September 11, 2014

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VOL. 9, NO. 2968 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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Troops capture child soldiers fighting for Boko Haram

Ebola virus: Schools’ resumption date shaky

•OAU student quarantined

D

S

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

OUBTS persisted yesterday over the September 22 resumption of primary and secondary schools nationwide as a result of the Ebola outbreak.

The House of Representatives Committee on Education has slated a meeting with Minister of Education Ibrahim Shekarau for him to convince Nigerians why schools should resume this month after doctors have cautioned Continued on page 4

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

•Prof. Chukwu

OME suspected foreign mercenaries and child soldiers were among Boko Haram fighters who attacked some towns and villages in Adamawa State, sources said yesterday.

The mercenaries are said to be “fair” in complexion and do not look like Nigerians.

Some of the child soldiers

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja and Barnabas Manyam, Yola

have been captured by troops.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said Mubi, the second largest town in Adamawa State, has not been attacked by Boko Haram insurgents.

Mubi was said to be “high-

ly” fortified as at the time of filing this report.

More troops were, however, mobilised from three formations of the Army to flush out the insurgents from Adamawa.

Troops and those displaced in Bama, Gwoza, Madagali, Michika, Marte, Continued on page 4

Boko Haram seeks swap of 30 Chibok girls for 18 chiefs

?

WHEN WILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15 BE FREED?

Stalemate as govt insists on release of all 219 abducted girls

A

FTER a secret negotiation, Boko Haram has agreed to release some of the abducted 219 Chibok girls, The Nation learnt yesterday.

The sect has listed 18 of its key members, who it said should be freed from detention in exchange for the girls.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

But there was a snag last night because while the government wanted freedom for all the 219 Government Secondary School, Chibok girls, the sect said it would free only 30. The girls have been in captivity for 149 days.

Boko Haram sent the list of its com-

manders and the 30 girls to be swapped to a minister, who is also a lawyer, an elderstatesman and a key facilitator of peace with the sect, Comrade Shehu Sani, who is also the President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, according to sources.

The list, it was learnt, was sent af-

ter secret talks between a government delegation and a Boko Haram commander, who is being detained in Kuje Prison in Abuja. But there was no confirmation of this last night.

According the sources, the delegation, whose membership was kept under wrap, discussed with the comContinued on page 4

•SPORTS P24 •EDUCATION P25 •POLITICS P51 •N/HEALTH P53 •E-BUSINESS P58

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

2

NEWS •Managing Director/CEO, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Sir Bassey Dan-Abia (left) receiving theaward of exellence on behalf the NDDC board from the Chairman of Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, Mr. Moses Sisia, at the Commission's headquater's in Port Harcourt... yesterday.

Boko Haram…

Nigeria’s losses to insurgents in Gwoza and some other towns in Borno and Yobe states are both human and materials.

Soldiers have died; policemen are missing; and properties worth billions have gone with the wind, writes Asst. Editor OLUKOREDE YISHAU

T •Managing Director, MGS Limited, Mr. Hassan Mehdi cuting the tape to inaugurate the Samsung's Brand Shops in Abuja...yesterday. With him are (from left) : Consumer Electronics Brand Shop Manager, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mrs. Oluwaremilekun Ogunsan; Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr Brovo Kim; and Head, Corporate and Consumer Electronics Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Koye Sowemimo and Chief Strategy Officer, MStore, Mr. Puneet Malhotra.

•From left: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), Dr. Oladoyin Odubanjo; President, Prof Oyewale Tomori; Professor of Councelling at the University of Ilorin, Prof. Alfred Adegoke; Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Ibadan, Akinyinka Omigbodun; Academic Secretary, Biological Sciences, Prof Temitayo Shokunbi, and Prof Domingo Okorie during a roundtable for the NAS on Youth Development and Reproductive Health held at the Ibis Hotel on PHOTO: NNEKA NWANERI Toyin Street in Ikeja... yesterday.

•From left: Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhil, Managing Director, Dangote Group, Abdullahi Sule, H.R/Administrator, Dangote, Murtala Zubair during the presentation of operational vehicle by Dangote Group to NAFDAC in Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

HEIR families cannot smile. If they manage to, it cannot last.

Call them the victims of Gwoza and chances are that no one will argue with you. They are about 20. Initially, they were 35, but 15 have been found. These police officers were at the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (PMF), Gwoza Training camp, in Borno State.

Two days ago, Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, said the officers are still missing.

He spoke after meeting with VicePresident Namadi Sambo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Abba said: “Well, I must tell you that the turnout of those missing is still impressive because we have been able to trace some of the officers who have reported either back to their bases or their families. When you go through what they went through, the likelihood of you knowing what to do is not very tenable.

“There is a possibility that the decision of what to do may not be easily comprehensible. So, some went back to their homes but our concerns is that once they are in safety we are satisfied and the process of bringing them back to their units has already commenced.

“I must tell you it is just less than 20 but we are still concerned with every one of them and unless we are able to account for each and everyone of them. We will not relent in the efforts of tracing them.”

The victims are not just policemen.

Soldiers too have fallen. No one, except the military authorities, seems aware of the exact figure. The civilian casualties of Boko Haram’s take-over of towns in Borno and Yobe states are also counting their losses. Their lives have not remained the same since the insurgents stormed their towns or hamlets in columns of pickup trucks and motorbikes. They fired at adults in sight. Churches and homes were torched and women were said to have been forced to convert to Islam.

A Reuters report quoted a Gwoza schoolgirl, Indiyanatu Musa, 16, who witnessed the August 5 attack on the town as saying: “They said ‘Shekau sent us. You are condemned to death be you Christian or Muslim. Within a short time, the whole park was filled with bodies just lying everywhere. I was screaming and so were my schoolmates and the rest of the women around.”

Another eyewitness spoken to by the news agency, Aisha Abubakar, said: “They told us that they would not harm us, but that they are only killing our men because our men form vigilantes to fight them.”

•Shekau

Musa revealed further atrocities caused by the insurgents: “Each morning, they go around the houses knocking and calling on us to go for morning prayers and a sermon in the mosque.”

The Gwoza incident saw the high and the mighty fleeing to the hills for safety.

“I saw three soldiers in the hills, there was one who called his superior for reinforcement, they told him that they should just look for a way to escape. I also saw the Emir of Gwoza, he was in the hills too,” 26-year old Bukar Bulama, a Gwoza market trader, told Reuters.

The Emir’s palace is now seen as the domain of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau. He says the area is known a Caliphate Republic.

“We went to the Emir’s palace and saw a man sitting in the Emir’s seat dressed in our Emir’s royal clothes with a turban. He said he was Shekau.”

Reuters quoted the women as saying that Shekau promised them that they would not be hurt. He told them that with their men dead, insurgents would marry them, “we will all live in peace”.

“He also said: ‘We have installed an Islamic Caliphate in Gwoza so every one of you must comply or be killed,” Bulama said.

Residents of Gamborou-Ngala also have sad tales to tell. Alice Adejuwon fled over the frontier. She told Reuters her story. She said many others fled with her.

In Adamawa State, the music is not sweet for many who have been displaced from territories conquered by Boko Haram. It emerged that as at last night no fewer than 1,300 persons now have been internally displaced.

Among the refugees are 162 students of the Federal Polytechnic and the Adamawa State University, Mubi. 360 are women and 175 are children. There are nine expectant mothers; two of whom have given birth.

The Commandant of Adamawa Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Mr Abdulmumini Jauro, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the Bajabure refugee camp in Girei Local Government Area, said: “We have so far registered over 1,300 Internally Displaced Persons who escaped from insurgent attacks in Madagali, Michika and Mubi North and South Local Government Areas of the state.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

3

NEWS

…Counting losses of lost territories

Fed Govt seeks EU’s support against terrorists

T

HE Federal Government has urged the European Union (EU) envoys in Nigeria to join the fight against terrorism.

Minister for National Planning and Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, who spoke when Head of Delegation of the European Union visited him, said Nigeria was not alone in the fight against terrorism.

He added that with the support of international organisations, such as the EU, the fight against terrorism would be won.

He said: "Terrorism is a global problem that requires global action. The one in Nigeria is not an exception. I urge you to en join your envoys to join in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria."

While commending the effort of countries, such as France in the fight against terrorism Chibok, the Borno town made popular by the kidnap of 200 of its girls

by Boko Haram, is still a lost territory, even though Boko Haram has not hoisted its flag there like it did in some other towns, including Gwoza.

In an interview published in this newspaper yesterday, the spokesperson of Chibok people in Abuja, Dr. Manasseh Allen, he revealed stories of how people are still disappearing from the town. He said people still run to sleep in the bush at night and feel abandoned.

His words: “Most of my people used to sleep in the bush for fear of Boko Haram. Few weeks ago, some teenagers spent the night outside and when coming back in the morning, they were abducted in Tukurumbula vil-

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

in the sub- region and the country, the minister said France is not only just a European country but an 'African' one because of her activities in the fight against terrorism in Africa.

He appealed to them to help build the capacity of the military from in terms of technology transfer to assist the nation's military in the fight against terrorism.

He said the country would soon come out with an aid policy that would guide development partners and also ensure better coordination of their activities in Nigeria.

He also appealed to the EU to support the Nigerian Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP), - a 30 year development infrastructure road map aimed at fixing the nation's infrastructural gap and help the

lage and till date, we don’t know their whereabouts. A pastor went to sleep outside his home for fear and on his way back in the morning; he was ambushed and taken away. We have not seen him till today and he is my in-law.

“Things happen, people go out to sleep in the bush and return to their houses in the morning but recently things are not so bad because after taking over Gwoza, most of the insurgents have relocated to Gwoza and we are having relative peace in Chibok and the Chibok main village, most of the Boko Haram members have moved over to their headquarters in Gwoza.”

He urged Nigerians to help pressure the government to bring back the girls and make Chibok truly safe.

“I feel like there is a level of complex-

country in its aspirations of becoming one of the top leading economies in the world by 2020.

Leader of the delegation Michael Arrion said the EU was supporting the office of the National Security Adviser ( NSA) in the area of security, and had held meetings on terrorism in the sub-region.

Arrion said theEuropean Investment Banks are offering long term loans for infrastructural development.

Arrion said the EU was ready to finance feasibility study on energy, transport and ICT, which are top priorities for the EU. On the EU support for Elections, he said: "Nigeria is a special country. You have your budget. We have a long term tradition of funding election process in Nigeria. We fund awareness of the election, improving skills of voters, civil education and voters education for the improvement of the election process."

ity because if this were to have happened in another country, I’m sure that the seat of government would be made too hot until the girls return but we Nigerians forgive easily and are not really our brothers’ keepers as we are supposed to be. I’m sorry for saying that but that is the fact.

“But Nigerians need to wake up and join the advocacy because today it is Chibok, who knows where it will be tomorrow? Because Boko Haram is a terrorists group, Nigerians need to all come together and let us fight it together.”

The United States is worried about the turn of event. The Under Secretary for Africa, Mrs Linda ThomasGreenfield, said care must be taken to deal with the situation.

A September 2 report by the Nigeria Security Network paints a pathetic picture of the situation.

The report said: “Unless swift action is taken, Nigeria could be facing a rapid takeover of a large area of its territory reminiscent of ISIS’s lightning advances in Iraq.

“They are beginning to operate like a conventional army ... They are reported to be using armoured vehicles, including tanks, and heavy weapons.”

But, the president and his supporters say he is doing a lot to fight insurgency. One of his supporters, Dugdale Kpobari Badom, who co-ordinates the Southsouth for the Transformation for Good Leadership and Development Initiative (TRANSGOLD), said yester-

day: “Jonathan is a blessing to Nigeria…As for the release of the Chibok girls and to end insurgency in the North, President Jonathan is doing his best and we are assuring Nigerians that the Chibok girls will be release. So, nobody should play politics with the abducted girls.”

For former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Olisah Agbakoba feels drastic measures need to be taken.

Agbakoba said with the insurgents seizing more territories in the Northeast, the army chiefs have to go.

He said: “If I was the Commanderin-Chief, the Chief of Defence Staff should be dismissed.”

He spoke at a news conference in his Lagos office.

Agbakoba said insurgency would not end until Boko Haram’s leadership is neutralised.

He said: “The only way to solve the Boko Haram challenge is by a resolute decapitation of the leadership. The new tactic is to completely degrade them. When they (Boko Haram) leadership is degraded, you will see that the whole thing will be over, otherwise the infestation will grow.

“The military high command should be removed immediately. Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh has failed in his commission and should be removed. The military has not done enough.”

For now, the tears of the families of the missing police officers continue; relatives of soldiers who have fallen are inconsolable; and for the people who have either lost loved ones to Boko Haram or battle with life in the conquered territories, life is not beautiful.

4

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Tinubu: Boko Haram evidence of lack of governance

N

ATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said that the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East is a glaring evidence of lack of governance in the country.

Relating with his followers

via @asiwajutinubu, the former Lagos State Governor in a twitter message said: “The festering Boko Haram attacks on the North East and massacre of innocent citizens is a concrete proof that Nigeria has no government.”

INEC chair has lost credibility, say Southern elders

S •President Goodluck Jonathan (fourth left) flanked by Vice President Namadi Sambo (Chairman, Presidential Jobs Board), Mr. Tony O. Elumelu (Vice-Chairman) (third right front row) and other members of the Presidential Board on Job creation, after its inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja…yesterday.

Troops capture child soldiers fighting for Boko Haram Continued from page 1

Gulak and Mubi have seen the mercenaries and child soldiers.

It is not yet clear where the mercenaries came from.

It was gathered that troops have captured some child soldiers during successful encounters with Boko Haram.

A source said the captured child soldiers were being interrogated.

“These claims are already being investigated by the military and security agencies in order to ascertain whether they are from neighbouring countries or they were drawn from the pool of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb(AQIM),” the source said, adding:

“So, you need to appreciate the large scale dimension which the war the troops are waging against the insurgents has taken.

“There will be a lot of intelligence gathering on the discovery in order to ascertain those behind these insurgents and sources of their arms and back-up.”

More than 500 troops from Nigerian Army formations in three states were yesterday drafted to Adamawa State to flush out the insurgents who have held on to Gulak, Michika, and Kirchinga, among others.

“Very soon, all the seized towns will be liberated and normal business activities restored to these areas”, a source said, pleading not to be named as he is not allowed

to talk to the media.

The source also admitted that Mubi had been heavily fortified to repel insurgents from the commercial town and its environs.

The DHQ in a terse statement, simply said the situation was calm in Mubi.

The statement on Twitter said: “Mubi has not been attacked. Troops are still on Patrol. Deployment positions in and around the town keeping watch. Situation is calm.”

On the situation in Bama and Gwoza, a military source added: “We have sustained aerial strikes in these areas to clear the towns of any trace of insurgents.

“We are winning the battle but the insurgents are good at propaganda; they are mak-

ing Nigerians to believe that the military is losing. The truth will soon be out.”

The commandant of Adamawa Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Mr Abdulmumini Jauro, said yesterday that no fewer than 1,300 Internally Displaced Persons had been registered.

Jauro spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at the Bajabure refugee camp in Girei Local Government Area.

The commandant, who is a member of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, said nine expectant women were among the IDPs. “We have so far registered over 1,300 Internally Displaced Persons who escaped

“We heard some inmates sharing this information that the sect might swap the girls with Umar and others. But all the details are still secret because Umar keeps to himself a lot.”

But another source said: “The delegation had a fruitful negotiation with Umar,

who is one of the highly-rated commanders of Boko Haram. The group assured Umar of a swap and he has been looking forward to it.

“The sect has given a list of 18 of its members to be swapped with the abducted Chibok girls.”

It was, however, gathered

that the fresh negotiation has suffered a little setback because Boko Haram has agreed to set free only 30 of the remaining 219 girls in its custody.

The government has offered to release the 18 key Boko

education, after meeting with the commissioners for education from the 36 states and FCT, decided when public schools should open, which they told us is September 22. In taking that decision, they used information that was given by the Federal Ministry of Health to the fact there is actually no reason now, with the expert information we have at hand why our schools cannot resume earlier than the original date of Oct. 13.

player and everybody, even the governor and the wife were screened. We are dead serious.

We are not perfect, but I know we are trying to encourage everybody in Nigeria to collaborate.”

He added: “We don’t need to close the world, we don’t need to say nobody should go to work in Nigeria. There is absolutely no reason for that.

“First, unlike in other countries, there is no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria; not one yet. But we have taken precautions; what we are doing, we may as well have said everybody should just be moving about, but we are taking precautions. There is no scientific basis for school resumption to be postponed.

On the NMA’s position, Chukwu said: “The only information I had from NMA is that someone informed me that he had been appointed to head a committee being set up by the NMA on EVD. And I replied that as a government and as Federal Ministry of Health, we look forward to collaboration.

Now, collaboration doesn’t mean going to media. With all due respect, collaboration

means if they have information, they should give it to the Federal Ministry of Health or the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control.

Giving an update on EVD, the minister said since the disease was imported into Nigeria in July, the country has had 19 confirmed cases; 15 in Lagos and four in Port Harcourt.

Those treated and discharged, he said, are 10 with the last two - the sister and wife of the Port Harcourt doctor - who died from the disease.

The total deaths from the disease in Nigeria is seven including five in Lagos and two in Port Harcourt.

According to Chukwu, 490 persons are still under surveillance in Port Harcourt while 16 persons have completed the 21 days surveillance.

In Lagos State, those on surveillance are 16 persons as 338 persons have so far completed the 21 days observation period.

Chukwu said the female student suspected of having EVD at the Obafemi Awolowo University had been quarantined.

The case, he said, is being investigated.

Rivers State Commissioner

Continued on page 57

Boko Haram seeks swap of 30 Chibok girls for 18 chiefs Continued from page 1

mander, who is simply described as Umar.

One of the sources said: “Some top officials met with Umar about two weeks ago in Kuje Prison to discuss issues connected to the fate of the Chibok girls.

Continued on page 57

OUTHERN elders said yesterday after an emergency meeting that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega has lost his credibility.

They called for his removal, saying he was biased in proposing new polling units.

The elders, under the umbrella of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, queried the rationale behind increasing polling centres when the number of registered voters had reduced from 70 million to 57 million.

The group, however, refused to disclose its next line of action.

It comprises elders from the three zones in the South.

The group said: “As plausible as these reasons may sound to the architects of this voodoo and arbitrary allocation of polling units, the people of Southern Nigeria and indeed the Southern Nigerian Peoples Assembly view this invidious act as a script crafted for Prof. Jega to implement, in continuation of the well known hegemonic agenda, by the enemies of our hard-won democracy.

T

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

“The people of Southern Nigeria are not only appalled, but also strongly reject Prof. Jega’s claims and averment, whatever persuasions may have motivated this callous, insensitive, disparate, oppressive and inconsonant decision to give the North a clear political advantage over the South, contrary to the reality on ground.

“If this concocted manipulation of polling units is his clever design to give undue political advantage to the North, having in mind the 2015 presidential election, we wish to remind him that he has failed in his decrepit mission.

“May we remind him that he has lost his credibility, if there was indeed any, and he has lost the trust, confidence and respect of Nigerians. We do not need the lenses of prophets to remind Prof. Jega that he is spending overtime on the INEC chair, having shown his tendencies for ethnic bigotry, partisan parochialism and primordial chauvinism.”

Continued on page 57

Anxiety over plan to declare Suntai incapacitated

ARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai’s health is stirring controversy again in the state.

Yesterday, a group alleged that the state executive council had voted to ask the House of Assembly to declare the governor as incapacitated.

According to the group, the intention is to get Suntai, who is expected back from his medical trip abroad this week, impeached to clear the way for acting Governor Garba Umar as governor.

Coordinator of Tarabans United for Suntai (TUS), Ezekiel Gambo in a statement said “the governor’s health has considerably improved.”

He added: “We are using this

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

medium to disprove reports emanating from Garba Umar and the Deputy Governor's camp that the Suntai is now fully incapacitated,” he said.

Gambo said the governor will return “any time this week.”

Gambo accused acting Governor Umar and his executive of trying to impeach the governor, with an eye on 2015.

Gambo said: “The illegal exco has even written to Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Hon. Josiah Sabo Kente, directing him to set up a medical panel with a view to declare the governor incapacitated.

Continued on page 57

Ebola virus disease: Schools’ resumption date shaky

Continued from page 1

against it.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) last week said the resumption date should be shifted.

But the government insisted yesterday that the date is in order because Nigeria is virtually Ebola-free.

Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu yesterday said delaying schools, resumption till December or early next year based on Ebola Virus Disease is “irrational fear”.

He spoke to reporters at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.

According to him, the decision to fix September 22 was based on expert advice.

Insisting that it is safe for schools to reopen, he said there was nobody under treatment anywhere in the country for Ebola virus disease at the moment. He added that there was no community transmission of the disease in Nigeria, like in other countries.

Stressing that Nigeria is making progress against the disease, Chukwu said: “The minister of

“I think people should just allow us to do the work we have been doing very professionally.

It was based on advice given by the Ministry of Health that the Minister of Education took the original decision that it was going to be in October and nobody quarrelled with the minister.

Now the minister, based on expert advice, has come back to say ‘well, for us, if you are asking us, we don’t have any reason to stop that’.

“We are very serious, we should be sober about this situation in Nigeria; we must be extremely careful. We have allowed a football match to go on and we screened every fan in Calabar; we screened every

for Health Dr. Sampson Parker said yesterday in Port Harcourt that the number of contacts with Dr. Ikechukwu Enemuo, under surveillance had risen to 510.

Parker added that there is no new positive case in the state.

According to him, the 18 month-old baby quarantined last Sunday tested negative on the first round; and that his second test result was still being awaited, and hence still in quarantine. He is a primary contact of the late Enemuo.

“The 18 month-old infant that is the only patient we have at the treatment centre now tested negative in the first test. We are still awaiting the second test before he could be discharged.

This is necessary for us not to make mistakes because he is a minor. ”Despite these successes we have recorded in Nigeria, so many Patrick Sawyers will be looking for ways to move over to Nigeria for solutions to their problems. That is why I think Nigeria and the West African sub-region should move down there to save the situation. It is time for us to move very quickly; that is the only way we can

maintain our successes here. ”We are talking about the successes already recorded and any moment from now, the wife of Dr. Iyke Enemuo will be discharged from the treatment centre in Lagos, because she is doing very well. So, she will be discharged soon.

“Although the number of contacts under surveillance in the state has increased to 510, there is currently no patient that has tested positive to Ebola at the quarantine /treatment centre.”

The House of Representatives Committee on Education yesterday said it had invited the Minister and NMA to a meeting over the resumption date for schools.

Chairman of the House Committee on Education Aminu Suleiman told reporters in Lagos that the committee would meet with the minister and NMA officials on Monday to discuss the resumption date for public and private schools in Continued on page 57

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THE NATION THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

5

NEWS

APC: President’s stoppage of #BringBackJonathan hash tag a good step but…

T HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as a good step, the order by President Goodluck Jonathan for the stoppage of the #BringBackJonathan hash tag.

It said it is perceived as a mockery of the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag, which has helped to call global attention to the fate of the over 200 girls, who were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, almost five months ago.

In a statement in London yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC, however, said the President made a mockery of his administration and his country by waiting for an international condemnation of the shameless and brazen usurpation of the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag before issuing the directive.

It said: ‘’Had the US newspaper, Washington Post, not written a stinking editorial decrying the Jonathan administration for appropriating the BringBackOurGirls hash tag for his re-election, the administration would have continued its brazenness without regard to the feelings of the parents of the girls or indeed Nigerians. ‘’Again, the administration has waited for a global opprobrium before doing what is right. Recall that it took an international media campaign before the Jonathan administration acknowledged, after 19 days that the Chibok girls were missing in the first instance. Recall also that it took a 17-year-old, Yousafzai Malala, to make the President realise that he should meet the parents of the girls, even if he eventually insulted the grieving parents by inviting them to Abuja instead of going to visit them

Jonathan orders removal of offensive signs

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has directed that the #BringBackJonathan2015 signs and banners in Abuja be brought down immediately.

He gave the directive in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

The President noted that he and Nigerians found the signs and banners offensive and repugnant.

He said the signs, which were an insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag, were put up without his knowledge or approval.

Hailing the support for his administration by

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

stakeholders, President Jonathan decried the #BringBackJonathan2015 signs, which he said appeared to make light of the serious national and global concern for the abducted Chibok girls.

He assured Nigerians and the international community that his administration remained engaged in its efforts to rescue the abducted girls and that he would not promote actions that fly in the face of the seriousness of their plight and the anguish of their families.

•The ‘offensive sign’

in their abode.

“It is important that we don’t make a mockery of our own people, so that we don’t become an object of international mockery.’’

The party said as belated as the President’s directive on #BringBackJonathan hash tag is, it is a good first step that must be followed by another directive ordering the socalled Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) to stop its rallies that have offended the sensibilities and intelligence of Nigerians.

It said the noisy and sycophantic rallies held across the nation, osten-

sibly to collect signatures from Nigerians urging Jonathan to seek reelection, contrast with the challenges facing the nation, which is being dismembered town by town by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. ‘’Nigeria is in a state of war, a state of anarchy, a state of loss never witnessed since the end of the unfortunate civil war in 1970. Terrorists are capturing towns after towns and hoisting their flags over the seized territories. Our troops are engaged in an epic battle to ward off the terrorists. Our people are being daily slaughtered by

the marauding terrorists, and Ebola is very much here with us. ‘’Therefore, this cannot be the time for festivities and celebrations, the type being orchestrated by the government under the TAN banner. The rallies insult the troops, who are battling Boko Haram. The rallies insult Nigerians, who are praying for the unity of the nation in the face of the madness by the marauders. The rallies offend the sensibilities of the families of our citizens, who are being mowed down daily by Boko Haram. They must stop forthwith,’’

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APC said.

The party wondered whether the organisers of the rallies and those who had been mocking the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners knew that Nigerians were not fools, hence could see the deceit, the callousness and the insensitivity of the Jonathan administration in secretly funding the rallies and the antiBringBackOurGirls campaigns. ‘’Really, what makes the President and his backers think he should be brought back? Is it because he is presiding over the dismemberment and humiliation of a once proud nation?

Is it because he presides over an administration, which is corrupt. An administration that cannot account for 20 billions dollars in oil money.

An administration that cannot successfully prosecute anyone over 1 trillion oil subsidy fraud? Is it because of an unparalleled incompetence, which has led to a massive decay in infrastructure and lack of jobs for our youths? Or is it because he has exposed Nigeria to unprecedented global ridicule? ‘’There must be a limit to the desperation of a President to win re-election at all cost. There must be a political price to pay for a President, who would wilfully subvert the constitution he swore to uphold. There must be some introspection by a President, who will be jetting around with an alleged sponsor of terrorism. As we have warned before, when a drum is beating too hard, it is about to burst.

President Jonathan must take a moment to reflect, to realise that he can only preside over a country that remains whole, not one that has been fractured or bombed out of existence by terrorists,’’ APC said.

APC leaders deny supporting Kwankwaso presidency

HE Kano State chapter of the committee of leaders of the legacy parties, which merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), has denied a resolution to support the aspiration of Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso for the Presidency next year.

Last week, a report said the state’s elders’ committee of the APC was backing the governor to contest for the Presidency. But the leaders of the defunct parties in a statement said they were not aware of any elders’ committee of the

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

APC in the state.

The statement signed by Alhaji Musa Umar (ACN), Garba Bala of the defunct CPC and Mallam Muktar Kwaru from the defunct ANPP, said the endorsement was “far from the truth.”

It said the two signatories of the purported communiqué were not members of the legacy parties, but members of the Kwankwasiyya group and therefore could not speak for the legacy parties.

NPAN condoles with Kalu

•From left: Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi; her Oyo State counterpart, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, guest speaker, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin; Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Funsho Amosun, at the National Women’s Summit in Ibadan... yesterday

Insurgency: Agbakoba demands Badeh’s removal

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FORMER Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), yesterday called for the removal of the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, for failing to contain the Boko Haram insurgency.

“If I was the Commanderin-Chief, the Chief of Defence Staff should be dismissed,” he said.

Speaking at a news conference in his Lagos office, Agbakoba said insurgency would not end until Boko Haram’s leadership was neutralised.

“The only way to solve the Boko Haram insurgency is by a resolute decapitation of the leadership. The new tactic is to completely degrade them.

“When their (Boko Haram)

By Joseph Jibueze and Musa Odoshimoke

leadership is degraded, you will see that the whole thing will be over, otherwise the infestation will grow.

“But with the insurgents seizing more territories in the Northeast, the army chiefs have to go.

“The military high command should be removed immediately. Alex Badeh has failed in his commission and should be removed. The military has not done enough,” he said.

Agbakoba said it was wrong to hold the view that Nigeria’s unity was sacrosanct.

According to him, any region that wished to be independent should be allowed to go.

“There is nothing sacrosanct about the existence of Nige-

ria,” he said, adding that it was time to agree on a peaceful separation, rather than forcing unity down everyone’s throat.

“Nobody is saying Nigeria must continue as one, but here its all about force,” Agbakoba said.

He recommended autonomous regions with presidents, as done in places as Catalonia.

“There is no big reason why we must be together. And if we can’t be together, let’s part in peace,” he said.

Agbakoba said, however, that Nigeria had the potential to be Africa’s true giant if it remained united.

“Nigeria is seriously ill. It’s a fragmented country. Everyone speaks according to his own bible. ‘Is my brother there?’

“No country thrives on the

basis of ‘his brother being in government’. It thrives when the best people are there, irrespective of where they come from,” he said.

On next year’s elections, Agbakoba said his fear was that there was no strong candidate to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan.

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By Musa Odoshimokhe

HE Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has condoled with the publisher of The Sun, Chief Orji Kalu, on the death of Mr. Dimgba Igwe.

In a statement, the Secretary-General of NPAN, Comfort Obi, said the circumstances of Igwe’s death was devastating, noting that life had become cheap in the country.

She said: “How do we explain that Igwe was knocked down by a reckless driver. His untimely death has exposed our incompetence as a country and the sorry state of the health sector.”

Obi added that there were no street cameras despite the millions of naira allegedly spent on the project.

“Forty-eight hours after his death, there is still no clue as to the brand of car or the registration number.”

She said Igwe, who spent over 30 years in journalism, died at a critical period of the media history.

“Dimgba Igwe defined tabloid journalism with his ‘Siamese twin’, Mike Awoyinfa. Both nurtured the defunct Weekend Concord.”

Oritsejafor mourns Igwe

HE National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has condoled with the management and workers of The Sun on the death of its Vice- Chairman, Pastor Dimgba Igwe, last Saturday.

He said his death had robbed journalism of a role model.

Oritsejafor, in a statement, expressed shock and sadness at the death of such a consummate journalist and asked God to give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

He urged the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to compel the Lagos State Police Commissioner to fish out the driver of the alleged hit-and-run car, which killed Igwe while jogging in his neighborhood.

The CAN President said: “This is one case that must not be swept under the carpet because Pastor Igwe, through his writings, positively affected lives across the country. The police must fish out the killer of the gentleman and find out the motives for the dastardly act.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

NEWS

NIS deports 7,000

Fashola pays tribute to Igwe

From Johnny Danjuma,

By Seun Akioye

Lafia

OVER 7,000 illegal immigrants have been deported from Nigeria, while about 5,000 others attempting to enter the country without papers were turned back by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The Comptroller-General of the service, Mr. David Paradang, who spoke yesterday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, after visiting Governor Tanko Al-Makura, urged the government to help the service in identifying illegal immigrants in the state.

•The widow, Mrs Obioma Igwe, being consoled by Governor Fashola ...yesterday

Lamido decries imposition of candidates JIGAWA State Governor Sule Lamido has decried leaders, who determines who should take over from them.

He said such leaders caused tension in the political circle.

The governor, who spoke yesterday at a debate tagged: “Both sides”, held at the Kukah Centre for Faith and Leadership Research, International Conference Centre, Abuja, said he is not interested in who takes over from him next year.

Labour Party accuses NLC of abandonment •It’s untrue, says NLC From: Tony Akowe, Abuja

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HE Labour Party accused yesterday the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Labour movement of abandoning the party and supporting the candidates of other parties in elections.

But the NLC said the party denied it the opportunities to help build it.

It said the Congress decided at its National, Executive Council meeting in Enugu to mobilise membership for the party.

Speaking at the National Executive Council meeting of the party in Abuja, the National Chairman of the party, Dan Nwanyanwu, noted that the party had grown over the years without the support of the Labour Movement. “This party was registered by the NLC. There are things you can’t take away from a Labour man.”

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LAGOS State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola paid yesterday a tribute to the late Dimgba Igwe.

He described him as “a great man”.

Fashola, who visited the deceased’s family to condole with them, held a closed door meeting with members of the extended family.

A family source told The Nation that the governor indicated interest to be part of the funeral arrangements.

Fashola said he learnt a lot from the late Igwe and wondered how he would cope with the irreparable loss.

NECO announces SSCE results

Mark: state creation realisable

S

ENATE President David Mark restated yesterday his resolve to pursue the quest for the creation of more states.

He said most Nigerians desired the creation of more states to correct the imbalances and give everybody a sense of belonging.

The Senate President described as a “legitimate demand”, the agitation for state creation.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate

From: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

President, Paul Mumeh, said Mark spoke when four members of the House of Representatives and nine chairmen of local governments from Benue South visited him in Abuja.

Mumeh quoted the Senate President as saying that “even if it takes my last energy, I want to pursue the creation of states. I will put in my last breath to ensure the creation of Apa State for

my people.”

Mark was also quoted to have responded to the call by his constituents to re-contest the senatorial seat next year by saying: “I am a loyal, faithful and dedicated party man. I will only make my intention known when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) releases the guidelines and programmes for the elections.”

He was said to have told his constituents to remain steadfast and loyal to the PDP be-

cause there were good reasons, including guaranteed dividends of democracy, to remain in the party.

The Senate President cautioned aspirants to base their campaigns on issues that would positively impact on the citizenry, instead of engaging in mudslinging or character assassination.

He said: “We should tell the people what we have done and what we intend to do when elected.”

Security stops military retirees’ march on Aso Rock

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ETIRED military personnel from different parts of the country protested yesterday in Abuja against the non-payment and non-harmonisation of their pension arrears since 2010.

The pensioners, who were heading for the Presidential Villa to register their protest, were, however, stopped by security operatives at the villa junction near the federal secretariat.

They tied black bands on their left arms, saying it was to mourn their fallen colleagues, who paid the supreme price.

The pensioners protested against the non-payment of the arrears on August 6.

Retired Warrant Officer Adona Abbas, the Chairman of Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association, said the protest was over the non-payment of the balance of 53 per cent approved for retired military pensioners since 2010.

He said 33 per cent of the 53 per cent was paid in August last year, leaving a balance of 20 per cent.

Abbas said the leadership of the National Assembly Committees on Defence promised that the money would be paid in August 2014 when they protested early in August.

“We have not been paid, hence we have come to protest because our members are dying, we have become beggars in this country, the country we fought to unite.

“Why should we become beggars? Our children cannot go to school.

“People are enjoying. If we had not fought to unite the country, these people cannot enjoy what they are enjoying now,’’ he said.

Another pensioner, retired Warrant Officer Samuel Onobi, who said he retired in 2000, added: “We have been branded as unproductive elements by a highly-placed government official.”

He vowed that they would take their protest to the office of the official if they were not paid.

“Our aim is to go to the presidential villa, but we have been blocked,’’ Onobi said, and urged the authority concerned to release the money for the payment of the balance of their arrears, as well as the harmonised pensions.

According to him, “they tell us every year that our money is not captured in the budget, but when the Ebola Virus Disease broke, it was captured.

Was Ebola in the budget?”

‘What offence have we committed? Is it because we are old men that they are not paying us and underestimating us?’

“What offence have we committed? Is it because we are old men that they are not paying us and underestimating us?

“Even if we are illiterates, we fought the war – civil war, to keep this country united,” Staff Sgt. Johnson Okpakulu said.

The Chief of Staff to the President, retired Brig.-Gen. Oladehinde Arogbofa and the Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, met the representatives of the protesting pensioners.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Obanikoro assured that the grievances of the pensioners were being addressed, saying government appreciated what they were going through.

“Their grievances are receiving attention; we appreciate what they are going through. I want to assure you that action

will be taken on some of the issues raised.

“This is democracy, they have every right to do what they have done and we have responded responsibly.

“It is normal to have issues and it is being responsible attending to them,’’ Obanikoro said.

Spokesman for the pensioners, retired Lt.-Col. Innocent Nas, said they took the promise made by the chief of staff to the president, and the minister of state for defence, seriously.

Nas, however, vowed that they would resume the protest

by October 1 if government reneged on its promise “We met a highly respected senior officer, whom we know very well, we know his integrity.

“He has not been involved in it before and he is assuring us that he is doing something immediately and he is getting back to us within a week.

“We take that on his integrity. In any case, if we did not get our pay by the end of September, we will come back on October 1.

“We made it clear to him that we have been deceived several times, this is why we don’t trust people. We rely on his integrity,’’ he said.

•Over 52% pass at credit level From Jide Orintunsin,

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Minna

HE National Examinations Council (NECO) announced yesterday that 52.29 per cent of the candidates, who sat for the June/July 2014 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) passed at credit level in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Prof. Promise Okpala, who announced the result in Minna, said 74.30 per cent of the candidates made five credits and above.

He said 978,886 candidates of the 989,622, who registered, sat for the examination, which was conducted in 76 subjects.

Giving a breakdown of the result, Okpala said of the 989,622 candidates, who wrote the examination, 72.58 per cent scored credit level and above in English language, while 69.49 per cent made similar grades in Mathematics.

In sciences, 72.86 per cent of the candidates, who sat for Chemistry had credits, while 69.38 per cent of Physics candidates had credit and in Biology, 67.83 per cent of the candidates made credit grades.

Okpala said beyond the cost of running the examination, insecurity in many parts of the country affected the logistic operations of the council during the school-based examination.

The registrar said the efforts of the council at reducing examination malpractices paid off, as only 0.44 per cent of those who sat for the examination were involved in malpractices.

A comparative analysis of past results showed a steady improvement in results over the past three years, posting the best result in the current year.

Tertiary institutions underutilised N22.3b in 10 years, says TETFUND

HE Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) expressed yesterday regrets that institutions, which benefitted from the N22.3 billion intervention fund in the last 10 years, underutilised the funds.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the fund, Dr. Musa Babayo, spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at a capacity building programme for laboratory technologists in tertiary institutions in the Northcentral and Southwest.

The programme was titled: “Enhancing the Capacity and Productivity of Technician/Technologists”.

Represented by Alhaji Idris Saidu, the TETFund former executive secretary, Babayo said the funds were released as intervention fund to procure technical and laboratory equipment for laboratories.

“However, some of the equipment are either never been installed, underutilised or not being properly maintained by the respective ben-

efiting institutions,’’ he said.

According to him, the underutilisation is due to lack of trained laboratory technologists in the technical and vocational education in the country.

“Specifically, between 2004 and 2007, seven billion naira was allocated to technical and vocational education, while N15.3 billion was released in 2011 for technical/vocational equipment.

“This was through the National Board for Technical Education

(NBTE) to tertiary institutions,” he said.

Babayo said TETFund recognised the importance of laboratory and technologists in facilitating and enhancing teaching and research activities in the area of scientific studies in tertiary institutions.

He said this, therefore, aroused the interest of the fund in the provision of intervention fund for laboratory equipment in the tertiary institutions.

“It has, therefore, become im-

perative that we match capacity building programme to the funds allocated for interventions in all tertiary institutions to ensure optimal benefit for the educational sector and the nation,’’ he said.

Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, the TETFund Executive Secretary, said the fund was committed to the delivery of quality and would intervene toward the educational development of the nation.

He implored other stakeholders in the education sector to continue their collaboration with the fund.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

7

NEWS

•BUMPER-TO-BUMPER: Gridlock as a result of an accident by a tanker laden with oil which fell on its side at Anthony bus stop on Ikorodu Road, Lagos...yesterday. INSET: The tanker.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

PDP leaders void Filani’s suspension From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

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HE Southwest zonal leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have voided the suspension of Chief Ishola Filani as zonal party’s chairman.

Filani was suspended on September 3, by a group within the zone for allegedly running the affairs of the party as a personal estate.

But rising from a meeting of the zonal forum in Abuja yesterday, the leaders described Filani’s suspension as illegal and unwarranted.

Convener of the meeting, Chief Olabode George, said only the party’s National Executive Committee had the powers to suspend Filani and not a group within the zonal leadership.

He added that the suspension order was inimical to the zone’s preparation for the next year’s general election, adding that it could generate intractable crisis in the Southwest.

He criticised the group that suspended Filani for failing to explore laid down procedures and without taking into cognisance the implication of the action on the stability of the party.

George also noted that the group failed to lodge any complaint against Filani before taking such action.

Fashola: we gave police 900 vans, 150 bikes

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AGOS State has equipped the police with 900 patrol vehicles and 150 power bikes to tackle crime and insecurity, according to Governor Babatunde Fashola.

He said this yesterday at a summit on security strategies organised by the state’s 57 local government and local council development areas (LCDAs) for stakeholders at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island.

The governor, who was represented at the forum by the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius

•Council chiefs demand state, local police

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

Ojelabi, said the government was committed to tackling security challenges by equipping the police.

He praised the council chiefs for the initiative, saying that insecurity, particularly in the North, required control.

Besides Ojelabi, the event was also attended by the Commissioner for Local Governments, Mr. Ademorin Kuye, the Attorney-General, Mr. Adeola Ipaye, the council chairmen and others.

The chairmen have urged

the Federal Government to include states and local councils in the national security framework.

The framework, they said, should include the creation of state and local government police to manage criminality and tackle insecurity at the grassroots.

Chairman of the group, also known as Conference 57, Mr. Hakeem Suleiman, made the call yesterday at the summit.

He decried the national insecurity challenges, especially in the northern parts,

which he said constitute threats to Nigeria’s indivisibility and unity.

The council chief said: “There is a problem of insecurity, which needs urgent attention and re-strategising.”

He added that thousands of lives and property have been lost under under Boko Haram insurgency.

He said: “The idea of state and community policing has gained popularity, as a result of the surge in the rate of highly sophisticated crimes and the inability of the federal police alone to contain the challenges.”

Free Chibok girls, say governors’ wives, activists

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IVES of Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti states’ governors led hundreds of women yesterday to demand the rescue of the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram members in Chibok, Borno State on April 15.

The governors’ wives – Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun and Erelu Bisi Fayemi – emphasised the importance of education for the girl-child and the empowerment of women.

They made the call at the opening session of this year’s National Women Summit with the theme: “Girl Child Empowerment: A Challenge for All,” organised by the

•Southwest first ladies urge action From Bisi Oladele and Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

Oyo State Officials’ Wives Association in Ibadan, the state capital.

The Coordinator, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, spoke about the hardship, which the abducted girls have been subjected to for 148 days.

Okei-Odumakin, in her special message, highlighted the plights of the Chibok girls, moving participants to tears.

She explained that some of the abducted girls, who escaped from the captivity of the terrorists, narrated their expe-

riences of serial rape and other abuses to her.

She urged Nigerians not to give up in demanding for their rescue.

The rights activist listed challenges facing the girlchild as poor feeding or care, early or child marriage, victimisation for alleged witchcraft, physical and sexual abuse, child labour, trafficking and prostitution.

“I salute Mrs. Ajimobi for realising how important the girl-child is. This empowerment requires the efforts of all. The more we believe that the girl-child is important to

the survival and progress of our society, the better for all of us.

“To the Chibok girls, we will never forget you. You are heroines,” Okei-Odumakin said.

Mrs. Ajimobi recalled that the first two editions of the summit, which dwelt on women issues, were successful, adding that they served as a motivation for this year’s edition.

She said the greatest way to empower the girl-child was through education.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi, in his keynote address, agreed that women were able to achieve great feats in the right environment.

UNESCO praises ABUAD, Afe Babalola over retreat, others

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HE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Regional Office, Abuja has praised the Afe Babalola University, AdoEkiti (ABUAD) and its founder, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, for being the first university to host and sponsor the global organisation’s yearly retreat.

Its Director, Prof. Hassana Alidou, who spoke at the opening of the four-day retreat in the university yesterday, said the development and achievements recorded within a short period of the ABUAD’s existence were due to the vision and mission articulated in the institution’s founding document.

She also hinged the development and achievements on

Babalola’s dedication and the quality of faculty and administrators as well as the motivation of parents and students.

Alidou said: “These are aspects of quality assurance that characterised a first tier university not only in Nigeria, but in America, Europe and Asia and we saw it developing in ABUAD. ABUAD is a model higher education institution, which we are proud of and happy to be connected with for a long time.

“We are, therefore, in ABUAD not only to visit or hold our retreat and go back to Abuja. We see this as a launch-pad for increased partnerships in research and innovation into what works and good practices that we can scale up in the region. We are

here to see how the UNESCO Chairs in Peace and Citizenship Education; and the other one on Entrepreneurship Education and Agriculture for Sustainable Development have progressed. We are here to explore options in sciences, culture, communication and education, which we can use in our initiatives for the region.

“We are here because of the extraordinary and significant achievements of a humanitarian and philanthropist, Aare Afe Babalola - a Nigerian, African and global citizen, who put his wisdom, knowledge, competence and wealth to the benefit of humankind by building a world class institution of higher education, whose reputation has gone beyond Nigeria’s borders and

has welcomed excellent faculty, researchers from Nigeria, Europe and America. And students from all over the world are attending ABUAD because of its high quality programme recognised by national and international accreditation bodies”.

Alidou also hailed ABUAD for ensuring that its students did not miss quality learning time, adding that this as resulted in their graduating on time, in a country where students in public universities spend between seven and eight years for four years academic programmes due to strike actions by workers.

The three-day retreat, where the Executive Vice Chairman of Julius Berger, Nigeria, Mr. Heinz Stock-

•Chief Babalola

hausen and the Deputy Director-General of IITA, Prof.

Kenton Danshiell, will be presenting papers, is aimed at validating the UNESCO Regional Programme within the eight countries in the region - Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo - for 2014 and 2015.

Ekiti plans stakeholders’ parley on Ebola

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KITI State will soon convene a stakeholders’ meeting to douse the tension created by the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) ahead of the resumption of academic session on September 22.

Deputy Governor Prof.

Modupe Adelabu said the parley was designed to reduce panic among teachers and parents.

The ministries of Health, Education, Science & Technology, representatives of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), parents and teachers and other relevant stakeholders are expected to attend the meeting, where measures will be adopted to forestall the spread of the virus.

Mrs. Adelabu, who doubles as the Chairman of the board, spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital during an assessment tour of projects undertaking

by SUBEB. The inspection is aimed at ascertaining that the projects have been implemented to specification and are ready for inauguration by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Arisekola-Alao’s son for House of Reps From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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MAR Farouk Arisekola-Alao, one of the sons of the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez ArisekolaAlao, has declared his intention to contest in 2015 for the House of Representative in Ibadan North Federal Constituency.

Arisekola-Alao, who is currently the Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, declared his interest at OkeApon, Mokola, Ibadan yesterday.

He said: “I will be contesting under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

I decided to join the race in obedience to the yearnings of the citizens.

“People are saying I’m too young to go out for the post, but I’m telling you today that I’m not too young to participate in the development of our great country. There are some leaders who manage this country at their prime age.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

8

NEWS Mimiko: I’m still in LP

•Nwanyanwu steps down as party chair

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NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday denied reports linking him with a move to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he remains in the Labour Party (LP).

The governor, who spoke at the LP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, described the report as a rumour.

“All the reports you hear or read are mere rumours and I cannot react to rumours. As you can see, I am here today to attend the LP NEC meeting. I will also be in Akure on October 4 when we will host

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

the party’s third national convention,” Mimiko said.

The party’s National Chairman, Dan Nwanyanwu, said he would step down as the party’s chairman.

Nwanyanwu said he would not present himself for reelection at the party’s next convention in Akure on October 4.

He said having played his part; it would not make sense for him to remain as the chairman.

Reading the communiqué at the end of the meeting, Nwanyanwu thanked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for working with the party leadership to promote and consolidate its ideas.

Osogbo chief imam buried

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From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

HE remains of the Chief Imam of Osogbo and President General of League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, Edo and Delta states, Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe, were yesterday interred at his family home in Arikalamu, Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The Chief Imam of Ibadan, Sheik Haroon Suara, who led the funeral prayers at the Osogbo City Stadium, described the late cleric as erudite.

Present at the ceremony were Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Deputy Governor Titi Laoye-Tomori and the Speaker, Najeem Salam.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar was represented by Prof. Daud Naibi, and the Asiwaju Adini of Yorubaland, Alhaji Khamis Olatunde Badmus was represented by Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo and Alhaji Gani Adekunle.

Sheikh Sulaimon Siraj from Morkas, Agege, Lagos, in his sermon, said death is inevitable and urged people to desist from vices.

He admonished people to see their respective positions as a trust and to always remember that everybody would die eventually.

Ex-provost, 15 others honoured

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ORMER Provost of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Prof.Adeyemi Idowu, was yesterday conferred with an award by a cooperative society in the institution.

Idowu received the “Ambassador Award” from the Adeyemi College of Educa-

From Damisi Ojo,Akure

tion Staff Cooperative Multipurpose Society (ACESCMS) Limited.

Also honoured were the Acting Provost, Dr. Olufemi Olajuyigbe; Registrar Felix Eniola Aderinboye; Librarian Rotimi Egunjobi and Bursar G.O. Abdul.

Others are F. Ade Bada; J.O. Liasu; N.O. Olarinoye, Head of Department, English, Clinton Adebiyi; C. Aseperi; J.O. Fapohunda; Dr. E.O. Adeleye; Ibidapo Iranola; S. Ogini; J.O. Abimbola and Mrs. E.M. Olowolagba.

The chairman, Caretaker Executive Management Committee (CCEMC) of the Society, Dr. (Mrs.) Akorede Yetunde, thanked Prof Idowu and Dr. Olajuyigbe for the support given to the society.

She said the development has helped it to regain its lost glory.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right) acknowledging cheers from workers who were rejoicing with him after his electoral victory at the Governor's office, Abere. With him are State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Saka Adesiyan (left); Chairman, Trade Union Congress, Francis Adetunji (middle); Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council, Comrade Bayo Adejumo (behind Aregbesola) and others...yesterday.

Missing cleric, expectant wife found in DSS cell

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N Islamic cleric, AbdulGani Jumah, and his expectant wife, Muinat, who were 'abducted' from their home 65 days ago have been found in the cell of the Department of State Services (DSS), Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The couple were held at the detention cell of the Secret Police's Headquarters, in Ogun State, Abeokuta, since the first week of July, until their relatives and lawyers traced them to the place yesterday.

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The couple who lived at 27, Fagbemi Street, Ijoko, AdoOdo/Ota Local Government Area, were declared missing last July when they were taken away at 3:am to an unknown destination.

A family source told reporters that a principal witness, Lukman Oketokun, got a call last Tuesday, telling him to go to the DSS' Abeokuta Headquarters and see the deputy director Operations at 10am yesterday.

The source added that Oketokun met with the deputy director, who eventually released Muinat.

Muinat, who spoke with reporters after her release, said DSS operatives did not tell them their offence.

She said: "They released me and still detained my husband without telling us what our offence is.

"They only gave me a letter from a gynaecologist, who advised me to proceed to the hospital for delivery."

The couple's counsel, Mu-

sodiq Sanni, said legal action would be initiated against the DSS for violation of human rights.

Sanni said: "What the law says is that once someone is arrested he must be charged to court within 24 hours. But, they did not let them know their offence, they detained them for 60 days, it is against the law.

"We have located the couple, we will ensure the cleric is released and the violation of rights would be challenged."

Why we took N160b bond, by Fashola

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola said yesterday that the N160billion bond from World Bank was to further develop the state.

The governor spoke after inspecting the light rail terminus at Orile-Iganmu, Lagos. He said strategies are in place to ensure that the loan is paid back when it is due.

Fashola said: “I think it was the debt management office of the Federal Government that published the report that we have a debt of about N160billion.

“I don’t know the intent of the publication but if it was to inform the public, I think we have always kept the public informed anytime we borrow money. If there are other intentions behind that, only those who make the publication would know what the intentions are.

“But you see, when people talk about debt of a state like Lagos, they forget that after Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and one other country, we have the fifth largest economy in Africa.

“You are talking of about a billion naira debt to a popu-

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From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

lation of over 21 million people; because if you are measuring the debt, you also have to measure the responsibility. Those are the things people keep in isolation.”

He explained that the Federal Government was in the know of the state’s decision to take the bond and it approved it.

“The truth is that what they don’t also say is that no state in Nigeria can borrow money outside, from any multi lateral agencies without the

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approval of the Federal Government. “ So, what they did not say is that they approved it. No state can raise money by bond the way we have done without the Federal Government’s approval.

“Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are all Federal Government regulatory agencies through which we must pass.

“If they said okay, it means there must be something good about the debt. Our rat-

ing as a state is the same as that of the Federal Government, BB Minus-Stable with a positive outlook. We are the only state that has that rating.

“The first bond that was taken during my first tenure has been paid, the first tranche has been paid. I think the second tranche will fall due around 2016 or 2017 and we are making provisions.

The provisions that will be there will be in excess of what is needed,” the governor said.

Police, motorcyclists clash in Ondo

OMMERCIAL activities in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State were disrupted yesterday, following a clash between the police and motorcycle riders.

Eyewitnesses said trouble started when a police patrol van allegedly hit a motorcyclist as he was trying to evade arrest.

This sparked the anger of other Okada riders, who believed that their colleague has died. But, it was later confirmed that he survived the attack It was learnt that the motorcyclists allegedly attempted to attack the policemen on patrol and police stations in the town

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

but were repealed.

Police spokesman Wole Ogodo denied that there was no fracas between the police and motorcyclists.

He said: “There was no case of any policeman pursuing anybody who was trying to escape arrest.

“The motorcyclist was going on his own and our men were on their own but along the way our van mistakenly hit the motorcyclist and he sustained a minor injury . “Immediately, our men took him to a hospital where he was treated and discharged on the same day,” Ogodo stated

Senator Tinubu to host 12th town hall meeting

HE senator representing Lagos Central, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, will host her 12th Lagos Central Senatorial District Town Hall Meeting tomorrow.

The event, which will hold at The Incubator,Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, will feature the launching of a new initiative to assist widows.

A statement by Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Constituency Office said under the new scheme, the benefitting widows would be empowered financially.

This initiative is an addition to other people-oriented programmes embarked upon by the senator, which includes the Post-Secondary Scholarship (PSSS), the Petty Traders Empowerment

Capital Scheme (PETECS), an Elderly Citizens’ Assistance Scheme (ECAS), Youth Empowerment & Skills Acquisition Scheme (YESAS), the Good Boys and Good Girls’ Empowerment Scheme (GBGES), sponsorship of the annual Senator Muniru Muse Soccer Tournament and distribution of free GCE Forms for candidates.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

NEWS

Nigerians have deviated from God, says Yero

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ADUNA State Governor Mukhtar Yero yesterday said Nigerians have deviated from the dictates of the holy books, which teach love for one another, irrespective of religious differences.

He said until people love and tolerate their neighbours unconditionally, religious challenges may be difficult to overcome.

Yero spoke in Kaduna at the opening of a workshop on National Interfaith Dialogue on Religion and Peace-making in Northern Nigeria The workshop was organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with the United Nations Develop-

•‘Love is solution to religious crises’

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

ment Programme (UNDP) and the UN Department of Political Affairs/Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Office. He said the workshop would enable people of diverse religions to share experiences, build bridges of understanding and be united.

Yero said: “All faiths enjoin adherents to uphold good and abhor evil. No religion preaches violence and unwarranted acrimony against people of other faiths. With the advent of religions, mankind is expected to live in perpetual peace and harmony, having

received divine guidance that distinguishes light from darkness, wrong from right and good from evil.

“In Nigeria, we are grappling with an unprecedented level of insecurity orchestrated by the activities of insurgents motivated by religious fundamentalism.”

Explaining that religious conflicts are simply manifestations of human struggle for political and economic relevance, the governor said: “Our parents and their parents before them lived peacefully for decades in peace and harmony, irrespective of their differences. All religions value hu-

man life. Yet, for the sake of the same religion, today people are willing to take each other’s lives.

“Some politicians are also guilty of manipulating the sensitive nature of religions for selfish ends. In the case of Nigeria, interfaith conflicts are usually directly related to issues of politics. There is always heightened tension whenever the country is approaching a major election and this cannot be separated from the desperation of some politicians to achieve their aspirations at all cost.

“The solution lies princi-

pally in returning to the true divine teachings of our major faiths. As revealed by God Almighty, the entire mankind is a single family under his supreme reign. We are all created by God and He has enjoined people to live in peace with one another, irrespective of differences.”

UN Resident Co-coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative Daouda Toure said the workshop is aimed at promoting understanding, trust, confidence and peace among adherents of various religions in northern Nigeria.

IPCR Director-General Prof.

Oshita Oshita expressed confidence in the efficacy of dialogue over violence.

Lamido: I don’t care who succeeds me

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IGAWA State Governor Sule Lamido has said he is not interested in influencing who succeeds him.

He criticised politicians who try to determine their successor, saying they create unnecessary tension in the polity.

But Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola said he was interested in who takes over from him. He urged the electorate to elect somebody who has the capacity “to do in four years what I struggled to do in eight years”.

The governors spoke at the International Conference Centre in Abuja at a political debate, tagged: “Both Sides”, organised by the Kukah Centre for Faith and Leadership Research.

Lamido said the struggle by leaders to determine their successor was responsible for the crisis in the political scene, adding that some people try to impose “their house boys” on the people as governors.

He said: “Today in Nigeria, there is this culture

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HE Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, has urged residents to stop indiscriminate waste disposal to ensure free flow of water.

He said this would prevent a recurrence of last Friday’s flood, which claimed six lives and destroyed over 100 houses in the state capital. The flood also washed away some shops at the Gombe Main Market.

The Emir spoke yesterday when he visited victims of the flood. Speaking through the Yerimah Gombe, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abubakar, the monarch urged residents to clean drains and their environment regularly. He said: “God is the ultimate and we cannot question Him. All we have to do is to pray that a thing like this should not happen again.

But on our part, we should stop building structures and dumping refuse on the water ways.”

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

SOCIO-Economic Group in Oyo State, Pioneer Movement Iseyin (PMI), has inaugurated a new executive council to steer the leadership of the group for the next two years.

The members of the group includes, President, Adebayo Azeez?, Vice-President, Bola Waheed Azeez, Secretary General, Iyalaje Lateef, Assistant General Secretary, Dupe Adeoti, Treasurer, Lateef Adelere, Financial Secretary, Wale Abiola, Chief Whip, Wale Adeleke and Publicity Secretary, Adesola Adelere.

The Publicity Secretary, Adelere who disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan yesterday, urged the entire members of the group to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the group.

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•Fashola (left), Lamido (right) and the moderator, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.

of successor. You want to make your house boy a governor.

You want to make your friend the president. We should realise that first, the office belongs to the state and the nation, not anybody.

“Therefore, the idea of appropriating it to somebody will not work. My concern in Jigawa today is building strong institutions. I am there

for eight years and when I leave, I will not look back.

“In places where governors instal their house boys as their successors, conflicts erupt within six months. So, do not turn a public office into your personal enterprise. If you look at the Presidency, when Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo came on board in 1999, he was said to have been placed there by

some people.

“You saw what he went through in 2003 because he was supposed to be a servant of those who put him there.

They fought him. After he left in 2007, I know what he went through from the person he put there.

“The best thing is to see your election as an honour and build institutions, so that

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

terday at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

The directive empowers health officials to screen passengers traveling aboard domestic airlines to ensure suspected victims of the disease do not escape quarantine and to restrict them from travelling to another state.

Health officials screened passengers at the departure hall of the local wing.

After obtaining their boarding passes, passengers are to proceed to two desks manned by health officials, where they would be screened with infrared thermometers.

Any passenger whose temperature level is above 38 degrees centigrade would be

asked to step aside for further screening.

The result of the screening is recorded on passengers’ boarding passes, to be presented to health officials at the boarding gate.

To ensure no passenger escapes the screening, another group of health officials is stationed at the boarding gate entrance.

Niger East: Aliyu sacks political coordinators IGER State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has sacked Political Mobilisation Officers (PMOs) and coordinators for failing to “deliver” their wards during the Niger East Senatorial by-election.

He announced their sack yesterday at the Government House in Minna while hosting the winner of the election, Dr. Shem Zagbayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Aliyu said: “We have taken a decision that the coordinators and PMOs be relieved of their appointments. They will have to reapply to get back their jobs.

By Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

Group inaugurates exco

Ebola : Screening of domestic passengers begin HE Port Health Services unit of the Ministry of Health has begun screening of passengers on domestic routes at airports.

The screening was hitherto restricted to international flights.

This follows a directive from the Federal Ministry of Health.

The screening started yes-

Gombe flood: Emir cautions residents

Some of them were given money and they did not use it to mobilise their people From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

Some of them were given money and they did not use it to mobilise their people.

If a political appointee decides not to relate with his ward or local government, then we have a problem.

“We thank God for giving us victory in this election. After the election, I took time to analyse what went wrong because since I

started running for political offices in 1983, this is the toughest election I have ever encountered.

“After my analysis, I realised that the election was tough not because of the opposition. You will realise that we were not competing with the opposition. We were competing with people who claimed to be members of the PDP but were working against us.

“Some did it for selfish

reasons. Some did it for revenge and some out of greed. Some were given money for the election and they did not use it. Some people sat down and calculated what it would cost us to take care of our agents. The money was given, but it did not get to some agents.

“We must get more serious and take nothing for granted. We have to go back to the drawing board and come up with winning strategies.”

Aliyu said there was need to instil discipline in PDP members.

when you hand over, you can walk away without looking back.

“Today, you find out that a lot of governors want to go to the Senate. What for? We should have some dignity and decency. Give others a chance to serve the system. If you build institutions, you will be able to resist this trend by former governors.”

Kano recruits 1,928 teachers •Govt to provide temperature monitors in schools

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From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

HE Kano State government has recruited 1,928 teachers.

Screening them yesterday, Commissioner for Education Tajudeen Gambo said they were teaching voluntarily in some schools before the governor decided to engage them temporarily.

Gambo said their employment would be confirmed in a few months depending on recommendations by their principals.

He said the government would provide temperature monitors for schools to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) .

Gambo said radio enlightenment programmes were ongoing to sensitise residents on the disease.

He said, at least, two representatives from public and private schools had been selected for training on how to use the device.

Irikefe hails Jonathan’s aide

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HE Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Coalition for Jonathan and Sambo Presidency (NACOJSP), Dr. Ben Onoriode Irikefe, has hailed the Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Prof. Rufai Alkali, on the ongoing verification of groups rooting for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election.

In a statement yesterday, Irikefe described the initiative of the presidential adviser as “commendable”, adding that Alkali has handled the task with “utmost transparency and thoroughness”.

He said: “As a leader of the largest NGO rooting for President Goodluck for 2015, one can confidently say that Prof.Alkali did an excellent job. The process was very thorough, transparent and inclusive. I am not surprised because Prof. Alkali has an enviable and proven track record of excellence and achievements. I can unequivocally say that the groups are satisfied with the performance of Prof. Alkali within the short time he has come on board.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08078425391

No beef in Lagos tomorrow

Two years after, kidnappers of Ondo broadcaster arrested

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WO members of a robbery/kidnap gang that abducted and raped a broadcater with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Akure, the Ondo State capital, two years ago have been arrested by the police in Lagos.

They were arrested at Egbeda, Lagos suburb last month.

Bashiru Raji (35) and Jacob Christian (35) were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja.

Raji claimed to be from Odigbo in Ondo State and a mechanic with two wives and seven children. Christian is from Nkerefi in Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State. He is a rice trader in Oja-Oshodi Market in Akure.

They were declared wanted by the Ondo State SARS for the kidnap of the

By Ebele Boniface

newscaster. They were said to have taking to farming to evade arrest.

The suspects were arrested when they attempted to rob a bank and a man said to have a large amount of dollars at home. Sources said the suspects would be transferred to Akure to answer charges against them.

Raji said: “I am the one that drove my gang members the day the journalist was kidnapped. We were five but I only know the name of one person. I don’t know the name of the journalist. On the day we kidnapped her, we blocked her in Akure along the expressway junction that leads to Abuja and Lagos. I arrested one of our gang members Ebi when I heard he raped the journalist and handed him over to the vigilante.

We collected N1 million as

ransom and I got N200, 000 from it. Our leader is addressed as General. I have not robbed before. It was Ebi who sells Indian hemp in my compound that lured me into kidnap job’’.

He said the gang’s plan to rob a bank and an Alhaji that keeps dollars and other foreign currencies at home was leaked to the police.

The police, he said, arrested two of them while others escaped. ‘’I came from Delta State while Jacob came from Enugu State. We were to meet in Egbeda before going for the operation. It was only two of us that had arrived before SARS operatives stormed the place and arrested us’’.

Christian said: “It was one of my friends that called me and told me that there was job that will pay big money and asked me if I was interested. I asked him

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•The suspects ... yesterday

what type of job and he said it was to kidnap a journalist. I got only N10,000 from the N1million. I sell rice and beans at Oja Oshodi market in Akure. I was not getting enough money so I joined the people selling Indian hemp. I even had Indian hemp farm in Ita Odogbolu in Akure North

Local Government. It is just a plot. I used to harvest it every seven months.

Each time I harvest and sell, I make N150,000. I used to sell it to buyers from northern states of Nigeria three years ago. I did not know what got into me to join these kidnappers and robbers.

Police under attack for detaining three nine-year old girls

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HE police have come under attack for detaining three nineyear-old girls.

The girls were kept in custody at the Ajegunle Police Station in Lagos on Tuesday and released yesterday.

Their parents are demanding that they be compensated for what they described as unlawful detention. They are also asking for public apology by the police.

The girls were detained following complaints by a woman that her seven-yearold son was defiled by them.

It was gathered that the incident occurred at Bale Aiyetoro street, Ajegunle.

The boy’s mother was said to have told the police that her son was raped by the trio.

Following her report, the police moved to the girls houses and arrested them.

But the girl’s families are claiming that the boy’s mother is framing up their daughters to extort them.

Police sources said all the girls were arrested at home.

One of the girls’ father said his daughter was a victim of circumstance.

He said the complainant’s mother is demanding N60,000 each from the three families for medical expenses, adding that his daughter was framed up for the purpose of extortion.

One of their neighbours said the police arrested the

By Jude Isiguzo

girls because they wanted money from their parents.

He said if the boy was older, his mother’s story would be believable, adding that the girls may be innocent.

The man said the girls were too young to gang rape a little boy, adding that the police would not have detained them if they

truly want to investigate the case.

He asked: “How can a boy not up to seven years old make love to three girls above his age? Nobody will believe that story. I think the whole saga is a frame up, aimed at extorting money from the girls parents.

“That the police detained the three girls is even wrong because they are un-

derage and are not supposed to be in such cell. Even if they did what they were accused of, the police are only hardening them. They should have found a way to counsel them. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) would come out tomorrow to say he was not aware they were detained but its all lies, because they are still there”.

Another parent of one of

the girls asked: “How can the three girls be making love to the small boy at the back yard of their residence when people are usually within the compound? Can the police who detained our daughters produce scientific proof that the girls had carnal knowledge of the minor? We should not lose our senses in this country because of filthy lucre.”

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•From left: Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Ademorin Kuye, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Area J Command Frank Mba, Group Captain Lere Osanyintolu and Commander, 9th Brigade Nigeria Army, Brig.-Gen. David Lubo, during a Workshop on Security Re-Engineering, Grassroots Awareness and Information Management for key functionaries and stakeholders in the 57 Local Government/Cuncil Development Areas of PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN Lagos at Oriental Hotel ... yesterday.

•Husband: If my wife was there, my son wouldn’t have raped his sister

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•The late Balogun

Centre holds summit

‘I don’t want him anymore, he is irresponsible’ 34-YEAR-OLD singer, Titilayo Ogunshola, is seeking the dissolution of her 12 years old marriage at the Alakuko Customary Court in Lagos.

She is asking the court to dissolve her marriage to Shola Ogunsola over what she described as constant attacks.

“I don’t want him anymore. We had nothing when we got married, but we overcame every challenge. He is irresponsible. My husband can leave home for more than two months, leaving

HERE will be no beef in Lagos markets tomorrow.

Butchers will be taking the day off to honour colleague, the late Alhaji Abdul Raimi Atanda Balogun.

In a statement, chairman of Lagos State Butchers’ Association Alhaji Bamidele Kazeem and Patron Alhaji Sulaimon Afuwape asked members to be present at the funeral holding at the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Secretariat, Oyetayo Street, Bolade, Oshodi.

The statement said: “We hereby declare September 12, 2014 as a work-free day to all our members in Lagos State to honour and perform Fidau prayer for our founding member and implore the general public to note that fresh meat will not be available on that day.”

The late Balogun was the father of former Chairman, Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Afeez IpesaBalogun. He was 84.

By Basirat Braimah

just N1, 500 for our upkeep.

It has been three years since we lived together. My husband is yet to rent an apartment for me. My husband accused my children of sleeping with each other. But how is that possible? Yet, he didn’t see anything wrong in taking them to the police station. I have rented a new apartment now; so, all I want is my children; I don’t want to remain in the marriage anymore,” Titilayo said.

But, Ogunshola, 41, a studio engineer, said his wife

might have been hypnotised.

“I love my wife because she stayed with me when we could barely make ends meet. My wife and I used to buy foodstuffs on credit in those days; yet, she didn’t dump me! So, I wonder how and why she has suddenly changed. She became very secretive, which has now made me to conceal any vital information from her.

“She said I am irresponsible, but she has never paid our children’s school fees.

Worse still, my children lack

motherly care.

“My daughter once complained of pains in her private parts. When she persistently kept complaining, I was forced to ask her the cause. Sadly, she said her brother ‘touched’ it. I was confused. I kept asking myself how and where. I beat my son mercilessly until he confessed that my stepson, who lives with us, lured him into it. If my wife was available and responsible, my 12year-old son wouldn’t have had carnal knowledge of his sister. If my wife was there,

she would have taken proper care of our daughter and she would have educated our son because I was always out there to make ends meet.

“I really want her back because my children need parental care and love. I don’t want enmity among my children,” he said in tears.

The marriage is blessed with two children.

The court’s President, Chief Godwin Awosola, said the children should be with their father.

The case was adjourned till Thursday.

N economic summit aimed at empowering Nigerian youths organised by the Akpabio Centre for Leadership Development (Akpabioism) holds in Lagos on Saturday.

The summit, according to the centre’s director, Pastor Bassey James, is a platform for rekindling the hope of youths and securing their future.

He said: “With Akpabioism Economic Summit, we intend to add value to the lives of our youths, not just in Akwa Ibom, but in Nigeria. It is for us to sustain the lives of young men, to encourage them to go into businesses and make them successful entrepreneurs.”

Firm quits pageant deal

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FIRM, Fruition Consulting, has withdrawn from the planning and management of the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant.

In a statement in Lagos, it said it withdrew because of what it called “change in direction” being sought for the pageant.

“It has been a great experience executing this mandate so far, however, we exit this partnership because of the new direction being sought for the Miss Nigeria brand.

“We thank every individual and corporate organisation that gave us their support in managing this brand so far”.

BUSINESS

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

FIRS introduces new audit tools to boost revenue From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor), Abuja

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HE Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it has introduced new techniques and audit tools as part of efforts to increase tax revenue collection across its field offices.

Its Acting Executive Chairman, Alhaji Kabir Mashi, who spoke yesterday at an interactive session with Heads of Audit and their supervisors across the country in Abuja, said framework and template have been designed to monitor audit activities.

A statement by its Head, Communications and Liaison Department, Wahab Gbadamosi, said Mashi told the auditors that a framework and template is already in place to help monitor audit activities the drive to increase tax revenue collection.

“The intention is to extend the new audit techniques currently being deployed through the Capacity Enhancement Programme (CEP) at the Large Tax Offices to all other offices across the country and I hope this will complement the audit model contained in our Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS).

"Our plan also includes intensifying our monitoring of audit activities and to this end, we have developed a monitoring framework and template for your tax audit assignments.

This would easily check and determine compliance level, check your risk profiling systems, your audit time reporting system and the targets against actual collections at the various levels."

‘Glo Xchange will empower Nigerians’

By Lucas Ajanaku

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GENTS of Globacom’s mobile money agent network, Glo Xchange, have commended the telco for the platform which is aimed at deepening financial inclusion and promoting electronic payment system.

The agents spoke at the various town hall meetings in Ibadan, Benin, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ikeja and Lekki in Lagos over the weekend.

CEO, Real Imagination Limited, Mr. Raphael Arokoyo, who attended the Ikeja, Lagos meeting, said: “This is a good means of economic empowerment for Nigerians “There is no business without its teething issues. When ATM started, it was difficult to accept.

But today, it is taking shape.

With the strength of Glo and all its partners, the mobile wallet will be a good venture. It does not require start-up capital as Glo’s supports us to brand our shops.”

Another prospective agent, Mrs. Eucharia Ajaegbu, who is a provision store operator in Ojo-Alaba, Lagos, said Glo Xchange was a welcome development that “will make business transactions very easy. It will improve the earnings of small business people. I love it, and I hope it goes well,” she said.

11 Sovereign Wealth Funds are managed conservatively.

They don’t borrow money the way banks do, so you can’t compare this business to banking business. This business does not expose itself to that kind of risk. It is not the same thing as private equity •Managing Director/CEO, NSI A, Uche Orji

Nigeria loses N31.8b to gas flaring

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HE Federal Govern ment lost N31.8billion through gas flaring in the month of February this year alone, the Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has said.

Its Communications Officer, Lillian Akhigbe, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, described gas flaring as the bane of the nation’s gas sector She lamented that very little has been achieved to stimulate growth in the sector since Nigerian Gas Master Plan (NGMP) was approved in 2008.

According to her, the NGMP was designed to boost the gas sector in order to attain a full market-driven status which regrettably had

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

not been acheived.

She also lamented that the country had neither experienced a long term energy security nor enjoyed comparative advantage in the highvalue gas export market, adding that it is persistent gas-flaring, mainly in the oil and gas producing communities of the Niger Delta region, that had become the order of the day.

Akhigbe said: “Statistics indicate that Nigeria has about 179 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, yet it lost $198.775 million (about N31.8 billion) to gas flaring in the month of February, 2014.

“The NNPC data further revealed that the amount of gas flared was 50.098 bil-

lion Standard Cubic Feet (SCF), which is equivalent to 23.2 per cent of the total gas produced in the period, 215.93 billion SCF. “The abundant gas resources have regrettably spelt doom rather than boom for the people whose environment is perpetually devastated by incessant emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“Gas flaring in Nigeria dates back to 1956, when oil was first discovered in the country and as oil production increased, so did gas production, of which the gas is often regarded as a waste product and disposed into the atmosphere.”

While fingering independent oil companies, marginal field operators, production sharing compa-

nies and joint venture operators for being involved in gas flaring to varying degrees, Akhigbe also said government has not adequately checkmated these firms.

“So far, government’s efforts at curbing the menace of gas flaring have been feeble and grossly inadequate, as Nigeria remains one of the largest gas-flaring countries in the world,” she said, adding that the last National Conference recommended in its final report that gas-flaring should be criminalised and offenders made to pay the commercial value of the flared gas. The conference also recommended that communities prone to gas flaring should be paid compensation for its devastating effects on health, safety and environment.

Transcorp Ughelli eyes 1,000Mw From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

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RANSCORP Ughelli Power Limited (TUPL), a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, will generate 1,000Megawatts (Mw) of electricity by first quarter of next year, its chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu has said.

He said the firm has raised the capacity of the power plant from 150Mw to 450Mw, adding that by next month, the firm would have recorded 700Mw. He said: “Our experience so far at Ughelli power plant is a testimony to the size of the opportunity. Our amazing team has taken that plant from 150Mw capacity when we took over in November 2013, to 450Mw today. We expect it to increase 700Mw

by October and to achieve 1000Mw by the second quarter of 2015."

Elumelu said the firm would be generating 20 per cent of the country's total power by next year upon the achievement of 1,000Mw. He also said the firm is developing a greenfield project that will expand the plant's capacity by additional 1,000Mw in within the next three to five years .

According to him, the firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with General Electric (GE) and Symbion Power to facilitate the project.

FEC okays N13b for 16 rice, cassava mills • Approves power project for Borno

• From left: Executive Director, Shared Services, Fidelity Bank Plc., Chijioke Ugochukwu, President &Chairman of Council, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, Prince Adeyemi Adefulu, MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc., Nnamdi Okonkwo and Deputy President of the Chamber, Prince Dapo Adelagun, when the Chamber paid a courtesy visit to the Management of Fidelity Bank Plc...yesterday.

‘IOCs undermining Local Content Act’

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HE Federal Government’s drive to in volve local oil firms in the oil and gas sector is being thwarted by some oil majors that are bent on maintaining the status quo and denying indigenous companies their place as enshrined in the Nigerian Local Content Law, The Nation has gathered.

The Act, which became operational in 2010, gave Nigerian oil companies the leverage to be given first consideration in the award of contracts in virtually every area in the sector, including oil blocks, oil field licences, oil lifting licences, in addition to being considered for award of contracts in all projects for which they have demonstrable competences and proven capability in the oil and gas industry.

The Act says there shall be exclusive consideration to Nigerian indigenous service companies which demonstrate ownership of equipment, Nigerian personnel and capacity to execute

•We will punish offenders, says Nwapa

By Akinola Ajibade

such work to bid on land and swamp-operating areas of the Nigerian oil and gas industry for contracts and services contained in the Schedule to this Act. However, this legal provision which is binding on all operators in the energy sector, is being flouted by some foreign players.

It was gathered that some foreign companies, amongst them, Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and General Electric (GE), are working in unison against the provision and the intent of the Local Content Act, to edge out an indigenous oil servicing company, ARCO Petrochemical Engineering Company Plc, in an existing Gas Turbines and Equipment Maintenance Contract Working Agreement.

The intent of the scheme, it was learnt, is to introduce another foreign firm, Plantgeria

Nigeria Limited, with no pedigree of any related experience, to take over the job from ARCO A source who asked that his identity be veiled, said the surreptitious action of NAOC and GE, if allowed to stand, will negate everything the Local Content Act represents.

The source explained that the object of contention is the Obob/Kwale/Ebocha Gas Plant Rotating Equipment Maintenance Contract, involving Nuovo Pignone, GE and ARCO. The five-year contract was awarded by the Board of NNPC sometimes in 2006 to Nuovo Pignone, together with Arco Petrochemical Engineering company Plc, a wholly Nigerian company as the local Technical Partner, for the maintenance of the OBO/Kwale/ Ebocha gas plants.

It was learnt that the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) later changed the contract terms and awarded the same contract

to GE on its own terms. By the new arrangement, Arco was reduced from being a partner to a sub-contractor.

However, just under a year of the commencement of the contract, the Niger Delta crises erupted, leading to the evacuation of GE’ expatriate staff from the site. On their exit, Arco’s engineers and technicians took up the challenge and maintained the plants for over six months before the crises abated and the evacuated GE expatriate staff eventually returned to site.

Apparently surprised that ARCO successfully performed the task for that length of time without any hitches, and for unexplained reasons, GE turned against ARCO, reduced the scope of Arco’s jobs and introduced a third-party company, Plantgeria, to perform part of Arco’s scope of work in the contract.

“But surprisingly” the source exclaimed, “GE poached 19 of Arco’s engineers and technicians to do the job.”

From Augustine Ehikioya,

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Abuja

HE Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday approved N13 billion for the establishment of ten rice mills and six cassava mills across the country.

The Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting.

He was accompanied by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, Works Minister, Mike Onolememen, Works Minister of State, Adeyeye, Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, and Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu.

According to him, Nigeria has been producing more food since 2012 but has lacked adequate capacity to mill the increasing cultivation of rice and cassava.

The ten rice mills, which will have a total capacity to mill 360,000 metric tonnes of rice, he said will be located in ten states including Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Ogun and Nasarawa.

He said that the six cassava mills have total capacity of 180,000 metric tonnes and to be located in Ondo, Ogun, Abia, Delta, Cross Rivers and Nasarawa states.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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THE NATION

BUSINESS INDUSTRY

industry@thenationaonlineng.net

Industrialists are lamenting that the un-coordinated nature of Nigeria’s tax administration, which results to multiple taxation, is taking a toll on businesses and reducing the global competitiveness of the industrial sector. The industrialist, at a business luncheon organised by Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) for Chief Executive Officers/Managing Directors of member-companies, called for a more business-friendly tax regime, reports Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA.

‘Multiple taxation hurting industrialists, businesses’

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T was a business luncheon organised by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) exclusively for chief executive officers/managing directors of its membercompanies, but the razzmatazz and camaraderie barely covered the worries in the minds of the participants over the state of the industrial sector.

At the luncheon, which held last week at MAN Centre Complex, Ikeja, Lagos, the captains of industry could not hide their displeasure over what they described as Nigeria’s un-coordinated tax system, which, according to them, led leads to what is referred to as multiple taxation.

To the industrialists, multiple taxation, which is a direct result of the nation’s shoddy tax administration, now verges on overkill and is one of the greatest disincentives to business. Specifically, the industrialists consider the tax environment, particularly in Lagos State, as unfriendly and a major factor for the increasing cost of doing business in the country, which in turn reduces the industrial sector’s global competitiveness. For them therefore, the fear of multiple taxation is the beginning of wisdom. This was why the theme of the luncheon ‘Multiple Taxation: A Disincentive to Industrialists” was considered apt and timely.

Chairman, Ikeja branch of MAN, Prince Oba Okojie, set the ball rolling, lamenting that the incidence of multiple taxation and astronomical increase in taxes and levies has led to disruption of businesses in the state.

He noted, for instance, that in addition to the taxes paid/payable to state government under Act CAP.T2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, a total of 10 other taxes/ levies are being collected by the Lagos State Government. Okojie listed some of the taxes that have been giving industrialists sleepless nights to include environmental development levy/charge, environment impact assessment levy/charge, and land use charge.

Others are Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) levy (laboratory analysis), Ministry of Transport (MOT) road worthiness charge, LASEPA petroleum storage charge for tanks above 10,000 litres, solid waste charge, chemical storage permit, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) levy for waste disposal, and Lagos State fire service charge. Okojie said multiple taxation has added to the growing list of challenges facing industrialists such as insecurity, high lending and exchange rates, high handedness of some regulatory agencies, and multiple inspections/visitations from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), amongst others.

The MAN Ikeja branch chairman pointed out that the application of multiple taxes/ levies impact negatively on companies.

Apart from restricting business expansion and reducing profit, he said the situation creates unemployment, retards economic development and growth, discourages both local and foreign investments, and breed corruption. Besides, multiple taxation, he said, does not allow local products to compete with imported ones. According to him, these factors are responsible for stunting the growth of the Nigerian economy.

He argued that in order to encourage investments within and outside the state,it must create new jobs and engender high economic growth; government must put in place an acceptable tax system, and outlaw the use of unorthodox means of collecting

•Commisioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Lagos, Ben Akabueze

•MAN Ikeja Branch Council, Prince Oba Okojie

taxes and levies. Also, government, he insisted, must educate the public and facilitate compliance on the published list of approved or authorised taxes and levies in the state, local governments and its MDAs. To the worries expressed by industrialists over multiple taxation, the Lagos State Government, through its Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget, Ben Akabueze, made a number of clarifications. Akabueze, who was guest speaker at the occasion, said because Nigeria is a federation made up of federal, state and local governments, each tier of government is saddled with the responsibility of providing certain services to the citizens and is also granted the funding source through the imposition and administration of assigned taxes and levies.

Akabueze however, said there is need to distinguish between taxes, levies, penalties and user charges. According to him, generally, a tax is a compulsory financial charge or levy imposed by governmental authority, and for which no direct benefit is derived by the taxpayer. On the other hand, payments required for services rendered by the government are basically user charges.

“Strictly therefore, multiple taxation can only be said to exist where different tiers of governments are levying taxes on the same

activity/income,” he clarified.

As the commissioner explained, modern governance is premised on a social contract that obligates the citizens to pay taxes to the government and in turn mandates government to provide certain goods and services for the well-being of the citizens. While noting that governance of Lagos State should not be on a different basis, he said MAN should assist in sensitising its members towards a tax compliance culture. He also said it is essential for MAN to censure and sanction members when they act in defiance of well established laws.

“Voluntary compliance with tax regulations is the way forward as it is a win-win situation for all parties concerned. To the government, it reduces cost of administration, increases tax revenue, and ensures good governance. On the part of the tax payer, it leads to certainty of tax obligation, prevents disruption of businesses with its attendant legal cost and bad publicity. It therefore, behoves members of MAN and other tax payers in general to ensure, among other things, that taxes deducted are remitted as and when due, and that necessary books of accounts and other documents/information are made available for inspection whenever the need

‘

‘The application of multiple taxes/levies impact negatively on companies. Apart from restricting business expansion and reducing profit, he said the situation creates unemployment, retards economic development and growth, discourages both local and foreign investments and breed corruption’

‘

arise,” he stated.

The commissioner added that taxpayers should refer grey areas to the tax authorities for clarification, and where they disagree they should utilise dispute resolution procedures available in the tax laws, as well as keep in focus that payment of tax is obligatory and not optional and that there are sanctions for non compliance with statutory provisions. He also harped on the need to maintain international best practice in tax compliance and build a reservoir of credibility.

Akabueze however, said the state government, on its part, will continue to operate a proactive, responsive, transparent, efficient and effective revenue service. “The Lagos State Government will continue to provide the enabling environment for economic growth and development by passing appropriate legislation, and implementation of citizen-focused policies and programmes,” he said.

While noting that the bulk of these projects/ programmes are financed from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), he promised that government will pursue further reforms of the tax administration system in the state with a view to further simplification of the assessment and payment process, transparency and elimination of power of discretion in the hand of revenue officers, harmonisation of taxes and levies collectible, reduction in the cost of compliance, voluntary compliance and increase in IGR. The commissioner listed key aspects of the tax reforms in Lagos to include the Lagos revenue administration law, simplification of the tax assessment and payment procedure, tax education and enlightenment, expansion of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), establishment of presence in all the major markets, and consultations with tax payer groups. Others are: enforcement of statutory provisions, harmonisation of local government levies and rate, consolidation of charges, and the setting up of revenue complaints unit.

President of MAN, Dr. Frank S.U Jacob, expressed confidence that the luncheon would further evolve additional road map germane to the effective implementation of the ongoing tax reform, strengthen the existing cordial public-private sector relationship, and further deepen government efforts geared towards transforming the manufacturing sector.

He said on its part, MAN under his leadership, has unfolded plans aimed at reducing the cost of manufacturing and improving the business environment for manufacturers in the country. “MAN will continue to work towards an environment that will enhance the sustenance of existing manufacturing outfits and attract new investments,” he promised.

The MAN President listed the new Council’s plan for the next four years to include greater interface with government at all levels to enhance MAN’s advocacy platform, creating a more robust data bank, strengthening the economics and research department, and improving the collaboration between MAN and research institutes and tertiary institutions, among others.

He said he has no doubt that the luncheon would promote a business friendly tax environment critical to the competitiveness of Made in Nigeria products and the continued survival of industrialists.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

INDUSTRY Dansa Foods assures stakeholders

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HE Management of Dansa Foods Limited and Bulk Pack Services Limited have assured their customers and other vendors of stability in their operations despite last week’s Court order restraining the company’s operations with their banks.

Company Secretary and Legal Adviser to Dansa Foods Limited, Mohammed Shitu Jibril described the court’s interim injunction as a temporary setback.

“Our lawyers are taking appropriate steps to address our various dissatisfactions with the Order of the court and the actions filed by the bank,” he said.

NEPAD group tackles youth unemployment

• Golden Guinea Breweries Plc, Umuahia, under re-construction.

Abia govt to resuscitate ailing industries

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WIND of change is sweeping across the industrial land scape of Abia State, Southeast Nigeria. This is coming on the wings of an aggressive industrial revolution programme embarked upon by the state government under Governor Theodore Orji. The programme, The Nation learnt, has already raised hopes of possible rebound of most of the moribund flagship industries that once epitomised the entrepreneurial and can-do spirit of indigenes of the state.

Already, most residents of the state, described as ‘God’s own State,’ are upbeat over the return of flagship industries such as Modern Ceramics, Golden Guinea Brewery, (both in Umuahia, the state capital), as well as Aba Glass Industry. For instance, repair work have since started at Golden Guinea Breweries. The exercise would see the company’s obsolete machines replaced with new ones imported from Germany. This was sequel to the setting up of a committee by the state government to revive the abandoned firms.

According to the governor, government set up the committee following its discovery that the company, which was earlier said to have been sold to a private company was not actually sold to anybody. He said the new committee is already discussing with the management of the breweries with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problems of the company established by the administration of Dr Michael Okpara as premier of the defunct Eastern Region in 1960.

In its heyday, Golden Guinea Breweries was the toast of the beer industry in the country. The company offered thousands of employment to indigenes of Abia State in particular and Nigerians in general, until it was abandoned by previous governments. Then the company was engaged in the brewing, bottling and marketing of Golden Guinea lager beer and Eagle Stout, as well as producing and marketing Bergedorf premium Lager beer and Bergedorf Malta under a franchise from Holsten Brauerei AG of Hamburg.

Governor Orji, The Nation leant, had earlier promised to revive the breweries during his first term in office as one of the avenues to provide jobs to the people, but the promise was not fulfilled because, according to him, government was not told the truth about the actual problems of the company. As he explained: “What happened was that when the company had financial problem, it was bailed out by the people now occupying the place because the management of the brewery was unable to re-repay the loan, warranting the new management to take over the place although they could not move the company forward.

“It has been a problem to us. It is time for me to tell the people the real truth about Golden Guinea Brew-

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Stories by Okwy IroegbuChikezie, Assistant Editor

eries. Golden Guinea had a problem before I came on board, but nobody told me. I was misinformed that the place was bought. I looked for the person who supposedly bought it and encouraged him to revive it.”

The governor further explained that the supposed buyer went to Germany and brought investors, but it was later discovered that the man was playing games. “However, the General Manager explained that the man rescued them when they were in financial crisis, but the man now claims to have bought it. That was why the German investors ran away,” he said, adding, “We want to sort it out, we have put up a committee to look into the problem and advise the government. That was the problem we had, otherwise we would have gone far with the project.”

Modern Ceramics Industries Limited in Umuahia is also staging a come back, courtesy of the state government’s industrial revival programme. After 14 years of inaction, the flagship firm, the first in Africa, has been handed over to a private firm, UCL Resources & Investment Limited, to reposition it. This followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the new core investor in the project and the state government for the reactivation of the state-owned ceramics company. Abia State Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Technology, Chief Otuu Irunkwu signed on behalf of the government, while Reverend Father Mike Okoronkwo, Managing Director of UCL Ltd, signed for the company.

The foreign partners of the core investors visited the company recently and accepted to invest $120 million to resuscitate the company, which stopped production in 1996 following a major breakdown in the company. Although, the signing ceremony was done during the administration of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, Government Theodore Orji has renewed the commitment of his administration to breath life into the company. The firm, when fully operational, will employ about 1,000 people directly while proving thousands of jobs indirectly. The governor said the company now has the required expertise and financial wherewithal courtesy of the private sector buy-in to help turn around the fortunes of the state’s economy.

He said his government is focused on the industrialisation of the state through the promotion of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

He said the revival of the Aba Glass industries boasts robust employment possibilities that will take the youth off the streets. “Our goal is to build at least one operational industry in each of the 17 local government areas of our State, with a major focus

It would be recalled that Justice Okon Abang who made the order last week, in a ruling, said the order subsists till September 11 when the court would entertain the applications in the suit brought by Union Bank Plc against Sani Dangote and his companies.

Describing the situation as a phase that will soon be a thing of the past, he appealed for understanding and calm, noting that all the parties will soon sit down to look at the issues raised and reach an amicable solution that will be suitable to all.

• Governor Orji

on agricultural services, food packaging, energy production, and hospitality industries. While we also intend to recover old and ailing industries in our state, it is our goal to expand and develop new cities beyond Aba and Umuahia through industrialisation and creation of new markets, the Governor said.

The state’s power sector is also set to experience a major boost following the recent invitation of a Chinese trade and investment company, JMET Corporation, which has indicated its willingness to invest in the power sector in Abia.

This was to aid the industrialisation process. According to the National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria-China Business Council (NCBC), Chief Matthew Uwaekwe, the corporation, a subsidiary of Jiangsu Sainty International Group, would build and operate industrial power projects of various capacities to serve the emerging industrial clusters in the state.

He also said the corporation would embark on the manufacturing of prepaid meters and recharge cards, and also invest in recreation parks. Other areas of investment, he disclosed, include exploration of oil and gas potential in the state, and development of estate for mass housing. Uwaekwe gave the assurance that the group would bankroll any selected investment in the state.

“The Chinese group will provide full and adequate finance for suitable, consequential and people-friendly projects in Abia,’’ he said.

During the visit of the Chinese businessmen, the leader of the team, Mr. Juan Qiangjing, praised the governor for the rapid transformation going on in the state, promising that Chinese investors would take advantage of the prevailing friendly atmosphere in Abia to invest in the area.

The state government is also involved in providing support to the Geometric Power Incorporated and the National Integrated Power Project of the Federal Government, located in Ala-Oji, so that they can achieve their projected dateline to deliver un-interrupted 24 hours power supply to Abia State and its environs.

When this happens, “many of our Small and Medium Scale Industries in the state will grow and create jobs. It will also boost our plan to build an Industrial Park in Aba City, to encourage the pulling together of resources, to support the sagging entrepreneurship of Aba-made goods, and their return to international fame,” Governor Orji said.

LARMED by the high level of graduate unemployment in the country, the New Partment for African Development (NEPAD) Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) has initiated a training programme for youths tagged ‘NBGN Graduates’ Employability Improvement & Development Initiative (GEIDI).

In a statement by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Chairman,NEPAD Business Group, Oluwole Dosumu, the training is in furtherance of its objective of wealth creation for poverty alleviation.

Unveiling the programme at a press conference in Lagos, the NBGN Chairman, Chief Chris Ezeh, explained that it was intended to equip Nigerian graduates with both technical and entrepreneurial skills “to address the observed mismatch in graduate training and those skills required in modern workplace for enhanced employability and selfreliability.”

He added that since unemployment of youths posed a great challenge to the economy and the eventual growth of the nation, NBGN had no choice but to partner with government in assisting to find a solution to the scourge of youth unemployment and its associated vices.

GEIDI is a six-month programme organised in conjunction with the Nigeria Opportunities Industrialisation Centres (NOIC), Bank of Industry Limited (BOI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), among others.

According to Ezeh, the group has secured BOI’s assurances of making available suitable loan

facilities to qualified graduates of the scheme to set up in their chosen trade and vocations while NOIC and SMEDAN would provide the vocational training and entrepreneurial development skills development respectively.

The NEPAD boss charged other Business Membership Organisations (BMOs), the Organised Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and development groups to join hands with government in reducing youth unemployment “for socio-economic growth of our dear nation”.

The maiden edition of the scheme is scheduled to start in the first week of September with 50 trainees drawn from all over the federation. Courses being offered include Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Computer hardware Maintenance, Hotel & Catering Management, Electrical Installation, Automotive Mechanics as well as Painting & House Decoration.

• Minister of Labour & Productivity Chukwuemeka Wogu

NACCIMA reiterates commitment to auto policy

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HE Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) haspraised the Federal Government for coming up with the auto policy, which is expected to reduce importation and boost local production of motor vehicles.

According to the association’s National President, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, the effort of government has started yielding results as assembly plants such as Innoson Motors and NISAN have begun operations in the country to boost supply of automobiles for the citizens.

The auto policy, according to him, in the long term will create jobs as there will be off shoot of companies to produce auto accessories like windscreen and glasses, car seats, etc. This will gradually lead to complete auto production in

the country, thereby fulfilling the long term auto plan of government. Also, learning from Nigeria’s past failure, an emphasis on developing dynamic and innovative assembly plants is the best way to ensure the industry will be sustainable. This ensures that Nigerians can purchase modern cars, which will eliminate the desire for foreign cars.

However, to ensure that the good intention of government on the policy will become a reality if it is well harnessed and implemented and probity brought to bear in the overall interest of all stakeholders. NACCIMA applauded the government for the extension of the levy to next year, adding that it will no doubt, enable the assembly line to produce the right quality at the required quantity at the right time.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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THE NATION

BUSINESS LABOUR

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ASSBIFI calls for synergy between govt, employers

HE Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI, has called on employers to take advantage of government’s industrial policy and partner with workers to ensure fair and sustainable labour practices to promote harmony in the nation’s industrial sector.

ASSBIFI’s National President, Comrade Sunday Salako, told The Nation that there is need for collaborative effort by stakeholders that should culminate in attracting new investors into the country.

He said: “We call on both gov-

Stories by Toba Agboola

ernment and other employers of labour to partner with the workers through transparent implementation of the industrial policy to guarantee the sustainability of fair labour practices for the nation’s industrial sector to thrive.

“This is because with sustainable industrial policy, Nigeria will be able to witness sustained, fair labour practices.

“Our call is necessary now because interestingly, governments around the world are increasingly strengthening labour institutions to

play a leading role in the promotion of dialogue as an important reflex to help raise the capacity of critical partners in the national development agenda,” adding that stakeholders should embrace dialogue with workers. He said social dialogue is an important element in industrial peace and harmony in workplace.

Salako, who is the first Deputy President, Trade Union Congress of

Nigeria (TUC), gave marching orders to some management of banks and insurance companies to urgently unionise their workers, or they would be forced to close down their business premises.

He said the era when employers of labour decide whether their members of staff should be unionised is gone, taking cognisance of the fact that the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Core Convention 87 and 98, and Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are sacrosanct in the roadmap to ASSBIFI’s unionisation pursuit,” he said.

The union also called on the three tiers of government to reduce poverty by 25 per cent by 2016, stating that the country has all it takes to be one of the leading economies in the world.

NLC condoles Dimgba Igwe’s family

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HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described the death of the Sun Newspaper Vice Chairman, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, who was killed last Saturday by a hit-and-run driver, as an assault on quality journalism.

In a statement, its General-Secretary, Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson, said the circumstances surrounding Igwe’s death call to question the mental fitness of most drivers.

The NLC’s scribe, who wondered how the speed level of a vehicle could have run down a man on a small street, resulting in his untimely death in just a few hours.

“We call on the Federal Road Safety Commission to investigate, apprehend and prosecute the driver of the vehicle who

allegedly ran down Mr. Igwe.

Once drivers who derive joy in reckless driving, know that they could end up in jail, accidents such as this would be reduced,” he said.

According to Ozo-Eson, the NLC will continue to remember the late Igwe as one of the founding Editors of the defunct Concord Newspapers and a versatile columnist whose writings have contributed immensely to shaping thoughts, contemporary political discourse, and progressive journalism in Nigeria.

“We condole with Mr. Igwe’s family, the Sun Publishing Company, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, and indeed, the entire media community in Nigeria as we share in the collective agony his death has brought to all of us,”he said.

Trustfund educates desk officers on best pension practices

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RUSTFUND Pensions Plc has organised an interactive session for private and public organisations’ Pension Desk Officers on the implementation of best practices in deduction and remittances of workers’ pension contributions.

The session, a collaborative one with Trustfund and Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, held in Abuja. It was attended by desk officers drawn from all states of the northcentral geopolitical zone.

Trustfund Pensions Chief Compliance Officer, Rachael Obi, who anchored the event, said it became necessary because of the prevailing “knowledge gap” between operators and employers remitting contributions on a monthly basis.

Obi said mistakes made at the point of depositing contributors’ funds in the banks, meant that such

contributors may face challenges upon retirement when they want to access their savings.

“We want a situation where we can reconcile our accounts everyday. We want to be able to operate like the banks in this regard.

That is what prompted us to bring our desk officers,” she said.

She added that the interaction was to create an avenue for the sensitisation of employers on modalities for remittance of contributions and other pension issues affecting individual contributions.

“It will also educate employers on their regulatory responsibilities in accordance with the Pension Reforms Act of 2014 and to minimise the growth of un-reconciled contributions and transitional contributory funds,” she said.

‘Occupational illness, accidents at work claim $2.8tr’

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HE International Labour Organisation (ILO) has stated that latest report from its research has showed that the direct or indirect cost of occupational illness and accidents at work is estimated at $2.8 trillion worldwide.

ILO’s Director-General, Guy Ryder, who stated this while lending his support to the recently organized World Congress on Safety and Health at Work held in Frankfurt, Germany said a world without fatal or serious occupational accidents is possible.

He said the direct or indirect cost of occupational illness and accidents at work is estimated at $2.8 trillion worldwide, noting that the triennial Congress was co-organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Associa-

tion (ISSA), and was hosted by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV).

According to Ryder, about 2.3 million people worldwide die annually as a result of occupational illnesses and accidents at work, adding that there are also 860,000 occupational accidents every day, with consequences in terms of injuries.

“These figures are unacceptable and yet these daily tragedies often fail to show up on the global radar. Clearly, there is still much to be done. Serious occupational accidents are, firstly, human tragedies but economies and society also pay a high price.

“The right to a safe and healthy workplace is a basic human right – a right to be respected at every level of development and in different economic conditions.

•From left: Head, Corporate Affairs, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mrs Dorothy Ojaide; Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Muda Yusuf and Programme Officer, SMEDAN, Mr Babajide Majiyagbe, at SMEs workshop in Lagos.

Union urges govt to address energy, insecurity

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HE Textile Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN) has called on the Federal Government to ensure adequate supply of energy and subsidise electricity consumption, diesel and black oil in order to revive the sub-sector.

In a communiqué issued this year’s industrial relations seminar in Enugu, its National President, Comrade Ambi Karu, called on the government to tackle the insecurity in the country.

According to him, it has hindered investors and stopped the movement of finished goods to the northern part of the country.

The communiqué read in part: “Government should step up efforts to ensure adequate supply of energy and subsidise electricity consumption, diesel and black oil that are used

in the factories.

“Government should tackle the insecurity in the country that has hindered investors and stopped the movement of finished goods to the northern part of the country.

“Government should reduce duties on chemicals and dyes-tuff and lift the embargo on the payment claims on Export Expansion Grant (EEG). Government should implement the recommendations of the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment that Nigerian officials and all our Military, Para-Military and Agencies should use made-in-Nigeria textiles”.

The government through the Ministry of Labour and productivity, Karu said, should ensure that workers are given free hand to unionise without undue interference from managements, adding that the government should implement its recommenda-

tions contained in the team analysis document presented from the office of the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment on ‘How Nigeria can revive her cotton, textiles and garment sub-sector’.

In a related event, unions have been urged to organise their practices in order defend the rights of workers and the Nigerian masses. The President, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Oladele Hunsu, disclosed this during a threeday capacity building and skills development workshop organised by the union in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Hunsu tasked members to organise to save the movement from collapse, adding that the “union’s effort should go beyond organising workers in the factory and organise ways to save the industry”.

SMEDAN, UNDP train women entrepreneurs

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HE Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have concluded the second phase of their economic empowerment programme for women-owned Cooperative Societies in Enugu, Enugu State.

The programme drew from select states with hopes on leveraging the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) fund recently launched in Abuja by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Over 60 women, representing various Cooperative Societies from the North and South of the country, benefitted from entrepreneurship training.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Director-General,

•Target CBN’s 220b MSME funds SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Umar Masari, who was represented on by the Director of Enterprise Development a n d P r o m o t i o n , M r s Justina David, said the agency would explore the possibility of securing funding for the womenow ned c ooper a t i v e soc i et i es from the N220b CBN intervention fund.

Commending the women for their commitment throughout the training, he noted that the women are now in a better position to access the CBN’s MSME Fund, as well as other soft loans from the federal governmentowned development finance institutions. The institutions, he said, include the Bank of Industry

(BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

Bature urged them to ensure that knowledge acquired in the course of the training reflect in their daily business activities. He called on the women to serve as examples and a shining light to other women entrepreneurs in their various communities.

He commended the UNDP in Nigeria for their commitment to enhancing the capacity and development of women and making the training a reality.

The UNDP Country Director, Dr Pa Lamin Beyai, urged women to share their knowledge with other members of their respective cooperative societies, noting that most African countries have similar demographic pattern where women form up to 50 per cent or more of the population.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

17

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Living in darkness •AfDB report that 57% of people in West Africa don’t have access to electricity is depressing

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HE African Development Bank’s (AfDB) revelation regarding the percentage of people living without access to electricity in West Africa is startling. The bank, in its “West Africa Monitor Quarterly” for the second quarter of 2014 report says that more than 57 per cent of the people living in the subregion live in darkness. The percentage reportedly approximated the average for sub-Saharan Africa in a global community where the minimum power denial percentage is 18 per cent.

In a world where there is hardly any economic activity that can be done without power, it is shameful that a large percentage of people in the sub-region don’t have access to electricity.

The breakdown of population with access to power in some countries of the sub-region, according to the report includes: Niger - eight percent; Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau have 15 percent each.

Ghana has 70 per cent of her people having access to power while Cape Verde has the highest percentage of 87.

As usual, Nigeria is found wanting in the report even though Professor Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power, reportedly revealed sometime ago at the 15th Herbert Macaulay Lecture organised by the Engineering Faculty of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, that less than 50 per cent of Nigerians currently have access to electricity. Shamefully, this is reportedly seven per cent lower than the West African average reported by

AfDB. Surprisingly, the countries in the subregion have diverse endowments through which they can source for stable power but have either failed to take advantage of them or are underutilising the natural blessings. For instance, hydro power with all the waterways across the sub-region has an estimated potential of 25,000 megawatts; yet only 16 per cent has reportedly been exploited. Also, several incountry lakes and dams hold promise for renewable energy development. The sub-region is blessed with good weather that could help tremendously in renewable energy sources good for generating wind and solar power.

The governments of countries in the sub-region definitely know the importance of power and yet could not muster the required political will to make it accessible to the greatest number of their people whether in the rural or urban areas. For instance, the Nigerian government, despite its huge expenditure in the power sector, is still contending with inadequate generation capacity and unreliable/expensive service and irregular power supply, amongst others.

Because of low electrification and poor rural infrastructure generally, there have been astronomical wide disparities in access to electricity between rural areas and urban centres in the sub-region. The report says that in Ghana, for example, 87 per cent of urban dwellers have access to electricity, compared with the five per

cent in rural areas. The situation in Nigeria might be worse.

The AfDB report connotes serious backwardness for the economic and technological drive of Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region. Nigeria in particular has a lot to do in view of her status in the continent. Electricity was not epileptic at a point in the country’s history. Apparently, corruption has eaten deep into the entire system because this is the only thing that can explain the huge gap between the funds committed into the power sector, especially in the last decade, and the output from the sector. It is curious that all we can celebrate today is less than 5,000 megawatts in spite of the investments in the sector..

If this sad trend continues, it is doubtful whether Nigeria will ever attain the universal energy access target of 2030.

But one thing is certain, if Nigeria gets it right, it will rub off on other West African countries.

‘In a world where there is hardly any economic activity that can be done without power, it is shameful that a large percentage of people in the sub-region don’t have access to electricity’

FERMA ferment

•FERMA/SURE-P in Lagos would do well to fix federal roads instead of fulminating about state traffic law

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T is in order to say ‘here we go again’; we have seen this scenario played out over and over as national elections approach that we begin to wonder whether we ever make progress in our national life. We refer to media reports that the Lagos State government and two Federal Government agencies are on a collision course over the control of portions of federal roads traversing the state.

The agencies are the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and their task force on highways.

Many have wondered at the emergence recently, of uniformed militia-like men on some roads in Lagos said to be SUREP/FERMA Federal Task Force. This is reminiscent of the situation in the run-up to the 2007 general elections when the then Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye

‘With the 2015 general elections at the corner, we dare to conjecture that the Federal Government deigns to raise an election ‘army’ in the guise of highway task force. We think it is wicked if not criminal to play politics with, and to so doubly jeopardise the lives of our youths in this manner: first as okada riders and second as inconsequential highway ‘militiamen’

Ogunlewe, introduced a similar task force which was locked in a turf fight with the state government. This time, the ‘force’ seems to spoil for ‘war’ as it seeks to repudiate Lagos State laws restricting the movement of commercial motorcycles.

National Co-ordinator of the SURE-P/ FERMA Task Force, Mr. Abdul Razak Otto, in a media statement noted that the task force currently at the toll gate end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway had come to stay. He also suggested that his men would not impede the movement of commercial motorcycle riders (also known as okada) as Lagos State transport agencies do on some roads in the state.

The state government passed a law in 2012 restricting the operation of okada riders. The law, which allows them to operate only on the inner streets was enacted to curb a ‘trade’ that had become a debilitating menace to the city of Lagos and her citizens. The riders were actually restricted from only 475 major roads out of over 9,100 roads in Lagos State. And the result of the action has been quite salutary as prior to the enactment of the law; there were an average of 16 okada accident deaths and over 646 injury patients monthly. However, this gruesome statistic has changed drastically since the law came into force.

Though many of the riders did not like the restriction, no responsible government would allow such littering of okada all over the city with its attendant traffic chaos, deaths and destruction. Apart from the hideous impacts on lives and limbs, uncontrolled okada ‘business’ comes with a huge cost on the public health system apart from other incipient socio-economic

costs of pulling our youths away from craftsmanship and artisanal trades. No serious government would allow such a deleterious state of affairs.

We are therefore taken aback that two federal agencies seek to turn the hand of the clock not only by repudiating a subsisting state law but by also attempting to throw a metropolitan city the magnitude of Lagos into chaos and confusion in the guise of tending to federal roads.

We thought that FERMA would busy itself with patching up federal roads which are often in derelict state and usually rescued by the state government. We also would expect SURE-P which is awash with cash now to invest more in mass transit and road infrastructure in major cities of the country in order to further eliminate the need for the highly injurious okada mode of transport. Civilised cities don’t commute by okada.

With the 2015 general elections at the corner, we dare to conjecture that the Federal Government deigns to raise an election ‘army’ in the guise of highway task force. We think it is wicked if not criminal to play politics with, and to so doubly jeopardise the lives of our youths in this manner: first as okada riders and second as inconsequential highway ‘militiamen’.

In the interest of all that is good, we hope the Federal Government would have a rethink and disband its youth ‘gang’ so that they may go pursue a worthier course of life. But more crucially, we pray that some numbskull, out of desperation, does not arm them. The consequences often last longer and are dire.

Niger Delta and Boko Haram are still alive and well in our midst.

God’s Own State

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IR: I believe it was Sidney N. Bremer that said that “the greatest discovery of this century is not the harnessing of the atom, nor will it be in space exploration; it will be man’s discovery of himself. What matters is not the height you’ve attained sofar in your ladder but if your ladder is leaning on the right wall.

The greatest ‘oil well’ in Abia State is located in its commercial capital, Aba. That oil well resides in the resilience of the citizens of this great city. Since human capital is the greatest asset of any nation, Aba could become world’s number one city, if its human capital is well-harnessed.

In my childhood days, while on holiday in Aba, I still remember vividly thedefinition a fellow commuter in a bus gave to the name Aba: the city that people move to in order to grow rich. That definition never left my mind till today.

It still stands. My position may appear somewhat strange, if you have visited Aba in recent times, due to the basic infrastructural challenges the city is currently facing. Well, great cities undergo such experience from time to time. Even the great Motor City of America, Detroit, is still recovering from sameexperience.

The best shoes I have ever worn in my life were made in Aba.. If one out of every 100 persons on the face of planet earth wears made in Aba shoes, do you know that Aba would become tomorrow’s Singapore?

Aba could move from being the commercial capital of God’s Own State to world’s shoe capital today. But, the Elephant city needs you. What can the Elephant do without its trunks?

All we need is a change in our mindset. Remember what Shakespeare said: “There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. You can become the opportunity Aba is looking for today.

Remember: the worst thing you can do is to do nothing. Become the change you want to see! Every nation is great that is greatly led. Singapore sings today because someone wrote their song yesterday.

• Goodluck Ede Port Harcourt.

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

• Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •General Manager (Abuja Press) Kehinde Olowu •AGM (PH Press) Tunde Olasogba

•IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness

•Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) •Press Manager Yomi Odunuga Udensi Chikaodi •Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu •Legal Counsel John Unachukwu •Group Business Editor Simeon Ebulu • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye •Group Sports Editor Ade Ojeikere •Acting Manager (sales) •Editorial Page Editor Olaribigbe Bello Sanya Oni

THE NATION THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: The just released 2014 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination has elicited various comments from various quarters. People have also condemned in unmistakable terms the mass failure which is a clear pointer to our ever increasing falling standard of education.

While the children are gnashing their teeth because of their poor performance, parents also are counting their losses in terms of wasted school fees, pocket money and what have you.

The government, the schools and the parents are now trading tackles but the damage has already been done. What next is the way out of the quagmire in which we have found ourselves? We have all

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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

Still on 2014 WAEC result

been caught in a spider’s web and it is too late to cry when the head is off.

A critical re-appraisal of the secondary educational system calls for urgent action to be taken by both the state and the federal government if we must have to arrest the present abysmal drift. A system where students are promoted enmasse from one class to another

must stop. There must be a standard set by the relevant authority so that only the best is promoted from one class to another. Since a desperate disease requires a desperate remedy, it will not be out of place if Senior Secondary (SS) two students must have to write qualifying examination to SS III. Such a qualifying examination must be set by the state Ministry of Education

GT Bank and First Bank should refund my money

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IR: This is calling on the Guarantee Trust Bank (GT Bank) Plc and First Bank of Nigeria Plc to refund my money lost to the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of First Bank in Ile-Ife. I have a bank account with GT Bank. On Wednesday, August 18, I made a withdrawal from the First Bank ATM at Lagere, Ile-Ife, due to inaccessibility to GT Bank ATM, where my account is domiciled. Unfortunately, the ATM did not dispense cash for me, on two attempts. Meanwhile, my account was immediately debited with N40, 000 cash I did not get; even before I could retrieve my Debit Card from the bank ATM. This happened on a Public Holiday (Isese Day – Traditionalists’ Day) declared by Osun State government. This made in impossible to immediately lodge a complaint to either GT Bank or First Bank.

I have since lodged complaint with my bank, GT Bank, but the response is worrying. While, on the basis of constant pressure and after much delay, half of the money was remitted, the delay tactics being used by the GT Bank and First Bank, over the remaining N20, 000 (twenty

thousand naira) shows desperate attempt to rip me off of the remaining money. Moreover, the caveat given by the staff that if my money is not refunded within eight working days, it will take eternity to correct the error is discomforting for me. It is already over three weeks since the issue occurred, with my bank not showing any further interest in remitting my money. I have lodged several complaint at the local branch of the bank, and through the customer service channels of the bank, meeting only cold responses.

I find it very disturbing that a bank that is supposed to protect my account, but failed to do so, will feel uninterested in correcting its lapses, rather, will allow my hard-earned money to be played with anyhow. I suppose as a corporate organization, banks have responsibility towards customers and clients. Unfortunately, they seem to relish the pains customers go through. What if the only money I have is the money these banks are trying to rip me off of?

This development, which of course many Nigerians face daily, has cast a serious doubt over the feasibility of the cashless policy. If big banks

can be found wanting in protecting customers’ accounts in only ATMs, what will happen when there is proliferation of POS machines, where there will be higher volumes of transactions.

I call on GT Bank and First Bank to immediately refund my money without delay.

• Ibraheem Kolawole Ile-Ife, Osun State.

and only those who score 40% and above including English and Mathematics should be promoted.

The moral decadence now permeating among the youths and across the length and breadth of the country must be addressed and necessary steps taken to curtail them. This is why the return of schools to their original owners must be quickened at the various levels.

One thing the West African Examination Council has not come up with is statistics of passes recorded by both the private and the public sectors respectively. The need to know this is important so as to know how to take the bull by the horn. One important contagious disease today which no one has even focused on is the issue of home video. A situation whereby you find parents and children preparing for their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination glued to the television watch-

ing home video until the dead of the night does not help issue.

The politicization of the WAEC fees paid by the various state governments under the guise of free education does not make the parents to be alive to their responsibility since they do not feel the pinch hence they do not bother to monitor the level of preparation of their wards for the examination.

Our mass education policy is becoming counter-productive. It is affecting the quality of our present day graduates shunned out by the various universities and this is a direct product of our Senior Secondary Schools.

I have heard people argue for the re-introduction of the Higher School Certificate system. Fine, if it will be a panacea for the dwindling standard of education at the university level. But what is going to be the parameter or the modusoperandi for the admission to study at Higher School Certificate levels? Special schools should be given approval or designated to run the syllabus for the duration it will last. This is one area our educational policy makers should now start looking into before further devastating blow is done to our education.

• Muyiwa Idowu Lagos

Stephen Davis: Gaps in narratives IR: Since that statement by the Australia-based Boko Haram negotiator Stephen Davis, a whole lot of information has surfaced to call the veracity of his claims to question. While some people see him as a rabble-rouser who benefits from causing chaos, others believe he has since been compromised in his dealings with Boko Haram.

Some of his revelations are interesting indeed while others are downright suspicious. He said some of the things we already knew, like telling us that the sect

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had ‘political sponsors’ and that the insurgency was being supported by opposition elements.

The true picture of his ‘revelation’ started unravelling with the claim that former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, is a sponsor of the violent Islamic sect, a story that simply feeds into a popular rumour mill.

The mention of the former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika as a Boko Haram sponsor is ridiculous. It calls to strong question, the whole purpose of Dr. Davis’ activities. As some Nigerians com-

mented, he was simply being mischievous in his effort to link the President with the violence which he has done all in his power to stop.

Surely there is a gap in the narratives; it is a gap the so-called negotiator needs to fill, or forever hold his peace. To throw incredulous narratives into the mix is to cause unnecessary distraction from government efforts to unmask the real sponsors of this sect that has taken the lives of thousands of Nigerians.

Johnson Momodu Benin City.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

19

COMMENTS

Political prostitutes

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ROSSING carpet from one political party in normal democracies is very rare. The last time this happened in the United Kingdom was sometimes in the 1970s when some members of the British Labour Party left to form, along members of the old Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party.

They did not cross over to the Conservative party.

In the USA the so-called Dixiecrats who were members of the Democratic Party and who were mostly racists holding on to the old slave-holding and racist past in those states south of the Mason Dixon line, left to join the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln which in modern times has ironically become a racist party against the tradition of its founders. In these democracies nowadays one would rather stand as Independents or quit politics entirely than cross carpet for the purpose of getting elected to any electoral positions.

But in our clime and in our recent past, it was unusual to witness the current trend in Nigeria where politicians go up and down like a yoyo sleeping one night in one party and waking up the following night in a totally different party. In our recent past, especially during the First Republic, people formed different parties if they disagreed with their old parties. This was the case with Chief S.L Akintola’s party, United Peoples Party when he

‘Our leaders ought to take more seriously the mission of leadership in this benighted country. We cannot afford politics without principles and commitment. Political parties need to be known for where they stand on any issue. We cannot run our country on parties that change principles like taffeta and chameleon’

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FEW months ago, an Australian, Dr Stephen Davis, emerged from nowhere, claiming to be negotiating on behalf of the government with Boko Haram on the release of the abducted 219 Chibok schoolgirls. His claim was widely reported by the media. Among others, he claimed that the Boko Haram insurgents were ready to release the girls, who are spending their 150th day in captivity today, if government met certain conditions. He did not state the conditions.

Most importantly, he said, the group was literally tired of holding the girls because it has run out of supplies. By this, Davis meant that Boko Haram does not have food, drugs and other essentials that could make living in the bush a bit easy. And with 219 girls in tow, the sect has added more to its burden with its own hand. Again, some of the girls were ill and needed medication, which Boko Haram could not readily provide In such a situation, the wise thing to do is to release the girls, which it seemed the group was willing to do, everything being equal. Nigerians were looking forward to the government taking the matter up from there, but mum was the word from Abuja. What we heard next was that the government would not negotiate with Boko Haram because, in its own thinking, to do so, would amount to giving in to terrorism. Indeed, I am for stand-

left the Action Group and KO Mbadiwe’s Democratic Party when in he left the NCNC. Sleep-walking from political party to another as it is the case today started in the Second Republic when the likes of Busari Adelakun, Akin Omoboriowo and Chief Sunday Afolabi crossed over from the UPN unashamedly to the NPN. Of course in my lifetime I have seen strange things happen in Nigerian politics such as Dr. Michael Okpara and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu joining the NPN and even the stalwarts of the old Action Group the trio of G. S. Ikokwu , Anthony Enahoro and J.S Tarka who were opposed to reconciliation in the old Action Group deserting Obafemi Awolowo to join his enemies in the NPN. But we have never witnessed the kind of political prostitution going on now in current Nigerian politics where a former presidential flag bearer of one party would unashamedly cross over to attempt to get elected in to office of governor on the platform of a party he ran against flippantly saying that there is not much difference between the two parties! What dishonesty!. If politicians expect to be taken seriously, they must stay the course and show that they are not in politics for their bellies alone. There must be a higher calling than just making money and living well without work as most of our politicians tend to do.

Recently Tom Ikimi and Ali Modu Sheriff the former governor of Borno crossed over to the PDP apparently to enjoy stomach infrastructure while pretending they left because of lofty reasons. For the former governor of Borno to have been accepted into the PDP speaks volumes about what kind of party it is especially because of the current tragedy that has befallen Borno and the entire North-eastern part of Nigeria where some of us including myself invested part of our youth in helping to build. As for Ikimi, I was surprised when he said he is proud to have been a former foreign minister of Nigeria in a regime that was expelled from the Commonwealth when a national of our

country was its Secretary-general, and a regime that defrauded the country of close to $10 billion spirited out of the country and lodged in private accounts some of which will never be found.

Instead of Jide boasting of being Osuntokun the regime’s foreign minister, Ikimi should cover his face in shame because he served in a regime that will go down in infamy. In the history of contemporary Africa, never has so few destroyed the lives of so many in so short a time.

Perhaps in the interest of our country, our leaders ought to take more seriously the mission of leadership in this benighted country. We cannot afford politics without principles and commitment.

Political parties need to be known for where they stand on any issue. We cannot run our country on parties that change principles like taffeta and chameleon. If we are not careful in this country politicians will be totally disconnected from the people that there will be no need for political parties and we may therefore be forced to embrace the Egyptian or Indonesian model of guided democracy in which the military will play a dominant part which will be unfortunate and not in the long term interest of our country. Without their knowing it, politicians are gradually becoming the gravediggers of democracy.

‘If politicians expect to be taken seriously, they must stay the course and show that they are not in politics for their bellies alone’

Davis, Chibok girls and Boko Haram ing up to terrorists, but time and circumstance should determine whatever position we take when confronted with two evils.

In the circumstance that we are in, is it not better to negotiate with Boko Haram and get the girls out before any other consideration? We have seen such happen in the United States (US). As powerful as America is, it did not allow its ego to stand in its way of negotiating with the Taliban for the release of an American soldier, who was captured in Afghanistan. For that lone American soldier, the US released five Taliban militias. There is a lesson in that for us, but our leaders chose to listen to those who said they should not negotiate with Boko Haram. If the US could through Qatar negotiate with the Taliban, what stops Nigeria from reaching out to Boko Haram in order to free our girls?

Davis is in the news again. A few weeks ago, he released a bombshell.

He claimed that he was told by the Boko Haram leadership that its sponsors are, among others, former Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Azubuike Ihejirika and former Borno State Governor Alli Modu Sheriff. Many mouths are still agape over the allegation. Can it be true?

This is the question many are asking because as army chief Ihejirika

‘Davis' claim beggars belief, but it cannot be brushed aside with a wave of the hand...There is no serious security agency in the world that will dismiss such grave allegations without prior investigation... Who and who did the SSS quiz before dismissing Davis' allegation against Ihejirika?’

waged relentless war against Boko Haram. If he fought the sect while in office, when then did he become its sponsor considering that he left office not long ago?

Davis' claim beggars belief but it cannot be brushed aside with a wave of the hand. He must have been told something by the Boko Haram elements who he has met on a number of occasions to discuss one or two things. It looks absurd that it took his allegation against Ihejirika for the government to disown him. When Davis spoke about his efforts to rescue the Chibok girls after meeting with Boko Haram, government did not tell us then that he was not acting on its behalf. It kept quiet, and silence, they say, means consent.

If the government did not disown Davis then, why is it doing so now?

Is it because he claimed to have been told that Ihejirika is a Boko Haram sponsor? What Davis said is mere allegation. What is more; it is hearsay. What this means is that he has to produce the person who told him that Ihejirika is a Boko Haram sympathiser for his statement to be worried. So, why is the government fidgety over his claim? Rather than being troubled by the allegation, it should try to get to the root of the matter, if it is serious about stopping the Boko Haram insurgency.

How do you stop Boko Haram if you are not ready to follow a lead that would help you in your investigation? It is disheartening that the State Security Service (SSS) could come out boldly the way it did without investigation to dismiss Davis' claim against Ihejirika, and yet in the same breathe, it upheld the allegation against Sheriff. Sheriff, the SSS said, would be invited for yet another interrogation. What did the SSS find in its previous interrogations of the former governor? If SSS

did not find anything against him then, is it now that it will get cogent evidence of his romance with Boko Haram, just because of what Davis said?

At times, our security agencies act hastily without looking at the merit of a case before drawing their conclusion. And this is just one of such occasions. There is no serious security agency in the world that will dismiss such grave allegations without prior investigation. For instance, a court will never dismiss a claim as frivolous and vexatious without first hearing the parties.

Who and who did the SSS quiz before dismissing Davis' allegation against Ihejirika? If SSS cleared him because as ''army chief he waged battle against Boko Haram'', why can't it extend the same gesture to Sheriff, who the agency investigated in the past without finding anything incriminating against him? he battle to unmask those behind Boko Haram is not one to be fought on sentiments. Our security agencies should bear in mind that they owe Nigerians a duty to end the Boko Haram insurgency and bring all those behind it to book, no matter how influential they may be. Nobody should be seen as too big or untouchable in this Herculean task of ridding our nation of this evil. No sane person will be happy with what Boko Haram is doing in the Northeast today.

The insurgents have been capturing towns and villages in Borno and Adamawa states, leaving death and destruction in their trail. We must collectively put a stop to this and the only way we can do that is to be truthful to ourselves. What is the essence of disowning Davis when we know that there is no way he could have found himself in

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Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204, 08112661612

Boko Haram's enclave without the knowledge of those in power? And of course, that of the Australian High Commission, which represents his home government here. If Davis was not hired as government negotiator, what then was he doing in Boko Haram's den knowing the inherent danger in such adventure? Training the insurgents on the use of arms and how to make bombs?

The government should spare us that kind of talk. We are wiser than that. What we want urgently now is for our girls to be rescued and the lost towns in Borno and Adamawa states recovered from Boko Haram.

150 DAYS AFTER

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WHERE ARE THE ABDUCTED CHIBOK GIRLS?

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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COMMENTS

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ANY Nigerians believe President Jonathan is innately a good man that was why they overwhelmingly voted for him in 2011. Almost five years on, many still believe President Jonathan’s problem is his PDP, a party which harbours many that are considered deficit in honour and integrity. The facts stare us in the face. Over 75% of the governors elected on its platform in 2003 were indicted for financial malfeasance. Not too long ago, some 14 PDP governors, supported by one Labour and one APGA governor, stood before a national television and proclaimed themselves winner of an election they lost by 16 to 19. Many other party stalwarts lack credibility and are therefore a liability to Jonathan presidency.

This is why many Nigerians believe the PDP’s resort to blame game is a cover up. A government, many reason, that controls awesome apparatus of power, brusquely exhibited recently in Osun State where 75,000 armed security men including some hooded goons were deployed for the pacification of those contesting against a PDP candidate, cannot possibly pretend not to know those behind Boko Haram.

PDP men, in any case, have told us different tales. First, late General Owoye Andrew Azazi, as President Jonathan’s National Security Adviser once said, Boko Haram was a product of ‘PDP politics of exclusion’. Before then, it was PDP members that alleged Boko Haram was a creation of PDP leading lights who were outwitted by President Jonathan in the battle for PDP ticket for the 2011 election.

Then PDP turned the heat on its political adversaries. First because of his unarguably irresponsible statements after his loss of the bitterly fought 2011 election, Buhari was proclaimed the father of Boko Haram. But as it has turned out, the same Buhari survived an assassination attempt that killed over 300 other people because of an armoured vehicle President Jonathan procured for him a few months before the incident. Then PDP talebearers said Boko Haram that is as old as PDP, was a creation of one-year-old APC. But of all the incredible tales told by PDP talebearers, those of Femi Fani-Kayode and Ali Modu Sheriff, until recently members of APC, needed to be given special attention.

Both were reacting to Dr Stephen Davies allegations. In view of discordant notes already coming from government officials, we must equally appeal to the government as well as those alleged to be behind the insurgency not to dismiss Davies weighty allegations with a wave of hand. That he is a self-appointed negotiator as now claimed by government that has not denied paying his bills cannot colour his findings. The Australian has no vested

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N a free and fair electoral contest, all the politicians that have now made destructive criticisms their stock-in-trade will be taken to the cleaners by Senator Ibikunle Amosun. I repeat, if the 2015 poll is open, free and fair, Amosun will defeat these noisemakers in their own wards. Most of them will even lose their polling booths to Amosun. I challenge any of these politicians to an electoral contest in their own wards today; their humiliation will be resounding and rout complete in the number of votes Amosun will garner. Either in Ogun Central, East or West, Amosun will secure a landslide victory. The art of disinformation and negative portrayal of the governor will not earn them a single vote.

I am appalled and galled by the amount of calculated lies being dished out to the public by those politicians that cannot even beat Amosun in their own polling booths.

What they do not know is that Amosun is a grassroots politician par excellence. I do not yet know in the current Ogun of a politician that has what may be described as fanatical support of the masses than him. Perhaps, they do not know. Amosun is not the type of politician that usually announces his visit to any part of the state. He tours the nooks and crannies of Ogun regularly, and the spontaneous affection that is displayed towards the governor is unprecedented. I

‘Rather than steal the money of the people of Ogun, like some would do and some actually did during their time, he embarked on those landmark projects that would benefit the masses of the state’

PDP talebearers Vs Stephens Davis interest beyond helping us to identify those behind the insurgency that has, according to the president, led to the brutal killing of some 12,000 mostly innocent Nigerians, and that as last Sunday, led to the take-over of seven local government areas or one third of Borno State by the insurgents.

Dr Davis has however continued to insist that former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika are Boko Haram sponsors. For him, “Sheriff’s ploy of casting himself as a victim is a poor attempt at disguising his sponsorship as alleged by the Boko Haram commanders.”He also mentioned an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria and an Egypt-based man as those funding the sect.

Instead of the discordant notes from government and its officials, one would have thought this is an opportunity for PDP, if indeed it has a stake in Nigeria, to show true commitment to locating the real enemies of our nation after squandering all the past opportunities to do so. First this is not the first time Sheriff’s name would come up. His name had been mentioned by some members of the insurgency who alleged he had used them to win the election of 2003 and 2007.It was also said that the source of conflict between the leader of the group Mohammed Yusuf and his mentor, Ja’afar Mahmud Adam which eventually led to the latter being shot dead was the money the former collected from Sheriff. Sheriff has also been alleged to be one of the northern governors that sent young people to lesser hajj and for religious education in Sudan, the process that led to the indoctrination of such young people. And now, while accusing his former party, APC of mudsling-

ing because of his decampment to PDP, Sheriff says “I consider it most uncharitable for the party to use me as alibi for the obvious culpability of some of its members”. I think this provides the best evidence so far to show that Sheriff probably knows some members of his former party that are linked with the Boko Haram sect.

Similarly, Fani-Kayode, another decampee has consistently maintained that some members of APC, his former party are sympathisers of Boko Haram. He wanted those pointing fingers at PDP to note that “it was not a member of the PDP or the federal government that said that Boko Haram should not be proscribed as an organisation, it was rather the official spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, who said so”.

“It was not the PDP or any member of the federal government that told the world only last year that they were against the declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, it was the leading presidential aspirant and one of the two co-owners of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari that said so.”

His logic may be crooked, but I think he like Sheriff should be made to say all he knows.

Also defending Ihejirika, Fani-Kayode said: “I have never heard of a Christian trying his best to help or assist an organisation to establish an Islamic fundamentalist caliphate which is committed to wiping out the Christian faith and killing every Christian, every secularist and every moderate Muslim in his country. It seems to me that this is an absurd notion and that it really doesn’t make any sense”.

Yes, Fani-Kayode is right. But that will not be an isolated case. Many strange things are

happening in our country that do not make sense to us anymore. For instance our military, tested in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other UN engagements, a military that is wellequipped according to government which allocate about a trillion naira, a quarter of our annual budget have consistently been caught flat-footed by Boko Haram’s rag-tag group. It doesn’t make sense that our soldiers were outgunned by the insurgents and had to seek help from their Cameroonian comrades. It doesn’t make sense to Nigerians that our military barracks are no more safe havens for soldiers and their loved ones. Of course, incredible tales of helicopter dropping food and arms for the insurgents does not make sense to Nigerians. Stories of alleged incidents of soldiers being withdrawn from locations targeted by the insurgents do not make sense. It does not make sense to Nigerians that over 200 girls, still in captivity after four months, were kidnapped from their Chibok dormitories, loaded into a fleet of busses which snaked through bad roads stretching a distance of about 200 kilometres without being accosted by soldiers in a state under state of emergency.

It doesn’t make sense to Nigerians that the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has now confirmed that “Boko Haram now controls about one-third of Borno State” or Borno’s Secretary to State Government’s lamentation that “Government presence and administration are minimal or nonexistent across many parts of the state, with economic, commercial and social services totally subdued; schools and clinics remain closed”.

We all feel diminished as Nigerians. It is therefore in the interest of Sheriff and Ihejirika that a proper investigation is carried out to see if there is a fifth columnist at work. After all, many seasons ago, the president himself admitted Boko Haram sympathizers are in his government.

‘Many strange things are happening in our country that do not make sense to us anymore. For instance our military, tested in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other UN engagements, a military that is well-equipped according to government which allocate about a trillion naira, a quarter of our annual budget have consistently been caught flat-footed

by Boko Haram’s rag-tag group’

Ogun: Between noise and development

By Soyombo Opeyemi only recall such during the era of the Action Group and Unity Party of Nigeria.So, the noise in the newspapers by these purveyors of mendacity will not help them.

By the grace of the Almighty and votes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Ogun who pray for the governor day and night and appreciate his selfless sacrifice to this state, Amosun will secure a landslide in 2015 election.

I have heard this story again and again.

There was a man so close to Amosun. In fact, Amosun was said to be at his beck and call.

But due to the hurdles thrown in the way of Amosun in his bid to become the governor of Ogun State since 2007 by the then powermongers, he abandoned him during his most trying moments. He believed Amosun would never become the governor. But Amosun eventually became the governor. Ordinarily, he should not forgive such a man. But to the shock and consternation of many, Amosun forgave the man and brought him into the fold. He was not the only one so treated. As Amosun usually says, “We are humans; we are not God; if God has done this for us, who then are we?”

Amosun also accepts correction, once, like any human being, he makes mistakes. His often-quoted remark is, “He that cannot be counselled cannot be saved.” I can hardly recall a time when Amosun refused to hold the weekly meeting of the State Executive Council. In fact, he regards it as an article of faith. He firmly believes that two heads are better than one. Sometimes he holds the meeting twice weekly or even three times if a situation demands it. You also need to see the governor how he treats elders – utmost respect is the watchword; the quintessential Yoruba-man. He’s a man of peace and will

continue to seek reconciliation with all as far as it is in the interest of the good people of Ogun State.

Amosun is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. That means financial prudence is his watchword. Like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he is obsessed with getting value for money. Human kindness flows in the heart. Most often in the rural areas, the governor will ask his convoy to stop so he can speak with a farmer or market woman. On countless times, he will buy the produce on the head of the farmer or market woman and reward them handsomely. This has been the character of Amosun long before he became the governor, and this is still Amosun. In terms of rapport with the grassroots, if anything has changed, the relationship has even been cemented, now that he is the governor.

Rather than steal the money of the people of Ogun, like some would do and some actually did during their time, he embarked on those landmark projects that would benefit the masses of the state. Who are the beneficiaries of Amosun’s free education policy, from nursery to secondary levels? The masses, of course. By the way,it is important to mention that the last time the people of Ogun enjoyed free education was over 30 years ago, under the leadership of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo. Who are the beneficiaries of the 107km international standard Ilara-ijoun road, cutting across four local councils and hundreds of out-of-the-way villages? The grassroots, of course. Who are recipients of about 500km rural roads across the state?

Who are the beneficiaries of the first international standard roads and first flyover bridges in all the three senatorial districts of the state? The masses and children of the masses who reside in these cities. Who are the beneficiaries of Gbomoro and Araya (the

free health schemes)? The masses. When Amosun invested security which has now ended the era insecurity all over the state and of banks regularly closing business on account of insecurity, on whose behalf did he do so?

I have heard the charge that Amosun is weak; that he is paying billions of naira as arrears of salaries, pension and gratuity of workers inherited from the past government rather than concentrate on his own term, from May, 2011. This is not a sign of weakness but a product of human kindness, responsive and responsible government. Yes, it is true that Amosun does not owe any worker a kobo; in fact, he pays the highest minimum wage, across board, in Nigeria. Amosun’s argument remains that if people have worked for the state, even though they were not paid by that government, he would do everything possible to offset such debts. And so, after a complete overhaul, just for example, it is discovered that the past government, owed staff of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) N2.6 billion in salaries and allowances (just one institution alone!), and Amosun has offset about N1.5billion of the debt. Can you imagine what state-of-the-art lecture hall that can be built with N1.5 billion? Notwithstanding, the governor recently slashed the fees of the students of the institution (and nine others in the state) by 60% after the initial reduction early in the life of the administration, thereby fulfilling his pledge to the people that “as the finances of the state improve, they all shall be the beneficiaries.”

Whereas, these spent politicians have voted for noise-making in the media, the Amosun administration has chosen development.And if God is with you and the people are on your side, who then can be against you?

• Soyombo writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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COMMENTS

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ICTIONARIES, even the smallest school dictionaries, always give many meanings to the word “lead”.

And in every one of those meanings, to lead is to do something beyond oneself to or for some people – usually to a group. To be a leader is to help a group diagnose or identify a strange or puzzling group problem; or to propose and promote solution to a known group problem; or to guide the group along a path towards the solution of a problem or towards the achievement of a group goal; etc. In every case, a leader brings some value into the group’s life. In some way or other, the leader gives himself to the service of the group, towards the achievement of something.

Leadership therefore relates to a current problem or situation in a group’s life. For instance, in this column last week, I described how the leaders among a national group, the Catalan people of north-eastern Spain, are providing leadership for their Catalan nation. The Catalans are an enterprising people, and their little nation of Catalonia is one of the richest provinces of Spain. But they are one of the ethnic minorities in Spain. And succeeding governments of Spain have tended to try to repress the Catalans, and even to try to suppress the Catalan culture and identity. The masses of ordinary Catalans hate all this, but, like ordinary people all over the world, they cannot do much about it; they cannot fight the powerful government of Spain.

However, some citizens arise from time to time among them who dare to speak out for their nation – who dare to call on their small nation to stand up together and defend their group dignity. These are the persons who deserve to be called leaders of the Catalan nation.

Let me remind you of some of the things I said last week about these Catalan leaders. Because they are citizens of Spain, different persons among them belong to different Spanish political parties. That means that they do the things that political parties and politicians do against one another, especially for the purpose of getting votes at elections. But, over and above that, they are loyal to the aspirations of their Catalan nation, and they are united when it comes to defending the interest of their Catalonia. Consequently, they have succeeded

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Wanted: True leaders

very much in obtaining regional autonomy for Catalonia in Spain.

In fact, they are now in the process of trying to achieve independence – the status of a separate sovereign country – for their Catalonia. And they are virtually all united in the quest – even though they belong to different political parties. Because the government of Spain is threatening to prevent them from holding their “independence referendum” this next November, the Catalan political leaders, of all political parties, have become much more united than ever before over the issue of independence. Indeed, some of the opposition political parties have seriously warned the Catalan regional president not to yield to the threats by the government of Spain.

And the regional president, Artur Mas, has become enormously more confident in the struggle. He consults regularly with the other party leaders, and frequently joins with them to tell the masses of Catalans that the plan to vote for independence next November is unchanged and unchangeable, and to urge them to get ready to fight “democratically and peacefully” to make it happen. I hope you remember these statements of his: “If we fight we can win and we can lose; but if we do not fight, we have already lost”. “Our goal is to rule ourselves freely”. “If we lose because we won’t fight, then we do not only lose the struggle, we also lose our dignity – and that is the worst thing we can do to ourselves”.

Now, we must remember that Spain is a rich and powerful country. These Catalan leaders can plausibly claim, if they so choose, that because of their fear of the Spanish government, they dare not speak up boldly for their own small nation. Many of them can also easily make deals with the Spanish government, get positions or money for themselves, and do nothing for Catalonia. Any of them can easily claim that because of the “interest of Spain” they have to make compromises and therefore junk Catalonia’s interest. And any of them can choose to focus only on the ambitions and agenda of their political parties and behave as if they are not aware of the situ-

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s Electric Power Sector Reform, ballyhooed over the years as the magical bullet for the debilitating electricity situation in the country, is a big flop. The nation has since April been in the rainy season when public power supply perennially improves dramatically because of sufficient water in the dams for the three hydro plants at Shiroro, Kanji and Jebba—all in Niger State—but this has not been so. If anything, power supply has been worsening.

Going by the projections of the Electric Power Sector Reform programme, which President Jonathan launched with fanfare on August 26, 2010, at Eko Hotel in Lagos, the nation should by now be generating, transmitting and distributing at least 15,000 megawatts (MW). But what is currently generated is a far cry. The country is producing less than 4,000MW, or about a quarter of the projected quantum of power! For a nation of some 170million, the electricity per capita is embarrassingly poor, falling behind Ghana’s, among others.

After announcing for months that 10,000MW would be generated by December, the Ministry of Power on August 3, announced, without any sense of embarrassment, that the new target for the period is 6,000MW, a little above half of the figure bandied about for some time. Even so, no one is realistically expecting the nation to hit 5,000MW by December which is only four months away. After all, the dramatic improvement which Power Minister Chinedu Nebo promised the nation that would be experienced from last June has yet to be realized. The power sector has been a shambles since hawks, anti-reform and extremely corrupt elements in the Jonathan government forced the world renowned engineering authority, Professor Bart Nnaji, to resign as Minister of Power on August 28, 2012. The steady improvement in power supply experienced under Nnaji, who raised power generation, transmission and distribution to an all-time high of 4,500MW, ended a few weeks after the professor left office abruptly; ever since then, the country has been on a downward slope, electricity-wise.

The new owners of the six generation companies and eleven distribution companies privatized since November 1, 2013, are all in a mess financially. If great care is not taken, the banks which loaned them huge sums in the belief that they were assisting a worthy national development cause will be shaken thoroughly. All the assumptions upon which the entrepreneurs committed huge investments in the electricity privatization programme have turned out to be calamitous.

Generation firms are unable to produce much because there is no gas supply from the Nigerian Gas Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under the leadership of Deziani Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources. Apparently, she has shown little interest in addressing this problem, preferring instead to focus on petrol and kerosene and crude oil lifting contracts. The

ation and desires of their Catalan nation.

These Catalans are not doing any of these.

United, loyal, dutiful and resolute in the interest of their Catalan nation, though also participating in the politics of Spain, they are leading their nation in the fight that their nation has chosen – towards the goal that their nation seeks.

It is very painful to most Yoruba people that the leading men and women among the Yoruba nation do not act like these Catalan leaders – do not act at all as true leaders of their Yoruba nation. There is very deep disillusionment and hopelessness among us Yoruba people today, and the cause of it is not so much because we have serious problems (problems created by Nigeria’s brutalization and even destruction of our achievements and assets), but because we do not have leaders trying creditably to confront the problems, telling us what direction the road ahead should be, and dutifully offering themselves as guides forward towards a goal –daring boldly to defy Nigeria’s opposition to our progress, and trying boldly to rally us in support of a Yoruba national programme.

Our system of education (our flagstaff achievement in the past 100 years) lies in ruins, resulting in disgraceful performances by our children in public examinations (such as WAEC), and resulting in the shame that our youths are learning virtually nothing in our schools and colleges.

Disgracefully, we do not have a programme for turning our educated youths into skilled workers, entrepreneurs, businessmen at home and abroad, inventors, patent owners, modern farmers, etc. Examples of how to do this are many in our world today (I recently wrote in this column about the example of Singapore), but we make no effort to learn or emulate. As a result, we squirm and sorrow in unbefitting poverty, and depend on imports and refugees from other parts of Nigeria for much of our economic life. Now, we tremble as an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist army, manufactured in another part of Nigeria, threatens to overrun all of Nigeria, including our homeland.

Gbogun gboro But, worst of all, no Yoruba leader stands forth to challenge any one of these problems. In practical terms, most of what we ever get from our leading citizens are efforts to conform to the putrid norms and standards of Nigeria, to share in Nigeria’s corrupt wealth, and to obtain positions in Nigeria’s chaotic and unproductive power system.

The time for change has come. We cannot let Nigeria kill and bury all that is good in our nation’s life. Let the true Yoruba leaders, whether young or old, begin to emerge. We will welcome and support them – as we welcomed and supported Awolowo and his colleagues in their time.

‘There is very deep disillusionment and hopelessness among us Yoruba people today, and the cause of it is not so much because we have serious problems (problems created by Nigeria’s brutalization and even destruction of our achievements and assets), but because we do not have leaders trying creditably to confront the problems, telling us what direction the road ahead should be’

Jonathan’s electricity programme, a sham

By Fredrick Ishaku & Reuben Ebere Nwosu President commissioned the Geregu power utility in Kogi State and the Omotosho plant in Ondo State without a single molecule because there was no gas pipeline to any of them.

The nation was taken for granted.

The joint press conference on the power situation addressed

by Mrs Alison-Madueke, Power Minister Chinedu Nebo, National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) chairman Sam Amadi and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele on August 3, was a panic public relations stunt to calm Nigerians who are becoming increasingly restive over power supply as the 2015 election is fast approaching. NERC’s decision to substantially increase tariff during the next Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) will not make a dent on the distribution companies’ obligations to banks if there is no considerable increase in quantum of power generated and transmitted by various firms. Distribution companies themselves have already been over-billing customers in a desperate effort to remain afloat, and in some instances, they have refused to supply power to rural communities because of the paltry returns. In other words, electricity is worse for the Nigerian people than in the pre-privatisation days.

Worse still, the transmission network is in a mess. It cannot wheel up to 5,000MW because it is old and poorly maintained. Politicians in government and elsewhere have been swooping on the limited resources available to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which has in the last one year had two chief executives and two board chairmen.

Manitoba Hydro International of Canada, contracted three years ago to manage it for three years, has not been given a free hand to run the company professionally. As if to add a comic touch to the farcical drama, President Jonathan announced two years ago, a unilateral cancellation of the $20m contract, only to swallow his own vomit in public a few days later when the international community challenged him over his unilateral action.

Nigeria’s power sector is in no doubt in a fiasco. Perceptive analysts knew all along that this fiasco was an accident waiting to happen. Any government which could afford to dispense with the services of Nnaji as Minister of Power cannot possibly mean well. Any government which sold the Kano Electricity Distribution Company and Sapele generating facility to cronies of some people in The Presidency cannot mean well for the Nigerian people. Any government which sold the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company to unknown quantities in power, over and above the Southeast state governments and their most accomplished entrepreneurs and

researchers. has merely sentenced the South-east permanently to the dark age of history.

A serious government will appoint only professionally sound persons as Minister of Petroleum Resources and Minister of Power and heads of agencies under them, so as to work with honesty and a sense of urgency on various electricity projects. A serious administration will look into petitions of controversial privatizations of key power assets to fronts of government officials. A fair minded administration will simplify and reduce the current requirements for power generation and distribution so that state and local governments as well as private organizations can produce and distribute electricity without the federal administration breathing down their neck.

A serious administration will create a lot of incentives in the gas sub-sector so that investments will flow into it. It will also encourage the exploitation of resources like coal so that it could serve as a major source of power; our coal is among the best in the world, given its low sulphur content. In addition, it will aggressively explore alternative sources of energy like solar, water, wind, biomass, etc, in collaboration with international development agencies and friendly countries like Germany which have advanced technologies in this field. Such power should be off-grid, that is to say, generated and supplied to end users in the vicinity, instead of being sent to the transmission network. A serious administration should cause electricity distribution companies to provide pre-paid metres to consumers within 12 months of coming into being.

It is no longer in dispute that the President Jonathan’s Electric Power Sector Reform, advertised as elixir for the crippling electricity mess, is a big flop—in fact, a national swindle. Instead of generating light, it is generating heat and darkness. It is not working because of a profound lack of sincerity of purpose, a profound lack of vision, a profound lack of commitment and a profound absence of depth and rigour.

• Dr Ishaku and Engr Nwosu signed this article on behalf of Electricity Stakeholders Conference.

‘It is no longer in dispute that the President Jonathan’s Electric Power Sector Reform, advertised as elixir for the crippling electricity mess, is a big flop—in fact, a national swindle’

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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NEWS

Politicisation of Boko Haram insurgency: bane of Nigeria’s anti-terror fight Text of a paper delivered at Portcullis House, House of Commons, London, by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Monday.

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AM here to share my personal thoughts and those of my party, the APC, on the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. It is certainly apt to say this platform and audience provide auspicious opportunities to correct misinformation, halftruths and endemic political manipulation of the Boko Haram insurgency by our political opponents.

Since the formation of our party the All Progressives Congress (APC ) our political opponents have strenuously tried (but failed) to misinform Nigerians and the international community that the APC is linked to Boko Haram, claiming ‘our actions, utterances and body language’ support or sympathise with Boko Haram Of course, this deliberate political misinformation and manipulation continue to flounder and fail spectacularly, not least because successive events prove these claims to be hollow, but also that it is our political opponents who are playing a ‘Boko Haram Poker Game’.

In particular the PDP and anyone for that matter (including their hired American PR firm, Levick) have failed to produce any substantial and even anecdotal evidence linking the APC with Boko Haram!

Keen followers and watchers of Nigerian politics are well aware of recent revelations by Dr Stephen Davis, a renowned Australian hostage release negotiator hired by the Goodluck Jonathan government over the Chibok saga, who confirmed some few days back that indeed the sponsors of Boko Haram are nestled in the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan government – in the persons of Alh. Ali Modu Sheriff (former governor of Borno state) and Major General Ihejirika (former Chief of Army Staff).

The value of this revelation is hardly about its newness, but that it corroborates previous revelations, such as those by the former NSA (late Major General Azazi Owoye) and even by President Goodluck Jonathan himself!

My task here is incomplete without providing this august gathering with logical, empirical and evidence-based explanation and accounts of goings-on about the Boko Haram ‘crisis’ in Nigeria. I emphasize that Boko Haram is a “crises” because it is no longer a single event but multiple intertwined crises.

There is the crisis of Boko Haram violent attacks, but also crisis of the PDP-President Jonathan’s inept mismanagement, crisis of Nigeria’s military response and operations, crisis of refugees and internal displacement, and crisis of insecurity in general.

What I present here are hardly mine and APC’s hunches or guessestimates or attempts at political misinformation, but logical accounts, insights and information contained in open-source materials, thus verifiable. I proceed to share this important empirical account of events about Boko Haram as detailed in media reports, academic papers and research, and even from different sections of the Nigerian government under five main headings: • Origin of Boko Haram • The Politics of Boko Haram • Boko Haram and Resource Allocation • The Boko Haram Crisis and GEJ Security Spending Spree

• New Thinking and Approaches to Ending Boko Haram: The APC’s Prescriptions.

The Origins of Boko Haram When the sect “Nigerian Taliban”, the precursor of today’s monster called Boko Haram, started off in 2002, it was another fringe sect along the same pattern of many before it, which started off under the cloak of religion but were in real sense, in response to the widespread poverty, deprivation and the injustice that have hallmarked post-independent Nigeria.

Before now, the most remembered, for the scale of its share brutality and mass killings, was the Maitaisine Crisis in the northern city of Kano that left thousands of people dead in 1980. A decisive response by the then Federal Government saw the crushing of the sect, which was fiercely anti-modernism. Maitaisine was the nickname of the sect founder, Mohammed Marwa, whose preaching attracted a huge number of youths, unemployed immigrants and others who felt that mainstream Muslim teachers were not doing enough for their communities.

By December 1980, the group had started launching attacks against other religious figures and the police in Bauchi and Bulukuntu (Maiduguri), forcing the government to call in the military. In the ensuing clashes, about 5,000 people including the founder, died. But in the end the sect was dead and buried for good.

Fast forward to 2009, almost three decades later, Boko Haram, a salafijihadi group that espouses messianic revivalism of Islamic religion and cultural practices ( sharia) and which translates literally as “ Western education forbidden” was in full swing and following in the path of the Maitaisine.

It is no use hiding the fact that the emergence of Boko Haram and its armed insurgency from 2009, has changed the political, economic, security and socio-cultural landscape of Nigeria.

But who and what is Boko Haram? Why and how did it come about?

Boko Haram’s original name is the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad) movement.

‘Boko Haram’ when translated literarily means ‘Western education’ (Boko) is forbidden (haram), however the group’s ideology transcends this to mean the rejection of western culture and civilization of which education is a vehicle for its transfer.

In recorded interviews by the BBC with the late founder of the group (Mohammed Yusuf), he stated that ‘western-styled education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our belief in Islam’ and ‘our land was an Islamic state before the colonial masters turned it to a Kafir (infidel) land. The current system is contrary to true Islamic belief’.

Another recorded interview with the group’s spokesperson clarified that ‘Boko Haram’ does not in any way mean Western education is a sin…(It) actually means western civilization is forbidden. The difference is that while the first gives the impression that we are opposed to formal education coming from the West…which is not true…the second affirms our belief in the supremacy of Islamic culture,

for culture is broader, it includes education but not determined by western education’.

The emergence of Boko Haram as a movement and the evolution of its armed insurgency could be divided into five phases: Phase One This pertains to the earliest recorded information about the group and its ideological foundation and organizational development as a movement. There is a loose consensus that Boko Haram is an offshoot of the Nigerian Taliban Movement that was first reported in media circles around 2001-02 (following the US-led NATO military campaign in Afghanistan), that the top leadership of the group were adherents of the Ibn Taymiyyah Sect.

The group relocated (undertook Hijra) from Maiduguri city (capital of Borno state) to a remote location in Yobe state (Kanama) in 2002 to establish its own community that was governed in accordance with strict Islamic law and culture (Sharia). Following disagreements and clashes with neighboring communities over fishing rights and police action between 2003 and 2004 the group was dislodged from Kanama and it relocated back to Maiduguri in 2004.

Phase Two This chronicles the regrouping, activities and growth of the group between 2004 and 2009. Boko Haram’s relocation to Maiduguri in 2004 led to its creation of a new base (the Ibn Taymiyyah Masjid around the railway area, north of Maiduguri). The group is alleged to have got financial support from within and outside Nigeria with which it set up businesses and started providing welfare services to the hordes of jobless, homeless and illiterate young people in Maiduguri. Mohammed Yusuf’s recorded and live public preachings started circulating and attracting wide audience during this period. With this, the group’s membership grew astronomically and the profile of its leader (Mohammed Yusuf) increased to the extent that he was included in the Borno state committee of clerics following the introduction of Sharia Law. A known senior member of Boko Haram, Late Boju Foi, was actually appointed a commissioner by former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. This marked official and unofficial connections between the group and influential politicians and government functionaries that facilitated the flow of patronage, financial resources and immunity from police prosecution for Mohammed Yusuf (whenever he was arrested, he was promptly released based on intervention by influential politicians). The fact that Boko Haram became a magnet for thousands of youth made politicians on all sides to seek to use it for election purposes. Boko Haram thereafter began spreading to neighbouring Yobe, Bauchi and Adamawa states.

Phase Three This is where things started to fall apart between Boko Haram and politicians/government officials in Borno State.

Available reports point to some sort of disagreement between the group and some politicians following the 2007 elections (e.g. over monthly stipends payable to the group). This was followed by recurring clashes between Boko Haram members and the local police, especially over police harassment and arrest of Boko Haram members.

One of such led to the massacre of over a dozen police officers in July

,

•Alhaji Mohammed

What is the PDP’s logic and rationale for linking the APC with Boko Haram?

,

2009. This triggered a large-scale security operation as ordered by President Yar’Adua in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi states. It is estimated that over 1000 suspected Boko Haram members were killed or summarily executed by security forces, including Mohammed Yusuf and his in-laws in this operation. In the aftermath of this crack down, some members of Boko Haram leadership escaped and regrouped outside Nigeria, and linked up with other Salafist groups in the Sahel.

Phase Four This covers the ‘hardening’ of Boko Haram as it was transformed into an ultra-violent, insurgent Salafist group. Remnants of Boko Haram reportedly joined up with salafi-jihadi groups – such as the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – and underwent insurgency trainings in jihadi camps in Northern Mali, and Mauritania. From September 2010, Boko Haram commenced violent attacks to mark the onset of the current insurgency. It started with high profile targets such as the Nigerian Police headquarters, United Nations country office, police and military facilities, prisons, mosques and churches, banks, schools, government offices, telecommunication masts, markets and lately local communities.

Phase Five This covers recent dynamics of Boko Haram insurgency, including the emergence of splinter groups, and the sheer increase in the Boko Haram’s audacity, including the kidnapping of more than 200 Chibok school girls (that internationalized the insurgency), the takeover of entire communities and towns; the declaration of a Caliphate and hoisting of its flags in attacked communities. In short,

the Boko Haram insurgency has changed from what it was before, and it is at its fiercest level, as yet.

The Politics of Boko Haram I have carefully chronicled Boko Haram’s evolution to counteract the rationale of PDP-Jonathan Administration failed attempt at linking it to the APC. What is the PDP’s logic and rationale for linking the APC with Boko Haram?

This is based on a faulty logic of presuming that the APC is a sectional (Northern), as opposed to a national political party, that the APC is made up predominantly of Muslims, that it is a North/Islamic party; and therefore the APC must directly or indirectly support and sympathize with Boko Haram; and finally that Boko Haram is a Northern and Muslim plot to resist and challenge a Southerner-Christian Jonathan Presidency.

This position is inconsistent on several fronts. First, Boko Haram climaxed during the reign of Late President Yar’Adua, hence could not be a Northern plot against a Southern-Christian president. The 2009 security operation which led to the death of over 1000 members of Boko Haram was ordered by a sitting Northern-Muslim president!

Second, it was the PDP, from 2009 till date that transformed Boko Haram from a movement into an insurgent group, from a moderate Sunni group to a Salafist-Jihadi franchise, from a local group with localized (socio-economic and cultural change) agenda to an international violent jihadist group.

Third, while it is true the APC is the number one grassroots party across Northern Nigeria, but so also is the case in substantial parts of Southern Nigeria. The APC is a proper Pan-Nigerian party that reflects the ethno-religious and cultural diversities of Nigeria. The APC has functional structures across the 774 LGAs, and 36 states plus Abuja. As a matter of fact as of today APC has seven state governors from the Northern part of Nigeria and eight from the Southern part of the country.

Fourth, the APC is neither a Muslim nor a Christian political party. I make bold to say that it is impossible to have a religious political party in Nigeria because of the complex diversities in Nigeria.

APC, like the PDP has Christian members across Northern Nigeria, and Muslim members across Southern Nigeria. Moreover, it is absurd to still think of Nigeria in a simplistic North equate Muslim, and South equate Christian prism.

Fifth, the APC is neither ashamed nor proud to acknowledge the socio-economic and political abyss that made the emergence of such a deadly and evil group like Boko Haram possible in the first place, and the crass leadership failures and ineptitude that transformed Boko Haram into a killing machine.

It is the APC’s acknowledgement of the underlining socio-economic and political conditions that is misinterpreted by the PDP as APC’s ‘sympathy’ for Boko Haram. The truth must be told, Boko Haram, similar to other ethno-political militias in post-1999 Nigeria, emerged against the backdrop of deepening poverty, social-economic deprivations, corruption, poor governance, police brutality and governance failures under the PDP since 1999. It is no coincidence that the northern half of Nigeria, including the northeast corner (Boko Haram base), are the poorest in the country.

To be Continued

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

•Entrance of ACE

Who becomes the Provost of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) in Ondo? The alumni and the Academic Staff Union are backing different candidates, leading to a strain in their relationship. LEKE AKEREDOLU (Akure) reports.

Union, alumni battle over provost

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HE Alumni Association of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo and the academic staff union are engaged in a battle of wits over who becomes the provost. The parties are throwing brickbats over the choice of candidate for the post.

The alumni are rooting for an outsider, the chapter of the College of Education Staff Union (COEASU), prefers an insider.

But, they agree that the appointment should be on merit. Findings showed that the alumni are supporting Prof Olukoya Ogen, who they believed topped other candidates interviewed for the job.

Sources said 36 candidates, who initially applied for the post, were pruned to three by the Governing Council. Two of them, it was learnt, are senior members of staff of the college; the third came from outside.

The Acting Provost, Dr. Olufemi Olajuyigbe, is among those shortlisted. The other candidate, Dr Samuel Oyekan is of the School of Education.

Olajuyigbe, a former Dean of Students’ Affairs, was elevated to Deputy Provost before the end of Prof. Idowu Adeyemi’s tenure.

Ogen, according to an agency report, is a professor of History at the Osun State Uni-

INSIDE

Ex-President faults NANS’ visit to Jonathan -Page 27

UNILORIN VC seeks review of mathematics curriculum -Page 47

versity and a visiting senior research fellow at the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham.

The seat became vacant on June 1, following the expiration of Adeyemi’s tenure after an eight-year service. Adeyemi, an alumnus, is seen as a “transformer”, during whose tenure the college witnessed significant achievements.

It was learnt that the transformation embarked upon by Adeyemi was unprecedented in the institution’s annal. Under his watch, ACE was listed among the six federal colleges of education to be upgraded to universities in 2010.

Adeyemi, was a professor of Educational Guidance and Counselling at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, before his appointment eight years ago.

His achievements inform why stakeholders are keen on who succeeds him.

An advertorial, signed by 19 members of the alumni association, including Mr. Ayo Ademiluwa, Mr. Dipo Olawale, Prince Kassim Afegbua, Mr Wale Ojo-Lanre and Dr. Folashade Famuyide, among others, said Adeyemi’s good work could only be consolidated by appointing the best candidate

CAMPUS LIFE

among those jostling for the post.

The association faulted a statement credited to COEASU that the provost must be appointed from the two candidates from the college.

Last week, COEASU held a congress and released a statement, warning the government of the danger in appointing an outsider to succeed Adeyemi.

According to the statement signed by the Vice-Chairman, Tope Ozigbe and GeneralSecretary Ade Adepoju, the ongoing process of appointing a provost is being manipulated to favour an outsider. The union, nevertheless, stressed the need to appoint someone who understands the system and could improve it. It emphasised that it would be counter-productive if the government appointed an individual from outside, noting that the college was ripe enough to produce an internal candidate who understands the system, particularly after 50 years of the school’s existence.

The statement reads: “We will resist attempt to impose any candidate, who neither believes in the system, nor has any experi-

•A 10-page section on campus news, people etc

Omisore’s bus gift divides OAU students -Page 29

• Continued on Page 26

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EDUCATION

Union, alumni battle over provost •Continued from Page 25

ence in the teaching and administration of the college of education system.

“We were informed that the ongoing process of appointing a new Provost is being manipulated in favour of a professor and this professor was recommended alongside two of the institution’s Chief Lecturers. However, government must understand that the college needs someone, who understands the system and how to improve it.

“This will be counter-productive if the Federal Government should go ahead to appoint someone from other university as the provost of the college. We also kick against the antics of some faceless mischief makers, who have been going around writing frivolous petitions to discredit the qualified COEASU members.

“The names of those who signed the petition allegedly written by the ACE Alumni Association are fictitious names that are not recognised by the college. How can a group of people, who have never visited the school, be contributing on who will rule the institution? Majority of them do not stay in Nigeria and we do not know what their impacts on the college are. The representative of the institution alumni group is late Bamidele Aturu, a distinguished lawyer and another representative is yet to be chosen.”

The union said members are not bothered by the recent advertorial by the alumni association in some national dailies, accusing the alumni body of going around discrediting some of the qualified Chief Lecturers, who have been selected for the position.

It accused the alumni for showing interested in installing a candidate, who has neither worked in the college nor believed in its system.

Their position, COEASU maintained, is in tandem with best practices all over the world whereby CEOs of academic institutions are sourced from materials within the system.

Such a candidate, the union believed, would have passed through the various stages of developments in the institution and would be able to facilitate growth and development.

But in a swift reaction, the alumni described the purported report and its position as ‘enthronement of mediocrity’.

To them, the statement was by

some specific disgruntled members of the group.

The advertorial reads in part: “According to the reports, three of the 36 candidates interviewed came top and were eventually recommended to Abuja. These include a professor, who the sponsors of the reports chose to call an ‘outsider’, the immediate past deputy provost, who is now the acting provost and another candidate, who are Chief Lecturers inthe college.

“That the process that led to the emergence of the recommended candidates has been adjudged to be free, fair, merit-driven and transparent and was carried out with sensitive responsibility to get the best and the most qualified candidate for the office. And the candidate with the best vision for the college, credentials and interview performance came first in the selection exercise.

“That the position of the sponsors of the reports is prejudicial, • un-academic, inciting and a clear admission of the weakness of their case and that of their candidates.

“That the professor, who came first and who is being referred to as an outsider, is indeed, an alumnus of the college, a renowned international scholar and consummate administrator. The Adeyemi College Alumni community is exceedingly proud of his feats and academic laurels. He represents and symbolises the interest and aspirations of past, present and future students of ACE. “That sponsors of the jaundiced report demonstrated abysmal ignorance of the recent history of that college. Since 1986 when the provost-ship nomenclature came into being in the college, the appointment of the so called internal candidates as substantive provost, (DR. P.O Fayemi) and (R.A Adeboyeje) only succeeded in plunging the college into interminable crises. Whereas, the tenures

•Ojo-Lanre

•Dr Olujuyigbe

•Prof Ogen

•Dr Oyekan

of the so-called outsiders, who were all professors (Adesina, Ipaye and Idowu), brought peace, stability and unparalleled development to the college.”

The leaderships of workers from sister unions- the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCCOEN), have chosen to sit on the fence. The two unions, according to reports,

see the issue as sensitive and therefore, surrendered to government’s final decision.

A NASU member, Mr. Akin Oyewole, urged the government to set up a committee to visit the institution and hear the views of the workers on who they want.

“If government appoints a wrong candidate, this may be another disaster for the institution. We know how Adeyemi was before and how

‘If government appoints a wrong candidate, this may be another disaster for the institution. We know how Adeyemi was before and how it is now. We want someone, who will be accepted generally by the workers; someone, who will carry us along, and that is the reason why I am saying the government should send in delegates to dialogue with workers on the kind of leader they want’

it is now. We want someone, who will be accepted generally by workers; someone, who will carry us along, and that is the reason why I am saying government should send in delegates to dialogue with workers on the kind of leader they want,” Oyewole said.

A SSUCCOEN member, who preferred anonymity, said: “Though the government has the final say, but it must put into consideration the kind of Provost ACE members are agitating for. It would be wrong for the government to bring in someone who has no knowledge about the terrain of Adeyemi College of Education.”

Efforts to speak with the college management were stone-walled. A member of the management board, who preferred anonymity, said none of the groups has the power to dictate to the government on who should be considered for the position. He said they are all waiting patiently to welcome any announcement by the government.

“This is a sensitive issue. We can’t discuss this issue here and we have no fact concerning the selection. It is only the Federal Ministry of Education, who can name any of the three remaining candidates. We are only hearing the rumours like other people. We are waiting for the government’s pronouncement and we believe the government will give us the best,” he said.

Meanwhile, a dependable source from the college information unit, said he could not offer further comments on the matter.

“Everything you are hearing from outside are rumours just as we are hearing same here. Issues regarding the appointment of a new provost are beyond this office.

If they like, let them fight themselves. Until government announces its choice, we can only keep our fingers crossed,” he told The Nation.

Students are presently on break.

Nonetheless, a 200-Level Physics undergraduate, Akinsola Ologunagba, said government would only do the institution a great favour by appointing someone, who will build on the achievements of the his predecessor.

“During Prof. Idowu Adeyemi’s tenure, we saw what he impacted on the college both academically and in terms of infrastructure. So, I believe government must be able to get us someone who will do better than him. We do not want to return to the old days when Adeyemi College was a mere glorified secondary school,” Ologunagba said.

A teacher, who equally craved anonymity, urged government to ignore the two warring groups and pick the new provost purely on merit.

Ebola mars NGO’s summer programme

T

HE fun that accompanied the fifth edition of the Youth Rescue and Care Initiative (YORCI), a five-week free summer academic, vocational and life skills training programme, was cut short by the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

According to YORCI executive director, a non-governmental organisation, Mrs Bisilola Asenuga, the Federal Government’s directive abruptly ended the programme organised the YORCI. She said: “Plans were already in top gear for an all encompassing prize giving and talent fair day when the federal government issued a directive that all summer classes be suspended.”

She added that it was difficult suspending the programme at the three centres (Lekki,Oshodi and Festac) as the 1,020 pupils were

By Seun Akinola and Oluwatosin Olawale

already engrossed in various lifeenriching activities which the NGO took the children through.

An SS3 pupil, Deborah Adeyanju, who attended programme at the Oshodi centre said: “Before now, I was disrespectful, arrogant, unfocused and always go late for appointments, but thank God for the life skills training of the Rescue-the-scholars training programme. I am now better with solving mathematical problems and I’m now able to extinguish fire through the practical fire training programme given to us by the consultant,’’ she said.

Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Mrs Asenuga said: ‘’We invite resource persons to

•Mrs Asenuga with students at the Oshodi centre of the free summer programme

enlighten pupils on issues that would help them in life. In the first week, we invited a medical doctor to enlighten the children on EVD outbreak and issues relating to their health. And in the second

week, we invited Boke Safety Initiative, another NGO based in Lagos, to enlighten the children on fire management. All of these are some of the activities that made our programme engaging to pu-

pils.”

She noted that the prize-giving day is a date set aside to reward the moral and academic excellence of the children in the course of the programme.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

EDUCATION

Ex-President faults NANS’ solidarity visit to Jonathan •It was cheap publicity, NANS

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HE Yinka Gbdebo-led National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) came under fire for paying a solidarity visit to President Goodluck Jonathan and commending him.

Former President of the association, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, described the visit as ‘politically motivated’, adding that NANS leadership did not say how Jonathan would rescue the Chibok girls and address the security challenges facing the country, among other issues.

Onjeh vowed that Nigerian students would henceforth, resist any attempt by NANS leadership to ridicule the association.

“They (NANS) should have used the opportunity to challenge the First Lady and the President, to use their immense influence and innermost powers to address the Chibok Girls issue and the rot in the education sector which require a declaration of a state of emergency.

“Only 31 per cent of those who sat for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination five subjects and above including English and Mathematics. Universities, polytechnics and colleges of education only resumed recently after a prolonged strikes,”.

The conferment of the Grand Commander on Jonathan”, Onjeh said: “is null and void as it lacked the requisite legal backing of the appropriate organ of NANS charged with the responsibility.”

The statement continued: “Many

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

Nigerians could not believe the recent spectacle of the Yinka Gbadeboled National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) passing a vote of confidence on Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of the President and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“Yinka Gbadebo and his fellow sycophants, including some former presidents of the once prestigious Students’ Union, told the First Lady that they have endorsed her husband for a second term. Their sycophancy became more visible when they met the President and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a former university lecturer under whose watch universities, polytechnics and colleges of education were on strike for more than half of their academic calendar.

“Mr. Gbadebo and his co travelers gave President Jonathan the hitherto non-existent and meaningless award of Grand Commander of Nigerian Students. That conduct and action negate the principle and charter of demands of NANS. “It is completely at variance with what NANS stands for or stood for since one is now confused about NANS. If such honour exists at all, it’s the prerogative of NANS Congress, not even NANS Senate to ratify before being conferred on the beneficiary. There is nothing wrong in the leadership of NANS paying a courtesy visit to the First Lady, or her

husband, the President, since by virtue of their positions they are symbols of the state and deserve due respect.

“What is wrong, however, is using such an opportunity for personal aggrandisement instead of pursuing the common interest of the greater majority of their constituents – the students. The Yinka Gbadebo-led executive has completely derailed from the focus and priority of NANS and this has exposed the level of rot in modern student unionism.

“The Chibok school girls, who are their immediate constituency, have been living in nightmare since their abduction over 145 days ago; yet not a word was uttered about them by Mr. Gbadebo and his coterie of shameless sycophants. This is wicked, heartless, unconscionable and in bad taste. Mr. Gbadebo and those former NANS leaders, who went on this misplaced and opportunistic courtesy visit, are a disgrace to fond memories of our past student heroes who laid down their lives for a better Nigeria. They are not and can never be the true reflection of the minds of Nigerian students.

But in a swift response, Gbadebo said Onjeh was only trying to raise unnecessary dust because he was not part of the delegation to President Jonathan Speaking with The Nation, Gbadebo said NANS’ decision to visit President Jonathan was favoured by other past presidents, who also went with him for the award presentation.

He said: “Before God and man let me say the reason he (Onjeh) was

FUNAAB FILE

Varsity empowers drivers

•Gbadebo

doing this was because he was not invited to be part of the delegation.

“The First NANS president Comrade Sunday Oladele, with other nine past presidents including myself making 11, went on that trip.

Also on the trip were NANS executives and the four zonal coordinators. Can you then tell me that the 11 of us including other members were wrong in our decision?, he asked on phone.

“In November last Year, Onjeh was stripped of his membership ofNANS because of his nefarious activities.

NANS found out that he had been defrauding people in the name of the association. So, NANS took that decision at the 68th Senate meeting held at the University of Port Harcourt in November last year. A communiqué issued after the meeting stated NANS resolutions categorically. We even run the adverts in some national dailies including The Nation Newspapers.”

‘Embezzle students’ fund, end your career’ From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

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ECTOR of Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr. Mohammed Bello Ibrahim has issued a stern warning to newly elected students union leaders not to contemplate embezzling their union funds. According to him, if they did they would have their academic career truncated.

Ibrahim stressed that the institution will not tolerate embezzlement of student funds under whatever guise, saying there was the need for students’ leaders to operate within the ambit of the rules and regulations guiding the association and that of the institution.

Dr. Ibrahim gave the warning in at the inauguration of the newly elected Students’ Union Government (SUG) officials of the institution at the main campus of the institution last week.

He said: “The position you have assumed today should not allow you to forget your primary reason, which is acquiring qualitative education and graduate with good results on merit. Do not allow the activities of the union to take your attention away from your studies.”

Assuring the union leaders that management would give priority to their welfare, the Rector warned that they must be careful about agitations from members.

“You must not allow your colleagues to destroy school facilities in the name of any form of agitation. Remember that these facilities were put in place a long time ago and you must also preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

“You must facilitate peaceful and conducive atmosphere for you to learn and for us to work. It is by doing this that, the desired goals of being in the school would be realised,” he said.

AS part of staff development initiative of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta Department of Works and Services recently facilitated a two-day workshop tagged: “Intensive Re-Orientation and Refresher Course for University’s Motor Drivers/Mechanics and Technical Assistants (Automobile)”.

Presenting a paper titled: “Traffic Rules and Regulation: Right of Way”, Commander, Abdulrahman Ajala of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), said accidents occur when road users violate traffic rules.

He defined a driver as someone who has the knowledge of operating a motor vehicle; adequate knowledge of the in-built functions; recognises; understands and observes all road traffic signs and signals on the road (i.e Highway Code).

He appealed to participants to always endeavour to carry out daily routine checks on their vehicles before embarking on any journey.

Ajala added that the essence of traffic rules and regulations was to resolve traffic conflict by bringing about orderliness. tion in traffic congestion.

How graduates can be employable, by experts TO overcome the challenge of unemployment facing young graduates in the country, some experts have identified a way out.

This was the thrust of discussion at the maiden Valedictory Lecture organised by the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (AERD), Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB).

The lecture themed: “Becoming Employable in an unemploying Economy”, had as speakers, an alumnus of the Department and Manager, Stanbic-IBTC, Abeokuta Main Branch, Mr. Sola Fagbuyi, and the Deputy Director of Cassava: Adding Value for Africa II (C:AVA II) project, Dr. Adebosola Oladeinde.

According to Mr. Fagbuyi, there is the growing incidence of unemployment among the youths, saying that so many people were roaming the streets without doing anything. He admonished the students not to be among the unemployed. “It is the value you add to yourselves now that would give you opportunities in the future,” he said.

Varsity student shines •Dr Okojie (left) presenting Prof Tenebe with his award

NOUN VC gets ‘Most valuable VC’ Award

T

HE Vice-Chancellor, National Open University, Prof Vincent Ado Tenebe, has been bestowed this year’s ‘Most Valuable Vice-Chancellor’ Award, by the International Centre for Comparative Leadership for Africans and Blacks in Diaspora in collaboration with Accolade International Magazine.

The award was presented on the university premises in VI, Lagos by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO Accolade International Magazine, Dr Luke Okojie and the magazine’s Southsouth coordinator, Mr Bode Alake.

Speaking at the presentation,

By Olayinka Jayeoba Oyefolu

Tenebe, said he is greatly honoured and humbled by the award. “The award is not for me, but for the NOUN; that is why 50 per cent of my citation is about the university. We are serving with all interest and with the belief that we will salvage the country from its problems concerning education,” he said.

According to him, NOUN is the only way to take education to beyond borders. He called for more open universities in Africa.

“Africa is one of the places with high level of insecurity and illiteracy,

and education is one of the ways to overcome insecurities. Places with low education have a high level of insecurity. The Northeast in Nigeria for example has low education and high in insurgency so also the Southsouth with militancy.”

He said NOUN has crops of academics who can salvage Nigeria from its present challenges. He thanked the award donor for the recognition.

On his part, Dr Okojie said Tenebe deserved the award for his contribution to scholarship and dedication, adding that he is a great leader and an embodiment of success.

AN undergraduate in the Department of Microbiology, Mr. Charles Besidonne, has emerged one of the top three in the 1st African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) Continental Essay competition.

The keenly-contested competition with the theme: “The Role of Standards in Promoting Sustainable Development in Africa”, attracted 112 entries from 14 African countries, with 27 from Nigeria and opened to all African countries and youths below 35 years in approved universities and colleges.

Besidonne came third with 82.5 per cent score while the other two winners, Mr. Toung II Peres, a Camerounian and Mr. Godswill Chijioke Olemgbe, a Nigerian, came first and second with 84 per cent and 83.5 per cent scores, respectively.

Professor Olusola Oyewole, the

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

EDUCATION

Ebola: Kaduna to spend N116m on thermometers, training

K

ADUNA State has said it has set aside the sum of N116 million to purchase 10,000 clinical thermometers and hold sensitisation workshops for 13,000 school teachers on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) across 23 local government areas of the state.

State Commissioner of Education, Mohammed Ali, disclosed this while declaring the workshop and the subsequent distribution of the clinical thermometers for the Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone opened in Kaduna on Tuesday.

Ali said the state would not to leave any stone unturned in ensuring all that is required to prevent EVD in the state and particularly in

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

schools.

“This is a workshop where 13,000 teachers will be trained on ways of preventing the EVD and it will take place in the three senatorial zones between now and the September 16 this year, and certainly before the schools resume on the 22nd September resumption date.

“The state government is spending 116 million naira to purchase 10, 000 clinical thermometers and hold the various workshops for both private and public schools. Each school will be given two thermometers each.

“Seventy-five million naira will be

used to purchase the thermometers at the cost of 7500 each, while the balance of 41 million naira will be used for the workshops, refreshments and workshop papers.”

He gave government’s assurance towards the welfare of pupils and students including the teachers in the state. Nonetheless, Ali appealed to school representatives to ensure that at their return both teaching and non teaching are also trained, while the thermometers are strictly and judiciously utilised.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Ishaya Dare Akawu urged teachers to take the fighting of EVD seriously, emphasising the

need for a healthy learning environment. He called on teachers to inculcate a culture of hygiene in their schools and among their pupils/ students.

He said schools would be monitored, assessed and graded, adding that the yardstick for the assessment would be how neat their environment is.

Responding, the Kaduna State President National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Dr. Vincent Ogini, commended the government for coming up with the initiative. He pledged on behalf of the private schools to ensure compliance and also engage in robust sanitations

and hygiene practices in their schools.

The National President Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Comrade Danjuma Shehu reiterated that it is their task to protect children and since parents had entrusted the lives of their children to teachers, the importance of the workshop would not be over emphasised.

The Consultant, Dr. Salma Abbasi of the World Wide Group said the workshop was the beginning of how they would strive to change teachers behavior on their approach to hygiene and sanitation, and sensitise them on EVD, taking them through necessary measures of the virus to prevent its spread.

‘Skills database will modify educational efforts’

A

SYSTEMATIC collection and dissemination of information regarding skills requirement of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) would help Nigeria address skills gap among youths, says Mr Olawumi Gasper, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB).

Gasper, who was the lead presenter at the 22nd conference of the Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD) in Abuja, said such framework would be useful for schools to determine the kind of training skills and competencies they should provide students with to ensure relevant labour supply.

He said: “It is also important to stress that investment in human capital alone can increase the number of skilled workers but not necessarily the number of jobs for them. On the other hand increased technology transfer alone without appropriately prepared skilled workers and managers is not likely to sustain job growth. Therefore supplies of training, workers and the supplies of employment must maintain an effective equilibrium of vocational skills development for enterprise growth”, he said.

Underscoring the importance of vocational and enterprise training

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

at the conference which had as theme: Learning and development: Pre-requisite to skills and entrepreneurial growth’, Gasper said developed countries used them to build their economies.

“In our clime for so long we did not focus enough on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship education, as we valued and still value formal education. Today those with vocational skills and possessing required skill sets are in high demand and those who are imbued with entrepreneurship education are current game changers”, he said.

Gasper, an engineer, added that skills acquisition with doses of enterprise education are an important part of Nigeria’s education policy and would help produce skillful and talented people who can create wealth and value.

Other papers presented at the conference included: ‘Digital fluency for entrepreneurial success in the 21st Century’ by Dr Niran Oyekale; Managing Director, Commit Technology and Consult Ltd, and ‘Professional and practical viewpoint for building entrepreneurship’ by Dr Rotimi Oladele, a lecturer at the Lagos State University.

The presenters affirmed that edu-

•Mohammed Onawo (middle), Chairman, Committee on Industries, Federal House of Representatives and Special Guest of Honour receiving a fellowship award from Dr Ogungbuyi at the event. With them is Mr Oguntuyi.

cation is continuous and should be developmental while trainers must keep on educating themselves as training will bring about change of attitude, improved skills and performance.

They also advised NITAD to develop programmes that combine vocational training and enterprise education and counseled that governments at various levels should tap

into the resources of the local environment for the growth of the youth.

In his address, Dr Kayode Ogungbuyi, President and Chairman of Council, NITAD, said the theme of the conference was timely, in light of the complaints by many employers about lack of employee skills in many areas.

Also speaking, Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Mr Laolu

Oguntuyi, urged young people to embrace learning and development.

“Learning and development is seen as one of the pre-conditions for entrepreneurship development, particularly in a place where the spirit and culture is minimal. There is no gain saying the fact that learning and development is key and that it plays a strong role in forming the burgeoning entrepreneur”, he said.

Berger begins facility visit for pupils

I

N a bid to avail pupils practical experience of the production of paints and coatings, a leading paint industry Berger Paint Nigeria Plc, has commenced an initiative whereby pupils come into the factory to see firsthand production of paints and coatings.

The pupils will also be availed the opportunity to see their equipment, people and processes of making paints and coatings.

In a statement made available to The Nation, and credited to its Corporate Affairs Department, the initiative is to impart practical knowledge of the manufacturing industry in general and paints iIndustry in particular to help pupils make informed career choices.

“This is targeted towards the junior category comprising pupils in primary and junior secondary schools. This takes them, particularly those in the science-oriented classes, away from just the class room experience. They now have opportunity for practical experience to deepen their understanding of what they had been taught in class,” the statement said.

The initiative is also to support

•: Pupils of Proper Arsenal College, Ojota at a study excursion to Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, Ikeja

By Medinat Kanabe

Lagos State using its Bring-AChild-To-Work initiative.

“Our business success is measured by more than just financial

targets, but the positive contribution to lives, communities and the environment through good business practice. Berger Paint’s corporate social responsibility efforts are achieved through respecting the environment in which we op-

erate. To ensure our efforts in community, investment can be as effective as possible. We concentrate on these focus areas: education, health, sponsorships, and Arts & Culture,” it stated.

Further, it said other pro-

grammes it had embarked upon are the annual donation of education materials to primary and secondary schools, sponsorship of paints and art workshops, and career mentorship chat for secondary schools.

A varsity’s hostel blues

*CAMPUSES

IBB varsity joins e-voting train

Page 31

*NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

Page 42

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0805-450-3104 email: campusbeat@yahoo.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

•The controversial bus

PHOTO: OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI

The Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State is divided over a bus donated to it by Senator Iyiola Omisore, who many students consider a persona non grata. Some executive members argue that the bus was given in “good faith”; others describe it as a “Greek gift”. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (Language Arts) and SEHINDEMI AJOSE (400-Level English Literature) report.

Omisore’s bus gift divides OAU students

I

T was supposed to be a gift that would make students happy. But it turned out to be otherwise. A bus donated

by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore to the Students Union Government (SUG) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife has caused a crack in the group.

Barely three months after the SUG came on board, some members are moving to suspend their president, Isaac Ibikunle, over the bus.

It was alleged that Isaac and the General Secretary, Oludayo Shittu, unilaterally decided to send a request to Omisore for the vehicle. Other members claimed not to know anything about the gift.

To the students, the bus from Omisore, who has been declared a persona non grata on the campus, is an insult on their sensibilities. They said the bus should not have been received from Omisore because he remains in the bad books of students over the controversies surrounding his political activities.

The students, who returned to school last week, 67 days after they were sent home for demonstrating against fee hike, are criticising their union for collecting what they called a “Greek gift”.

Isaac and Oludayo, who received the vehicle on the students’ behalf, said Omisore donated the bus to aid students’ struggle.

In a statement, Isaac said: “Since inception of our administration, it is a known fact that politicians in major political parties have been meeting us to seek support as it is done across the country. But our position has always been that they should institute a landmark project that will benefit OAU students. Such is the bus donation and scholarship for students. Both the All Progressives Congress and the PDP have promised us a bus each.

“Meanwhile, on July 31, the PDP candidate, Otunba Omisore, donated a brand new 18-seater bus to the Students’ Union Government. The gesture was to aid the mobility of the union officials, especially in times of struggle. This is against the constant seizure of the union’s bus by the management whenever the students disagree with the authorities.”

But, the SUG’s Vice President, Funmi Oladejo, said she was not aware of the meeting where the decision to request a gift from Omisore was taken. In a statement titled: When silence

•Continued on page 31

•Behold UNILAG’s ‘Best Cook’ -P32 •15 injured as students arrest suspected robber-P41

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

30

CAMPUS LIFE

NANS wildcard (1) Pushing Out I N 2001, Croatian tennis star, Goran Ivaniševiæ was invited to participate in Wimbledon - one of tennis’s oldest and most prestigious grand slams - as a “wildcard.” He was ranked World No. 125, prior to that he was the World No.2 at the height of his career.

A “wild card” is often awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal process or qualifying series which allow them to enter competitors whose abilities are below the required standards. In some instances, wild cards are given to the host nation in order to boost their chances.

As an avid tennis fan, I watched the final with the enthusiasm a Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea fan would watch their teams play. His No. 125 position was not sufficient to earn him an automatic place in the main draw at Wimbledon but, given his past record as a three-time runner-up - 1992, 1994 and 1998 - he was awarded the “wildcard” for entry into the singles draw.

What happened next was one of the sweetest stories to come out of tennis.

He defeated former and future World No.1 players Carlos Moyá, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin to reach the semi-final, beating home favourite Tim Henman in five set at the semi-final, setting-up a match with the previous year’s runner-up and former US Open champion Patrick Rafter.

In a match lasting over three hours, Ivaniševiæ defeated Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2– 6, 9–7. With the win, Ivaniševiæ became the lowest-ranked player and the first wildcard entry to win Wimbledon. He made history and the wildcard paid off just when he thought he was done with tennis.

Don’t get carried away with a bit of tennis history as I’m not writing about tennis today but about the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) which last week extended its own version of a wildcard to President Goodluck Jonathan by conferring on him the title of “Grand Commander of Nigerian Students.” As expected of an event of this nature, it generated ruckus within the ranks of Nigerian students.’ It is coming on the heels of the conferment of “Mandela Icon Award” on Chief Olabode George by Zone C – North Central - of NANS which is equally causing disquiet in the ranks.

I wrote a three part series on NANS last

Omisore’s bus gift divides OAU students •Continued from page 29 is no longer golden, Funmi denied knowing anything about the bus, saying it was not the agenda of all members of the executive council.

The Public Relations Officer, Bamidele Oludare, accused Funmi of conniving with people he described as “disgruntled elements” to misrepresent the union.

A former SUG president, Davidson Adejuwon, said the gift was an unpardonable desecration of what OAU Students’ Union stands for. “Isaac not only received the Greek gift from the politician, he childishly inscribed Omisore’s name on it to further insult students,” he said.

Davidson said a former governor begged his administration with four buses, which he refused to collect to protect the union from undue influence by politicians.

A member of the union, who pleaded not to be named, said: “Except there is an immediate purging of the executive arm of bad eggs, our union may have exchanged its integrity and progressivism for an odious gift from a politician”.

Some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, asked that the bus be returned and the union leadership punished for its thoughtlessness.

year which brought me face to face with the rot within the association and the pathetic state of student with unionism in the country. As a result of calls I got from concerned stakeholders – past and present NANS Presidents, varsity authorities 08116759750 etc – I started questioning where we (SMS only) got things so wrong. NANS, as presently constituted - I was told by •aagboa@gmail.com a concerned stakeholder - is a “platform for anything goes.”

I was made to understand that since the NANS convention is slated for sympathetic note. They see the new Asaba from September 11 (today) through developments as not simply evidence of Sunday, the present leadership has all this student leaders’ “degeneration,” but as a planned to grab a “piece of the action” before symptom of broader problems in the larger society like in 2005 when the then NANS their tenure elapses. That is where we are!

My curiosity for writing the series last year president Orkuma Hembe used the platform stemmed from receiving correspondences to campaign for Obasanjo’s third term gambit from three individuals claiming to be and even went further to award him “president” of NANS. What followed was “Defender of Democracy”. Perhaps he was like opening up a can of worms of accusations too young, or does not have a sense of history and counter accusations which goes to show to remember that it was this same defender that the house of present day NANS is actually of democracy that proscribed NUNS, the built with tinderbox waiting to be ignited at precursor of NANS and under whose administration some NUNS activists were the slightest provocation.

In the run up to its 26th convention, student rusticated from their various universities.

The conferment of the “Grand Commander delegates from institutions of higher learning across Nigeria converged in Uyo, the Akwa of Nigerian Students” on President Jonathan Ibom State capital, and “elected” Yinka is generating comments because of previous Gbadebo of Obafemi Awolowo University antecedents. Rewind to the 1990s. That era (OAU) Ile-Ife as the president. The congress birthed the rent-a-crowd presidential was controversial because Prince Miaphen endorsement movements. First to emerge and Adelu Monehim James of OAU kicked was the Arthur Nzeribe, Abimbola Davies and Jerry Okoro movement which sought an against Gbadebo’s election.

After the controversial and heated extension for Babangida’s military convention, NANS witnessed a split along government through the Association for ethno-religious lines when a former Better Nigeria (ABN).

Anyone familiar with Nigerian history will undergraduate from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (UDUSOK), announced a know that their activities contributed to what “Northern NANS.” This almost tore the union would later culminate into the June 12 crisis apart, but the students eventually came and its attendant repercussions. It ushered in together after finding a common ground of the Abacha regime and a similar organisation, the Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA), agreement.

However, that split fostered deeper founded by the trio of Daniel Kanu, Johnbull ideological conflicts and schisms between Adebanjo and Emmanuel Okereke.

In the last couple of months, the different interest groups and weakened the broad platform of NANS; this unfortunately Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria has continued to date. One delegate was (TAN) that seeks to sell the Goodluck compelled to allege that: “Student unionism Jonathan candidature to Nigerians is simply has been infiltrated by dirty money politics reenacting the Abacha and Babangida as well as brigandage by members of some inglorious years. Recollect also that in the run up to the election in 2011, there was a confraternities and cult groups.”

But some past activists strike a more neighbour-to-neighbour movement that

Agbo Agbo

carried out a vigorous campaign for Jonathan.

It is within this prism that we can situate the present conferment especially by its timing and nature. Some are questioning the rationale of the award against the backdrop of the myriad of problems confronting the “students” on campuses they still found the time to be conferring awards on politicians instead of concentrating on their studies.

Given the steady decline of NANS over the years, its endorsements are not out of sync with its previous sophistry. This same group lost three members to a road accident some years back while on a similar trip to bestow a “Governor of the Year” award on Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State.

A couple of years ago, it was going to confer on Olabode George the Kwame Nkrumah award in the name of the All Africa Students Union. The latter organisation disowned it calling the promoters a band of frauds but they still did not back off from that pursuit.

Penultimate week, they succeeded in granting him the Nelson Mandela icon award. The sad part of all these is that these are supposed to be the “leaders of tomorrow.”

Before castigating real students for allowing their association to be hijacked by hawks, let’s not forget that this is an association that has been infiltrated by cults and fraternities on campuses. I was informed that students’ with genuine leadership intentions keep away for fear of their lives.

At the conferment of the award on Jonathan, Yinka Gbadebo, was quoted as saying he would mandate all students to cast their votes for Jonathan. How he proposes to “mandate” his colleagues into voting a candidate of his choice is not as worrisome as the blatant manner he makes these declarations without any scruples about being embarrassed if contradicted by his constituency. “What do our children learn in universities these days?” A concerned parent reacted.

It befuddles the mind really. But what is clear is that what we call NANS today is simply a band of opportunists looking for every opportunity to take their share of the proverbial national cake. Their desperation to be included in the routine sharing of the national cake perhaps explains why you never see these professional students ever associated with anything academic. They are junketing about while the serious ones are busy in the classrooms.

Olanrewaju Ogundipe is the chairman of Council of Faculties’ Presidents at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Vice Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, a body charged with writing a new constitution for the Students’ Union Government (SUG), which the management wants to restore. The 400Level Business Administration student tells TOLU GEORGE (400-Level Finance) why students unionism must return to the school.

‘Our union’ll be responsible’

I

T has been almost 10 years since students’ unionism was proscribed at the University of Lagos (UNILAG); do you think there is a need for it now?

Yes, because it is the mouthpiece of students and the essence of a union is to protect the rights and interests of its members. Members of the academic staff and non-academic staff have their own unions.

So, why shouldn’t the students have their own union, too? Over the years, we have been deprived of so many things because we didn’t speak with one voice. To some extent, the Council of Faculties’ Presidents has been playing the role of the students’ union, but that is not enough.

There are some students, who do not want the union restored, because they feel their complaints could be channelled through the Council of Faculties’ Presidents…

But this body cannot function as a properly constituted students’ union. As the chairman of the council, I play two roles. First, as president of my faculty and second, as chairman of the faculties’ presi-

dents. While I am trying to attend to things in my faculty, I am also trying to sort things out with the management. All these coupled with my studies are a load of tasks on my head. But, if we have a constituted union, it would be easy for the officers because the role of each person would be clearly defined.

Then, the burden on faculties’ presidents would reduce.

What is the level of support from the management?

The authorities are totally in support of restoring the union. In fact, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahamon Bello, inaugurated the committee charged to draft a new constitution.

He engaged the students in the process. Every faculty has two studentrepresentatives in the committee.

Halls of Residence chairmen and a few lecturers are also part of the committee. The VC said the management will not impose any provision on students.

Given the violence students’ unionism is associated with in some schools, don’t you think that the union could cause disturbances when restored?

With or without a students’ union, if there is a need for the students to agitate on some certain issues, they will do that without being prodded by anyone. There was no students’ union when we protested against registration and accommodation challenges. This tells us that students do not need to be told what to do; but the essence of the union is to speak for the students in a responsible manner. When there is an organised body, there will first be consultations and dialogues before protest can be thought of.

As Vice Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, what are the activities of the body?

My role majorly is to coordinate meetings and to see that a successful students’ union body is constituted. At our last meeting, we divided ourselves into sub-committees to hasten the process. There are committees overseeing structures of the union, such as finances, faculties, Halls of Residence, colleges and code of conducts.

When shall we see students’ union in UNILAG? The management proposes next

•Olanrewaju

session, which means that elections should hold this semester. But it may also depend on when we are through with drafting the constitution. If we conclude on time, then there would be a students union in UNILAG next session.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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CAMPUS LIFE Three students were hospitalised following a stampede for hostel accommodation at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), Sokoto, last week. HALIMAH AKANBI (300-Level Law), IBRAHIM JATTO (Zoology) and ISMAT ANIFOWOSE (300-Level Economics) report.

F

OR students of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), securing accommodation on campus has always been a problem. Though the institution has vast land, it can only provide accommodation for less than 20 per cent of its students.

Every year, it is a struggle to get space in the hostel. The story is the same this year.

The rush for bed space is began as soon as the management got applications for accomodation.

Out of desperation, students besieged the designated submission centres the previous night. Some of them passed the night there to submit early.

At 7am, there was a crowd of students, pushing and shoving before the university officials arrived to start the exercise.

In the ensuing commotion, three students fainted. They were rushed to the health centre. The presence of the school security personnel did not stop the chaos, as scores of students sustained injuries.

When the situation was getting out of hand, the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Adamu Aliero, stopped the exercise.

Days later, the Students’ Affairs Division announced an alternative application method. The unit introduced online application, which required students to log in to a special portal within seven days.

The chairman of the bed space allocation committee and Deputy Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Aliyu Gobir, said the online application was necessary to avert chaos.

He said: “Accommodation problem is not peculiar to UDUS alone; it is a problem in most universities. We have hostels that can only accommodate less than 25 per cent of our students. The allocation of bed spaces is based on first-come-first-serve, which is the reason students slept at the submission centres to apply early. In this year’s exercise, there appeared to be more pressure becaue everybody wanted to apply. We had to cancel the manual application procedure for the online application after a careful study of the situation on ground.”

The cancellation of the manual application procedure was to avert danger, Dr Aliero said. He said the rush for submission could lead to a stampede, adding that the management did not expect such chaotic conduct of students.

Asked what the university was doing to provide more hostels, Dr Aliero said: “The management is doing its best and we have been engaging private firm to come and build

•Students in push and shove at the submission centre

A varsity’s accommodation blues •Three students faint in bed space rush more hostels. Just recently, the Kano State government came in to build a new hostel.

We have also taken over abandoned hostel project by Zamfara State government. Old Hostel library has been rehabilitated to accommodate female students. More are still coming.”

Students hailed the management for stopping the exercise, urging it to hasten the completion of hostel it is building. This, Hannatu Aliyu, 100-Level Physics, said would reduce the stress students go through because of the distance of the campus from town.

Abdulgafar Saka, a 200-Level Economics student, said: “The reason why we experience accommodation problem every year is the distance of the school to Sokoto town. It is a punishment for students living off-campus to go to school every day. It is annoying to see students struggling to get bed spaces in the school hostels. The probability of getting a bed space is not certain. Management needs to be up to the task of providing accommodation for the students.”

To Waheed Yusuf, a student of Faculty of Social Sciences, the government should be

blamed for not putting students into consideration in the planning of the school. “The government was selfish in its thinking when the school was being established,” he said.

Olufunmilayo Oladeji, an Agriculture Science student, said: “The problem is not whether students apply manually or via the internet. It is the fact that there are no enough spaces in the hostel to accommodate students. Although, online registration is preferable if only students must be assured of fairness in the selection process.”

It is to be seen how fair the method will be when students resume for 2014/2015 academic session in a few weeks.

Getting that dream job Do graduates have prospect of getting jobs in the face of rising unemployment? Panellists at a Job Fair held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) last Tuesday believe graduates can get their dream jobs if their curriculum vitae reflect their competence and character. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

H

OW can graduates get their dream jobs in the face of rising unemployment? It is simple, say employers and job experts.

According to them, all they need to do is to ensure that their curriculum vitae (CV) reflect their competence and character.

They proferred these tips at the Graduate Employment and Job Fair organised by Smiles Consulting in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), National Directorate of Employment and National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria.

For four hours, job seekers, corps members and students listened as they learned how they can get their dream jobs.

The event with the theme: You’re hired, was held in the Multipurpose Hall A of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) last Tuesday.

It featured a panel of discussiants, comprising the chairman of Brilla FM, Larry Izamoje, General Manager (Africa/Middle East), Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Mr Chidi Okoro and Managing Director of L’OREAL Africa Central, Mr Idorenyen Enang. The discussions were moderated by Smiles Consulting director Harry Nnoli.

Nnoli, who is also an author, said the objective of the event was to enhance

graduates employability, noting that the programme would boost the morale of the unemployed and underemployed to develop and position themselves for opportunities in the job market.

He said: “All we are out to do is to challenge and inspire you to take necessary actions.

Until you take actions, you will remain in the state of inertia.”

During the panel session, Okoro, former Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline, noted that the nation was in deficit in terms of job provision, but said the job seekers themselves made the situation worse with their incoherence in application writing and arrangement of their Curriculum Vitae (CV).

He said good certificates could bring graduates to the door, stressing that the key that would open it was their attributes and character.

“A job seeker has to have a combination of humility, competence, resilience and integrity,” he said.

Whenever there is vacancy in any firm, Izamoje said, the company is looking for an employee that will add values to its vision and not someone that will drain the company’s fortunes without adding values.

He inspired the youth with how he

•From left: Enang, Nnoli, Okoro and Izamoje during the panel discussion.

established Brilla FM from his meagre salary at the defunct Concord, urging the participants not to be a millipede in a country that has great potential.

He said: “Hire yourself if they don’t hire you. Make your passion your ?????. Locate your passion and be persistent in it. You must plan your goal, practicalise and prioritise it.

After the whole effort, relax and play to refresh your enthusiasm towards achieving your goal.”

To Enang, a good CV is not an assurance for employment. He believes the integrity and character content of graduates should be their CV. “Discipline and focus are the values that can help employed youths to keep their job,” he added.

UNILAG Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof Rebecca Soremekun, who stood in for the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahaman Bello, said graduates must take up the gauntlet and leave

their state of inertia. Rather than perfecting their CVs to get undeserved jobs, she urged the participants to show good character and add values to the vision of the companies they may find themselves.

She also urged them to utilise social media for business and employment networking, rather than using the medium to socialise.

Representative of the Director-General of the NYSC, Mrs Rachael Idaewo, said the event was a golden opportunity for students and graduates to change their lives for the good.

While noting that the labour was rough highly competitive, she said NYSC would continue to expose the serving youths to programmes that would make them entrepreneur and gainfully employed.

The event also featured question and answer session, where the participants bore their minds on issues that set limitation for employment in the country.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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CAMPUS LIFE

Students decry varsities’, others’ admission policy

S

TUDENTS are unhappy with the admission process of universities and other higher institutions which they claimed has robbed them of studying their choice courses.

The students said the problem could lead to a career crisis for many youths.

Many students have been studying courses they did not pick because of the schools’ space constraints.

Arutu Yinka, a 200-level student of the Department of English

From Afees Lasisi OAU Languge at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, IleIfe, said: “I opted for Law, but was given English. At first, I wanted to reject the admission but after spending three years at home, I had to take what was available and the available now seems to be my calling.”

He said it was advisable for institutions to give students options rather than denying them admis-

sion. “It is now left to the student to determine whether he or she will develop interest in it or wait for another year to write JAMB,” he added.

Another student, Bello Mustapha of the Department of Local Government and Developmental Studies at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, said: “ I did well in my UTME and the test conducted by the school. I scored 29, and the cut-off mark for Marketing was 25, which ordinarily qualified me for the merit list. But

I was given Local Government and Departmental Studies, all the same.”

Bello said he was disappointed when the admission list came out as he could not find his name on his choice department’s lists. “I didn’t know what to do at first because I love and wanted to study Marketing as a profession,” he said.

Olowookere Damilare, a 300level student of the Department of Zoology, OAU, said: “My score couldn’t meet up with the admis-

Behold UNILAG’s ‘Best Cook’

A

400-Level student of Law at the University of Lagos, Temitope Oyedija, has emerged winner of the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition.

Temitope emerged winner among 10 contestants.

The participants, randomly chosen through a raffle draw, spanned across different faculties of the school. They included Alabi Oluwatobiloba, Faculty of Education; Merit Iwute, Faculty of Science; Precious Ehika, Arts; Joy Iroh, Education; Benita Otuyah, Social Sciences; Damilola Ifegbesan, Environmental Science; Bassey Effion, Business Administration; Vivian Ejim, Arts; Peter Uwazie, Engineering; and Temitope.

After dishes were delegated through a lucky dip, the contestants, financially supported by the organisers, Promasidor Nigeria Limited; makers of Onga Food seasoning cube, proceeded to a nearby market with a photographer to get items needed for the preparation of their dishes.

The cooking competition kicked off at 3.45pm and lasted for an hour with each contestant cutting, mixing and boiling ingredients to the admiration of members of the audience and a panel of judges.

It all ended one hour later, with the judges rising to assess the dishes.

The judges were Mr Adeola Asunmo, Chief Executive Officer of Mavis Restaurant, Mrs Nkechi Ajuogu of TPoint Cafeteria, Dr

T

HE Redeemer’s University (RUN), hitherto based at the Redemption Camp on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has moved to its permanent site in Ede, Osun State.

President of the Redeemer’s University Students’ Association (RUNSA), Adelekan Doyin, said students would be resuming at the new location for the new academic session.

“The permanent site is close to completion. The classrooms have been built and are currently being furnished. The hostels for students have also been built and are also getting finishing touches,” he stated.

Vie-Chancellor, Prof Debo Adeyewa promised the permanent site would be very conducive for learning, saying work was in progress at the site.

Speaking on accommodation, he said two students would be allocated to a room with a private lavatory.

He assured that management had made provision for buses to convey the students from different states in the country to the new campus.

Shun cultism, freshers told From Jennifer Umeh OFFA POLY

M •Temitope displaying the prize

VC meets campus writers From Ikechukwu Ofili and Frank Ejeagbasi UNICAL

C

AMPUS journalists led by CAMPUSLIFE’s Stanley Uchegbu have presented a new edition of CampusLight, a campus magazine to the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof James Epoke.

Presenting the magazine to the VC in his office, Stanley said the publication was aimed at inculcating healthy values in students with lifechanging articles.

He said: “This newspaper is set to serve as a platform that will promote academically, morally and professionally exceptional students within the institution through the publication of trends and updates about the education sector in the country. We also set out to address the issue of moral decadence and assist management of the university to bridge the information gap in the institution.”

Replying, Prof Epoke praised the editorial crew for their good gesture

•Prof Epoke (right) receiving the copy of the magazine from Stanley

and innovative ideas, promising to support the team to ensure effective discharge of their responsibilities.

He charged them to be good listeners, innovative, desist from pursuing stories with pre-conceived notion and assess the credibility of sources before publishing stories.

He also encouraged them to expand

RUN moves to permanent site in Ede From Inimfon Otung RUN

From Charles Agu UNILAG Rebecca Soremekun, Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs and Mrs Aderonke Asiwaju, an officer with the Students’ Affairs Unit.

After the judges made their decision, Temitope, who prepared okro and amala (yam flour), was declared winner; Peter Uwazie emerged the first runner up with his egusi and semovita.

Temitope got a deep freezer. She will also represent UNILAG at the grand finale; Peter received a gas oven. Other participants got consolation prizes.

Temitope, expressing her surprise, said her selection for the competition was unexpected.

She said: “I feel blessed and for now, I choose not to be anxious of the still-to-come grand finale.”

Peter praised the Onga-sponsored initiative saying: “Onga should keep this coming; it’s very good because it rings out the kitchen skills in young people.”

Cynthia Ejimkonye of Proximity Communication said that the programme was aimed at attracting young girls and future mothers to the Onga brand in order to preserve the Onga legacy.

The train of the Onga National Cooking Competition is moving to Minna, the Niger State capital, in Promasidor’s quest to cover, in 14 weeks, 14 federal universities before the grand finale in UNILAG. The winner of the grand finale will get a 2014 Kia Rio car.

sion requirements of Pharmacy, my first choice. I had to grab Zoology with both hands because thousands of people are outside seeking admission to universities.”

Olowookere urged students to desist from forcing themselves to study certain courses that could jeopardise their future career plans.

their horizon by going extra mile before churning out stories.

Chairman of the Editorial Board, Emmanuel Shebbs, pledged that his team would continue to disseminate effective information on campus and abide by the ethics of the profession.

Isaac Mensah, the Deputy Editor,

explained that the team would follow recent trends in online journalism, saying: “if we continue to concentrate on print without giving more emphasis to online activities, we won’t be able to sustain the campus paper because most students like reading stories online than on print.”

EMBERS of the National Association of Mass Communication Students (NAMCOS) at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, have organised orientation for freshers at the institution’s Stella Obasanjo Hall.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osogbo branch, Baba tunde Fanawope, advised the students to be focused and take their studies seriously.

The Head of Department, Mr A. A. Oyewole, charged the freshers to shun examination malpractice and cultism.

President of the association, Ahmed Ibrahim, thanked lecturers and students for being present at the programme. He taught the students how to calculate their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), advising them to study hard to excel.

The Students’ Adviser, Mr Chuks Osoji, spoke on the need for the students to obey rules and regulations guiding the school.

The programme also featured presentations by students. , Some freshers who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE said they were excited to be admitted into the polytechnic.

Lecturers in the department who attended the ceremony included Mr A.A Oyewole, Mr Bankole, Mrs Oluwakemi Ogungbamigbe, Mr ibukun Ajibola, Mr Chuks , Mr Zacharaya,

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON SOUTHEAST STATES

Leadership crisis engulfs pro-Biafra group

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Foundation lifts widows, orphans in Imo •PAGE 36

•PAGE 35

PAGE 33

Erosion wreaks havoc in Abia community •PAGE 39

•From left: Eze Nwachukwu, Chief Ezeemo and Igwe Nwangwu

C

ULTURE is the customs, ideas, values, character, practices, traditions and norms of a people, society or social group. It encompasses the visual art, music, dance forms, attire, cuisine, language, mythology, and festivals through which a distinct ethnic group is identified.

The Igbo, like other ethnic groups, are identified by some cultural traits that distinguish them from others.

Igbo culture or Omenala Ndigbo modifies the people’s thoughts, speech, actions, and behaviour.

One of the revered cultural practices of Ndigbo is the celebration of the new yam festival which has been passed on to generations.

They also believe in onuru ube nwanne agbala oso (being their brothers’ keeper).

As a result, they congregate as village associations, town unions, or church associations or societies wherever they reside. This helps them to further propagate their culture. Wherever they reside, Ndigbo celebrate their culture, especially the Iriji (new yam festival).

For this reason, they celebrated the new yam festival in far away Netherlands, during which some notable Igbo sons were recognised and honoured.

The festival was performed by

Reviving Igbo culture in the Diaspora From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Eze Ndigbo in Lagos, His Royal Highness Dr. Christian Nwachukwu.

The festival was not for those who live in Netherlands alone. Other prominent Igbo traditional rulers travelled to be part of the great cultural festival. Among them was the traditional ruler of Ichida in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, Igwe Charles Ezeudogu (Obi II of Ichida).

Notable Igbo sons and daughters in attendance were the publisher of Orient Daily Newspapers and Magazines, Sir Godwin Ezeemo; the Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Emeka Eze and High Chief Obiora Okonkwo who was represented by Chief Arinze Okonkwo.

They were given awards of excellence in recognition of their various contributions to the development of Igbo land.

Two of the award recipients, Mr.

‘The fight to salvage our custom, culture, tradition, values and language is one we must win. We have a very rich cultural heritage which we must preserve and hand over to our children and generations unborn…It is heartbreaking to realise that our forebears handed over cultures, traditions and customs to us and we are unable to sustain them.

Rather, we tend to allow them to become extinct’ Eze and Sir Ezeemo, had contributed immensely to the development of Anambra State through philanthropy.

The ceremony also brought together some Igbo daughters in the

Diaspora. They included the Minister in Nigeria’s Embassy, Mrs. Nini Okey Uche and the chairperson, Igbo Women Forum in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Megan Adaobi Clement, among others.

Speaking at the event, the President of Igbo Union in Amsterdam, Anthony Okafor, said the ceremony was borne out of the desire to rekindle the Igbo language among the younger generation.

He said the habit of parents and guardians in disregarding their mother tongue in preference to foreign languages and cultures needed to be addressed.

“We have seen our mistakes in discarding our tradition totally for the Whiteman’s culture, while the so-called Whiteman holds to fast theirs.

“Civilisation does not mean abandonment of one’s lineage.

Rather, it needs to be propagated.

So, we intend to correct that mistake for our children’s future,” Okafor said.

According to Igwe Nwachukwu, the event was to •Continued on page 34

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

34

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

•A cross section of dignitaries

•Chief Ramsome Ezike Onwa of Aguata, Chairman of the occasion and Chairman Old Aguata Union in Netherland, presenting award to one of the recipients.

•The symbol of the New Yam festival in Netherland

Reviving Igbo culture in the Diaspora •Continued from page 33 maintain and inculcate Igbo cultural values and traditions in the younger generation so that they would not repeat the mistakes of the past.

“We hope that this year’s new yam festival and celebration of successful Igbo citizens will make a mark in the lives of our children, so as to keep the light aglow when we are gone,” he said.

Ezeemo praised the group for honouring him. He said: “Ndigbo

always maintained the principle of onuru ube nwanne agbala oso anywhere they reside. They are entrepreneurs of repute and never rely on help that are patronising.”

Ezeemo advised the group to be selfless in serving one another to achieve immeasurable goals. He also urged them to make accountability their watchword; learn from the system so as to bring wealth from the Western world back home for solid and sustainable development of Igbo communities.

Continuing, he said: “The traits

which Ndigbo are known for are being brought to bear, whether at home or in the Diaspora. Ndigbo in Amsterdam have made me proud. I have no regret being an Igbo man. Your single initiative to have an Igbo school in a foreign land shows truly that the blood of our ancestors flows in you all.

“I am happy with the development. I will contribute my quota to ensure that our children, no matter where they were born, would be proud of their native language and speak it fluently as well as lan-

guage is a handmaid of culture.

“The fight to salvage our customs, culture, tradition, values and language is one we must win. We have a very rich cultural heritage which we must preserve and hand over to our children and generations unborn.

“It is heartbreaking to realise that our fathers handed over cultures, traditions and customs to us and we are unable to sustain them. Rather, we tend to allow them to become extinct.

“I grew up with the moonlight tales and plays, folktales, masquerade displays at the village

square, new yam festival, kinsmen exchanging visits and meetings to mention but a few. These Igbo cultural values and mores are eroding away fast.

“Let us emulate our Yoruba and Hausa brothers that are so proud of their languages. Even in the Whiteman’s land; let us bring back the culture of brotherhood.”

Ezeemo praised the group for its efforts to ensure that the Igbo language is not extinct in 2025 as predicted by the United Nations Educational Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

•Training workshop for journalists and media personnel by the Nigeria Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Management Project, Federal Ministry of Environment in Enugu Journalists and media PHOTO: OBI CLETUS personnel in a group photograph shortly after the training workshop

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

35

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

F

OR 15 years, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has become one of the leading pro-self-rule groups in the country and has been assiduously agitating for the Sovereign State of Biafra for the Igbo.

Formed in 1999 by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, a soft-spoken but strong-willed lawyer, MASSOB was initially pushed aside with a wave of the hand by prominent Ndigbo as one of the self-serving and militant groups. Based on this, it was rejected by the very people whose interests it vowed to protect.

It was not until 2005 when the founder, who declared a secession of the ‘Biafra Republic’ from the Nigeria and consequently clamped into detention alongside other members of the group for treasonable, that some Igbo leaders and international organisations began to regard MASSOB as a group fighting for self-determination on behalf of the people, even though such attempt through a civil war failed.

As a non-violent organisation, MASSOB continued with the sensitisation of Ndigbo in Nigeria and in the Diaspora on the need to support the agitation for the actualisation of Biafra Republic.

Most wealthy Igbo businessmen and politicians, who had sympathy for the group, took over its funding, even though they could not publicly identify with it.

With time, MASSOB did not only evolve into one of the major proself-government groups, such as the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), among other groups, but became the voice of Ndigbo, especially in the face of seeming intimidation or harassment by other ethnic groups.

But like every other such organisation, the movement is threatened by leadership crisis that has engulfed it.

No fewer than four members of the group had been killed, with several others wounded in the leadership tussle between Uwazuruike and some aggrieved MASSOB Commanders.

The cause of the crisis, according to the commanders, was the leadership style of their boss, who they accused of fraudulently enriching himself from the resources meant for the struggle and his expensive lifestyle.

The last incident occurred at the national headquarters of the Movement in Okwe, in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State, when Uwazuruike allegedly ordered the ejection of the commanders and MASSOB security officers who had earlier seized the secretariat.

According to sources, fighting started at the administrative headquarters of MASSOB as early as 7:30 a.m. when armed thugs number-

•MASSOB members during one of their social outings

Leadership crisis engulfs pro-Biafra group

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

ing over 5, 000 invaded MASSOB headquarters on the alleged orders of the MASSOB leader, to dislodge the commanders who had earlier taken over the premises.

Speaking with our correspondent, the National Secretary of the Movement, Comrade Ugwuoke Ibem, Ugwuoke, confirmed that they were attacked by thugs allegedly recruited by the embattled leader, adding that the thugs stormed the headquarters with sophisticated weapons but were resisted by the Commanders.

Ugwuoke said: “So many people were wounded in the early morning attack and those people were not members of MASSOB. They were hired from Onitsha by Uwazuruike to assassinate us because we challenged his style of leadership. But we overpowered them and have taken over the headquarters of MASSOB again.

Uwazuruike has turned the struggle into a personal property.”

Continuing, he said: “Our crime was telling him to reduce the amount of money paid as dues by poor members of MASSOB who toil monthly to pay money into his personal account. As I speak with you, over N20 million is remitted to his account monthly, while those who died in the struggle are abandoned

‘The death of our members from Onitsha has exposed the selfishness and insensitivity of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike to the members. He does not care for the wellbeing of members. He has always used us to popularise, revive and shoot himself to limelight without regard to the welfare of the members. The wives, children and families of dead members are not taken care of’ in the mortuaries.

“What we are saying is that we can no longer be used by Uwazuruike to enrich himself.

While we are dying, he is busy buying houses and exotic cars; we cannot continue like this anymore. We are calling on Igbo leaders to intervene because Uwazuruike has used the blood of innocent Igbo youths, who are killed daily while obeying his orders to make money.”

Also, the leader of the Biafra Defence Mission, Comrade Ndubuisi Igwekani, warned that if swift ac-

•From left: Chairman, Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Emma Nwaka; former Nigeria's ConsulGeneral in South Africa Ambassador Okey Emuchay and Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi at the state headquarters of the party in Umuahia when Emuchay visited the party's executive to declare his ambition for the governorship election in 2015.

tions were not taken to call Uwazuruike to order, the security situation in Igbo land would be seriously compromised.

He said: “We have called on Igbo leaders, especially Ohanaeze Ndigbo to call Uwazuruike to order because his kind of Biafra was not the one Ojukwu fought for. He has abandoned the struggle and now uses the MASSOB as a means to extort Ndigbo; we are out to stop him no matter what he does.”

However, to resolve the crisis, some of the aggrieved members met with civil war veteran, Col. Joe Achuzia, who advised against the pursuit of a sovereign state.

The delegation, headed by Ndubuisi Igwekani, (aka Agu Biafra), agreed to drop the Sovereign State of Biafra to adopt the State of Biafra instead on the advice of Col. Achuzia.

Further revealed that the visit was to solicit the assistance of the Ohanaeze chieftain on how to avert the impending bloodbath in Igbo land over the alleged betrayal of the Biafra struggle by Uwazuruike.

He said: “After the death of Odimegwu Ojukwu, Achuzia is the next Biafra leader. So, the MASSOB leaders and commanders visited him to complain about the fraudulent activities of Uwazuruike and to ask him and other Igbo leaders to prevail on Uwazuruike to put an end to spilling of the blood of innocent Igbo youths.”

Achuzia, who confirmed the visit in a telephone chat with our correspondent, revealed that the leader-

ship of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, was opposed to the adoption of Sovereign State of Biafra.

He said: “When I was the Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, we told Uwazuruike that he should drop the ‘Sovereign State’ in the group’s name because you cannot be talking about sovereign state within another state. But now that the members have agreed to drop the ‘Sovereign State,’ we can now know how to intervene.”

The group also raised an alarm over looming bloodshed in Igbo land if measures were not taken to tackle the crisis rocking the group.

In a statement signed by the Director of Information, Comrade Uchenna Madu, the Movement said: “We see the development as another evil plan to sacrifice the blood of some members due to the faceoff between Uwazuruike and the Nigerian Police with regard to the unwarranted death of some members from Onitsha who came to dislodge their fellow brothers at Okwe on the orders of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.

“The death of our members from Onitsha has exposed the selfishness and insensitivity of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike to the members. He does not care for the well-being of members. He has always used us to popularise, revive and shoot himself to limelight without regard to the welfare of the members. The wives, children and families of dead members are not taken care of.”

However, in a swift bid to exert his authority, the embattled MASSOB leader expelled the Director of Information and his personal security aides for what he termed gross disobedience.

Uwazuruike, at a general meeting of the group at the Ojukwu Memorial Library, Owerri, the Imo State capital, accused the expelled members of inciting other members to rebel against the leadership of the group and other antiMASSOB activities, stating that they were working in concert with politicians to destabilise the Movement.

In a statement issued at the end of the meeting in which journalists were debarred, and signed by MASSOB’s Deputy Director of In•Continued on page 37

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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37

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT ‘We should preserve our cultures’

Crisis engulfs pro-Biafra group

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

T

HE President of an Igbo socio-cultural group, Ngwa Patriotic Forum (NPF), Chief Okey Ahiwe has called on Ndigbo living at home and in the Diaspora to embrace the rich cultural heritage of their communities.

In a chat with our correspondent in Aba, Abia State, Ahiwe said it had become necessary that Igbo should embrace and promote their cultural values wherever they are to save it from going into extinction.

“We are nothing without our culture and language. Once we lose our culture and language, we have lost our personality. Even the westerners have their own cultural values which they have sustained till date. So, we should embrace our culture,” he said.

Continuing, he said: “There are several factors responsible for the apathy against Igbo cultures and tradition today. One is religion, the other is western civilisation.

“Because of western civilisation, a lot of youths today are more inclined to western values and cultures than the traditional African values and cultures.

“Religion such as Christianity regards certain cultural practices as fetish and idol worshipping. So, it has greatly discouraged a lot of people from sustaining their traditions and cultures.

“There are events that they (Christians) regard as fetish, but it is not really that which they regard it. It has to do with their perception of such event because if you dig deep into it, you will discover that they are mere cultural and traditional practices. But modern religions perceive them as being fetish.”

NPF President, who expressed his reservations over the overwhelming influence of western culture on Igbo cultures, tradition and values, called for proper re-orientation and attitudinal change, noting that the conflict between the indigenous and alien cultural values and tradition has left the country in an admixture of the two cultures that compete to attract the attentions of the citizens.

“For us not to lose our values and tradition to westernisation I suggest that parents should promote the use of our languages; they should use it as a means of communication within their families.

“Our children should be taught and encouraged to wear and dress neatly on our traditional regalia instead of the western way of dressing which is prevalent among the youth. That way, we will not only have promoted our cultural heritage but have also secured our history from going into extinction.”

He further urged Igbo town unions and associations at home and in the Diaspora to initiate programmes and activities in their respective domains that will foster the unity of Igbo, create good relationship with their host communities as well as promote Igbo traditional values and customs.

‘For us not to lose our values and tradition to westernisation I suggest that parents should promote the use of our languages; they should use it as a means of communication within their families…Our children should be taught and encouraged to wear and dress neatly on our traditional regalia instead of the western way of dressing which is prevalent among the youth’

•Continued on page 35

•Some of the beneficiries receiving the items

A

PART from his professional job of crackdown on criminals and ensuring safety of lives and property of the people, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, AbdulMajid Ali has other traits unknown to many.

That he has a soft spot of the poor may not be known to the public except to close friends and relations.

To help drive their philanthropic activities, the Imo State police boss and his wife, Hajia Idiat Ali, established the Majidat Ali (M.J.) Foundation in memory of their late daughter, Majidat who died at the age of 17 in 2005.

In collaboration with the Imo State chapter of the Police Officers’ Wives’ Association (POWA), they provided succour for orphans, indigent widows and other vulnerable people.

Scholarships were also awarded to orphans who had lost hope of continuing their education, while empowerment packages, ranging from sewing machines, power generating sets, grinding machines, bags of rice and money, were given to the beneficiaries.

The Commissioner of Police said: “I feel pain when I see widows and orphans suffer. I often ask myself, what if it was my child who didn’t have parents and is in need of comfort.”

•Some of the items presented to the widows

•Imo State Commissioner of Police, AbdulMajid Ali at the event

Foundation lifts widows, orphans in Imo From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

He said his family decided to reduce the level of poverty among the families of former police officers in commemoration of her late daughter’s philanthropic gesture which she embarked upon until she died at the age of 17, adding that his family had kept faith with the promise of keeping the dream of their late daughter alive.

“It’s something I have been doing for a very long time in all the states I have been to. This year’s edition took place in Imo because I’m here.

“If my daughter were to be alive, she would have been very happy because this is the kind of thing she used to do before her death; helping the less privileged. We will not forsake them but will continue to encourage them so that they may not lose hope in life.”

Appreciating the agony which widows and orphans undergo as a result of the death of their breadwinners, Ali said the programme was meant to assure them that his family and the entire police community also share in their agony.

He said: “We are telling our brothers, sisters, daughters and wives that

We are telling our brothers, sisters, daughters and wives that we are still part of them. It is just for them to understand that we feel for them; so that they can have that sense of belonging. They are still part of us and we will never abandon them. I seize this opportunity to let them know that they should come to us; they should let us know what is happening because we must still care for them we are still part of them. It is just for them to understand that we feel for them; so that they can have that sense of belonging. They are still part of us and we will never abandon them. I seize this opportunity to let them know that they should come to us; they should let us know what is happening because we must still care for them because we are still members of the same police

family.

“Whatever we do is a demonstration of our being part of them and sharing in their feelings.”

He thanked the people of the state, especially politicians and businessmen, for their huge support to the foundation, even as he urged them to continue to lend a helping hand to the less-privileged in the society.

Corroborating her husband’s posi-

tion Idiat said: “What we have done is what my late daughter liked to do when she was alive. We are doing this to make her happy wherever she is and to make other less-privileged people happy.

“It is our belief in POWA that our women can start a new life with the materials, and make their ends meet.

The Federal Government should always remember the police, especially their families because that is the way it is done abroad.”

Some of the beneficiaries praised the police boss and his family for giving them a new lease of life.

Mrs. Caroline Iheme, who spoke on behalf of the over 50 widows, said: “When my husband died 14 years ago, things became so difficult for me and my children so much so that feeding became difficult. It is only the grace of God that has sustained us all these years. There was no money for me to start any business and nobody was available or willing to help me or give me any kind of job.

“This made me have some reservations about God’s omnipotence as He allowed my husband to die in his early stage of life and left us suffering. That my cry was heard by God and he came through the state Com-

‘With this scholarship, the Commissioner of Police has just given my life a meaning. This is because I had lost admissions on two occasions because there was nobody to assist in paying even my acceptance fee. My parents died few years ago, leaving nobody to help me. But today, my dream of being a man is coming to fulfilment with this scholarship. I am eternally grateful to the CP and his wife’ missioner of Police, Alhaji Ali and his wife, Hajia Idiat to lift me and my family from poverty. So, I’m thanking God for using them to rescue me.”

Another beneficiary, an orphan, Chukwudi Amaechi, said: “With this scholarship, the Commissioner of Police has just given my life a meaning. This is because I had lost admis-

sions on two occasions because there was nobody to assist in paying even my acceptance fee.

“My parents died few years ago, leaving nobody to help me. But today, my dream of being a man is coming to fulfilment with this scholarship. I am eternally grateful to the CP and his wife.”

formation and Uwazuruike’s Personal Assistant on Media, Maxi Chris Muocha, the MASSOB leader warned that the affected persons would no longer represent or speak on behalf of MASSOB in any capacity.

It also cautioned the public not to transact any business with the expelled members on behalf of MASSOB or the leader, stating that anyone who ignores the directive does so at his or her own risk: “Any person or group that does business with the affected former officers, does so at his or her peril.”

But the expelled spokesman challenged Uwazuruike to announce his purported expulsion from the struggle and face the consequences.

He said: “Muocha, who is my junior in the struggle, cannot announce my sack. Let Uwazuruike announce it and I will expose his secrets of how he betrayed the Biafra struggle back then in prison to regain his freedom which members were not aware of. I will also expose the secret documents he signed with agents of government for Nigerian unity.”

He further vowed to let MASSOB members and entire Ndigbo into the secret behind most of the actions taken by the MASSOB leader.

“I will expose why Uwazuruike ordered the sit-at-home in June, which was mistaken as a boost to the struggle and how he took bribe to ensure the killing of MASSOB members whose corpses were found floating on Ezu River in Anambra State.

“I will also expose to the members and Ndigbo why the international communities were no longer responding to the Biafra struggle as was the case in the past. I will equally expose how he has been spending the millions accruing from dues and levies paid by poor MASSOB members on women and drinks.”

Efforts by our correspondent to get Uwazuruike’s views on the development on phone failed as he did not respond to calls and text

•Chief Uwazuruike

‘Muocha, who is my junior in the struggle, cannot announce my sack.

Let Uwazuruike announce it and I will expose his secrets of how he betrayed the Biafra struggle back then in prison to regain his freedom which members were not aware of. I will also expose the secret documents he signed with agents of government for Nigerian unity’ messages sent to his phone. But Muocha, said the purported crisis did not affect the Biafra struggle nor has any effect on Uwazuruike’s position.

“Those behind the crisis are just insignificant few who are sponsored by politicians to destabilise MASSOB,” he said.

Abia police arrest 22 suspected criminals

T

HE Abia State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim has paraded 22 suspected robbers who were arrested in various parts of the state, assuring that his command is ready to confront crime frontally.

Speaking in Umuahia while parading the suspects, Ibrahim said his men responded to a distress call from Eze Stephen of Okpuala Village Ntigha in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area that youths of the village saw one Obumneme Eze from Orota Lokpaukwu with a goat and motorcycle.

Ibrahim said the motorcycle, a Sayang model with no registration number, was being negotiated for sale by the suspect at a give-away price.

“The above items were suspected to have been stolen and we are investigating the case,” he said.

The Abia police boss said his men on stop-and-search operation at Mba Village in Umuikaa/Omoba Road in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area intercepted one Justice Onyebuchi, a native of Amayi Umuokwu.

Ibrahim said: “On searching his bag, my men discovered one locallymade single barrel short gun, two live cartridges concealed in a loaf of bread, a wallet containing N3, 000, one Diamond Bank ATM card and one MTN

‘Umuahia and its environs had witnessed an upsurge in violent crimes of late. He said these crimes include robbery, kidnappings, murder/assassination, child trafficking and house breaking, among others…The rise in crime in the state capital became a challenge to our men and they had to increase intelligence gathering and surveillance. Criminals usually act under the influence of drugs’ From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

SIM card. We are after his men who are on the run.”

He further said his men have reduced crime activities in the state capital to its barest as they have succeeded in apprehending eight suspected robbers who had been terrorising Umuahia, adding that since their arrest, peace has returned to the city.

Ibrahim said his men on night pa-

trol responded to a distress call on 2, Lagos Street by Uzuakoli Road in Umuahia where suspected robbers had broken into a shop and were stealing valuables.

He added that on arrival at the scene of the incident, his men arrested eight suspected robbers at Eket Street Umuahia inside a Mitsubishi L300 bus with registration number APR 467 XA where they pretended to be sleeping.

•Some of the traffickers

•Some of the suspected criminals

The suspects are Obinna Dike, Chibueze Amaobi, Elijah Nwosu, Chiehiura Ahiwe, Promise Anyalewechi, Sule Ali, Nkwachukwu Ihejirika and Chimezie Peter.”

Continuing, the commissioner said his men acted on a tip-off and stormed a criminal hideout at Umugo Village in Ugwunagbo Local Government Area where they arrested Gideon

Nwalozie, a native of Umuozuo Village in Osisioma, Uchenna Ekeke of Ndoki, Ukwa East, Nwafor Chikezie of Ebonyi State, Chidi Godwin of Nkerefi, Nkanu, Enugu State and

Chinenye Nnagbogu (female) of Abam Village Eziagu in Enugu State.

He said items recovered from them included one AK47 rifle with a defaced serial number, one magazine

with 11 rounds of live ammunition and one red Toyota Camry car without any registration number, adding that his men are after other fleeing members of the gang.

Ibrahim also said while his men were on routine patrol at Umuagu Village in Obingwa Local Govern•Continued on page 38

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

38

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Schools: Mixed reactions trail new resumption date M

IXED reactions have continued to trail the directive by the Federal Government that both private and public schools should resume for the 2014/15 academic year on September 22 instead of the October 13 it earlier announced.

While some residents of Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State still express the fear that it was too sudden, others believe the government acted in the interest of Nigerians.

They added that with the level of consciousness among Nigerians on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the spread of the disease would not be affect their wards.

Many parents said the Federal Government should have allowed the resumption date to remain October 13; as the government would have enough time to have accurate data from various states on the status of the outbreak.

One of the parents, Mr. Augustine Chukwuemeka, said: “It was a hasty decision. I learnt that the World Health Organisation had appealed to wealthy countries to come to the aid of West African countries hit by Ebola, including Nigeria.

“There is no known cure for the disease. The experimental vaccines are not yet here. Our borders are still very porous. People who may be in Patrick Sawyer’s situation can beat security checks to find their way into the country.

“I heard that the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other affiliate unions had rejected the date. I am in total support of their positions. Even though the Federal Gov-

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

ernment may have acted in the interest of the country, the decision was a hasty one.”

Chief Nkemjika Ibenji, one of the directors of Victory Early Learning Centre, Aba, praised the Federal Government’s decision, describing it as a step taken in the best interest of the country’s education system.

Ibenji said: “Though the shift in the resumption date of schools has affected the academic programme as contained in the curriculum of the Ministry of Education, it was a wise decision by the Federal Government because it is something that pertains to life and health. The spread of Ebola is not something that you assume or say for sure that your next neighbour doesn’t have.”

On how the lost grounds could be regained, he said: “Usually, there is what we call crash programme, which then means that the system will go into crash programme.

“We are going to build works that were supposed to have been done in the previous weeks into the scheme of work for the rest of the session. This translates to the fact that teachers and students will be prepared to go the extra mile to teach and learn.”

In their preparedness to manage the spread of the dreaded disease among pupils and students, he said: “Before the incident of the Ebola virus disease, we have the culture of constant hand washing in the school. We make sure that every child that goes out to ease him or herself washes his or her hands thor-

•Prof. Chukwu

•Ibrahim Shekarau

‘For me, it was a hasty decision…We are going to build works that were supposed to have been done in the previous weeks into the scheme of work for the rest of the session. This translates to the fact that teachers and students will be prepared to go the extra mile to teach and learn’ oughly with soap and water to avoid contamination.

“With the outbreak of Ebola virus disease, every teacher will en-

sure that every child that steps out of the classroom will wash his hands with soap to avoid the spread of whatsoever disease that may come

Abia police arrest 22 suspected criminals •Continued from page 37 ment Area, they arrested one 32-year-old Chijiokee Gabriel and 25-year-old Ibezim Ogbonna for allegedly suspected to be involved in robbery and kidnapping activities.

He said the first suspect, Gabriel, on interrogation, confessed to have participated in violent crimes in the past, alongside some members of his gang who include Ugonna Nwokeleme (alias Agbaja), Deenwa and others.

The police boss said they confessed to have taken part in the kidnap of a woman last January around Glass-force Industry Aba, adding that Gabriel got a motorcycle from Ugonna as his own share of the ransom.

The last suspects to be paraded were Sunday Anyim, Ike Ahamefula and Ikenna Anyanwu who were arrested by the men of the command at an uncompleted building at Ahiaeke, adding that the suspects confessed to robbing three Youth Corps members at their lodge.

He revealed that dangerous weapons were recovered from them.

The state police command also arrested and paraded five suspects who were alleged to be involved in child trafficking, two suspected robbers and six suspected drug traffickers and peddlers at different points in the state.

Ibrahim said one Philip Erondu of Umuobasi Osisioma Local Government Area reported that his pregnant daughter, Uchechi Erondu had absconded from home, adding that she later returned without the pregnancy or any child. This meant that she might have sold the child after delivery. The information, Ibrahim said made his men to move into action and discovered that the baby was delivered in a maternity home belonging to one Joy Inegbu where arrangements were made to sell the baby. Unfortunately, the baby died. “We are after those involved in the incident,” he said.

The Abia police chief said his men from Umuopara Division on patrol around Abia Tower on the Aba/ Port Harcourt Expressway intercepted one Chinenye Ihuoma Nka of Ikwuano Local Government Area carrying a day-old and six months’ old babies.

On interrogation, he said Nka claimed the babies

were hers and one Patience Mgbechi sitting beside her in a bus, saying that they were coming from Port Harcourt and going to Mbaise in Imo State to give the baby boy to one Nkechi Obilor at Ahiazu Mbaise who needed the boy.

The Police chief revealed that Umuahia and its environs had witnessed an upsurge in violent crimes of late. He said these crimes include robbery, kidnappings, murder/assassination, child trafficking and house breaking, among others.

He said the rise in crimes in the state capital became a challenge to our men and they had to increase their intelligence gathering and surveillance, stressing that they discovered that criminals usually act under the influence of drugs.

Ibrahim said early this month, he received an intelligence report that a house at 23, Arochukwu Street Umuahia has been identified as a hideout for criminals, adding that he was informed that criminals usually take off for their operations from the house.

He said he detailed his men to put the house on surveillance. In the process, “we arrested 56-year-old Ngozi Nweke, 19-year-old Everester Nneamaka, 21-year-old Nweke Ndidiamaka Amarachi, 24-year-old Ifeoma Ijimogu, 25-yearold Michael Ogbonna and 26-year-old Onyekachi Nwokoma.

The Abia police boss said during investigation, his men recovered 690 wraps of substances suspected to be cocaine, 201 raps of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, large quantity of unwrapped weed suspected to be Indian hemp, one Nokia X2 cell phone and the sum of N3, 785.

The command also arrested two men suspected to be robbers after a robbery incident along Port Harcourt Expressway by Ihie in Ugwunagbo Local Government Area and those arrested were Ochieze Friday and Munachi Lemechi.

The CP said the police have controlled crime rate, even as he attributed their success to the support and efforts of the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) at different locations, stressing that the police will leave no stone unturned to make the state safe.

He called on the people to continue their support to police, stating that it is only when they are given information that they could work properly.

“We want information that will make us proactive. So, always feel free to provide us with useful information to help us work better,” he said.

•Senator Nwaogu

up.

“I am of the opinion that nothing will happen to the children when the resume school. Parents should allow their children and wards come back to school as soon as schools resumes.

“There is the need for proper orientation to enable people to understand the situation.

“There is also the need for government to send monitoring teams to schools in the rural areas to educate the teachers and the students on preventive measures to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

Though there has been wide publicity on the disease, there should be on-the-spot assessment on schools by ministries of health and education in order to ensure total compliance to the Federal Government’s directives.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

39

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Erosion wreaks havoc in Abia community

•Erosion site at Ohafia

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NEW erosion site at Amaekpu Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State has destroyed the house of a single albino woman, Mrs. Grace Dike and many economic trees.

Speaking when he visited the erosion site, the council chairman, Ulu Udensi Ekea described the site as disastrous, adding that if nothing is done urgently to address the menace and it would affect other houses and disrupt economic activities in the area.

Ekea said the state government will do something to alleviate her

‘The state government will do something to alleviate her suffering. He also promised to involve the Federal Government so that they could direct the ecological fund to stop the erosion from doing more damage’ From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

suffering. He also promised to involve the Federal Government so that they could direct the ecologi-

cal fund to stop the erosion from doing more damage.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), would also come to her aid.

He, however, thanked God that no life was lost in the incident.

He called on the people to be conscious of their environments at all times so as to identify such problems on time.

The council chairman said the magnitude of the erosion measures about 2, 000, stressing that it calls for national emergency.

He later donated the sum of N50, 000 to Mrs. Dike.

While presenting the cheque to the woman, Ekea said he was in government to put smiles on the faces of his people, “especially during their moment of pain.

Other occupants of the affected

building should look for alternative shelter to avoid loss of lives.”

He urged Mrs. Dike to use the money judiciously to procure minor relief materials, adding that the council is ready to come to the aid of people who are affected by natural disasters.

Alao speaking, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ohafia Local Government Area, Kingsley Imaga assured the people of government’s readiness to overcome such natural disasters like erosion, even as he thanked the council chairman for coming to the aid of Mrs Dike.

Senator survives alleged assassination attempt

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HE Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District in the Senate, Nkechi Justina Nwaogu has survived an alleged assassination attempt on her and other members of his campaign team at Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State.

The incident, our correspondent gathered occurred penultimate week along Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway as the Senator and her campaign team were returning from the palace of His Royal Majesty, Eze Bernard Enweremadu who celebrated his new yam festival that day.

The incident, according to sources, would have degenerated but for the professionalism exhibited by security details attached to Senator Nwaogu.

Narrating her ordeal to reporters at her resident, Okpu Umuobo, Senator Nwaogu said she was disappointed that a serving Chairman of Transition Committee of Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, who she described as her brother could brazenly block and attack her convoy on the expressway.

She said: “We were coming back from an event along the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway and on getting to Uratta/Akpaekpu Junction in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area; a car blocked us right at the middle of the Expressway. There were other cars lined up at the median of the everbusy expressway. His aim was to prevent us from finding any alternative route. When we got closer and they realised it was our convoy, they started shooting.

“The hoodlums had been there waiting for us because I believe they

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

knew where we went.

“We went to Umuahia to attend a ceremony and on our way back, we went to His Majesty (Eze) Bernard Enweremadu’s palace for his new yam festival. ”After the event, we were heading back to Aba. We believe that the people trailed us from that vicinity because we saw a car blocking the expressway and that was at 6.45p.m.

“When we approached, there were some young boys who blocked the expressway. On sighting us, they started shooting. I saw the Chairman of the Transition Committee of Isiala Ngwa North Local Government, Ginger Onwusibe. He was telling them that Governor Theodore Orji had zoned the governorship to Abia South and that the governor instructed them not to allow anybody from Abia Central to campaign.

“As he was saying this, he was shooting and the policemen in my convoy came to stop them. I was frightened because in the first place, I am not aware I have been told that I cannot contest for governorship which is what I’m vying for on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I am also not aware that I have been banned from contesting to become the next governor of the state in 2015. I am aware that I am the only woman contesting for governorship position of this state.”

Continuing, she said: “It was an attempted assassination on my life.

If not for my security details, who knows what would have happened to me. For them to be shooting and

‘It was an attempted assassination on my life. If not for my security details, who knows what would have happened to me. For them to be shooting and for the TC chairman to join in the shooting was a clear attempt to assassinate me. But I thank God that nothing happened to me and any of the people that were with me’ for the TC chairman to join in the shooting was a clear attempt to assassinate me. But I thank God that nothing happened to me and any of the people that were with me.

“It’s been reported to the Director of State Security Service (SSS). I have also reported the incident to the police, although I have not been able to reach the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim because calls to his telephone line didn’t go through.

I would like to see him personally because if this thing is not nipped in the bud, it could result to lawlessness that could disrupt the peace we have been enjoying in the state.

“The matter has also been reported to Governor Theodore Orji. I sent the governor a text message and told him about the unfortunate incident and he said he would look into it.

She further said: “The incident was an indication that we have security problem in the state because this

kind of people can cause trouble for innocent citizens.

“He is neither a police man nor a military man. What was a mere chairman of transition committee doing with guns? Security operatives should look into it. It is a serious issue because waylaying a serving Senator or anybody for that matter on the road or blocking an expressway with cars and then shooting sporadically and chanting, ‘Ochendo said he has zoned the governorship position to Abia South, nobody from Abia Central should contest.’

“He has been going about boasting and telling everybody that the governor has assured him that why he was re-appointed was to stop anybody who he wants to foment trouble.

“I was not campaigning there on the road and we have not started campaigning. But I believe I have the right to campaign, to contest and

eventually to win by the grace of God. I do not think that it is my governor that instructed anybody to disrupt my movement.”

On whether she had any quarrel with the Chairman of Transition Committee of Isiala Ngwa in the past, Senator Nwaogu said: “My only offence was that I didn’t give him money when he requested. Sometime ago, he asked that I should give him N20m to enable him to create good impression on my behalf before Governor Orji to which I refused.

“That has been my crime and that is why he has been maligning me.

That has been why he has been disrespecting me because. I have my integrity; I have my self- respect.

“Despite the ugly incident, I urge my supporters to be calm because the law enforcement agents will take care of this situation, and of course, my governor will take care of it.”

When contacted on phone for comment on the development, Onwusibe debunked all the claims made by Senator Nwaogu against him. He said he had pictures of what transpired between him and Senator Nwaogu that day.

He further said he would be convening a meeting of traditional rulers in the area to officially report the matter to them.

When contacted on phone for comment, the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim, confirmed that Senator Nwaogu had made official complaint about the alleged threat by the Chairman of Transition Committee, adding that police had begun investigation into the matter.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Don decries lack of true leadership in Southeast P

ROF. Chinedu Nwajiuba of Imo State University has decried the dearth of true leadership in Igbo land since after the times of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Michael Okpara, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Dr. Sam Mbakwe.

He made the assertion during this year’s Odenigbo Lecture, where he spoke on “Expectation of Good Leadership” (Ochichioma, Olileanya Ohanaeze) at the Odenigbo Podium at Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri. As customary, the lecture was delivered in Igbo language.

Speaking, Prof. Nwajiuba reeled off virtues of good leadership to include humility, prudent management of resources, resourcefulness genuine commitment to the well-being of the people, respect for the led; discernment to recognise and sieve evil from good. He regretted that no Igbo leader has shown such laudable leadership qualities after the times of Zik, Okpara, Ojukwu and Mbakwe, until the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi came in and demonstrated to our people, once again, what true leadership should be.

Speaking in Igbo on good economic management as part of what is desired of good leaders, Prof. Nwajiuba said: “ Kemgbe 1999 n’ala Igbo anyi nwere ike isi na o bu naani otu onye di ka onye chawaputara achawaputa na ndozi aku na uba oha ya bu Maazi Pita Obi, onye nke chiri Steeti Anambra. Otutu ndi mmadu agbaala ama otu O siri jide onwe ya, ka O si ekwu okwu. O na-aga njem, O dighi akpo otutu ndi mmadu aga.... Mgbe O chisiri, e mere ka anyi nu na O hapuru ego gbara okpurukpu nyefee onye nochiri ya.” (Since 1999, Mr. Peter Obi was the only real leader that came from Igbo land. His governance of Anambra State has continued to receive positive testaments from the people, especially the manner he guided the resources of the state through prudence and his civilised conduct. To crown it all, unlike what is obtainable, he left billions of Naira for his successor).

On education, he lamented the failing standards, even as he praised Anambra State as an exception. Recalling that the state came first in 2013 and 2014 West African Senior Certificate Examination (WASCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) examinations, he called on other states to return schools back to the missionary owners as Obi did and provide them with grants to rehabilitate the schools.

Prof. Nwajiuba said the unprecedented improvement in the infrastructure in Anambra State during Obi’s administration would remain a testimony to his enviable legacy. He pointed out how Anambra under Obi utilised the money she received through the Millennium Development Goals to carry out beneficial and tangible projects. He advised other Southeast states to understudy and do the same for their states.

Instituted in 1996, this year’s lecture was the 17th in the series. It started with Holy Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Obinna.

Those that attended the lecture included the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho; the Catholic Bishop of Aba, Most Rev. Dr. Vincent Ezeonyia; the Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Ukachukwu Ewuzie; the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi who was represented by his former Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Patrick Obi, among other dignitaries.

Highpoint of the event was presentation of awards to people who had supported the lecture series over the years.

•Mr Hanson Igwe (standing), elder brother of the late Dimgba Igwe, delivering a speech when the Sun Newspaper’s staffs visited his house in Lagos.

Imo poultry farm begins sale of chickens

T

HE Imo Modern Poultry Avutu which had remained moribund for over 20 years has been revived by the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha as part of its efforts to create employment opportunities, promote agriculture as well as boost internally-generated revenue of the state.

Flagging off the sale of the first batch of about 10,000 chickens raised in the farm, Governor Okorocha, who was represented by the Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Uwajimogu expressed his joy that the Avutu Poultry which had remained one of the legacies of the late Sam Mbakwe administration about 30 years ago has received new lease of life.

Governor Okorocha said the Rescue Mission administration is not resting on its oars until all moribund industries are revamped and abandoned projects completed.

He announced that the Imo Modern Poultry within its few months of reactivation has produced the first

batch of over 10,000 chickens for sale to the public, even as he further said that the farm will make available more than 100,000 birds for sale by December this year.

He revealed that the farm has the capacity to house over 2.5 million birds as well as provide investment in other areas such as fisheries, live stock and feed production, processing and packaging of frozen chickens.

He, therefore, called on investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in the project.

The Governor pledged a donation of 20,000 chicks into the poultry as part of his contributions to the development of the farm.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sir Frank Ibezim recounted how the present administration reactivated the Imo Modern Poultry. He praised Governor Okorocha for his vision.

Sir Ibezim noted that Imo Modern Poultry is the largest poultry in West Africa situates on about 177 hectares

of land with 45 poultry houses of 2.5 million birds capacity.

He also said the farm has a feed mill of 3,000 metric tons silo as well as hatcheries, a layer capacity of 235,000 birds and about 100 ton cold room for preservation of processed chickens.

Sir Ibezim pointed out that government is working in collaboration with Whawna Crux, a South African agricultural investment company, to rehabilitate the poultry farm and make it function at full capacity.

The commissioner said the farm will engage both skilled and unskilled manpower, provide capacity building for youths on modern poultry keeping as well as empower and provide bye-off and processing services for poultry farmers in the state.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Finance, Deacon Chike Okafor expressed joy that the project which began in July this year, has started yielding dividends. He praised the state government and her South African partners for making the project a reality.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

41

CAMPUS LIFE

•The Students’ Union bus

•The suspect displaying a laptop stolen in the hostel

15 injured as students arrest suspected robber

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O fewer than 15 students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State narrowly escaped death on Saturday when a bus in which they were taking a suspected robber to police station skidded off the road.

The accident occurred on Owode road, a few kilometres to Owode Ogbomoso Police State, where they were taking the suspect. It was learnt that the students sustained injuries after the Students’ Union bus summersaulted five times.

The suspect whose name could not be ascertained was caught while breaking into a female hos-

From Israel Fawole LAUTECH tel in Adenike area. He was stripped naked by students, who accused him of raping his victims.

Students used all kinds of material to hit the suspect before Students’ Union leaders arrived at the scene to stop their colleagues. They decided to hand him over to the police.

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the suspect struggled with the students in the vehicle on their way to the station, resulting into a crash. The accident sparked a protest by students.

Fawole Isreal, a student, who witnessed the incident, said: “The suspect was caught in Adenike area of the campus as he broke into a room. He was rescued by Students’ Union officials from the crowd that wanted to lynch him. The union leaders pleaded with the crowd to take the suspect to the police station. On the way, the suspected rob-

ber struggled with the student in the bus and that resulted in an accident. The bus tumbled about five times. The students were injured.”

The students led the suspect to the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi. The protest was led by the union president, Ajibola Areo, and another student, Sheriffdeen Bolarinwa. The protest-

ers complained about criminal activities around the campus.

It took the intervention of the school authorities to calm the aggrieved students, who refused to hand over the suspect to the police.

Policemen at Owode Ogbomoso Police Station assured the students of justice.

VC rallies youths for growth

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HE National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Committee, Oyo branch, has sworn in its elected leaders. The ceremony took place at the Conference Centre of the Polytechnic, Ibadan.

A student-leader, Monsuru Adeyemo, described NANS as the only recognised association of students in Nigeria, adding that the association was an ideological structure with liberal fellows interested in charting new paths for the nation.

In his address, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Isaac Adewole, who was represented by Dean of Students, Prof Akinola Alada, said students constituted a vibrant population of the nation.

He said youths’ lack of interest to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria will spell doom for the nation.

The guest lecturer, Prof Osisioma Nwolise of the Department of Political Science, spoke on: “The role of students, politicians and INEC: 2015 elections and challenges ahead.”

On problems of insecurity, he said parties’ lack of internal democracy and corruption constituted major challenges of the coming 2015 general elections.

Prof Nwolise said students must play their role in public education, enlightenment and mobilisation of

From Hammed Hamzat UI people to vote right.

He advised politicians to engage in peaceful campaign devoid of thuggery, violence and assassinations, and participate in public debate and produce party manifestoes.

Nwolise stressed that INEC should do everything possible to ensure level playing field for all parties and contestants and maintain effective and efficient voters’ registration.

The new leaders included Olanrenwaju Babatunde, Chairman; Niniola Toheeb, Vice-Chairman; Amzat Jamiu, General Secretary; Olatokun Joseph, Assistant General Secretary; Adedokun Sunday, Public Relations Officer; Oladepo Olatunde, Financial Secretary and Momodu Lucky, Treasurer.

Present at the inauguration were Dean of Students, the Polytechnic Ibadan, Mr Bayo Oyeleke and students’ union presidents of tertiary institutions in Oyo State.

The Special Adviser to Oyo State Government on Students Matter, Mr Bolaji Repete, congratulated the new executive.

He praised student leaders in the state for not allowing themselves to be used by politicians for selfish interest.

‘NANS should demand good FORMER Vice President of governance’ the National Association of

A

Nigerian Students (NANS), Kabir Adamu, has urged the association to demand better funding of education.

Kabir, who is the chairman of Northern Students’ Forum, made the call while speaking to CAMPUSLIFE on issues affecting the association. He faulted the postponement of NANS convention by planning committee, noting that there was no basis for the shifting.

He said NANS must demand better governance in 2015, urging students to reject desperate politicians.

From Faith Olaniran AKURE He said: “As the 2015 general election approaches, I urge students to unite for a collective purpose. They must join forces to bring down the mightiest walls of oppression and injustice in our society and we should reject the temptation of desperate politicians, who use crude tactics of divide and rule the people.”

He said students must be vigilant and never lose hope for a better country.

•Akinderu-Fatai (middle) with the beneficiaries and community leaders after the event

Students get lawmaker’s scholarship to South Africa

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O promote the entrepreneurship and principles of free markets and liberty among the students, lawmaker representing Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency 1, Hon. Maruf Akinderu-Fatai, has given scholarship to seven students in his constituency to attend Students and Young Professionals Liberty Academy (SYPALA) in Pretoria, South Africa.

The lawmaker, Akinderu-Fatai, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, said the sponsorship was in line with his youth development programme. He said the knowledge that would be acquired by the beneficiaries would be positively used to improve the lot of their colleagues and the nation.

The beneficiaries will join over 100 youths from across Africa participate in the conference holding

By Tajudeen Adebanjo and Wale Ajetunmobi at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, with the theme: Creating the foundations for a free prosperous Africa. The event was organised by African Liberty Organisation.

Akinderu-Fatai said he learnt about the international programme when he was invited to similar event at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State in 2011. He said he sponsored 10 students in his constituency to the event in the year.

Five students made the trip to Catholic University in Mozambique and six to Kabarak University, Kenya in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

While presenting the travel documents to the beneficiaries, Akinderu-Fatai said the aim of the event was engage the youth to promote entrepreneurship, peace and liberty in Africa and train them to become successful entrepreneurs.

He urged the students “to make us proud as ambassadors of Oshodi and Lagos.”

The program, Akinderu-Fatai said, will draw resource persons from the academic, private sector, public and non-profit organisations, who will mentor the youth as to develop Africa.

“The curriculum will also present case studies from different parts of the world to demonstrate the crosscultural importance of liberty, peace and prosperity. The event will feature collaborative group project to encourage extensive interaction among participants,” he said.

Essay contest for undergrads

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HE Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has called for entries for its essay contest titled: The need to include gender sensitive reporting in Mass Communication schools’ curriculum. The competition was part of the activities marking NAWOJ 25th anniversary.

Participants must be final year students in the following higher institutions: University of Nigeria, Nsukka; The Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna; The Federal Polytechnic, Ibadan; Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos; University of Jos; University of Maiduguri and Federal Polytechnic, Auchi.

According to NAWOJ president, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, participants must write an essay of not more than 500 word long. Entry must be sent to: info@nawoj.com before/on September 15.

Three winners will get N200,000 each and one year internship in media organisations.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

42

CAMPUS LIFE

•Crowd of voters waiting outside the building

•Students voting in the SERVICOM

Students of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State have elected their union leaders. It is the first time they have done so through electronic voting, reports YINKA OLATUNBOSUN (400-Level Chemistry).

S

TUDENTS of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State have embraced the electronic method of voting.

Last Tuesday, they elected their leaders through e-voting. The exercise was conducted by graduates of the institution. The Computer Science graduates used the facilities of the SERVICOM unit to collect data of students and develop a software, which synchronised all the data into a single domain.

Afterwards, usernames and passwords were generated for the registered students. The log in details could only be used once. Students who did not show up for data capturing were not allowed to vote.

The exercise was adjudged the best in the history of the university.

There were independent observers, who monitored the exercise to ensure transparency.

The electioneering started with a night of manifesto at the University Lecture Theatre, where the candidates sold their programmes to the students. The event was not without jeering by some students, who booed

IBB varsity joins e-voting train some of the candidates who they described as “management stooges”.

At 7:30am on the election day, students flocked to the campus to cast vote. At exactly 9:48am, voting began. Candidates’ agents, officials of the Students’ Affairs Division, journalists from various media organisations and school security personnel monitored the exercise.

Dr Ebenezer Ogungbe, SERVICOM’s focal officer and returning officer of the election, said the innovation made the exercise peaceful and rancor-free, promising that there would be improvement in subsequent elections.

An electoral committee member, Dr Aliyu Maali, said the e-voting method would end the insinuation that management always imposed its preferred candidates on students. He said: “The voting method is transparent and it is clear to the world. Before the election, we received reports from various quar-

ters that the management was trying to influence the exercise and impose candidates on students. We decided to use e-voting method to avoid any manipulation and put a stop to all speculations.”

However, Suleiman Abdullahi, 200-Level Computer Science and a poll agent, said his candidate was skeptical about the electronic method, saying: “He felt there could be manipulation and this was why he chose me, a Computer Science student, to observe for him.”

The voting ended at 7:06pm. The announcement of results by Dr Ogungbe followed a few minutes later. It was gathered that, of the 3,216 that registered for the e-voting, only 1,540 voted. More than 3,665 students did not participate in the exercise.

Having garnered the highest number of votes, Bashir Shuiabu, an Economics student, was returned as the president-elect. Others elected

include Fatima Kutigi, Vice-President; Salihu Saidu, General Secretary; Abdulmajid Abubakar, Assistant General Secretary and Mahmud Muhammad, Financial Secretary.

Others are Abubakar Yahaya Bida, Treasurer; Sani Abubakar, Director of Socials; Bashir Abayomi, Director of Sport and Abubakar Ahmed Yerima, Welfare Director.

Two representatives were elected from each faculty and hostels into the Students’ Representative Council – the legislative arm of the union.

Meanwhile, the exercise was not without hitches. There were complaints about the number of laptops used for the exercise. While majority of students hailed the process, some urged the management to provide more computers to make the subsequent election faster.

Attairu Ibrahim Edda, a student, said the software did not allow any student to vote twice. He praised the

software developer for ensuring students choose their representative in a fair contest.

The chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Niger State chapter, Comrade Munirudeen Oladipupo, who observed the election, hailed the management for conducting what he called “a credible exercise”.

He said the students’ innovative idea in building software to conduct election showed there was hope for the country as the nation approaches the 2015 general election.

After the results were announced, some students were seen dancing round the campus with the president-elect. One of them said: “At first, we did not trust the credibility of the e-voting method because there were rumour that the process could be manipulated in favour of an anointed candidate. But we glorify Almighty Allah for the outcome because our will prevailed in the end.”

An election that never was The election of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students Association (NUASA), University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter, ended in a fiasco when a student was caught for alleged multiple voting. STANLEY UCHEGBU (Accountancy) reports.

P

ROBITY and accountability are values students of Accounting should promote.

But the University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students Association (NUASA) election fell short of these values.

The manipulation of the exercise led alleged to its abrupt end, almost immediately after it started. The election was held at the 25,000-capacity Hogan Bassey Pavilion.

The exercise started peacefully.

The accreditation of voters was smooth.

Before the day of the election, candidates ran elaborate campaigns to woo their colleagues. There was also a manifesto day, where the as-

pirants explained their programmes for students.

On the election day, students besieged the pavilion. The election monitor team included officials of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) led by the president, Bassey Eka. Faculty of Management Students’ Association (FAMSA) president John Eso and members of the association were also there to observe the exercise.

After accreditation, the election started at 3pm and went on smoothly until a student came to vote.

The student was seen dropping more than one ballot papers into the ballot box. A poll agent, who saw him, drew the attention of the elec-

•Students in queue to vote before the exercise was disrupted

toral umpire to the development.

When he noticed he had been caught, the student, it was gathered, took to his heels; many students ran after him. This resulted in chaos and some students took advantage of the situation to stuff the ballot boxes with unauthorised ballot papers. Some went away with some ballot boxes.

Students alleged that there was an attempt to rig the election in favour of a candidate. They demanded cancellation of the election.

Addressing the aggrieved students, the chairman of NUASA Board of Trustees, Blaise Akpan,

described the development as disturbing, wondering why students would engage in a “daylight malpractice”.

The culprits, he said, would be identified and brought to book.

Akpan, who is a graduate of the university, added that any candidate indicted by investigation would be recommended for disqualification.

A candidate, who pleaded anonymity, fingered a staff adviser in the Accounting Department as being behind the manipulation. The staff, it was alleged, demanded certain royalty from all the aspirants before they could be allowed to

contest in the election.

A 300-Level student, who did not give his name, said the process that led to the election was riddled with corruption, noting that all the aspirants were asked to pay endorsement fees by members of the Board of Trustees.

He said: “Apart from introducing ethnic politics into the process, the BOT extorted money from the aspirants.

They were asked to give endorsement fee to BOT members and bottle of wine. I don’t know what these graduates are still doing in school.”

At the time of this report, no date has been fixed for the election.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

43

CAMPUS LIFE

Stopping violence against women W

HEN the famous musical legend, Bob Marley, sang his famous line “no woman, no cry” in 1974, most of people had no idea of what the world had in stock for women in 21st century. Seeing the plight of women in today world, Bob Marley would have been seen as prophet; the type that is quite different from the ones that parade our country nowadays, who only make false predictions.

Two important inferences can be made from Bob Marley’s refrain. The first is that, he was a brilliant singer and, in fact, the greatest reggae artiste ever known. The second is that, challenges women around the world face have increased compare to the past. Such are the violence and discrimination against womenfolk. It has never been this bad.

Despite many conferences held by women to address the issues, there has not been assurance that the challenges would be solved.

A full week has been specifically set aside to honour women around the world; countless laws have been passed to uphold their rights, yet they still bear the brunt of war, violence and discrimination.

In the midst of these, some nations have made progressed to improve the lot of women.

Some of these countries have won the battle against feminine illiteracy, violence and discrimination against women. They have directed their energies to fighting other form of violence against womenfolk. These countries have implemented some law to promote the rights women.

Sadly, Nigeria does not look like one of those women-friendly nations. The manner with which women are treated in this country makes me convinced that our nation is against anything feminine, which is why many see women subordinates and second-class citizens. This discrimination persists despite the fact that we have had women in topmost positions in the country and quite a substantial number of female senators.

We need to understand the fact that a nation cannot be judged by how well it treats the rich and mighty, but by how much security and good governance the poor and helpless enjoy.

Last year, in Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos, two women, a mother and her daughter, were dehumanised by a mob over allegation of theft, an incident pricked the conscience of people when the video went viral on the internet.

Even if the women were guilty of the allegation, the inhumane treatment meted out to them did not in any way make the mob righteous. The victims were stripped naked and subjected to most dehumanising treatment, as onlookers watched helplessly.

If they are still alive, the harsh treatment might haunt them forever. After that event, I thought I had seen the worst in terms of violence against women but I was in for a shocker.

A drunken policeman beat a young lady, Funmilayo Adebayo, to a pulp for no just cause. More painful was the fact that another policeman was present when this dastardly act was being perpetrated. Some bystanders were

even brave to film the incident and post it on Youtube. But none of them had the courage to come to her rescue. Funmi’s brother, who was said to have attempted to confront the policeman, was prevented by onlookers. That, of course, is the extent to which Nigeria “respects” its women.

I was moved to tears while watching the interview of Funmi’s mother. The old woman said she had reported the matter at several police stations but the police made efforts to sweep it under the carpet. Funmi’s mother forgot to add one more thing: she is a woman whose right was being trampled upon. The police later dismissed the case, because powerless and helpless women were the victims.

Last April, more 217 schoolgirls were kidnapped in a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram fighters. Up till today, they are still missing. Whether we like it or not, the truth is that we all have let these girls down. It is heartbreaking that for almost five months, there has really been no serious search to look for them, except probably efforts made by their parents. It is heart-rending that we are only left to imagine what they are going through at this moment that we have betrayed them. Women and children are a nation’s most valuable asset, and as such are meant to be its most protected citizens, yet we are about to let these young women slip right through our fingers.

Now, one thing is certain. We need to find our girls. Another is that we need to find our voice. More women need to stand up and

By Sarat Alabidun speak up on the outright violation of our rights and the lack of regard for women in our society. We need to put more pressure on the nation to find our future mothers and, not just find them, but rescue them safe and sound.

And we can do it. One only needs to go down memory lane to know the kind of power women wield when pushed to the wall. Nigerian women have gone through a lot and this kidnap might be the straw that would end up breaking the camel’s back. Threat to one woman is a threat to the world.

Sarat, 300-Level Applied Chemistry, UDUS

I’d rather remain chaste

By Joseph Njoku

M

ANY civil societies, religious bodies and public speakers have found interest in preaching against moral decadence and societal ills, which are prevalent among teens and youths. Such areas as

armed robbery, prostitution, smoking, cultism etc., form the basis of the societal ills, which may collectively be said to be caused by moral failure.

However, there is a salient issue that I think has been swept under the carpet over the years. It is the issue surrounding premarital relationship, which many of us refer to as dating. This is probably the most important aspect of youthful life, although it also forms a part of the societal ills. It is hardly talked about as one. We now live in a world where chastity is seen as a value of antiquity and abstinence relegated to the world of obsolescence.

It is so unusual these days for a boy in his teenage years to be unattached. It is also being seen as a ‘crime’ for a teenage girl not to have a boyfriend. I am pretty sure I will be committing the worst crime if I tell you all that I have never dated a girl. Readers may form this thought: “at your age? It is a lie.”

And many more of such replies will be voiced. Is not it amazing the kind of world we now live in? It might as well not surprise many. After all, it is a normal thing these days.

That is what the world has turned; a place where chastity and abstinence now forms a

part of societal anomalies.

In recent times, the level of castigation that accompanies abstinence from premarital relationships is high. Individuals who are not caught in the bandwagon of premarital engagements are often scorned, mocked at and verbally assaulted. They are referred to as being impotent, homosexuals, pedophile and many more.

Some parents even quarry their children for not getting into any premarital relationship.

This ugly trend has caused individuals who are single to have a rethink in the opposite direction.

Whether there are benefits accruing to premarital relationships is a question that should be pondered upon by all. Honestly, I think the reasons that back up premarital engagements are not genuine ones. Many of those who are involved claim to gain experience from such ventures. This is totally unacceptable and fallacious in my opinion. Do you, first of all, drive around town with a brand new car before acquiring it? Certainly not. A lady or guy is like a brand new car. You can only have a proper feel of it after you must have rightfully acquired it.

Also, marital experience can only be gained

in marriage and not outside. It is an on-thejob experience. What then is responsible for the growing migration to the world of dating? Well, the answer is not far-fetched; it is nothing else but the need for carnal gratification. I have asked a number of young unmarried persons, both male and female, if they can remain in a relationship without intercourse and they were almost unanimous in their reply: “No”.

Quite a number of young people today believe that there is no fun in a relationship without intercourse. Some others are of the opinion that it makes a relationship serious, while others simply say that a relationship without intercourse is incomplete.

Youths in today’s society, all tend to agree to the assertion that intercourse is the life wire of any relationship. But, must I succumb to carnal feelings just because I want to be in a relationship? I must not go that way. Like Joshua in the Bible asked the Israelites, the question comes calling today. Who is on the right side? Well, as for me, I have decided that I would rather remain chaste until it is time to say I do.

Joseph, 300-Level Business Admin., UNIBEN

How students can succeed

F

OR anyone aiming success in life, hard work and prayers must be his compass.

Like Yoruba would say, destiny can only be delayed but will surely come to pass. This also applies to success. Illustrating success to the Kingdom of God, it is said that before one can get to heaven, he must pass through hell.

This means he must deprive himself of worldly enjoyment.

So, it is not easy for anyone to achieve success. Before one can become successful, he may have to go through a lot of pain and tribulation. As students, before success can be achieved, we need some inspirational tips that will help us to the beautiful land of success.

The following are some of the tips I propose.

Trust in oneself: we must dig deep and ask ourselves who we want to be? I am not talking about what our parents or teachers want for us. We have to figure out ourselves what makes us happy. The best of all persons to tell us is ourselves. Each of us knows ourselves more than anybody else, so why trust what others say about us instead of trusting our dreams? A lot of people fail in life as a result of people’s views about their lives, which they will always want to do, whether right or wrong. What I am trying to say is that, before we could succeed in life like, we need to build a lot of trust in ourselve by not allowing anyone to divert our attention, no matter the pressure and difficulties we may face.

Break the rules: Breaking the rules of success does not mean breaking the rules of law.

What I am trying to emphasise is that, if we do everything according to the rules like everyone does, we will definitely get the result everyone gets. Breaking the rules of success is the means of disengaging ourselves from others by bringing our fresh ideas and different plans in order to be an achiever in life.

Don’t be afraid to fail: In every attempt we make in life, we should not expect to always win. While we may be afraid of failure, we must not be afraid to make decision. We should not be paralysed by fear of failure, because no success will be achieved. In essence, don’t be afraid to fail as fear to fail is one of the common impedance to success. Sometimes, you don’t let it happen by concentrating on your goals and making it forward with positive change. Also, failure is part of success; we have to fail in order to learn or appreciate success.

Don’t listen to naysayer: We must always listen to ourselves and say yes to our dream.

Sometimes, people’s opinions do not align with our goals and dreams. Negative opinions will always come our way but if we are determined to succeed, we must ignore them. Always ignore naysayers but listen more to people who advise us. Advisers are those in our circle of influence that can help us get better by analysing our steps and giving you the right inspirational tips to success.

Give back: We must always find time to give something back to people around us, whether in immediate our community or the country

at large. People such as Mike Adenuga and Aliko Dangote are helping people to achieve success and satisfaction because they look towards the people at lowest rung of the ladder.

Giving back is crucial, because success is not all about one person. If we do not give back to people, we will be miserable in the long run.

Also, if one must succeed in life, he has to have everything it takes to attain it. Values such as hard work, patience, perseverance and fear of God must direct our way to the top.

Without God, it will be impossible for anyone to succeed. Without being hardworking and patient the likes of Dangote, Bill Gate and Adenuga would not have been who they are today.

Despite all odd, we should not be discouraged by the situation of our society, where graduates cannot get good jobs and rate of corruption soars. We should be focused and inspired. We should always aspire to acquire the desire we admire and if in the process we fire and it back fires, we should not retire but respire even when people conspire, we have messiah who will always make our enemies expire until we acquire our desire we admires.

Get God’s backup: Whatever you are or have acquired in life without God’s backup is invalid. Because, it is in Him all our efforts are secured. Just like someone saving files on the computer or internet. At times, people acquire wealth out of God’s backup. Yes, it is true but that does not last as compared to the one who has divine touch. The interesting part of it is

By Joshua Obelle that, anything outside God is useless. In a nutshell, no matter our brilliance, wealth, knowledge and intelligence, we should always allow God to lead our step, because in Him are blessings and grace.

No matter the level of poverty or obstacle, whether we have lost hope or not, we must not give up. We should always think positively and try to build up confidence and trust our ability. The sky will always be the starting point.

Joshua, 200-Level Mass Comm., BSU

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

44

CAMPUS LIFE

VC bags award

V

ICE-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof Adekunle Bashiru Okesina, has received the Distinguished Pathologist Award. He was conferred with the honour in Arusha, Tanzania, during the First College of Pathologists of East Central and Southern Africa meeting.

The award, it was gathered, is in recognition of his contributions to Chemical Pathology.

Prof. Kanya, President of College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (COPECA), urged Prof Okesina to remain committed to global best prac-

From Abideen Olasupo UNIOSUN tices in the field of pathology.

The College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (COPECSA) is a professional membership organisation dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of pathology.

The organisation which was launched in August 2010 in Kampala, Uganda, COPECSA draws its membership from pathologists registered and practising in thirteen member countries within the East, Central and Southern Africa region.

NANS hails Delta at 23

T

HE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B axis, has hailed the Delta education policy as the state celebrates its 23rd anniversary.

Speaking with student-leaders, the zone’s Public Relations Officer, Pedro Obi, said: “Today is a day for us all as a people to reflect on our past, re-evaluate our present and if positive, consolidate on it to secure a solid future for the generation yet unborn. For the past few years, the state has witnessed a lot of transformation in the education sector, ranging from infrastructural re-modelling of primary and secondary schools to the numbers of policies on education management.”

He continued: “NANS is fully aware of the enormous responsi-

From Yakubu Temitope ADO POLY bility on the state government as the state unarguably hosts the highest number of state owned tertiary institutions in the country, with four more polytechnics in the pipeline; making a total of 13 stateowned tertiary institutions, the highest in Nigeria.”

The association also praised the Delta State Commissioner for Youths, Hon Ebifa Ijomah and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Matters, Owhoforador Oghenewegba, for carrying the students along in the affairs of the state.

Pedro called on Nigerian students to shun violence and embrace peace to move the nation forward.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

• Pevigo cutting the cake

Students abandon class to honour class rep

TUDENTS in the English Department of the University of Agriculture (UNIAGRIC) in Makurd, Benue State last Tuesday, abandoned academic activities to honour their class representative, Joseph Pevigo, at his birthday.

The birthday party, according to

S

From Uja Emmanuel MAKURDI his colleagues, was in recognition of his sterling leadership qualities.

The students staged a drama in

honour of Pevigo, and followed it up with dance presentations.

In his remark, Pevigo described the occasion as memorable, saying he would forever cherish the love shown by is course mates.

•Prof Amadi (third right) receiving a Macho Man statue from the VC

‘Environmental health solution to healthcare problems’

M

EMORIES of the 25th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) will linger following what participants termed its uniqueness. The lecture was delivered by Prof A. N. Amadi, Head of Department, Public Health.

Speaking on “Environmental health: The dynamics, application, implications and way forward in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system,” Prof Amadi described environmental health as a polyvalent public health field. He said it is a complex profession but a good area public health.

Prof Amadi said wrong priorities, lack of political will, preference for curative than preventive health, restriction of decision making to few practitioners, were some of the factors influencing environmental health practice in Nigeria.

He explained that the implications of environmental health included social misery, widespread damage to human health, pollution

•Health officers at the events

From Mohammed Sani FUTO to the living environment and water resources, depressed economic productivity Prof Amadi said when properly managed, good environmental health could result in decrease in mortality and morbidity rates of sanitation-related diseases; increase in productivity and reduction of poverty, improvement of nutrition and the physical mental growth of children; improvement of school enrolment, attendance and performance; and increase in the survival of people living with

HIV/AIDS, among others.

On the way forward, Prof Amadi called on government and stakeholders to exercise the will-power to do what is right and urgent, adding that decision making in the health sector should be open to many practitioners in the field.

He also recommended that current environmental health services facilities should be upgraded and new ones be built.

In his closing remark, Vice Chancellor, Prof CC Asiabaka thanked the lecturer for his contributions in the field of environmental health practice in Nigeria.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

45

EDUCATION ACE FILE

College celebrates peaceful reign STAFF and students of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo last Friday gathered at the Christ Chapel Interdenominational Church to commemorate 10 years undisrupted academic calendar in the college.

The Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, Mr. Yemi Olugbamigbe, recalled how ACE was embroiled in crisis until 2004 when sacked workers and union were recalled.

In an exhortation, the Chairman, Christ Chapel, Dr. Zacheus Olupayimo, reiterated the importance of thanksgiving.

He however warned that the college community should not trivialise the importance of the gathering.

The cleric urged the people to praise God sincerely for past victories and to commit the college into the Lord for divine mercies.

A prayer session followed the praises.

Coop makes profit THE Staff No. 1 Cooperative Society of ACE has reported profit in the last business year.

The cooperative executives at its pre-annual general meeting (AGM) presented an increase of over 39.4 per cent over that of the previous year.

President of the Society, Mr. Enoch Orunko, praised members for their contributions, patience and trust bestowed on all the executive members.

He thanked God for the progress that the society made in the past one year, noting that members are passionate about the society.

In their responses some of the members called on the executives to look out for new areas of income and also publicise the ventures, particularly the cyber café and the transport ventures.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperative Services, the Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Ade Adegalu, said the progress of the society year after year gave him joy.

5,782 candidates for post-UTME A TOTAL of 5,782 candidates last Saturday participated in the PostUnified Tertiary Examination (UTME) screening organised by ACE. The exercise was held at the various centres in the institution for candidates who sat for the UTME, especially for those who made the college their first or second choice with a minimum score of 180 for degree and 150 for NCE. Candidates, who intend to change their choice of institution also participated in the exercise.

Meanwhile, all candidates have received their results via their phones and have started to print same online with their result checkers.

•Prof Akeusola (fourth left) with Olukoga (fifth) flanked by some traditional chiefs (front row) with other provosts after the opening session

‘Marginalisation of college of education graduates unhealthy’ S PECIAL Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, has condemned the way graduates of colleges of education are treated by some people.

He said despite peculiar challenges, products of colleges of education have turned out as notable academics who have contributed immensely to the development of education in their fields.

Olukoga spoke at the 71st regular meeting of the Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Education in Nigeria, held at Micheal Otedola College of Primary Education, MOCPED, Noforija, Epe, Lagos.

He said: “I condemn the misgivings in some quarters about colleges of education; it is regrettable that they have not yet received due recognition, among other tertiary

By Medinat Kanabe

institutions in this country.

“The erroneous belief that dregs constitute the majority of fresh intakes into colleges of education is not only misleading but also misrepresenting and defamatory. It is also a fact that notable academics in the education profession are products of our colleges of education and they have contributed immensely to the development of the different fields in education.”

He implored the provosts to rechart, re-shape and re-model their training skills such that products from their institutions would compete favorably with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

He further stated that education is no doubt the fundamental weapon to fight poverty “intimidate ignorance, defeat religious extremism and ensure social orderliness. “ Olukoga continued: “Education is the bedrock of the development of any nation. The quality of any education system is determined by the quality of its teachers, and this is further premised on the quantum of the resources invested in their academic and professional development.”

He said teachers are drivers of the society, curators of the past and the architects of tomorrow’s building blocks.

Earlier, the Provost MOCPED,

Prof Olu Akeusola, welcomed the over 20 provosts to the college. He seized the opportunity to identify various achievements of the college.

Akeusola, who is also the COP Secretary-General, said MOCPED’s feat is attributable to pragmatic and proactive approach of the management towards development.

“Despite the plethora of economic challenges besetting the college, the college management has not shirked their responsibility in making all efforts to make the college a centre of excellence with high standard of teaching and a culture of sustained learning,” he said.

He thanked the institution’s Governing Council, Management members, students and staff who supported him in building the college.

Fed Govt introduces e-curriculum for SSS classes

T

O address failures in major examinations, particularly the West African Secondary school Certificate (WASSCE), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, (NERDC) has introduced e-curriculum in senior secondary schools.

The device is a web based curriculum delivery solution for learners, teachers, education managers and other stakeholders to strengthen the quality of education in the country.

Minister of Education Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, assured that the new e-curriculum solutions would address the shortage of curriculum.

He spoke in Abuja at the launch of the NERDC e-curriculum portal in collaboration with SIDMACH technologies Nigeria limited.

The minister said in achieving the objectives of the Federal Government’s policy in education, e-curriculum will take the education system one step further towards the attainment of global competitiveness.

Shekarau promised that Federal

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

Ministry of Education will take appropriate steps to ensure that the Unity Colleges key into the effective use of the portal to enhance their studies.

He called on state governments, through their various commissioners for education and ministries, to ensure that access to the approved national curriculum through the new portal is facilitated for schools, students and teachers in their states.

Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, noted that Federal Government would not stop addressing the shortage of prescribed national curriculum in schools.

He said the Federal Government had before now, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), supported NERDC to print and distribute the New-SSEC free to all public schools, regretting that, despite the efforts, the number of curriculum distributed was still grossly inadequate considering the numbers

of schools and teachers, even with the exclusion of private schools.

According to Wike, “With the launch of this NERDC e-Curriculum portal today, I am sure; we in the education sector and indeed the entire country are embarking on a process and journey that will certainly turn the developmental fortunes our dear country positively towards attaining the ideas of vision 20:2020 among other areas of desired accomplishments”.

The Executive Secretary of the NERDC, Prof. Godswill Obioma, described the digitalised curriculum as an attempt to reduce the incidence of mass failures in public examinations.

He said the e-teaching platform initiative was in line with the transformation of the Federal Government and to make education globally competitive.

Obioma attributed poor performance of candidates in public examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Coun-

cil (NECO), among others, to inadequate teaching and learning.

While also maintaining that the ecurriculum would add value to the quality of education delivery thereby addressing the menace of poor performance in public examinations and students learning achievements.

He explained that what the Council had done was to convert the conventional nine-Year Basic Education Curriculum into digital platform to make it more accessible to both teachers and students.

The e-curriculum portal is developed in collaboration with an ICT firm, SIDMACH Technologies Nig. Ltd, in line with the Federal Government’s Public -Private Sector Partnership initiative.

The NERDC boss said the e-curriculum portal would contribute in no small measure towards ensuring that teachers, learners and other relevant stakeholders have easy access to the vital teaching and learning resource.

Iwuanyanwu decries low involvement of academics in policy making

T

•Chief Iwuanyanwu

HE Pro-Chancellor/Chairman, Governing Council of the University of Calabar, Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said the marginalisation of the academia in policy making is responsible for the problems facing Nigeria.

Speaking at the inauguration of the digital library at the Graduate School Complex of the institution, the business mogul said tertiary institutions have not been well equipped to engage in cutting-edge research that would deal with societal challenges.

“America is a great country because when they have problems, they push it to the universities. Academics are

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

very important in all areas of live,” he said.

He said the e-library would not only benefit UNICAL alone but the entire country.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof James Epoke, lauded the Graduate School for the new facility. He said his support for the project stemmed from its being in line with the strategic vision of the university anchored on attainment and maintenance of the highest form of excellence in teaching, research and community service.

With the development, he said graduate students and the faculty can

now have real time access to e-books and journals via the intranet and internet, at all times from any location.

He urged that the project be sustained and improved even beyond the tenure of the Dean of the Graduate School.

Dean of the Graduate School, Prof Francis Bisong, said besides the library, they were also inaugurating the Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism webbased software solution.

Bisong said their mission was to prepare the nation, next generation of professional, scholarly and educated leaders imbued with capacity for highly rated policy relevant research,

independent critical thinking, academic rigour and intellectual honesty.

Resources of the digital library, he said, include 5,756 titles consisting 4,250 books; 1,397 journals; 10 magazines and 99 videos/audio resources covering 329 subject areas grouped into 40 major areas with the capacity of being expanded to millions of titles in variable disciplines.

Others features are over 500 CDS of books and learning materials supplied by the university library to be digitised into the e-library and subscription to several world class digital libraries to be built through hyperlink into the Graduate School digital library, among others.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

46

CAMPUS LIFE UNILORIN FILE

SCHOLARSHIPS

VC urges Veterinary Council on Ebola

APPROACHING DEADLINE

THE Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Ilorin, Prof.

AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has called on the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) to help combat the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa by putting measures in place to curb the spread of the virus by animals.

He made the call at the opening of the Continued Education Seminar organised by VCN with the theme: ‘Advancing veterinary practice as a tool for economic development.”

Ambali was represented by his Deputy (Academics) Prof. N. Y. S. Ijaiya.

Ambali said the seminar could not have come at a better time than now when the nation is battling with the Ebola. He admonished the Council to come up with useful recommendations on how to checkmate the spread of the disease through animals.

Business School Dean’s Scholarship for Masters students at Colombia, Taiwan, Turkey, 2015, Business, China, Bournemouth University, UK in 2015 from Nigeria will get 50% fee reduction Colombia, India, Master’s, Nigeria, Scholarship, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey

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OURNEMOUTH University is inviting applications for Business School Scholarships to pursue taught master programme starting in January 2015. Students resident in Colombia, Taiwan, Turkey, Nigeria at the time of application who are classified as ‘overseas’ for fee purposes are eligible to apply for the 50% award. Students resident in China, India, South Korea at the time of application who are classified as ‘overseas’ for fee purposes are eligible to apply for the 25% award.

Study Subject(s): Scholarships are awarded to study within the Busi-

ness School at Bournemouth University.

Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing masters degree at Bournemouth University.

Scholarship Provider: Bournemouth University, UK Scholarship can be taken at: UK Accreditation: Bournemouth University is an accredited university.

Bournemouth University is accredited by the University Alliance ACU.

Eligibility: •Students resident in Colombia, Taiwan, Turkey, Nigeria at the time of application who are classified as ‘overseas’ for fee purposes are eligible to apply for the 50% award.

•Students resident in China, In-

dia, South Korea at the time of application who are classified as ‘overseas’ for fee purposes are eligible to apply for the 25% award.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Students of Colombia, Taiwan, Turkey, Nigeria, China, India and South Korea can apply for these Business School Scholarships.

Scholarship Description: This scholarship is offered to students who have applied to study a fulltime Taught Masters at the Business School on BU campus.

Number of award(s): Up to 3 scholarships of 50% reduction and 4 scholarships of 25% reduction will be awarded.

Duration of award(s): Not known What does it cover? Students

VC wins award THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof.

AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has won the ‘Meritorious Award of Excellence’ by the Video Film Producers Association of Nigeria (VFPAN) Kwara State chapter.

During the event held at the Mandate Hall, Adeta, Ilorin, VFPAN’s outgoing GovernorGeneral, Mr. Raphael Afolabi Ogedengbe, said the award was in “recognition of the vicechancellor’s valuable contributions to human development at the University of Ilorin in particular and the nation as a whole.”

Describing Ambali as a real academic, Ogedengbe said honoree’s contributions to the production of middle level manpower for the nation could not be underestimated.

The VFPAN boss also thanked God for seeing VFPAN to its present state. He praised members for their love, steadfastness and support for his administration.

Ambali, represented on the occasion by the university’s Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, thanked the association for recognising his boss’contributions.

Varsity School shines at expo THE University School, UNILORIN is set to represent Kwara State at the final of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Children Expo scheduled in Abuja.

This followed the success recorded by the school at the state level of the expo in Ilorin. Pupils of the school won the first and second positions in the Art Junior category and third position in the Science Junior category.

The pupils are: Taiye Mubaraq Ajijola (first position, Art Junior category); Kehinde Mukthar Ajijola (second position, Art Junior category) and Peter Nwakile (third position, Science Junior category).

The school Headmistress Mrs. N. A. Lawal, noted that the school clinched the second position at the national level during last year’s competition in Abuja.

She pledged that the school would continue to put in the best towards achieving the set education goals and keeping the flag flying.

The yearly event, which is designed to showcase and develop the creative ability, scientific thought and artistic design of children from various schools, has as the theme: ”Environmental sustainability and improved transportation Ingredients for Nigeria’s real development and unity.”

and from China, India, South Korea will get 25% fee reduction.

Selection Criteria: An outstanding academic profile, relevant to your course, as follows: Upper second-class honours (2i) classification plus personal statement as in the scholarship application form.

Notification: Successful applicants will normally be informed within one month of the deadline.

Your award will not be formally approved until you hold an unconditional firm offer.

How to Apply: Applicants should apply by post. You can apply at the same time or after you have submitted your course application form.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 18th November 2014 for January 2015 entry.

60 poly, colleges for NIPOGA From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

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•President, Student Union, Olabisi Onabanjo University, and his counterpart of (OOU) Ifade Olusegun; Deputy Chairman, Joint Action Front (JAT) Achike Chude; Senate President, SUG OOU Kabir Oyakhir; Vice President, SUG OOU Seliat Ogunbiyi and Chief Judge SUG OOU Christopher Oluseyi, at a press conference in Lagos.

PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID

FUNAI VC reads riot act to students •Destroy properties, lose your studentship, Rector warns

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HE Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, (FUNAI), Prof.

Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, has warned that the institution will not tolerate hooliganism and other vices that can tarnish the image of the institution.

Ibidapo-Obe, spoke at a parley with reporters in his office in FUNAI. He noted that the institution had since its commencement punished those involved in the act.

Ibidapo Obe said FUNAI was determined to ensure qualitative education for its students and availability of a conducive environment for learning and teaching.

He explained that FUNAI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with five foreign universities to add value to her students and upgrade FUNAI’s status.

According to him, the institution is facing challenges ranging from insecurity, youth restiveness, infrastructural development, wrong perception of Ebonyi State by foreigners, among others.

“We need to have quality education in this country; universities are universal properties. We want our students to be at par with other institutions. We need to restore the confidence of university education.

We want everybody to be employ-

From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki and From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

able; that is our target as a university” Ibidapo-Obe praised the Federal Government for its financial contributions to institutions of learning in the country.

Meanwhile, Rector of The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Mrs Theresa Akande, has threatened to expel students found engaging in the destruction/vandalism of properties/ facilities of the institution.

She spoke in Ado Ekiti at the matriculation for 2,864 fresh students for the 2013/2014 academic session.

Mrs Akande, who said the institution had embarked on massive upgrade of facilities, which had cost millions of naira, decried the scenario where aggrieved students unleashed their anger on the school properties.

Her words: “We can no longer fold our arms when the foundation of the welfare of our students is being threatened by students themselves. It is our belief that academic freedom in higher institutions does not translate to lawlessness.

“It is therefore imperative that occupants of such hostels where cases of willful damage is not re-

ported to the management would henceforth be held responsible for any damage”, she said Akande, who blamed the falling education standards partly on poor funding, maintained that the trend would not cease unless governments priortise education.

On how poor funding had affected education fortunes, Akande said: “In developed economies of the world, provision of hostel facilities, ICT, e-learning, regular bus services, constant electricity and water supply, among others, are rights of students.

“But the dwindling fund at the disposal of institution’s management as well as insufficient internally generated revenues, have posed serious threat to the standard of education and peace in our tertiary institutions. Another threat is the absence of public utilities such as steady electricity supply and lack of potable water,” she said.

She urged students to shun cultism and refrain from fraternising with any unregistered societies on campus.

Mrs Akande warned that those found having links with the proscribed terror groups in the institution would be expelled, adding this would enhance peace on campus and among students.

IXTY polytechnics and colleges of technology will be competing for honours at the 18th Nigeria Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA) to be hosted by the Federal Polytechnic, Bida in November.

Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Mallam Ibrahim Usman Buhari, made this known to reporters in Bida, highlighting the level of preparedness of the institution for the games.

Buhari said the games tagged: ‘NIPOGA Bida 2014’, would kick off from last Saturday would end on November 15.

According to him, athletes will compete for laurels in various fields and track events, which will include: football, basket ball, volley ball, tennis, badminton, and table tennis.

Others are: chess, scrabble, taekwando, and various athletic events.

The LOC chair said a new ultra-modern sports hall was being constructed and was expected to be completed before the end of October while two modern Basket Ball Courts had been completed with flood lights installed.

The stadium complex, volley ball courts and other pitches to be used were being given a facelift while the construction of a cynder track for track events is at advanced stage, he added.

He added that a fundraiser dinner had been planned for Abuja on Thursday, September 18 chaired by Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), with Alhaji Aliko Dangote as the chief launcher.

The dinner, which will have in attendance distinguished personalities from across Nigeria, was expected to raise funds for the successful hosting of the games.

Buhari assured that the LOC hoped to raise the bar in the forthcoming NIPOGA, adding that the host institution intends to use the contest to showcase the popular standard Bida Polytechnics operates.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

47

EDUCATION

WAEC urges supervisors on new maths set T

HE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has asked supervisors and invigilators participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (private) to ensure that candidates get the new mathematical set.

Its Head of Nigeria Office (HNO), Charles Eguridu, gave the order during an inspection in Lagos at the weekend.

Eguridu went round some school in Lagos, including Ransome Kuti Memorial Senior Grammar School, Mushin; Birrel Avenue High School and Herbert Macaulay Girls Secondary, Yaba. Others were Expressway Senior Secondary School, Adeolu Secondary School and Ojodu Senior High School, all in Tolu School Complex, Olodi-Apapa.

On Eguridu’s entourage were Acting Director Medical Services Dr Adeniyi Adedeji; the Matron Olusola Iyabode; Acting Director, Computer

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By Adegunle Olugbamila and Joseph Eshanokpe

Service Magnus Omorege; Head Test Administration Nzeh Onyemuche; and Head, Protocol, Okoruwa Sunday Thomas.

As part of the inspection, Eguridu also screened candidates for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). He said the aim of the screening, among others, was to ensure that candidates who took the Economics paper on Saturday were not only Ebola-free but also medically fit and safe for the exam, noting that it was part of its Corporate Socia l Responsibility (CSR) to its candidates.

Eguridu, who held a temperature screening device to screen the candidates randomly in some of the schools, denied any rumour that such act is capable of distracting them. He added that it took half a minute to attend a candidate.

•Eguridu screening a candidate at one of the centres.

“There is nothing to worry about.

It did not affect their performance. It took about 30 seconds to screen them.’’

He said beside the screening, the council arranged for an ambulance and a medic to handle emergencies, adding that many centres would be covered.

“It will be a daily exercise for every paper and we would partner governments to ensure Ebola is controlled.

We are doing the best we could within our limited resources,” he said.

He listed places to be covered for now to include Enugu, Calabar, Abuja and Kaduna.

In answer to a question as to what WAEC would do if a candidate was found to be EVD positive, he said so far, no such case had been reported, assuring: “We will cross the bridge when we get there. That is why we

have doctors,” Eguridu stressed.

Dr Adedeji said over 170 scanners were deployed in Lagos for the exercise. Scoring the exercise as huge success, he said WAEC was on a familiar terrain as it had been providing medical services to its workers and their families over the years. He said the council was working with the Federal Ministry of Health to contain Ebola.

UNILORIN VC seeks review of mathematics curriculum

HE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has recommended a review in the patterns of instruction/teaching, methodology, curriculum and assessment to ensure academic excellence in mathematics.

He spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the 51st yearly conference of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN), hosted by UNILORIN. The theme of the conference was: “Mathematics education for sustainable development.”

Ambali decried the failure recorded by pupils in the May/June West Africa Senior School Examination (WASSCE) examinations results where about 70 per cent of the candidates failed to obtain the required credit pass in five subjects,

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

including Mathematics and English Language.

He described mathematics as an indispensable subject, without which no nation could contemplate progress or development.

In his address titled: ‘Real deal: Mathematics education for sustainable development, Ambali said: “Mathematics is important in shaping our everyday life and development,”stressing that the subject is equally critical to the survival of the world today and the future generations.

“There is no other proof to show that the convocation of this conference is in the national interest and not the mathematical association alone. I want to commend the asso-

ciation for responding quickly, through this conference, to this downward trend in pupils’ performance in Mathematics specifically and other subjects at large.”

He noted that mathematics education is facing serious challenges, which largely account for the poor performance of pupils in it every year.

The professor of Veterinary Medicine added: “Mathematical skills are no doubt relevant to a wide range of analytical, technological, scientific, security, political and economic applications, and there is no doubt that a solid foundation in Mathematics prepares one for other education and professional challenges.”

Ambali suggested that interactive and functional ways of teach-

ing Mathematics should be developed so that pupils would naturally love and not dread it. He added that it would be a delight if the failure rate in mathematics in the public examinations reduces next year based on the strategies arrived at the conference.”

The conference chairman and Director-General, National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Abuja, Prof. A. R. T. Solarin, said mathematics is the bedrock of life, which is a most basic requirement for pupils, urging teachers to remove pupils’ phobia for Mathematics.

Represented by NMC Deputy Director, Prof. Peter Onumanyi, he assured the association of the centre’s continued support.

Solarin announced scholarships and awards worth N18 million to

promote the study of mathematics. He also announced the distribution of mathematics textbooks after the conference.

Earlier, MAN President Prof.

Uche Agwagah, said mathematical education would enhance citizens’ capacity to tackle national challenges. She urged members of the association to make useful contributions to the conference.

Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Saka Onimago, said the conference would provide opportunity to refocus on data gathering for development. The governor charged teachers to make mathematics and statistics more appealing to students.

Peacock College gets accreditation

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•The participants during one of their presentations

Pupils excel at South African festival contest

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UPILS of St. Jude’s Private School, FESTAC Town, Lagos, have emerged winners at this year’s International Marimba and Steelpan Festival in South Africa.

The Proprietress of the school, Mrs Ijeoma Jato, made this known in Lagos.

She said the 16 pupils that represented Nigeria beat their contemporaries from about 71 other educational institutions in the Steelpan category of the musical competition held in Johannesburg earlier this month.

Mrs Jato said the school also

By Adegunle Olugbamila

emerged third in the ‘’Battle of the Bands’ (High School: Small Ensemble) as well as won an award for the band that travelled the longest distance.

Jato noted that the pupils, who were the only contingent from West Africa, qualified for the competition by excelling at the Nigerian Junior Steelpan competition held on November last year.

According to her, Nigerian Junior Steelpan Competition is being or-

ganised by the Steelband Panorama, Nigeria, headed by Chief Bowie. S. Bowie.

She said the International Marimba and Steelpan Festival in South Africa was organised by Education Africa, headed by Mrs Joan Lithgow.

Jato added that the school’s drummer and guitar player won the best player’s award with a cash award of 3,000 Rand. The proprietress said there were about 220 song performances at the competition, adding that schools from Zimbabwe, Botswana, France, Lesotho, among other coun-

tries participated.

She said St. Jude’s participants presented Nigeria’s P-Square’s ‘Chop My Money’, Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ and South Africa’s Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s ‘Uquombothi’ at the competition.

She said the school was committed to developing students’ potential to enable them to contribute meaningfully to societal development.

She noted that many Nigerian children were talented and needed development through quality education.

HE Chairman, Governor Board of Peacock College UK, Chief Olusegun Phillips, said it is important for institutes of learning to position themselves towards imparting knowledge needed by professionals to achieve and sustain excellent practices.

In a statement, the college said Phillips spoke shortly after the college received the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certification.

The college got the CPD accreditation just as it concluded its affiliation to ISA Education.

Phillips was quoted as saying that the two accreditations had positioned and empowered the college to continuously upgrade professionals throughout their life careers.

“CPD is becoming increasingly more mandatory in professional career development and it varies significantly to suit various business and individual requirements,” he said.

The certification of the college, according to him, will boost its commitment to the upgrading of professionals through effective academic and professional programmes.

“The CPD membership is another step in further enhancing professional trainings offered by the college. With the changing labour market and new legislations coming from the European Union Commission regarding professional development and training, Peacock College UK sees the certification as a great boost,’’ he added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

48

EDUCATION Don laments bad education system

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•From left: Vice President, KCOBA Rotimi Aladesanmi; Okumagba; Oshunniyi and General Secretary Lucky Idike, at the briefing.

APC, PDP chiefs for King’s College anniversary lecture

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HE Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun, and his counterpart in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, will tell Nigerians their parties’ vision for education in Nigeria at the King’s College anniversary lecture scheduled to hold Thursday next week at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The lecture is one of the weeklong programme to commemorate the college’s 105th anniversary.

Mr Albert Okumagba, Chairman, King’s Week Committee, said in an interview that the lecture was an effort by the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) to bring educational issues to the front burner, especially as the 2015 general elections are near.

He added that the lecture, which would be chaired by Chief Philip Asiodu, would also have a nine-member panel, including Frank Nweke Jnr’ former minister of information; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, founder, Trinity House, and Toyosi Akerele.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

“As we run up to the general elections in 2015, this lecture offers a formidable platform for the leading parties to showcase their parties’ vision for education in Nigeria. This is in consonance with our commitment to the unity of Nigeria and our desire to raise the quality of public discourse around key issues as we approach 2015,” Okumagba said.

‘As we run up to the general elections in 2015, this lecture offers a formidable platform for the leading parties to showcase their parties’ vision for education in Nigeria. This is in consonance with our commitment to the unity of Nigeria and our desire to raise the quality of public discourse around key issues as we approach 2015’

Dr Leke Oshunniyi, Vice-President of KCOBA, added that this is not the first time the school would host both parties. Last year, he said Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, an APC State, and Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River, a PDP state, discussed education issues at the Founder’s Day lecture.

The King’s Week will also feature the Founder’s Day dinner, which Oshunniyi said would be graced by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, an old boy of the college on Saturday September 20.

The launch of The Centenary Book, a documenting 100 years of the college and the introduction of the Floreat Fund, a N1 billion endowment fund to improve the school will take place during the dinner.

Other events lined up for the anniversary include a novelty match between KCOBA and Queen’s College Old Girls’ Association on September 17, Jumat Service (September 19), and a thanksgiving service/Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 21.

Sultan advises old students on alma mater

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LD students have been urged to remember their alma maters through contributions, a step which will further encourage rapid development of their schools.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III gave the advice when members of the Federal Government College, Sokoto Old Boys Association visited him.

“No gesture is too small or too big for the development of the sector in that direction.

“What matters is the spirit of giving and we should all imbibe it,” he said.

Abubakar said efforts by the

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

government to fund education should be complemented by all well-meaning and high-heeled Nigerians.

“The era when the funding of the (education) sector and the general infrastructural development of schools at all levels should be left to government alone is gone. The three tiers of government are trying their best in this direction in spite of the various sectors competing with their various financial challenges.”

He equally admonished the former students look take a cue from his gesture to his alma mater-

Barewa College, Zaria.

“This was what I did in my former school, Barewa College, Zaria. I single-handedly constructed a new multipurpose hall and a principal’s office, there. We should all strive to pay back to our former schools as they laid the solid foundation for our lives,” he urged.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Emir of Bungudu in Zamfara State, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, told Abubakar that their visit to him was to pay homage and seek his fatherly prayers.

He further praised Abubakar for his efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and unity in Nigeria and beyond.

DON has attributed the problems facing the nation to bad education system.

Uthman Ibraheem of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, said this during the 2013/2014 Recognition Day and third Biennial Role Model Award of Mimbar Children School in Ibadan.

He said it was the bad system that breeds bad leaders, adding that the country needs sound education system to move forward and compete favourably with other developing nations.

According to him, a sound education system would inculcate good moral behaviour in children and make them better citizen and leaders.

He urged parents not to compromise sound education for their wards by enrolling them in schools that combine both religious teaching with western education.

Ibrahim enjoined governments to provide incentives for both Christian and Muslim teachers in public schools so they can inculcate the fear of God in the pupils.

On the occasion, a posthumous Role Model award was given to the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao for his contributions to the three core values of the school - knowledge, faith and leadership.

Receiving the award on behalf of

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

the family, Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Alhaji Umar Alao, thanked Mimbar Children School for deeming it fit to honour his father, for his contribution to the development of humanity.

Alao said the award was an inspiration for the Arisekola’s family to continue to toe the philanthropic line of their late father.

Alao urged Nigerians to impact positively on people while alive and leave a good legacy that people would remember even after their death just like Arisekola-Alao did while alive.

Director of Mimbar Children School, Mr AbdulSalam Akinlabi, said the award was given every two years based on the past contribution of any individual to the society and education in particular.

Akinlabi said Arisekola-Alao had contributed immensely to knowledge, faith and leadership, urging people to emulate him.

Other highlights of the event include prizes given to both outstanding pupils and teachers of the school.

The first role model award was given to the late Secretary-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr AbduLateef Adegbite in 2010 and another University of Lagos don Prof Saidat Mabadeje in 2012.

Dufil donates cash, items to LEARN

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UFIL Prima Foods, Plc, makers of noodles, Indomie Instant Noodles, has donated educational materials and cash to the Lagos Empowerment and Resource Network (LEARN), an initiative of Lagos State First Lady, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola.

Speaking, during the presentation of the items and cash donation at Iponri Junior High School, the Public Relations Officer and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, said the firm’s seven years’ partnership with LEARN was in line with its support for activities that build, empower and keep the nations young ones busy.

The company places high priority on the educational development of the child, adding that quality education should not elude them.

Ashiwaju commended Mrs Fashola for the noble initiative that has helped children, developed academically during their long summer holiday by equipping them with moral, societal values and knowledge instead of being idle as these value systems will positively impact their lives.

He advised pupils to value the knowledge gained through the LEARN initiative because it could not be quantified. He enjoined the pupils to note that hard work is vital to their success which could be attained only by facing their studies.

Project Manager LEARN, Mrs. Bisi Awoyomi, commended Dufil Prima Foods for its support to youths.

According to her, this shows the level of dedication and sense of duty, the company has continued to invest in the educational development of Nigerian youths over the years.

She continued: “This partnership has brought great level of excitement

and a source of inspiration like never seen before to the children with the various study materials and cash donated to the initiative not forgetting the consistent free lunch provided for the students on a daily basis at the centers.

She explained that the LEARN initiative came into existence as a result of the First Lady’s resolve to boost education in Lagos. Then, she said, her concern about young people was to prevent them from getting involved in social misdemeanors during summer holidays. Over the years, the initiative had been successful in molding and helping the pupils to channel their energy into positive and productive endeavours.

On the curriculum of the initiative, the manager explained that at its four centres, namely, Agboju centre, OkeIra centre, Abraham Adesanya centre and Iponri centre, the pupils were taught the virtues of dedication, moral values, leadership and the spirit of sportsmanship. They were also taught various vocational skills such as hair dressing, make-up, barbing, sewing, cooking, event decoration, and bead making, she added.

She challenged the pupils to make good use of the skills and knowledge acquired for their betterment.

A prize winner and pupil of Pacesetter Comprehensive College, Ashipa, Ibadan, Oyo State, Miss. Oboh Priscilia, thanked Dufil Prima Foods and the organisers for giving her the opportunity to attend the programme She noted that aside academic benefits, the bead making skills have impacted on her, adding that she has started making money.

‘Govt should provide more funds for public schools’

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HE Federal Government should increase its funding of public schools, the Proprietress of Dartforte International Schools, Lagos, Mrs Titilade Ijiwole, has said.

Speaking during a valedictory service of the school, Ijiwole said her position was hinged on her discovery that most parents find it difficult to send their wards to private schools because of financial challenges.

According to her, many Nigerians still need public schools because the fees charged by private schools may

By Oluwatosin Olawale

not be easy for some to pay. Private schools, she stressed, try to keep high standard by ensuring school environment and workers are well equipped.

“Quality education is expensive.

Many of the big private schools are not making so much money as people tend to assume. The cost of equipment, infrastructure, staff recruitment, training and development is not as cheap as people presume. In fact, it is not wrong to ask govern-

ment to support private schools too because it is done in Britain and other places,” she said.

She said the government should make quality education affordable for all citizens because this is vital for development.

Ijiwole added that Dartforte International Schools had just installed Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor movements around the school premises. She attributed the security measure put in place at the event to the security challenges facing the country.

After, excited pupils performed various cultural dances and songs, she said: “We want them to see Nigerian nationalities as one, Ijiwole explained. “It is important for the children to love the culture and tradition of people outside their own birth place. At Dartforte International Schools, we want our children to know, understand and appreciate our culture and tradition while at the same time we also expose them to latest developments in music, arts, science and technology from Europe and America.”

•Mrs Ijiwole

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

51

THURSDAY SEPTEM BER 11, 2014

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

LAGOS POLITICS Members of the Lagos House of Assembly have been unfolding their ambition for 2015 elections. The Speaker, Hon. Yemi Ikuforiji, wants to be governor. Some want to go to the National Assembly. Others are seeking re-election. Correspondent OZIEGBE OKOEKI writes on how far they can go.

• Ikuforiji

• Yishawu

• Taiwo

• Balogun

• Olulade

•Mrs Akinsola

• Mrs. Tejuoso

• Abiru

• Yusuf

• Alawiye-King

Lagos lawmakers and their 2015 ambition A

S preparations for next year’s general elections begin, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have returned to the drawing board. There are 40 lawmakers in the House. They are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). All of them have ambitions.

It is a one-party House. It remains to be seen, if the party can achieve this feat in next year’s polls.

Since the lawmakers belong to one party, the House has enjoyed harmony, peace and understanding. Issues that would ordinarily cause disharmony and friction are ironed out at the parliamentary caucus meeting.

Political observers are of the view that this oneparty structure of the House has contributed immensely to the progress and development of the state. But, many also believe that a lot of things may also have been buried in the cloak without the public being put in the know.

However, of the 40 members, 18 are doing their first term, 16 are enjoying second term, five are in their third term and one is doing his fourth term. That simply means that 22 out of 40 lawmakers are ranking members. Majority of them want to go to the National Assembly. The Speaker, Yemi Ikuforiji, has governorship ambition. Eighteen lawmakers in their first term are seeking re-election. These legislators believe they are still learning the ropes. Some of them hardly make contributions on the floor. When

they rise up to speak, it is to second motions.

Many of them are highly educated. The lawmaker from Amuwo-Odofin Constituency 1, Hon. Sultan Adeniji-Adele, is a lawyer. He is the youngest lawmaker in the House. But, he said he is still learning the process of law making.

Others, however, have given a very good account of themselves. Their brilliant contributions to debates at plenary sessions on regular basis stand them out in the crowd. In this category are Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2); Olumuyiwa Jimoh ( Apapa 2); Ladi Balogun (Ajeromi (Ifelodun 2); Segun Olulade (Epe 2); Abiodun Tobun Epe 1); Lanre Ogunyemi (Ojo 2); Hakeem Masha (Lagos Island 1); Oluyinka Ogundimu (Agege 2); Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 1); and Adebimpe Akinsola (Ikorodu 2) All the lawmakers have been exposed to series of trainings, locally and internationally. Under the leadership of Ikuforiji, training is a priority.

These trainings are beginning to impact on the performances of the lawmakers.

But, to retain their seats, they have to go through party primaries and general elections. They have started mobilising their constituents to support their aspiration.

Out of 22 ranking members, 16 have indicated intention to retain their seats. In this category are four out of the six principal officers. The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, who represents Ajeromi/Ifelodun 1, is doing a fourth

term. He is the longest serving member and the most experienced. He was elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, 2007 and 2011. If he comes back next year, he may become the Speaker.

The other three are the Majority Leader, Dr. Ajibayo Adeyeye (Kosofe 11); Chief Whip Hon. Abdur-razaq Balogun (Surulere 11) and Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Rotimi Abiru (Somolu 11), who is also believed to be eyeing the seat of the Speaker, if he is re-elected. Apart from Taiwo and Balogun, who is doing his third term, the other two have only won election into the House twice.

The remaining 12 Hon. Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1); Mufutau Egberongbe (Apapa 1); Wahab Alawiye King (Lagos Island 11); Mudasiru Obasa (Agege 1); Ipoola Omisore (Ifako Ijaiye 2); Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1); Saka Fafunmi (Ifako Ijaiye 1); and Omowunmi Olatunji-Edet (Oshodi-Isolo 11). Almost all the lawmakers in this category, apart from Hon. Sikiru Osinowo (Kosofe 1), who is doing his third term, are about to complete their second term.

Their argument is that they want to come back to perfect the art of lawmaking. For example, Agunbiade said that, because of his love for his constituents, he would not want to go to the National Assembly because it is too far.

“I want to be close to my people where they can reach me every day with their complaints and where I can also facilitate quick response to

their complaints. This I may not be able to do very well, if I am in Abuja where I would only have to come home once in a while. So, because of this, I want to come back here in 2015,”he said.

Six lawmakers want to move up the ladder.

Top on the list is Ikuforiji. He has served as the Speaker thrice. By the time he completes his third term next year, he would have spent 10 years as the Speaker without recording any major crisis in the House. Observers say this is a big plus for him. He is the longest serving Speaker in the country.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Lola Akande (Ikeja 11), who was re-elected in 2011, is eyeing the House of Representatives seat in Ikeja Constituency. Other House of Representatives aspirants include Hon. Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland 11); Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla (Mushin 11); Mrs. Adefunmilayo Tejuoso (Mushin 1) and Lawrence Ayeni (Oshodi-Isolo 1). While Ayinla and Tejuoso are about to complete their third term, Oshun and Ayeni are about to complete their second term.

To realise their ambition, they have some hurdles to cross. They must render their accounts of stewardship. They must also submit themselves to scrutiny and popularity test at primaries. At the general elections, they have their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challengers to contend with.

52

THE NATION THURSDAY SEPTEM BER 11, 2014

POLITICS Femi Agagu, younger brother of the former governor of Ondo State, the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on the legacies of the scholar, politician and administrator, who died on September 13, last year.

‘Agagu left indelible marks’ H

OW is life without Dr. Agagu in the last one year?

Obviously, we are missing him. But, of course, as Christians, we have taken solace in God that he left behind a good legacy.

What was your feeling when you heard about his death?

I was shocked because he just came back from overseas trip. We were together abroad for some days and he had a clean bill from his doctor. I didn’t expect that he would die so soon. And, of course, death does not make announcement when it will come.

What about the calamity that also befell the family when he was about to be buried?

It was a tragedy. But, God is the ultimate giver of life. Someone who is in his or her sitting room can die as well. When the plane crashed, some people died, others did not die. Everything is in the hands of God. There is nothing any man can do about death. I was at Akure Airport waiting for the body when we heard of what happened. We commiserated with the families of the people who died in the crash. It was an act of God, which nobody could control.

There was a prophecy that it would happen…

The people prophesying, what did they know about the plan concerning the burial? So, they knew there would be a lying-in-state in Akure? It was a state burial, which was being organised by the state government. There were just two of us in the family they involved.

They asked us to send two people, who represented the family. It was the government that arranged everything. They bought the casket, arranged the lying -in-state.

How did they know that the body was going to be flown? Did they prophesy anything about plane crash? I think we should all rise above this white garment church thing and those who want to play on the emotion of people. So, saying that we are too deep in our relationship with God for us not to take something seriously is out of place. Of course, in my own church, when anybody is doing anything, we always pray for the person that there should be journey mercy and nothing should happen. In my church, we had a vigil. That was not something we should be talking about here. If we want to do any major event, we pray. As Christians, that is what we should always do. But, for somebody to come up and say, I foresaw it is out of place.

There is the insinuation concerning the prophecy being taken seriously by some and neglected by others…

Those who said that are those who do not know God. The aircraft was hired by the state government in conjunction with the MIC. The two members of the family were flying the aircraft for the first time. It is God who guarantees safety. When you enter any aircraft, you are totally at the mercy of God. If the plane gets to

its destination, thank God for you.

Out of the four people, there were two that died. There were others that survived.

Is it not baffling that, a year after, nothing has been done to immortalise a man, who was a deputy governor, governor and minister?

Literally, I expect that there will be some reactions from the government, in term of immortalising him. Honestly, my consolation and that of the family is that he had immortalised himself while he was alive. When he was the deputy governor, he worked tirelessly to make Ondo State benefit from the derivation principle. That you cannot take away from him. When he was the Minister of Aviation; we had problems and issues with General Sani Abacha; but within one year, that he was Minister of Aviation, all the issues, like derivation, were resolved. The ban placed on our airports by America was lifted. Within that short period, there was an upsurge in our revenue generating capacity.

When he was governor, he ensured that all the primary schools in Ondo State benefited by, at least, a block of classrooms. He ensured that hospitals were working. He opened up roads to the riverine areas. He built the university, which nobody will take away from him.

He built a new stadium in Akure for the state. Even, if no structure is named after him, he will continually be in the memory of the people. Agagu worked for the good of the people.

What are the programmes that you are packaging for his first year anniversary?

We are trying to reflect on his personality, in what we are packaging. It is going to be a big event.

It will be graced by important dignitaries. We will have a reception at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, and because he was an intellectual, the event will reflect on this aspect.

And because of his passion for good governance, we have invited a man that is well known for good governance. A former President of Botswana will come and deliver the memorial lecture during the event. He was somebody who believed strongly in industrial development and he implemented policies that would eradicate poverty.

We are expecting the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, at the event.

How do you assess the Agagu factor in Ondo politics?

Dr. Agagu was a man of the peo-

• Agagu

ple. He contested election against Chief Adebayo Adefarati of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), which was quite popular then. He ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He urged the Yoruba to abandon a sectional party and join the mainstream. He knew quite well then that, with the circumstances on ground, a Yoruba man would eventually emerge as the President of Nigeria. Even with the hostile environment, he had 34 percent vote.

And immediately the result came out, he congratulated Chief Adefarati, just like Dr. Kayode Fayemi did to Mr. Ayo Fayose. He was lucky to be appointed as Minister later. He used his position as minister to help the people. When we had problem with electricity, he was able to get transformers for most communities in Ondo State.

By the time he came back and wanted to become the governor, he won over 70 per cent of the votes. He became more popular after he left office. It was after the people tested another government that they realised he was really concerned about the state.

After he left office as governor, he wanted to be a senator. Why was he not able to bounce back to reckoning?

I thank God for Nigeria. I thank Him for where our electoral process has taken us so far. Since the Ekiti election, we are beginning to witness a free and fair election. If the election, which Agagu contested, was like the one conducted in Ekiti or Osun, Agagu would have won by 70 or 80 per cent of the votes. What happened during that election is explained in the fact that he had left politics of the state for a while. Now, it is no longer your popularity that determines what you get at the election. The people who contested against

Agagu, if you put them side by side, they are poles apart. And, of course, Governor Olusegun Mimiko had made up his mind that he would work against Agagu. The results from Ilaje were mutilated to the extent that the margin they were looking for to catch up with Agagu was outnumbered. When the result was announced, the candidate of the the Labour Party won. The magic was between Mimiko and the INEC officials. He decided not to contest the result at the tribunal because it would be out of place.

He wanted to serve his people and he needed almost N1 billion to see the case through. That was why he did not contest it at the tribunal.

Would Agagu have made any difference, if he had been alive to witness the reconciliation in the PDP? That is going to be a difficult question for me to answer. From the matters that affect human being, it is difficult to predict what will happen, particularly when they are politicians. It is all about what do I get and who gets what. As long as there will be competition, there will always be defaults. At the end of the day, if you are familiar with the politics of the state, without Agagu, the people have virtually reconciled themselves. They have all now come to realise that they have been used. So, reconciliation is an on-going exercise and whether he would feel differently, I cannot determine that.

There is the misunderstanding between Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the Agagu family...

There was really no difference or issue between the family and the state government. The state government was behind the state burial and the family gave all the cooperation. I believe what happened after the plane crash led to whatever shortcomings. The government backed out in subsequent

‘Honestly, my consolation and that of the family is that he had immortalised himself while he was alive. When he was the deputy governor, he worked tirelessly to make Ondo State benefit from the derivation principle. That you cannot take away from him.

When he was the Minister of Aviation; we had problems and issues with General Sani Abacha; but within one year, that he was Minister of Aviation, all the issues, like derivation, were resolved’

events. The situation is really difficult to understand. There was the unfinished job of burying somebody and the family decided to finish the burial in a low key manner.

The main backer of the entire programme has backed out. The family believed they could not just leave the body and there was not going to be any major celebration.

In fact, I left the church with a team of people to commiserate with the families of others who lost their lives in the plane crash. We all went to Chief Olu Falae’s house right from the church to commiserate with him. So, there was no ceremony, except that the man deserved to be laid to rest. So, government was not patient enough to sit down with us, to go through all of these things. I don’t see that as disagreement.

When you worked under your brother as the Chief of Staff, people said power had been turned into family affairs in Ondo State.

How did you feel working under your brother?

It was a lot of pressure on me. If I was working for somebody else, maybe, I would not drive myself beyond certain limits. But, because I was working for him, it put a lot of pressure on me. And, of course, he was also a very committed person, even as governor, and the back stopped on his table. He was working almost 20 hours everyday.

And, if you are a chief of staff to a governor who was working almost every hour, that means you cannot sleep, when the governor has not slept. You must be awake before the governor wakes up. It was a lot of pressure on me.

When you review the life of your brother, what are the lessons you have learnt?

One major lesson that I have learnt from politics, contrary to the belief of people, is that politicians are bad people. I keep telling people that you can’t be a politician and give the people the best. The bad people in politics, who enjoy momentary advantages, do so temporarily. The advantages don’t last.

But, the good people who have participated in politics suffered adversity at the initial stage. In the final analysis, they come out stronger. Chief Obafemi Awolowo had a lot of adversities. He could not become the President. People who were less qualified got there.

But, as at today, his name is stronger than the names of those who became President. People like Bola Ige, Chief Michael Ajasin are names that people are still proud about in politics. They played politics in the proper way. Today, when you mention the names of politicians in Ondo State, Ajasin’s name is the best. Whereas, those who played dirty politics and may have acquired all they wanted, their records after they left government are nothing to cheer about. That is why somebody like me, with all the contacts and goodwill of my brother, people are saying why haven’t I contested election. I may not be too anxious to go for elective post. This is because of the competition going on and how people struggle to get to power. If I get to that position, I will behave exactly as my brother. I am not going to steal money and I will ensure that I serve the people to the best of my ability. If that is my mission, why would I have to go and amass N1 billion to go and run for election? Where will I get it back? Is it from the salary that I will earn as a governor? It was easier in their days. The election that my brother ran, when he talked about the money he spent, the money was not anything near what people give as gift.

What are the unfulfilled dreams of your brother?

He left some projects uncompleted. His dream for Ondo State was to transform it from agrarian to industrial. Ondo State has a strong economic base.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, LAGOS DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof.

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NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON: Adegoke Adio Bukola. Late of ICT Department, Redeemer's University, Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State. Who died intestate on the 21st day of September, 2013.

Matilda Adaeze Okoboshi. Late of Block 'A', 2nd Avenue, 202 Road, B Close, Flat 4, F.H.A. Complex, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of March, 2008.

Mr. Simeon Adeyinka Ajao. Late of 1, Dabara Street, Olowogbowo, Lagos Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 9th day of October, 2013.

Onyeador Thomas Chukwuemeka otherwise known as Tom Chuks Onyeador. Late of Amuvi Arochukwu in Arochukwu L.G.A of Abia State. Who died intestate on the 14th day of May, 1994.

Ejembi Christopher .Late of 27, Pipeline Street, Aboru Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 27th day of January, 2014.

Akindele Josephine. Late of Block 92, Flat 4, Adeniji Adele Estate, Phase 4, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 21st day of July, 2002.

Mrs. Gloria Nwogo Obijiofor. Late of 4, Onwufuju Street, isolo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of September, 2011.

Mrs. Racheal Nwangwu otherwise known as Racheal Nwachi Nwangwu. Late of 18, Olanrewaju Street, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 9th day of March, 2012.

Mr. Ndekile John. Late of 8, Okonji Street, Agodo, EgbeIkotun. Who died intestate on the 8th day of August, 2013.

Late Mrs. Lilian Olujare Oshunloye otherwise known as Olujare Oshunloye. Late of Plot 30, Robert Street, Magodo, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 7th day of September, 2011.

Vera Chukwu otherwise known as Chukwu Vera Ikori. Late of 22, George Tiene Street, Abolu, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of April, 2014.

Sanusi Lawal. Late of 8, Raji Abayomi Street, Oshodi. Who died intestate on the 8th day of March, 2014.

Nwabueze Juliana. Late of 6, Philips Udi Street, Langbasa , Ibeju Lekki, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 27th day of April, 1999.

Mojisola Oyinade Ogunsanya. Late of 31, Adeyemi Lawson, Ikoyi, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of March, 2014.

Adebanjo Gilbert Sunday. Late of 21, Irone Avenue, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of February, 2004.

Ubong Ita Umoh. Late of Block 24, Flat 2, NTA Channel, 10 Tejusho, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of March, 2011.

Olufunke Babatola otherwise known as Ms Funke Babatola. Late of 34, Gbajumo Crescent, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of January, 2014.

Mr. Nwangbo John. Late of 5, Ikali Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of July, 2013.

Adelere Ademola. Late of 1B, Remi Omoniyi Crescent, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 5th day of February, 2013.

Bisong James. Late of 37, Oduguwa Street, Ladi-Lak, Bariga, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 27th day of June, 2013.

Charles Nnamdi Emodi otherwise known as Akunnia Emodi. Late of 114A, Association Avenue, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 6th day of August, 2010.

Eshinloku Anif otherwise known as Sheikh Hamzat Islamiyyah School and Aneef Tijani Masha. Late of 20/22, Ojo Giwa Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of April, 2013.

Mrs. Olatoyosi Funmilayo otherwise known as Olatoyosi Funmilayo Florence. Late of No. 2, Alhaji Safinat Street, Ira Quarters, Ojo Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of September, 2013.

Yekini Ibrahim. Late of 10, Eid Street, Oke Balogun, Epe, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of March, 2014.

Jinadu Yahaya Arowolo. Late of 64, Kano Street, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 21st day of May, 2011.

Uzor Banjoko Ambross. Late of 12, Hawley Street, Lagos island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of May, 2011.

Okunyade Adedewe Agbeke. Late of 29, Doherty Street, Oke-Arim, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of August, 2003.

Alhaji Hammed Akinbami. Late of 57, Ibafon Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 1st day of October, 2004.

Ogunjimi Olalekan Fasasi. Late of No. 29, Oluye, Street, Ogijo Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of August, 2012 at Lagos.

Ohaerisim Thankgod Chinedu. Late of Umualughere, UmuakuUli, Iniala L.G.A Anambra State. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of January, 2010 .

Fasuyi Olatunde. Late of No. 29A, Abba Johnson, Ikeja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 5th day of September, 2011 at Lagos.

Osasona Oluyori. Late of No. 2, General Hospital By Pass Iye , Ekiti State. Who died intestate on the 29th day of October, 2012 at General Hospital, iye Ekiti State.

Murisiku Goriola Lawal. Late of No. 13, Dothety Street, Oke-Arin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 21st day of May, 2011.

Raheem Shakirudeen. Late of No. 4, WasilatAdaranijo Street, Oloshin Otta, Ogun State. Who died on the 29th day of March, 2013.

Miss Nora Chieme Orji otherwise known as Miss Nora Orji. Late of 23 Road, H Close, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of February, 2012.

Mr. Adetokunbo Jokotola otherwise known as Adetokunbo Adeleke Jokotola.. Late of No. 4, Akinwunmi Street, Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of October, 2013.

Mr. Innocent Chima Okeye otherwise known as Dozer Wellas Ventures. Late of No. 12, Asiri Akofa Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of June, 2011 at Lagos.

Ekpo Denis otherwise known as Ekpo Denis Sabastine. Late of No. 78, kano Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of June, 2014 at Lagos.

Mr. Igbokwe Lawrence otherwise known as Igbokwe Lawrence Obioma.Late of No. 6, Jerusalem Avenue, Shasha Akowonjo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 3rd day of July, 2008.

Okeke Christian Nnamdi otherwise known as John cross Somto Chukwu. Late of 711 Road, D Close, House 10, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of April, 2013.

Mrs. Olufunke Ogunsanya. Late of 26, Patey Street, Lagos island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of October, 2006 at Lagos.

Duke Henry Oghiakhe. Late of No. 3, Okanu Close, Oke - Afa, Isolo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of September, 2013.

Ologolo Wosilat otherwise known as Ologolo Wosilat Olushola. Late of No. 18, Aderinto Street, Ogba, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of April, 2012 at Lagos.

Oyedokun Samuel Ayowole. Late of No. 14, Bolaji Taylor Street, Haruna Off College Road, IfakoAgege, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of December, 2012 at Abeokuta.

Babatunde Oke otherwise known as Oke Tunde. Late of No. 24, Adeyemi Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of May, 2002 at Lagos.

Arogunmati Grace Omotayo. Late of No. 1, Oyinda Arogunmati Close, Pasheda Awoyaya. Who died intestate on the 18th day of August, 2014.

Ajayi Omoniyi. Late of 7, Fatimoh Street, Ikotun, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of July, 2012.

Dr. Bello Alaba. Late of Aduragbemi Villa, Losoro Lakwe, Ibeju, lekki, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of March, 2011.

Mr. Felix George. Late of 18, Ebun Oluwa Street, Bariga, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of April, 2013.

Miss Momoh Aminat. Late of 24, Musibau Street, Ago Okota, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 27th day of June, 2011.

Mr. Ishola Aderemi Mojid. Late of No. 7, New-System Lane, Ilado-Badagry, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of May, 2013.

Keazor Alexander K. otherwise known as Alexander kayode keazor. Late of Aige Road, Ogijo. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of February, 2012.

Eyisi Chukwudi. Late of 22, Road, I Close, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of February, 2013.

Besidonne Mathew otherwise known as Boredon& Partners. Late of 62, Akerele Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of June, 2004.

Onyegirigwam Dominic Obiefule. Late of 5, Shoneye Street, Oshodi. Who died intestate on the 11th day of June, 2012.

Madam Ajibola Adetoro. Late of B2/9, FHE, Ita Elega Abeokuta, Ogun State. Who died intestate on the 6th day of December, 2013.

Mr. Adesunloye Gilbert Adeleke. Late of 1, Adesunloye Compound, Imoru, Ondo State. Who died intestate on the 4th day of July, 2009.

Omofe Sunday otherwise known as Sunday Olubunmi Omofe. Late of 7, Hanng New Extention, G.R.A., Zaria, Kaduna State. Who died intestate on the 12th day of February, 2013.

Mrs. Olasunkan Abby Adedeji (Nee Ogunniyi).Late of 19, Lateef Onigemo Street, Gbagada, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of February, 2008.

Mr. Lasisi Muslim otherwise known as Oladele.Late of 94, Water Works Road, Shagamu, Ogun State. Who died intestate on the 13th day of August, 2013.

Daniel Odaffe Emukfoeruo. Late of 7, Pipeline, Ebute Ayo, IlaraOgijo. Who died intestate on the 29th day of April, 2013.

Habila Esther(Ms) otherwise known as Esther Habila Nyam. Late of Room 5, Obalende Police Barracks, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 21st day of March, 2014 Osagie Akahomen Mathew. Late of 19, Agbomalu Court, Lagos Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 28th day of June, 2014.

Aderogba Adeleke Patrick. Late of 93B, New Ipaja Road, Alimosho, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of November, 2013.

Mrs. Adeola Odogun. Late of 20, Eyo Street, Palm-groove, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of February, 2012.

Mr. Samson Ukpa. Late of No. 42, Rotimi Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of January, 2011.

Mrs. Esther Odugbo. Late of Block 9, Flat 1, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Ejigbo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 12th day of December, 2013 at Lagos.

Babayeju Bode otherwise known as Samuel Oyebode. Late of No. 92, Odunfa Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of November, 2008 at Lagos.

Catherine Osuji. Late of No. 16, Jatto Street, Off Olanrewaju Street, Okokomaiko, Ojo Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of January, 2014 at Lagos.

Oyemade Festus otherwise known as Mr. Oyemade Festus.Late of No. 17, Adanlawo Street, Elemi Ijaye Close, Etegbin. Who died intestate on the 2nd day of March, 2014 at Etegbin.

Giwa Modupe Haisat. Late of No. 76, Glover Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 5th day of June, 2013 at Lagos.

Simon Chiwendu otherwise known as Simon Chiwendu (Nee Onwueyi). Late of 13, Babalola Street, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died on the 17th day of July, 2013 at Lagos.

Nwoye Godwin Christian Okwudili. Late of No. 1, Kola Rewire Street, Ejigbo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of April, 2011 .

James Nwakanma otherwise known as Nwakanma James Chidi. Late of Ogombo Police Divisional, Headquarters, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 2nd day of May, 2013.

Ogunmuyiwa Ajibola otherwise known as Ogunmuyiwa Veronica Ajibola. Late of 6, Iyero Lane, Apapa Road, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of September, 2008.

Asuquo Effiong Eton. Late of Block 13, Flat 3, Gams Village. Who died intestate on the 15th day of April, 2006.

CPl Jonathan Allison (F/No. 445133) otherwise known as Jonathan Allison Thomas. Late of 17, Makarious Street, Ajah, Lagos.

Who died intestate on the 9th day of February, 2014.

Mr. Babatunde Saliu Alayaki. Late of No. 21, Oyedele Street, EgbeIkotun, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of October, 2011 at Lagos.

S/N NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT 1. Mr. Kayode Adegoke and Mrs. Gloria Ogwu Adegoke. Both of ICT Department, Redeemer's Univeristy Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State. Brother and widow to the deceased.

2. Chinedu Uche Okoboshi and Ikemefuna Awele Okoboshi. Both of Block A, 2nd Avenue, 200 Road, B Close, Flat 4, F.H.A Festac Town Lagos. Two of the children to the deceased.

3. Joyce Abosede Ajao and Adetomi Ajao. Both of 1, Dabara Street, Olowogbowo, Lagos Island, Lagos.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

4. Alexander Chukwemeka Onyeador and Martin Chukwudi Onyeador. Both of 29, Balarabe Musa Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Children to the deceased.

5. Mr. Ejembi Emmanuel and Mr. Ejembi Augustine of 27, Pipeline Street, AboruIyanaIpaja and 44, Surulere Street, Iyanaoworo, Lagos.

Two of the children to the deceased.

6. Mr. Augustine Akinbode Akindele and Mr. Joseph Adedayo Akindele. Both of Block 92, Flat 4, Adeniji Adele Estate, Phase4, Lagos.

Children to the deceased.

7. Emmanuel Obijiofor and Chindimma Obijiofor (Miss).Both of 4, Onwufuju Street, Isolo, Lagos.Widower and daughter to the deceased.

8. Mr. Uba Nwangwu and Mr. Ifeanyi Emendu. Both of 18, Olanrewaju Street, Akoka. Widower and Nephew to the deceased.

9. Mercy Ndekile, Chidera Ndekile and Ngozi Ndekile. All of 8, Okonji Street, AgodoEgbe, Ikotun. Widow and children to the deceased.

10. Olanrewaju Oshunloye and Abiodun Omisore. Both of Plot 30, Robert Street, Magodo, Lagos. Widower and brother to the deceased.

11. Mr. Stanley Chukwu Ogbonaya and Mr. Jasper Obi Ewuzie. Both of 22, George Tiene Street, Abolu, Lagos.Widower and brother.

12. Ayoola Rasaq Sanusi, Abayomi Lateef Sanusi, Ademola Waheed Sanusi and Kayode Akeem Sanusi. All of 8, Raji Abayomi Street, Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos. Four of the children to the deceased.

13. Nwabueze Emmanuel Chukuka and Nwabueze Williams Nnamdi. Both of 6, Philips Udi Street, Langbasa Ibeju, Lekki. Widower and son to the deceased.

14. Adewunmi Ogunsanya, Adebusola Ogunsanya, Fuad Ogunsanya and Oluwafadekemi Ogunsanya.All of 31, Adeyemi Lawson, Ikoyi Lagos.Widower and children to the deceased.

15. Abosede Grace Adebanjo and Abosede Olaide Adebanjo.Both of 21, Irone Avenue, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

16. Mrs. Grace U. Umoh and Ms. Ema Umoh. Both of Block 24, Flat 2, N.T.A Channel 10, Tejuosho, Yaba. Widow and sister.

17. Mrs. Olasunmbo Adelakun and MsTolulope Okpaise.Both of 34, Gbajumo Crescent, Surulere, Lagos.Sisters to the deceased.

18. Mr. Cypril Nwangbo and Mr. Simeon Ejike.Both of No. 1, Rowland Street, Alakuko, Lagos. Brothers to the deceased.

19. Adelere Folashade and Adelere Adedamola. Both of 1B, Remi Omoniyi Crescent, Odogunyan.Widow and son to the deceased.

20. Mrs. Nora Ann Bisong and Mr. John Oyen Bisong. Both of 37, Oduguwa Street, Ladi-lak, Bariga Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

21. Mr. Charles Nnamdi Emodi Junior,Miss Stephine Obiageli Emodi and Mr. Nigel Odiatu Emodi. All of 114A, Association Avenue, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos. Three of the children to the deceased.

22. Masha Folashade Temitope and Masha Yetunde Omowunmi. Both of 20/22, Ojo Giwa Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

23. Mr. Olatoyosi Babatunde Gabriel and Mrs. Olufemi Abiba Abigail (Nee Safinat).Both of 2, Alhaji Safinat Street, Ira Quarters, Ojo Lagos. Children to the deceased.

24. Mrs. JelinaYekini and Mr. Yekini Samson Kunle.Both of 10, Eid Street, OkeBalogun, Epe, Lagos.Widow and son to the deceased.

25. Mrs. Sidikat Jinadu and Miss Karimot Mosunmola Jinadu.Both of 8, Gambari Street, Lagos.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

26. Uzor Oluwatoyin Mutiat and Uzor Oluwasegun. Both of 12, Hawley Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased.

27. Miss Jegede Opeoluwa Adewunmi, Mrs. Victoria Adebowale Akinola and Mrs. Elizabeth Adedamola Babalola.All of 11, Oladunjoye Street, Olota, Abule-Egba, Lagos. Daughter and sisters.

28. Mrs. Basirat Edozien, Mrs. Khadijat Balogun and Mr. Segun L. Akinbami of 57, Ibafen Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, Memudu Street, Coker, Orile, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

29. Titilayo Ogunjimi, Oladimeji Ogunjimi, Mr. Teju Ogunjimi and Mrs. Olubunmi Wole Sowole. All of No. 15, Kafayat Abdurasaq Street, Lekki, Lagos. Widow, Son, and Brother to the deceased.

30. Ohaerisim Judith Chinyere, Demian Iloduba of Miracle Anglican Church, Umueze OtutuIniala L.G.A , Anambra State and No. 95, Oshodi Road, Oshodi Isolo, L.G.A, Lagos. Junior sister and cousin to the deceased.

31. Mrs. Fasuyi Modinat Abike, Mr. Fasuyi Olufemi Gbolabo, Mr. Fasuyi Oluwatoyin Ayodeji, Mr. Fasuyi Oluwafisayo Olayiwola. All of No. 74, Legacy Road, Ayobo, Ipaja, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased.

32. Toyin Osasona and Eyitope David Aina of No. 156, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos and Dapo Olubi Street, Surulere, Lagos.

Widow and cousin to the deceased.

33. Lawal Silifat Alaba and Lawal Morufat. Both of No. 13, Dothety Street, Oke-Arin, Lagos.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

34. Raheem Afusat Omowunmi and Raheem Khadijat Omolara.Both of No. 4, Wasilat Adaranijo Street, OloshinOtta, Ogun State. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

35. Mrs. Chioma M. Osuagwu and Mr. Sunday Orji. Both of 23 Road, H Close, House 3, Festac Town, Lagos. Elder sister and brother to the deceased.

36. Mrs. Tope Jokotola and Mr. Sanyaolu. Both of No. 4, Akinwunmi Street, Ifako Gbagada, Lagos. Widow and family friend to the deceased.

37. Chinwendu Stephine Okeke and Miss Amaka Ethel Okeke. Both of No. 12, Asiri Akofa Street, Aguda Surulere, Lagos. Widow and sister to the deceased.

38. Ekpo Grace Denis ,EkpoMfon and Obong Denis. All of No. 78, Kano Street, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

39. Mrs. Bridget Orienma Igbokwe and Mr. Chukwudi Justin Igbokwe. Both of No. 6, Jerusalem Avenue, Shasha Akowonjo, Lagos.

Widow and son to the deceased.

40. Mrs. Lynda Nonyelum Okeke and Sophia Somkenechi Okeke. Both of 711 Road, D Close, House 10, Festac, Town Lagos.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

41. Adekunle Ogunsanya and Olanrewaju Abayomi Keshinro. Both of No. 26, Patey Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

42. Mrs. Nkiru Oghiakhe and Mr. Thankgod Iyemiake. Both of No. 3, Okanu Close, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos.Widow and cousin to the deceased.

43. Salako Adenrele and Mrs. Munirat Omolara Olatunji.Both of No. 18, Aderinto Street, Ogba, Lagos.Widower and aunty to the deceased.

44. Adedamola Ayodele Oyedokun and Mrs. Oluwakemi Adebola Oyedokun of No. 23, Coker Street, Agege, Lagos, and No. 14, Bolaji Tailor Street, Haruna, Off College Road, Ifako Agege, Lagos. Son and widow to the deceased.

45. Mrs. Beatrice Hart and Daniel Osademe. Both of No. 24, Adeyemi Street, Surulere, Lagos. Sister and brother to the deceased.

46. Arogunmati Joseph Oyindamola and Abiola Olubusola Arogunmati. Both of No. 1, Oyinda Arogunmati Close, Pasheda Awoyaya, Lagos. Widower and daughter to the deceased.

47. Ajayi Ester Oluwafunmilayo and Ajayi Oluwaseyi Joshua. Both of 26, Kolawole Street, Isuti Road, Egan, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

48. Mrs. Oluyemi Bello and Mrs. Olaoluwa Olawunmi of Aduragbemi Villa, Losoro, Lakwe, Lagos and Isawo Road, AgricIkorodu, Lagos.

Widow and relation to the deceased.

49. Mrs. Nimota George and Mr. Olarotimi Ishola George of No. 18, EbunOluwa Street, Bariga, Lagos and 5, Akinsmart Street, Odonla, Ikorodu, Lagos. Widow and Nephew.

50. Mrs. Sikirat Adesanya and Engr. Ibrahim Adeku. Both of 27, Omitamu Street, Idi-Era, Ojo Lagos. Sister and cousin to the deceased.

51. Mrs. Julian Ishola Bosede and Miss. Mary. O. Ishola. Both of 7, New-system Lane, Ilado, Badagry.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

52. Felicia Omotoke Keazor and Franklin Olaoluwa Keazor. Both of Aige Road, Ogijo. Widow and son to the deceased.

53. Mrs. Patricia N. Eyisi and Chukwudike .J. Eyisi. Both of 22 Road, I Close, Festac Town, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased.

54. Mr. Badamosi BesidonneTosan, Mr. Besidonne Raymond Oriste gbugbemi and Mr. Besidonne Andrew Utienyinshola all of 3, Kadiri Street,Off Cleff Surulere, Lagos . Three of the children to the deceased.

55. Onyegirigwam Damian Emeka and Onyegirigwam Raymond Chukwudi. Both of 5, Shoneye Street, Oshodi. Children to the deceased.

56. Bukola Kusoro ( Nee Adenekan) and AdenekanAdesola of B 2/9, Federal Housing Estate, ItaElega, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and 979, Abeokuta Lagos Express Road, Ajegunle, Alagbado. Children to the deceased.

57. Joseph JuwonAdesunloye and Mrs. Matilda Adesunloye.Both of Oghenjode Close, Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.Widow and son to the children.

58. Mrs. Olayemi Christy Sunday Omofe and Divine Wonder Omofe. Both of 1st Avenue, D-Close, Plot 420, Gwarinpa Housing Estate, F.C.T. Abuja.Widow and daughter to the deceased.

59. Emmanuel Adebayo Adedeji and David Olasunkanmi Adedeji. Both of 19, LateefOnigemoIfako, Gbagada, Lagos. Widower and son to the deceased.

60. Mrs. Taibat Labeke Lasisi and Mrs. Latifat Kazeem of 94, Water Works Road, Shagamu and 34, Balogun Street, Shomolu, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

61. Mrs. Felicia Emukpoeruo and Mr. Christopher Emukpoeruo.Both of Pipeline Ebute Ayo, IlaraOgijo.Widow and son to the deceased.

62. Rev. John Ashom Nyam and Miss Abus Habila Nyam. Both of Block 34, Flat 5, Obalende Police, Lagos. Brother and sister to the deceased.

63. Osagie Ayehenre Peter and Osagie O. Michael. Both of 9, Ososa Street, Off MiyakiOworonshoki.Children to the deceased.

64. Aderogba Adeola Oluwakemi and Florence Aderogba (Mrs.).both of 93B, New Ipaja Road, Alimosho, Lagos. Daughter and mother to the deceased.

65. Mr. Olusegun Okunuga and Mr. Adekunle S. Gisanrin .Both of 20, Eyo Street, Palm-Grove, Somolu, Lagos. Elder brother and cousin to the deceased.

66. Anthonia Ukpa and Eyo Akpandem Eyo of No. 42, Rotimi Street, Surulere, Lagos and No. 51, Fashoro Street, Surulere, Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased.

67. Miss Patience Odugbo and Miss Jessica Odugbo. Both of Block 9, Flat 1, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Ejigbo, Lagos. Children to the deceased.

68. Mrs. Bode Babayeju and Folashade Babayeju. Both of No. 92, Odunfa Street, Lagos.Widow and one of the children to the deceased.

69. Mrs. Chinoye Patience Osuji and Chima Kenedy Osuji of No. 16, Jatto Close, Off Olanrewaju Street, Okokomaiko Ojo, Lagos and No. 5, Amosu Street, Orile, Lagos. Daughter and cousin to the deceased.

70. Pastor Oluseye Oyeniran and Miss Abidemi Oyemade of No. 15, Etegbin Road, Sibiri, Lagos and No. 17, Adanlawo Street, Elemi Ijaye, Etegbin. Uncle and daughter to the deceased.

71. Mr. Olatunji Agbabiaka and Mrs. Bunmi Al-Muruf. Both of No. 71, Tokunboh Street, Lagos.Children to the deceased.

72. Chika Simon and Clement Onwueyi. Both of No. 13, Babalola Street, OjomoAjegunle, Kosofe, Lagos.Widower and brother to the deceased.

73. Angus Osondu Nwoye and Dr. Ngozi Uju Nwoye.Both of No. 68, Samuel Ekunola Street, Okota, Lagos. Brother and sister in-law to the deceased.

74. Mrs. Njideka Nwakanma and Chinonso Nwakanma. Both of Block 2, Flat 7, Sandgrose, Police Barracks, Lagos island, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased.

75. Mrs. Damilola Oladunjoye and Miss Bunmi Oladunjoye. Both of No. 6, Iyero Lane, Apapa Road, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Sisters to the deceased.

76. Bassey Asuquo Eton and Effiong Asuquo Eton. Both of Block 13, Flat3, Games Village, Lagos.Two of the children to the deceased.

77. Mr. Chomo Salomi Allison and Mr. Thomas Kim Allison.Both of 17, Makarious Street, Ajah, Lagos.Widow and brother to the decease.

78. Suliat Oriyomi Alayaki, Aminat Ololade Alayaki and Sikiratu Alayaki.All of No. 21, Oyedele Street, EgbeIkotun, Lagos.Widow, daughter and mother to the deceased.

I.O.AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

55

NATURAL HEALTH THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

NAFDAC warned against unregistered products

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•Collaboration with orthodox medicine practitioners underway

HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged traditional medicine practitioners to register their herbal products “in accordance with its drugs and related products” registration guidelins or face the music.

Its Director-General (DG), Dr Paul Orhii, said regulation is pertinent to ensuring that only quality, safe and effective herbal medicines are available to consumers.

Orhii spoke at this year’s African Traditional Medicine Day (ATMD), with the theme: “Collaboration between traditional medicine practitioners and conventional medicine practitioners”.

Orhii said adequate regulation would aid the integration of complementary and alternative medicine into the country’s health care system. “Besides, the agency is in constant discussion with stakeholders to ensure compliance,” he stated.

He further said: “Unpatriotic Nigerians who continue to engage in illegal advertisement of their products and those making false claims not evaluated by NAFDAC should desist from acts misleading the unsuspecting public. I want to warn and inform them that NAFDAC would deal decisively with anyone found to contravene.”

The DG, represented by the agency’s Director of Laboratory Services, Mrs Stella Denloye, said there are established standards and guidelines for regulating herbal medicine products, which is being implemented by the agency in collaboration with stakeholders.

According to him, a National Committee has been established to advise the agency on herbal medicinal products.

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By Wale Adepoju

Moreover, the World Health Organisation new strategy on Traditional Medicine (TM) focused on three sectors: “To build the knowledge base around traditional medicine and Complementary medicine (TM and CM) through appropriate national policies. The role and potential of TM and CM cannot be over-emphasised. There is the need to strengthen the knowledge base, build evidence and sustain resources.

“Also, it is to strengthen quality assurance, safety assurance, proper use and effectiveness of TM and CM by regulating these products, practice and practitioners. Globally, there is increased focus on regulation. TM practitioners need to appreciate the role and importance of regulation.

“It is also to promote the universal health coverage by integrating TM and CM services, appropriately. Self health-care is fast becoming a way of life. It is, therefore, necessary for consumers of TM and CM to be empowered to make informed choices about self healthcare, especially for those that self-medicate with herbal medicine products.

He said Expert Committee on Verification of claims by herbal practitioners has been established, adding that eight products have so far been approved for verification exercise.

He said: “About 80 per cent of the population in developing countries and Africa use traditional medicine (TM) for their primary health care (PHC) needs.

“Despite this high patronage, TM is often stigmatised by the practitioners of modern or conventional medicine so much so that in some

Don: Ewedu can cure, prevent Ebola

PROFESSOR of Ophthalmology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Guiness Eye Centre, Prof Adebukola Adefule-Oshitelu, has claimed that ‘Corchorus’ popularly known as Ewedu in Nigeria has the potency to both prevent and cure the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Prof Adefule-Oshitelu had equally championed Garcinia Kola (orogbo) as a remedy for eye diseases, especially glaucoma.

According to Prof AdefuleOshitelu, Ewedu as a cure and a preventive substance for Ebola was revealed to her divinely; under the ‘Great Divine Holy order of the Third Era”. According to her, Ewedu cures Ebola by improving an infected person’s immune system, likewise providing prevention against the deadly virus for uninfected persons.

“The qualities inside Ewedu is so much that it will kill Ebola by preventing the virus from replicating

•From left: Mrs Denloye; President National Association of NigeriaTraditional Medicine Practitioners, Prof PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAM Thomas Omon Olaebhiele and Mrs Owolabi at the event.

countries it is even illegal to practise it. However, with the global resurgence of interest in TM and increasing need for expanded health care, there is the need to institutionised TM in the health systems across the world including Nigeria.”

The agency, he said, has banned illegal advertisement of herbal products and bogus claims of cure for diseases.

Director, Drug Evaluation and Research (DER) Directorate, Mrs Titilope Owolabi said the theme draws attention to the urgent need for the cooperation between traditional medicine practitioners and conventional medicine practitioners to enhance better and reliable healthcare delivery.

She said before orthodox medicine came people relied totally on TM for all healthcare needs.

This, she said, includes the use of herbal, animal and mineral based materials often laced with spiritual ingredients, such as incantations.

Mrs Owolabi encouraged people to embrace TM and offer ways to

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

and destroying more organs in the body. This would immediately stop the symptoms such as high fever, diarhoea and vomiting. Ultimately, leading to the cure,” Oshitelu said.

According to her, for a cure, attention has to be paid to how the Ewedu is prepared. “The way it will be prepared will be different from the normal way Ewedu is cooked. “Provide the vegetable in good quantity; should be washed and rinsed with liquid vinegar, afterwards blend and cook with drinkable water, for five minutes.

No salt, potash or seasoning should be added, take 25cl or half tumbler of the preparation in an empty stomach first in the morning, daily for a week. This would boost a person’s immunity so that such become impregnable to the virus.”

Oshitelu said.

She said: “For prevention, follow

make it viable.

She said there is the need to strengthen collaboration between the practitioners to prevent infectious disease and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) because of rising disease burden.

The director enjoined stakeholders to collaborate on controlling diseases.

“This collaboration needs to be coordinated to ensure safety, standardisation and broader effi-

cacy in healthcare. To support this initiative, the government has established a committee known as Expert Committee for Verification of Claims of Herbal Medicines which was given a mandate to verify claims made by TM practitioners.

The committee is made up of representatives from the academia, NAFDAC, TM associations, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID) and the Media,” she stated.

Advocacy group to promote wellness in Lagos

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O promote improved wellness, Indulge Nigeria Limited, along with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and other partners, is organising its wellness programmes with a Lunch and Learn seminar on September 30 in Lagos.

Its Managing Director, Dr Bisi Abiola, said the event designed to promote healthy lifestyle will be followed by the Feel Good Festival (FGF), which is an outdoor wellness picnic.

This, she said, is to promote quality family time and relaxation.

She said there will also be aerobics, sports and healthy meals.

Others are games, fresh air, mu-

By Wale Adepoju

sic, and dance performances to thrill, along with free medical checks, including eye test, dental and body hygiene.

Mrs Abiola said parents should come with their children so that they can play at the exclusive ‘Children Village’.

“The Feel Good Festival is a one-stop destination for a holistic lifestyle experience for the entire family,” she said.

Mrs Abiola said there will also be the wellness award gala night on November 25 in Lagos, to celebrate wellness ambassadors who committed their resources in promoting healthy lifestyle.

Firm introduces immune booster

T •Prof Oshitelu

these steps described above and use once weekly throughout the period of infestation. These are divine revelations and anyone interested in taking advantage of it is welcome.”

Prof Adefule-Oshitelu can be reached via: info@greatdivineholyorder.org or visit www.greatdivineholyorder.org

O improve lives and ensure longevity, Organic India; a wellness company has introduced 26 immune boosting products in the country.

This, Organic India, Managing Director, Dr Felix Adeduro, said would stop preventable deaths from diseases.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Adeduro said the spate of deaths from preventable diseases prompted the introduction of the products by the company.

He said: “It took four years for the company to get the approval from the Indian government to export the products into Nigeria. The products would help people strengthen their immunity. The immune system can be strengthened against viral and bacterial infections. Products, such as Tumeric formular; Bowel care;

By Wale Adepoju

Liver-Kidney care; Ashwagandha, which inhibits and retards tumours, can reduce chronic fatigue, among others.”

Adeduro said the plants used for the production of the products are cultivated naturally, without fertilisers or pesticides, “Every product is contained in glass bottles to avoid chemical interactions as it happens in plastic bottles, which reduces the organic potency of drugs.”

According to him, the products were approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO); United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); European (EU) Organic Certification; National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

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THE NATION THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

NATURAL HEALTH

Some natural ammunition against Ebola Virus fever (6)

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TELEPHONE call from Anglican Reverend Ekundayo Ogunlana roused me from sleep last Thursday morning. He wished to thank me for the column of the previous Thursday and to let me know it enriched his sermon in church the Sunday after. The column in reference, the fourth in the Ebola virus fever series, suggested, among other things, a return to the creation plan for the nurture of the human body in health and in illness as the surest way of preventing or overcoming all illnesses, Ebola fever inclusive. The kernel of this advocacy is that the creation nutrition plan alone guarantees a robust and impregnable defence mechanism, the immune system, which the creator of the human body in infinite wisdom planted into this body to defend it against all disease – causing agents. Thus, creation wisdom confers upon the immune system dominion over all microbes. In my upcoming website to host publications of this column, I share the source of my conviction in this advocacy. It is a simple sentence from the spiritual teachings of a Wise one: neither drugs nor injections, but the right kinds of foods and drinks bring lasting health.

In the Bible, to which Rev. Ogunlana turned to build evidence in his sermon for his conviction in the correctness of this statement, there are unmistaken references to creation plan for food and medicine in Genesis, Ezekiel and the Revelation. Incidentally, Genesis is the opening Book of the Bible, and Revelation, the last. Incidentally, also, the reference in the Revelation appears in Chapter 22, the last chapter! In my view, these alerts are, for the Christians like the School bell, which announces the beginning of one lecture and the end of it.

The experiences of Dr. George Malkmus depend for me the recognitions I gained from the Wise one. Dr. Malkmus is an American Baptist church minister. He watched helplessly as his mother was killed instalmentally by chemotherapy drugs which her doctors gave her for a cancer. So, when Dr. Malkmus himself became stricken with cancer afterwards, he declined chemotherapy as a treatment mode. He opted instead for fasting, especially on organic carrot juice. In months, the crippling cancer disappeared! He was so happy that he went on to share his experience in the book HALLELUJAH DIET. He would also set up a health farm he named HALLELJAH ACRES, where he trains doctors and other people about the Creation Diet for healing all diseases. His forte is Genesis 1:29:“Then God said I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree has seed in it. They will be yours, for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath in it – I give every green plant for food and it was so” Mr Olajuwon Okubena, who makes Jobelyn, the antioxidant, blood building herbal proprietary product, says this medicine derives its origin from Revelation 22:2 “Down the middle of the great street of the city, on each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit yielding its fruit every month and the leaves of the tree are for healing of the nations.”

Rev. Ogunlana referred to this passage to urge his congregation to incorporate natural foods and herbs in their diet for immune building. He also taught them about Ezekiel 47:12 “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruits fail. Every month, they will bear because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. The fruits will serve for food and their leaves for healing”.

The creation plan for food and medicine as outlined in these passages shows we should eat fruits, and seeds and take herbs to prevent illness or cure it. Thanks, Rev Ekundayo Ogunlana.

It is great to learn that reverend gentlemen can now lead the crusade of man’s return to Mother Nature in health matters.

For the Church had misled many Christians that herbs were anti-Christian. For people who try to add vegetables (greens) and fruits to their diets, they will supply their bodies through this diet energy, oxygen and other nutrients from creation which have been stored, in these foods as though they are battery cells.

Dr. Malkhmus found that his congregation consumed too much refined White flour foods, and refined white sugar and hardly any greens fruits or food supplements. Members of the Church fell ill frequently, especially after parties at which these foods were eaten. Prayer requests for healing prayer were many. But many of the intercessory prayers would appear unanswered. In fact, deaths often occurred. Dr. Malkhmus decided the Church had to add health education and eating according to the creation plan to Christian teachings.

I believe Rev. Ogunlana is walking on this path. Surer should be his feet if he remembers that, even when we venture to eat fruits and greens in Nigeria, many of them are devitalized through fertilizer and pesticide use in farming processes. I do not eat carrot and cucumber for this reason. For carrot, I go for either organic carrot powder or organic Spirulina which has more beta carotene than even healthy carrots.

Ebola, a trumpet?

OMEONE asked me in earlier parts of the series if Ebola Virus could be a trumpet of the Word Judgement? I replied that I wasn’t competent to answer that question.

This much I know, however: The earth is a school for human spirits. It is like the soil in which a seed of maize is sown, to sprout, germinate, flower and fruit; heaven or paradise is home of the human spirit, and the earth the soil in which it is sown to sprout, flower, fruit and return home Sunday as a blazing flame, a useful member of Gods Creation. This earth school for the human spirit, like the University, has its semester and other calendar. We may liken the semester to a cosmic Age. A cosmic Age is about 2,160 earth years. There are 12 Ages on the Cosmic Clock, known also as the ZODIAC. Each Age has its name and sign or symbol. We are now in the AQUARIAN AGE. The people of old who gave mankind knowledge of the zodiac were guided to it from on

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high. From this revealed knowledge, they developed the earthly clock, which they divided into 12 hours of day hours, and 12 night hours. It is noteworthy that the year calendar, also, has 12 months. I am touched by the fact that when this Gregorian calendar was developed, the Europeans had not known of a place called Nigeria. Yet the Yoruba race in South West has a centuries old year calendar of 12 months! Isn’t there something to the division of Israel into 12 tribes? Why would our Lord Jesus appoint 12 disciples? In the knowledge of creation anchored on the earth today, we are priviledge to be permitted to know that monumental events occur in every Age. It is, in fact, knowledge of the regularity of this occurrence’s when the venal point of the earth’s equator line bisects the cosmic ring at a certain angle which led to great expectations and observations. Now that the Cosmic Age is like a new school year. There is a curriculum of spiritual education the earth man must undergo in one Age. As he matures in this school from age to age, he sprouts spiritually, his radiations expanding or enlarging, even as he grows intellectually in an earthly school, till he bursts forth in a blazing flame if the rhythm of his vibrations is below the voltage of his environment that spells trouble or doom. He is then like a “foolish virgin” with no oil in the lamp (of his soul). He keeps repeating the “class” if he fails in the examination and burdens himself with “carry – overs” into the next class.

Now, imagine what happens in the University when a third – year student is weighed down by carry – over from the first two academic sessions. Such a student is unlikely to graduate.

In what we can call the cosmic school system, energy is the language spoken. The human spirit could neither sprout nor fruit in Paradise because it couldn’t bear the Pressure of the power of the vicinity of God he had to be expelled from there to lower lying world of Creation where the pressure, transformed too much lower voltages, permitted conscious existence and growth. But with every new Cosmic-Age, the voltage increases. Human spirits who have sprouted, flowering or fruiting are able to bear and weather new higher voltages just as a brilliant and well killed student is able to cope with the next, higher academic pressure. Human spirits who are able to cope are those whose energy voltages are in consonance with the voltage or energy of the New Age. Where this will make some sense to us is in respect of the Creation knowledge that the human spirit has an important and major input into the formation of the human blood. Fetal circulation is known to be established mid-way through pregnancy, when the incarnating soul takes possession of the growing body in the womb. Evidence of this are the first kicks of the baby a pregnant woman experiences at this time. It is instructive that blood circulation ceases at physical death, when the soul, this vital essence,, vacates the physical body!

The heart of this matter is that if a higher cosmic energy breaks down weak human spirit energy, the scorched human spirit, like chicken beaten by rains is unable to contribute its important quota to the formation and maintenance of blood composition at the right radiation level which through the immune function, disintegrates everything not meant to exist in the human body, including HIV and ebola viruses. This is the loss of the “dominion” which man is given over his environment. The blame is his, not any-one elses’, certainly not God’s. Creation is maintained by Laws, God does not intervene in the working of creation. His laws govern creation. It was predicted in the 1920s by a Wise One as the earth supped quietly into the Aquarian Age, that blood diseases will be a major feature of our time. Cancer is a blood- related disease, just like HIV/AIDS and now Ebola Virus Fever.

Cosmic turning-point

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HE New Age coincides, incidentally, with another phenomenon, the Cosmic Turning-Point. To understand it, one would have to appreciate the Law of Motion, and the law of the Cycle which, among other natural phenomenon known as laws, govern Creation. We are familiar with our hearts pumping blood round the body, and of the blood returning to the heart. When we inhale air, we also exhale it.

When we drink water or eat food, our bodies must return them to whence they came. One day, our souls must return, also, to whence they came. Don’t seeds become fruits and

these fruits become seeds later?

This Law of the cycle ensures that everything which moves away from its origin must return to it sometime. We are familiar with the atom. It has a core around which electrons are arranged in concentric rings. So is our solar system (the Sun and the Planets) arranged. As electrons move around the core of the atom in cyclic motions, so do the planets of our solar system around the sun. Our solar system of more than nine planets (new ones are being discovered) belongs to a family of billions and billions of solar systems. Together, they form a GALAXY of solar systems. In this galaxy, the location of our solar system is known as the MILKY WAY. Like the human blood circulation, motion of electrons around the atomic nucleus or the rotation of the earth on its axis and its revolution around the sun, our galaxy also revolves around a core. This galaxy, stupendously, is only one of billions and billions of galaxies which compose our UNIVERSE. This Universe is, thus, a gigantic and amazing work. And like other works, it obeys the law of Motion and Law of Cycle. It revolves around a core in cycles! It is the completion of one cycle, such as in the earth’s rotation which causes day and night or revolution around the sun which brings the seasons, that is, the COSMIC TURNING-POINT. As with the New Age or Cosmic Age, it tells us that the Universe has attained a New Age. And all the creatures maturing in it, are meant to have attained a corresponding degree of maturity which alone entitles them to exist at that new level or rhythm of life. It is like the Gregorian calendar of 12 months telling us we are one year older on earth, to which we respond with birthday celebrations. Human spirits in Creation who are sluggish with their spiritual education, that is maturing, cannot bear the voltage of this new rhythm. It is like a man holding live electrical cable conducting a voltage much, much higher than those in the cells of his body. He would be electrocuted!

In the Cosmic New Age and in the Cosmic Turning-Point, both of which are in a rendezvous at this time, the earth is wrapped in more power pressure than before. Only those human spirits who have sprouted, flowering and fruiting will be able to swing in this power pressure without harm. The scorching of immature spirits will affect their blood radiations and weak blood radiations which plumet the immune system, however well-fortified with the right diet. For the spirit, a tenant in this body, has a major role to play in the making and maintenance of blood quality. For people who understand the Bible alright, this Message echoes in the BOOK OF REVELATIONS. When the speaker says “TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA”, the Message is not address to church organisation in the earthly continent known as Asia where the Chinese and Japanese, for example, ASIA is the spiritual name of the WORLD (Creation). The world is not our earth. The earth is our earth. The spiritual name of the earth is EPHESUS. Man gives names to everything on earth. Sometimes, their names accord with their spiritual names. We know, for example, of JERUSALEM in PARADISE the home of the human spirit. THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA refers, therefore, to the seven Universes in Creation (the World). An Archangel presides over each Universe. The speaker in the Book of Revelations remind them of where these Universes have “fallen” short of the expectations of Creation. This is in the area of those “first things” they had left undone. Of course, those “things” have to do with the purpose of existence, which is all about the discovery of God’s Will and unconditional fulfilment of it.

That was the Message which the Lord Jesus brought to mankinds; he did not come to die for their sins to be forgiven.

In any cases, didn’t he warn that sins against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven? And didn’t we learn that the Holy Spirit is the power which God sent out to create the World (Let there be Light, and the spirit of God hovered over the land.)

Ebola Virus Last week, the news broke that another fever similar to ebola virus fever was killing with the same devastation in Japan. This is Denge fever of which this column wrote a few years ago. Some people say it is caused by rats. Other say the mosquito. A reader of this column who said he contracted it while in Asia gave me a recipe which helped him survive the infection. Unfortunately, I lost his name and the recipe. With the knowledge of the New Age and the Cosmic TurningPoint, we should ask certain questions: • Have ebola virus and this Japanese’s virus always been present on earth in latent inactive forms?

• If they have been, why are they active now? What is the trigger?

• If the trigger is the energy pressure described above, which the human spirit is unable to withstand and is causing its body to crumble, will the cares being applauded today not be temporary gains?

• Are these strange viruses’ trumpets of a World Judgement we are not hearing because we are expecting to hear physical trumpets?

• If these viruses were not part of God’s creation, as some people have said, reminding of the biblical view that everything he created is good, how did they arise? Could they be the handiworks of men? By this, laboratory inventions are not imagined. Spiritually, we know volitions of the spirit give rise to thought – forms and that thought - forms may become dense enough to physically materialise. If the heart of man is still dark and evil, will this nature not potentiate darkness and evil? I remember vividly the counsel of the Wise One” KEEP THE HEARTH OF YOUR THOUGHTS PURE! As we continue to search for a cure for Ebola virus Disease and other killer viruses, let us remember that man forms his environment, and that since he did not create the World, he has to form his environment in accordance to the Will of the Creator and as he lays his bed, so will he lay on it.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

THE NATION

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e-Business

OES technology also create jobs? Of course, it does but certainly nowhere near the rate that it is taking jobs off people— at least for the foreseeable future.

Bassey Okon (not real name) knows he’s an endangered specie in the job market. For 10 years, he worked in the customers service section of a bank, helping customers to confirm the status of their accounts. These days, the banks don’t need many people to do that anymore. Jobs such as Okon’s, are being replaced in many cases by machines and software that can do the same work better and cheaper For watchers, the advance of technology is producing wondrous services that once were unthinkable. While this is appreciated, it is also taking a toll on people because they so easily can be replaced.

With information communication technology (ICT), banks no longer need to hire so many hands to track information. The banks also no longer need to spend several millions of naira to erect gigantic structures and employ people to do the business. People now sit in the comfort of their sitting rooms and pay money for goods and services carried out abroad.

Former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN),Dr Richard Uche said these days, there are machines and technologies that can collect information without human help, generate more accurate data. Machines even send alerts to customers.

For instance, there are automated teller machines (ATMs) that store information which could be accessed when the need arises. Machines are getting smarter and customers are getting more comfortable using them. Those factors, combined with the financial pressures of the consolidation crisis, have led banks to cut jobs over the past three years. In spite of this huge man power cut, the banks continue to operate.

Across the industry, he said the drive was expanding “smart banking that employs few workers, compared with the large numbers obtained in traditional banking of the past”.

As a result, most of jobs in the banks are at risk from computerisation, This, he noted, ranged from clerical to professional services.

With the cash-less policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in place, Uche said more bankers would have to go as the 24 banks explore measures to reduce running cost through a drastic cost-trimming strategy in line with the new payment regime.

To achieve this, he said banks have established strong electronic component for transactions made electronically without cash. The cash-less policy promotes use of alternative method of transacting business such as Point of Sale (PoS) terminal and the web through internet banking.

Also, the e-payment initiative involves a transformation of the payment system and the idea is to permit banks to cut cost through moving the country from its present ‘cash-andcarry’ status to one where people will make payments through electronic channels. This, he said, added to the number of job losses in the sector.

But mobile banking has come with its own enormous potential along with the cashless policy to delight customers and cut jobs.

While mobile banking has come into its own with enormous potential to delight customers it tends to reduce the number of branch visits, helping bank reduce costs.

President, Association of Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, said the development of alternative payment platforms has made visits to banking hall a matter of choice, especially when the banking hall too has transformed into one huge market where customers queue endlessly to collect cash across the counter.

According to him, retail bankers are engaged in a battle to retain customers. This has led to increasing share of spending and why mobile and online channels are now used to build loyalty.

Egbesola said the new ways customers were interacting with technology using mobile payments through their hand-held devices was making it easier for even people with less bias for technology transact business from their homes.

While some people like going into branches, he said some are tech savvy and like to do it from home or on their phones.

And so the queues are reducing because of

e-mail: e-business@thenationonlineng.net

The other side of technology The use of technology to solve problems could be exciting but there is another side to it all–some jobs are giving way. In banking, for instance, physical structures are losing the game to online transactions. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

• CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

• ATM

‘The rapid elimination of work opportunities resulting from technical innovation is causing men and women to be worried about their future.

And more automation of work means they are hiring less and less to achieve the same growth’ user-friendly smart phone systems that have come to dominate banking services. The pace of digital change has been explosive. For him, bank business is shifting to become more technologically enabled.

While customers now appreciate the use of mobile devices mostly for tasks such as checking their account balance, these interactions are now leading to job losses in the banking sector. Not only has it reduced the number of hands carrying out such services, it has also really opened up very high-powered computing to the masses.

If a given bank cannot find new purposes for its displaced workers, however, Egbesola said the workers should be able to create new businesses in pursuit of new opportunities.

As information technology allows the automation of more and more middle-class jobs, he said fewer workers will be able to find work.

This is why labour-displacing technology is becoming more evident within and outside the banks as self-service ATM machines are being made to replace bank tellers . The driving force behind these technological advances is the elimination of labor.

The benefits for banks using these machines are plain—a machine does not require a wage, it never calls in sick and it does not need health

•PoS Terminal

insurance or a pension. A machine would certainly never organize with its mechanical brethren for better working conditions.

For banks, the branch of the future,” is one in which fewer employees will operate in spaces with less square feet and greater automation. They will also have fewer tellers.

In line, some retail banks have taken back office automation one step further to enable dynamic allocation of work as it arrives from multiple channels (fax, scanned documents, internet, information systems, call center) to teams with the right combination of skills and capacity to process.

For banks, taking out costs in the processes that handle routine transactions help them to serve mass segments more profitably. The way to accomplish this is through an omnichannel approach—integrating disparate digital and physical channels into a single, seamless experience—tailored to address the priorities of each customer segment. As activities are initiated, such as new customer set up or risk calculation, an assessment is made in real time of work capacity of all the service center teams, taking into account the size of the team and the skills required to accomplish the activity.

This, notwithstanding, the rapid elimination of work opportunities resulting from technical innovation is causing men and

women to be worried about their future.

And more automation of work means they are hiring less and less to achieve the same growth.

While revenue has increased the pace of change in technology and processes has accelerated in the recent past. Banks are also focusing on higher value projects that call for specialised skills. This focus on a highly skilled workforce clearly means fewer opportunities for the over 1 million graduates every year.”This has to happen because one way to mitigate the impact of a rise in manpower costs is to try and decrease the number of hours used.

While this is improving the banking system, Associate Professor of Finance,and Head of Department of Banking and Finance, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof Chuke Nwude said disruptive digital technologies such as mobile phones and the internet will destroy the established retail banking business models by removing the physical product and replacing it with a digitised bank account.

He said workers that these technologies threaten to displace across the banks cover a wide range of office work. Smart machines, for instance, could stand in for many types of support staff – or, by making the ones who remain more productive, greatly reduce their numbers. Looking to cut costs, many banks are aggressively encouraging customers to shift to online and mobile banking.

While automation has eliminated vast number of jobs, no one seems to know what to do with the workers displaced. Thousands of workers did retrain, but the training was either outmoded by the time they finished with it or the jobs never materialised. Now banks dump workers as fast as any auto plant or steel mill ever did. Many “retrained” workers displaced by technology end up in lowpaying or part-time jobs or with no jobs at all.

Nwude also expressed concern that digitisation of customer services at banks is not only putting huge pressure on the industry but exposing every failure in cyber security .

The costs of technology improvement are pressing on banking, and with a low interest rate environment it’s harder and harder to make money.

They have to look for a way to offset that.

Some banks have laid out a turnaround plan that included exiting risky businesses, cutting jobs and slashing the proportion of revenue that the bank spends on salaries and bonuses.

As the deposit money banks in the country continue to embrace cost-cutting measures, indications have emerged that workers sacking is imminent in the banking industry.

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Digital switch over: NCC doubts 2015 deadline T HE Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has expressed doubts over the ability of its sister regulator in the broadcast sector, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to meet the next year’s deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to all its member-countries for digital switch over (DSO).

Chairman, NCC, Mr. Peter Egbe Igoh lamented that three years after hypes about DSO, not much had been done to show as the broadcast landscape is still inundated with analogue transmitters.

Speaking on the sideline during a stakeholders’ meeting by the NCC preparatory to the auctioning of spectrum in the 2.6gighertz (GHz) band in Lagos, said there had

Stories by Lucas Ajanaku

been so much noise about DSO while the government had even given a deadline for the realisation of the programme, adding that the level of compliance is not impressive.

Igoh said: “Well, migration from analogue to digital broadcasting has been on for the past three years.

They have been announcing (the switch over). Government (even) gave a date and I don’t know how many of us and the broadcasting organisations in the country are complying.”

There are doubts over the ability of the country to meet the deadline.

For one, DSO requires huge funding running into hundreds of billions of naira, for another, most of

the private and public media organisations are not moving in the direction of compliance. Everything about the programme seems o be tied to the apron strings of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

NBC’s Director-General, Mr. Emeka Mba, who assured that the country would work hard to achieve DSO by this year’s end to allow the country to tighten up all loose ends, however said the heavens will not fall if the country misses the ITU deadline.

“The heavens will not fall if Nigeria fails to meet the deadline. Yes, there are implications like signal interference, missing out on new business opportunities that may spring up due to digitisation and the country not being able to compete strongly in the global digital arena,

but we will still move on as a country,” Mba told The Nation on the sideline of the Digital Migration Summit in Lagos.

On the synergy between NBC and NCC over the spectrum that will be freed when the DSO is finally achieved, he said while the NBC deals with the quality of broadcasting, the NCC deals with telephony and the providers of services such voice, data and others that run on the mobile phones.

He said in other climes, one agency handles the two responsibilities but refused to comment when asked why the situation is different in the country, especially when the trend globally is veering towards convergence. He however said the government has set up the Digiteam charged with the

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•From left: Igoh, Commissioner, NCC, Biodun Olujimi and President, Association of Telecoms Companies of

Nigeria (ATCON), Lanre Ajayi after the stakeholders’ meeting by the NCC in Lagos.

NCS urges Fed Govt on investment on R&D

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HE Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has urged the Federal Government to step up investment on research and development (R&D), arguing that no nation could move forward by relegating the place of information communication technology (ICT).

Its President, Prof David Adewumi, said the global trend is for the government to take the lead by funding R&D which would ultimately lead to innovation.

He said: “The government is not investing enough because any development in any part of the world is brought about by R&D and today, particularly in respect of the ICT sector, government is not doing enough. But all hopes are not lost in this respect as the National Information Technology

Development Agency (NITDA) should take up the challenge of ensuring that the Federal Government does the needful in the area of doing more to encourage R&D. “The Federal Government has actually given that responsibility to NITDA and we are hopeful that the agency will live up to expectation.”

Adewumi said the Government should toe the path cleared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on funding the educational sector by religiously allocating 26 per cent of the national budget to funding the sector.

He said the virtues of proper education of the youth had been esteemed by wise men from all ages as the sure source of lasting happiness, arguing that this has propelled people to invest as much as

50 per cent of their budget on educating themselves and their children.

He said: “How much funding goes to R&D should be part of the budget on education which should be 26 per cent of the national budget. If you also look at your own personal budget, you will discover that the percentage of your budget that is going to education is certainly more than 50 per cent.

“So, if the nation is spending 26 per cent to have a knowledge-based economy, I think it is not too much.

It should even be higher than that considering the contributions and multiplier effect that a well developed knowledge driven economy will have on the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), job creation, crime reduction and the standard of living of the citizens.”

said the new CBN helmsman has demonstrated his anti-customer personality.

He said: “By this action, the new CBN governor, to say the least is not consumer-centric. This singular action does not portray him as a CBN governor that will care for consumers of banking services in Nigeria.

“This ATM charge regime is not in line with international best practices (IBP) and is definitely not in the interest of consumers of banking services in Nigeria.

“The N65 ATM withdrawal charge is punitive, excessive profit-driven, exploitative and totally unacceptable as well as being a terrible welcome gift from the new CBN governor to consumers of banking services in Nigeria.

“The welcome gift the new CBN governor should be thinking of giving consumers of banking services in Nigeria is bank account portability as it is currently done in other developed economies.”

A bank consumer, who identified himself as Dare King said: “This is the problem with us, anybody that takes over would wish to rubbish the good work of his predecessor. Why is the CBN governor re-introducing charges? Why has he left high interest rate, galloping inflation and depreciating naira value unattended to?

We know he is the former MD of Zenith Bank and it is understandable why he has taken this position. He should have started with pro-masses policy.”

Another female customer, Comfort, a civil servant, said the CBN governor ought to have addressed the spurious charges banks impose on their customers and stop haunting customers.

Re-introduction of ATM charges irks customers B ANK customers have expressed anger over the re-introduction of charges for the use of automated teller machines (ATMs) in the country. They said it is a manifestation of policy inconsistency that has continued to draw the nation back.

Some of the customers said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, had come to act a script written for him by his former collegues in the banks in their desperate bid to keep milking their customers..

They said it was ironical that the same CBN that was promoting cashless society was at another breath taking steps that would discourage people from using ATM as alternative payment platforms.

Reacting to the policy, which started September 1, the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS), Deolu Ogunbanjo

responsibility of coordinating the DSO. He said: “They (NBC) deal with broadcasting and the quality of their broadcasting on the frequency where they operate. The NCC is a regulator. We deal with the service providers who give you services on your phones and also carry your data and so on. The relationship is there. In many countries in the world, one institution handles the two.

“Well, I happen to be in position where I know (the intrigues about convergence). I have the inside information but I cannot come out to tell you what is there (in the report of the committee set up by the government on merging the two bodies), I mean the result of the committee set up.”

Smile’s solution tackles early data depletion

MILE Communications Nigeria Limited has introduced new features to counteract unnecessary data depletion, while browsing the internet.

The latest innovation tagged Blocking Buttons and Speed Control, will help customers, especially internet users to stay long on the internet without experiencing early data depletion.

The solution is available to all Smile customers through specialised features on the Smile customer portal.

It will also help to boost broadband penetration in the country, in line with the objectives of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan.

Chief Corporate Services Officer of Smile Communications, Lee-Ann Cassie, said the Blocking Buttons

and Speed Control was introduced to enhance customer experience while on the internet.

For Blocking Buttons, she said that the company had to identify four categories of websites that consume a lot of data and we created buttons that once activated will block access to these categories of websites.

She listed the websites identified as the major causes for data depletion due to unprompted downloads and updates, to include Cloud Storage, Automatic Update, Video Streaming and Bit Torrenting.

Cassie explained: “Customers also have the additional functionality to block access to high data usage sites via MySmile Account in order to manage their data usage”.

Globacom , UNILORIN plan online curriculum for varsity students

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LOBACOM and the University of Ilorin have entered into a partnership that will enable Globacom create for the institution, an electronic platform for online studies.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Abdulganiyu Ambali spoke during a visit to the corporate headquarters of Globacom in Lagos. He said the partnership would enable Globacom to create an electronic platform for the university to upload its curriculum on the information super highway. Students and teachers can access the platform from anywhere in the worldý, using their hand-held devices or computers.

Ambali rated Globacom as the number one telecommunications service provider in the country with the capacity to deliver end-to-end

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solutions for every sector of the economy. He said that Globacom had changed the face of the telecoms industry in Nigeria with its huge investments in technology. Globacom is the official telecoms partner of UNILORIN, providing direct and exclusive internet connection to the whole university community.

Ambali applauded the relationship the institution had with the company and requested that the relationship be upgraded to meet the demands of teaching in the internet age.

Receiving the delegation, Globacom’s Chief Commercial Director, Mr. Prabhat Aggarwal explained that the telecoms company has the richest experience in providing integrated telecommunication services to organisations in the country.

Microsoft to sponsor DEMO Africa

ICROSOFT Corporation has taken up platinum sponsorship for this year’s edition of DEMO Africa that will be held later in the month, in Lagos, Nigeria. The company will participate in the event for the third time under the Microsoft 4Afrika initiative.

The sponsorship will see Microsoft offer financial support for the event where 40 tech based start-ups from across Africa are expected to pitch to potential investors. DEMO Africa recently released the names of the final 40 start-ups that will launch on the DEMO Africa stage where Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Egypt will have the highest representation.

On the collaboration, Fernando de Sousa, GM Africa Initiatives at Microsoft, underscored the importance of innovations to the growing African economy.

“DEMO Africa has given a platform for investors to realise the enormous potential among African youths showcased through startups. As an organisation that has operated in the continent for over 20 years, Microsoft believes Africa’s economic take-off to longterm growth prospects will be determined by the investment decisions we make today in support of youth initiatives, he said. “ Welcoming the support, DEMO Africa’s Executive Producer, Harry Hare said investor’s confidence played a very critical role in motivating start-up entrepreneurs.

“We acknowledge the support of Microsoft and their efforts in uplifting young entrepreneurs in Africa, he said.

It’s this kind of support that assures us that the future is indeed bright for Africa and at DEMO Africa we are keen to make our contribution to this success.

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ning in U.S. ai tr r fo ts en ud st 10 r so on sp to F AFRIF AFRIFF also organises maseducation in Sound for Film,

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S part of its plans to further grow the film sector, the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is planning to sponsor 10 students to the United States for practical training in various aspects of filmmaking.

According to Ms. Chioma Ude, the founder and CEO of AFRIFF, the top 10 students, who display exemplary aptitudes at the forthcoming AFRIFF training/ workshops scheduled to hold between November 9 and November 16, at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Calabar, Cross River State, will be eligible for the programme.

The proposed training in short film at one of the American universities, which is a reward scheme for the would-be lucky students, is a collaborative effort with a key AFRIFF partner.

Ude further explained that the planned training is in line with the vision of providing opportunities for graduates of the festival’s programme tagged ‘AFRIFF Talent Development Workshops’, which include training in acting, scriptwriting, directing and cinematography.

She said: “AFRIFF has, since its first edition in 2010,

By Victor Akande

provided free training and talent development opportunities for young people and aspiring filmmake r s .

W e have provided groundbreaking

Cinematography and Screen Writing for over 500 students.

We have done this in partnership with Sound & Motion Technical College and City Varsity, Cape Town, South Africa. We have also worked directly with students of the National Film Institute, Jos, the Creative Arts Department of University of Port-Harcourt, PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos as well as other aspiring young film makers.

Aside the training for film students, she noted that

ter classes for more established filmmakers and professionals in the industry.

“We believe we can use this model for a social revolution that will change the economic horizon of the African film industry by providing technical knowledge and skill sets to the abundant talents in our film community.

“AFRIFF 2014 team is currently resourcing for this year’s talent development training workshops in association with top industry partners who will also be announced later.”

The beneficiaries will be expected to shoot a short film after their course abroad, in fulfillment of their training billed to be entered into the festival’s students’ short category for the subsequent AFRIFF in 2015.

According to the organisers, interested candidates for this year’s workshops should register at the new AFRIFF website, www.afriff.com.

“Only registered candidates will be eligible for short-listing for the workshops. Registration for participation in all aspects at the festival begins from Monday, September 14,” she added.

Music royalty: COSON, broadcasters may resume fight

Child marriage: Stephanie Linus releases movie trailer

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OLLYWOOD actress cum producer, Stephanie Linus has released the official trailer of her #ChildNotBride campaign movie, Dry. The actress embarked on the movie campaign last year to drum up support from Nigerians and the international community for the revocation of the Senate resolution, which sought to legalise child brides in Nigeria.

Dry, follows a trail of

Zara’s (Stephanie Linus) trip to Africa, her constant turmoil as a result of inexplicable horrors from childhood, her experiences and heartaches while working with young girls suffering from early child-birth complications as child brides.

Set against the backdrop of a rich African culture, the flich, which stars veteran actress, Liz Benson, has been described as intriguing, suspense-filled and engaging.

D’prince drops new single, OYO

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ARVIN Records artiste, D’Prince has released a new track titled O.Y.O an acronym for the popular slogan, On Your Own. The artiste who revealed that the new song was produced by his brother, Don Jazzy, the label’s honcho, said the track is a true-tolife, as it “conveys some truths lyrically and concentrates on the way of life of the masses and their daily struggle for survival.”

D’prince came into limelight with the then Mo Hits group, which included Wande Coal, K Switch, D

By Adeniyi Adewoyin

Banj, Dr Sid and Don Jazzy.

In recent times, the artiste has churned out several hit songs for music lovers in Nigeria and beyond.

Chika Ike loses father

N

I

NDICATIONS emerged yesterday that the long silence on music royalty row involving Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) was a mere truce, as COSON has requested these organisations to meet their obligations in line with an agreement signed during a recent reconciliation meeting.

It would be recalled that following what it described as arbitrary royalty charges by COSON, BON and IBAN had rallied its members to boycott music of COSON members on their broadcast stations.

Subsequently, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had set up a joint committee for tempers to cool, leading to a purported agreement last May. In a statement released to

the media yesterday, COSON is urging BON and IBAN to respect the royalty agreement.

“Sadly, we must draw the attention of the nation to the fact that despite the substantially reduced tariffs and the public pledge of the broadcasting industry to keep to the terms of the COSON/ BON/IBAN/NBC/NCC agreement, a good number of the broadcasting stations in the country are still deploying music without paying the very low royalty tariffs negotiated on their behalf with the help of the NBC and NCC. COSON is therefore constrained to call on the leaderships of both BON and IBAN to compel their members to act responsibly and meet their obligations without further delay,” said chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji.

Vexed by the development, Okoroji said his organisation may be forced to return to court if the situation persists. “COSON is re-

solved to protect the rights of music industry practitioners and to collect copyright royalties for the use of their music and sound recordings in Nigeria. That resolve is rock solid. We will not waver and there will be no sacred cows. If we need to go back to the courts, we will.

If we need to take other actions, we will. We wish to repeat that it is far cheaper to obtain a COSON licence for the music used by anyone than to engage COSON in an expensive legal process.”

In 2013, COSON instituted several multi-million naira law suits against some of Nigeria’s biggest broadcast stations including AIT, Ray Power, STV, Rhythm FM, Beat FM, Classic FM, Naija FM, Smooth FM and Brila FM, with a threat to sue many more broadcast stations.

Many had though that the negotiation committee, midwife by NBC, would put an end to the faceoff, but it

appears some governmentowned stations are among the royalty defaulters. “We refuse to accept a situation where the stations continue with the open stealing of the intellectual property of innocent creative people simply because ‘there is no budget’ for the payment for the key raw material they deploy in their operations,” he said, urging the National and State Assemblies to ensure that clear provisions are made in the budgets of the different government-owned broadcast stations for the payment of copyright royalties.

Similarly, the COSON boss is also requesting the leaderships of the Hotel & Personal Services Employers Association of Nigeria (HOPESEA) and Hotel Owners Forum Abuja (HOFA) to direct each and every one of their members to immediately respect the agreement which they freely entered into with COSON.

OLLYWOOD actress, Chika Ike has lost her father. The thespian made the revelation at the weekend, by posting a photo of her late dad on Instagram.

“R.I.P my first love. I miss you. Words can’t explain how much it hurts. I will al-

ways love you dad,” she stated.

Reports say Chika’s father had been battling a prolonged illness, and had travelled to India for treatment two years ago for medical attention.

The actress has since been receiving condolences from her numerous fans.

Damilola Adegbite, Chris Attoh welcome baby boy

C

ELEBRITY couple, Damilola Adegbite and Chris Attoh, are in high spirit at the moment, celebrating the birth of their new baby.

The baby, a boy, is their first child.

Elated, Attoh said on Instagram: “Someone should have told us this is how amazing it feels. Unto us a child is born, I get it now; it’s the greatest feeling ever. Help me thank God for the new member in the family. Welcome our child, in whom we are well pleased. Emoji # a k i n g i s b o r n #greatnessishere #miraclesstillhappen.”

In what looks like a season of baby boys, veteran actress, Rachel Oniga, also welcomes her first grandchild. One of the actress’ three daughters, Georgia, was delivered of a baby boy. Georgia is said to be engaged to her child’s father, Richard Maduku.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

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62

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

25-07-14 DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 10-09-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 10-09-14

Capital market experts decry low market literacy among Nigerians

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HERE is still low literacy level among Nigerian capital market investors, experts have said.

Speaking at the third quarter the Capital Market Committee (CMC) in Lagos, yesterday, the head of capital market literacy Committee, Mr. Ariyo Olusekun said that research has shown that the level of capital market literacy in Nigeria stood at 16 per cent which showed that there is still a lot of work to be done.

He added that the committee has reviewed the capital market literacy looking at the developed market.

According to him, capital market literacy in Nigeria cannot be said to be new because it is as old as the institution of Capital Market, say-

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

ing “However, capital market literacy programs in the country currently lacks strategic direction and proper coordination.”

“There should be an increase in public awareness as the Committee has suggested that capital market literacy programs to be included in curriculum of professional bodies, schools and Universities. Others are exhibitions, road shows and annual public lectures and so on.”

Speaking also, the chairman of Capital Market Master Plan Committee, Dotun Suleman has said that the capital market is yet to be where it should be, saying

that its contribution to GDP is low and in term of its relevance and active participation in the key sector of the economy is considered inadequate.

“To make sure we are objective in our assessment we benchmark Nigeria with Brazil, South Africa and Malasia and come to a conclusion that Nigerian capital market is underdeveloped and needs to be much more robot if it is going to play significant role in the national aspiration, to be a top 20 economy by the year 2020,” he said.

He stated, “ the whole objective is for us to have a capital market that will participate adequately in the emergence of Nigeria’s global top 20 economic.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

63

MONEYLINK

D

Nigeria leads South Africa, others on retail opportunities, says RMB

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AND Merchant Bank (RMB) has said Nigeria is leading South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and Democratic Republic of Congo in offering some of the best opportunities for retailers looking to invest in Africa.

RMB, which is the investment banking unit of FirstRand Ltd said in a report yesterday population size and growth rates, gross domestic product per capita and urbanisation rates were some of the criteria used in compiling the list.

“Those are probably the most favorable prospects for retail investors, but

Stories by Collins Nweze

they aren’t the only markets available. In the next few years, you could see that changing as your income dynamics change,” Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana, an Africa analyst at RMB told Bloomberg.

With about 173 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and has the continent’s biggest economy. McKinsey & Co. said in a July report that the West African nation could be one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2030 with a consumer base exceeding the current

Visa, Apple partner on e-payments

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ISA has announced it is supporting consumer payments with the new iPhone 6 and other Apple devices. The global payment company said its Token Service will allow participating financial institutions in the United States and later globally, to add Visa debit and credit cards to Apple Pay, Apple’s new payment service. Such platform, it said, would enable customers make easy and secure purchases at select merchants both in stores and in apps.

“Visa Token Service technology works by replacing sensitive payment account information found on plastic cards with a digital account number or “token” that can be safely stored on mobile devices and used for in store and in app purchases,” it said announcing that it will roll out the service to financial institutions in phases.

It will initially support early par-

ticipants in the Apple Pay launch, and then extending the service availability to all of its US clients.

“Combining the trust, scale and security of Visa payments with Apple Pay will accelerate adoption of mobile payments. We said from the beginning that token services would provide great new consumer and merchant experiences, and you’re seeing it today in our efforts with Apple, and there’s more to come,” Chief Executive Officer, Visa Inc, Charlie Scharf said.

He said Apple Pay lets customers make purchases in some of the most highly visited stores and within apps on the App Store with just the touch of a finger, using the new iPhone 6 and other Apple devices. Visa account holders will continue to receive all of the rewards, benefits and security offered by Visa credit and debit cards.

populations of France and Germany.

Disposable income in Africa will probably grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent a year until 2030, the bank said in a report on investing in Africa. By then, the continent’s highest-performing cities will have a combined purchasing power of $1.3 trillion, compared with $750 billion currently, according to RMB. While population trends are a key driver of opportunities for retailers, large-scale urbanization pose risks in terms of social problems and unemployment, said Celeste Fauconnier, an Africa macro strategist for RMB. “The risk of urbanization is that your slum areas are dominant” within fastgrowing cities, Fauconnier said. “Africa’s got the youngest population in the world, which is great for productivity, if they had jobs.”

Meanwhile, FirstRand Ltd is setting aside $924 million for expansion across Africa as profit increases from regions outside its home market of South Africa.

IAMOND Bank Plc has opened a flagship branch that would enable the lender provide banking needs of its retail customers.

The branch, located at Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos, was inaugurated by the Group Managing Director/CEO, Alex Otti.

He said the model branch is what the lender’s customers should expect going forward. “This is a new generation Diamond Bank and this is what customers should expect in the future. This is a flagship branch and there a couple of branches we have opened and we decided to showcase this today,” he said.

Otti explained that the branch has a well-equipped electronic branch, made up of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), an ATM gallery, telephone banking as well as internet banking facilities.

Continuing, he said: “This is banking of the future. This is a four floor building which has private banking, corporate banking and retail banking. We are leading in terms of digital banking but you cannot rule out

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W. A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGE FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND

168.45 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.39 1,676.09 1,118.84 121.30 121.16 1,117.51 1.2451 1.2926 0.8892 1.0780

T

•CIBN President Mrs 'Debola Osibogun

HE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has concluded arrangements to hold the eight Banking and Finance Conference in Abuja. The event, focused on transforming Nigeria’s payments systems into global reckoning will hold from September 23 to 24, 2014.

The institute said it has assembled high profile and seasoned experts from the public and private sectors of the economy to address the topical issues at the conference.

To participate at this year’s conference are Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister for Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga and Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs.

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

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

RETAIL DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM (RDAS) Transaction Dates 27/08/2014 25/08/2014 20/08/2014 ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Amount Offered in ($) 350m 400m 350m

Amount Sold in ($) 346.43m 398.77m 349.67m

CBN EXCHANGE RATES September 2, 2014

Inflation: July

8.3%

Monetary Policy Rate

12.0%

CHANGE

Foreign Reserves

GAINERS AS AT 10-09-14

Omobola Johnson who will present the Government perspectives.

Also to speak are Country Director, Visa Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ade Ashaye and Co-founder, Pagatech Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Jay Alabraba who will give the private sector perspective. The focus of the Conference is “Positioning Nigeria’s Payments Systems for Global Competitiveness” which is deliberately designed to further support the Payment Systems Vision 2020 (PSV2020) initiative of government is expected to further promote privacy, integrity, compatibility, good transaction efficiency, acceptability, convenience, mobility, low financial risk and anonymity in the Nigerian financial system.

DATA BANK

Bid Price 167.01 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.33 1,676.09 1,118.03 120.45 120.30 1,116.70 1.2367 1.2926 0.8721 1.0780

brick and mortar.”

Otti said, presently, Diamond Bank is among the industry leaders in terms of electronic banking. He noted that the recently launched MTN Yellow Account by the bank, has been praised by customers and would provide banking services to both the banked and unbanked within the population. It is also an avenue to boost the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) financial inclusion policy.

On his part, the Deputy Managing Director, (Retail Banking), Diamond Bank, Mr. Uzoma Dozie said: “This branch is not like the traditional bank, it is actually to make customers feel more comfortable and we are removing the theatrical branch layout and making it your home outside your home.” The lender, he added, is planning to roll out more branches, e-branches nationwide.

CIBN plans banking, finance confab

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

Diamond Bank expands Lagos retail network

Currency

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

$39.6b

US Dollar

154.73

155.73

$110.44

Pounds Sterling

256.465

258.1225

IKEJAHOTEL

1.15

1.24

0.09

Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

PREMBREW

3.48

3.65

0.17

Money Supply (M2)

N15.9 trillion.

Euro

204.1662

205.4857

ACCESS

9.20

9.60

0.40

ABCTRANS

0.71

0.74

0.03

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Swiss Franc

168.8455

169.9367

WAPIC

0.72

0.75

0.03

Yen

1.4876

1.4975

CFA

0.294

0.314

234.7445

236.2616

Yuan/Renminbi

25.1466

25.31

Riyal

41.2558

41.5225

SDR

235.0039

236.5227

GOLDBREW

0.74

0.77

0.03

174.50

180.00

5.50

CAVERTON

4.99

5.14

0.15

CUSTODYINS

3.90

4.00

0.10

176.02

180.00

3.98

MOBIL

TOTAL

LOSERS AS AT 10-09-14

SYMBOL COSTAIN RTBRISCOE MORISON NEIMETH HONYFLOUR MAYBAKER NEM FO NASCON FIDSON CCNN

O/PRICE 1.03 1.00 1.91 1.10 4.15 1.50 0.78 225.00 9.69 3.35 14.70

C/PRICE 0.96 0.95 1.82 1.05 4.00 1.45 0.76 220.02 9.48 3.30 14.50

CHANGE -0.07 -0.05 -0.09 -0.05 -0.15 -0.05 -0.02 -4.98 -0.21 -0.05 -0.20

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

16.5%

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

Tenor

Rate (%)

Rate3.37

(%) Overnight (O/N)

10.500

10.500

1M

12.175

12.101

3M

13.328

13.225

6M

14.296

14.-85

FOREX RATES

R-DAS ($/N)

157.29

157.29

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

162.75

Parallel ($/N)

167.50

167.50

WAUA

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

Rates

T-bills - 91

10.00

T-bills - 182

10.07

T-bills - 364

10.22

Bond - 3yrs

11.37

Bond - 5yrs

11.41

Bond - 7yrs

11.86

64

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

NEWS 2015: Ngige urges unity for APC’s success

Kwara PDP chair in court for alleged contempt From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

•Party holds mini-rallies

T

HE Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Iyiola Oyedepo yesterday appeared before an Ilorin High Court over an alleged contempt of court.

The PDP chair, who was in the dock for about an hour, arrived in the court, while proceeding was on at about 9: 05am.

Justice I.A Yusuf on Tuesday ordered Oyedepo to appear before the court and respond to allegation of contempt.

A former chairman of the party in Ilorin West Local Government, Alhaji Toyin Olosasa had sued Oyedepo for his alleged failure to honour an order of the court stopping inauguration of the council PDP executives.

The court on September 1, restrained Oyedepo-led PDP executives - an order he never complied with.

Funeral for cleric

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HE family of Adewole Adesina of Ebo Quarters in Iwaro-Oka, Ondo State, has announced the death of Reverend Canon Michael Adewole Adesina. He was 73.

The remains of the cleric, who died on June 17, will be buried tomorrow at Ebo-Oka, Akoko Southwest Local Government Area of Ondo State.

A wake keep will hold today.

Internment will hold at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, preceded by a funeral service at St. John’s Anglican Church.

The late Rev. Adesina served at the Kwara State Anglican Diocese before he retired to Ondo State.

He combined his ministerial duties with community services.

He is survived by Mrs Mary Adesina, Venerable Ebenezer Adewole, Venerable Nelson Adewole, brothers, sisters and grandchildren.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

T

•The suspects...yesterday

PHOTO: PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

Navy hands over two vessels, six impersonators to EFCC, police

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HE Navy handed over yesterday six suspected impersonators, including a woman, and two vessels, to law-enforcement agencies.

The suspects, Juliet Onwuzurike; Oluwasegun Ogundola; Emmanuel Jolayemi; Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi; Arigo Royal and Sunny Oyeyipo were nabbed on September 3 near Obalende on Lagos Island.

One of the vessels, MV ZAHRA, impounded with about 70 metric tons of AGO, was handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after

By Precious Igbonwelundu

the Navy established a case against it.

The vessel, which was seized on June 19 by NNS ANDONI offshore Lagos, was said to have allegedly carried the diesel with valid papers covering the product.

Onboard the vessel was six crew members, who were also handed over to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution.

The second vessel, CASHMAN BARGE, was impounded on March 18, while trying to remove 10 metric tons of sludge from another

vessel, MT OCEAN. Upon interrogation, it was discovered that the BARGE’s occupant, Samson Yusuf, forged a naval approval, which prompted the Navy to hand him and the vessel over to the Police for necessary action.

Handing over the suspected impersonators to the Police, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, said they were caught with naval uniforms and accoutrements, including military ranks.

“These suspects claim to be Merchant Navy person-

nel, but at the time of their arrest, about 10am, they wore naval uniform.

“The suspects were found with naval items, such as berets, cap badges and identity cards. ‘‘We have been sounding notes of warning to the public for people to desist from using naval items. Most of these persons you see here commit all sorts of atrocities, which are attributed to naval personnel. ‘‘Anybody found impersonating the Navy will be arrested and dealt with. We want to stop this illegal act. We will ensure the criminals are arrested.”

Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Mr Akinwunmi Ambode signing the condolence register when he visited the Okota, Isolo Lagos home of the late journalist Dimgba Igwe...on Tuesday

Funeral for Ogun community leader

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COMMUNITY leader, Madam Maria Adejoke Ojobo (nee Olatunji), is dead. She died September 9. The late Madam was 98.

A statement yesterday by her family said a Christian wake was held yesterday at her 127 Kumoye Road, Ilaro, Ogun State home.

A funeral service will hold today at the United African Methodist Church, Eleja, Ilaro, Ogun State, at 10am.

Her remains will be interred at her home after the service.

She is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

•The late Madam Ojobo

HE senator representing Anambra Central, Dr. Chris Ngige, has urged the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 21 local government areas to ensure the party’s success at next year’s general elections.

The senator said APC would give succour and hope to Nigerians, if voted into power next year.

Ngige spoke yesterday at the party’s mini-rallies in Anaocha and Aguata local government areas.

The APC chieftain, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Chibuzor Obiakor, promised to ensure that the party makes greater impact in the 2015 polls.

A 26-member executive of the party was inaugurated in both local governments during the rallies.

In Anaocha, the APC inaugurated Chief Raphael Ugochukwu Egbogbe and the Nze Stephen Ezenwankwoled exco in Aguata at the party’s secretariats.

Ngige advised them to demonstrate the party’s ideals and project its image to the people.

The senator hailed party faithful for remaining steadfast with the progressives.

He urged them to forget their differences and work for the party’s success at the polls.

Ngige noted that if APC remained united, it would defeat the incumbent All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the elections.

Egbogbe praised the leadership of the state chapter of the party and its leader, Dr Ngige, for working together.

He promised to work with the party’s organs to ensure that it performs well, despite the propaganda by the PDP and APGA.

Vehicle owners get ultimatum

T

HE Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned and accident vehicles parked at the Maroko Division to remove them or lose them to the public through auction two weeks after this publication.

The vehicles are: Honda Accord BX 21 RBC, Peugeot 406 JU 578 EKY, Volvo 240GL AR93LND, Nissan Sunny DE998ABC, Nissan Primera PV213FST.

Jonathan to board: create three million jobs

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated yesterday a Presidential Jobs Board of Nigeria with a mandate to create three million jobs within the next 12 months.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo is the Chairman of the 31-member board. Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu is vice-chairman. The board is drawn from public and private sectors.

Jonathan urged the board to work out a road map that will on monthly and on a

•President inaugurates committee From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

yearly basis create jobs for the youth.

Urging the committee to give time-to-time report to Nigerians on its progress, the President lamented the “missing link” between training and employment in Nigeria.

He challenged government-owned job training agencies to fine-tune their

duties for the benefit of young unemployed Nigerians and the national economy.

Jonathan said: ”No one can deny that jobs are at the centre for economic revolution. Infact, the problem facing any head of government all over the world is Job creation. They are essential to make our people live well and they are critical to the promotion of our people’s dignity.”

“Jobs enhance self worth

and it is a source of personal pride. Indeed it is at the heart of national economic and social development.”

“Let me charge department and agencies of government that have been training people over the period, like SMEDAN, ITF, PDTF, NDE, NIMASA, Ministry of Women Affairs and other agencies that do that as a part of their responsibilities, to train and create jobs.”

“There is a missing link,

because there is a difference between training people to acquire skills and job creation. I have observed over a period that agencies of government are more interested in training. “ “My conviction is that if you train 100 people and none of them is either self employed or employed by any corporation that is a total waste, you are rather frustrating more people and probably increasing the number of criminals in the society. “

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

65

NEWS

Five Ijaw youths ‘missing’

N126b needed for Niger Delta projects

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From Blessing Olaifa, Asst. Editor

INISTER of Niger Delta Affairs Stephen Oru has said the ministry would require N126 billion from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to fund its projects in the region.

The minister lauded the SURE-P management for contributing N78 billion to the 338–km East-West road. He added that the project is now at 80 per cent completion.

Oru spoke when a delegation led by the SURE-P member in charge of the East-West Road and infrastructure development, Prof Kunle Ade Wahab, visited him.

“Without your support the East-West Road project would come to a standstill. You turned out to be the backbone of this project and even the backbone of the President’s Transformation Agenda,” the minister said.

Navy to probe attack on officers From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

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HE security team piloting the peace process in Ugborodo community, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, has said it would investigate the midnight attack, which sacked men of the Nigerian Navy ship (NNS) Delta from the community on Monday.

The security team leader and Commanding Officer of the NNS Delta, Navy Comd Musa Gemu, who spoke at a briefing in Warri, said the team had been careful in dealing with the matter.

Gemu described the attack on his men as a betrayal of trust.

Gemu, who was in the company of the commander of the Air Force Base in Warri, Air Comd Dudusola, Navy Captain A.K Okeniyi and the Warri Area Commander, ACP Hussein Rabiu, however, said the incident would be investigated to ensure that the gains made in the peace process are not jeopardised.

F

IVE youths from OgbeIjaw, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, have been reported missing.

This followed an attack on a group of Ogbe-Ijoh community emissaries, by some Itsekiri youths in Warri.

Stakeholders from OgbeIjoh community have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the assailants to release the missing persons and return the valuables stolen from the victims.

At a briefing in Ogbe-Ijoh yesterday, the Ogbe-Ijoh Governing Council, Ogbe-Ijoh Youths Council and the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) urged the government, security agencies and Itsekiri leaders

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

to prevail on the abductors to release their victims.

The Chairman of OgbeIjoh Governing Council, Lucky Clement Oromoni, the President-General of OgbeIjoh Youths Council, Christmas James and the IYC Chairman in Ogbe-Ijoh, Liberty Arerebo, condemned the “unprovoked attack”.

They said the youth were returning from a meeting with an oil servicing company, Saipem, on the premises of Warri Port, when they were attacked by Itsekiri youths, led by a man, identified as Emiko.

The community represen-

tatives said the gang overpowered the youths, robbing them of valuables, including cash and phones.

They said: “Five of our boys are missing. They are Boma Ebiarede, Daubiri Wuruakpo, Zitangbei Doutimi, Sir Ditorusin Lawyerwei and Krokongha Biniebi.

“They are all from OgbeIjoh and we can’t find them.

We have reported this and till now we are still searching for them.

“We are giving a sevenday ultimatum to Emiko and his group to bring back the things they took from us; the money is over N500,000, more than 18 phones were taken from them.”

The National Chairman of the Itsekiri National Youths Council (IYNC), David Tonwe, denied the involvement of Itsekiri youths.

He said his people had no problem with any Ijaw community.

The police dismissed the claim. Its spokesperson, Celestina Kalu (DSP), said: “I’ve spoken to the Area Commander; he said it’s not true. He said it’s a small problem and that he has invited the two communities for dialogue.

“He said 30 people entered the place and 30 people left, so there’s nobody missing in Ijaw. May be they are just using that to escalate the matter.”

‘Hospital’ll halt medical tourism’ From Osagie Otabor, Benin

E

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said the Benin Central Hospital, when completed, will halt medical tourism.

Oshiomhole said the people are waiting for the hospital to be completed because they travel overseas to treat simple ailments.

The governor, who spoke when he inspected the project, said state-of-the art equipment would be installed in the hospital.

“If we can translate this place into what I intend, people would come from Abuja to say there is a facility that can only be found in Central Hospital, Benin. That is my hope, that is my dream and I can see that you are already part of it.”

Jonathan hails Igbinedion at 80

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, who turns 80 today.

In a congratulatory letter, the President praised Igbinedion’s trail-blazing achievements in several fields of human endeavour.

“Today, September 11, you are marking your 80th birthday of a life of uncommon accomplishments and enduring fulfillment.

“In a classic epitome of the triumph of the will over the temporal limitations of circumstance of birth, you defied all odds and emerged from very humble beginnings to become not just a captain of industry of note but also one of Nigeria’s most readily recognisable names.

“Through it all, you have not only remained faithful to the rich cultural heritage of the revered Benin Kingdom as one of the most senior chiefs in the land, but you have also played a significant role in Nigeria’s democratic developmental process.”

Benin leaders indict Edo PDP

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GROUP, Benin Leaders of Thought, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plans to disenfranchise voters from Edo South Senatorial dis-

trict.

The group’s convener, Prince Edun Akenzua, said: “As this ugly charade goes on, the PDP national leadership is watching.

“PDP leadership is desperate to capture Edo State and install a governor from Edo Central.

“The stakes are high. I do not think that those who are hell-bent on installing a governor from Edo Central will want to throw the baby away with the bath water.

“The imbroglio is directed against the Bini. It is a well laid plot to make Benin irrelevant in the scheme of things.

“It is not by accident that there is no Bini person in President Jonathan’s cabinet. Powerful enemies of Bini made sure of that. Yet, Bini are majority in the state.

“The sponsors of the goings-on in the House of Assembly may think they are fighting Adams Oshiomhole.

They are not.

“They are waging their long-term battle against Bini, playing the old game of preventing Bini from having a united power against any person they impose on them.”

•From right: Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark, Senator Femi Okurounmu, former Anambra State Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife and others at a briefing by the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly on the additional 30,000 polling units created by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Hostilities resume in Cross River communities

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NE person has been declared missing, following resumed hostilities between the Bahumono community of Usumutong and Ediba in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.

It was learnt that the missing person, identified as 38year-old Innocent Egbe, from Ediba, was abducted after an alleged attack by the Usumtong people on Sunday.

Another indigene of Ediba, 20-year-old Destiny Arukwo lost an ear in the attack.

This is coming barely a month after a ceasefire agree-

•One missing

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

ment was signed by the two communities.

The agreement, which was signed at the palace of the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ubi Ujong Inah, required both communities to desist from any action capable of jeopardising the peace.

The two communities have been quarrelling over a parcel of land which the government confiscated to avert further violence.

Security operatives were deployed in the area to en-

sure the peace is sustained.

Sunday Emmanuel Akpaka, another Ediba person, who survived the attack, said the attack was unprovoked.

He said: “On Sunday, Innocent, Destiny and I went to the farm. As we w er e w or k i ng , Dest i ny shouted that Usumutong people are around and we should run. “We started running. We didn’t know that they had surrounded the farm. As I was running, two people held me but I escaped.

“As they pursued me, one of them was shouting ‘Okoro,

Factions continue sitting in Edo Assembly

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction of the Edo House of Assembly yesterday summoned the state Director of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to appear before it on September 15.

Festus Ebea, who led the faction at its plenary in Benin, said the FERMA director should explain the alleged misconduct of some officials of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) on federal roads in the state.

Ebea said the House had passed a resolution calling

on EDSTMA officials to stop further harassment of road users on federal roads in the state.

According to him, “though we have noticed a reduction in their activities on federal roads, some of them are still seen operating on the roads.

“We want the director to tell us how far they have gone in enforcing the resolution and the challenges they are facing in the state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) faction of the Assembly has called on the Federal Government to provide relief materials

to victims of rainstorm in Fugar, Etsako Central Local Government Area.

Moving the motion under matters of urgent public importance, Johnson Oghumah (APC- Etsako Central), said since the disaster, the National Emergency Management Agency had not provided relief materials to the victims.

The Speaker, Uyi Igbe, and other members, however, said the state had done a lot to cushion the effect of the disaster in the community.

Okoro kill him’.

“I ran until my legs started aching. I got back to the village and reported the incident.

“As we were going back, we saw Destiny. He had been assaulted and his ear cut off.

“They carried Innocent away and up till now we have not seen him.

“Our elders have told us not to react because the government wants peace. We have been trying to give peace a chance but still the Usumutong people would not let the Ediba people rest.

We cannot go to our farms again.”

Council advises OPC factions IBADAN North West Local Government Area of Oyo State has advised the two factions of the Yoruba nationalist group, Odu’a Peoples Congress (OPC) to promote peace and eschew violence.

The event tagged: “Ajumose Odua Day”, an initiative by the Council boss, Wasiu Olatunbosun, was also set to bring together the factions to work for the All Progressives Congress (APC) next year.

In his opening remarks, Olatunbosun said some politicians exploit the groups to settle their political differences and to achieve their political goals and interests.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

67

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS

Scotland: U.K. leaders oppose independence

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.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waits in a helicopter in Baghdad.

Yesterday. PHOTO:Reuters U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday endorsed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s plans to mend Baghdad’s relations with Sunnis and Kurds, and said Iraq was a partner in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Kerry, on a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat the militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria, said: “We all have an interest in supporting the new government of Iraq.”

“The coalition that is at the heart of our global strategy I assure you will continue to grow and deepen in the days ahead ... because the United States and the world will simply not stand by to watch as ISIL’s evil spreads.” he said, using an alternative acronym for Islamic State.

“A new and inclusive Iraqi government has to be the engine of our global strategy against ISIL. Now the Iraqi parliament has approved a new cabinet with new leaders, with representation from all Iraqi communities, it’s full steam ahead.”

Kerry’s visit comes hours before a speech in which Obama will try to rally Americans behind another war in a region he has long sought to leave, backed by what Washington hopes will be a coalition of NATO and Gulf Arab allies committed to a campaign that could stretch beyond

U

KRAINE’s president says he will grant more autonomy to separatists in the east to keep the country together.

Petro Poroshenko said the current ceasefire had changed the situation “drastically”, despite reports that rebels had captured another town.

One rebel leader in Donetsk dismissed his comments and said they intended to break away and become inde-

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Iraq: America vows against Islamic state U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waits in a helicopter in Baghdad... yesterday. PHOTO:REUTERS

the end of Obama’s term in 2016.

Kerry told Abadi he was encouraged by his plans for “reconstituting” the military and his commitment to political reforms reaching out to all of Iraq’s religious and ethnic communities.

Abadi formed his government on Monday in what was billed as a break from the more abrasive style of his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki, whose policies were blamed by many Iraqis for fuelling sectarianism and pushing the country to the

brink of collapse.

Islamic State fighters seized large chunks of Iraq’s north and west this year, welcomed by many of the Sunni Muslim minority, who blamed the government for targeting them with indiscriminate arrests and discriminatory policies.

Abadi appealed to the international community to help Iraq fight Islamic State, urging them “to act immediately to stop the spread of this cancer.”

Abadi faces multiple crises, from the need to convince the

Sunnis they should stand with Baghdad against Islamic State to persuading minority Kurds not to break away and convincing his own majority Shi’ites he can protect them from Sunni hardliners.

Kerry highlighted Abadi’s readiness “to move forward rapidly on the oil agreements necessary for the Kurds, (and) on the representation of Sunnis in government.”

In a sign of the eagerness among Iraq’s political elite for a fresh start, new Parliament

Ukraine: Rebels get more autonomy Ukraine’s leader said that implementing the truce had been “difficult” in the midst of a “war for the independence and integrity” of the country.

But he added: “The situation has radically changed at the front. Before the ceasefire was announced, Ukraine was losing the lives of dozens of its heroes on a daily basis.”

Although Russia has consistently denied sending troops into Ukraine, Mr Po-

pendent.

The truce came into effect last Friday in a deal signed in Belarus and backed by Ukraine, the separatists and Russia.

More than 2,600 people have been killed since fighting between pro-Russian rebels and government forces erupted in April.

Mr Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Tuesday

and said they were satisfied with how the truce was holding, a Kremlin official confirmed.

Before the truce came into effect, rebels had taken control of several towns across eastern Ukraine More than 2,600 people have been killed and thousands more wounded since the fighting began in April Speaking during a televised meeting with his government,

•Gates

•An image of The Serene while docked at Valletta, Malta. P

from Ekiti, Nigeria i can not but marvel as how these charitable causes had been etched and engrossed in the minds of some of these good people all over the world.

Yet with so much humility.

This story caught my eyes and I just want to share it with our readers as how bill will call a yacht a fisher man’s boat’.

These days, Microsoft founder Bill Gates is more concerned with helping to save the

world than creating the next big gadget. But when the world’s richest man goes on vacation, he does it like no one else.

The New York Daily News captured some photos of Gates aboard “The Serene,” a $330 million dollar yacht that Gates and his family are renting for $5 million per week.

In addition to its 12 staterooms, the 450-foot, seven deck vessel also comes equipped with its own saltwater pool,

I’m on a boat: Bill Gates vacations on $330M yacht

Speaker Selim al-Jubouri, a Sunni, told Kerry: “We are ... hopeful that we will be able to defeat terrorist organizations and establish democracy in Iraq.”

Unlike his predecessor, Abadi enjoys the support of nearly all of Iraq’s major political groups, and the two most influential outside powers, Iran and the United States. U.S. officials hope he will present a unified front to weaken Islamic State, which has seized a third of both Iraq and Syria.

roshenko said the latest intelligence suggested “70% of Russian troops have been moved back across the border”.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin travels with international monitors to see if the ceasefire is holding in eastern Ukraine Amnesty International has called on Russia to urgently investigate allegations of war crimes in Ukraine and secure the release of two prisoners it said were illegally taken across the border.

A

CCORDING to “about money”, an online social media outfit, The Giving Pledge was set up in 2010 to encourage the wealthiest of the wealthy to give most of their fortunes away to philanthropic causes, either before they die or certainly right afterwards.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, long-time partners in charitable giving, started with American billionaires but have now expanded across the globe.

I was in my lakefront apartment in Chicago some years back, watching Buffet the Omaha-born and raised multi-billionaire, talking about how he has donated a sizeable chunk of his billions to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, saying that he trusted that Foundation to do the right thing in its charitable works all over the world, especially in poor African nations.

As a struggling immigrant

climbing wall, library, health spa, outdoor theater and even a nightclub spread out over the boat’s combined 48,000 square feet. Though for all his wealth and influence, Gates doesn’t actually own “The Serene.”

He’s renting it from Stolichnaya vodka distributor Yuri Scheffler. The Russia-born Scheffler is an interesting figure himself, famous for battling with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who tried to

HOTO:WIKICOMMONS

nationalize and “redistribute” Stolichnaya’s wealth.

According to Business Insider, Serene is the third most expensive yacht in the world. You can check out a video of the yacht during a recent visit to California in 2012 that was taken by a fellow, overwhelmed boater. .Bill Gates, co-cfounder of the Microsoft company and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, leaves the Hotel Matignon …

HE leaders of the main UK parties have travelled to Scotland to urge voters to reject independence in the referendum.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he would be “heartbroken” in the event of a “Yes” vote, while Labour leader Ed Miliband said the case for the Union came from the “head, heart and soul”.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said the leaders could not be trusted.

Meanwhile, a new opinion poll has suggested 47.6% of voters back “No”, 42.4% “Yes”, with 10% undecided.

The new poll, by Survation for the Daily Record, was conducted before the Westminster party leaders announced their campaign visits.

Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband abandoned their usual Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons to head north, after other recent opinion polls suggested the referendum race was now neck and neck.

Although the three leaders campaigned separately, they each called on voters to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom.

The three leaders have backed a plan of action spearheaded by former prime minister Gordon Brown, which they have said would see work begin on the handover of new powers on 19 September, the day after the referendum.

Syria conflict: Blast kills rebel leaders

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ASSAN Abboud (seated) was the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Front alliance The leader of one of the biggest Islamist rebel groups in Syria has been killed by an explosion in the north-western province of Idlib.

Ahrar al-Sham said Hassan Abboud was among a number of senior figures who died in the blast at the group’s headquarters in the town of Ram Hamdan.

There were conflicting reports about the cause of the blast and it was also unclear who was responsible.

Islamic State was accused of killing an Ahrar al-Sham leader earlier this year.

The jihadist group has been battling rebel groups for control of northern and eastern Syria since January, when they launched a co-ordinated offensive to expel it from the country.

Thousands of people have been killed in the infighting, which President Bashar alAssad’s forces have exploited.

The explosion targeted a meeting of as many as 50 Ahrar al-Sham leaders in a basement at the group’s heavily fortified headquarters.

The Islamic Front, a rebel umbrella group in which Ahrar al-Sham was the strongest faction, said that Abboud was among at least a dozen senior figures killed.

Ahrar al-Sham is the largest faction in the Islamic Front, a rebel umbrella group

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

68

POLITICS: MANIPULATION IN EDO STATE PART 1

BY HRH PRINCE EDUN AKENZUA MFR

ENOGIE OF OBAZUWA AND CONVENER BENIN LEADERS OF THOUGHT

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overnor Lucky Igbinedion was nearing the end of his Second some cases, outright hostility. With maturity and wisdom, they got on Term in office in year 2006. INEC was gearing up for the top of their assignment. In just three days, the figure of voters 11reg2007 gubernatorial election. Five or six aspirants had emerged istered in Edo South changed drastically. Vide the figures below: from Edo Central . All on the platform of PDP. There were no aspirants from Edo North. One came from Edo South. He was from AS AT END L.G.A AFTER 3 DAYS OF America. He was also on the platform of the PDP. OF DEC. 2006 MOBILIZATION JAN. 2007 The man from America ignored the advice of this writer that he had 30, 610 EGOR 52, 302 no chance in the PDP because leaders of the party had given the slot 41,609 IKPOBA-OKHA 69,323 exclusively to Edo Central Senatorial Area. He went ahead and paid 78,955 OREDO 118,470 the prescribed registration fee of some of the millions of Naira. The 48,302 ORHIONMWON 75,524 party took the money but jettisoned the man.

OVIA NORTH-EAST 26,939 45,239 OVIA SOUTH –WEST 21,797 28,530 Meanwhile, Benin Leaders of Thought (BLT) came out, campaign19,570 UHUNMWODE 29,591 ing for a person from Edo South to succeed Governor Igbinedion. *Figures obtained from INEC records.

Their argument was that democracy being a game of numbers Edo South should present the governor, since its population was more The powers-that-be in Abuja were astonished by the result. They than half of that of the State. hastily extended the closing date by a few days. Their plot had burst BLT rejected the argument of some people that because the incum- like a bubble. Those who were determined to re-write the population bent governor, Lucky Igbinedion, was from Edo South, it is equitable figures of the three Edo State Senatorial areas or reverse the voting that Edo Central was “allowed” to take the slot. BLT argued that potential of Edo South, evolved a new strategy.

Lucky Igbinedion, fought for and contested the election and was not simply “allowed” to take the position, therefore, anyone who wanted By 2007 or so, INEC announced its intention to introduce the Permathe office should also vie for it. nent Voters Card (PVC) for future elections. It worked silently on the project. In 2009, it released an update on its distribution of PVCs in Despite BLT’s position, no Edo person came out for the race. As BLT the 18 Local Government Areas of the State, as shown below: campaign to install a Benin successor got more intense, some politiQTY. OF PVC PVC S/N L.G.A cians taunted them that Edos had no one to run. Then, out of the blues, RECEIVED DISTRIBUTED one Benin man emerged, flying the banner of ACD. The man was 53,240 58,887 AKOKO-EDO 1 Charles Idahosa. It was great relief for this writer. At last, there was an 70,650 EGOR 2 15,883 Edo aspirant! The man’s party later transformed to AC. 37,765 ESAN CENTRAL 3 18,506 One Tuesday, I saw Idahosa on Television, flanked by Chief Amos 49,551 ESAN NORTH EAST 4 45,886 Osunbor, a chieftain of AC and Senetor Rowland Owie, then member 43,522 ESAN SOUTH-EAST 5 37,961 of the Benin Leaders of Thought, and also chieftan of AC. The duo 55,939 ESAN WEST 6 24,603 lifted Idahosa’s hands up and declared him official choice of Edo South 28,539 ETSAKO CENTRAL 7 28,384 for the gubernatorial race. The dream of BLT to produce a Benin 76,236 ETSAKO EAST 8 50,601 successor to Governor Igbinedion was beginning to crystallize.

43,762 ETSAKO WEST 9 39,724 23,556 IGUEBEN 10 21,992 PDP had shut its doors firmly against non Edo Central aspirants.

128,928 IKPOBA-OKHA 11 30,120 Because of that, BLT regarded AC, the party that allowed a Benin person to come out, as the party for Benin. Shortly later, Charles 184,527 OREDO 12 30,127 Arigbe-Osula and Solomon Edebiri joined the race on the platform of 100,155 ORHIONMWON 13 94,264 APN and PPP, respectively. At last, Edo had three aspirants! ACD 67,530 OVIA NORTH-EAST 14 40,299 had changed to AC. Barely a week after Chief Osunbor, Senator 47,200 OVIA SOUTH 15 42,359 Owie and Idahosa appeared on TV,Osunbor and Owie were at a 75,483 OWAN EAST 16 72,715 meeting where someone else was presented as AC flag-bearer.

36,624 OWAN WEST 17 31,906 47,261 UHUNMWODE 18 33,888 INEC went ahead with its voters registration exercise. By December 1,176,115 TOTAL 712,418 2006, it posted the following figures for the 18 Local Government Areas of the State: Curiously, what happened in 2006 happened again. INEC took 184,527 PVCs to Oredo; it distributed only 30, 120, less than 10 percent.

AKOKO-EDO 37,395 Whereas it took 4,955 to Esan North East and distributed 45,886 EGOR 30,610 about 90%. Thus, the PVCs distributed in only eight (8) of the 11 ESAN CENTRAL 26,277 LGAs in Edo Central and Edo North, whose joint population is less ESAN NORTH EAST than 50% of that of the State, was 394,448 while figures for Edo South ESAN SOUTH-EAST 21,891 whose population is more than 52% of the State was only 286,970.

ESAN WEST 31,650 Was a discrepancy accidental or deliberate? Whatever it was, it made ETSAKO CENTRAL 21,378 the number of registered voters in Edo South, less than that of Edo ETSAKO EAST 33,206 Central and Edo North despite the population figures released by the ETSAKO WEST 52,667 National population Commission (NPC) which shows that Edo South IGUEBEN 18,376 has larger population than Edo Central and Edo North put together.

IKPOBA-OKHA 41,609 A lot of criticism followed the irregularities. INEC withdrew the figures and reverted to the old Voters register.

OREDO 78,955 ORHIONMWON 48,302 PART II OVIA NORTH-EAST 26,939 It would have been apt to entitle this concluding part of the story OVIA SOUTH 21,797 TWO FIGHTING. “Two Fighting”, was the alarm sounded by senior OWAN EAST 33,944 boys at school in those days when two boys were caught fighting. Woe OWAN WEST 28,288 betides the undisciplined, lack-of-home-training kids. Teacher would UHUNMWODE 1,570 descend on them with severe corporal punishment, cane lashes on The exercise was due to end in January. I got a phone call from Abuja one their buttocks.We went down memory lane, in the first part of the night. The caller drew my attention to the figures, particularly the one article, to properly situate the imbroglio as seen by some people as a posted for Oredo. He wondered why INEC had registered only 78,955 ploy to create confusion in the State and give the President a reason for voters in Oredo with only a few days to the closing of the exercise. declaring a state of emergency on Edo State. I do not think so. PDP He said the figure obtained from EDPA in Benin showed that Benin leadership is desperate to “capture” Edo State and install a governor City had no less than 300,000 residential houses and that even if one from Edo Central. That being so, it would not risk a declaration of a person was registered in each house, Oredo should register a much State of Emergency on the State. Imposing an emergency on a State higher number of voters. I was horrified by the figures. I knew some- whose government is doing well and who has a governor loved by the thing had gone wrong. I expressed my concern to the Omo n’Oba. He State’s traditional institutions, market women and the people would directed the Iyase to collaborate with me on the exercise. lead to what no one could conjecture. The stakes are too high. I do not We discovered that there was a plot to disenfranchise Edo South think that those who are hell-bent on installing a governor from Edo voters. In order to discourage them from going to be registered, vot- Central will want to throw the baby away with the bath water. The ers were secretely being told that the exercise was for the purpose of imbroglio is directed against the Edos (Benins). It is a well laid plot to taxation. The exercise was to be delayed in Benin City, weeks after it make Benin irrelevant in the scheme of things. It is not by accident that would have started in Edo central. Registration officers were to be there is no Benin person in President Jonathan’s cabinet. Powerful deployed in areas where there was no electricity to operate the enemies of Benin made sure of that. Yet, Benins are in the majority in newly acquired data capturing machines and they were not to be population in the State.The imbroglio is directed against the Edos given adequate registration materials.

(Benins). It is a well lad plot to make Benin irrelevant in the scheme of things. It is not by accident that there is no Benin person in President BLT evolved a strategy to counter the plot. It set up seven teams. Jonathan’s cabinet. Powerful enemies of Benin made sure of that. Yet, Each team made up of two Enigie, two chiefs and one market woman. Benins are in the majority in population in the State.

Each team was provided with a minibus, a small generator and 25 or 50 litres of petrol. Each team was directed to visit one local government When PDP was establishing its structure in Edo State, Benin leaders in area and mobilize the people to come out to be registered. We discov- the party fell into the trap set by enemies of Benin. The trap was to ered there was no registration unit in the New Benin Market area. split the rank of the Benins. Six Benin persons were encouraged to vie With a few days left for the exercise to close, BLT intensified its for the position of the party’s chairman. The aspirants campaigned campaign. The teams would set out for their assigned Local Govern- viciously against each other thus fragmenting the Benin vote bloc. ment Areas everyday at 8 am. Some of them met with apathy. In

Those who did not want a Benin person in that position, ensured that only one aspirant came from Edo North. It was no surprise that Benins lost out. The divide-them syndrome continues. During the gubernatorial election of 2012, PDP leaders dumped five veteran aspirants, including a former State Governor from Edo Central, in favor of a young Benin man who freshly retired from military career.In 2011, it was clear that no one could dislodge the incumbent governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who brought unprecedented and comprehensive development to the State within only a few years in office.

PDP leaders realized that too. Yet, they made the young army retiree go for the race. The amiable General was advised by well meaning persons to keep his clean slate for 2016 but he was overwhelmed by leaders who assured him that with their backing, he would win.

Some thought the PDP leaders were simply being fool-hardy but they knew what they were doing and that the General would fail.

But they were looking ahead to 2016. They wanted to be in a position to say to Benin when they bring on a candidate from a minority area for the election: “we gave you your son in 2012, but you rejected him”.

Sadly, Benin people in the party did not perceive the strategy by their party leadership. They were dazzled by the offer to them to present their “son” for the gubernatorial race. They accepted it, in exchange for all the federal positions available!

The sponsors of the goings-on in the House of Assembly may think they are fighting Adams Oshiomole. They are not. They are waging their long-term battle against Benin, playing the old game of preventing Benin from having a united power against any person they impose on them. Oshiomole’s erstwhile friends, who have now deserted him, are not fighting him either. They are fighting against Benin. Fortunately, they did not say leave because Oshiomole is no longer doing his job well as governor.

The State Chairman of PDP Chief Dan Orbih, is frequently on television telling viewers that Oshiomole wastes public funds. That he flies around in helicopters; that he changes air-conditioners in his official quarters; that he is frequently out of the State; that all he does when he is home is inspect projects.

Chief Orbih has reduced politics to a personal battle between him and Oshiomole. Instead of discussing issues, he discusses personalities. He has to prove to his listeners that Oshiomole has removed the roads built in Edo Sate; or that he has dismantled the schools, or that he has abandoned the Storm Water Project and carted away the money budgeted for it, if he wants people to take him serious.

I commend Oshiomole for his indefatigability and for personally inspecting projects. The only other governor who showed so much zest and energy and who personally inspected projects in the State, was military governor Samuel Ogbemudia.

The theatrics by Edo legislators currently running two separate House of Assembly would have been an award winning plot for a Nollywood comedy. Unfortunately, the dramatis personae are the State’s “honourable” law-makers and the set, the hallowed chamber of parliament.

Reporting the comic show by the legislators, Independent Television (ITV) refers to PDP House Faction or Speaker of the PDP House Faction and APC House Faction or Speaker of the APC House Faction. Referring to the two Houses in that fashion gives legitimacy to the brigandage, as if having two Houses of Assembly in one state is normal and constitutional.

Do the children of these ‘’honourable’’ men ask their parents about their public display of indiscipline, of indiscipline, irresponsibility and the reprehensible two-fighting mania? What answers do they get? Will these parents have the moral right to chastise their children from being street-fighters and public nuisance? It is painful and sad that our honourable law-makers have turned themselves into law breakers.It is sad that they disregarded the wise counsel from Royal Fathers who sought to restore sanity to the mad House. His Majesty, the Oba of Benin invited the warring legislators to his palace for “peace talks” aimed at restoring sanity to the House. They disrespectfully ignored his advice. If they have no respect for such personage, who else will they respect? The Holy Book says: “Honour thine father and thine mother so that thine days may be long upon the earth”.

Tragically, as this ugly charade goes on, the national leadership of PDP, the “largest party in Africa” and the party of the Federal Government of Nigeria, is watching with morbid interest, looking unabashedly the other way. The civilized world is watching us run about the field, playing a game whose rule we do not understand.

PDP leaders clap their hands enthusiastically at each home-goal, scored by their local champion.

While their wards perform these theatrics here in Benin, the Masterfixers are busy in Abuja, planning the strategy with which their party will up-stage Edo South voters. One way they plan to do this is to ensure that most Benin voters are unable to obtain the permanent voters cards.

On Election Day, anyone who does not have the permanent voters card will not be allowed to vote. We are told that was how it happened in Ekiti where, they said, more than 200,000 voters were disenfranchised.

SIGNED: PRINCE EDUN AKENZUA CONVENER BENIN LEADERS OF THOUGHT ENOGIE OF OBAZUWA

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

NEWS

Boko Haram seeks swap of 30 Chibok girls for 18 chiefs Continued from page 4

Haram leaders/ members only on the condition that all the Chibok girls will be freed.

Some security agents are said to have given “cautious advice” to the government when there was “no full assurance that all the girls will be released”.

“So, technically, the release of 30 girls was unacceptable to the government based on the advice of some security agents,” another source said, adding:

“You can see why Nigerians should stop blaming Boko Haram from continuously keeping these girls in captivity. What is of concern now is to get even these 30 girls out to prove to the whole world that they are alive.”

Sani simply said last night: “No comment.”

Earlier in May, Sani explained why he and some Boko Haram contacts had audience with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta.

He said the session was meant to open a new channel

for dialogue with the sect to rescue the girls.

He said: “The meeting in Abeokuta was aimed at repackaging and salvaging the dialogue option.”

It was not immediately clear if the latest talks had any connection with the repackaging or not.

The Chairman of the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee on the abduction of Chibok girls, Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, had on July 22 said the incident was real, contrary to misinterpretation in some

quarters.

He also said 276 pupils were abducted, but 219 were unaccounted for, as at the time of submitting the report.

He said 57 of the abducted pupils had been reunited with their families after escaping from the sect.

Gen. Sabo, who made the disclosures in an address at the presentation of the committee’s report to the President, said 119 pupils escaped from the school premises before the insurgents took away their classmates.”

Continued from page 4

Continued from page 4

the country.

“It is true that government has reviewed the position earlier taken on the resumption; government may have some reasons that are not available to us,” Suleiman said, adding: “But since the Minister of Health has initially justified the reason for the review, the legislature has decided to abide by that position.

“Now, a superior, more professionally position has been taken by those who are supposed to drive the project in the first place.

“The NMA advised that the review of the date will not be in the best interest of the country, healthwise.”

The lawmaker said as representatives of the people, the House decided to invite the executive through the minister and the NMA, “which we have done.

‘Troops capture child soldiers‘ Continued from page 4

He said the people to benefit from the new polling booths were the electorate, as the idea would aid voting.

Jega said the commission was yet to create the polling units, adding that it was only the framework and guideline to facilitate it that had been approved.

He stressed that additional polling centres must be created to ensure that the coming general elections were conducted in a conducive atmosphere, to ensure a free and fair poll.

The INEC chief dismissed a criticism, which had been on an

alleged conspiracy theory, aimed at foisting the dominance of one section of the country on the others, for political advantage.

He faulted the critics for focusing on the planned polling units rather than considering the distribution of the 150,000 polling units.

Jega said with the current 120,000 polling units, some states had more polling centres than they should have.

He noted that it was regrettable that people viewed every national action with suspicion.

“INEC’s decision to re-config-

ure the structure of polling units and create additional ones is driven by our collective aspirations as Nigerians to reform and improve upon the electoral process for free, fair, peaceful and credible elections next year and beyond. There is no sectional or parochial agenda in this decision and there will never be any such agenda under this commission.

“They know my antecedents.

I am not a religious jingoist. It is only those who do not want progress, who are accusing us.

Nigeria must move forward. We must not allow our fear to imprison us,” Jega said.

from insurgent attacks in Madagali, Michika and Mubi North and South Local Government Areas of the state,” Jauro said.

Among the refugees are 162 students of the Federal Polytechnic and the Adamawa State University, Mubi, who hail from Taraba State.

He said 360 were women and 175 children.

The commandant said two women had given birth and that both mothers and the babies were in good health.

He thanked individuals and organisations for their massive assistance to the refugees.

Another group, the Taraba Democrats, warned against any plan to destabilise the state by politicians scheming for the 2015 elections.

The group issued the warning yesterday against the background of information that Governor Suntai was to be flown back to the country.

The statement signed by Mr

Aliyu Usman described the report as discomforting in view of what it called relative peace in the state and that the new move could start another power tussle which poses a threat to "ongoing push to bring real development to our state.”

It added: "As much as we all pray for.the quick recovery of our dear governor, we are worried

that the new plot to bring him back to the country was simply political and a design to create crisis ahead of the governorship primaries of.the PDP holding in November; this is a great disservice to our state.

"Attempt to start another proxy war between the acting governor and his ailing boss is uncalled for at this delicate moment in our

nation's history. Our concern is that this fresh attempt may give courage to those who think the governor should be impeached on medical grounds ",the statement noted.

"We are convinced that the governor should be allowed to receive a thorough medical attention. This is what our dear Danbaba needs now; not another

INEC chair has lost credibility, say Southern elders But Jega defended his integrity yesterday in Abuja, saying he is not a religious or ethnic jingoist. The need factor, rather than political factor, he stressed, necessitated the planned distribution of the polling units.

Jega noted that the criticisms were unjustified, as the initiative was aimed at developing the country.

The INEC boss told reporters at a news briefing that the new units would not give political advantage to anybody or group.

‘Schools’ resumption date shaky’

Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Prof. Abdullahi Liman Turkur, who visited the camp, directed that displaced children in the camp be accommodated in the Federal Government Colleges, pending the return of normalcy.

It was gathered that local hunters in Adamawa State have attacked and killed some members of the Boko Haram in Madagali and Michika local governments areas. Unconfirmed reports indicated that 75 members of the sect were gunned down.

The insurgents were said to have been retreating having run out of ammunition.

around of political exhibition like the nation witnessed last year", the.group said.

It urged President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene before another round of crisis engulfs Taraba state adding that "our people want peace and they are fed up with those playing politics with the health of our governor.

Anxiety over plan to declare Suntai incapacitated

Continued from page 4

“This is a desperate move and one that is typical of Umar.

“Certain things are very clear: one, Umar has been paying the medical bills of Governor Suntai.

At what point then did his benefactor become incapacitated?

“Do you treat an incapacitated person?”

70

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

71

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

SPORT EXTRA

Kayode: after I knock Ortiz out, get me Klitschko

RESULTS African Cup of Nations - Qualification Congo S.Africa Malawi Angola Lesotho S. Leone Cameroon Togo Uganda M’mbique C.Verde Botswana Egypt

2 - 0 Sudan 0 - 0 Nigeria 3 - 2 Ethiopia 0 - 3 B’Faso 1 - 1 Gabon 0 - 2 DR Congo 4 - 1 I.Coast 2 - 3 Ghana 2 - 0 Guinea 1 - 1 Niger 2 - 1 Zambia 0 - 2 Senegal 0 - 1 Tunisia

N

IGERIA-BORN undefeated heavyweight boxing title contender, Lateef Kayode, has stated that he is ready for a fight with Wladimir Klitschko after he defeats Luis Ortiz tonight in Las Vegas.

Kayode, the current WBO NABO and NABF Cruiserweight Champion, is trained by four-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach.

He will face Ortiz in a clash of unbeaten heavyweights tonight at The

By Mayo Orekoya with agency report Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Kayode (20-0, 16 knockouts), 31, will be after his third straight stoppage victory, having last been in action for a sixth round technical knockout of Jonte Willis in January. The win over Willis was the second consecutive for Kayode since June 2012.

“I feel as good as I did at cruiserweight,” Kayode said, “I'm still the same

powerful guy.”

He continued: "My trainer Freddie Roach has spent a lot of time in the gym with me. He has taught me a lot about my opponents and how to take advantage of them.

"I notice the difference when Freddie tells me things to adjust my game.

He helped me with my footwork and positioning.

He taught me new ways to make my opponents pay.

Kayode’s opponent in tonight’s fight, Ortiz (21-0, 18 KOs), is a former Cuban amateur standout, and is coming off a fourth round knockout of former title challenger Monte Barrett in April. But the Lagos-born Kayode is not bothered by this.

Hear him: "Freddie told me that if I listen to him I will have no problem with this guy (Ortiz). He (Freddie) is there to make life easier for me.

"I will be able to keep my composure and keep calm in the ring. It's not an easy task to fine-tune my brute force and strength but I feel great about where I am.

"After I knock Ortiz out or whatever I do to him, after that I will leave it up to my manager to try to get me a fight with Klitschko. I'm not scared to fight anybody."

2015 AFCON QUALIFIERS

Eagles claim a point in Cape Town

T

HE Super Eagles of Nigeria claimed their first point in qualifying after drawing 0-0 with South Africa in their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at Cape Town Stadium.

Chances were hard to come by in the opening 45 minutes, as South Africa and Nigeria went into the halftime break with the scores tied at 0-0.

South Africa were seeing a lot of the ball early on, and were asking most of the questions in the first half, with Sibusiso Vilakazi proving to be a bit of trouble for the Nigeria defence.

The home side nearly went ahead in the eighth minute as Manla Masango broke down the right flank and his cross ended at up at the feet of Oupa

Manyisa, but his effort was blocked by Efe Ambrose.

It took a while for Stephen Keshi's men to get into the game and they produced their first meaningful effort on target, with Nosa Igiebor blasting just over the bar from the edge of the area.

Keshi was hoping to see more from Russia-based duo, Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike, with the latter virtually nonexistent in the first half.

Tokelo Rantie came close to giving Bafana the lead in the 60th minute, the striker latched onto a through ball from Andile Jali, before firing one into the side-netting.

The Super Eagles nearly took the lead in the 80th minute, as substitute Osaguona's header was cleared off the line

by Erick Mathoho.

Minutes later and South Africa almost went ahead, as Rantie was left one on one with Austin Ejide, but the Super Eagles goalkeeper did well to deny the striker.

Keshi's men pushed on for the winner in the closing stages but they could not break the deadlock and • Efe Ambrose against South African had to settle for a player last night point.

www.thenationonlineng.net

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

RIPPLES FED GOVT POSTPONES SCHOOLS’ RESUMPTION DATE TO OCTOBER 13-News

OCTOBER is alright...PARENTS are HAPPY because SCHOOL FEES IS NOT READY!

VOL. 9, NO. 2,968

‘If politicians expect to be taken seriously, they must stay the course and show that they are not in politics for their bellies alone’ JIDE OSUNTOKUN

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

T

HE Boko Haram insurgency appears again to be gathering some momentum. The insurgents have seized more towns in Borno State and have declared a Caliphate there.

The conflict is widening with press reports about some limited military incursions by the insurgents in Adamawa State. Now, in the midst of all this, Mr. Stephen (or Steven) Davies, the unknown and mysterious Australian mediator in the conflict, has dropped a political clanger about the identity of the sponsors of the insurgency. In a widely reported interview in The Cable, an online newspaper, Mr. Davis claimed that, in his meetings with the leaders of Boko Haram in an undisclosed location, he was told that among the main sponsors of the insurgency were Ali Modu Sheriff, the former governor of Borno State, now a Senator, and Lt. -General Azubuike Ihejirika, the retired army chief of staff. Mr. Davis also claimed he was told that an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had been facilitating the transfer of funds to the insurgents from an unnamed Nigerian based in Cairo, Egypt, with strong ties to Al Qaeda. These claims have sent ripples across the country and beyond.

The identity of the sponsors of the insurgency has become a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

These are grave allegations bordering on treason on the part of those allegedly involved in sponsoring the insurgency. Both men named

by Mr. Davis have vehemently denied the claim, with Ali Modu Sheriff threatening to sue Mr. (or Dr.) Stephen Davis for allegedly defaming him. Lt.-General Ihejirika says he was named because of his tough military strategy in the conflict with the insurgents, adding arrogantly that he had no regrets for taking such a tough military stance against the insurgents. It is difficult to understand why he should be tagged a collaborator simply because of his claim that he adopted a tough military strategy against the insurgents. Could this be a decoy by the insurgents?

But who really is this Australian mediator, who has variously been described as a political geographer, a political scientist, and even a ‘Cardinal’ in the Australian Anglican Church.

Until he broke into the news a few months ago, very little was known about his political antecedents or record in mediating in international or national conflicts. At the time, the media claimed that he had been invited by the federal government to mediate in the insurgency and help rescue the over 200 Chibok girls kidnapped and still being held as captives

by Boko Haram. The federal government was certainly aware of press reports linking it with Mr. Davis’s efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped girls. But now, a spokesperson of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mrs. Ogar, has categorically stated that Mr. Davis was neither invited by the federal government to help secure the release of the girls, nor were his mediation efforts in this regard authorised by the FG. In fact, according to Mrs. Ogar, the DSS was neither consulted by Mr. Davis about his mediation efforts nor did he submit any report to the federal government, or any of its security agencies, regarding what transpired

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

DAPO FAFOWORA

FROM THE SUMMIT dapo.fafowora@thenationonlineng.net

Boko Haram and the Stephen Davis Clanger

•Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in negotiations between him and the insurgents.

Someone is being economical with the truth about this entirely disgraceful episode. It is rather strange and paradoxical that the federal government, which was fully aware of Mr. Davis’s mediation with the insurgents, should now choose this time to deny any knowledge of what Mr. Davis was doing in Borno State negotiating with the insurgents. On what basis was his entry into Nigeria approved? Who sponsored his trip financially and met his expenses in Nigeria? Was it the insurgents or some other external sponsors? How could the federal government claim to be totally ignorant of the presence of Mr. Davis in Borno State, or deny his mediation efforts, when the media reported periodically about this matter and his efforts in mediating in the abduction of the Chibok girls. If the FG did not authorise or approve his role, why was Mr. Davis allowed to come to Nigeria in the first place? Was the FG naïve in thinking something positive could come from his efforts for which it could then claim some credit?

I should say that, with my long experience in diplomacy as a retired Nigerian Ambassador, I was very sceptical right from the start that Mr. Davis, whose antecedents were not really known, was the right man for the job of securing the release of the kidnapped girls. I thought it to be highly unlikely that Mr. Davis, a Christian

G

RANDIOSE delusions (GD) come in various forms. A recent manifestation came during a publicised meeting between Chief Tom Ikimi, a prominent chameleonic politician, and some leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The venue was Ikimi’s residence in Abuja and the party was represented by its National Chairman, Adamu Muazu; the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih; and some others.

The background: Ikimi had just pulled out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his failed ambition to be the chairman of the opposition party. His disappointment was perhaps understandable, especially given the visible cementing role he was given in the merger talks that led to the emergence of the APC from the dissolution of certain parties.

But, of course, this could not have meant that the position of party chairman would automatically go to him. Indeed, if he had calculated, as it seems he did, that he had the title in the bag because of his participation in the fusion negotiations, then it would mean that he

for that matter mediating in a religious conflict with the Islamic jihadists, was in any position to achieve this objective. It was my view that, for any mediation to be really successful, and for the abducted girls to be released, Nigerian mediators, preferably from the North and Muslim, were far better placed to realise this objective. Some of these possible mediators are known to have direct links with the leaders of the insurgency and are more likely to be in a better position to persuade the Boko Haram leaders to release the Chibok girls. In fact, there have been press reports of such mediation efforts by some notable Northern Muslim leaders, which should have been encouraged by the federal government. Now, with the passage of time, it is getting increasingly unlikely that the Chibok girls will ever be rescued with, or without, the use of force which the Armed Forces have ruled out as too risky.

Now, as to the claims by Mr. Davis of the complicity of Senator Modu Sheriff and Lt.General Ihejirika in the sponsorship of the insurgency, these should be fully investigated by the security agencies. Sheriff, who has been widely linked by the media to the origins of Boko Haram, is believed to have been invited already for questioning by the DSS over the matter. Though I consider it highly implausible that Lt-Gen. Ihejirika was also involved in sponsoring or supporting the insurgents as claimed by Mr. Davis, he too should be invited for questioning to ascertain the truth, or otherwise, of the claims by Mr. Davis, whose reports on the whole have tended to be broadly speculative. There are disturbing reports that the foreign powers that had offered Nigeria limited military assistance with military intelligence and air strikes in flushing out the dissidents were discouraged when they found out that even the Presidency had been infiltrated

by Boko Haram moles.

Regrettably, there has been some unnecessary blame game on this grave and tragic matter, with both the PDP federal government and the opposition APC blaming each other for the dire security situation confronting the nation. This is not what we need now as it will give comfort to

HARDBALL Ikimi believes he can fly had been living in dreamland.

His expressed bitterness was revealing. Suddenly, the APC was no longer worthy of his interest, except as a target of barbs. In a spectacular somersault in the context of exploring a return to the PDP, Ikimi described the APC as “anti-nationalistic” and accused it of “discriminatory tendencies.” Then he got strikingly enthusiastic and said to the visitors: “I look forward to bringing value to the PDP. I believe that my contributions will again be noteworthy. By my joining PDP, we are assured of victory not only in Edo State but in the entire Southsouth geo-political zone.” This is the kind of dreaminess that accompanies GD. It is unsurprising that he got carried away in his excitement. He said: “I believe that our people are looking forward to this reunion because they will benefit the most from it.

When I and Chief Anenih work together, I do

the enemy, now on the rampage in Borno State.

The situation is one of national emergency and both the government and the opposition must stand together, shoulder to shoulder, in fighting this threat to our survival as a nation. This is no time for partisan and bitter politics. The federal government must take the security threat from the insurgents more seriously. It is certainly not doing enough now to contain and defeat the insurgency. It appears confused and bewildered by the military audacity of the insurgents.

We must also recognise that the insurgency is a direct consequence of persistently bad governance in the North, characterised by the long period of grinding poverty, lack of jobs, and rampart social injustice, all of which undermine the political stability and unity of our country. Something must be done collectively by all of Nigeria’s political elite to tackle these long standing political, economic and social problems. It is what the insurgents are feeding on. They are steadily gaining the support locally of those who erroneously believe that the insurgents offer them a better future.

The insurgency relies heavily on this increasing local support for their military intelligence and audacity.

The pathetic situation in the Armed Forces is one that is of considerable concern to the public, with desertions from the Army, of which nearly two battalions were reported as fleeing across the border to the Cameroon. Nigeria once had a competent Army with an admirable local and international record of which the nation was proud. It is now at the mercy of a rag tag insurgency of less than 4,000 fighters. Senior Army officials claim consistently that they are ‘on top of the situation’. But the insurgents seem to have the upper hand militarily. This is embarrassing, not only to the Armed Forces, but to the entire nation. There is no record of any such desertions during our civil war fought with even more savagery than the conflict with the insurgents. But the Armed Forces were well armed and motivated then than now. We hear reports of inadequate funding and equipment inferior to that of the insurgents. To increase the fighting capability of the Armed Forces and end the desertion of the troops the National Assembly must look more closely into the funding of the Army and the supply of the much needed arms and ammunition to it. How the huge defence budget is being spent should also be thoroughly investigated.

ERROR In my column on Thursday, August 28, 2014, in which I paid a tribute to the late Chief S.O. Fadahunsi, CON, I inadvertently wrote that his long standing close friend and professional colleague, Pa Engineer Oyebolu, was ‘now deceased’. It was a dreadful error as he is very much alive and well. I apologise to his family, friends and associates for the error. Also, my reference in the same column to ‘Engr. Femi Fadahunsi’ should have read ‘Engr. Femi Ibironke’ instead.

• For comments, send SMS to 08054503031

•Hardball is not the not think we can have any obstacle we cannot overcome.” It goes without saying that this idea of invincibility could only have come from GD. Interestingly, on this occasion the remarks

by Muazu in particular reinforced the delusional quality of the atmosphere. It was a time to encourage a feel-good mood, even if it meant an ugly distortion of reality. Muazu said the PDP would benefit from Ikimi’s “wealth of experience, strong political structure and massive followership across the country.” To go by his words, it would appear that either he was ignorant of the meanings of the words, or the words had lost their meanings.

By interpretation, the Abuja meeting was possibly a dress rehearsal for Ikimi’s formal re-entry into the PDP, which he has a right to pursue. It is just that both sides, the host and the visitors, seemed to be engaged in a charade; and probably the most entertaining aspect of the show was their apparent thinking that the public must take them seriously. For laughableness, Ikimi’s flip-flop scores a high mark, as much as his self-delusion.

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