Damisa Itote-led SUG executive last February, the union has been run by a caretaker committee chaired by John Ogun.

The dissolution of that elected was in reaction by the management led by Prof Sam Uniamikogbo, to the union’s disagreement to the increment in tuition fee.

From Awwal Minjinyawa ABU

be a reference point in future.

In his speech, the outgoing president, Joseph Ude, thanked his colleagues for making his administration successful. He also thanked the governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, for his concern on student matters. He said the governor was ready to listen to students whenever they were in need.

Incoming president Boniface Ogbor, thanked students for bestowing trust in him and pledged to promote their welfare.

Other members of the executive included Joseph Okaku, Vice President, Clement Ejim, Secretary General, Elizabeth Eyam, Asst Secretary General, Elizabeth Francis, Treasurer, Paul Kenneth, Financial Secretary, Michael Ashi, Public Relations Officer (PRO) 1, Rapheal Amana, PRO II; Julius Odido, Welfare Director and Daniel Ojie, Director of Social.

•Soldiers monitoring the election of Niger Delta students held recently at Buvy Hotel, Okirika, Rivers State PHOTO: EMMANUEL SHEBBS

37

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

EDUCATION

Minister decries lack of Nigerian academic journals abroad

FUNAAB FILE EKSU holds research workshop ACADEMIC members of staff of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, have been told to make their research relevant to the society.

Declaring open a workshop on Grant Proposal Writing/Resource Mobilisation organised by the Research and Development office of the institution, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Olugbenga Aribisalas said EKSU as a world-class university would want research from its staff to be relevant to the society and the world at large.

He urged participants to take advantage of the workshop to improve on their research methodology.

The Director of the Research and Development Office, Prof. E.T. Akintayo, said the workshop was aimed at teaching participants how to write persuasive proposals that could win grants.

"Nowadays, writing of good proposals has developed into an art that must be learnt and mastered," he said.

UI VC for Igbinedion's 78th birthday Lecture THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Adewole FAS, is to deliver a lecture tomorrow to mark the 78th birthday of the founder and Chancellor of the Igbinedion University. Okada, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion.

The lecture titled: "Nigeria: An Entity in Search of viable nationhood," will hold under the chairmanship of the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council of the university, Prof David Awanbor, at the main auditorium.

A statement by Jide Ilugbo, Head, Public and External Relations Unit, noted that the lecture is an annual programme organised in honour of the chancellor.

ADO POLY concludes post-UTME THE Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, concluded its post-UTME screening for the full-time National Diploma (ND) candidates for the 2012/2013 academic, year last Saturday.

More than 10,000 candidates participated in the one-week screening that was computer based.

A statement by Mr Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, Public Relations Officer, noted that candidates would be able to check their results on the polytechnic's portal from today.

The results of the screening, according to sources close to the Admission Committee, will be posted by mid-night on Wednesday September 5, 2012.

This is the second year that the institution has conducted the computer-based screening.

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HE Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, has said President Goodluck Jonathan's approval of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)’s request for a seed grant of N2 billion two years ago, to support the resuscitation of academic journals will help Nigerian journals become visible worldwide as authoritative sources of reference.

Two years ago, Prof Rufaí launched the National Book Development Fund and inaugurated the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to assist the board and management of TETFund in reviving the culture of academic publications in Nigeria.

Speaking in Abuja at the public presentation of TETFund-sponsored journals of professional associations to institutions to equip their libraries, Prof. Rufa'i said 52 journals were selected.

Each one, she said, was supported with a grant of N5 million to improve the contents, aesthetics, website and regularity of it's journal, adding that, in turn, TETFund would procure copies of each new edition and distribute them to public tertiary institutions.

The minister said students and researchers would have access to fresh ideas for national development and international competitiveness. She warned authorities of the institutions

• Prof Rufai’ From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

to catalogue the journals on time.

Her words: "The Federal Government is deliberate in its approach to develop our national capacity for scholarly publications. That is why we have taken a decisive step to move away from the easy option of book procurement to the technical and ultimate beneficial policy of book development. I have no doubt in my mind that through this initiative, more Nigerian journals will be worldwide and cited internationally as authoritative sources of reference.

"Today, copies of the first editions

of the journals produced under the Book Development Fund will be presented to all Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts for their institutions' libraries. I understand that subsequent editions of the journals will be delivered directly to the institutions by the professional associations. With improved allocation for library development under the normal TETFund intervention, this can easily be funded by the institutions. It is therefore appropriate at this juncture to urge the benefitting institutions to make the maximum use of the journals. They should not be kept for months in your offices waiting to be catalogued. You should process them immediately and put them to use."

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said screening was ongoing for more journals.

"So far, over 100 manuscripts have been received while efforts are on to select the best for further beneficiaries from government. Many of our journals are either irregular or completely out of circulation. Government believes that our over relying on foreign journals is unacceptable."

President of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) Dr. Nasir Isa said Nigeria has to tackle the problem of research.

Unemployment is a crime, says don

A

N economic historian at the University of Ibadan, Prof Wale Oyemakinde, has said unemployment in Nigeria should be a crime for all unemployed indi-

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

viduals.

Speaking during the public launching of his book entitled:"Zero Tolerance for unemployment" at the conference centre of the university, the former governorship aspirant of Oyo State explained that unemployment is a security risk which has been responsible for youths restiveness, security insurgency in the north, rape and other social vices been experienced in the country, Rather than jostle for scare white collar jobs, Oyemakinde advised the unemployed to be productive in a way that is sustainable to the economy.

"There are a lot of unlimited resources to tap from instead of been idle, especially going into farming and other vocational works," he said.

He also said the agricultural industry holds the key to improving em-

ployment given the availability of land and advised government to invest in it.

"Unlike capital, labour and entrepreneurship which come with numerous challenges of their own, land provides easily harnessed resources for employment generation in agricultural industry and cottage industrialization.

"Government at all levels should cooperate to pull their resources together to engage in tangible funding of agricultural production whether arable farming, fishery or animal husbandry, poultry, or any other cognate activity, while young persons, as well as others who might need vocational rehabilitation would do well to be counted in the scheme," he said.

Oyemakinde also said all Nigerians should share in the responsibility to provide employment for all.

Varsity celebrates accreditation with HE 100 per cent accreditation cocktail party of the academic programmes

• From left: Labaran Ibrahim, Chairman Committee of Registrars (COREG) and Registrar, Federal Poly Bauchi, Dr Ayo Ogunsan, Chairman, Executive Trainers, Mr Paul Travill, Registrar, University of Wolverhampton UK and Chairman of all Registrars in the UK, Mrs Ajoke Ogunsan, CEO Executive Trainers, Lt- Colonel. AJS Gulani, Registrar, Nigeria Defence Academy, Dr Jibrin Idris Othman, Registrar, Federal University of Technology, Lafia at the ongoing International Registrars’ Conference organised by Executive Trainers in Dubai, UAE.

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of the Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State, by the National Universities Commission (NUC) was celebrated with a cocktail party last weekend.

Ibidapo-Obe blames varsities for Nigeria's woes •FUNAI students to pay N60,000 per session Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

• Prof Ibidapo-Obe

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HE ivory towers in Nigeria are to be blamed for failing to provide leadership that can help the country overcome the myriad of problems it is facing, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, has said.

Speaking after the inaugural session of the Senate of the university,

which is one of the nine established

by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010, Ibidapo-Obe said: "The university should be held responsible for whatever problem the country is having today because she has failed to provide the necessary leadership required to put the country in its rightful position."

He, however, assured Nigerians that the university would depart from the old ways of doing things to mark itself out as a distinguished centre of excellence and scholarship, adding that the best brains within and outside the country have been recruited to groom the students.

He also said his administration would encourage research and innovative skills among workers and students, adding that the members of staff would be encouraged to un-

dertake research through the provision of funds and collaboration with donor agencies and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund).

He described the new university as a blessing not only to Ebonyi State but Nigeria as it would provide diverse opportunities, such as training and employment for the youth of the state and nation at large.

During the meeting, the FUNAI Senate approved September 15 as the resumption date for admitted students and pegged the fees and charges at between N60,000 and N62,000 per session.

Ibidapo-Obe congratulated the Senate for successfully convening the meeting and described it as historic and epoch-making. He noted that it was a bold move towards the eventual take off of the school.

The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG)

added that as the highest academic policy-making organ of the university, members should join hands with the management to nurture the new university to take its rightful place in the academic arena.

He assured the staff of a conducive working environment to enable them put in their best, promising that work would start on the staff quarters next year.

In his contribution, the immediate past Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, Professor Fidelis Ogah, congratulated the management for successfully convening the Senate which he described as history making.

Ogah who is in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology of the university expressed satisfaction with the steps so far taken by the vice chancellor to develop the university and urged him to adopt the system of Build, Operate and Transfer in the provision of hostels for the students.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Peter Hugbo, who led the management in what he called a “victory dance” praised the members of staff for working diligently to get the accreditation.

Hugbo noted that getting full accreditation from the NUC in the 15 programmes offered by two colleges meants a lot.

"One of the major hallmarks of a university is to have its programmes accredited by the NUC. When the programmes are accredited, you feel good. It means you can admit students, you can teach what you want to teach and students can graduate as at when due. We are thanking God that in terms of many challenges we face especially in finances, all the programmes presented to NUC were accredited. The staff mobilised strongly and they worked very hard. We did our best and by the grace of God, we succeeded. We used this party to thank the staff."

Hugbo said within the short time of the institution ‘s existence, it has produced employable graduates who were undergoing the National Youth Service programme in various parts of the country.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

EDUCATION AAUA FILE Post-UTME results released THE results of the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (PUTME) conducted by the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, for candidates seeking admission into its undergraduate programmes were released and posted on the university website 24 hours after the conclusion of the examination.

The test, which was a weeklong exercise, started Monday, August 13, and ended Saturday, August 18, and the results were released the following day.

AAUA Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Chairman of the 2012 PUTME, Prof Rotimi Ajayi, said 17,250 of the 18, 000 candidates who registered for the exercise, sat for the examination, noting that AAUA has the capacity to admit only 3,000 or 17 per cent of this number.

He described the screening as "hitch-free and highly successful".

'Maximise your potential' THE Vice-Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, Prof Femi Mimiko, has tasked the institution's Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) to translate its entrepreneurial concepts and skills into moneyspinning ventures.

He gave the charge in his office while receiving the contingent from this year's SIFE national competition held in Lagos recently.

Mimiko said: "Our vision is to take SIFE beyond the annual participation at competitions. Go back and come up with a proposal that will be worthy of consideration for funding support, such that your concepts and ideas will be translated into money-spinning ventures that will help to realise the core purpose of entrepreneurship in AAUA." Welcoming the contingent, who came second in the League II of the contest, the VC said: "For us, laurels are just like icing on the cake. For you to have been invited for participation year in year out, it shows that your capacity is not just a fluke.

It is satisfying and fulfilling enough that you have participated. I look forward to seeing you do better in your subsequent outings."

Ondo: Parents appeal for release of WASSCE results

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HE Ondo State Ministry of Education and security agencies have been urged to wade into the plight of about 400 candidates who sat for the last May/June senior school certificate examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council, (WAEC) but are yet to get their results.

The results of the examination had been released by WAEC about two weeks ago to various schools and centres where the examination took place.

Some concerned parents of the candidates claimed in a SOS letter sent to the commissioner of Education copies of which were made available to the state police command, the House of Assembly and the media, that their children that sat for the examinations were yet to receive their results.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

Part of the letter reads: "We are aware that the WAEC has officially released the results for that examination but up till now, our sons and daughters are yet to get theirs. ''Upon investigations, we learnt that the proprietor of the school where they sat for the examination, one Mr. Agboola Joseph has refused to pay necessary fees to the WAEC after he had collected the sum of N13, 000 from each of the candidate as registration fees.

"Series of attempts made by us parents to the proprietor proved abortive as he (Joseph) insisted that the candidates must pay additional fee before their results could be released despite that it was the proprietor that registered more than the approved number of candidates at

his centre at Ore, in Odigbo local government."

In a letter dated 23rd April, 2012 with reference number AK/EX/ WASSCE/11/83, and signed by one Mr. K. B. Ola, on behalf of branch controller and sent to the proprietor, WAEC had notified him that the proprietor registered 370 candidates for the May/June 2012 examination.

It added that: "It is the policy of the council that schools with large entries should be charged for the appointment of second and third supervisors. Therefore, you are required to pay the sum of N150,000 only in bank draft made payable to WAEC, Akure.

"The money must be paid immediately; if not done, the results of all the candidates in all the subjects will not be released along with others."

Lawmaker bankrolls coaching class

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S part of his efforts to make imprints on the sands of time, the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Babajide Omoworare, has partnered with the National Ife Descendants Students' Association (NIDSA) to organise holiday classes for secondary school students in the four local government areas of Ife. According to Omoworare, until Nigeria has educated youths in abundance, the economy will continue to suffer setbacks.

He said: "The latest Senior Secondary School Examination result released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), has revealed a slight improvement in the performance chart. This progress report, WAEC said, could be linked to efforts of some state governments and I am bold to say Osun State must be one of them.

"It is therefore part of the efforts to complement what Governor Rauf Aregbesola is doing to revamp the education sector in the state that we believe by getting the students meaningfully engaged during this long vacation period would add value to their lives. And having inspected them on one or two occasions, I think they have impressed

•Omoworare addressing the lucky students

me greatly in terms of attendance and performance in classrooms reports.”

This year's experience was unique because the token usually demanded from the participants was paid by the Senator.

According to the association's President, Waheed Omisakin, the turnout was massive.

"We have never recorded this kind of massive turnout in the history of the summer school and the mate-

rial support from Senator Omoworare has also been wonderful."

He expressed his gratitude to the Senator for the kind gesture and pledged on behalf of the association that the dream would not be allowed to die.

Addressing the participating students and teachers during one of his visits, Omoworare enjoined them to make good use of the class to improve their knowledge and be of good behaviour during the six

Don appointed DSA THE management of AAUA has appointed a professor of Yoruba Literature, Oluyemisi Adebowale, the new Dean of Student Affairs.

The VC made this disclosure in his office while acknowledging the tremendous support the Students’ Affairs Division had accorded students .

The VC said: "We have appointed another academic of stature who has the requisite maturity to drive the office Prof Oluyemisi Adebowale. I am hoping that working with the technical people on ground, she is going to continue to do a lot in terms of making this environment more conducive to students to live and study in because that is the whole essence of the Students’ Affairs Office."

He thanked Adebowale's predecessor, Dr Nireti Duyilemi, for the wonderful work she did as Acting Dean for two years.

Prof Adebowale is a member of the university’s Council and Senate.

The parents that signed the letter argued that since the proprietor collected about N4.8 million from the candidates, he should be able to resolve the problem with the council to enable their wards use the results to process their admissions to higher institutions.

When contacted, an official at the Ministry of Education (Exams Section) confirmed the receipt of the protest letter, saying investigation had commenced on the complaints by the parents.

The official pointed out that the affected centre was one of those that were recently let off the hook by the WAEC following the intervention of the Senator representing Ondo South at the National Assembly, Boluwaji Kunlere, after it was banned for examination malpractices.

• Prof Baike (right) and Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi addressing journalists in kaduna

Foundation to honour teachers berths O resuscitate interest in teaching, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof Adamu Baike, is collaborating with some others to recognise and honour teachers that have made outstanding contributions to the development of education in the North.

Through the Garkuwa Education

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From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

Hall of Fame, a foundation the promoters have registered, they hope to organise an annual recognition event during which excellent teachers and school administrators who have developed human capital will be rewarded.

The foundation members include former President Shehu Shagari, who heads the Board of Patrons.

Baike heads the Board of Trustees, which comprises former Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Executive Secretary, Prof Gidado Tahir; former Special Adviser to the President on MDG Haji Amina Al-

weeks duration. He challenged them to perform excellently, adding that exemplay ones among them would be rewarded at the end of the six-week exercise.

The lawmaker promised to reward the best students in each of the classes. He said academics, moral values and leadership qualities would be considered in selecting the winners. He also promised a gettogether party for the participants at the end of the exercise to boost their morale.

Zubair; and a former Commissioner for Education in Kaduna State, Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi.

On the initiative, Baike said the Hall of Fame would be opened in Kaduna before the end of the year with its first investiture for which nomination had begun from across the North.

He underscored the importance of recognising teachers. He added that if the delivery in education was to improve, the nation must accord teachers their rightful place as engineers of human development.

He said: "The performance of our children in external examinations, such as NECO and WAEC, has been on decline. At the tertiary level, the quality of graduates from our tertiary institutions give cause for concern. In a knowledge-based world, we cannot just watch helplessly this deteriorating situation which is capable of undermining our development as a nation.”

"It is in this regard we, as a group of professionals have decided to make our modest contribution by establishing the Garkuwa Education Hall of Fame. It is committed to drawing public attention to the very important role of teachers, education planners and administrators, researchers and innovators who have made outstanding contribution in education worthy of recognition either in their lifetime or even if in death.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

39

EDUCATION

Community gets classroom as NGO consolidates gesture

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• The new school building. Inset: Mr Hassan

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Ensure strict coverage of syllabus, ECONDARY School the state government. teachers in Ogun State teachers urged He said Governor Ibikunle

have been urged to cover their subjects’ syllabus before the commencement of examination to prepare the pupils for good performance.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Segun Odubela, stated this at a meeting with the Technical Committee on production of unified scheme of work for secondary schools and teachers in the conference hall of the ministry.

According to Odubela, the meeting became necessary for the teachers to ensure that pupils were taught in line with certified syllabus and to also ensure strict coverage of their subjects before the commencement of examination.

He added that the unified syllabus would also assist in setting standardised questions in the unified examination recently introduced by

Amosun was passionate towards ensuring quality education delivery.

He said it was on this premise that free textbooks and other instructional materials were distributed to pupils and 100 blocks of classrooms renovated He said the ministry was working out modalities on whether private schools would be allowed to conduct unified examinations.

DEBA Community Primary School, IbejuLekki is wearing a new look today - thanks to the Education Co-operation Society (ECS) and the IbejuLekki Local Government Area.

The local council provided the school with a block of six classrooms, while the ECS, a non-governmental organisation constructed an additional block to house the early childcare development education (ECCDE) classrooms, a staffroom and toilets. The new block was handed over to the school Thursday, last week.

The council is also paying salaries of three of the five teachers employed by the school, while the community pays the other two.

Before November last year, two ramshackle bamboo buildings housed classrooms of the school. The facility was grossly inadequate for the more than 1,000 pupils, says community leader, Mr Taiwo Hassan, who expressed his gratitude to the council and the NGO at the event.

He said for seven years, many children from the com-

By Ramat Musa

munity died crossing the Lekki/Epe express road on their way to schools in neighbouring communities.

He said collaborations with the ECS after years of appeal was what finally wiped the community's tears away.

"For years we lost our children to accidents on the express roads because the school was not good. Private schools around us are for the rich. We ran to ECS for help but they told us to intervene we must do something for ourselves. That is how IbejuLekki came to our aid and provided the block of six classrooms.

The ECS has now added to it," he said General Manager of the ECS, Mr Emmanuel Chikudi said the NGO was able to implement the project with funds provided by its international partner, Association of Zabalketa of Spain and Diputacion Bizkaia.

He said ECS also involved the community and the local council in the project.

He said: ''The reason why it took two years before the organisation turned up is that it believes in working hand-in-hand with the politi-

‘Education standard ‘ll improve with pofessionals' support’

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HERE will be marked improvement in the standard of education if professionals in private practice support the government with funding.

A media practitioner, Mr Femi Adelusi, said this in Ilupeju, Ekiti State, at the weekend during the presentation of scholarship award to 50 students of various tertiary institutions from Oye Local Government Area.

Adelusi said the common trend of seeing education as the exclusive preserve of only the politicians was wrong and dangerous to educational development of Ekiti State.

He commended Governor Kayode Fayemi on the ongoing Operation Renovate All Schools (ORASE) which is fast changing the face of secondary schools across the state.

By Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

He said the policy would "add value to the education sector and facilitate better performances of students in public examinations."

Adelusi, while awarding the scholarship which came under the seal of Olufemi Adelusi Endowment Scholarship Award, noted that offering scholarship awards and bursary support to students should be seen as "community service than an exclusive right of the politicians or governments."

He ascribed the high level corruption among politicians to unconscionable demands of families and communities from their subjects in positions of power, which he said has continued to put them under undue pressure.

The media practitioner observed that "poverty and poor orientation of youths have contributed largely to high level of crime in the Nigerian society", adding that no effort should be spared in ensuring that the future of the state is secured.

"You don't have to be billionaire before you add value to the lives of the youths. So, it is very wrong for my colleagues in other fields to abdicate their duties by thinking erroneously that only the politicians or government can fund education. For individuals to Institute a Bursary or scholarship award is an indirect way of sowing the seed of development and giving back to your community. I believe all Ekiti indigenes, especially the professionals should embrace this", Adelusi said.

• Miss Jindu left and Nnamdi both pupils of the school entertainig guests at the briefing (inset) Mrs Otiono

'We operate researchbased curriculum'

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VER been to a school where pupils set questions for their teachers which they are expected to answer? Ever been to a school where 90 per cent of school activities - morning assembly, handling classes, mentoring, cleaning of the environment, voting school prefects and so on are done by the pupils themselves? Ever been to a

By Adegunle Olugbamila

school where emphasis is laid on dexterity rather than books; where every child is considered unique in his or her own way and his or her abilities are discovered and nurtured?

These appear unrealistic, nonetheless, all they need do is take a trip to Centro Escolar School in Opebi, Lagos.

cal leaders, community leaders as well as the community members.

“If the people's mind were not prepared, we won't get things done as wished; we have to organise several meetings with them to tell them the plan and how it is going to be executed.''

Though grateful for the new structure, Hassan however lamented that the school is overpopulated.

“We have about 1,000 pupils accommodated in these blocks of eight classrooms with 70 pupils are crammed in one single class with a teacher,” he said.

The community leader added that a secondary school would not be a bad idea either.

“We need public secondary school, playing materials and a sickbay for our children.”

Speaking on his experience, a Primary Six teacher of the school, Mr Saliu Nurudeen lauded ECS. He also praised the community leaders whose kindness and words encouragement, have helped encouraged the teachers to stay despite the paltry monthly income paid them.

Its proprietor, Mrs Emmanuela Otiono, at a briefing on the school premises, Thursday last week, said the school aside being home away from home, prided itself on its ability to identify every child's weakness and strengths, build on the traits to hone the child's skills while at the same time allowing him to realise his potential.

"At Centro Escolar, we believe that each child is unique, and deserves special attention.

Through our experiential curriculum and close supervision, we guaranteed to bring out the very best in your children.

"It is research-based; children from pre-nursery to Class Six discover as they learn through the use of their hands.

Teachers only guide them to explore what they had discovered through their researches.

Our curriculum is also practical. We operate an aspect of the Montessori curriculum which allows children to do their things at their own pace and needs. This is a school where children are encouraged to explore their curiosity and to realise their unique potential in a home-like environment."

Mrs Otiono said the need to make the children relevant in any part of the world they may find themselves in future, informed the use of British, American and Nigerian curricula.

Oyo inaugurates library committee

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• The Vice-Chancellor, Littoral University (Institute D'Enseignement Superieur De Littoral) Port-Novo, Republic of Benin Prof Oyebode Ayeni (right), welcoming the Nigerian Ambassador to Republic Of Benin Lawrence Obisakin (middle) and his wife Cecilia during a welcome breakfast meeting in honour of Obisakin by Littoral University and the Nigerian in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO)in Port-Novo.

O change the fortune of education in Oyo State, the state government will adopt library development to improve the standard of education and poor reading habit of pupils.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun, stated this while inaugurating the library policy committee for publics schools.

According to her, poor performance of students in WAEC, JAMB and other national examinations is not unconnected with the non-existence of standard libraries in schools.

Affirming that education is incomplete without a library, Mrs Fayokun charged the newly-inaugurated committee to proffer solutions to the fundamental challenges posed by poor reading culure among pupils which has resulted in poor performance at various examinations.

In her reaction, the Acting Librarian/Genaral Manager, Oyo State Library Board, Mrs Adetokunbo Adigun, said the board was ready to offer free consultancy services to schools on matters relating to the establishment of a virile libraries and monitoring of same.

In a related development, pupils in public schools have been urged to use social media network positively. Mrs Fayokun made the charge while addressing pupils of some public schools attending extension classes in preparation for the forthcoming May/ June external examination.

According to her, the state government is putting so much in place to ensure that pupils in public schools competed globally with their mates, adding that the only way to reciprocate government’s effort was to face their studies and make the state proud.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

40

EDUCATION

Lagos spends N1.44b on bursary in four years

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AGOS State government has restated its commitment to providing quality education at all levels.

The Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire stated this last Tuesday at the presentation of ATM Verve Cards to 3,013 beneficiaries of the year 2010/2011 bursary awards.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mrs Folashade Jaji, Mrs Adefulire said the government would continue to invest heavily in the education sector because of the crucial role it plays in the development of the society.

She said the government, in the last four years, has disbursed N1, 446,282,557.69 to 38,982 indigenes in various tertiary institutions.

In addition to this, Mrs Adefulire said the government has boosted academic competition among its students through the award of local scholarships to those with a

cumulative 3.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) and above in higher institutions, noting that about 2,072 students had benefited.

The state also paid the tuition of indigenes in the School of Health Technology, to the tune of N8,480,400 for 378 students.

Advising the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire noted that the only way they could reciprocate the government’s kind gesture is to remain focused, diligent and committed to their studies, shunning any activity that can undermine their aspiration for a better future.

She enjoined their parents and guardians to guide and advise them on good moral conduct that will help them to realise their life potential.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr Fatai Olukoga, noted that the provision of bursary and scholarship to

EDUTALK

New curriculum, old practices

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•Mrs Orelope-Adefulire

deserving indigenes of the state is one of the strategies adopted by the state government to ameliorate the sufferings of students from poor backgrounds to make their dream of higher education realisable.

He said N168,828,718.13 was given to 3,013 beneficiaries that took part in the 2010/2011 interviews conducted in the five administrative divisions of the state and other zones outside Lagos.

• From left: Director of School, Administration, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Mercy Olaoye; Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Bunmi Ogunlade; Mr Ashiwaju and Dr Omotuyole at the event

Don teaches Montessori to 2,200 teachers

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ORE than 2,200 teachers from public and private primary and secondary schools in Lagos and its environs were challenged to teach differently during a seminar sponsored by Dufil Prima foods Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles last week Monday at the University of Lagos.

The facilitator, Dr Christy Omotuyole of the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education of the university, showed the teachers how to make learning more practical using the Montessori method.

She clarified the misconception that practiscing the Montessori pedagogy is expensive, saying it is basically teaching with the help of instructional materials. She urged participants to be resourceful and produce teaching and learning aids from easilyavailable materials in their environments.

"As classroom teachers as much as possible make your environment beautiful. You

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

cannot say because the school does not provide materials for you, you won’t do any thing. You need to improvise," she said.

Though their schools may not run the Montessori curriculum, Mrs Omotuyole said the teachers could do a lot to stimulate the interest of their learners by taking time to prepare ahead of their lessons.

"Children love to learn new things. If you are dynamic, children will love your class. Plan your class ahead of time. Think of what materials you can use. Once you prepare, teaching will become very interesting for you," she said.

Using some of the instructional materials necessary to implement the Montessori curriculum, the lecturer demonstrated how abstract mathematical concepts could be concretised for young learners rather than teachers relying on rote learning.

Another facilitator, the Chief

As classroom teachers as much as possible make your environment beautiful. You cannot say because the school does not provide materials for you, you won’t do any thing. You need to improvise

with

Executive Officer of Brandels Communications Outfit, Mr Olufemi Ashiwaju, advised teachers to be self-motivated and to constantly upgrade their knowledge and competence level without necessarily waiting for an external push.

In a chat with The Nation, some of the teachers said the seminar was an eye-opener that would help them improve their teaching skills.

Head Teacher of Olat Divine Learning Academy, Badagry, Mr Olatunde Matthew, said he would start sourcing local teaching aids for his school.

"The seminar is challenging and encouraging. What I have learnt I will implement with local materials," he said.

Speaking on the initiative, which is in its fourth year, Mr Temitope Ashiwaju, PR and Events Manager for Dufil Prima Foods, said the seminar was to improve teachers' teaching skills to enhance quality education delivery in schools.

"This year, we looked at the methods of teaching in schools and found that things are lacking. We found that teachers actually read out to children; there are no practical. We contacted academics and they proposed that the Montessori knowledge will bring out the practical side of learning.

We expect that the programme will broaden the knowledge of teachers and we expect them to be able to transfer the knowledge in the classroom," he said.

HE 2012/2013 academic session starts this month but the Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC), revised Kofoworola and introduced at the start of the last session, is yet to catch Belo-Osagie on. I dare say some secondary schools across the country Kofosagie@yahoo.com have yet to start its 08054503077 (SMS only) implementation because they have not heard of it or do not know how to go about it.

In the new curriculum, Computer Studies is now compulsory.

Biology is not. Also, students have to choose a trade subject they are expected to be skilled in by the time they graduate. The trade subjects include: Media (photography, printing), comestology, engineering repairs, carpentry, furniture and decorating, fisheries, mining, animal husbandry, tourism, plumbing, bricklaying, and the like.

The trade subjects have been introduced to give students an edge such that they can do something extra for themselves which can earn them an income.

However, not many schools can afford to provide training in most of the trade areas. And, the government has not said how it intends to ensure that the curriculum does not go the way of the 6-3-3-4 system of education which had similar goals.

Prof Godswill Obioma, Executive Secretary of the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the Federal government agency responsible for revising the curriculum, claims that the various state governments have had enough time, since 2008, to prepare for its implementation. The government representatives on the Joint Consultative Council on Education (JCCE) and the National Council on Education (NCE) must have forgotten to inform their various governments to plan for it because now that it is implementation time, many schools are ill-equipped to teach many of the subjects.

I am talking about public schools now. The private schools are almost in a world of their own because many of them are likely not to have had the opportunity to send teachers to sensitization workshops on the new curriculum. In this regard, the NERDC, nay, the Federal government needs to do more to ensure schools learn about government policies and how to implement them.

It is failure on the part of the government if the curriculum is not implemented properly. It is not enough to create beautiful documents. There must be modalities for implementations. How will the teacher go about passing across government's message to his learners? All these have to be planned out. Many times, government only thinks about reaching out to public schools.

But the private schools are more in number nationwide, and they need to follow the same policies. They should not be neglected.

By 2014, the students will be examined in these subjects in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). There are only two sessions left to prepare them. What is the way forward?

The new curriculum should not fail, like the 6-3-3-4 did. We are tired of beautiful ideas. We want the ideas to see the light of day so our children can be better for it.

‘It is failure on the part of the government if the curriculum is not implemented properly. It is not enough to create beautiful documents.

There must be modalities for implementations. How will the teacher go about passing across government's message to his learners?

All these have to be planned out.

Many times, government only thinks about reaching out to public schools’ From my Inbox RE: Parents again!

Thanks for your write-up, especially, the part were parents fail to attend events were their kids are celebrated. Mine never attended any primary or secondary school events - even when I was awarded twice during my undergraduate days. It is sad and it hurts! JOYCE, Benin City.

"Usain's a character and a big United fan. It’s interesting he says he'd like to play in a charity game. It could be brilliant, and next year when we play Real Madrid’s Legends again, there could be opportunities to bring him up and see how he does."

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Farah: I want to be Gunners' fitness coach

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•Messi

Man City leads Chelsea in

€60m race for Falcao

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ANCHESTER City are leading Chelsea in the race to sign Atletico Madrid star Radamel Falcao for €60 million in January.

As exclusively revealed by Goal.com in June, the Premier League champions tried to sign Falcao in the summer and are willing to pay a record fee for the Colombian in the New Year, with Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes attempting to broker the move.

A summer move failed to materialise as the club were unable to offload Edin Dzeko despite interest from AC Milan and Bayern Munich, while Carlos Tevez's return to form saw him return to favour under Roberto Mancini.

Chelsea are also huge admirers of Falcao, who has scored 42 goals in 53 appearances for Atletico Madrid including a stunning hat-trick against the Blues in his side's UEFA Supercup victory in Monaco last Friday.

But City are confident of landing their man after a 12-month long pursuit with Atletico's recent financial struggles ensuring they must listen to big-money offers for their star player.

Falcao has a €60m release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract and City believe their strong relationship with the Spanish club will help to facilitate a deal.

City eased Atletico's financial difficulties last year by paying €45m to sign Sergio Aguero, from under the noses of their great rivals Real Madrid, with most of the transfer fee paid up front.

And Roberto Mancini will be given the funds to land a marquee signing in January despite the club's conscious efforts to balance the books and comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

In an interview with Goal.com last week Falcao insisted the Premier League wasn't a "dream" of his but the 26-year-old's father has suggested that the Colombian is very likely to complete a switch to the Premier League in January - and City sources say the club will pull out all the stops to land their man.

When asked whether a move to England could be on the cards for his son in the next transfer window, Falcao senior said: "Yes, that chance is very big."

•Falcao

Fergie: I'll try out Bolt in Real Madrid match

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LEX Ferguson will give Usain Bolt the chance to play for Manchester United in a match against Real Madrid.

The Red Devils boss told Inside United that he will happily give the Jamaican sprint legend his chance to take to the field in the club’s annual charity clash against the Spanish giants next year.

And Fergie left open the tantalising possibility that if Bolt acquits himself well enough, there may be a chance for him to take his ambition of playing for the side further.

"Usain's a character and a big

United fan," Ferguson said, "It’s interesting he says he'd like to play in a charity game.

"It could be brilliant, and next year when we play Real Madrid’s Legends again, there could be opportunities to bring him up and see how he does."

Bolt has always maintained that he would love to play football for United, and is certainly confident in his ability.

"I would not take up the challenge if I didn't think I was good enough," he said recently.

"I am a very accomplished player and know I could make a difference.

"People think I am joking. But if Alex Ferguson called me up and said, ‘OK let's do this, come and have a trial', it would be impossible for me to say no."

Bolt recently spent the day as guest of honour at Old Trafford, being presented to fans on the pitch and meeting not just Ferguson, but also club legends •Usain Bolt (L) and Ferguson Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.

PARALYMPICS 2012...PARALYMPICS 2012...PARALYMPICS 2012...PARALYMPICS 2012...

Sarah Storey wins 10th Paralympic gold as she storms to time trial win

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•Sarah Storey celebrates with husband Barney after winning the time trial

Manchester United manager saying he will give Usain Bolt a chance to prove he can play football at the highest level, next year in the club's annual charity match against Real Madrid.

TOREY finished in in 22mins 40secs in the 16kilometre race against the clock, 94 seconds ahead of Poland's Anna Harkowska who took silver .

The 34-year-old now has ten Paralympic golds to her name five in swimming and five since she starting competing in cycling – and will go for number 11 tomorrow.

A victory in the road race will equal Baroness Tanni GreyThompson's haul of 11 Paralympic golds.

'I've spent so much time on the road this year and it means so much to me to win this gold,’ she

said.

'Seeing the success of the Olympians on the road, I really wanted to add my name to the list.

'It would've been better if there had been a bit of rain, but it's so worth it in the end.'

Meanwhile, Mark Colbourne had to settle for silver in the men's C1 timetrial.

‘I gave it everything, I'm happy with my silver,’ he said. ‘I'm very proud of what I've done today.’

Colbourne, who won individual pursuit gold in the velodrome, clocked 25mins 29secs but was beaten by Michael Teuber of Germany who finished in 25:16.

RSENAL fan Mo Farah does not share Usain Bolt's dream of playing for his football team - but he does want to help them by becoming their fitness coach.

The Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion doesn't think he'd have the frame to help out Arsene Wenger on the pitch, but he still thinks he could help restore the ailing club's glory days.

"I don't think I'd be any good at playing, but I'd like to help out at the Gunners for sure," Farah said.

"I was talking to my wife the other day and I said: 'I'd make a good fitness coach for the team or something,'" he added.

"I could try to help players if they were injured or going through hard times, be able to do little things with them."

Farah has long been open about his love of the trophyshy club, who have won nothing at all since the 2005 FA Cup. In that time Farah has collected 10 golds, five silvers and a bronze in

World and European competition; perhaps his best role with the club would be helping them cope with the pressures of success should their days of woe ever come to an end.

If he did link up with the Gunners, Farah would not be the first Olympian to try his hand at training footballers as former decathlon champion Daley Thompson has spent spells working as fitness coach for both Wimbledon and Luton Town.

Del Piero joins Sydney FC

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YDNEY FC have completed the signing of Alessandro Del Piero on a free transfer, Goal.com can confirm. The experienced attacker has signed a two-year deal with the A-league side, worth €2 million per season.

The 37-year-old was available on a free after Juventus opted not to renew his expiring contract this summer, and the former Italy international will now continue his career in Australia.

Sydney FC already announced on Friday that

Del Piero had agreed to finalise a deal with the Sky Blues, with CEO Tony Pignata travelling to Italy this week to complete the move.

Liverpool made a late swoop for him on Tuesday, but their attempt has proven unfruitful as Del Piero has opted to join Sydney instead, and has inked a two-year deal with his new club.

A press conference has been scheduled at 13:30CET, where Del Piero is expected to confirm his decision to leave Europe for an adventure at Sydney FC.

Balotelli set for lay-off after surgery

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ARIO Balotelli is likely to miss Manchester City's next match against Stoke after undergoing laser-eye surgery in Italy. The 22-year-old underwent the minor operation after recently suffering from conjunctivitis associated with wearing contact lenses. Balotelli's surgeon suggested he could

•Balotelli

return to action "in around 10 days" meaning he would be touch-and-go to be back in time for City's trip to the Britannia Stadium on September 15.

"He had a few problems with contact lenses some years ago," surgeon Emanuele Scuri reportedly told Sky Sport Italia.

"We waited for the defect to stabilise over the last four years and this was the right time to have the operation.

His eyes did not tolerate the contact lenses and he had problems at the start of the season. "I think in around 10 days he should be ready to play again. Already this morning he asked if he could drive and I suggested he should get a lift until Thursday. "This surgery will enable Balotelli to see very well."

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

• Dr Jonathan

• Awe

• Odunsi

• Makinde

President Goodluck Jonathan, last weekend in Osogbo, State of Osun, restated his party’s readiness to ‘capture’ the Southwest states in 2015. Stakeholders in the zone who spoke with Assistant Editor DADA ALADELOKUN decried the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stage come-back to power in the zone.

‘For PDP, it’s final bye to Southwest’ I

T’S quite obvious, President Goodluck Jonathan must have been emboldened by the “unparalleled achievements” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration, when last weekend, he gleefully expressed his party’s readiness to re-enact the political earthquake of 2003 in the Southwest. Take over Southwest in the 2015 elections, he told his party men.

Presumably, such feats for which his party, to him, deserves “locomotive” applause include the “water-tight” security of lives and property, “impressive” employment indices and “zero tolerance for poverty” in the land!

The President spoke in Osogbo, the capital of the State of Osun, at a civic reception organised by the local PDP for its National Secretary and former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The President’s Special Adviser on InterParty Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, stood in for him.

President Jonathan minced no word in expressing confidence that the PDP is endowed with members who could turn the Southwest to the much-sought el-Dorado.

The party, to the President, is peopled with geniuses with the magic wand to lead a new song in the zone and the entire country.

It was not the first time such boast would come from the President. February last year, he was at Ibadan during the flag-off of PDP Presidential campaign in the Southwest. There, he dropped a bombshell: That his party was poised to chase opposition party governors whom he branded rascals away from all Government Houses in the zone.

He said: “Lagos is a commercial centre and the ruling party must control the state.

We will take over Ekiti, Osun and Ondo States. Before 2015, we will take over the Southwest. Southwest is too educated and civilized to be left in the hands of rascals.”

Today, thanks to the people’s uncompromising marriage to the progressive ideals of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in the zone, the socalled “rascals” have since been waxing stronger, spreading the gains of good governance among the people.

While many would not be moved and hence, keep sealed lips over the President’s latest vow, it is not so with

the Southwest leader of ACN, Senator James Olagunju Kolawole, in his reaction said: “If it is true that the President made the vow, it is a wishful thinking on his part. The view is not supported by the available facts on ground. When his party, the PDP, was in government for eight years, it starved the entire Southwest of the dividends of governance. The roads were in total disrepair, the educational system was left in hopeless state; in fact, the entire infrastructure in the area was in a shamble. So, anytime election is held in the country, the ACN remains the party to beat.

“The election coming up in October in Ondo State will be a test case of what to expect in 2015. The ACN is going to win the election handsomely because of the empirical records of people-oriented services to the people in the states where they have been governing. So, the people in this zone are not fools; they know the PDP has got nothing to offer them when it comes to the dividends of democracy and indeed, their sacred mandate.”

Kolawole appears to have got it right. A chieftain of the PDP, who spoke with The Nation under anonymity, confirmed that the PDP might have said the final bye to the zone. “Ordinarily, one would say that there is ample opportunity for our party as regards reclaiming the Southwest, but are we that prepared for the feat? Look at Ondo State where governorship election is coming up next month; do we stand any chance? We have not been able to capture the window of opportunity open to us. I think we have a job to do.”

Also worried is the ACN spokesperson in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe. In a statement he made available to The Nation on Monday, he described the President’s vow as “laughable.”

He went further to state among other

things: “We want President Jonathan to know that PDP in the Southwest is a dying group of parodists whose false rise to relevance through election rigging has been successfully frustrated by the people of the zone.”

Senator Akin Odunsi, who represents Ogun West Senatorial Constituency at the National Assembly, could not help burst into a bout of raucous laughter when asked if he was not aware that the PDP might have perfected plans to take over the reins of governance of the Southwest in 2015.

“I’m not aware; no, it can’t be true because the party and its constituents know it is over for them in the Southwest,” he said tersely. And when told that it came from the President’s mouth at the weekend, he dismissed the “wish” as a joke carried too far.

“As President, he reserves the right to seek to expand his territory, politically, this time around. And dreaming to take over the Southwest for his party is an ambition, which still falls within the ambit of his right as a Nigerian. However, such an ambition is a huge joke carried too far,” the Senator said.

“Not only Mr. President; even the PDP as a party appreciates the clear fact that based on what is on the ground, it has lost the game in the Southwest. There, ACN is fully on ground because the party, through its good ambassadors in the states, has raised the bar of governance. So, Mr. President and the PDP should look elsewhere,” Odunsi added.

His counterpart from Ogun East Constituency, Senator Sefiu Kaka and Dr. Ifeoluwa Arowosoge from Ekiti South West, Ikere and Ise/Orun Federal Constituency, were all agreed that the President’s rights of ambition and expression are inalienable. However, they believe that the Southwest people

‘Not only Mr. President; even the PDP as a party appreciates the clear fact that based on what is on the ground, it has lost the game in the Southwest. There, ACN is fully on ground because the party, through its good ambassadors in the states, has raised the bar of governance. So, Mr. President and the PDP should look elsewhere’

are now too wise to be bamboozled into leaving the currently widening path of prosperity for another season of retrogression.

The Southwest people, both Kaka and Arowosoge noted, are now enjoying sweet relief from the eight-year maladministration of the PDP in the zone and hence, would not want a repeat of the awry moments of the dark days.

Hon. Rotimi Makinde, who represents Ife Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, also spoke on the issue through his media aide, Otunba Sanya Ojo. To the lawmaker, it is day-dreaming for anybody whomsoever to think that PDP is still “breathing,” adding: “Only an insane person would not see the party (PDP) dying at the moment, let alone taking over Southwest in any election.”

To say that High Chief Jide Awe who steers the ship of the ACN in Ekiti State is incensed with the PDP is, perhaps, an understatement. His voice bore indignation when he spoke with The Nation.

“It is a wild daydream for the PDP to think of capturing the Southwest in the next elections. It will never happen. How possible will it be for the Southwest people to move from light to darkness; from comfort to discomfort? The Southwest people have never had things as bad as they are currently experiencing, especially in terms of ministerial representation at the centre. Maybe because the President failed to capture the region in the last polls, he decided to take revenge. It will therefore be idle for anyone to think that the people to embrace such a party,” Awe declared.

He fumed further: “Quite unfortunately for the PDP, the President does not know the terrain of even Bayelsa, his state, let alone that of the Southwest. And in fact, our party, the ACN, has been doing its best to support the people and make them happy through various people-oriented policies and programmes. So, Mr. President should know that PDP is gone for good in the Southwest.”

Awe, perhaps, said it all when he submitted: “By October 20 when ACN rescues the people of Ondo State with lawful votes at the coming governorship election, it will eventually erase all the illusions of those that still erroneously hold on to the thinking that PDP is still living, especially in the Southwest, the traditional stronghold of the progressives.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

44

POLITICS

Two claim LP ticket for Plateau Senate by-election

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S political parties nominate flag bearers for the October 6, Plateau North senatorial by-election, confusion has erupted in the Labour Party (LP), as two persons are claiming the sole ticket for the party.

Former House of Representatives member, Lumumba Adeh and former Jos North council chairman, Mr Danladi Atu, are locked in battle for the ticket.

Atu was said to have been nominated in a primary election conducted by the party officials in Jos on Tuesday evening and which was witnessed

by INEC officials, but the state party chairman and secretary were absent as well as other key stakeholders. Atu scored 108 votes to beat Adeh, who scored no vote.

The returning officer, Mr Yusuf Manjau, who announced the result, said that the election would provide a chance for the party to regain the senate seat it lost to the late Senator Gyang Dantong in last year’s general elections.

However, a new twist was added to the nomination when Ade’s camp claimed that its man had been endorsed for the poll by the LP state officials in conjunction with the LP headquarters in Abuja. It was learnt that the LP headquarters had adopted Adeh, who contested and lost against Dantong in the general election last year.

A source which spoke on condition of anonymity wondered how anyone could have claimed to conduct any primary election with none of the aspirants or party officials at the venue.

“I am a delegate, but did not know there was any primary election on Tuesday. Some desperate people just gathered and conducted what I believe was just a child’s play.

“How could anyone have conducted a primary election without the chairman, secretary or any other official of the party?’’

“The LP leadership called the party’s stakeholders for a meeting in Abuja for a meeting only for some people to just rush to conduct a primary election behind the officials. How can such exercise be credible? ‘’ In his reaction, deh, said primaries, said “there could not have been any primary election in Jos, when all the officials of the party, including the state chairman and secretary, are here in Abuja’’.

“Aside the party officials, we have a serving senator, Joshua Dariye. Did you see him or any other top member of the party at the venue of the said primary elections?’’ he asked.

Adeh alleged that Manjau, who was said to have conducted the primary election, was not a member of the LP, and wondered in what capacity he could have carried out such exercise.

“I think some people just gathered and carried out a show that is just a pure waste of time.’’

LP spokesman, Sylvanus Namang, who spoke on the controversy, how-

Prince Barth Obi is a seasoned politician groomed from the grassroots. He started as a councilor and was elected to the Imo State House of Assembly in the Third Republic. He served in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003. He later served as Assistant National Publicity Secretary of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). In this interview with Assistant Editor ONYEDI OJIABOR, he addresses the lingering security challenge in the country and submits that Nigeria is an indivisible entity that has come to stay.

‘Days of manipulated polls are over’

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• Nwanyanwu

ever, faulted the Adeh camp’s claim that the ticket is theirs based on the belief that he (Adeh), contested against Dantong last year and should therefore be the automatic candidate.

“Based on the feeling that he contested last year, Adeh believes he should be the automatic choice, but the law has been changed and since this election is fresh and resulting from the death of an incumbent, the process is totally new.

“It simply means that parties should start afresh and could file new candidates. Again, the absence of the candidates and the party officials should not invalidate the Tuesday primary since they all knew that the election was going to hold because the party’s constitution is in support of the congress for the nomination.’’

On the party officials’ reported adoption of Adeh for the ticket, Namang described the two top party officials – the as “sell-outs’’ who had connived with the party headquarters to give the ticket automatically to Adeh, even without a primary election.

But the LP State Secretary, James Pam, rejected Namang’s allegations that they were sell-outs, and declared that the Tuesday primaries were “simply a charade’’.

“The issue of being sell-outs does not even arise. We actually planned to conduct the primary elections, but we were summoned to Abuja by the LP headquarters, so we decided to shift the primaries till our return, only for one of the candidates to gather his supporters and allocate some votes.

“How can you conduct a primary election for two people and feel they are credible when one of the aspirants was not represented?

“How can one of the aspirants score zero, while another will take all the votes and you feel there was any fair play? ‘’ Pam advised the party members to await further directive on the party’s flag bearer for the October 6 senatorial election, and declared that the Tuesday primaries were conducted in error and was therefore of no use.

HAT is your assessment of the performance of the National Assembly?

There is no doubt that the Senate is more matured in dealing with issues than the House of Representatives.

That is the truth of the matter. The Senate also seems to do its home work before certain decisions are taken. The conduct of the Senate is equally more matured than what we see in the Federal House. The President of the Senate has proved himself to be a leader with leadership acumen. I don’t see a sign of maturity in the Federal House in terms of the conduct of members of the House. That may be the product of the age of members of the House. In the Senate, you can observe a high level of maturity in the way and manner the affairs of the Senate is conducted irrespective of political affiliations. The Senate has been able to stabilise activities at the National Assembly for the benefit of the country. It is a commendable development in our effort to deepen democratic activities. This is even more important when you recognise the parliament as the bedrock of democracy.

The National Assembly is about to undertake a fresh round of constitution amendment. What is your opinion on the exercise?

It has always been my position that since we have the National Assembly constituted by eminent Nigerians, why the clamour for Sovereign National Conference? There is every need for constitution amendment so that those groups and tribes that feel aggrieved can table their grievances for discussion. When we were practising the Parliamentary System of Government, we had the Eastern, Western, Northern and the Midwestern Regions. Six geo-political zones have been created in the country. All the geo-political zones have six states except the Northwest that has seven states, and the South East zone, that happens to be one of the oldest regions, has only five states. During the constitution amendment process, the anomaly, injustice and marginalisation of the Southeast, will be adequately highlighted for redress. If the amendment of the constitution is successful, the country and its people will be happier for it. Many groups in the country are agitating and crying against real or imagined marginalisation. Through constitution review, everything will be put on the table for discussion. Most of us are looking forward for the zonal meetings of members of the constitution amendment committee. That will offer the people the opportunity to voice out their grievances. I can assure you that the South East will

• Speaker House of Representatives Hon. Aminu Tambuwal with the former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Hon. Korn Dabbaransi at the opening session of the Second Global Economic Leaders’ summit in Changchu Jilin Province of China, yesterday.

• Obi

seize the opportunity so offered to make its case.

One of the problems tearing the country apart is security challenge, especially the emergence of the Boko Haram insurgency. How do you think the country can deal with the Boko Haram phenomenon?

I have been asked this question many times. I pity our Northern brothers on the issue of Boko Haram.

I have most of my close friends from the northern part of this country. I am worried to watch a region where I have most of my closest friends disintegrating, politically. The northern region that we know is no longer what it used to be. The region has almost disintegrated economically.

The region is suffering from serious bruises than any other part of the country. Today, northerners are talking of power shift. President Jonathan will be voted for or voted against based on the assessment of Nigerians. Because of the Boko Haram insurgency, no Nigerian can correctly say that Jonathan has performed or that he has not performed. This is because of the huge distraction by the activities of Boko Haram. The one northern entity we used to know has been distorted. Some northerners are saying that Boko Haram was imported to deal with northern Christians. Boko Haram may not be religious, but there is the strong feeling that they are against Christians.

People ask why churches are burnt and Christians killed for no just cause.

I have a friend, a Briton, who lives in Kano. He called and asked me to search for a piece of land in the Southeast or Southsouth that he wanted to relocate to the southern part of the country. This is a man who has lived in Kano for more than 25 years. Boko Haram is a huge distraction to the government of the day. Because of Boko Haram, the money that could have been used for other purposes is now diverted to security. The economy of the Northern part of the country is gone. No reasonable investor can go to an area where insecurity is on the rise. No investor can go to an area his safety and the safety of his investment cannot be guaranteed. My take is that Northern leaders must rise up to the occasion and address the problem.

What is the way out of the situation?

The way out is that Northern leaders should wake up and call the insurgents to order. The people that are doing this thing are known. The people who are throwing bombs and killing their fellow citizens come from towns and villages known.

Moreover, bomb is not ammunition for a child, a poor man or an ordi-

nary man, whether locally made or otherwise. No ordinary man can acquire bomb because it is not a cheap article. The fact is that if Northern leaders want to stop the activities of Boko Haram, they will stop it. The only way out is, let northern leaders stop Boko Haram, they are capable of stopping activities of the sect.

But northern governors are already working on the sect’s activities ...

The governors will succeed to a reasonable extent because any man that lives in glass house cannot throw stones. The Northern governors may be ignorant of what is happening but the real leaders who are the makers of the governors should call the insurgents to order. It is their responsibility to stop what is happening in the North in the interest of the region and the country. I am not speaking as a politician, I am speaking as a leader of an NGO that wants peace in the country. I don’t want Nigeria to disintegrate. I want this country to remain as one entity so that our influence in Africa and in the world at large will be intact. Even if the international community wants the country to split because of their selfish interests, we should resist it so that we remain the biggest nation in Africa. We have the capacity to determine our destiny. Nigeria is the envy of some countries. We must therefore be cautious about what we do.

Campaign for 2015 elections is already in top gear in some areas but some say such a campaign could distract elected officials …

Most people don’t know God. It is possible that some of the people angling for elective positions in 2015 may not see 2015. The campaigners fail to factor God into what they are doing. What Nigerians should be talking about is good governance.

Nigerians should be asking and working for governments at all levels to govern well and come up with good policies that will help the poor, the less-privileged, the rich and the entire nation. I know that not everybody will be happy when a particular government is in place. Some people, due to their political interest, may not be happy. But Nigerians should be concerned about good governance and praying for 2015 to come.

Some are saying that 2015 is pregnant; for me, 2015 is not pregnant because the same God that made it possible for the military to leave the governance of this country is still at work. He will sustain peace in this country, even beyond 2015.

Some are afraid that Nigeria may disintegrate if the 2015 elections are not well managed. What do you think?

Somebody threatened the other day that if power does not go back to the North in 2015, there will not be one Nigeria. I told him to withdraw his threat because power belongs to God. If the Igbo are saying if power does not go to them in 2015, there will be no Nigeria and South South say the same. the implication is that they want the country to split. But this country will not split because we have learnt how to cope with our differences and how to live together. The people that are saying that power must go to the North, power must go to the East or to the South-south are people who have failed this country.

These are people who had a lot of opportunities to improve the lives of Nigerians but failed. These are people who do not believe in God because if they believe in God they should have known that God is the maker of kings. Nigerians should learn to factor God into their activities.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

45

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

‘Stay happy, avoid cancer’

Cancer Facts

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ANCER is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous cells are also called malignant cells. Alternative names are Carcinoma; malignant tumour.

Alternative healers believe that illness is associated with imbalances in the psycho-emotional-spiritual state. This means that negative conditions in the human energy field (HEF) are believed to cause illnesses. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on how cancer, especially of the breast, is formed and how to rid it in women.

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RE you always unhappy, irritable, and angry or display other negative emotions? Beware you may be heading towards the formation of cancer.

A practitioner, Dr Godwin Ihesie, who was under the tutelage of the late Elizabeth Kafaru has linked cancer development to negative emotions such as anger.

According to him, the greatest cause of systemic pollution and blood poisoning is without doubt, recurrent negative thoughts, suppressed negative emotions, anger, worries, anxiety, fear, grief, hate, envy and jealousy, unforgiving spirit, lack of love, among other harmful emotions.

“It is marriage disappointment or disappointment in love matters, which often leads to serious emotional breakdown and disturbances in the harmony between the soul and the body, especially in women.

“And almost 90 per cent of women who develop breast cancers are often victims of sundry emotional disturbances, in the accord between the soul and the body,” he stated.

According to him, other experts have always looked at the other things that pollute the bloodstream today- eating foods contaminated with artificial flavours, colourings, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, inhalation of tobacco smoke, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and certain drugs, the use of strong bathing soaps, cosmetics, among others, but have not really examined the link between negative emotions and cancer.

He said: “The science of phychoneuro-immunology (i.e. the study of the connections between the brain, the nervous system, and our physical bodies) has shown that our thoughts, feelings and emotions affect our body and we are, actually, what we think we are.

This is so because our thoughts, feelings and emotions are translated into electrical impulses that trigger biochemical changes that affect our bodies in like manners.

“It has been proven that stress and chronic stress negatively affects every aspect of our health, especially the immune system because they cause what is regarded as psycho-physical imbalances. For example, when one holds on to evil or negative thoughts, or emotions or violent fits of anger, deep inner hatred, jealousy, and not willing to forgive, the body is triggered to produce high voltage chemicals such as adrenaline, non-adrenaline, cortisone, etc. These are the chemicals, which in real dangerous situations, prepare the body for what is known as Fight-orflight reactions.”

Dr Ihesie, who now runs his own health shop and clinic based in Iju area of Lagos State, said: “However when these chemicals are not consumed or

burnt off they put the body in a state of chronic stress or inner disharmony, and chronic stress can, according to health researchers, weaken the detoxification activities of the liver; which neutralises and flushes out toxins (heavy metals, environmental pollutants.) from the body.

“It is believed that recurrent negative emotion and bad thoughts (chronic stress) often behaves like the free radicals that can initiate and promote the binding of cancer-causing agents to DNA molecules in the breast tissues and other organs. The recurrent negative emotion destroys the part of the immune system that destroys cancerous cells as soon as they appear in the body.

“Such also cause glandular disturbances that can result in growths in the breast or in the womb. Unresolved and unexpressed anger, fear and resentments are known to destabilise the body’s physiological and biochemical processes, producing toxic chemical substances that can give rise to the disturbances in the information flow between the hypothalamus, the pituitary glands and the reproductive organs and this communication gap results in hormonal imbalance.”

But for those doubting Thomases, Dr Ihesie explained that many degenerative diseases of our time have been found to be caused by a long standing condition of deep inner disturbances and disharmony in thoughts and emotions.

He said: “Strong negative emotions are known to weaken the liver, disturb the glandular system; and above all, destroy the part of the immune system that inactivates or engulfs cancerous cells as soon as they appear in the body or breasts.

“The degree of malignancy is a function of the degree of retained anger, resentment and the inability to forgive and forget. Furthermore, studies have shown that: anger weakens the protective functions of the liver and gall bladder - leading to their diseases; causes serious damage to the heart and the brain, depression and general shock, stroke; suppresses the body’s innate ability to resist diseases, such as ulcer, arthritis, gout; and also induces premature aging and shortens the life span of an individual.

“Jealousy and fear weaken the kidneys and their detoxification functions.

Fear paralyzes the spirit and breaks the psychic defences. A deep inner and excessive grief weakens the body generally, especially the liver; and grossly lowers the body’s abilities to resist the establishment of cancerous centres. In fact, the list of disease manifesting physically due to deep inner disharmony is endless.”

And the way out of developing negative emotions that can thermostat can-

Causes, incidence and risk factors.

•Passive emotion like this disturbs women and induces cancer

cer, especially breast cancer in women?

Dr Ihesie suggested: “The life of the physical body (flesh) is said to be in the blood. A pure bloodstream with the right composition is the most favourable soil for a healthy breast. To maintain a pure blood, holistic health providers usually advice the women, to adopt a wholesome and health enhancing lifestyle and habits; such as eating enough organically grown foods, and to strive to maintain purity of their femininity and thoughts, to avoid all kinds of masculine activities, to listen to good and soul uplifting music, to have pure love and deep inner appreciation for the little things of nature and beauty, reading good books, that are soul lifting. Above all, they should keep spiritual vigilance and alertness and pray for God’s guidance in times of confusion, doubts and distress.”

He lamented that unfortunately, in our era, health studies and researches give preference only to the physical body and usually the ways the patients thinks his/her emotions and behaviour are grossly neglected. The ancient health care givers believed that the only effective, true, curative, and preventive therapy stem from the ways we live and what we think.

Quoting an English physician, Dr. Edward Bach (1886-1936), Dr Ihesie, the notable practitioner of experience that has spanned four decades said:” disease is in essence the result of a conflict between soul and mind and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort. No effort directed to the body alone can do more than superficially repair damage and in this, there is no cure since the cause is still operative and may at any moment again demonstrate its presence in another form.

“And just as Dr. Richard Gerber, the author of Vibrational Medicine - the Handbook of Subtle Energy Therapies wrote, and I quote, ‘A system of medicine which denies or ignores its existence (spirit) will be incomplete because it leaves out the most fundamental quality of human existence, the spiritual dimension.”

“So, the first step towards effective prevention of breast cancer is really to be truly being a noble woman – being faithful, and at all cost to preserve her

Clinic Day returns next month - Editor

•Dr Ihesie

biological and spiritual superiority, and never to imitate men in any way or form. The delicate female body may interpret strenuous exercises or extreme fluctuating body weight as chronic stress. Therefore, unwomanly exercises as seen in some competitive athletes and weight reduction methods through crash dieting should be avoided. However, moderate exercises are encouraged,” he stated.

Cells are the building blocks of living things. Cancer grows out of normal cells in the body. Normal cells multiply when the body needs them, and die when the body doesn’t need them.

Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too quickly. It can also occur when cells “forget” how to die.

There are many different kinds of cancers. Cancer can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue. The cause of many cancers remains unknown.

The most common cause of cancer-related death is lung cancer.

The three most common cancers in men in the United States are: •Prostate cancer; •Lung cancer; •Colon cancer.

In women, the three most common cancers are: Breast cancer, Colon cancer and Lung cancer.

Some other types of cancers include: •Brain cancer; •Cervical cancer; •Hodgkin’s lymphoma •Kidney cancer •Leukemia •Liver cancer •Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma •Ovarian cancer •Skin cancer •Testicular cancer •Thyroid cancer; and •Uterine cancer •Source: Yahoo!health

Do you know that

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HE best ways of avoiding chronic stress are to: •Work closer to Nature – planting, caring for, and tending flowers and other delicate plants.

Women are closer to God and therefore to Nature.

•Create a harmonious home and working environment where peace reigns.

•Indulge in activities that bring joy, like expressing happiness, and smiling into the faces of her neighbours.

•Learn to give freely and show appreciation for things received, even if they seem insignificant.

•Read good books, listen to soft inspirational and soul uplifting music, heartfelt prayers and occasional fasting.

•Strive at all times to observe the Natural Law of balance between working and resting.

•Above all, learn to eat good and wholesome food based on the In-

ner Voice which determines what the female body needs at any point in time.

•All kinds of excesses and abuses of some social drugs like alcohol, caffeine containing beverages and stimulants to whip up the nerves, should be avoided. In fact, cigarette smoking – either active or passive – should be completely avoided by every woman.

•Tobacco smoke pollutes the female blood, and weakens the liver and its ability to balance the female hormones.

•Excessive exposure to: Computer and T.V radiations; house hold cleaners, organic solvents, insecticides, pesticides, deodorizers etc and other harmful chemicals, should be avoided.

•Also to be avoided are the wearing of tight jeans, and underwear – these are known to disturb the normal circulation within the pelvic region.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

46

NATURAL HEALTH

Practitioners advocate change in health care T

HE Director of Pax Herbals, a Catholic centre for the development and promotion of African Medicine, Rev. Father Anselm Adodo, has charged the Federal Government through the Ministry of Health to get the right advice concerning health care and how to improve it, especially traditional medicine.

According to him, the health care system in operation has not fully met the health needs of the people and he hopes the government will be willing to explore and embrace the traditional and alternative medicine.

The Catholic Monk was convinced that the health care model of the developed and industrialised countries of Europe and America is not suitable or practicable in Africa.

“Has importation of sophisticated machines into our hospitals translated into more efficient health care and treatment?; Does bigger spending really translate into better health services?, In villages where there are no roads, no electricity, no hospitals, what forms of health care should government put in place?”, he asked rhetorically.

While speaking at the sixth PAX Herbal National Congress which took place in Benin, Edo State, themed: African Herbal Medicine: Bringing health closer to the people, Fr. Adodo, as is fondly called said medicine, whether western or traditional, has the same goal of providing quality health care to the people. Traditional medicine in some countries; including Nigeria has tended to stagnate because we are not exploiting the rapid discoveries of science and technology for its development. It has kept slow pace of change in comparison with medicine as practiced in the industrialised countries, which keep abreast of scientific and technological innovations to the extent that it is often referred to as modern medicine.

The guest speaker an Associate Professor of Oncology, Howard University, Washington D.C, Gladys Onojobi, said the orthodox look forward to only between 30 per cent to 35 per cent success rate for the efficacy of drugs and they celebrate it, yet they expect 100 per cent efficacy success rate for traditional medicine.

She said 40 per cent of patients who

•From left: The Guest Speaker, Head, Pharmacognosy, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof Olukemi Odukoya, Chairman, Lagos Traditional Medicine Board, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, Special Adviser, Public Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Yewande Adesina at this year’s African Traditional Medicine Day, organised by the board.

PHOTO: OYEYEMI GBENGAMUSTAPHA

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

take ginger while undergoing chemotherapy in a recent study in the United States (US) have less side effects of symptoms associated with taking chemotherapy. She also disclosed that taking lime in water or licking it after meals is good for preventing and managing flatulence and constipation. She advised the management of PAX to keep records of all the data of treatment so that outsiders can learn from it.

Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Aaron Ojule, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Port-Harcourt Teaching hospital, expressed his pleasant surprise when he visited the Paxherbals in Ewu, where the PAX products are manufactured, he praised PAX for its pioneering effort in making way for a modern and scientific manufacturing model for herbal medicines in Nigeria, he emphasised the need for

collaboration.

“Orthodox medicine has to learn from herbal medicine and vice versa.

The government needs to develop African traditional medicine, so that ethics will be observed, thereby ensuring that the society is not in danger,” he said.

He praised PAX’s effort at ensuring that its product line adheres to good manufacturing practice (GMP). He also praised the organisation for ongoing research to determine the efficacy of its products.

Present at the event were, Chairman, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board,

Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, who represented the executive council of Lagos State; representatives of Lagos State Commissioner for Rural Development, traditional chiefs represented the Oba of Benin and the Catholic Archbishop of Benin, Most Rev. Dr Augustine Akubeze also sent representatives.

Govts urged to support traditional medicine

G

OVERNMENTS at all levels have been called upon to support African Traditional Medicine by voting more fund to it among other incentives, as stakeholders insist that African Traditional Medicine is a way of curing and managing ailments, diseases and sundry health problems in people through the use of herbs, plants and animals.

The call was made during the 10th anniversary of the African Traditional Medicine Day by the Association of Traditional Medicine Practi-

By Olatunde Odebiyi

tioners (ATMP) of Lagos State. It was organised with the aim to ensure that the state, federal and local governments give maximum support to traditional medicine.

Chairman, Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (ATMP), Chief Wahab Bababtunde Oshodi praised the contribution of the Lagos State government under the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola and the Commis-

sioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris, and said more still needs to be done by them.

“The state government should allocate special annual budget for the promotion of traditional medicine.

Government should establish traditional medicine clinics in all five zones of the state. Government should make health reform more meaningful, traditional medicine should be given a first priority with a well funded traditional medicine board at both state and local levels.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

47

NATURAL HEALTH

Helpful ideas of some great medics A

It has been found that cataracts of the eyes are usually associated with a deficiency of Calcarea flurica, and their treatment should include taking this mineral in alternation with kali mur (potassium chlorate).

Sclerotic deposits on the eardrum, which may gives rise to deafness and eczematous diseases of the skin are also relieved by taking this remedy for a period of time. Calcarea fluorica should be taken together with Millefolium (yarrow) or Aesculaforce to improve the elasticity of the walls of the veins in all cases of haemorrhiod (piles), varicose veins and phlebitis (inflammation of the veins).

Babies with teeth problems will respond to calcarea fluorica taken in alternation with calcarea phosphorica (calcium phosphate).I should also mention that mothers can more quickly regain their figure after the birth of their babies and prevent a pendulous abdomen, which is caused by a relaxation of the abdominal muscles and ligament, if they take calcarea fluorica or the calcium complex Urticalcin regularly during pregnancy. Calcarea fluorica is generally given in the potency 12x, but for some rare case it may be 6x. The normal dose is two tablets (0.125 g each), three times daily.

LL over the world, many people are working, almost restlessly, to change the face of medicine and link it again to Mother Nature.

The thoughts of some of them are presented in this column in respect of certain ailments. As we enjoy the fruits of their labour in the promotion of our health, my heart goes to three children. One is 12 and suffering from cancer of the blood. Another is 14, beset with osteonecrosis, the death of some cells of the bone. The third has vitiligo, discolouration of the skin due to damage of pigment cells. All cases cannot be divorced from our poisoned world. Through the work of physicians and researchers working with Nature, our prayer is that, in due course, they all regain their health…

The Magic Mirror The tongue is many things rolled into one. It enables us to taste whatever we are going to put into the body through the mouth, to form the spoken word, to roll food down the throat and, above all, to see, as though in a mirror or through a camera, a picture of what is happening inside out bodies. Paul Bragg Ph.D., N.D., and Patricia Bragg, Ph.D., N.D., give an insight in their book, THE MIRACLE OF FASTING, which is recommended for the family health library. The section of the book provides information on how you can run a simple, home self - test by checking in the mirror your tongue… the mirror of your organs. What you are likely to see, if these organs are filled with wastes or poisons, is a gray carpet over the otherwise normal pinkish - red color of the tongue. The gray carpet is oral thrush, and, often, an indication of systemic Candida. Candida albicans, as many women know, lives in the vagina. It is resident, also, in the intestines .Its population is well controlled and it is harmless, wherever it is checked by friendly bacteria (PROBIOTIC) and a healthly immures systems but is promoted by a high sugar presence in the blood, which weakens the immune system.

In a state of weakness, viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold and free radicals proliferate. From the intestines, they may cross to the prostate and the kidneys, in particular, or any other organ or tissue such as the eye, brain, pancreas and ovaries, where they cause all kinds of toxins and illnesses.

Over now to Paul and Patricia Bragg whose book, THE MIRACLE OF FASTING, this column recommends for your health library…

Natrum muriaticum (cooking or Table salt, sodium chloride) The type of person likely to benefit from natrum muriaticum can be described as follows: puffy face, with watery looking skin; thin, in spite of having a good appetite; feel the cold acutely especially along the spine and back, as in the hands and feet; easily exhausted by mental and physical work; cannot stand the heat of the sun; inclined to headaches and margarines; easily agitated and upset. If one tries to comfort such people they become bad tempered or angry. Their bowel function badly and the stool is dry, hard and crumbly. In the case of women these symptoms are accentuated during and after their periods, which are always irregular. A typical aversion to bread can often be noted. There either seems to be a great yearning for salt or a definite aversion to it. Those who have a number of these characteristics will find natrum muriaticum an excellent and quite harmless remedy. It has immediate effect on infants and small children when there are disturbances of the bowels or liver, and it is a splendid worn remedy if taken regularly for a long time.

The Body Can Take A Lot Of Abuse!

The average person believes that if they have one good bowel movement a day, usually in the morning, that they are free of constipation. Not so one full bowel movement is not sufficient to remove all food material the average person stuffs into his intestinal tract. As a consequence this rotten, putrefying, morbid, toxic waste lies in the intestine, where it undergoes bacteriological changes that cause severe health problems, in 2010 in U.S. such caused 160,000 new colon cancer cases!

The human body is basically strong and can take a lot of abuse from over-stuffing, plus eating unhealthy meals. It is most difficult to tell these people who eat incorrectly and have only one bowel movement a day that they are constipated and thus are inviting serious troubles later. But there is one warning signal - an unhealthy tongue - that can tell these people that they are carrying a nasty cesspool within their bodies. If these people fasted for two or three days on distilled water, their "magic mirror" tongue would tell them plainly that they are carrying a horrible mass of fermenting poison inside of their intestines. A few days of fasting will coat the tongue with a thick, white, toxic material that has a strong odour. This whitish coating can be scraped off and examined. In fact, you can spoonscrape and brush the tongue clean but, in a few hours, the coating usually returns. This is an indication of the amount of putrefying toxic filth, mucus and poisons that are accumulated in the body's cells that are now being eliminated from the inside surfaces of the stomach, intestines, organs and from all parts of the entire body. This is one of the cleansing miracles of fasting. The actual amount of toxic material the average person carries around with them is almost unbelievable! In my opinion, many physical problems are the results of this clogging of the 30 foot intestinal tube, the cells and the entire circulation and pipe system of the human body. I believe that these poisons cause constitutional clogging up of the entire human pipe system, especially plugging up the microscopically tiny blood capillaries.

Learn to Read Your Tongue's Message "Mother Nature shows the faster by coating the tongue that his body contains toxic poisons. The characteristics of the tissue construction of the powerful intestinal organs - the kidneys, liver and all the glands are like a sponge. Imagine a sponge filled with a thick putrefying paste. I have supervised thousands of fasts and seen huge amounts of these toxins people store in their body while trying to survive on the Standard American Diet (SAD). During a cold, have you ever stopped to think how much mucus and phlegm passes out of the body through the nose and throat? This is also how the vital organs such as the lungs, kidneys and bladder pass out poisons during this cleaning fast (mucus, phlegm, rashes, fevers, etc.) crisis.

Start now to learn more about yourself by fasting and closely watching your tongue, the spongy organ whose surface accurately mirrors the health or ill health of every other part of your body. The "magic mirror" can be a guiding star in your journey to super health. The more faithfully you follow a good fasting and a natural eating program, the cleaner your tongue will become during a fast. Also daily when you brush your teeth, brush or spoon scrape your tongue from the back to the tip. This is a definite signpost that you are on your new Bragg healthy lifestyles road - a life free of physical problems and misery. This road will lead to your greatest achievement- an ageless, painless and tireless body! So, as you go on your 24 to 36 hour or seven to 10 day fast, note how much cleaner your tongue becomes with each fast.

This will reveal the amazing miracles of fasting to you."

PAUL BRAGG opened the first health food store in the United States over 50 years ago. Today, run by his daughter, PAMOLA, the company he left behind, has about 40 world-acclaimed nutritional food supplements in its stable.

More on Magnesium Thanks, Dr. Sam Asomugha for your illuminating insights. Dr. Sam, as I call him, is an orthodox Nigerian doctor with about 30 years clinical experience, many of which are bedecked with nutritional medicine practice. When he read the feature on magnesium in the first part of the three part series entitled AUGUST MEMORIES AND DR. POTTENGER'S CATS, he sent me a short note which appears bellow…

More on magnesium "Research is showing that the mineral, magnesium occupies a most central place in the overall health of the body. Magnesium is involved in over 300 metabolic pathways, and is arguably, the single most important mineral in the health of the cardiovascular system. It will be foolhardy for any one with any form of cardiovascular disorder not to supplement with the magnesium mineral; this is especially the case if the patient is on a diuretic drug. Deficiency of magnesium makes any disease worse than it ordinarily would have been. This again is especially true for cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. Unfortunately, many conventional

Understanding Cholesterol

practitioners are ignorant of this.

"Besides the cardiovascular system, magnesium is absolutely necessary for the diabetic. Any guess why diabetes and hypertension are often two sides of the same coin. One reason for this is magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium is invaluable for the functioning of almost every organ, including the thyroid and the nervous system. Iodine, the number one nutrient for the thyroid gland, is poorly utilized by that organ in the absence of magnesium and other nutrients like selenium and vitamin C. And of course the thyroid gland controls the activity of the heart. This is why some of the symptoms of thyroid disorders are palpitations and blood pressure disorders (both high and low).

In the nervous system, magnesium is involved in the firing of nerves, in conjunction with calcium and potassium. But excess of calcium in the absence of adequate amount of magnesium damages the nerves. Research has shown that when the brain is adversely challenged, excess calcium moves into the nerves. But in the absence of sufficient levels of magnesium, calcium stays put within the nerve cells. The result is a quicker progression of the death of these nerve cells. This may explain why persons with brain injury suffer the symptoms that they do.

Four Biochemical Remedies Calcarea fluorica (Calcium Fluoride) If your teeth hurt when you eat, if they feel a bit loose, or if the enamel becomes brittle and chips off easily so that bacteria can enter through the crevices, causing tooth decay, then it is high time for you to remember calcarea fluorica, a biochemical remedy to counteract mineral deficiency.

At the same time, silica should also be taken because it is equally important for the construction of the teeth and bones. " Incidentally, it is not surprising that the mountain peasants of the Swiss canton of valais posses such beautiful teeth because the famous whole rye bread they consume is a rich source of calcium fluoride.

This mineral is important for the connective tissues and for this reason should be taken before and after operations so that granulation, such as scar formation, can take place more quickly and without interruption. It has also been suggested that a deficiency of calcium fluorica in the system must play some part in the tendency to hernias. Always remember that nature will be able to rectify problem as long as the necessary raw materials are present. This principle should be observed in our diet and if it is, the body will respond. But if our diet is deficient, we must see to it that the necessary materials are supplied. " Recently, interesting observations have been made concerning the effect of this mineral on hard swelling of the tendons and ligaments, dilations of the tendon sheaths (known as 'ganglia') and even glandular tumors and hard cyst formation. It is gratifying to know that, besides other treatments such a simple natural medicine as Calcarea flurica will benefit these conditions. It would, of course, be unreasonable to expect too much from any given remedy, because we must remember that disease is hardly ever attributable to the deficiency of a single cell salt.

Others, too, may be lacking and need to be replaced.

e-mail: femi.kusa@yahoo.com or olufemikusa@yahoo.com

From about the age of 40, when many people develop hypertension, the fear of cholesterol often is the beginning of wisdom. In the 1980s, practically everyone learned to avoid fish, chicken and turkey skin, because it is loaded with fat. Even the good, old egg fell out of favour.

Many people discarded the yolk and went for the egg white which soon fell out of patronage, too, when it became known that avidin, one of its components, could deprive the body of Vitamin B1, cause carbohydrate digestion problems, weaken muscles, including the heart's which thrive on vitamin B1, also called thiamine. Thanks to Dr. Udo Erasmus, the Polish Canadian and author of FATS THAT HEAL, and FATS THAT KILL, who unified the fat theories and enabled us know the nutritional values of many oils and fats and the dangers posed by others. This book, which is valuable to nutritional medicine practice, still sells in Nigeria. We now know, through this book and many others, that we need Cholesterol to live. We now know, too, that people who have low Cholesterol levels as well as people who have high Cholesterol levels die of strokes, heart attacks and hypertension related diseases such as kidney damage. It now appears that cholesterol causes trouble when the bad ones, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and, Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL), decompose or rust, damaging and blocking blood vessels. They do not decay or rust or oxidise if there is plenty of antioxidants in the blood to prevent their rusting, decay and oxidation. Their levels in the blood are normal and healthy for the body if the LIVER can convert any excess to bile which promotes the digestion of fats. The Liver is able to do this if the diet supplies it with plenty of minerals and vitamins and enzymes.CARQUEJA help much to do this. CARNITINE and L-CARNITINE are also useful for this. They transport excess cholesterol from the cells to the liver for processing. A deficiency may cause cholesterol accumulation in the blood.

Thanks to Judy Lindberg McFarland, in her AGING WITHOUT GROWING OLD, which provides an insight into the place and role of Cholesterol in a Subsection she tittes SOME FACTS ABOUT CHOLESTEROL. It shows that, whether we like it or not, we need cholesterol….

We produce it even if we do not consume it, we cannot run away from it. Read her book which I recommend for your library. She says:

Some Facts About Cholesterol • Humans synthesize about 3,000 to 4,000 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per day and receive a somewhat smaller amount in their food, mainly from eggs and animals fat.

• The adrenal glands contain the highest concentration of cholesterol of any tissue in the body. Cholesterol is the starting material for the synthesis of adrenal hormones.

• The body must have cholesterol in order to function properly, and to manufacture vital hormones, including pituitary hormones, adrenal hormones, DHEA, pregnenolone and our sex hormones that include estrogen (female hormone) and testosterone (male hormones). This is important to remember so you don't improperly "cholesterol - proof" your children. Will they have enough of these necessary hormones to develop properly?

• The brain and spinal cord account for only 2 percent of total body weight, and yet they contain almost one fourth of the total cholesterol in the body. The brain uses cholesterol to make neurotransmitters that conduct nerve impulses throughout the body. Cholesterol is also an important building block of the insulation around nerves, which ensures nerve impulses are conducted appropriately.

• Your skin excretes excessive cholesterol by the normal, daily sloughing off of cells. The ultraviolet rays of the sun on exposesd skin converts this cholesterol to vitamin D-3. Cholesterol is also the protective, insoluble skin molecule that resists and prevents maceration (the softening and wearing away of skin in water).

• The body makes 80 percent of its cholesterol from fats, protein, and certain carbohydrates within the liver and intestines. The remaining 20 percent comes from dietary sources. If blood cholesterol rises above a certain level, the excess is converted into bile and excreted in the stool.

• Cholesterol is also found in the marrow within the bones where blood cells are formed.

NOTE: From the foregoing, it should be clear to high blood cholesterol sufferers that the liver may not be getting enough of the extra cholesterol to transform to bile, or the liver may be incompetent to transform the supplies because it lacks the nutritional substances to help it. The diet must also come with fiber. They mop cholesterol and excrete it through the stool; otherwise cholesterol fractions processed in the liver for excretion through the stool may regroup in the colon and be re-absorbed into the bloodstream to restart a vicious cycle.

Tel: 08034004247, 07025077303

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e-Business THE NATION

The arrival of the Global System Mobile Communications (GSM) has not only contributed to the development of the country, but also engendered competition, which has led to a drop in the call rates and a rise in drop calls. AKINOLA AJIBADE gives a scorecard of the four major telecoms.

What makes GSM operation tick T

HE GSM operators namely MTN, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat made a grand entry into the Nigerian market. They were armed with ideas, innovations, and technology hitherto lacking in the industry.

They built infrastructure, introduced per billing system, made telecom services very flexible, widened accessibility to telephone services to break the monopoly enjoyed by the stateowned Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), among others.

These have paid off as telecom customers’ base hitherto below 500,000, moved to over 100 million within few years of operation. Also, the unprecedented patronage enjoyed by the operators has impacted on their balance sheets.

As at today, telecom operators are recording billions of naira as profit. However, the operators are having their own share of problems as evident by their cost of operations, taxes, among others.

To date, over $1.8 billion has been invested in building mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria MTN Nigeria is an offshoot of the MTN Group, Africa’s second leading mobile telecommunications company. It started operations in Nigeria in 2001, after paying $285 million for one of the four GSM licenses. Since the company’s debut 11 years ago, it has steadily deployed its services across the country.

MTN provides services in 223 cities and towns, more than 10,000 villages and communities and a growing number of highways across the country, spanning the 36 states of the Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Many of these villages and communities are being connected to the world of telecommunications for the first time ever.

MTN Nigeria has more than 48 million subscribers and has invested N563 billion in its infrastructure. In 2006, MTN commissioned a seven 815km fibre-optic network. It has continued to be the cash cow of the MTN Group’s operations contributing a large part to the Group’s 2010 strong operational performance which saw a 22 per cent increase in subscriber base to 141.6 million from 116.0 million in 2009.

One of its major achievement was the launch of MTN digital microwave transmission backbone in 2003 inaugurated by President Olusegun Obasanjo, the digital microwave transmission backbone otherwise known as Y’ellobahn has continued to be a reference point in the industry. Its covers 3,400 kilometres, and is reputed to be the most digital microwave transmission infrastructure in Africa. The Y’elloBahn has helped in enhancing the call quality of MTN network.

MTN Nigeria has invested billions of naira on infrastructure and has grown its subscribers base substantially, despite increased competition from Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat.

MTN Nigeria continues to play a role in the Group’s global operations, opening doors to other telecom markets and green fields with its success story in Nigeria. Nigeria has more than 89 million active subscribers with MTN dominating other operators in subscriber numbers over the past nine years. It has over 43 million subscribers in Nigeria.

Globacom Globacom has been at the forefront of introducing changes in the GSM sector in Nigeria.

Launched on August 29,2003, Globacom has ensured that Nigerians benefit from the advances made in telecommunications and information technology. This, it demonstrated by being the only operator in Africa to launch its operations on the superior 2.5G network which

tion Network (NGN) in its operations.

Airtel (then Zain Nigeria) in 2009, successfully deployed a next-generation blade mobile softswitch in Nigeria through Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunication network solutions for operators across the world. Acclaimed for its efficient quality of service which has won it awards annually, Airtel Nigeria has 3G licence and made its cell sites and telecom backbone 3G compliant.

Airtel Nigeria expanded its existing fiber network to ensure superior quality and secure services to a growing subscriber base. On the heels of an immensely successful project to build a 4000 kilometre nationwide fiber backbone network, Airtel extended its contract with Nokia Siemens Networks to handle implementation of the additional 600 kilometre. It created wide capacity for Nigeria’s growing number of customers demanding high quality broadband services by deploying self owned fiber. It has over 20 million subscribers in the country.

Etisalat Nigeria •CEO MTN Nigeria, Brett Goschan

•ED Globacom, Adewale Sangowawa

•CEO Airtel, Rajan Swaroop

•CEO Etisalat, Steven Evans

enables internet services and the convergence of voice, data and multimedia technologies.

The company’s growth is attributable to per second billing as well as its fast pace of deployment of efficient services, array of value added services and strong, unique marketing initiatives, which have stood the company apart in the Nigerian telecomm industry and made it the first choice network.

Globacom boasts of a wide variety of innovative packages and tariff plans designed to fulfill the needs of a broad spectrum of market segments in the country.

In February, 2008, Globacom become the first network in West Africa to commercially launch 3G HSDPA services when it rolled out 3G Plus services to subscribers in the Lagos area. With 3G Plus services, subscribers are able to use their phones for video conferencing and high-speed mobile internet access.

It also invested in Glo-1 Submarine cable which connects West Africa to UK on a 32 STM64 project cable capacity. Glo-1 has landing points in Lagos and Bonny in Nigeria, Bude in London and Lisbon in Portugal. Glo-1 is also deploying 16 branching units to connect countries in West Africa. This is in line with the aspirations of the company to avail Africa the possibilities offered by broadband.

Globacom has begun the rollout of services in some West African countries. It began opera-

tions in Republic of Benin on June 5, 2008, and has also won a licence to provide GSM services in Ghana. It has over 25 million subscribers.

Airtel Nigeria Airtel Nigeria started operations as Econet Nigeria. Econet has had a fair share of boardroom politics, a development that made it change names on five different occasions. This led to the creation of Vmobile made up of a group of Nigerian entrepreneurs who vowed never to let the brand exit without a fight. They (Vmobile) led the unbranded Vmobile to the threshold of MTC, owners of Celtel brand that later acquired the Vmobile and rebranded it, Celtel in Nigeria.

Two years after the success story of Celtel, Zain announced a takeover of the Celtel brand from MTC across Africa and the Middle East.

But two years later, precisely on August 1, 2008, Celtel made the way for Zain following the global acquisition of Celtel International by MTC Group, which transformed to Zain. In just another two years interval, Zain was acquired

by Bharti Airtel and rebranded to ‘Airtel’.

Airtel Nigeria has moved from the 2G network where it started its mobile network service nearly 10 years to a 2.5G and later 3G network, adapting modern technologies and soft switches to drive an IP enabled Next Genera-

Etisalat Nigeria has witnessed consistent and rapid growth in its subscriber base since it formally commenced commercial operations in the country in October 2008 after a grand and innovative entry into the market. Etisalat offers fixed line services over its Next Generation Network, and provides mobile users with a range of services and applications such as GPRS, 3G and BlackBerry.

Chief Commercial Operator, Etisalat Nigeria, Wale Ammar said as the demand for intercontinental connectivity continues to grow at a remarkable rate, world governments are encouraging investment in new technologies to bolster the performance of their national economies.

To this end, he said operators across the world are deploying Next-Generation Networks for both fixed-line and wireless environments which in turn allow an increasing volume of services to be provided to even more consumers. In addition, the enormous advancement in technology education of the local population has driven the demand for greater capacity which will prove an enormous boost to the economy.

Etisalat Nigeria in 2010 recorded over six million subscribers on its network and in March 2011 in Lagos sealed agreements for a $650 million loan split into two tranches: NGN 82.5 billion and $100 million. The syndicated loan facility which is the landmark transaction in the telecommunications sector for 2011, will offer the opportunity to aggressively intensify Etisalat Nigeria’s network expansion across the country and offer better quality service to its customers.

The operator also bought broadband capacity from Main One, a sub-sea cable operator, and is looking at buying more capacity from another sub-sea cable operator to boost its operations. In December 2010, Etisalat Nigeria acquired the 3G licence of Alheri Mobile an essential element of its plans for further developing the market for mobile broadband in Nigeria. Etisalat has placed strong emphasis on offering data services to all its customers from launch through enabling EDGE on all its cell sites throughout Nigeria. Now with 3G, it has further developed data and mobile broadband portfolio and offers customers even higher levels of service as the pent-up demand in Nigeria for Broadband continues to rise.

Etisalat has within the last two years built over 2,000 cell sites in Nigeria with all its services in all the 36 states; covering 55 per cent of Nigeria’s population. Etisalat partnered with three service providers including Alcatel and Huawei to provide quality service to her customers. It has over 10 million subscribers in the country.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

e-Business Matters e-Rising Segun Oruame segun@segunoruame.com

B

Y March 19th & 20th 2013 in Lagos , the Economist Group will be holding its Economist Group’s Nigeria Summit, a major international conference that will attract over 150 top rate decision makers from the public and private sector including heads of government and international institutions. Some of the key speakers include Nigerian business entrepreneurs who have not only carved a niche for themselves in Nigeria’s tempestuous economic climate but also have gone ahead to successfully replicate their achievements at home in other African jurisdictions.

Notably, Mike Adenuga, owner of Globacom Communications; Aliko Dangote, Chairman & CEO of the Dangote Group and Austin Okere, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Computer Warehouse Group will be speaking in one of the exciting sessions titled: ‘Creating economic opportunities: the new breed of disruptive entrepreneurs.’ All the speakers have one thing in common: they have business investments running from five to 35 jurisdictions on the continent. They truly represent the new face of transnational entrepreneurship that is increasingly defining highly successful Nigerian home-grown ventures.

But not many are aware of this interesting development particularly in the IT space where there have been interesting developments last few years in terms of the capacity of home-grown Nigerian ICT companies to forage into other parts of Africa, set up offices, employ local skilled hands to run operations and become part of the ICT landscape of those countries. Nigeria technology companies are increasingly rising in significance in the number of premium ICT deals they are able to broker in their host environment. But this quiet rise has been largely overlooked, despite the important implications of their growing presence and influence.

Not only are the Nigerian companies providing much-needed investment and capital, but their presence strengthens intra-Africa business relationships and represents an important diversification of Nigeria’s international relations from purely the political at government level to the economic at a private sector level. It is a major

Nigeria’s rising technology multinationals

development that reflects the increasing impact of deregulation and liberalization for the continent which business has been largely dominated by publicly funded monopolies.

Take MainOne Cable Company, for instance. Led by astute entrepreneur Funke Opeke and telecoms engineer, the cable company is playing largely in an area once completely dominated by publicly owned telcos. The company owned and manages the MainOne undersea cable that connects Africa to Europe. Funke Opeke’s MainOne is exploring client base and business opportunities simultaneously in Ghana and Nigeria. The first phase of the MainOne Cable System is a 7,000km submarine cable with landing points in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal.

Okere’s Computer Warehouse Group commenced operations in Nigeria in 1992 as a small company selling DELL computers to businesses. It has metamorphosed to become one of the leading systems integration companies, providing hardware and infrastructure solutions. The group consist of CWL Systems, (DCC Networks and its software applications and deployment arm, ExpertEdge Software. It has strong presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon. In all, the Nigerian company services a growing list of clients in 17 African countries.

In Ghana, CWG has fellow compatriot Omatek Computers to compare notes.

Omatek is the only publicly computer company in Nigeria. Founded 25 years by Mrs. Florence Seriki as an executive computer training company, it later transformed into computer sales and it is the first completely knocked down computer factory in Africa with outlets in both Ghana and Nigeria.

Omatek has concentrated in servicing the private and public sectors spinning major bank and government-financed deals for computer acquisition and usage by institutions and individuals.

Mike Adenuga’s owned Globacom is a wholly Nigerian telecom giant with operations in four countries in West Africa namely Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast. As of June 2009, the company had over 2,500 people in its employ worldwide.

The operator singularly built and owned its own submarine cable Glo1 connecting Af-

rica to Europe and giving it a competitive edge. It has several landing points across West Africa.

Indeed, in the last one decade, Nigeria’s ICT landscape has pulsated with remarkable growth spurred by deregulation and liberalization. It is not likely to slow down and this should further encourage more companies to look outside the border for business.

The African technology scene was nascent only a decade ago in Africa, but growth has been unparalleled only 10 years after. The ‘information economy’ is becoming one of the main drivers for economic growth in several countries. Take this statistics by one writer: “In 2009, South Africa’s ICT sector generated $24.2 billion and contributed more than seven per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to a report by Hot Telecom, a consulting firm. That same year Tunisia’s ICT sector contributed 10 per cent to the country’s GDP. In Tanzania its share reached 20 per cent of GDP. Everywhere on the continent, the ICT sector is expanding rapidly. Annual ICT revenues are now estimated at around $50 billion.” Whether small Rwanda or big Nigeria, most Africa countries are recording a boisterous ICT sector.

Helped by a more stable and sophisticated economy, South African companies such as MTN seized the early initiative to explore business outside of their home country, it would appear Nigerian companies may take over the reign in the next decade. CWG, Glo and others are harbingers of that growthdirection. Here are the reasons. Economic analysts widely expect that Nigeria will overtake South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy. “According to some estimates this could happen by as early as 2018.” One of the key drivers will be its indigenous ICT companies steadily gaining grounds across the continent. Despite its poor infrastructure and rising incidents of violence, Nigeria has a current growth rate of seven per cent a year compared with South Africa’s growth rate of three per cent. This growth rate blends positively with a large market and a largely under-researched but vibrant informal sector to make the promise of overtaking South Africa, an economic fact not just a projection.

Globacom awards prizes

G

LOBACOM has awarded prizes to winners in its on-going Glo “text4millions” promo. The company, according to a statement, awarded prizes in excess of over N23 million to nine winners. The winners are Shittu Shodeinde (N12 million), Ifeanyi Ahuzuru and Abideen Alao Abiodun, (N6 million each), Abdulrazak Immam (N90,000), Adebayo Muhideen Oladele (N60,000) and Ronke Bankole, Titilayo Oyewole Elizabeth, Afolabi Mukaila Babatunde and Anthonia Adara (N30,000 each) Speaking at the occasion, Globacom’s Head of Value Added Services, Samson Isa said the presentation of prizes to the winners was a clear demonstration of Glo’s commitment to its promise to reward its loyal subscribers in a transparent manner and transform their lives for the better.

He said: “With a payout of up to N300 million in cash and prizes, Season 3 of the Glo “text4millions promo has already started transforming the lives of our subscribers across the country. As Nigeria’s national telecom operator, Globacom remains committed to introducing more products, services, affordable tariffs and other unique initiatives that will add

value to the lives of its subscribers and reward them for their loyalty.”

The winners expressed gratitude as they collected their prizes.

According to Shittu Shodeinde, he was persuaded by his wife to participate in the promo.

“This is unexpected favour from God. I was actually enjoying the game because I was learning from the questions being asked everyday. Today, I am a multimillionaire ready to rule my world just because I am on the Glo network. Thank you Glo for changing my life”, he said.

On his part, Ifeanyi Ahuzuru, a trader in plastic wares who won N6 million in the promo said he was equally surprised and overwhelmed when he got a call that he had won millions in the promo. “I thank Glo very much for this gesture as I now have enough money to expand my trade in plastics where I reside in Ore, Ondo State”, he said.

Abideen Alao Abiodun, a trader in polythene bags who won N6 million also expressed surprise at winning such a huge amount. He said he was so happy to win after overcoming the initial scepticism by his wife.

“I am now an instant multimillionaire.

When I called my wife to tell her about the

Lynley Donnelly in her recent report titled ‘Development is SA’s weak spot’ published in South Africa based Mail & Guardian captures it thus: “Nigeria would overtake South Africa in terms of sheer economic size, thanks to its 160-milllion strong population and gross domestic product (GDP) figures that, like South Africa’s, were dominated by domestic consumption. In the next five years it will add another 23million people to its economy, although it has a lower per capita income than South Africa. Based on current growth rate forecasts of 7% a year and inflation of 10%, compared with South Africa’s growth rate of 3% a year and an average inflation of 6%, Standard Chartered estimated that Nigeria could overtake South Africa by 2018. But, if South Africa could grow at the rates seen before the financial crisis, it would not happen until 2038.” Donnelly was quoting Razia Khan, regional head of research for Africa at Standard Chartered Bank.

Nigeria technology transnational companies have emerged from one of the toughest economic climate to build blooming enterprises, and to enter new territories under different jurisdictions. As the home economy picks up steam, these companies are bound to get more strengthened with enhanced ability to access much needed funds and a storehouse of crucial accumulated experience to manage businesses in a fast changing African business setting. New transnationals will certainly emerge and there could be a flurry of Nigerian businesses taking the initiative to launch outside the borders as big players.

Already, Africa’s heftiest money bag, Aliko Dangote has paved the way in other sectors. The billionaire entrepreneur has his Dangote Group in more than 15 African countries.

It is no surprise that the Economist Group deemed it fitting to have Damgote and his fellow compatriots speak on the future of one of Africa’s toughest but most promising economies. What does government need to do to get things right. Fix power with other support infrastructures and ensure stable policy: business will boom and more homegrown transnationals will emerge.

Govt advisers to converge for ICT devt

N

•Otunba Adenuga

good news she was initially asking for the money I borrowed from her to buy recharge cards. But now I am thankful to God for this great blessing immediately after the Ramadan fasting. My thanks go to the Chairman of Glo, Otunba Mike Adenuga and the entire staff of the company”, he stated.

O fewer than 13 special advisers on Information Communication Technology (ICT) from 13 states are expected to lead delegations to this year’s Nigerian Telecoms Development lecture holding in Lagos in September.

The Chairman, Logica Media Group, organisers of the lecture, Otunde Biodun Ajiboye, said in a statement that ICT special advisers to the governors of 13 states had confirmed their willingness to lead a delegation of five members of the state’s ICT team each to the lectures. The states include Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Delta, Lagos and Oyo. He said the event had attracted many notable speakers from within and outside the business and political class. Some of the names expected to add value to the discussions at the lecture, he said, include Prof Wole Soyinka, Prof Molefi Kete Asante, Fr. Mathew Kukah, Mr Aig Aig Imhokuede, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr Donald Duke, Mr Babatunde Fashola, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, and Mr Marvel Akpoyibo, among others.

Ajiboye also said this year’s edition would host the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the Executive Commissioner, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Bashir Gwandu, who would be looking at ICT in governance and the entire telecoms market respectively.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

53

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

Market makers begin operations Sept. 18

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-9-12

M

ARKET makers will start their operations on September 18 with the commencement of a hybrid market system that allows them to provide two way quotes.

Also licensed brokers at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will continue with the current trading system.

The NSE had in April appointed 10 stockbrokers as market makers. These included Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers, Renaissance Capital, Future View Securities, Vetiva Capital, ESS/ DunnLoren Merrifield, WSTC Financial Services, Capital Bancorp, FBN Securities, Greenwich Securities and CSL Stockbrokers.

Market makers generally provide liquidity to securities through provision of bid and offer prices in the trading system of a stock exchange. Market makers can be categorised according to the level of liquidity supports they provide.

A primary market maker is regarded as the foremost liquidity provider of a particular security while the supplemental market maker acts as a supplementary liquidity provider.

The NSE yesterday said arrangements have been concluded for the take-off of the market making function

by September 18, 2012 with the approval of rules and regulations and internal pro-

•Equities gain N110b

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

cesses for the of initiative.

Head, transformation and change, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Olumide Lala, said market makers would play a central role in the provision of two-way quotes for the securities that they are making markets on.

According to him, they will leverage on the securities lending process to be able to borrow securities in order to settle ‘buy order imbalances’ from customers.

He noted that market making would provide for lending and borrowing of securities, which in return will enable investors to earn returns on their ‘idle’ stocks whilst contributing significantly to market liquidity and price efficiency through legitimate investment activity in covered short selling.

As part of activities to herald the initiative, NSE would facilitate a marketwide workshop on September 11, 2012 to intimate market stakeholders with the rules and operational guidelines for the programme.

More than 300 participants are expected to take part in the workshop including experts in market making, securities lending and short selling with other key capital market participants such as settlement banks, pension

fund administrators, insurance companies and quoted companies among others.

Meanwhile, the bullish rally at the Nigerian stock market gathered momentum yesterday with nearly three out of four share price movements putting more money into investors’ pockets.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities added N110 billion as widespread gains by stocks in the manufacturing, financial services and marketing businesses pushed total value of equities to N7.753 trillion as against its opening value of N7.643 trillion.

The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index at NSE, which also doubles as Nigeria’s country index, rallied 1.4 per cent from 24,012.57 points to 24,358.62 points. This pushed year-todate return at the stock market to 17.50 per cent.

Flour Mills of Nigeria recorded the highest gain of N2.88 to close at N60.65.

Lafarge Wapco Cement Nigeria followed with addition of N2.20 to close at N46.31 while Dangote Cement added N1.99 to close at N116.99.

On the other hand, Arbico led the losers with a drop of 57 kobo to close at N10.93.

Oando placed second with a loss of 29 kobo to close at N13.70 while Eterna dropped 11 kobo to close at N2.30.

Total turnover stood at 254.34 million shares valued at N2.20 billion in 4,292 deals. Banking sector accounted for 176.30 million shares worth N1.25 billion in 2,316 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-9-12

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

T

HE price of petrol may be raised in 2013, analysts at the Renaissance Capital (RenCap), an investment and research firm have said.

RenCap said it is almost certain that the price of petrol will rise, adding that there was strengthening of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the second quarter of 2012, compared with the first quarter.

It predicted a dampening effect of the July 1 tariff hikes on imported grain to have been more pronounced on Household final Consumption Expenditure (HCE), in the third quarter of 2012, given the larger share of people affected.

“We expect the upcoming main harvest that largely falls in fourth quarter to provide a

RenCap predicts petrol hike in 2013 Stories by Collins Nweze

moderate lift to HCE. But we think this is likely to be shortlived, given our assumption of another petrol price hike in 2013,” it said.

The firm said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had released second quarter 2012 GDP by production data that showed year on year growth strengthened to 6.6 per cent from 6.2 per cent in first quarter of 2012. Also, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) quarterly GDP by expenditure data for 2007 to 2011, released for the first time on 26 August, would provide more frequent

ent and GDP, when PFCE is theoretically a function of GDP. It listed production, expenditure and income approaches as the three ways of measuring GDP. The production approach he said is the most common for measuring quarterly GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the income approach the least common.

The production approach shows the industry composition of growth, providing a useful perspective on economic performance.

Measuring GDP by type of expenditure shows final demand for goods and services,

insight into demand in the economy.

According to the report tagged : Nigeria-GDP by expenditure- Getting a measure of household consumption”, RenCap said previously, only annual GDP by expenditure data were available. “After reviewing the release, we found the year on year growth of private final consumption expenditure (PFCE), which makes up 60 per cent of GDP, to be especially volatile, compared with year on year GDP growth,” it said.

This, it said, explained the volatility of the PFCE growth and the lack of correlation between the expenditure constitu-

Nigeria, South Africa debt enters global indices in Oct

T

HE local debt of Nigeria and South Africa is expected to enter indices tracked by global and emerging market debt investors in October.

This makes the debt available to a wider pool of buyer at a time Russia and China are opening up their local debt markets to foreign investors.

South Africa will join Citi’s World Government Bond Index, benchmarked by $2 trillion in international funds, in October, when Nigeria is expected to join JP Morgan’s local emerging GBIEM series, benchmarked by around $170 billion of assets.

“There is clear demand to own these assets, for diversification and for the potential to pick up higher yields,” said Luis Costa, emerging markets strategist at Citi.

Reuters report said International investors who

have long complained of limited choice in emerging market assets are now finding that local currency debt markets from Nigeria to China are becoming more accessible.

Foreign holdings of local government bonds have nearly tripled in Mexico and nearly doubled in South Africa since 2007, according to JP Morgan,

and these index and regulatory changes are likely to increase foreign holdings further.

Core debt markets in the euro zone, United States and Japan are offering tiny or even negative yields, helping emerging market bond funds to post net inflows of $30 billion this year, according to Boston-based fund tracker EPFR.

Citi estimates up to $7.5 billion will flow to South Africa’s bond market over the next couple of years due to its inclusion in the WGBI index, whose 23 existing countries include emerging markets Mexico, Malaysia and Poland.

“Nigerian T-bills trade at 14 per cent, that’s a fantastic pick-up in rates over the core.”

cluding: Agribusiness, telecommunications, mining, energy, financial markets, infrastructure development, hotel & tourism among others.

“The Nigeria-Arab Business Forum will provide Arab organisations the opportunity to explore investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria, as well as give African organisations opportunity for strategic partnerships, finance

and joint venture collaborations that will help grow their economies,” it said.

Participation includes senior business executives from Africa, the international business community from industry, government institutions and strategic investors. “The forum is a perfect place to meet your potential business partners and place your business on international limelight,” it added.

Nigeria - Arab business holds in Dubai

T

HE Nigeria - Arab Business forum will be holding from November 6 to 7, 2012 in Dubai. The forum is targeted at presenting Sub-Saharan Africa as an investment destination for Arab companies, as well as promoting further business collaboration between Arab and African countries.

A statement from Vicapital Limited said the event will focus on key African sectors in-

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 5-8-12 SYMBOL

NAHCO UBN DANGSUGAR WAPCO FLOURMILL CADBURY INTBREW ASHAKACEM CCNN MAYBAKER

O/PRICE

5.60 5.61 4.41 44.11 57.77 19.67 9.24 10.20 4.12 1.45

C/PRICE

5.88 5.89 4.63 46.31 60.65 20.65 9.70 10.70 4.32 1.52

O/PRICE 11.50 2.03 0.85 2.41 0.69 0.73 1.38 2.67 1.15 13.99

C/PRICE 10.93 1.93 0.81 2.30 0.66 0.70 1.33 2.58 1.12 13.70

ing the Real Sector, Issues and Resolutions, Corporate Governance Ethics and Professionalism. There will also be discussions on Raising the Moral Barometre and Fostering an Effective Intra-African Trade, The Way Forward.

Others expected to address the Conference are Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; Founder, Visafone Communication Ltd and Former Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia among others.

The highlight of the Conference will be the Special Dinner on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 which will be address by Minister of Trade and Investment, Segun Aganga. President/ Chairman of Council, CIBN, Segun Aina, will be the Chief Host.

CHANGE 0.57 0.10 0.04 0.11 0.03 0.03 0.05 0.09 0.03 0.29

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

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

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

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

CHANGE

0.28 0.28 0.22 2.20 2.88 0.98 0.46 0.50 0.20 0.07

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12

LOSERS AS AT 5-8-12

SYMBOL ARBICO LONGMAN DNMEYER ETERNA UTC IPWA LIVESTOCK REDSTAREX IKEJAHOTEL OANDO

T

HE Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister for Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will on Tuesday, September 11, declare open the Annual Banking and Finance Conference being organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

The programme holds at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The conference with the theme “Transformation of the African Economy: Financial Services Industry as Catalyst’’ is organised by the CIBN in collaboration with Alliance of African Institutes of Bankers and expected to attract participants from across the globe.

Issues to be discussed during the conference include Embedding e-banking Habits, Prospects and Challenges; Financ-

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Currency OBB Rate Call Rate

Okonjo-Iweala, Sanusi to address banking confab

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

•Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

and is useful for economic analysis. He said the expenditure approach is less common than the production approach among countries that compile quarterly GDP data, because of problems of availability, timing, valuation and coverage of expenditure source data.

“One of the biggest problems is the timing of recording of information – government and international trade data are typically well covered by quarterly figures, but the timing of recording of data is often inconsistent with the GDP requirements.

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 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

56

NEWS THE IBADAN MARKET FIRE

•One of the victims, identified as Sarafa, in tears and being consoled by sympathisers as his wares go up in flames...yesterday

•A section of the shops before the arrival of fire fighters

•The scene of the inferno

Millions gone as fire razes Ibadan market RADERS at the popular Labawo Market, Ogunpa, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State were in tears yesterday.

Their warepoints, including four buildings and 50 stalls were ravaged by fire.

Gone in the dawn inferno were properties estimated at several millions of naira.

However, there was no life lost in the fire that erased the means of livelihood of many The market, reputed for all sorts of chemicals, leather and building materials, is situated in Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area of the state.

The fire, which began at about 9am, gutted four houses, including three bungalows and a storey building.

About 50 shops, stocked with assorted materials like household furniture and other goods were destroyed.

The buildings had their roofs, windows and ceilings badly affected. Tthe chemical section as well as the shops of those selling keys, padlocks and paints, were razed.

Many of the shop owners wailed uncontrollably, rolling on the ground.

Helpless, they watched on as the fire spread from one shop to the other.

T •Owners of some shops and rescue operators salvaging some goods from the scene

•Sympathisers all... at the scene... yesterday shows some sympathisers at the scene of the infeno

•Four buildings, 50 shops affected From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Some of them made frantic efforts to alert their neighbours, who were yet to open for the day’s business.

Youths, forming themselves into a rescue team, were able to salvage some itemss before fire fighters from the Oyo State Fire Service and some sympathizers arrived at the scene to put out the fire.

The fire fighters, who came in four trucks, battled for several hours before they succeeded in putting it off.

There were complaints of water shortage.

Mr. Kareem Oyegunle Gafari, the Director of Fire Service in the Pacesetter State, promised to investigate the cause of the fire.

According to him, the cause could not be ascertained immediately .

But an eye witness alleged that the fire broke out as one of the traders tried to fill a plastic container with chemical gum The witness said: “A trader in the chemical section is trying to fill a customer’s jerry can with gum and suddenly, fire broke out. And you know, there are lots of explosives in the area.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

57

NEWS Fuel scarcity hits Delta From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

T :Anambra State Commissioner of Police Bala Nassarawa showing Governor Peter Obi the cache of ammunition recovered from kidnappers/armed robbers at Ifite, Oraifite... yesterday.

Bayelsa monarch relives ordeal with kidnappers

T

HE 70-year-old monarch of Okordia Clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, King Richard Seiba, who was released last Monday by his kidnappers, yesterday relived his ordeal with his captors.

Seiba was kidnapped in his palace by gunmen on August 26. He spent nine days with his captors before he was freed on Monday.

Speaking with reporters, the monarch said he was stripped of the privileges of his position.

He said: “I was forcibly taken away from my home to an unknown location close to the sea. My captors flogged me with tree branches and hit my head with a torch.

By Shola O’Neil

“They said they had been paid N50 million to eliminate me by some persons in my kingdom, whom they refused to disclose. They asked how much I was willing to pay in exchange for my life and I said N10 million, but they rejected it. They insisted that I must pay $150 million (about N2.3 billion), an amount I have never seen in my entire life.”

Attributing his release to “divine intervention”, Seiba said his abductors threatened to kill him several times during the ransom negotiation with his family.

He said at a point, he decided to fast and pray, but his action infuriated the hoodlums, who subjected him to

‘My captors flogged me with tree branches and hit my head with a torch.

They said they had been paid N50 million to eliminate me...’ worse treatment until they abandoned him in the creeks and asked him to find his way home.

Seiba’s captors had earlier demanded N50 million ransom for his release, before it

T

‘ITV has always been at the forefront of electronic broadcasting in Nigeria and with the inauguration of this satellite channel, our horizon will be broadened’ From Osagie Otabor, Benin

the global community.

“ITV has always been in the forefront of electronic broadcasting in Nigeria and with the inauguration of this satellite channel, our horizon will be broadened.”

Board Chairman, ITV/Radio, Lady Celerina Ojomo said the launch of the satellite channel would contribute to the growth of Edo State.

must have been aware that the payment was a set-up. They backed out of the deal at the last minute.”

The monarch was freed barely 48 hours after the failed meeting.

The police said no ransom was paid.

A source from the Joint Task Force (Operation Pulo Shield) said the kidnappers released the monarch because they knew security operatives were getting closer to them.

Commissioner of Police Kingsley Omire refused to claim the glory for the monarch’s release. Rather, he attributed it to luck and divine intervention.

Omire said security operatives are on the heels of the kidnappers.

Oyerinde’s widow: my son keeps asking after his father

ITV goes on satellite HE Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, has launched his satellite television channel, Independent Television (ITV), in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Igbinedion said the channel can be viewed in 101 countries.

He said the launch was to beat the 2015 deadline for Tv and radio stations to go digital.

Igbinedion said he established ITV and radio to advance the cause of his people.

On his achievements, the businessman, who will turn 78 on September 11, said he has invested in various sectors of the economy.

Igbinedion said: “I have been the first in many things.

I established a plant for the production of soft drinks to create jobs for Edo people. In 1966, the 15 motor companies in Nigeria were owned by expatriates. My company, Mid-motors, was No. 16.

“I initiated the establishment of private universities and I thank former President Ibrahim Babaginda for listening to me. As for private broadcasting, our channel is the first commercial channel to be launched on Intelsat’s New Dawn Satellite. Edo State can now be projected to

was later reduced to N15 million.

It was gathered that the hands of Seiba’s family were tied when Governor Seriake Dickson ordered that no ransom should be paid to the kidnappers.

Last weekend, Seiba’s wife was invited by the police, following reports that the family was planning to pay the ransom.

It was gathered that the monarch’s son, Glory, who was accompanied by security agents, was at the point of handing over the money to the hoodlums at a location around Kaiama, when the kidnappers developed cold feet.

A source close to the family said: “The kidnappers

From, Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

•The late Oyerinde

F

OUR months after the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the Private Principal Secretary to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, his wife, Funmi, yesterday described him as “a great man”.

Oyerinde was killed on May 4 at his home in Benin, the state capital, by gunmen.

When The Nation asked his wife how she was coping, Mrs. Oyerinde, in a low tone, said:

“By God’s grace, we are fine.

The state government has been very supportive. I am coping well.

“My husband was a great man, we had no problems. He cared about his children and me. He never raised his voice on anyone.

“The children miss him, especially the young boy, Adams. I always feel bad whenever he asks after his father. He keeps asking ‘when will daddy come?’.”

The police and the State Security Service (SSS) arrested two groups of suspects in connection with Oyerinde’s murder.

The suspects held by the Edo Police Command include a rights activist.

Those arrested by the SSS are Mohammed Abdullahi,

Raymond Origbo and Chikezie Edeh.

The SSS said Oyerinde was murdered by the trio during a robbery, but the police insist that the suspects in their custody were hired to kill Oyerinde.

The late Oyerinde was born in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. He attended the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication.

He started his career in trade unionism with the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria. The late Oyerinde was once the Chairman of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) in Lagos State.

In 2001, he joined the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

The late Oyerinde was the NLC Deputy General-Secretary before he took a leave of absence to work with Oshiomhole.

Security key to tourism growth, says Imoke

C

ROSS River State Governor Liyel Imoke has said security is important in the promotion of tourism.

Imoke spoke in Calabar, the state capital, while hosting the new Assistant Inspec-

tor-General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 6, Mr. Muktari Ibrahim.

He said the state’s economy is driven by tourism and the only way to grow it is to ensure security at all times.

Describing Ibrahim as a

seasoned and dedicated police officer, Imoke urged him to sustain the peace in Calabar, which is the headquarters of Zone 6.

He said he hoped Ibrahim’s posting to the zone would ensure that Cross River main-

tains its status as the most peaceful state in Nigeria.

Imoke said his administration would continue to assist the police.

Ibrahim assured the governor that he would maintain the peace in the state.

HERE is fuel scarcity in Delta State. This has left many filling stations across the state shut.

The few that have fuel have hiked the price of petrol from the approved pump price of N97 to between N100 and N150, leading to an increase in fares.

Only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega stations are selling petrol at N97 per litre.

Some independent petroleum marketers, who pleaded for anonymity, blamed the situation on the breakdown of the Warri Refining and Petro-Chemical Company (WRPC).

According to them, supplies are brought from Port Harcourt and Lagos at a higher cost.

They urged the Federal Government to resuscitate the Warri Refinery.

Robbers kill two in Port Harcourt From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

A

RMED robbers yesterday killed two persons in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

A policeman was injured.

It was learnt that the gunmen stole over N10 million from their victims.

The incident occurred between 8 and 9am on the Isaac Boro Park Flyover in Mile One. It was learnt that the robbers trailed the victims, who were in a Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), from a bank on Aba Road and shot them when they got to the flyover.

Sources said the robbers escaped with the money, which was in two Ghanamust-go bags.

A policeman, who tried to foil the robbery, was injured by the hoodlums.

An eyewitness said the booming of guns caused traders, motorists and passersby under the flyover to run for safety.

Police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam confirmed the incident.

He said the police are on the trail of the robbers.

Ugwuegbulam said the injured policeman has been treated.

15 suspected assassins held From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

T

HE police in Delta State have arrested 15 suspected assassins.

The suspects were arrested in a hotel at Okwe in Oshimili South Local Government Area, during a meeting.

A source said documents containing the names of prominent politicians marked for elimination before the 2015 general elections were found on the suspects.

The Nation gathered that the suspects would be transferred to the Police Headquarters in Abuja.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

59

NEWS

ACN, Abia govt disagree on demolition

T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Abia State has criticised the state government’s plan to demolish 1,800 houses built on the waterways in Aba. The party said the demolition would bring untold hardship to the people.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Offor Okorie, ACN said: “There is nothing wrong with the government tackling flood in the city, but a more advance way should be used to do that, not by demolishing people’s houses and pushing

From Ugochukwu UgojiEke, Umuahia

them into untold hardship.

“If the government is sure that the 1,800 houses were illegally built, the governor should provide the survey plan for the areas within 48 hours, so that people will know he is saying the truth.”

Okorie urged Governor Theodore Orji to think of how to improve the standard of living of the people, instead of adding to their sufferings.

He advised the governor to focus on projects that

would impact positively on the lives of Aba residents, instead of re-roofing public buildings, painting roads and sand-filling potholes.

Okorie said the ACN would alleviate the people’s suffering “when it takes take over the Government House in 2015”.

The state government said there is no going back on the demolition.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, said: “People have been building houses on drains for a long time,

thereby causing flooding.

Government will not go back on the decision to demolish those houses. Previous governments lacked the will to do what Orji is about doing in Aba. Here is a governor who is ready to take the bull by the horns and clean up the state, and the ACN is trying to score cheap political points. The state government will not succumb to cheap blackmail.

“What is important is that Abians are supporting this bold move by Orji. ACN could not suggest an alternative; instead, it is talking of

Civil groups seek Imo Speaker’s removal From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

T •Orji an advance method. What is the advance option? ACN’s advise lacks merit.”

Rift over ownership of Anambra oil blocks deepens

T

HE rift over the ownership of the major oil blocks that will feed the new Orient Petroleum Refinery in Anambra State is yet to be settled.

Tension is building up at border communities between Enugu, Kogi and Anambra states, following the designation of Anambra as an oil producing state by the Federal Government.

President Goodluck Jonathan had, during the inauguration of Orient Petroleum Plc in Anambra last week, declared the state an oil producing state.

Immediately after the declaration, Kogi State claimed that the oil blocks belong it.

Three communities in Enugu also laid claims to the oil wells.

The communities; Ojjor, Iggah and Asaba, in a state-

From Chris Oji, Enugu

ment yesterday, accused the Enugu State Government of being indifferent about the oil wells.

But the state government said it was still negotiating with Orient Petroleum Plc. The statement by the communities, signed by Comrade Jude Ibeagha, Stan Madubia and Chris Okpe, reads: “We are indeed shocked and pained by the recent happenings revolving around the oil wells located in our place.

“We describe as glaring injustice and bare-faced gangsterism, a situation where Anambra politicians have arm-twisted our people and claimed ownership of oil wells located in Enugu State.

“For the avoidance of

doubt, the oil wells in the three oil blocs in Ojjor, Iggah and Asaba communities provide the bulk of the crude oil supply to the Orient Refinery.

“Our anger is even more at the Enugu State government for its nonchalant attitude in safeguarding the oil blocs. Like a man who pursues rat while his house is on fire, the Enugu State government has continued to treat this issue with levity as against the seriousness it deserves.

“We are not afraid or incapable of protecting the oil wells, but we have been calm, owing to assurances from some highly placed govermment officials that the matter was being sorted out. ”However, the recent designation of Anambra as

an oil producing state is an obvious indication that the Enugu government never made any serious move.

“It is equally noteworthy that unlike its Kogi counterpart, no serious public statement had come from the Enugu government concerning this matter.

“We are compelled to think that there is a serious gang up and compromise in many quarters.

“We are giving the state government two weeks to take concrete steps on this matter, else we shall mobilise our people to occupy the affected areas. The occupy protest shall be the first stage of our struggle.

After that, we shall enter the second stage, which we shall make known soon.

“We are a non-violent people, but we should not be

N5000: NMA kicks as CDHR, CNPP call for Sanusi’s sack

Govt lifts DANA Air’s suspension Continued from page 2

rently reflecting, Air Nigeria which has suspended operations to reorganise and one of the domestic carriers, which took its aircraft overseas for major repairs, leaving passengers with the choice among Aero airlines, Arik air and IRS airlines.

A cross section of passengers who reacted to the lifting of the ban yesterday described it as a welcome development, as the three existing carriers namely could not provide the needed services for the available capacity on all routes.

The passengers however called on DANA Air to consider changing the aircraft in their fleet to other types other than MD 83, because of the serious safety integrity issues raised about the aircraft type.

Demuren stated yesterday that one major challenge the airline has to grapple with is the homogeneity of its aircraft type, which will subject it to

serious scrutiny.

With yesterday,s lifting of it’s suspension, DANA Air has made history as the only airline in Nigeria to have its suspension lifted after it crashed without complete payment of insurance claims to families of victims.

Other carriers that have crashed in the past including Sosoliso Airlines and ADC Airlines are yet to be considered for resumption of operations on reasons bordering on inability to pay insurance claims.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), yesterday gave reasons why only 62 families have been paid the mandatory $30,000 after the crash, insisting that delay in identification of the victims, slow pace of documentation by the relevant bodies and multiple claims by the families, accounts for the inability of the airline to pay the remaining 91 families, including foreigners.

The NCAA Director Gener-

al, Dr Harold Demuren, explained that the insurers and officials of DANA Air, have to be sure that all legal issues are sorted out before the insurance compensation is paid to the right persons, as the airline and the insurers have faced challenges of multiple claims among the families of victims.

Demuren attributed the delay in the payment of the outstanding $70,000 to issues on getting death certificates, letter of administrator and other legal issues.

He spoke after a meeting with insurers of the airline and the national insurance commission of Nigeria , affirming that the full insurance cover of the crashed airline and aircraft is not in doubt, even as he said the right steps have to be taken to ensure that what has to be done is done properly.

Demuren explained that the money is already in place to for the insurers to meet the obligation, but had to ensure that

Continued from page 2

•Demuren

all parties to the compensation are adequately carried along to avoid legal issues that may arise.

He said some families have already sued the airline across the globe to claim damages, saying the regulator will ensure that all that has to be dome must be taken care of, before the airline resumes operations.

Gunmen attack MTN, Airtel masts in Kano, Borno, Bauchi Continued from page 2

damage to the installations is minimal.

Security personnel have been deployed in all installations of service providers to tighten security in and around their facilities.

Security operatives held meetings yesterday at their Giginyu headquarters with operators, apparently on the development and on how best to handle the situation.

It was gathered from sources that the terror gang had threatened to attack service providers over their alleged role in the successful

attack on their members by security agents.

Police spokesman ASP Magaji Musa Majia declined comments. He said only Police Commissioner Ibrahim Idris was competent to speak on the matter.

An explosion at the base of a telecom mast on Tuesday night in Bauchi metropolis injured one person.

An unexploded Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was defused by the Anti-Bomb squad of the police.

Police spokesman Hassan Mohammed Auyo con-

firmed the incident but did not give details.

A senior security operatives told our correspondent: “As far as we are concerned, the incident was a failed attempt because we had information about the plan by hoodlums to attack some places. And we have taken good measures by deploying a combined team of armed soldiers, police and other security personnel to guard every identified flashpoint to ensure they do not get the chance to attack any target.

pushed to the wall. Earlier this year, one of us lost his life to this struggle, as he was shot dead by security agents.

We cannot be intimidated by anybody. Even if only one of us remains, that person shall fight this injustice to the end.”

The government said although it is still negotiating with Orient Petroleum, the company “seems not to be sincere in its dealings with us.”

Governor Sullivan Chime’s media aide said: “It is not true that we are lousy over the issue or we are lagging behind. The fact is that we are pursuing it accordingly and not by noise making.”

The government assured the communities that it would not fold its arms over the issue.

HE Campaign for Democracy (CD), Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and other civil society groups have accused the Imo State House of Assembly of poor representation.

CD Southeast Chairman Mr. Dede Uzor called for the impeachment of the Speaker of the House, Mr. Benjamin Uwajumogu, stating that the inability of the lawmakers to check the alleged excesses of the Executive was responsible for the chaos in the state.

CD said the Assembly has failed in its function as the watchdog of the Executive, adding that “the lawmakers are rubber stamps and have connived with the state government to perpetrate illegalities at the detriment of the electorate, who voted them into power.”

The group said the lawmakers have not made any law that impacts positively on the people, but have been engulfed in partisan politics.

It said the speaker’s refusal to swear in a member-elect because he is of an opposition party is the height of lawlessness.

Acting CLO National President Uche Durueke challenged the House to prove that it is not an adjunct of the Executive, maintaining that the lawmakers have become stooges of the Executive.

“A security man who was guarding the place was on the alert and the mast building was intact, except the metal door to the facility that slightly injured the security guard. He was treated and discharged, it was learnt.

Masts were attacked in Yobe state’s main cities Damaturu the state capital and Potiskom, the commercial city.

Sporadic gundshots were heard in the cities as service of Airtel were disrupted.

try’s resources in such an unprofitable venture, such should be channeled into viable poverty reduction schemes to alleviate the sufferings of toiling Nigerians.

Worried by the growing insecurity in the country, the Association pushed for the liberalization of Nigeria’s policy on gun ownership in order to ensure Nigerians protect themselves by having access to guns.

“The prevalent forms of insecurity in Nigeria include kidnapping, armed robbery, ethno-religious crisis, settler-indigene conflicts, cultism, and terrorism. The Association calls on local, state and federal governments to improve security measures within public hospitals. In particular, the NEC calls for the establishment of police post/station in each public hospital/health facility as they have become ready targets of kidnappers and criminals. It will also curb the rising assault of health care workers by patients and their relations in the course of their duty within the hospital premises.”

On the need for Nigerians to have access to guns, he said: “NMA calls on government to liberalise the policy of gun ownership in Nigeria. The issue of insecurity has defiled all solutions by the present and past governments. ”Hoodlums and criminals feel that they have advantage because of their guns but they are scared of going near other Nigerians who al-

ready have possession of such weapons. This will help to curb the atrocities being committed by these criminals.” He stated Claiming that the Prof. Julius Okojie-led National University Commission (NUC) is bent on destroying medical education and practice in Nigeria, he said “NMA rejects in totality this orchestrated agenda of NUC against the medical profession and will do everything lawful to protect the medical profession and the health of the citizens of Nigeria. ”The NUC should come out openly to tell Nigerians why it thinks Medicine should be taught and practiced with unsuitable and inadequate qualifications. In the next couple of weeks, the NMA will publish data to prove to the whole nation and world that the NUC is out to unduly harm the medical profession.”

The Association urged President Jonathan and the Minister of Education, Prof.

Ruqayyah Rufai, to urgently call Prof. Julius Okojie and NUC to order in avert an avoidable crisis in the country.

Recalling the tragic death of Miss Cybthia Osokogu, the Association urged the Federal Government to strictly enforce Prescription Rights in Nigeria.

It urged NAFDAC, State and Federal Governments to ban indiscriminate advertisements of medical /herbal products to halt rising medical complications from such drugs.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

60

NEWS U.S. DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

‘Change takes time’ Text of a speech delivered by United States First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina...on Tuesday night.

W

ITH your help — with your help. Let me — let me start. I want to start by thanking Elaine. Elaine, thank you so much. We are so grateful for your family’s service and sacrifice. And we will always have your back.

Over the past few years as first lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of travelling all across this country.

And everywhere I have gone and the people I’ve met and the stories I’ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit.

I’ve seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown in me and my family especially our girls.

I’ve seen it in teachers in a near bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay. I — I have seen it in people become heroes at a moment’s notice, diving into harm’s way to save others, flying across the country to put out a fire, diving for hours to bail out a town. And, I’ve seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military families.

In — in wounded warriors who tell me they are not just going to walk again, they are going to run and they are going to run marathons.

In the young men blinded by a bomb in Afghanistan who said simply, “I’d give my eyes and 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done, and what I can still do’’.

Every day, the people I meet inspire me. Every day they make me proud.

Every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth.

Serving as your first lady is an honour and a privilege.

But, back when we first came together four years ago, I still had some concerns about this journey we’d begun.

While I believe it if we dig deeply in my husband’s vision for this country, and I was certain he would make an extraordinary president, like any mother, I was worried about what it would mean for our girls if he got that chance.

How would we keep them ground-

•Mrs. Obama...yesterday

ed under the glare of the national spotlight? How would they feel being uprooted from their school, their friends and the only home they’d ever known?

See our life before moving to Washington was filled with simple joys. Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandma’s house, and a date night for Barack and me with either dinner or a movie because as an exhausted mom, I couldn’t stay awake for both.

And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls. And I deeply love the man I built that life with and I did not want that to change if he became president.

I loved Barack just the way he was.

You see, even back then, when Barack was a Senator and presidential candidate, to me, he was still the guy who picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by in a hole in the passenger side door.

He was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he’d found in a dumpster.

And whose only pair of decent was half a size too small.

But see when — when Barack started telling me about his family, see now that’s when I knew I’d found in him a kindred spirit.

Someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine.

You see Barack and I were both raised by families that did not have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable: their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves.

My father was a pump operator at the city water plant, and he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and my brother and I were young. And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days when he was in pain. And I knew there were plenty of mornings when it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed.

But every morning I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself against the sink and slowly shave and button his uniform.

And when he returned home after a long day’s work, my brother and I would stand at the top of the stairs of our apartment, patiently waiting to greet him, watching as he reached down to lift one leg and then the other to slowly climb his way into our arms. But despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work. He and my mum were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of.

And when my brother and I finally made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants, but my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself, and every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taking out loans when he fell short. He was so proud to be sending his kids to college and he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late.

You see, for my dad, that is what it meant to be a man.

Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success in life. Being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family. And as I got to know Barack, I realise that even though he had grown up all the way across the country, he had been brought up just like me.

•Asiwaju Tinubu applauding the speech delivered by Mrs. Obama... on Tuesday.

Bill Clinton billed to stir convention

F

ORMER American President Bill Clinton last night took his turn to address party members at the ongoing convention of the National Democratic Party.

He charged frenzied party members on a victory march against Republican rival Mitt Romney.

Analysts were predicting a compelling and powerful speech that would compress First Lady Michelle Obama overnight Tuesday speech that has kept media reeling in dizzying applause.

Clinton delivered his speech while Nigerians were asleep.

President Barrack Obama came into town yesterday causing the police to tighten security and leading to an influx of more participants that has raised cost of hotel rooms by a 100 percent. The quiet town of Charlotte has been in loud ovation since Tuesday when the Democrats lit up the city with powerful speeches in what an observer described as a “speech shooting event”.

Notable speakers include San Antonio, Mayor Julian Castro and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. Both fired salvo to checkmate Republican Party’s harsh rhetorics in the battle for the White House. Also, Governors O’Mailley of Maryland and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland backed up the fireworks with fiery speeches.

But the most unforgettable speech came from the most unexpected source: Michelle Obama. Expected to portray the soft, kindler face of the presidency of her husband, Michelle surprised thousands of participants including Nigeria’s main opposition leader Bola Tinubu when she hit hard on how her husband’s drive to rebuild the economy, manifests his life-long vocation of lifting the poor out of poverty to prosperity.

Tinubu said: “It is a speech from the heart, it is a speech that every American, no matter his status, will identify with. It is well written but the real icing on the cake is that it was well delivered.”

Tinubu, emeritus governor of Nigeria’s most industrialized state, Lagos, is attending the event with a strong delegation of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)including the Governir of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Lagos State House of Assembly, Speaker Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji , former Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake and Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Decelopment Area, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan and the Media Adviser to Asiwaju Tinubu Mr. Sunday Dare.

In mackintosh overalls, Democrats had defied evening drizzle Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina and moved en-masse to the Time Warner Hall where the event is taking place.

Barack was raised by a single mum who struggled to pay bills and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help.

Barack’s grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank. She moved quickly up the ranks, but like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling.

And for years, men no more qualified than she was, men she actually trained, were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning more and more money while Barack’s family continue to scrape by.

But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the bus, arriving at work before anyone else, giving her best without complaint or regret.

And she would often tell Barack, “So long as you kids do well Bar, that is all that really matters.’’ Like so many American families, our families weren’t asking for much. They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success or care that others had much more than they did. In fact, they admired it. They simply believed in that fundamental American promise — that even if you don’t

start out with much, if you work hard and do what you are supposed to do, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. That’s how they raised us.

That’s what we learned from their example. We learned about dignity and decency. That how hard you work matters more than how much you make.

That helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.

We learned about honesty and integrity. That the truth matters. That you don’t take shortcuts are played by your own set of rules.

And success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square. We learned about gratitude and humility . That so many people had a hand in our success from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean.

And we were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect. Those are the values that Barack and I and so many of you are trying to pass on to our own children.

That’s who we are. And standing be-

fore you four years ago, I knew that I did not want any of that to change if Barack became president. Well today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, and I have seen firsthand that being president does not change who you are. No, it reveals the who you are.

You see, I have gotten to see up close and personal what being president really looks like, and I’ve seen how the issues that come across a president’s desk are always the hard ones.

You know, the problems where no amount of data are members will get you to the right answer. The judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error. And as president, you are going to get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people, but at the end of the day when it comes time to make that decision as president, all you have to guide you are your values and your vision and the life experiences that make you who you are.

So when it comes to rebuilding our economy, Barack is thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother. He’s thinking about the pride that comes from a hard day’s work.

That is why he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work.

That is why he cut taxes for working families at small businesses and fought to get the industry back on its feet.

That’s how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again. Jobs you can raise a family on, good jobs. Right here in the United States of America.

When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day. Another president. He didn’t care whether it was the easy thing to do politically. That is not how he was raised. He cared that it was the right thing to do.

He — he did it because he believed that here in America, our grandparents should be able to afford their medicine.

Our kids should be able to see a doctor when they’re sick. And no one in this country should ever go broke because of an accident or an illness.

And he believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care.

That is what my husband stands for.

When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and so many of you, he never could have attended college without financial aid.

And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.

Continued on page 61

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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NEWS

Two killed in Plateau T T

HE Plateau State Police Command yesterday confirmed that gunmen have killed two persons in attacks on some villages in Barkin-Ladi Local Government.

The command’s spokesman, Mr. Abuh Emmanuel, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that one of the attacks occurred on Tuesday at Raku village where Mr. Danjuma Adamu was killed in the bush where he had gone to fetch firewood.

“In the second attack, gunmen opened fire on two women standing outside their homes at Sho village.

“One of them, Ruth Emmanuel, later died in hospital. The other victim, Helen Samuel, is on admission in an undisclosed hospital,” he said.

The police spokesman advised people to go about their duties as security had been tightened up. He added that everyone must be on the alert.

“The command will be happy to receive more information from the public that will help rid Plateau of criminals and terrorists.”

Emmanuel urged reporters not to report rumours, adding that unconfirmed reports had the tendency to worsen the situation.

He said: “Our friends in the media must make efforts to confirm whatever they are told. We are working together and should exercise caution in the interest of the public.”

HERE was anxiety yesterday over the alleged health of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

She was absent at yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. There was no official reason for her absence.

An online news agency says Mrs. Alison-Madueke is in London for medical reasons, but this was could not be confirmed yesterday.

The online news agency, Sahara reporters reported on Wednesday that Mrs. AlisonMadueke was receiving treatment in a London hos-

Disquiet over Diezani Madueke’s health From Vincent Ikuomola and John Ofikhenua, Abuja

pital.

The same news media reported also that First Lady, Patience Jonathan had been flown overseas for medical attention Attempts to get information on Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s whereabouts did not yield results. The Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Fidel Pepple , who spoke with The Nation said “ I don’t

speak for the ministry. I can give you the spokesperson’s number.”

Her spokesman, Mr. Kingsley Agha, was evasive as he told our Abuja correspondent that he could not talk because he was himself on admission in a hospital.

On receiving the call, after this reporter introduced himself to the spokesman, Agha simply said: “l am on admission in the hospital. I am not well, please.”

Premium Times yesterday reported the minister was hospitalized in London over an undisclosed ailment.

Impeachment notice: Taraba PDP HE Chairman of the to intervene

T

•The General Manager, HAWTHORN Suites, Paul Murry (second left) and Managing Director, HAWTHORN Suites, Faruk Aliyu (third left), presenting drugs to the President, Sickle Cell Club, Abuja, Dr. Tamunomieibi Wakama and Vice President, Victoria Joshua, during the presentation of drugs and partnership with the Sicle Cell Club in Abuja.

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

‘Change takes time’ •Continued from page 60 And that’s why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid, and keep interest rates down because he wants every young person to attend college without a mountain of debt.

So, in the end for Barack, these issues are not political.

They’re personal. Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. Barack knows the American dream because he’s lived it.

And he wants everyone in this country, everyone to have the same opportunity no matter who we are or where we are from or what we look like or who we love.

And he believes that when you work hard and done well and walk through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.

No, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that help you succeed.

So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character and his convictions and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.

He is the same man who started his career by turning down high- paying jobs and instead of working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shutdown, fighting to rebuild communities and get folks back to work. Because for Barack,

success isn’t about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people’s lives.

He is the same man — he is the same man when our girls were first born, would anxiously checked their cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to everyone we knew. You see, that’s the man who sit down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every night, patiently answering questions about issues in the news, strategizing about middle school friendships. That’s the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, pouring over the letters people have sent him. The letter from the father struggling to pay his bills. From the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care. From the young people with some much promise but so few opportunities.

And I see the concern in his eyes, and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, “You won’t believe what these folks are going through Michelle. It’s not right. We have got to keep working to fix this. We have so much more to do.’’

I see how those stories...

AUDIENCE: Four more years!

OBAMA: I see how those stories, our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams, I see how that’s what drives Barack Obama every single day. And I did not think it was possible, but let me tell you today, I love my husband even more than I

did four years ago. Even more than I did 23 years ago when we first met.

Let me tell you why — I love that he has never forgotten how he started. I love that we can trust Barack to do what he says he is going to do, even when it is hard, especially when it’s hard. I love that for Barack, there is no such thing as us and them.

He doesn’t care whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above. He knows that we all love our country, and he is always ready to listen to good ideas, he is always looking for the very best in everyone he meets. And I love that even in the toughest moments, when we’re all sweatin’ it — when we’re worried that the bill won’t pass, and it seems like all is lost, see Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and noise. No, just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace.

And he reminds me — he reminds me that we are playing a long game here, and that change is hard, and change is low and never happens all at once, but eventually we get there, we always do. We get there because of folks like my dad, folks like Barack’s grandmother, men and women who said to themselves, “I may not have a chance to fulfill my dreams but maybe my children will.

Maybe my grandchildren will.’’ See, so many of us stand here tonight because of their sacrifice, and longing and steadfast love, because

time and again, they swallowed their fears and doubts and did what was hard.

So today, when the challenges we face start to seem overwhelming or even impossible, let us never forget that doing the impossible is the history of this nation.

OBAMA: It is who we are as Americans. It is how this country was built.

And — and if — if our parents and grandparents could toil — and — and struggle for us, you know if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, connect the world with a touch of a button, then surely, we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids, right?

AUDIENCE: Yes. OBAMA: And if so many brave men and women could sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights, then surely we can do our parts as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights. Surely we can get to the polls on a election day and make our voices heard.

If — if farmers and — and blacksmiths could win an independence from an empire, if — if immigrants could leave behind every, if women can be dragged to jail for seeking to vote, if a generation could defeat a depression and define greatness for all time, if a young preacher could lift us to the mountain top with his righteous dream, and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love, then surely, surely, we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, Mr. Victor Bala Kona, yesterday said the party would intervene in the row between the House of Assembly and the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Danladi Sani.

The House, using Section 188 (2) of the 1999 amended Constitution on Tuesday, threatened to impeach the deputy governor for alleged “gross misconduct”.

He is to respond within 14 days, beginning from yesterday.

Kona said none of the warring groups informed him of the impeachment move.

“I only watched the incident on the television. But I will do something. If your children are fighting, you have to reconcile them.

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

Though some of the lawmakers who are signatories to the impeachment notice are not PDP members”, the PDP chairman told The Nation.

Deputy Speaker Abel Peter Diah during a plenary on Tuesday moved a motion for the impeachment of the deputy governor, who is serving a second term with Governor Danbaba Suntai. The motion was seconded by Mohammed Gwampo representing Yorro Constituency.

The notice was signed by 21 of the 23 members of the Assembly. One of them died recently and the vacancy is yet to be filled.

Suswam to resolve Wergba, Assembly feud From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

that great American dream.

Because in the end — in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country. The story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle. That is what has made my story and Barack’s story and — and so many American stories possible.

And let me tell you something, I say all of this tonight, not just as a first lady, no, not just as a wife. You see, at the end of the day, my most important title is still mom-inchief.

My — my — my daughters are — are still at the heart of my heart and the center of my world. But, let me tell you, today, I have none of those worries from four years ago, no.

Not about whether Barack and I were doing what was best for our girls. Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and for all of our sons and daughters, if — if we want to give all of our children a foundation for their dreams, and opportunities worthy of their promise, if we want to give them a sense of that limitless possibility, their belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you are willing to work for it, then we must work like never before, and we must once again come together, and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward.

My husband, our president, Barack Obama.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

B

ENUE State Governor Gabriel Suswam yesterday in Makurdi said he would resolve the misunderstanding between the Commissioner for Information and Orientation Mr. Conrad Wergba and the House of Assembly.

The lawmakers last week gave the governor seven days to remove Wergba following his refusal to resign within one week in accordance with their resolution with regards to what they considered as uncomplimentary remarks on the House.

Speaking with reporters, Governor Suswam said he had a right to hire and fire a commissioner according to the law. He added that a resolution that he should remove a member of the executive council was not binding on him.

Suswam said whenever he received a proper correspondence from the Assembly, he would resolve the matter through a dialogue with members.

The House had summoned the Finance Commissioner, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia, to appear before it and give account of the finances of the state following delay in the payment of salaries for several months.

Mr. Wergba described the action of the House as armtwisting for pecuniary motives.

When he was summoned and he appeared on the floor of the Assembly, he withdrew his statement and apologised, but the Assembly resolved that he should resign within seven days.

62

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

63

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

I

T all began with an office gossip. Then, it surfaced on the web. Now, it has become the subject of major discussions in board rooms, ball rooms, beer parlours and bus stops.

In newsrooms and at newsstands, it is the subject of the moment, elbowing Boko Haram and other sensitive stories off the front page to struggle with the Central Bank and its yet unborn but troublesome baby, the N5000 note.

Where is First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan? Buffeted by enquiries from anxious reporters who needed to report to more anxious readers, the Presidency promised to issue a statement. It never came. Then, an official, who pleaded not to be named, said Dame Patience was away, resting somewhere in Europe. Yet another, who also begged not to be named because of what he called the sensitivity of the matter, said the First Lady had gone to Germany to treat a ruptured appendicitis. Yet another obliged that she was, indeed, in a German hospital treating food poisoning, which occurred during a trip to Dubai, the Arab world’s shopping haven and playground of rich Nigerians and their pals from around the world.

Despite these explanations, the mystery remains unresolved, days after Dame Patience flew out of Abuja, unannounced. The mode and manner of the flight itself are as controversial as the reason for the trip. Some said she was flown out in an air ambulance; others said she made the trip in one of the presidential jets.

She was aided to get onboard, according to an account; another said she walked in by herself – no pains.

The more we probe, the deeper the mystery and the wider the questions. Why should the Villa keep Nigerians in the dark about the whereabouts of the First Lady? Does the puerile argument that she is no government official hold any water now? No. Remember this is the era of the rule of law (don’t sneer, please), openness and transparency.

Where exactly is Dame Patience? Riyadh?

Honolulu? Chattanooga? Kuala Lumpur? Is she resting overseas as the rich are wont to? If the Villa has lost its serenity – no thanks to disputatious and gossiping politicians in big robes - and it is not good enough for a resting First Lady, why not the Obudu Cattle Ranch, our own Camp David?

If Dame Patience is ill – she is human, after all - what ails her? Some sources claim it is food poisoning in faraway Dubai? Did Her Excellency take the Arab bread that is usually hard, tasteless and, sometimes, coarse as against the succulent and delectable cassava bread with which the First Family is more familiar? Who served the stuff? What kind of meal: local or continental? Was it a buffet? Who else had the meal and how is he/she feeling? Who is the chef? Does he have a certificate from a reputable institution? Is he/she certified to prepare meals for a super celebrity, such as a First Lady?

What was on the menu; Kabsa, kebab, sheep, falafel, shawarma, camel milk and Masgouf?

Why have our usually truculent officials lost their voices? The other day when Prince Andrew was hospitalised, the palace issued a state-

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 7, NO. 2246

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘Until punishment is sure, swift and certain corruption will fester in Nigeria. I suggest that Lawan Farouk’s case should be referred to the Sharia Court in Kano for proper and quick adjudication without unnecessary dogon turanci’ JIDE OSUNTOKUN

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

Where is the First Lady?

•Dame Patience ment, explaining his condition. Why can’t we have such a situation here; witches and wizards?

The public curiosity was heightened by Her Excellency’s absence at the launch of the You Win programme for women in Abuja on Tuesday. Being a champion of women’s rights, Dame Jonathan would have taken her rightful place on the high table on such a great day. She would have delivered a well researched and moving speech on the long and tortuous road to the colourful event we were privileged to have seen on television. She would have regaled us with a flashback to her 35 per cent Affirmative Action campaign. Trust Nigerians – they easily get worked up – they would have given her a standing ovation. Poor woman. She was missing in action.

The other day, President Jonathan told Nigerians to be patient for the dividends of democracy, which he promised will start flowing next year. He gave no details. The First Lady would have taken up the challenge of telling Nigerians what to expect. She would have gone round to tell women about SURE, the cash spinning programme under which our dead infrastructure will all be revived, the culinary revolution that is cassava bread and the seemingly elitist You Win. And more.

Since the rumour went abroad that the First Lady is down with food poisoning, an army of emergency nutritionists have sprung up, with

all manner of postulations and diagnoses. Some have done detailed analyses of a typical Arab cuisine, the ingredients and their chemical formulation in relation to Nigerian diets, such as akpu and ogbono, edikaikon and gari, banga, okporoko and starch plus fish pepper soup. And many more. The theory, according to these “experts”, is that a digestive system that has over the years been familiar with Nigerian foods, may find it difficult accommodating the heavily spiced Arab food, the type found in Dubai where Her Excellency had the troublesome meal.

Besides, many who have never had the privilege of touching a stethoscope are grumbling that the First Lady has gone overseas in search of medical help. There are doctors here who can handle with ease such seemingly delicate matters, they claim. Yes. And no. These are sensitive conditions, clearly beyond personnel. What if while examining the First Lady the electricity supply suddenly goes off – weren’t PHCN people actually on strike, until a few days ago? – and all is dark? Or the doctors can’t get to work because they have gone to queue up for fuel – Isn’t Abuja notorious for hosting long fuel queues nowadays? Did we even consider the politics of the matter? Who will risk the First Lady under the knife of a surgeon who, for all you may care, may be a sympathiser of an opposition party? Just im-

agine the security risk. Imagine.

Herbal medicine practitioners, I learnt, are also boasting that food poisoning is no big deal.

They are said to have been angry that the Villa bungled their greatest opportunity to show their proficiency and win their age-old battle for recognition. They would have put orthodox doctors in their place, they said and went ahead to prescribe the antidote: bitter kola , pap, gari, scent leave (efinrin), honey and good old, ever-reliable water. Simple.

The First Family’s predilection for indigenous solutions to our problems is well known – to develop our ideas and conserve foreign exchange – but should that be at the risk of the First Lady’s life? The First Lady as guinea pig?

No; that is a home remedy taken too far, the Villa may have thought.

When the First Lady travelled about two years ago, the tale bearers went to town with incredible tales-by-the moonlight stories. They said she had gone for a tummy tuck, the type the former Governor-General of the Ijaw nation, DSP Alamieyeseigha, had. As if to prove them right, Her Excellency returned , all smiles, fit and trim, like an athlete preparing for a big race. Then, she started appearing in smart English dresses, forcing heads to turn at dinners.

The tale bearers, who will never mind their business, told of how the procedure reduced her food intake – do rich people eat much? – and allowed her to maintain that catwalk figure we all see on television.

Could this simple procedure (if it was ever done) have been responsible for this contentious trip? Who will break the ice?

If the First Lady is truly ill, as being speculated, does she not deserve our prayers and loving thoughts? Has anybody considered the security implication of leaving the President alone; all alone? Who takes care of the home front? My sympathy, sir.

My heart goes out also to the government and people of Bayelsa State who must surely be missing the services of their permanent secretary. I am sure she will soon be back at her desk – hale and hearty.

But, the question remains: where is the First Lady?

The N5000 note row

T

HE Central Bank seems to have survived another battle, going by the Economic Team’s endorsement of its plan to introduce N5,000 note and coins that will be printed with about N32billion.

But, wait a minute, why does every step taken by our bankers’ bank cause an uproar?

Audit of banks, non-interest banking and cashless economy, which has become the subject of jokes, such as this: “An Edo woman invited friends for her mother’s burial. After lowering the coffin, they put yam, rice, meat and other food stuff in the grave. A Hausa woman asked: :why?” The Edo woman smiled and said:

“According to our tradition, the dead is going on a long journey and needs all the food items he or she can get.” The Hausa woman dropped N100,000 inside the coffin and said: “When the food finish, buy more.”

The Yoruba woman dropped N50,000 and said: “Add this, in case it’s not enough. The Igbo woman smiled and brought out her cheque book and wrote a cheque of N200,000, dropped it in the coffin and took the N150,000 notes as change. She said: “Nwanne, withdraw when you reach there o...it is going to be a dangerous journey; we don’t know how many robbers are out there.

So, It’s better you go cashless.”

•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

HARDBALL

M

ANY Nigerians, especially those at the receiving end of Boko Haram sect violence in the North, may find it hard understanding, let alone justifying, the link former Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, has tried to establish between the extra-judicial murder of the sect’s leader and the indiscriminate rampage the sect promotes. But there is no doubt that the killing in police custody of the sect’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009 is a major factor fuelling the sectarian violence in the region. The sect’s new leaders have themselves referred to that extra-judicial murder and the killing of other top Boko Haram leaders as a factor in their grievances against the state.

They have also predicated any decision to dialogue on the preparedness of the Federal Government to bring to book those responsible for the killings. The government has made what the sect considers a gesture in the direction of bringing the suspects in those state-inspired killings to trial, but the trial has not received the kind of urgency that would impress the sect.

In the words of Dasuki: “Justice is very important, justice means everything. Everyone is

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Boko Haram, MASSOB and portents of injustice entitled to justice and we must do justice....

Last year, somebody asked me how to solve Boko Haram problem and I said let the government from local government to Aso Villa declare justice and the problem of Boko Haram will finish. But if injustice continues, I don’t think the problem will be solved. The Boko Haram leader was killed and somebody who was responsible for it is still moving freely without any arrest. That is injustice. Only fairness, justice, transparency and honesty will solve Nigeria’s problems, including security challenges. Let the government at all levels declare justice everywhere and stand by it. Our country is in a mess.” As tenuous as the link between injustice and Boko Haram violence may sound, especially in view of the multiplicity of factors identified by analysts as promoting violence in the region, the government really does not need encouragement or violent reactions before embracing justice as a car-

dinal programme.

So far, and in spite of its desire to enter into dialogue with Boko Haram representatives, the Federal Government has not taken any concrete and measurable step in the direction of promoting justice at all levels in the country. It has also done nothing to promote reforms in the security agencies, reforms that should prevent a recurrence of the sort of injustice the sect complained about, and reforms that would stimulate the highest level of professionalism among those entrusted with law enforcement responsibilities. A few months ago, this column warned that the worsening relationship between the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and security agencies was gradually but dangerously escalating into a crisis in the Southeast. The government has neither paid attention to the warnings nor taken any step to arrest the problem. Perhaps the gov-

ernment does not see crisis arising from the excesses of its security agencies.

However, only two days ago, MASSOB once again complained bitterly that soldiers from the 302 Military Regiment in Onitsha forcibly and brutally evacuated from his sick bed Chief Arinze Igbani, Region 4 administrator of the group. Igbani had been recuperating in hospital for the past three months after sustaining an injury from a motorcycle accident. There are laws guiding the arrest and arraignment of lawbreakers, and there are rules of engagement guiding the conduct of law enforcement officers in any civilised society. The breaking of these laws and rules precipitated an unmanageable crisis in the North. If another unmanageable crisis is not to be precipitated in the Southeast, the government has a responsibility to ensure that the conduct of its security agencies must remain professional at all times, even in the face of terrible provocation.

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