The Nation September 12, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Sanusi: Obasanjo is a bad economist

Oshiomhole’s aide’s murder suspect freed

NEWS Page 4

•CBN boss hits ‘successful farmer’

•Court grants activist Ugolor bail

NEWS

Page 12

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 7, NO. 2246 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Power generation still 4,439.5mw •Minister: Lagos gets 1,124mw From John Ofikhenua, Grace Anyiador, Abuja and Emeka Ugwuanyi

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OWER generation has hit 4,439 megawatts, the government said yesterday.

It also announced its plan to surpass the promised 4,500mw by December.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Mrs Dere Awosika, denied that power generation had dropped by 1,000 mw as claimed in a report yesterday.

According to her, the current generation mark was attained on September 5. It has not reduced, she said.

In a statement yesterday, the ministry said: “The attention of the Ministry of Power has been drawn to a report alleging that power generation has dropped by 1,000megawatts. “ The fact is that there is no iota of truth in the publication. At present, the peak generation has remained 4,439.5 megawatts.

This peak status was gained on September 5 and since then, it has been steady.

“We have tried as much as possible to be transparent and provide relevant and accurate data. Our door remains open.”

According to Mrs Awosika, Minister of State for Power Darius Dickson Ishaku has assured Nigerians that the recent gains in the power generation “will not only be conContinued on page 61

•US President Barack Obama (right) , First Lady Michelle Obama (left), and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta pay their respects in front of a wreath during a ceremony commemorating the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon in Washington, DC...yesterday PHOTOS: AFP

Buhari: PDP must be stopped in 2015

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ORMER Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of making Nigeria difficult to stabilise because of what he calls its penchant for rigging elections.

The 2011 presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) vowed to join forces with other wellmeaning Nigerians to ensure free, fair and credible elections

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

in 2015.

Speaking with our correspondent in an interview in his Kaduna home, Gen, Buhari said opposition parties’ merger plans were on course so that they could defeat the PDP in 2015.

Besides, he said the Boko Haram insurgency, in which many have been killed, was caused by injustice.

His words: “The type of rigging pattern perfected by the PDP must be stopped. People must be allowed to vote for candidates of their choice. If our election processes are free, fair and credible, there will be no problem in Nigeria. But the PDP government is making the country very difficult to stabilise with its rigging pattern.

“This is the evil that we have Continued on page 4

•A woman cries as President Barack Obama speaks during a 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon...yesterday. Story on page 60

Jonathan dumps 7-year single tenure proposal Two new states likely INEC ‘lacks power to seek amendment’

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•Dr. Jonathan

HE Presidency bowing to public pressure, may have dropped the idea of a sevenyear single tenure, The Nation learnt yesterday.

But the government is determined to create one or two states “to ensure some balance and equity”, a

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

source said, pleading not to be named.

One of the new states may come from the Southeast, which is the only geopolitical zone with five states.

Also, the government has fore-

closed state police in the proposed amendments to the Constitution. It will not be on the list it plans to send to the National Assembly.

There might, however, be significant proposals on local government and justice sector reforms.

A government committee on the

proposed amendments has almost concluded its work.

The popular thinking in government circles is that the single term tenure is not popular among Nigerians, hence the decision to dump it.

Continued on page 4

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

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS

After Africa, D After conquering the African market, Dangote Group now wants to list 20 percent of its cement company on the London Stock Exchange late next year, at a price that would value it at $35 billion to $40 billion. That would make it the world’s top cement firm by market capitalisation, bigger than Lafarge of France and surpassing mobile phone operator MTN as Africa’s top stock, reports REUTERS •Vice-President Namadi Sambo greeting the Minister of State 2 for Foreign Affairs Prof. Mrs Viola Onuwuliri (left ). Watching is Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Mrs. Thokozani Khupe during the Deputy Prime Minister's to thee State House... yesterday

•Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal (second left), the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Sam Ikon (second right), Speaker, Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon. Yau Umar Gwajogwajo (right) and a delegate at the opening of the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka... yesterday.

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (right) welcoming the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Hajia Zainab Maina (left), who visited him in his office...yesterday. With them is the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development, Poverty Alleviation and Social Welfare Mrs. Atinuke Oshunkoya.

•Former Vice-President Alex Ekweueme (middle), former Chief Justice of theFederation, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais (right) and former Economic Adviser, Chief Philip Asiodu during the award ceremony by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) at the Shehu Musa Yar'adua Centre in Abuja... yesterday.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN.

A

LIKO Dangote has always liked making things to sell.

As a child, he boiled up sugar to make sweets he sold around town; these days, he cooks up limestone in factories that produce millions of tonnes of cement.

Dangote’s entrepreneurial skills have helped make him Africa’s richest person, with cement plants opened or under construction everywhere from Senegal to Ethiopia to South Africa. He dreams of owning the largest cement firm on the planet. By 2015, he hopes, his industrial conglomerate will be worth four times its current estimated $15 billion.

“We’ve taken the flag of Nigeria and flag of Africa and put them in places they never expected to be seen,” beams the slightly greying, young-faced tycoon sitting in his office in the commercial hub of Lagos.

Behind him is a map of Africa and a photograph of his cement plant in the town of Obajana, set to have a capacity of 13.25 million tonnes a year by 2015, which would make it the world’s biggest.

But the 55-year-old is not without controversy. To some, he is an unassuming man whose quiet demeanor stands out in a nation where success is usually marked by talkative swagger; to others, he is a monopolist who uses aggressive tactics and political ties to beat competitors.

Critics accuse him of using his influence with successive governments to ban imports by his competitors, pushing port authorities to halt rivals’ shipments, and using sharp price drops to put them out of business.

Dangote admits he has been friends with several recent presidents of Nigeria and has enjoyed lucrative tax breaks, though he denies receiving any special favours.

However he got there, there is little doubt his success in manufacturing is a rarity in a continent seen as too dependent on exports of raw materials - minerals and cash crops - with no added value. By contrast, the Dangote Group refines sugar, mills flour, processes salt, and produces cement.

At present, only 5 percent of Dangote Cement and 25 percent of his flour and sugar companies are publicly traded; almost all of the other shares are held by Dangote.

His total annual pay cheque isn’t public, but Dangote Cement, Dangote Flour Mills and Dangote Sugar are all hugely profitable.

Dangote Cement’s pretax profit for the first half of 2012 grew by 23 percent to 71.3 billion naira ($443 million). The sugar refiner nearly doubled its profits to 8.5 billion naira over the same period.

When Dangote floated the cement firm in late 2010, it boosted his estimated personal wealth five-fold to $13.8 billion, making him the fastest riser on the Forbes rich list. After a bad year on the Nigerian stock market, he is still worth $11.2 billion.

Dangote now wants to list 20 percent of the cement company on the London Stock Exchange late next year, at a price that would value it

at $35 billion to $40 billion. That would make it the world’s top cement firm by market capitalisation, bigger than Lafarge of France, and surpassing mobile phone operator MTN as Africa’s top stock.

Hurdles remain. The tycoon will have to convince investors and regulators that his personal empire can be a FTSE 100 firm with the necessary corporate governance standards. That would be a rare feat for a Nigerian company. Guaranty Trust Bank and Diamond Bank have secondary listings in London, but both are too small to make the top FTSE index.

“NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY” Born in April 1957 in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, Dangote comes from a family of wealthy Muslim merchants. After demonstrating his early entrepreneurial spirit selling sweets, he headed to Egypt to study business at Cairo’s Al-Azhar university.

In 1977 he borrowed about 500,000 Nigerian naira from his uncle to trade basic foods: cooking oil, sugar, pasta.

Four years later he bought trucks to start a transport firm and within a decade was importing bulk goods, including cement. By the time he turned his hand to manufacturing the stuff buying a defunct cement plant in 2000 and reviving it - he was a rich man.

Dangote, who married young and has three daughters - he and his wife are now estranged - says he has never been motivated by wealth.

“I’m not in it for the money. No, no,” he says. “I like to run a business that’s successful ... I’m a very creative person.” He says he eschews conspicuous consumption. I have a very simple life.”

Up to a point. Like many billionaires, he owns a yacht as well as large properties in Ikoyi, a leafy Lagos suburb, and neighbouring Victoria Island, home to Africa’s most expensive real estate. Then there’s the private jet, which he says he bought to avoid hangers-on who used to book first class tickets on the same flight as him.

Still, by the standards of Nigeria’s champagne-swigging, sports car-collecting rich, he’s not that extravagant.

Old friend Bismarck Rewane, CEO of Lagos-based consultancy Financial Derivatives, remembers a business dinner at the palm-fringed Eko Hotel in the city. When he and Dangote left in Dangote’s black Mercedes, hotel staff charged 5,000 Nigerian naira ($32) for parking - excessive, but peanuts for a man of Dangote’s wealth.

Indignant at the attempted rip-off, the cement king negotiated it down to 1,000 naira.

“He spent a good few minutes doing it. I said to him: ‘let’s just go. Our time is more valuable than a few thousand naira.’ But he wouldn’t let it go,” Rewane said of the tycoon. “He smiled afterward. He was so happy he’d got a good deal.”

Dangote is not always so frugal.

“He dreams big, some might say too big. In 2004-5 we owed 80 billion naira (about $500 million),” recalled Uzo Nwankwo, a fund manager who was Dangote Cement’s executive director of corporate finance from 2005 to 2007.

“The banks were nervous, but they couldn’t stop the money. We were too big to fail.”

THE NATION WENEDSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS

ca, Dangote seeks place on world map ‘ With an annual turnover of $2.5 billion, the Dangote Group contributes nearly 1 percent of the GDP of Africa’s second biggest economy, and employs 23,000 people in a country with massive unemployment.

Dangote also makes cement domestically on a continent with a booming population, dilapidated infrastructure and a chronic housing shortage

‘

• Dangote

POLITICAL CONNECTIONS Dangote’s success has not been without controversy. In a 2007 diplomatic cable that ended up last year on the WikiLeaks website, the then U.S. Consul General in Lagos, Brian Browne, wrote: “To detractors, he is a predator using connections in a corrupt political economy to tilt the playing field in his favour.”

Critics say Dangote owes as much to political favours as business acumen.

His fortunes blossomed when his close friend Olusegun Obasanjo became president in 1999, Browne wrote in the cable.

Browne could not be reached for comment.

Obasanjo - whose 1999 election ended years of kleptocratic military dictatorship - gave Dangote exclusive import rights to cement, sugar and rice, the cable suggests, in return for Dangote’s support, including funding Obasanjo’s re-election campaign in

2003.

“It is no coincidence that many products Nigeria’s import ban lists are items in which Dangote has major interests,” Browne wrote.

“He has had success in blocking trade and investment that might compete with his enterprises.” He concluded that Dangote is “harmful to Nigeria’s interests”.

Dangote frowned, visibly annoyed, when Reuters read him the cable during an interview. Building relationships with presidents is a normal part of being a business leader, he said, denying he had used connections to stifle competition.

“We’ve been close to almost all the presidents that have passed,” he said, naming military dictators Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and the notorious Sani Abacha as examples. But, he insists, “we have never taken advantage ... and we were not even always

treated fairly.”

These days, Dangote’s relationship with presidential power has become symbiotic: presidents need to court him too.

He is on President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic management team and the government’s job creation committee, which effectively enables him to help shape trade and economic policy. Jonathan, who last year awarded Dangote Nigeria’s second-highest honor, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, attended a ceremony for the opening of a production line at the Obajana plant in June.

When asked if he would run for president, Dangote is adamant: “Never, never. I don’t want to go beyond my life ambition ... Most of the presidents, I’ve been giving them advice, whether they solicit it or not. So far they always listen to me. If I have an idea, I can

actualise it through our political leaders.”

But Dangote’s methods don’t just involve political connections. One tactic for protecting his virtual monopolies is the use of temporary price drops - lawful in Nigeria where anti-trust legislation is scant.

In 2010, for instance, as Lafarge set up a packing plant in Ogun state, Dangote dropped its prices to 27,000 naira from 30,000 naira, enough to squeeze its rival’s margins. A few weeks later Dangote put its prices back up, says an executive in Nigerian industry.

“It sent out a strong message, that he’s in control,” said the executive, who would not be named.

Nor does Dangote shy away from using litigation. He is currently embroiled in a legal tussle with one of his arch-rivals in the cement business, Cletus Ibeto.

Former president Obasanjo shut down Ibeto’s cement plant for allegedly claiming investment tax breaks on false pretences. When Umaru Yar’Adua became president in 2007, he reopened Ibeto’s business and gave him preferential import duties and zero VAT to compensate him for losses under Obasanjo.

Now Dangote is asking a court to cancel those tax breaks. And in a country where the bigger fish tend to win, few think Ibeto stands a chance. Ibeto did not return calls for comment.

Dangote says he always acts lawfully, and that one particular source of irritation to competitors - the five-year tax holiday he got on all his factories - is available to any Nigerian business if they promote domestic industry. Such tax breaks are open to companies that receive ‘pioneer status’, which dozens of Nigerian firms have. To get it, a company has to prove it has made substantial new investments, which none of Dangote’s competitors in the cement business have been able to do.

GOING GLOBAL Supporters say Dangote demonstrates that Nigeria can succeed internationally in sectors besides fossil fuel extraction or online fraud, and that Africa can succeed in industry without having to rely on foreign investment from the West or China.

“He’s an African investing in Africa, creating jobs in Africa that will eventually build a sustainable middle class,” says Nigerian Stock Exchange Director General Ade Bajomo. “The wealth created by

Africans is the wealth that tends to stay onshore.”

The other lesson - that Africa must process the minerals it digs up if it wants to create jobs - chimes with what African leaders such as Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni have said for years.

With an annual turnover of $2.5 billion, the Dangote Group contributes nearly 1 percent of the GDP of Africa’s second biggest economy, and employs 23,000 people in a country with massive unemployment.

Dangote also makes cement domestically on a continent with a booming population, dilapidated infrastructure and a chronic housing shortage.

“We are putting these cement facilities in sub-Saharan Africa where there is need,” he says. “The market is already there, so we are closing the gap between supply and demand.”

A London listing would mean replacing the board of Dangote Cement, of which he is chairman, as it is currently made up of Dangote’s relatives and close associates.

Dangote says he is seeking an independent board; colleagues doubt he’ll find it easy to step back.

Analysts say the speed at which Dangote is building his pan-African empire is risky, citing project delays and management issues as their greatest concerns.

In a report in May, Renaissance Capital warned that his factories may struggle to get the gas supply they need, which would lower projected margins.

Another worry is that Dangote’s success in a corrupt, closed economy like Nigeria may not be easily reproduced in countries with a more level playing field.

“The question is: if you are good at doing business in Nigeria, does that mean you have a business model that can adapt to an environment outside Nigeria?” asks Antony Goldman, head of Londonbased PM Consulting, who lived in Nigeria in the 1990s. “Can he make it a global brand?”

Dangote clearly thinks so, though for the time being he wants to focus on sub-Saharan Africa. He says expansion is being financed by profits so that, when it’s completed, “we’ll not owe any bank money.”

“For now, we don’t want to have too many balls in the air, but of course we have ambition to expand (beyond Africa),” he says. Then, pausing to smile, he adds: “If you don’t have ambition, you shouldn’t be alive.”

Nigerians set agenda for National Assembly on PIB

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S the National Assembly gears up for the start of its fall session next week, many are on edge, waiting for debates on what many say is one of the most important pieces of legislation . If the Petroleum Industry Bill is passed, it could help Nigeria use its oil wealth to lift regular people out of extreme poverty.

Singer Victor Iteimowei Ugele - also known as “Jeffy J.” - raps about the riches of Africa. He said that he’s proud of his country and its wealth.

“Nigeria has virtually everything that the earth has in terms of natural resources,” he said. “Nigeria has oil. Nigeria has gas, which is flaring everywhere.

Nigeria’s rich in agriculture. Iron. Palm [oil].”

This wealth also is a source of bitterness, he said.

“Nigeria is a rich nation, but the people are poor, if you know what I mean. Ten percent of the population controls 90 percent of the resources,” said Ugele Jeffy.

Oil riches alongside crushing local

poverty has been the status quo in Nigeria for decades. But lawmakers are about to debate a bill that, if passed, could begin to make the oil a source of wealth for the people rather than a source of anger and environmental destruction.

The bill seeks to boost investment, maximise exploration and profits, protect the environment and make the industry - currently known as corrupt, inefficient and secretive - more transparent and accountable.

Economist Wale Oluwo said the bill will put money into the pockets of average Nigerians and make the national oil company more efficient and competitive.

“A lot of Nigerians can now participate in this petroleum industry to the benefit of the development of the economy,” said Oluwo. “Because when Nigerians make money, chances are they spend money in Nigeria here. But when these multinationals make money they take a lot of it abroad. And it’s capital flight.”

It’s hard to find anyone in Nigeria against the bill as an idea, with many people saying anything is better than the current chaos. Some analysts say for the bill to be a success, however, the current draft must be severely amended before it is passed.

Jibrin Ibrahim, the director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja, said the main problem with the bill is it gives extraordinary powers to a single minister, which could deepen corruption in the industry.

“The National Assembly should review the bill carefully and ensure that too much powers are not given to the minister of petroleum, because the core problem in the industry has been the excessive concentration of power in the hands of the minister of petroleum,” said Ibrahim.

The current draft of the bill gives the minister control of all oil agencies, including the regulators, and promises fines or jail time for anyone who “obstructs or interferes”

with ministerial orders.

The bill bans gas flaring - a process that wastes Nigeria’s natural gas and pollutes the environment - at an unnamed date. But it also gives the minister the power to issue exemptions to the ban.

Nigeria currently produces 2.5 million barrels of crude oil a day.

Clement Nwankwo, executive director for the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center in Abuja, said the bill could - and should - help the country produce more.

“With oil being discovered across the continent and several other parts, we need to make the Nigerian oil market very competitive for those that want to invest to come in and do that. Having a bill that tackles this would be very important,” said Nwankwo. The bill was first suggested five years ago, and has failed year after year. But analysts say this year may be different, following mass protests, scandals, strikes and inquiries that all are related to the oil

•Mrs. Alison-Madueke

industry. They says that as a result, lawmakers are now on high alert that the public wants to see action.

Source: VOA

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

NEWS Buhari: PDP must be stopped in 2015 Continued from page 1

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbnesola cutting the tape to launch the taxi-cabs (O’ CAB Empowerment Scheme) for Osun State indigenes who are drivers in Abuja at the Bola Ige House, State Secretariat, Osogbo...on Monday. With him are: Deputy, Mrs Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (second left); House Speaker Najeem Salaam (third left); Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (third right) and others. Story on Page 7

Sanusi: Obasanjo successful farmer, bad economist

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X-PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo is a bad economist, although he is a successful farmer, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said yesterday.

Sanusi took on the former President while defending the planned introduction of the N5,000 banknote – a plan which many Nigerians including Obasanjo, have criticised.

It was the first time the CBN governor has publicly defended the introduction of the banknote.

He spoke at the 6 th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Abuja.

Obasanjo last week said the introduction of the new denomination will cause inflation and increase the hardship people are going through.

But Sanusi said Obasan-

From Nduka Chiejina, Abuja

jo’s comment came to him as a surprise because most of the higher denominations were introduced during his regime.

Sanusi said the monetary policy measures being undertaken by the CBN were intended to stabilise the financial system and enable it to play its catalytic roles as a major source of pooling funds to grow the economy.

He said: “This is an interesting country because my uncle or my father, our former head of state, General Obasanjo, you know he is a very successful farmer but he is a very bad economist and he stands up and says that this higher denomination will cause inflation and improve hardship. General Obasanjo did N20, he did N100, N200, N500 and N1, 000. He introduced more

higher denominations in Nigeria than any former head of state.”

He described the reported comments by the former President and other analysts that printing the N5,000 notes would exacerbate the inflationary trend of the economy as not premised on sound economic logic.

To him, if printing the N5,000 notes will trigger inflation as being insinuated, Obasanjo should be seen as the greatest factor responsible for the high inflation in the economy, having printed five of the existing denominations during his tenure.

Sanusi added that Obasanjo “did N100 note in 1999, he did N200 in 2000, he did N500 two years later and in that period, inflation was coming down because it was accompanied by prudent fiscal and monetary policy.”

The CBN governor said those opposing the N5,000 note were ignorant of the benefits of the currency restructuring. He explained that its introduction would lead to efficiency of the country’s payment system since the policy is targeted at a small number of Nigerians handling huge cash.

Sanusi explained that contrary to the widespread rumours about the cost of printing the N5,000 notes which the public has been informed will cost a N40 billion, it will cost between N2 billion to N3 billion, but with the potential of saving the government at least N7 billion yearly.

Defending the restructuring plan, Sanusi said when the N20 bill was introduced in the 1970s, the bill was equivalent to $30 noting that by 2013 when the N5, 000 bill comes into existence, it would also be

•Sanusi

equivalent to the same $30.

He said: “If you could buy $30 with one N20 bill in 1978, you now need 250, N20 bill to buy $30 and you would have had to print those 250 bills, pay for the paper, the ink, for the security features, for Continued on page 61

Jonathan dumps seven-year single tenure proposal Continued from page 1 The source, who spoke last night, said: “In deference to public opinion, the Presidency will no longer push ahead with the seven-year single-term tenure because the proposal has been beclouded with political sentiments and unnecessary speculations.

“The intention of President Goodluck Jonathan is to stabilise the system and reduce political frictions and postelection crises to the barest minimum but most people erroneously assumed that he is trying to perpetuate himself in power.

“Whether we like it or not, posterity will certainly vindicate Jonathan on this single tenure system.

“So, as things stand, the Presidency will retain the present provision of a renewable four-year tenure system - in line with Section 135 of the 1999 Constitution.”

On state creation, the source said: “President Jonathan believes in equity

and fairness. I think his administration is favourably disposed to the creation of one or two states to address obvious imbalance.

“One of the states might be from the Southeast, which is the only geopolitical zone with five states. The other five zones have six states, with the exception of the Northwest with seven states.”

On other likely areas of amendment, the source said: “We want to ensure autonomy for local governments, especially on the need for the abolition of Joint Accounts.

Most of the 774 local government areas in the country have become appendages of the state governors.

“The administration of President Jonathan is disturbed that there is no democracy at the local government level, let alone good governance. This is a vital tier of government.

“Also, Nigerians should expect fundamental reforms in the justice sector, especially access to justice, quick dis-

pensation of justice and criminal justice reforms.”

The source admitted that the government is considering the proposals of Justice Alfa Belgore Committee, the report of the Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Justice Sector Reforms in Nigeria and other similar reports to draw up its proposed amendments.

While submitting the report of its committee to the President in July, Justice Belgore harped on the need to save the local government system and reform administration of justice.

He said: “We have viewed many parts of the Constitution. In particular, we put new visions into creating an optimally independent, incorruptible and stabilising local government system that shall always be administered by democratically elected officials that must be accountable, responsive to local needs, directed, controlled and sanctioned by appropriate laws.

“In our view, this is neces-

sary in order to deepen principles of democracy and sound resource management at the grassroots where it really matters for this country.

“Of special significance is that we also looked at the judiciary vis-à-vis the Bar, which is just one. That means there is only one Bar. “The procedures we inherited from the colonial times, which were originally meant for jury, has not helped the speedy dispensation of justice. There is no reason earthly why judgments and hearing in cases must take more than one year.

“The British have done away with these procedures in some of their Acts while we still insist on their being sacrosanct, which is unfortunate.”

It was gathered that plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to initiate independent amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2011 may not work.

By law, the electoral commission cannot approach the

National Assembly directly, but through the Federal Government.

A top government official said: “INEC cannot go ahead to seek amendments to the Constitution without doing so through the Federal Government.

“By virtue of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution, the electoral commission is one of the Federal Executive Bodies.

So, anything INEC wants to do must be through the government and not as an independent body.

“What INEC should do is to submit its proposed amendments to the government for harmonisation and the government in return will look at it on merit and forward these proposals to the National Assembly.”

INEC is proposing an amendment to its Act to stop a sitting President from appointing Resident Electoral Commissioners. The commission is seeking powers to appoint RECS in order to enhance its independence and be able to conduct a free and fair poll.

to fight in this country to move forward. I have said it so many times that multi-party democracy system is the best.

“Elections must be free and fair. That is what the CPC is all about. I couldn’t get it done in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but God willing, we will realise this ambition.

“The only thing that will stabilise this multi-party democracy system is to have free and fair elections. All hands must be on deck to ensure this; unless that is done, those who are in government will not sit up and ensure social justice.

On Boko Haram, the former military ruler believes injustice is at the root of the problem. “The PDP has said that they will rule forever and I know this is not possible, Gen. Buhari said, adding: “I am sure if you go down memory lane, you will see what we have gone through. In 2010 when opposition parties tried to merge and form an alliance, there was no time.

And there must be understanding from parties to accept an alliance.

“Now, the time is on our side. The ACN, the CPC and the ANPP have realised now that to defeat PDP, opposition parties must come together. The merger is on course.”

In a swift reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, welcomed Gen. Buhari’s call for opposition parties to form an alliance to defeat the PDP. Metuh, who spoke to our correspondent on telephone yesterday, encouraged Gen. Buhari and his allies in the opposition parties to go ahead and form the mega alliance against the PDP, stressing that if the PDP loses in a free and fair election, the party will accept defeat.

He said: “We encourage as many opposition parties as possible to form alliance against the PDP to fight future elections. If they win in a free and fair election, the PDP will respect the will of the people.

“We are not against free and fair elections. We are not against alliance against the PDP. What we are against is violence and distortion of facts. We are against inciting the people against constituted authority in the land. We are against threats and tendencies that tend to heat up the system.”

According to Metuh, the PDP has delivered on its electoral promises and that the ruling party “would continue to deliver on its manifesto”.

He said the party had made it clear to its political office holders at all levels that their chances of securing tickets for the 2015 elections will be based on performance.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

5

NEWS

ACN denounces PDP’s smear campaign against Tinubu T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday described what it called the ongoing needless smear campaign of the People‘s Democratic Party (PDP) toAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s attendance of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States as symptomatic of an indolent, frightened and seemingly intimidated government suffering from misplaced priorities and whose past time is peddling rumours, half truths and disinformation.

In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if anyone is guilty of mischief, falsehood and deliberate attempt to misinform, it is the PDP-led Federal Government.

According to the party, in the first instance, at no time during this entire needless controversy did the ACN issue a statement concerning Tinubu’s attendance of or invitation to the Democratic National Convention and challenge the PDP propagandists -in chief to produce evidence to the contrary.

The party explained that it was the Tinubu Media Office that issued an unambiguous self explanatory statement excerpts of which we reproduce below unedited for the benefit of all Nigerians : “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor and National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria will from Monday join the American President, leaders of the Democratic Party and thousands of party members and donors to attend a Threeday National Convention of the Party in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tinubu, who was invited to the Democratic Convention in his right as the leader of the opposition and an influential figure in Nigeria will be at the ringside as the Democratic Party

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From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

We were invited to U.S. convention, says Fayemi

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KITI State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi yesterday clarified that members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), including its Nationa Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were invited to the global forum of democrats about two months before the event.

Fayemi, who described the forum as a global melting point for progressive leaders, said it offered them the window to rub minds on global democratic ideals.

He said: “ I also went to the Democratic National Convention, in the United States and that was also very interesting and I have always associated with the democrats and, as it is, I received the invitation more than two months ago.

“I was among the Nigerian political leaders there, in company of our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TInubu and Senator Ken Nnamani. Also at the forum were Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and about 300 political leaders around the world.

“It was an international leaders forum which usually holds side by side with the Democratic Party Convention.

There was nothing unique about it.

“It is something that happens every four years and they tend to invite leaders that they feel have contributed to the sustenance of democracy in the world”, the governor explained.

•Dr. Fayemi...yesterday.

conducts activities that will culminate in the nomination of President Obama as it’s candidate for the November 2012 Presidential Elections in the USA. Tinubu received a gold card which is prime and with this he will be joined by three other eminent personalities - Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr Dele Alake and Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji.”

“Where, except in the jaundiced mind of the PDP can anyone infer from this statement that Bola Tinubu claimed that he was personally invited by President Barack Obama or that Obama signed gold card for him as being peddled by the PDP and agents of the Federal Government? Is it not clear now to all people of goodwill that the PDP and the Federal Government twisted this innocuous statement to serve the agenda of persons who at all cost want to smear Tinubu and the Action Congress of Nigeria?” the party asked.

“Obviously intimidated by

‘What bearing does Tinubu’s attendance of or manner of invitation to the the Democratic National Convention have with the Federal Government’s inability to confront insecurity, unemployment, epileptic power supply, corruption and the myriad of other problems facing the country today?’ the the towering figure and influence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the unstoppable growing popularity of the Action Congress of Nigeria, should anyone be surprised why the People’s Democratic Party would be ever so willing to latch onto anything, however tenuous, ridiculous or illogical to discredit him and the party.?

“How does Tinubu’s

attendance of or manner of invitation to the Democratic National Convention in faraway North Carolina affect the governing of Nigeria which should be the priority of the Federal Government and the PDP? “What bearing does Tinubu’s attendance of or manner of invitation to the the Democratic National Convention have with the Federal Government’s inability to confront insecurity, unemployment, epileptic power supply, corruption and the myriad of other problems facing the country today?

“How is Tinubu’s attendance of and manner of invitation to the Democratic National Convention become a matter of such urgent national importance as to warrant a morally damaged Presidential aide through his office to be shopping the unsubstantiated and utterly baseless story from one media house to the other at the expense of tax payers’ money” the party queried?

$15m Ibori bribe: Court orders IG to probe Andy Uba, businessman Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, has ordered the InspectorGeneral of Police to investigate Senator Andy Uba and a businessman, Chibuike Achigbu for their involvement in the $15 million (N2.25b) allegedly offered as bribe by the convicted former Delta State Governor James Ibori.

Chief Magistrate G.O. Okagu gave the order following a Direct Criminal Complaint brought against the duo, by Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, and argued

by Ugochukwu Ezekiel.

The Police boss has till September 26, to report back to the court with his findings. A letter communicating the order has been sent to the Police boss by the Registrar of the Court, Zakari Labaran.

Keyamo’s application

Mark deplores harassment of Nigerians in Zimbabwe

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

was based on an application earlier filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, by Achigbu, where he claimed that the controversial money belongs to him.

Achigbu said that he gave the money to Uba, for the purpose of financing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2007 general elections.

According to him, by April 2007 when he had raised money in excess of N2 billion, he realised that such donation could only be made and accepted through a financial institution.

In order to legitimately apply the fund, he said he approached Uba to invite relevant agencies of government to investigate and certify that the funds were raised honestly and in good faith with a view to donat-

ing same to finance PDP. He said that Uba advised him to deliver the fund to him (Uba) for onward transmission to EFCC being the agency of the Federal Government sufficiently equipped to give a clean bill of legitimacy to the fund before it could be donated to PDP. In an affidavit, he stated that “Andy Uba was a Special Assistant in the Presidency, who offered to take custody of the fund with a view to inviting EFCC to carry out the audit and certification before being donated to the PDP.” Achigbu, has however, filed a motion to discontinue the application.

Keyamo, an Urhobo from Delta State said he filed the Direct Criminal Complaint against the duo because of his resolve to fight corruption and protect funds belonging to his state (Delta).

This needless controversy, according to the ACN is being orchestrated by the Federal Government to serve cheap political points.

“It is nothing but a smear campaign and a panic response by a government in dire search for relevance. Is it anyone’s fault that the PDP lacked the presence of mind and foresight to know that they should have been present at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina? Why must Tinubu and the ACN be pilloried simply because of its National Leader’s international exposure and strategic thinking in making the right decision to attend the Democratic National Convention ?

In conclusion, the party advised the PDP-led Federal Government to busy itself with improving the economy and the lives of millions of Nigerians rather than lecturing Nigerians on the rules of attending party conventions.

WORRIED by report of illtreatment of Nigerians in Zimbabwe, Senate President David Mark, has appealed to Zimbabwean government to improve its hospitality to Nigerians and other foreigners resident in the country.

Mark made the plea when he hosted Zimbabwean’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Thokozani Khupe, in Abuja yesterday.

A statement by Senate President’s Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh, quoted Mark as reminding the government and people of Zimbabwe of the need to accommodate other nationals in the country.

The statement said that Mark also craved for true democracy that is representative of the people.

Senate President noted that recent reports indicated that Nigerians consistently face humiliation in their daily activities either with the immigration or other security agencies in Zimbabwe .

Mark appealed to the Zimbawean governmentthat the unhealthy situation should be addressed in order to strengthen the already existing bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The Senate President was quoted to have assured his guest of Nigeria ‘s support to enthrone true democratic practice in Zimbabwe.

Mrs. Khupe said her visit was to intimate Mark of the establishment of a Global Power Women network, a body to champion the cause of women across African continent.

She explained that the organization will look at the plight of women in Africa and collectively fashion out plans to combat problems inhibiting the growth of women in the continent.

Mrs. Khupe unveiled Nigeria ‘s Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Prof Viola Onwuliri as the new President of the Global Power Women Network.

Expectant mothers to get N5,000

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•Senator Uba

In the verifying Affidavit, Keyamo averred “That the society is crying for justice in this matter and only an intervention by the court can answer the cry.

“That it will be in the best interest of justice to bring the accused to answer to this complaint.

“That this court has the power to direct that the accused be brought to answer to the complaint.

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

ROM the Federal Government came yesterday cheery news for expectant mothers.

They would be paid N5,000 whenever they patronise primary health centres (PHC). The cash is to be paid in four instalments.

The Southwest Zonal Co-ordinator of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Oladimeji Olayinka, broke the news at the training of 180 midwives in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The agency, which is under the Federal Ministry of Health, is implementing the new primary healthcare project under the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SUREP). It handles several intervention projects for the Federal Government.

Olayinka explained that the agency will pay the amount to every expectant mother that registers for ante-natal at the primary health centres in four installments.

Describing it as “Conditional Cash Transfer,” the Zonal Coordinator explained that beneficiaries will receive N1,000 twice during ante-natal, at childbirth N2,000 will be paid and another N1,000 after childbirth to enable them apply the financial aid at different stages of need including immunisation.

He said that the initiative is aimed at helping to improve maternal health and to reduce mortality rate in the country. He added that the entire programme would help reduce deaths during childbirth and improve healthcare generally for mothers and children at the grassroots.

According to him, the midwives are to be supported by the SURE-P. The orientation involved explaining their duties at their various duty posts across the country as well as registering their biometric data for effective management.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

NEWS

Governors’ll use state police to bite opposition, says ACF T HE Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Lt. Gen. Jeremaiah Useni (rtd) yesterday said governors would use state police to harass their opponents.

He said: “State police will be tools for governors to deal with oppositions. In fact, with it, we are going back to those barbaric days.

“We are 160 million; how many millions can they police over? While the government is trying its own best, we also must do our own together we can achieve peace and unity.”

Useni spoke during an interactive session with delegates of the Arewa Journalist Forum (AJF) at his office in Abuja.

Gen. Useni said it is difficult to predict when the Boko

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

Haram challenge would be surmounted.

He said: “Today, we have Boko Haram, we don’t know how long it will take to stop them. You hear that they are making bombs but where do they get those sophisticated items from. We all feel concerned. Maybe because our border is porous or is it because there are some people within who are hammering because they don’t want us to have peace or what is wrong with us as Nigerians?”

Useni said the Federal Government has been incapacitated due to problems of poverty, religious intolerance, bad governance among others.

He said: “There is no country that doesn’t have insecurity problem but the different is that most countries have the capacity to reduce it to management level. We are just grappling with ours because we have not been so good in these years back. We still have poverty at large, religious intolerance and everybody is asking which one will have caused it.

“Whether it is Boko Haram, kidnapping or armed robbery, they are Nigerians and they live within us. We are spending money on security yet these people did not stop. So, it means something is wrong with me and you.”

Useni said President Goodluck Jonathan cannot singlehandedly solve the problems.

He said Jonathan would need support from members of his cabinet, governors and other stakeholders.

“Who is in government?

It’s me and you. We need to do our best to ensure things are normal, things are done according to rule of law and we don’t take laws into our hands. We must respect each other and honour our lives.

“President is a man; he cannot do it all alone. He will need cooperation of members of his cabinets, the governors ........so there is no individual you will say will bring about security. You can put in place plans but unless everybody is prepared, the plans cannot materialise the way we want.

One tree cannot make the forest otherwise we will continue to have problems.”

•Head, Region South South/ South East, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Aja Enekwachi (left), Mr. Wale Fasanya of SMEDAN (second left), Deputy Director Enterprise Development Center (EDC), Pan African University, Ms. Nneka Okekeoru (middle), Director, Corporate and Indirect Channel Sales, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Ken Ogujiofor (second right) and Deputy Director, SMEDAN, Mr. Monday Evans during an Etisalat-sponsored networking event in Port Harcourt

Akingbola’s trial: ‘600million units of shares bought with bank loan’ A LAGOS High Court, Ikeja heard yesterday that the 600million units of shares valued N18 billion bought for the defunct Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) were purchased with loans from other banks and financial institutions.

The former General Manager, Tropics Finance Limited, Mr. Bayo Dada made this known while giving evidence in trial of trial of the former Managing Director of the bank, Dr. Erastus Akingbola.

He said Tropics Securities obtained separate credit facilities of N12billion from Access Bank Plc, N2billion from Intercontinental Capital Market Limited; N320million from Intercontinental Homes and Savings Limited and between N100m to N150m from Associated Discount House, to fund the deal.

The transactions, which formed part of the charge instituted against the defendants, were said to involve the purchase of the bank’s share for the customers of the

By Adebisi Onanuga

bank.

Dada, who was being led in evidence by the defence counsel, chief Felix Fagbohungbe, is being tried along with Akingbola for allegedly stealing about N47.1bn belonging to the bank.

Dada told the court that the transactions of shares purchase, was carried out on behalf of the bank by Tropics Securities Limited, a subsidiary of Tropics Finance Limited.

Dada said the share purchase transaction had the approval of the bank’s management.

The former General Manager of Tropics Finance Limited who concluded his testimonies, denied he was not hired to come to court to lie in order to support the defence, particularly in the support of Dr. Akingbola when under cross examination by the prosecutor, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala(SAN).

Mr. Dada, in his testimo-

ny, established how Tropics Securities Ltd and Intercontinental Bank business relationship started in 2002.

He claimed that his company only became a major stock broker to the bank in 2004 alongside two other brokers.

There was a mild drama during the trial when the defence counsel, Chief Fagbohungbe complained that the judge overruled his request for an adjournment.

Fagbohungbe said he wanted an adjournment to carry out investigation on “certain things”.

But the judge, who had earlier in the proceedings expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the defence was conducting the case, said Fagbohungbe’s request for an adjournment was unnecessary.

The judge said: “Since morning you have been with the witness and you spent five minutes on each question. You delayed the progress of the court and

now you are seeking for adjournment, in respect of investigation. No there is no adjournment.

“Since the last adjourned date in July, you should have done whatever investigation you wanted to do. You had July, August and even September before yesterday’s sitting. You should continue with your question, there is still time.”

Fagbohungbe said: “My Lord, it is like you are angry with me. It is like you want to be hearing one side of this case. I’m not asking for too much. I was only asking for tomorrow. Afterall, you granted my learned friend (counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) when he requested for an adjournment yesterday (Monday) till today (Tuesday).”

The judge said: “I’m not being biased. You have been given enough time to do your investigation before court resume. I’m friendly with everybody.

NAFDAC seeks life jail for drug offenders

By Joseph Jibueze

•Orhii HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has proposed life sentence for drug counterfeiters.

The request came as a Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday struck out a N20million suit by a cold room operator, Dayman Esso against the agency, which had sealed the plaintiff’s business because the fish he was selling were rotten.

Esso had sought damages for the closure, but court held that the action lacked merit.

The court also granted a forfeiture application by NAFDAC for 5,586 canned Coca-Cola products stored in the agency’s warehouse.

The products, the agency said, had exceeded their shelf life. The owner, Oloko Waidi, absconded, NAFDAC said.

Also struck out was a suit

by Joseph Akomaye, who sued NAFDAC, claiming N6million damages for the consumption of what he called ‘unwholesome CocaCola drink.’

Briefing reporters in Lagos, Orhii said the agency has made tremendous progress in prosecuting drug counterfeiters.

He said NAFDAC has secured several convictions, while courts have dismissed applications seeking to restrain it from carrying out its functions. He added that 108 fake drug-related cases are still pending in various courts.

Orhii, represented by NAFDAC’s Deputy Director, Public Relation Units and Protocol, Alhaji Abubakar

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Jimoh, said the agency also wants fake drug offences be categorised among those for which bail cannot be granted.

He praised Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for sentencing a fake drug dealer to three years imprisonment.

“This is unprecedented in the history of war against fake drug in Nigeria and we want to commend the courage of the judge. The agency is commending this historic judgment,” he said.

He urged other judges handling NAFDAC cases to take a cue from Justice Abang’s verdict, stressing that the war against fake drug should be a collective one.

According to him, antifood and drug counterfeiting laws need to be made more stringent so that the incentive for speedy trial will on the offender. “We want make the business of counterfeiting extremely cumbersome,” he said.

NAFDAC is also pushing for properties of convicted drug counterfeiters to be sold while the proceeds be used to compensate victims.

Orhii raised the alarm over a fraudulent Facebook page created in his name to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

He said the impersonator asked users to pay N200,000 to be given a contracts at NAFDAC. Orhii said he has no Facebook page; therefore members of the public should disregard it.

He said: “We wish to state that the NAFDAC D-G, Dr. Paul Orhii does not have any Facebook page and as such, he is not the one asking people to pay certain amount of money. He has nothing to do with it. This information is necessary so that ignorant persons do not fall victim.

“The page is not from him and everything attributed to him is not from him.

It is purely the work of internet fraudsters and we hereby urge the public to disregard it.”

Power generation didn’t drop, says Fed Govt HE Ministry of Power yesterday said power generation has not dropped.

It said generation has increased to 4,439mega watts.

The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Dere Awosika, in a statement, said since September 5 that the country achieved the peak of 4,439 mw, there has been no reduction in generation.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Ministry Power has been drawn to a report in some media alleging that power generation has dropped by 1,000megawatts.

“The fact is that there is no iota of truth in the publication. Presently, the peak generation has remained 4,439.5

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From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

mega watts. This peak status gained on September 05, 2012 and since then it has been steady.

“The ministry appeals to the media to always visit its website for update information on power generation status. We have tried as much as possible to to be transparent and provide relevant and accurate data. Our door remains open to media and the general public . “ Honourable Minister of State for Power, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku wishes to assure Nigerians that the recent gains in the power generation are only being consolidated , they will be improved upon.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS One dead, three injured in Ogun road crash Form Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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•Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello (middle), presenting some documents to the new General Manager, Lagos Parks and Gardens, Mr Oluale David Sotade (second right), at the ministry’s conference room in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. With them are Mr Muyideen Akinsanya, Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services (left); the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Dr Taofeek Folami (second left) and Mrs Adebola Afun...yesterday PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

‘I abandoned project because Oyinlola didn’t pay’

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CONTRACTOR, Mr. Kola Obisakin, who is the Chairman of Onatit Nigeria Limited, yesterday told the Osun State Commission of Enquiry that his company abandoned a N75 million road contract awarded his company by the Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osun State because the ousted government did not pay as at when due.

Obisakin told the commission that the twokilometre project was a rehabilitation of the access road of the state Polytechnic in Iree.

He said the contract was

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

awarded in 2008.

The contractor said he tried to raise a certificate of payment on the project without success.

Obisakin said he asked for a price review of the project because the prices of the materials to complete the project had risen when the government failed to pay.

He said the duration of the project was supposed to be six months, adding that what remained for him to complete the project were 300 metres.

The commission asked Obisakin if it was in the

agreement to review the project upwards, if the government failed to pay as at when due.

The contractor averred that it was glaring that he would have completed the work, if the government had acted according to the contract agreement.

The acting Managing Director of the Tuns Investment Group, Mr. Olalekan Badmus, told the commission that the company paid N170 million back into the government’s coffers rnment after supplying 225 tractors out from the 300 in his contract.

He tendered documents to prove that the company paid

the money via Skye Bank cheques of N50 million, N100 million and another N5 million in four tranches beginning from October 2007 to May 2009.

The state AccountantGeneral, Mr. O. Kolawole, testified that the government had received the N170 million.

But the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Adegbite Ojo, said his ministry was not aware of any payment by Tuns Investment Group.

The commission said the company had paid the money into the government’s coffers.

Three Ogun PDP lawmakers defect to ACN

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HREE members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, who were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday defected to the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The defectors are: Adeyemi Harrison (Ogun-Waterside), Olusola Sonuga (Ikenne) and Babtunde Edunjobi (Egbado South).

With their defection, the number of ACN lawmakers has increased from 17 to 20 in the Assembly. The PDP and the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) have three each.

The defectors said they defected to the ACN following

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•It’s historic, says Amosun Form Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

the impressive performance of the Ibikunle Amosun administration.

They expressed confidence in the governor’s ability to further open Ogun State for more s o c i o - e c o n o m i c , infrastructural and industrial development.

The defector also said the crisis in the PDP in the state was another reason they defected to ACN. Their defection letter, which was addressed to the House of Assembly, was read on the floor of the House yesterday

by Speaker Suraj Adekumbi.

The head of the legislature said the defectors dumped the PDP for ACN to attract dividends of democracy to their people.

The defectors were embraced by other ACN lawmakers, including the Speaker.

They carried the broom, the symbol of the party.

Amosun described the defection as “historic”.

In a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mrs Funmi Wakama, the governor said the development is “good for democ-

racy”.

He noted that the defectors heeded the calls of their constituencies to join the progressive party.

Amosun said: “History has been made today. The legislators have heeded the call of members of their constituencies. The people and the lawmakers have seen our good work and have joined us in order to increase the pace of the socio-economic development of the state. This is democracy at work, as the will of the people have prevailed.”

The governor decried the campaign of calumny by some members of the opposition “who are planning to return Ogun to a state of anomie”.

200 vehicles for Osun transport sector

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has unfolded plans to boost the transport sector with 200 vehicles.

The governor said his administration would not waver in developing infrastructure, adding that the construction and rehabilitation of roads would continue throughout the state.

Aregbesola spoke at the state secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital, at the distri-

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

bution of 40 vehicles to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who had formed cooperative societies to benefit from a transport scheme jointly sponsored by the government and Sterling Bank Plc. The Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment Mr Jayeola Alagbada said each

vehicle cost N2.4 million and that each beneficiary would pay N2,500 daily.

The beneficiaries received the cars following the payment of 10 per cent of the cost.

The ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Governor, Mrs Titilayo LaoyeTomori; the Secretary to the Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; the Commissioner for Special

Duties and Regional Integration, Mr. Ajibola Basiru; the Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Sikiru Adetona Ayedun; the Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Wale Bolorunduro; traditional rulers and politicians.

Aregbesola, who drove one of the cars after the inauguration, said his administration is committed to the welfare of Osun residents.

•Oyinlola

It directed that the N87 million outstanding, as claimed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, should be resolved.

NE person was feared dead and three others were injured yesterday when two trucks conveying petroleum products crashed in Ibafo, Ogun State, blocking the expressway.

Policemen, fire fighters and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were seen battling to control traffic in the area.

The crash occurred around 10am, about three metres from a filling station on the Ogun State stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The accident occurred on the scene of a recent tanker fire in which over 24 vehicles, including fuel tankers, were burnt.

The Ogun State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Ayo Omiyale, said the tankers, with number SPACE11 ERI and another, marked (Lagos) XK 385 FST, were conveying petroleum products when they crashed and blocked the highway.

Last Saturday, an auto crash occurred in Odogbolu-Ososa (Ogun State) stretch of the Sagamu-Ore Expressway.

About a dozen passengers died and three others were injured.

On Monday the FRSC warned motorists to be careful because of the increasing spate of accidents in Ogun State and the attendant loss of lives and property.

FRSC said there are already 672 cases of such road accidents recorded in the state this year alone.

It warned transporters and other motorists to exercise utmost caution and shun consumption drugs and other harmful substances while plying on roads in the state particularly, the Ogun stretches of the Federal expressways to curtail deaths.

Nigeria to import rice from Malawi

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ARRING last minute change of heart, Nigeria is at the verge of halting the importation of rice from Asian countries.

The Malawian News Agency yesterday quoted President Goodluck Jonathan as speaking during the launch of a national cassava commercialisation programme in Lilongwe, the Malawian capital, during his visit to the African country.

The President was in Malawi on a two-day state visit and had a bilateral discussion with President Joyce Banda.

Dr Jonathan expressed Nigeria’s readiness to create a market for rice from Malawi.

He directed that rice from the country be imported into Nigeria.

“I would like to take this opportunity to ask Malawi to start supplying us with rice. I understand that this country grows a lot of rice which can be exported to Nigeria,” Jonathan said.

He pushed for an exchange of scientists between both countries to maximise the production of the rice and cassava.

“This mutual agreement will see both countries doing

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja, with agency report

fine economically in the long term,” Jonathan said.

As part of the exchange, the President promised that the Nigerian government would provide technical personnel to Malawi’s fuel survey project on Lake Malawi.

He addressed reporters at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, the Malawian capital, when he arrival in the African country for the two-day state visit.

Jonathan said: “We will be delighted to provide Malawi with some technical help to drive its oil deposit survey.

“After all, we are Africans.

As such, I don’t see any objection to resist helping our friends who would need our assistance, such as the one you have mentioned.”

Malawi started surveying for oil in Lake Malawi some months ago, despite having a border dispute with Tanzania.

Dr Jonathan is the first Nigerian leader who has visited Malawi.

He said he was convinced that it was important to keep a good relationship with African states to enable the continent achieve sustainable development.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS ONDO 2012

Akeredolu calls for police chief’s, others’ removal

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HE Akeredolu Campaign organisation (ACO) of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to transfer the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in the state, Mr. Henry Fadiro.

The ACN candidate also urged the police chief to redeploy the police command’s spokesman, Mr. Adeniran Aremu and an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Garba Muhammed.

He said the policemen’s

transfer would forestall “the compromise that could lead to chaos in the October 20 governorship election”.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, ACO said: “Fadairo, Aremu and Muhammed, through their activities, have become tools in the hands of the Labour Party (LP) to harass, intimidate and molest members of opposition parties.

“The notorious activities of Fadairo, Aremu and Muhammed have become firmly rooted in the state since 2009, when they were transferred to the state fol-

lowing the assumption of office of Governor Olusegun Mimiko after his victory at the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo State.

“Twice they were transferred from the state to Taraba and Lagos states; twice they were brought back to Ondo State with the influence of Governor Mimiko. He said as Fadairo has not only become Mimiko’s man Friday but has also been acting like the Deputy Chairman of LP in the state.

“The question the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is asking is: is it only in

Ondo State that Fadairo, Aremu and Muhammed can work? Why were they transferred outside the state and brought back? We want the IGP to investigate this and move the trio out of Ondo State to avoid chaos.

“Aremu has become the official spokesperson for the LP, defending every move and dismissing reports against the ruling party. ACP Garba is now a ‘personal assistant’ to Mimiko on security arrangements for rallies.

He personally supervises protocols for the LP rallies.

“Besides, we want to ask the IGP to answer this ques-

tion: Has the Ondo State Government been granted the permission to have its police? This is because Governor Mimiko has set up a private army he calls the ‘Fast Strike Squad’. It is a notorious fact that this private army, which is armed to the teeth, has started parading various cities of Ondo State.

“This is a confirmation of the allegation that the LP is determined to use violence to intimidate the opposition in the forthcoming election.

“We, therefore, call on the IGP to transfer these police officers, who have compromised their allegiance to the

Constitution by becoming partisan, out of Ondo State before the October election, to forestall any untoward occurrence. The IGP should also urgently call Mimiko to order.

“We are law abiding citizens of Ondo State and view the antics of LP leaders as a provocation which may lead to the breakdown of law and order. This is because the people may resort to self-help in the face of this flagrant disregard of their rights and unprovoked attacks on their families with the support of the police, who are being paid from tax payers’ money.”

Ondo governorship debate begins Sept 25

T

HE Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) yesterday released the timetable for the Ondo State governorship and deputy governorship candidates’ debates for the 12 political parties that will participate in the October 20 election.

The Chairman of the NEDG, Chief Taiwo Alimi, spoke with reporters in Akure, the state capital, in company of other members of the group, including Chief Raymond Dokpesi, that the debates would start on September 25 and end on October 11.

He explained that the debates will be aired live on some radio and television stations between by 5pm and 8pm each day.

The first session of the deputy governorship debates will hold on September 25 and the second the following day The NEDG chief said the first and second governorship debates would hold on Septembwer 27 and

28; the final governorship debate would hold on October 11.

Alimi said there would be a live non-participatory audience at the Ondo State Cultural Centre, venue of the programme, during each debate, where members will be properly screened will be disallowed from interrupting, applauding or talking.

The veteran journalist said the group had briefed the leadership of the participating parties on the debates’ formats, rules and question areas.

Alimi said: “The debates are designed to present to the Ondo State electorate the opportunity to have firsthand information on the plans of the governorship candidates and the strategies of implementation before a radio and television live audience.”

Mimiko, to develop bitumen

T

O

NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday promised to develop the bitumen deposits in the state.

The governor spoke in Agbabu, Odigbo Local Government Area during his campaign tour.

The state’s bitumen deposits are reputed to be the second largest in the world, after those of Venezuela in South America.

Mimiko said his administration had applied for revalidation of certificate for the bitumen exploration.

The governor inaugurated some projects in the community, including a town hall.

He explained that with the exploration of the resources in the community, it would become a cynosure of all eyes and become a major contributor to the national resources.

Mimiko said Ondo State had established a relationship with some other countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, which have developed their bitumen deposits for commercial purposes.

•Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship running mate, Dr Paul Akintelure (holding a broom in the vehicle), acknowledging cheers from the party’s supporters at Igbotako Osooro, Ondo State.

PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

‘Akeredolu duly registered in Owo’ HE Akeredolu C a m p a i g n Organisation (ACO) of the Ondo State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday said the party’s governorship candidate, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), was duly registered in Owo, his home town.

ACO said it was reacting to an allegation by some leaders of the ruling Labour Party (LP) that Akeredolu did not have a voter’s card.

In a statement by its spokesman, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, the organisation said the allegation was aimed at “circumventing the wish of the people” in the October 20 election.

The statement reads: “The latest of such act is the cheap propaganda being spread by its (LP) leaders, including Dr Olu Agunloye, to the effect that Akeredolu (SAN) is not a registered voter.”

The organisation said it would not have responded to the allegation but because “it is capable of hoodwinking unsuspecting members of the public into believing this fairy tale from the pit of hell”.

The statement added: “ACO wishes to state unequivocally that nothing can be farther from the truth than this idle talk targeted at arresting the rising profile and acceptability of Akeredolu.

“It is laughable to insinuate that the ACN standard bearer, a senior member of the Bar, would contemplate

venturing into anything unconstitutional.”

ACO noted that the LP, “having failed to enlist the

support of the citizenry in its doomed agenda, has resorted to self-help, such as dishing out unfounded propaganda, with the aim of salvaging its rejected bid for a second term”.

The organisation gave details of Akeredolu’s registration.

It said: “…Akeredolu is a registered voter in his Ward 5, Maranatha GRA, Ijebu Owo. This is verifiable.

“The ACN candidate, with intimidating credentials, coupled with his credible pedigree, no doubt, is the candidate to beat in this election. All the antics to pull him down at all cost will fail.”

Oke accuses Mimiko, Judiciary chief of plan to subvert poll

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HE Olusola Oke C a m p a i g n Organisation (OCO) of Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday alerted the public to an alleged clandestine move by a top Judiciary official to subvert the October 20 governorship election.

It condemned the government’s and the official’s alleged plan “to truncate the electoral process in the state and make nonsense of both the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) and Federal Government’s

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

records of transparent elections”.

In a statement yesterday in Akure, the state capital, OCO said “the subversion of the state elections comes in the form of an evil partnership” between the Judiciary official and Governor Olusegun Mimiko to have the PDP candidate in the next month elections, Chief Olusola Oke, disqualified.

It added: “As we have consistently maintained, the plot of the drama is clear, though simplistic but lethal:

get a few Judases in the PDP, pay them in worthless coins and cloth them as a disgruntled PDP faction.”

OCO said the official “is not just a chieftain of the LP in Ondo State, he is also a financier, a known arbitrator and overt host of party functions and caucuses in his country home”.

The official is said to have “in a party decision extract, dated same day, signed and underwrote as the Leader of the LP in ...Akoko North West Local Government Area, the document ratifying the list of consensus ex-

ecutives of the party”.

OCO added that the official “not only signed as the ward’s Grand Patron but also in company of 15 quarters’ leaders and Debo Adepoju, Chief Olaku Adeniyi, Mr. Tope Adebambo and Felix Ogunmilade, who also signed as party leaders.

The organisation noted that it is odd and ridiculous that the official is a politician and LP chieftain yet maintains a sensitive position in the Judiciary of the state.

“This is the dirty underbelly of men in high places

in our state; men who parade themselves as progressives and lovers of democratic norms. “…We are raising this fundamental travesty of the principle of justice and equity to expose the customary style of subversion, hypocrisy and endemic corruption, which are trademarks of the Mimiko administration.

“Indeed, Nigerians can now see how much of corruption and indiscipline have subverted democracy and electoral process since 2009 in Ondo State.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

9

NEWS

Benefits of currency overhaul, by bankers T

HE planned restructur ing of the nation’s cur rency and the introduction of N5000 banknote by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will reduce interest rates, which will be passed to customers, the Bankers’ Committee has said.

The Bankers’ Committee is a body of bank chiefs, top officials of the CBN and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). They meet bi-monthly to discuss the state of affairs of the industry.

Managing Director, United

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor) and Akinola

Ajibade

Bank for Africa Plc, (UBA), Mr Philip Odoaza, who spoke on behalf of the Committee, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday.

Noting that one of the things that lead to high interest rates is the cost of operations, Odoaza said that the N5000 banknote will definitely reduce cost of doing business in the system.

“The cost that will be saved by the banking industry from the introduction of N5000 notes will eventually

800 firms closed in two years, says NACCIMA

N

O fewer than 800 companies in Nige ria closed shop between 2009 and 2011 due to harsh operating business environment, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has said.

President, NACCIMA, Dr Herbert Ajayi disclosed this yesterday in Asaba at a zonal workshop on economic diversification organised by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

He said that more than half of the “surviving” firms had been classified as ``ailing’’, a situation, he said, posed a great threat to the survival of the manufacturing industry.

The NACCIMA boss, whose speech was delivered

by Vice President of the association, noted that capacity utilisation in industries hovered around 30 per cent and 45 per cent on the average, with 100 per cent overhead costs.

He blamed the continued decline in the manufacturing sectors on “political and economic factors’’, citing poor infrastructure and epileptic power supply as key impediments to the industry.

“The manufacturing industry as a whole operates on more than 70 per cent of energy it generates; using generators and operating these generators greatly increases the cost of manufacturing goods,’’ he said.

The industrialist listed other reasons for the woes in the sector to include in-

cessant increase in the price of petroleum products used by industries, multiple taxation, unabated smuggling and inadequate access to finance, both local and abroad.

According to him, widespread insecurity and the inability of government agencies in the ports to meet its 24hour target for cargo clearance have contributed to the dwindling fortunes in the manufacturing sector.

He described current government policies to revive the manufacturing industry as inadequate.

“Government policies have been directed towards revitalising the ailing manufacturing sector. For instance, in May 2010, the government announced a 1.3 billion-dollar fund to help banks extend credit to the manufacturing sector following the decline in available finance after the global economic crisis had set in.

“Notwithstanding this positive development arising from the reform process, the Nigerian economy, especially the manufacturing sector is still confronted by serious challenges, structural imbalance and lack of diversification.

“The current government policies targeted at the real sector (manufacturing) are also inadequate and preventing the manufacturing industry from flourishing,” he said.

On the way forward, Ajayi stressed the need for the organised private sector to support government’s efforts aimed at revitalising the sector through the muchcanvassed Public Private Partnership.

250,000 jobs coming from livestock production

A

BOUT 250,000 jobs are expected to be created from the livestock agricultural development value chain, the Federal Government has said.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Bukar Tijani disclosed this yesterday at the maiden Joint Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) in Abuja.

He said this will be achieved through continuous investment in the sub sector, adding that the government has commenced plans to setup a new department for animal production.

Tijani said: “Investment in the entire livestock value chain has the potential of creating an estimated 25,000 jobs within the next four

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

years so government is ready to tap into the potentials so as to help farmers save billions of naira.

“We should be able to produce what we eat, to this end to make farmers remain on the business, the government has decided to raise tariff on farm crops that can be produced in Nigeria, so has to discourage importation,” he added.

The Minister condemned situations whereby government spends N100million on the importation of livestock product into the country.

However, he stated that the livestock transformation agenda will address the situation through plans to achieve self sufficiency in meat and livestock production by 2015.

trickle down to the customers. The lending rates of bank is made up of many components, once this goes down, lending rates will also fall - all things being equal. It will be beneficial to the industry, the government and the customers,” he said.

In terms of efficiency and cost reduction to the banking industry, the UBA boss noted that the currency restructuring makes more sense because fewer higher denomination currencies will fit into the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). Besides, he said movement of cash between locations will result in less number of runs for the banks.

He said the cost of printing a single currency remains the same irrespective

of denomination, adding that the cost of printing higher denomination notes reduces cost of printing currencies.

However, he pointed out that the CBN or the banks will not impose N5000 banknotes on anyone, explaining that “it will be based on demand.”

He said that when the CBN spends less to print money the surplus will be given back to government to provide infrastructure that will benefit the common man.

The director of corporate communication, CBN, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor said that the apex bank projects that the cost of printing the restructured currency notes will be between N20 billion and N29billion.

Coins he said last for

about 20 years but notes last for about four to six months before they are reprinted.

On the recent allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that banks were frustrating its fight against money laundering, Odoaza said banks have done a lot to champion anti money laundering and through the Know Your Customer (KYC) programme.

He exonerated the banks of any wrong doing, stressing that they (bankers) have been reporting suspicious transactions.

He lamented that Nigerians don’t treat lower denominations with the kind of respect they treat higher denominations which invariably means that lower denomination notes don’t last as long as higher de-

nomination notes.

He also disclosed that counterfeiters do not counterfeit large denominations, arguing that the reason for this “is that large denominations pass through few hands and are subject to more scrutiny therefore a lot of counterfeiting take place with lower denominations.”

On the recent CBN directive that banks with subsidiaries abroad should not engage in capital export, the UBA boss said most banks in Nigeria anticipated the directive. He said presently banks desirous of recapitalizing their subsidiaries are trying to raise money off their balance sheets. This exercise he explained is working quite well.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

11

CITYBEATS

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

Lawmakers back electricity initiative

By Oziegbe Okoeki

THE Lagos State Government is determined to achieve adequate, reliable, safe and affordable electricity, Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Works and Infrastructure Rotimi Olowo has said.

Olowo spoke at the inauguration of a 20KVA generating set to power street lights on Apata Street in Somolu, Lagos.

He said: "The provision of the generating set is to reduce acts, such as robbery and miscreants that work under the shadow of darkness to perpetrate their evil act."

Man beats expectant mother

By Precious Igbonwelundu

A 27-year-old man, Innocent Ukwenya, has been charged before an Apapa Magistrate's Court, Lagos, for allegedly beating an expectant mother , Jennifer Omini.

Ukwenya is facing one count charge of assault, occasioning harm punishable under Section 171 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011, before Magistrate A.K. Shonubi.

The accused, a resident of 7, Goriola Street, Ajegunle, was said to have given his neighbour's wife, a blow on her lower abdomen. when the woman warned Ukwenya for his audacity to ask her husband to call her to order.

Community laments incessant flooding •Govt: help on the way

F

OR residents of Ifelodun Street in Dopemu, Agege, a Lagos suburb, whenever it rains, it is a nightmare.

Their houses and streets are usually flooded and properties destroyed.

This is what they experience every year.

They urged the government to intervene after taking our reporter round the area yesterday.

The Chairman, Dopemu Community Development Association (DCDA), Revd.

Adetunji Fagbemi, and other members of Ifelodun Street Landlords Association, said the area should be declared a disaster zone, adding that help "should urgently be extended to the area to address the plight of the people presently living there to prevent any disaster."

Fagbemi said: "For the umpteenth time, we are appealing to the Lagos State Government to come to the aid of the people of Ifelodun Street, Dopemu by completing the canal that seemed to have been abandoned for a very long time, leading to a yearly nightmare for the residents who have been at the receiving end of heavy flooding in their area."

He blamed the flood on the abandoned canal.

According to him, the canal which came to an abrupt end

By Yinka Aderibigbe

near a pharmacy should have been channelled to link Valley Estate, by Cement Bus Stop on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, but it was abandoned, leaving the people to bear the brunt.

He said while the canal which used to be an earth canal was cleaned and cemented upland from OkoOba and Orile-Agege area few years ago, it was abandoned at Ifelodun Street only to be continued at Cement Bus Stop.

"The result has been that all the water coming from Ogba, Oko-Oba, PenCinema, Oke-Koto, and Orile-Agege end up flooding the Ifelodun area, with all houses in the area usually submerged any time it rains," Fagbemi said.

He said though no lives have been lost to the flood, the challenge of climate change and the prediction of an intense rainfall by the Nigeria Meteorological Institute (NIMET), have compelled the people to again raise the alarm that the whole area might be under threat if the flood is not checked.

He said the street, which is an alternative road that motorists could take to bypass the busy Dopemu Bridge in getting to the Abeokuta Expressway, by

Woman docked for ‘bathing another with pepper’ A

27-year-old woman, Patience Edet, has been charged before an Ejigbo Magistrate's Court with allegedly bathing her friend, Rose Agali, 26, with pepper.

The accused is facing a two count-charge of assault and breach of peace, punishable under Section 171 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

Prosecuting Corporal Oladejo Balogun told the court that the offence was committed at 11, Olowu Street, Egan, a Lagos suburb.

Trouble started after Patience allegedly asked Rose to leave her lover, Emmey, without success.

The accused, who blamed the complainant for her failed

By Precious Igbonwelundu

relationship, told the court that she warned Rose to allow Emmey come back to her. Rose, Patience added, refused, insisting that she also loves him.

Patience alleged that Rose told her that Emmey who approached her and as such she could not let him go.

Angry at her friend's response, the accused allegedly blended pepper, mixed it with water and poured the substance on Rose' face and body.

After bathing her with the substance, Patience allegedly beat her up. The complainant

was injured and rushed to a hospital.

Rose who told the court that she went out that fateful day, said she did not know Patience had ground pepper and was waiting for her return.

She said she was shocked when the substance was poured on her by the accused who also beat her up, knocking off one of her teeth.

The accused pleaded not guilty and was granted N50,000 bail, with one surety in the like sum by Magistrate M.B. Folami, who adjourned the matter till November 14.

Peace returns to Lagos NURTW

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ARRING factions of Lagos State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have resolved their rift.

The parties held hands and hugged at a reconciliation meeting at the Council's office.

The meeting was at the instance of the union's National President, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin.

While the dispute lasted, the Council was factionalised, with one faction loyal to former Chairman, Alhaji Rafiu Akanni Olohunwa and the other to the former Treasurer, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo).

The crisis led to violent clashes between members.

Elated by the success of the reconciliation effort, state Chairman

By Eric Ikhilae

Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, promised to accommodate all.

He warned members to desist from rumour mongering, because it was the peddling of unsubstantiated information in the past that caused the Council's initial problem.

Olohunwa urged members to forgive each other of past infractions.

He added:: "I want you people to forgive me of any atrocity I might have committed while in office. To err is human, to forgive is divine" Olohunwa pledged his loyalty to the new administration under the leadership of Agbede.”

He implored the new Chairman to accommodate everybody.

Akinsanya also thanked everybody for the role they played in ensuring that peace returned to the Council.

•The flooded street...yesterday

Iyana Dopemu, has become impassable because of the collateral damage done flood in the past.

Another resident urged the government to alleviate the sufferings of the residents.

"You need to see the apprehension on the faces of residents any time rain threatens to fall. The entire road would become impassable and accessing their homes would be an uphill task for them. Sadly, I

grew up to see this place like this, and I can say nothing has changed in the past 25 years that I have lived in this area.

It is affecting the quality of lives of all residents and we can only appeal to the state government to come to our rescue," he said.

An official of the Ministry of the Environment, who spoke on condition of anonymity, promised that the ministry would intervene to lessen the

suffering of the people.

He advised the residents to always liaise with the drainage officer in charge of the area for effective dissemination of information concerning the government's activities and how their area could benefit.

A list of officials posted to the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA, was recently published by the Ministry.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

NEWS Cross River seizes 100 chain saws, 18 boat engines From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

T

HE Cross River State Government has seized 100 chain saws, 18 outboard boat engines, six pumping machines and five generating sets from illegal loggers.

Inspecting the items seized by the Anti-Forest Deforestation Task Force yesterday in Calabar, the state capital, Governor Liyel Imoke said the government would not relent in its deforestation campaign.

Imoke said: “Landslides and floods have overcome a lot of communities because people have no respect for their environment.”

Urging the task force to remain committed to its mandate, the governor said the culprits would be prosecuted.

Chairman of the Task Force Mr. Peter Jerkins said the state was losing millions of naira to illegal loggers.

Five headteachers demoted in Delta

F

of thing. God has been blessing our ministry with prophesies and miracles.”

Silva said the woman had gone for a medical check-up, promising to allow reporters speak to her later.

People rushed to the church to catch a glimpse of the creature.

IVE headteachers of public secondary schools in Delta State were yesterday demoted to classroom teachers for professional misconduct and negligence of duty.

Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Prof.

Patrick Muoboghare announced this in Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, during a meeting with headteachers of stateowned secondary schools.

Muoboghare said two of the affected headteachers ignored the directive of the ministry by travelling to Minna, the Niger State capital, to enroll their students for the National Examination Council (NECO) examination.

The commissioner said the two headteachers at St. Pius X Grammar School, OnichaUgbo, were demoted because they could not explain the whereabouts of a 25 KVA electricity generating set installed in the school.

He said the headteacher of Mein Grammar School, Kiagbodo, could not explain how 40 computer sets were stolen without his knowledge.

Muoboghare said the ministry would sanction any headteacher found incapable in the discharge of his or her duties.

He advised them not to admit more than 40 students in JSS 1 in the new academic session.

Few cars on Benin roads as petrol hits N250 per litre

Delta set to fight kidnapping

•Ugolor being carried by members of civil society groups...yesterday.

Oshiomhole’s aide’s murder: Ugolor regains freedom

T

HE Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, was yesterday released from the Oko Minimum Prison in Edo State.

Ugolor was arrested on July 27 by the police after he was named by a suspect, Garuba Usman Maisamari, as the sponsor of the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the former Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Maisamari alleged that Ugolor paid him N200,000 of the N20 million agreed on to kill Olaitan.

PUBLIC NOTICE CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, MR. UDEZI BLESSING IVAN and MR. UDEZI PERSIDIS EDDY are one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as MR. UDEZI BLESSING IVAN. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formally known and addressed as MISS UBAJEKWE CHINELO ADAKU now wish to be known and adresss MRS MODOZIE CHINELO ADAKU .all formal document remain valid. general public take note .

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

He said he hired four others, who killed Oyerinde.

An Edo State High Court presided over by Justice Esther Edigin had earlier ordered Ugolor’s release from police custody, but the order was not obeyed.

In August 31, Ugolor and nine others were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court and remanded in Oko Minimum Prison.

Ruling on the bail application filed by Ugolor’s counsel Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi, Justice P. Imodemhe said beyond

‘Good will always triumph over evil. This has shown that when you are good to humanity, humanity will be good to you’ Maisamari’s statement, the police could not prove be-

yond reasonable doubt that Ugolor was involved in the murder.

Justice Imodemhe said the report in the counter-affidavit filed by the police showed that they are still investigating the matter and are not ready to prosecute Ugolor.

He granted Ugolor N1 million bail to a surety with landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.

Ugolor was released from prison about 4:30pm.

He was wearing a dark green t-shirt, blue jean trousers and a brown jacket when he walked out of the prison .

Ugolor was received by members of civil society organisations. They sang solidarity songs. Some of them carried him on their shoulder while others powdered his face.

Ugolor said he was grateful to God for everything.

He said: “Good will always triumph over evil. This has shown that when you are good to humanity, humanity will be good to you.”

His wife, Ngozi, who was at the court, said her husband is a life giver and not a life destroyer.

She said justice would prevail.

Woman gives birth to strange creature in Edo

W

ORSHIPPERS at the World Liberation Ministry on the Old Sapele-Benin Expressway in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday took to their heels during a deliverance session, when a woman gave birth to a creature that looks like a horse.

It was gathered that the

T

HE price of petrol has risen to N250 per litre in Benin, the Edo State capital.

A few operating commercial vehicles have increased their fare. Commercial motorcyclists now charge between N300 and N350. There are long queues at the few filling stations selling petrol at between N200 and N250 per

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

woman suddenly started screaming during the session and the horse came out of her birth canal.

The General Overseer of the church, Evangelist Wealth Silva, said he was amazed .

He said: “During prayers,

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

litre.

A pump attendant at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega filling station on Sapele Road, simply identified as Osamudiamwen, said no one has explained the reason for the sudden scarcity of petro-

a revelation came that there was a woman with something blocking her womb.

As prayers intensified, the woman started screaming, then bleeding started when the object came out.

“I cannot describe the object. We have seen people vomit several things during our service, but not this type

leum products in the state.

A taxi driver, Mr. Daniel Omoruyi, said he left home about 4am, hoping to be the first person at the filling station, but he was surprised to meet almost 100 vehicles on the queue.

When The Nation visited the Agbor Road office of the Petroleum Product and Market-

ing Company (PPMC), the place was locked.

It could not be ascertained whether the sealing of the premises by the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue was responsible for the scarcity.

Tankers queued up on Agbor Road waiting to load products.

Three bankers remanded in prison custody PUBLIC NOTICE MAFE

I, formerly known and addressed as Omolola Mafe, now wish to be known and addressed as Omolola Jinadu. All former documents remain valid. Lagos State University and general public should please take note.

T

HREE workers of a commercial bank were yesterday remanded in prison custody.

Chinedu Okafor, Austin Desi and Tennyson Ikpi were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Delta State for allegedly obtaining

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

over N77 million from Multiple Credit Limited under false pretext.

Okafor, a worker in the Sapele branch, allegedly obtained N27,360,000 from

Multiple Credit Limited under the pretext that the money would be invested in a business.

Desi, the manager of the branch, now at large, allegedly obtained N37 million from the company under the pretext of investing.

Ikpi allegedly obtained over N14 million with the same pretence.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate S.A Nannah remanded them in prison custody and adjourned the case till September 20.

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

T

THE Police in Delta State have reconstituted its Special Antikidnapping Squad.

The head of the former squad, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Dickson Adeyemi, was accused of colliding with kidnappers in some high profile abduction cases.

Adeyemi was detained at the Force Headquarters for several weeks before he was transferred to the North.

The Nation learnt that members of the squad were carefully selected and trained in combat, crime prevention and arms handling.

They have been deployed across the state.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

SERVICE

ACTION

HEALTH

A lift for communities

Kwankwaso warns contractors against shoddy jobs

‘Why assisted reproduction is gaining ground’

Oyo

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Kano

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Lagos

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Page 17

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

•From left: Chief Wombo, Governor Suswam (in white) Sarah Ochekpe, Speaker Dave Iorhemba and John Ngbede cuts the tape to commissioned Katsina Ala Water Works PHOTO: UJA EMMANUEL

Potable water for Benue communities T

HE long search for potable water in two Benue State communities, Katsina Ala and Anyiin in Northeast senatorial zone of the state, has ended. Also gone is the spate of waterborne diseases which ravaged the communities as their search lasted.

Two giant water treatment plants took care of all of that, sending residents of the areas

Minister inaugurates treatment plants

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

into wild jubilation. The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe inaugurated the plants.

The Minister, who was on a two-day official visit to the state, first launched the Katsina Ala water plant which has a capac-

ity to process and pump 15,000 cubic meters per day.

The plant, which solves the water needs of not only Katsina Ala town but also those of surrounding communities, has a lifespan of 25 years. It was built

by SGC Nig. Ltd, which started and completed it under the Gabriel Suswam administration.

From Katsina Ala, Mrs Ochekpe, accompanied by the governor, commissioners and other top functionaries of the state government, moved to Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area, Suswam’s country home, a distance of 30km from Katsina Ala. At Anyiin, the Minister inau-

gurated the second plant built by the Waste Management and Environmental Services (WMES), an American company.

In his brief remarks, the Commissioner for Water and Environment, John Ngbede, said the water projects embarked upon by the Suswam administration reflected the government’s •Continued on Page 45

Northern traditional leaders battle polio

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•Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar

HE Federal Government has stepped up its effort to eradicate wild polio virus (WPV) in the country, with focus on endemic states in the North, but it was traditional rulers in the region who drove the campaign.

The government kicked off the latest activities in Sokoto State through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) whose personnel were in the state capital to sensitise residents on the need to immunise their children.

Personnel of development partners such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

(WHO), among others, were also at the seat of the caliphate to help halt the spread of the polio virus in the region.

Traditional leaders, however, played a leading role, with the respected Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III coordinating activities.

Emirs and chiefs from the region, under the auspices of Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on the Eradication of Polio, were actively involved, with no fewer than 35 of them present at the one-day sensitisation session which held at the Sultan’s palace.

The committee questioned the exclusion of some children under five years old from polio vaccination and routine immunisation programmes.

The 10 endemic states under the committee’s focus are Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, Jigawa, Katsina, Niger and Zamfara.

Sultan Sa’ad asked: “Are some people hiding under polio eradication to feed fat at the expense of our collective effort to fight it?

The welfare and health of our subjects are fundamental to us.

We are role models to them.”

Head of Immunisation and Polio vaccine unit of the NPHCDA, Dr. Zubairu Mahmud, urged

concerted efforts to stamp out the scourge.

Dr. Ado Muhammad, Executive Director of the NPHCDA, said optimistically that Nigeria will halt the spread of the WPV by 2015.

He noted that the major challenge of the crusade lies with local government areas where prevalence is high.

“We want to vaccinate those settlements by ensuring maximum coverage,” he said.

The Sultan told reporters that all necessary mechanisms were being put in place to ensure effective implementation of the crusade, which he said “cuts across 209 ward settlements”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTERMBER 12, 2012

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Sokoto, MDGs fight poverty with N300m I

Kano warns contractors against shoddy jobs K

•Baba Adini of Lagos Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou (middle) laying foundation of the library for the Ansaru-deen College of Education. He is being assisted by the site engineer

ANO State Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Surveyor Muhammadu Nadu Yahaya has warned that the state government may sanction any contractor involved in the execution of shoddy jobs.

Yahaya, who gave the warning in Kano during his one-day inspection and monitoring tour of road projects in the state, said the expansion and dualisation of road networks in the state have recorded 45 per cent progress, particularly the N3 billion Gwarzo/ Kofar Kabuga/BUK new site road, over which he expressed satisfaction.

Yahaya was greeted with complaints from the contractors at different points, ranging from the torrential rain to non-removal of electric poles, underground doctile pipes and heavy traffic, which has taken its toll on the pace of work.

He, however, promised to redouble his efforts to ensure speedy completion of the project when the rains subside.

The contractor handling the expansion and

Speaker, others launch free malaria treatment campaign

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HE Speaker of the Adamawa House of Assembly, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, and three members of the state assembly have launched free malaria treatment for patients in their constituencies.

Fintiri launched the programme in Madagali Michika, Mubi North and Mubi South constituencies.

The speaker said the programme was jointly initiated and sponsored by him and the three lawmakers to check the malaria scourge in the Northern Zone of the state.

He said the measure was one of the ways they decided to pay back the people who elected them.

He also said they would initiate free surgery programme for some needy persons.

The speaker urged those entrusted with the medicines in the affected constituencies to ensure that they reached all wards and units for easy access by the people.

"Malaria is a major threat to our people, particularly at this time of the year, and that is why we decided to embark on this programme to complement government effort in fighting the scourge.

"We want to contain malaria in this zone and hereby call our people to give us the necessary support to succeed," Fintiri said.

In their remarks, Mr Musa Kamale (PDP-

Adamawa Michika), Alhaji Usman Lamorde (PDP-Mubi South) and Alhaji Abubakar Jarengol (CPCMubi North), said they were committed to the programme and would sustain it.

Also, the Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa, whose emirate covers the affected constituencies, described the measure as a welcome development that would enjoy his full support and that of other leaders in the emirate.

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From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

•Governor Kwankwaso

RADERS in Mushin market have pledged to give maximum support to the development of the popular Mushin market if the construction works will be carried out in phrases. This assurance was given when the Mushin Local Government leadership held a consultative meeting with all the 33 sectional leaders in the market.

According to their spokesperson, all the traders will love to see development in the market provided it will not bring hardship to them. They, therefore, appealed to the chairman of the council, Hon

development of the country.

He praised the recipients, Messrs Afolayan Gabriel and Shittu Adewale, graduates of University of Ilorin, who served in Anambra and Ekiti States in 2009/2010 for being good ambassadors of the state.

He urged them not to rest on their oars and pray to God to grant them more knowledge and understanding.

The governor commended University of Ilorin for producing quality graduates who could compete favourably with others in the country.

In their remarks, the recipients, Gabriel and Adewale, thanked the government for the honour done them, and gave assurance that they would continue to be good ambassadors of the state.

Olatunde Adepitan, to ensure that after the construction of the market, the current crop of traders would be considered first for allocation before the money bags deny the traders the opportunity to return to the shops.

The traders also demanded for more time to enable them prepare for the new challenges while insisting that their leaders did not inform them of the previous meeting held with the local government in relation to the reconstruction of the market.

Replying, Hon.Adepitan assured the traders that adequate arrangement had been made to mitigate any inconveniences as an alternative arrangement had been made to cushion the effects of the reconstruction exercise .

He immediately directed the councillors to enact a bye-law that will enable the traders to operate without any inhibition around the streets in the area pending when the construction work would have been concluded.

Adepitan said since the beginning of the year, he had directed the council officials to stop the collection of tolls from Mushin market, this was meant to prepare the traders for the eventual temporary relocation from their present state.

He further explained that the representatives of the traders should constantly liaise with the contractor handling the job to ensure that the time frame for the completion of the job is met.

Mr. Adefusika Adeojo, the Legal Adviser to Mushin Market traders advised the council authority to abide by all the terms of agreements concerning the comfort of the traders.

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HE Niger State branch of the Nigeria Cassava Processors Association and Marketers (NCPM) has appealed to the state government to assist its members with machinery and equipment for the production of high quality cassava flour for bread making.

Mr Jamiu Lawal, the association’s chairman who made the appeal in an interview with reporters in Minna, said that the state

Church marks sixth anniversary

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•From right: Executive Director, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, Alhaji Shuaib Abdullahi; Imam Oloruntoba Central Mosque, Migbewe Makoko, Alhaji Jamiu Morufudeen and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustee, Sheikh Ibrahim Usman during the inauguration of borehole donated by the foundation to Makoko residents

KUNDAYO Evangelical Ministry has begun a seven-day powerpacked vigil at the church auditorium, 4 Adebakin Street, off Aladelola, Ikosi, Ketu Lagos. The programme which began on September a ends on September 15, runs from 12am till 3am daily. There will be a thanksgiving service on September 16.

Speaking on the programme, the host, Lady Evangelist Toyin Ekundayo, implored people to attend as God is ready to have compassion on their problems.

•Hon Adepitan in a group photograph with sectional leaders of the market during a peace meeting at the council secretariat

Groups present Miss Institute pageant

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N their efforts to encourage good social vaues in the nation’s institutions, the DM9 Deluxe Magazine,Smooth Guy Entertain Charlian Entertainment will be staging a Miss Institute Pageant on September 16.

According to the coordinator of the pprogramme, pIyssah Iybrahymm (aka Deluxwizzy), the pageant is organised to make Nigerian students have focus.

“We are going into this pageant to give the Nigeria institution a focus; a pageant that will tell Nigerian girls what they stand for in the society,” he said.

He said the pageant will be taking to different institutions in the country with the aim of reducing social vices ranging from cultism and touting among others.

“We are taking this project into the institutions one after the other; the winner of the pageant is going to take campaign into the Nigeria institutions and our campaign is to reduce social vices,” he said.

Stating further, Iybrahymm said “Miss Institute Nigeria pageant is to project modesty; to bring out colour to values, they are not putting on bikinis; the kind of dressing that we are projecting for the grand finale is going to tell people outside there that this pageant stands for uniqueness. And aside that we want people to see something good in being a model; it is not until you dressed half naked or until you showcase your sensitive parts that you are a model; you can be a model in the society in a more good way without being naked”.

The Coordinator condemns the act of going almost naked by Nigerian girls. “If you are going naked what Godliness is in that, what impact will your nakedness have on the society,”he asked.

“It is going to be a yearly programme; We call on the government and corporate organisations

N An effort to reduce poverty, the Millennium Development Goals office and the Sokoto State government have provided N300 million for a comprehensive programme within communities in the state.

The programme will give emphasis to widows with the burden of children and those abandoned by their husbands as a result of health problems such as Vesico Vaginal Fistula(VVF).The third category are parents that are incapacitated.

Speaking at the inauguration of committees from eight local government councils in the Sokoto Central Senatorial zone at the Giginya-Coral five-star Hotel, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Farouk Malami Yabo said the programme is aimed at empowering the residents particularly the poor at the grassroots.

Cassava processors seek govt help

Traders pledge support for market development T

Ahmed reiterates commitment to youth development

OVERNOR Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has reiterated his commitment to creating the enabling environment for the youths to discover their talents.

Ahmed gave the assurance while receiving two indigenes of the state among the youth corps members that won Presidential National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Honours Award in 2011.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the governor urged the youths to emulate the good work of the recipients.

He advised them to be diligent and hardworking in order to be successful, and warned them to shun violence and evil vices.

He said that this was one of the ways by which our youths could contribute their quota to the

"This is good news to our people and I want to warn those involved in handling the drugs against diversion," the emir said.

He called on the people of the zone to complement the lawmakers’ effort in the fight against malaria by keeping their environments clean.

The highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of drug to the acting Chairmen of Madagali, Michika, Mubi South and Mubi North local governments by the speaker assisted by the lawmakers.

Kano dualisation of Sheik Jafar Mahmud Adam Road (fomerly Chalawa road) told the inspection team that his greatest challenge remains the underground doctile pipe on both sides of the road which hinders the progress of work.

Apart from the heavy traffic on the road, the contractor also told the commissioner that the road design was altered several times, resulting in the slow pace of work on the project.

He, however, promised to work harder particularly now that he has received a final redesign of the project.

At the Hadejia road( Murtala Mohammed Way/ Ahmadu Bello Way roundabout), the commissioner expressed satisfaction with the quality and pace of work but urged the contractor to redouble his efforts to ensure that he meets the completion deadline.

The team, however, expressed dismay at the slow pace of work on Zaria Road and urged them brace up with the challenges, so as to complete the project on schedule.

The tour also took the Commissioner to the Southern Terminus project site at Gundutse, at the end of which he expressed satisfaction with the pace of work .

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to support our course of bringing modesty back to our institutions in Nigeria”, the coordinator said

Niger government’s assistance would also go a long way in encouraging cassava chips export.

“The Federal Government is encouraging the the production of high quality cassava flour to produce bread and we cannot achieve that without the necessary machinery and equipment which are quite expensive for the peasant farmer.

“So we are calling on the state government to come to our aid by supporting us to procure these machinery and equipment on loan, to enable us meet the demand for high quality cassava flour.’’

He said that the call became imperative as the association nationwide, found it difficult to access the N500 million loan set aside for cassava growers and processors across the country.

“We are finding it difficult to access the N500 million loan set aside by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration for cassava growers and processors nationwide.’’

According to him, N300 million of the fund is voted for cassava processors in the country.

He, however, expressed regret that the association found it difficult to access the money due to bottlenecks by banks administering the loan, adding that access to credit constituted a major challenge to the production of high quality cassava flour.

“We have cassava in large quantity in Niger State but since we do not have the processing technologies, we find it difficult to meet the international quality standard for cassava chips and flour,’’ he said.

Rotary donates incubator

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OTARY Culb of Oke-Afa, District 9110 has donated an incubator to the Pediatric Department of Isolo General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos.The club also inaugurated a new cenotaph at Isolo-Pako roundabout.

It was a happy moment for the president of the club, Rotarian Chiejina Chinedu as he and his members expressed joy at the success of the event.

“There is always a need to affect the lives of most especially children who are sick. Children are our future and there is the need to lift them. This makes the club to donate the incubator to the hospital,” he said.

The president and his members were happy to host the Distric Governor, Mr Kamoru Omotosho and his entourage,saying: “We have a focus and a goal for the community which must be fulfilled”.

He said he had interacted with other Rotarians, most especially those in Oke-Afa to support the less-privileged within the community. “This is a club that cares for the needy and the public is encouraged to join us,”he said.

The medical director of the hospital , Dr. R. O. Aromire, thanked the club, the district governor and members for donating the equipment. He promised to always keep the tool in good shape.

The district governor advised the club and their friends to focus on their goal. “Oke-Afa club is among one of the smallest groups in rotary and they are seeing the impact to the public, most especially the old and new cenotaph at Isolo-Pako roundabout.

By Duro Babayemi

He urged the club to change their way of doing things and strategise more to attract more public participation

•The cenotaph inaugurated

From: Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

Sokoto According to him, both the state government and MDGs office will provide their counterpart funds of 50 per cent each for the programme.

The councils whose committees have been given one week to come up with lists of 20 qualified would-be beneficiaries each include: Wamakko, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Silame, Binji, Tangaza, Gudu and Kware respectively.

Alhaji Yabo explained that the programme is expected to reach 2,300 beneficiaries across the 23 local government areas in form of trainings and take-off capital to support their respective trades. “ Our target is 50,000 beneficiaries because our vision is for the fold to keep multiplying while beneficiaries extend support to others,”he said.

However, Yabo said the emphasis of the first

•Governor Wamakko phase which comprises of 120 communities would be on poultry farming and cattle breeding, adding that the training will be for three days and transportation has been provided to convey beneficiaries who will be entitled to N5000 as monthly allowances for 12 months.

•Hon. Lapade(right) receiving the award from Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola

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Council chief bags award

HE Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Hon. Idris Lapade, has been honoured with the best information technology development chairman of the year.

The award was conferred on him at the 8th edition of Nigerian Telecom awards held in Victoria Island, Lagos, last week.

The honour went to some selected state governments, local governments, corporate bodies and individuals across the thirty three states of federation who have contributed to the development of the information technology in the country.

Lapade was the only chairman nominated for the award in Oyo State out of the 33 chairmen in the state. He was given the award as a result

By Jeremiah Oke

of his contributions to the development of ICT in the local government.

Before presentation, the chairman of the occasion and the former Minister of Information, Dr Haliru Mohammed Bello, praised the involvement of the state governors, local government administration and the other stakeholders who see the use of information technology as the only means to move the nation forward.

He commended Lapade for recognising the role of the Information technology in nation building and stressed that government parastatals have a key role to play in the development of information technology.

While reacting to the award, Lapade said he felt honoured and excited for receiving such international award on behalf of the local government and the entire people of the state.

He stressed the need for people to be encouraged to use the modern way of communicating rather than living in the past.

According to him, this was why he encouraged some workers in the council to use information communication as the means of getting across to one another .

He said: ‘First and for all, I give glory to Almighty God and I dedicate this award of merit to my governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi for encouraging people to update themselves with the latest gadget in town especially the civil servants. Every aspect of our operations in the local government was invlvolves the use of information technology and use of the modern gadget to improve the workforce.

“In Ibadan North Local Government, we have organised seminars, workshops, and different training programmes for our workers for them to know the importance of the information technology in this jet age and that has prompted us to have internet facility atthe local government secretariat”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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COMMENTARY EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

EDITORIALS

Two men, two Americans

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Profligacy •Only a wasteful government would offer N3.2 billion to rebuild an already insured UN house

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HE reconstruction of the United Nations House that was bombed in August last year by Boko Haram insurgents is absolutely necessary; but should it be undertaken by the Federal Government? Of course it is not that we are not concerned about the fact that people lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. Or that we want the Federal Government to jettison the traditional hospitality for which Africans are renowned.

But we do not see any need for earmarking N3.2bn of tax payers’ money to rebuild the UN structure, especially if it is true that it was insured, as the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), an opposition party has claimed. The party reasoned that since all UN buildings worldwide are usually insured, not only against fire or other mishaps, but also against terrorist activities like it happened in the Nigerian case, the Federal Government has no business spending such an amount to rebuild the office bombed in the country.

The CPC last week exposed moves by the Federal Government to commit the amount to what should be the concern of another institution. Mr Rotimi Fashakin, CPC’s national publicity secretary, was apt: “…. it is our belief that, before embarking on this expensive venture, there is the need to ascertain the appropriateness of this expenditure. Indeed, in its world-wide operations, UN has a comprehensive insurance policy for its buildings and a separate insurance for terrorism! This is why we see the offer by the Federal Government to spend money on

what was already provided for by the UN as totally wrong-headed and preposterous.’’

Till date, there is no evidence that the UN ever sought for pecuniary assistance from the government in its bid to rebuild the building. We are bothered because of the present administration’s proclivity for embarking on very unpopular policies and implementing projects outside of the budget. On the issue of fuel subsidy, the government was unreasonably adamant until it was forced to see reason (even if partially); also, the needless issue of N5000 currency denomination that it has insisted on going on with is still very fresh in mind. We only hope that this unsolicited gesture for the rebuilding of the UN House will be stopped by the National Assembly.

The move, ab initio, is fraught with so many pitfalls. For example, how did the government arrive at the figure for rebuilding the edifice? Was the money appropriated by the legislature? More importantly, has it been carefully ascertained in other places where UN buildings were damaged that this is the way it is done?

Are we sure that some powerful forces somewhere are not trying to capitalise on the UN House bombing to siphon public funds? We can only hope that the proposed assistance is not another way of telling the world that money is not our problem but how to spend it!

Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the US came up with the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) of 2002.

When this expired in 2005, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Programme Re-

authorisation Act 2007 extended it through to December 31, 2014. Unfortunately till date, the Federal Government has not seen the wisdom in adopting this important legal framework despite the avalanche of terrorist activities in the country since 2009.

We know that those running the UN realise the hazards that the institution and its personnel face as a result of its activities worldwide and must have made provision for the kind of insurance that the CPC is talking about. It is only in our type of environment that we resort to ‘fire brigade’ approach in dealing with issues. Those running the United Nations are more proactive. We therefore submit that there are more productive ways that the government can spend the country’s hard-earned resources instead of squandering money on an unsolicited venture like this.

‘We know that those running the UN realise the hazards that the institution and its personnel face as a result of its activities worldwide and must have made provision for the kind of insurance that the CPC is talking about. It is only in our type of environment that we resort to ‘fire brigade’ approach in dealing with issues’

Agenda for NBA exco •The high principles of the rule of law and humanity must inform its leadership

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HE biennial election of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) ended on a high note with an annual convention in Abuja. Mr. Okechukwu Wali (SAN), who won the election, was sworn in as President of the association, with members of his new executive. The immediate past President, Mr. Joseph Daudu, was optimistic that the new leadership would continue to advance the paramount interest of the country; and as part of his last function as the chief spokesman of the NBA, he stated the position of the Bar on some critical national issues.

We support the need for a continuous intervention of the Bar on critical issues of national development. The new leadership of the NBA no doubt must be aware that without the wellbeing of Ni-

‘... Many of the association’s members have always complained over the electoral process and welfare of members. Also, members of the public have raised concerns over professional conducts of some lawyers. We hope the new leadership will take steps to critically examine these issues and offer sustainable changes in the overall interest of her members and the society’

geria, there will be no bar association. As such, the Bar must always make sure that it weighs in on the side of the people at all times. Interestingly, the need for a fundamental amendment of the constitution is on the front burner of national discourse. Among the critical questions confronting the country are fiscal federalism, revenue allocation formula, corruption, state police, state creation, restructuring of the federation, resource ownership, redenomination of the Naira, among others.

In his final address, Mr. Dauda on behalf of the Bar supported the creation of state police, and denounced the proposed redenomination of the Naira and creation of a new N5,000 note, among other resolutions. The last Bar leadership had always taken positions on other national issues. While some may disagree with some of their stand, such regular intervention is helpful. The new leadership must continue in that respect. It should work hard to send its resolutions on constitution amendment to the National Assembly, clearly expressing its position on critical issues of national importance after a robust debate among its members.

One critical issue for the survival of the country, which is also inevitable for the survival of the association, is the promotion of rule of law. For the business of Nigerian lawyers to thrive, governments must not show mere lip service to the rule of law. The Bar must therefore rise always to fight for it. One sore point staring the country in the face is the matter of the illegally suspended President of the

Court of Appeal. The refusal by President Goodluck Jonathan to recall Justice Ayo Salami to his post despite the position of the National Judicial Council (heading another arm of government), must continuously be condemned by the Bar. In our view, the Bar must also fight for the restructuring of the country, in such a way to restore the ethics of work. Except for beneficiaries of the current crisis, there is little doubt that the country needs to be put on the path of sustainable growth. We hope members of the legal profession will direct their intellectual energy to study why and how Nigeria turned a ‘rent economy’ and one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Despite the huge economic resources from the exploration of oil, the Bar should seek to understand why Nigeria’s poverty index is also one of the highest in the world.

We believe that understanding this web of poverty in the midst of wealth will help the association to make an informed contribution to the country’s growth.

It is good that the association has set up machinery for internal reformation. At the last conference and even the ones before, many of the association’s members have always complained about the electoral process and welfare of members. Also, members of the public have raised concerns over professional conducts of some lawyers. We hope the new leadership will take steps to critically examine these issues and offer sustainable changes in the overall interest of her members and the society.

HE race for the White House is so tight because voters cannot decide what sort of country they want to live in One of President Obama’s best stunts in nearly two years of campaigning for re-election has been to stage a speech under a decrepit Cincinnati bridge that he promised to rebuild, creating hundreds of jobs, if only Republicans in Congress would approve the funding. The speech was so widely broadcast that he gave one just like it under another bridge a few weeks later.

The man hoping to remove him from the White House is less given to theatrics, but just as fond of reliable applause lines. One of his favourites is a promise to start the process of repealing “Obamacare” on his first day in the Oval Office.

Last night Mr Obama accepted his party’s nomination, and both campaigns entered the final straight of the most grueling selection process democracy has ever devised. It will end not with a referendum on Mr Obama’s record, as some Republicans hoped, but with a choice between two radically different visions of America.

It will not be an easy choice, because the country is not just in the economic doldrums and a political funk; it is in a full-blown identity crisis. The identities on offer are not the social clichés of the late 20th century’s culture wars but the jarring economic mantras that Americans have acquired after four years of polarizing recession and recrimination. In historical terms this is a choice between the great national investment programmes of the New Deal and the stern self-reliance of Barry Goldwater – or even the pioneers. In bumper-sticker language it is “I love my postal carrier” versus “Work harder – millions on welfare depend on you”. It is a choice between restoring an America that seems to have worked better in the past, and forcing it to adapt to mighty changes in global economics and demography.

Both campaigns lay claim to American exceptionalism, because they must. It is still true that no one can win the White House without assuring voters they are unusually resourceful and somehow blessed. Julian Castro, the charismatic Mayor of San Antonio, specifically invoked his Texan “bootstraps” as well as his good fortune in having been brought to America by his parents, in a keynote speech this week that was quickly likened to the one Barack Obama gave eight years ago.

But in important respects the two camps’ versions of America will be pitched as polar opposites. For one, taxes are little more than brakes on the economy.

For the other, they are essential to create jobs and pay down debt. for one, government is a necessary evil.

For the other it is the citizen’s essential partner.

The first task for whoever wins will be to forge a plausible deficit reduction plan. If it is Mitt Romney, he must accept that the country’s finances cannot be fixed with spending cuts alone. If it is Mr Obama, he must acknowledge that raising taxes for only the richest 5 per cent will not suffice. A good template would be a detailed set of proposals drafted by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, and wrongly shelved by Mr Obama.

The next President must have the courage, as Bill Clinton did, to begin to reform welfare programmes that America can no longer afford, and to invest in the research and education without which it cannot hope to lead a global recovery.

The race is on a knife-edge. Polls of the roughly 6 per cent of voters who remain undecided will give clues as to how it will end, but on November 6 a few thousand ballots in swing states may decide the national race. Part-time workers in Ohio and lowa, dismayed by high unemployment but suspicious of Mr Romney’s background and business record, are one key group. Latino voters in Florida and Colorado, among who Mr Obama enjoys a 35-point lead, are another.

The result will not resolve America’s identity crisis, but in typical America fashion, the race will address it head on.

– The London Times

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

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•Chairman,Editorial Board • Executive Director Sam Omatseye (Finance & Administration) •General Editor Ade Odunewu Kunle Fagbemi • Gen. Manager •Editor Online (Training and Development) Lekan Otufodunrin Soji Omotunde •Managing Editor Northern Operation •Chief Internal Auditor Yusuf Alli Toke Folorunsho •Managing Editor • Senior Manager (Sales) Waheed Odusile Akeem Shoge •Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon •Advert Manager Robinson Osirike •Deputy Editor (News) •IT Manager Niyi Adesina Bolarinwa Meekness •Group Political Editor Bolade Omonijo •Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi •Abuja Bureau Chief Yomi Odunuga •Manager, Corporate Marketing •Sport Editor Hameed Odejayi Ade Ojeikere •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: The controversy that has trailed the proposed N5, 000 note has refused to surrender, but as usual with every discourse in the Nigerian polity, it has remained a dialogue of the elites, something distastefully referred to as the “dialogue of the deaf”. In a country purportedly made up of about 160 million people (assuming it is not more than that), an economic policy that will affect their already crippled standard of living to its very root, has remained only on the table of the microscopic few who are privileged to be educated and in the same token privileged to have access to the mass media, while the congregation of other less privileged Nigerians, who are only less privileged because their

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 1000 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.com

Still on the N5,000 note debate country made them so, have been shut out of the discussion room, only waiting to be served with whatever the outcome is.

Among the legion of views that have trailed the proposed currency note, various undertones can necessarily be inferred. While some are plainly political views trying to masquerade as economic sense, others are nothing but textbooks

economics that seriously has no place in a seriously challenged economy like the Nigerian economy. One of such is the argument by the CBN that the new not would not cause inflation, but the CBN quickly forgets that the new policy is of a twin nature, thus even if the N5,000 note may not cause inflation, the coining of N5, N10, and N20 certainly will.

Let us consider this: The least transport fare for any route in a place like Osogbo is N20, and in some instances N30, therefore once N20 is coined, is it not only commonsensical that with the kind of payment infrastructure that we have as a country, no bus driver or conductor will ever want to carry loads and loads of N20 coins in his pocket (that is if they have any

Hazards of social network age

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IR: One of the biggest and most enduring problems in Nigeria today is the rapid disappearance of the reading culture. Many people barely read even newspapers, preferring instead to chat away their time in the social networking sites. And others use it for fraudulent and heinous acts.

It is difficult to escape the influence of social networks. The trouble with being born in the social networking age is that it discourages concentration and encourages serial, kaleidoscopic exposure. Its variety becomes narcotic, not a stimulus; you consume not what you choose and when, but when they choose and what.

Almost anything interesting and rewarding in life requires some constructive, consistently applied efforts.

But not social networking sites. In short, too much social network usurps one of the most precious of all human gifts––the ability to focus your attention on yourself–– something only humans can do. Social network sites have adopted a particular device to do this to capture ones attention and hold it, because holding attention is the prime motive of any social networking site.

The economics of social networking site require them to assemble the largest possible audience for every moment (because that enhances its role as a profitable advertising vehicle). Social network sites live in fear of losing anyone – the rich or the poor, the dull or bright. So, the safest technique to guarantee mass attention is to keep

everyone happy and allow them unlimited freedom.

I see the ethos of evil socialization pervading this nation and its culture. I think that evil socialization has become a model in all social networking sites, where the sites management allows the people unhindered liberty to do what they like and want. I think it has become fashionable to think that, like fast food, social networks are the way to build a relationship and engage in romance.

In our schools and homes today, teachers and parents think that social network is the best way to impart knowledge and create relationship. It has dire consequences, as students have abandoned reading, but that does not mean that social network is not good for students.

If it must be used in the process of learning, its use must be critical and more selective. I believe it is called

“internet literacy” if it is used to whet the appetite of students for other discipline and courses. It becomes useful if it is used to prepare a child for core competence and build skills that will positively benefit the society in the future. But that is not what I am talking about.

I am talking about the tendency that I have noticed to surrender to the ethos that social network subtly purveys: the idea that things are gotten easily, with little effort; that information can be absorbed passively; that by reading few lines online and watch pictures; children are absorbing as much information as they might through the printed pages. That is what I mean by pandering to the easy virtues of social networks, of letting young people believe that ideas are conveyed by tasty bits; that intellectual efforts need not be applied; that you can get it (as they say) quickly and painlessly.

The world is being force- fed with trivialities, with ill-perceived effects on habits of mind, language, and our tolerance for effort and our appetite for complexity. That is the adverse effect of social network.

In my opinion, there should be a way to balance freedom with responsibility of the use of social media. Parents must endeavor to educate their wards on the dangers of the internet and allow them use it profitably. Today’s teenagers sleep online doing practically nothing but chatting away their time. They can channel their energy into research using their gadgetsphones, laptops; Ipads etc to increase their knowledge which will in turn increase their academic performance.

This way, we will reduce if not eradicate criminal urge cum tendencies.

• Uwalaka Temple Daejeon, South Korea.

pocket, because the money is always in the hand)?

Evidently, given our peculiar circumstances as a people, the next thing that those drivers will simply do will be to raise the fare to the nearest note currency i.e. N50.

Is that not inflation? Does that have to be written in any textbook? One wonders while it’s only the CBN policy-makers who do not seem to see this picture. For those in the CBN to so persist in the N5,000 note struggle as they’ve been doing as if it’s a personal ambition they must achieve, are they not suggesting by their body language that there is more to this than just a periodic review of the currency structure?

Who says the currency re-structuring cannot take place without the introduction of the N5, 000 note and the coins? Must the CBN force coins down the throat of Nigerians when the necessary and supporting infrastructure such as vending machines, e.t.c is totally unavailable?

The most disgusting part of the entire N5, 000 note propaganda by the CBN, is the total lack of regard for the people, the same people who the policy would affect. For the CBN to tell Nigerians that presidential approval for the project has been secured since November last year, speaks volume of the calibre of men who wield power in Nigeria, and for the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman to come on air and tell Nigerians that the announcement of the new currency note was just to brief the people, simply leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

• Olusola Adegbite, Esq. Town Planning Way, Ile-Ife,

Oyo Public Service needs round pegs in round holes

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IR: We salute the courage of His Excellency, Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi in his unwavering commitment to the execution of his three-prong agenda of Repositioning, Restoring and Transforming of the lost glory of the Pace-Setter state, most importantly, the public service in recent times.

If Oyo State is to behave true to type, as her name, Pace-Setter typify, it must ensure professionalism in the public service. We should take professional approach in our dealings. A profes-

sional man will ensure values/ethics; standard (best practices) and discipline in all his dealings. One of the natures of Public Service is that we are producing service nobody can measure, quantify and put price, yet our accountability is universal. Public Service has to be a place of best practices. The case of class struggle that now rears its ugly head in the Public Service is uncalled for.

To cite one example, the finance and supplies departments of government agencies particularly in the 33 Local

Government of Oyo State headed by non-professionals in spite of avalanche of Associate Chartered Accountants (ACAs) in the service of the local governments who are professionally and technically competent to direct the affairs is a case in point.

If the state is serious about its threeprong agenda, she should be courageous enough at beaming its search light on the leadership of finance department of the local governments by ensuring that round pegs are put in round holes if the state is desirous of

conforming with international best practices as far as accounting profession is concerned. The present scenario where Finance and Supply departments of the Local Governments are headed by all manners of mediocres in place of ACA, ACCA is grossly unprofessional. Other states in the Southwest have gotten this off their back.

Let the Pace-Setter state, set the pace and hold the ace!

• Olorungbagbe Joseph, Onipanu, Lagos.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

COMMENTS

No to N5,000; N65b Benin-Sagamu Rd in 6 months Pls; NGOs; MMA Arrivals a disgrace; Zamfara lead poisoning

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IGERIA is a strange place politically and economically. Prices go up not by one or five percent but by 20 or 50 or 100%. No matter the Tony politics of faces and Marinho names on the proposed new currency note, the economics of the proposed introduction of the N5,000 note is wrong. Who will benefit from this contract? Why does CBN not suggest a N2,000 note! We go to 500% increase. Is it to devalue the naira to toilet roll? With all the real money flying around in Nigeria, there is no requirement to devalue the naira. In fact it should appreciate.

Now N1,000 is $6 or £4 when it should be $60-600 or £40-400.

FEC approves N65,223,000,000 or N65b for the 300km or so Benin-Sagamu Expressway for a contract to last a very long 36 months. Far too much and far too long a time frame. Why cannot anyone agree to do some important things urgently for long suffering Nigerians who were not responsible for that destruction of the road? Does no one love Nigerians enough to give them a completed Benin- Sagamu Expressway in six months? This can easily be done by employing 20 more gangs of engineers and men each taking short five kilometre segments of the road in a blitzkrieg of massive work. This is also employment generation. Nigerians deserve better. When will the Nigerian leadership realise that the only urgent matters are not political matters but people matters. The Benin-Sagamu former Expressway is a Matter of Urgent National Importance-MUNU and should be treated as such. In the Nigerian upper political class can we ever find the politicians who will accelerate this process if the Federal Executive Council filled with ministers supposedly in a hurry to make a name does not care sufficiently to accelerate simple contracts? A time frame of 36 months is three years and maybe 500 needless deaths away. We are told that 5,000 sq metres of potholes have been filled by FERMA. Hurray but what about all the other potholes nationwide? Speed up pothole filling throughout Nigeria.

The suggestion that ‘NGOs are conduits for money laun-

dering’ announced by EFCC is worrisome for the majority of NGOs who are merely trying to do good and fill in the government gaps in social delivery and also make ends meet by paying their staff and also office services. People often view NGOs as those who milk them for the personal greed of the NGO leadership. The first lady NGOs have not helped this image. The public must distinguish between the NGOs identified as bad by the EFCC and the rest or else many beneficiaries will suffer.

We are told that government seeks to spend N109b on nine airports. The Lagos Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA) still has major construction and passenger comfort problems? The airport officials and politicians always use ‘VIP’ entrances and exits and therefore are unaware of these problems. A caring government and airport authority should please first widen the arrival hall area and the stairs where Nigerians and foreigners are forced into a tiny ‘arrival hall’ space to be inspected by customs and immigration. The MMA is a laughing stock. Passengers deserve better and more space and have been waiting for this expansion. Have you tried parking in the disaster area and pothole filled ‘temporary car park’ where the airport authority has the effrontery to abuse the nation and charge a fee for use of a mass of potholes as a parking lot?

It has been disgraceful since the day it was opened while the engineering works took place on the original site to make a hotel. The hotel, with its foundations already in place, remains unfinished with government refusing further building for imaginary safety reasons. Do those putting the hotel on hold visit airports around the world where hotels inside airports are essential for tourism and business growth? Have you ever seen the mayhem in the arrival hall at the luggage collection area, with everyone crowding around the luggage delivery area instead of standing back so all can see their luggage coming? Do not mention the poor power supply which denies the air-conditioner of power and plunges 300 arriving passengers into torture from heat.

In short someone should be doing ‘Time and Motion’ studies during passenger arrival especially when two loads of passengers arrive at the same time.

NNPC has announced the long overdue and happily

awaited discovery of crude oil in the Lake Chad area. Hurray for all Nigerians. There are three ways this could have happened. Nigeria may have been geographically tilted to allow oil to flow from South to North, someone may have buried a petrol tanker full of crude for ‘discovery’ or there may actually be oil in the Lake Chad area. Most Nigerians have prayed for this moment for 30 years. Congratulations Nigeria. Hurray! You are truly blessed by God but cursed by man. As the story unfolds and more and more oil is discovered, will Nigeria remain one?

Zamfara state is in the news again for the wrong reasons.

Gold mining and lead poisoning released from the stones crushed and also used for their housing which has killed 400 children with 2,500 under treatment. Dr Ivan Gayton and others have worked with these children but was all this necessary? Why were they not protected from childhood? The Boko Haram instability will provide the excuse for the return of polio which was almost eliminated.

‘Zamfara state is in the news again for the wrong reasons. Gold mining and lead poisoning released from the stones crushed and also used for their housing which has killed 400 children with 2,500 under treatment. Dr Ivan Gayton and others have worked with these children but was all this necessary? Why were they not protected from childhood? The Boko Haram instability will provide the excuse for the return of polio which was almost eliminated’

Dana Air and its victims

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O doubt, emotions are running high to effervescent level over the recent decision by the Ministry of Aviation to lift the suspension imposed on Dana Air. The airline was suspended in the aftermath of the crash involving its aircraft at Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb, on Sunday, June 3.

Since the crash that claimed about 163 lives, the aviation industry has not been the same again. Quite a lot has happened ever since as passengers on domestic flights have been finding it hectic travelling with the few operating airlines. By the last count, only three airlines—Arik, Aero, IRS—were operating. It is obvious that they have been trying their best to cope with the volume of passengers but their efforts have not satisfied demand. Departure times are in several instances, not kept while there have been frequent cancellations of flights. All these point to the fact that the existing airlines have been spread thin to the limit of their elasticity.

So, ordinarily, it is a great relief that Dana Air is coming back once again. But the wounds are still fresh.

Very fresh. Some people might want to say that the timing of their re-entry is bad enough. Not exactly so. For those who lost loved ones, there is no better time even if the suspension is lifted in another five or 10 years’ time. The memory of the dead will continue to be everlastingly fresh.

My major concern here is the disdain with which the airline has been treating the victims’ families and other victims whose property and

means of livelihood were destroyed in the crash. So much has been written about the plight of the bereaved families, some of who are even yet to take possession of the corpse of their relatives for a befitting burial.

We are told that some of them have received $30,000 each as compensation, awaiting the balance of $70,000 each as stipulated by International Law. Last Friday, one of the victims, Daniel Omowunmi, the owner of the storey building, the warehouse and the factory destroyed by the illfated aircraft, granted an interview in one of the national dailies. Going through the interview, one could see ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ in its raw form. Unfortunately, but quite expectedly, some Nigerians, including lawyers and one or two Lagos State government officials, were fingered as collaborators. If three months after the crash, the owner of the building on which the aircraft landed before bursting into flames had not received a kobo as compensation, one wonders what type of a country is ours.

According to Omowunmi, who said he had written the management of Dana Air, claiming about N500 million as damages for the destruction of his property and business, what the airline offered him was a miserable and ridiculous N500,000.

The N500,000, he said, was referred to as “a temporary settlement”.

What is more, the airline’s management brought some forms that suggested that anybody that took the money actually applied for it. The letter, he said, was such that it was

“If Nigerians are up in arms against Dana Air today, it is because of the notoriety Indians have acquired by their predilection for cutting corners and not playing by the rules”

addressed to Dana, looking as if it was Omowunmi who originated the form or letter to Dana’s management. Not only this. Dana’s management has not had the courtesy of acknowledging Omowunmi’s letter of claims in writing. All he has got was a casual, verbal acknowledgement.

In a country that has a functional government, Omowunmi’s case and that of other bereaved families of the victims of the Dana Air crash should have been speedily pursued.

I am not a lawyer, but even if Omowunmi’s house or property had been destroyed, say by earthquake, which is a natural disaster, it is incumbent on the government to provide respite. But this is not a natural disaster. An aircraft lost its twin engines and instead of landing at an airport designated for such, it landed on somebody’s house and destroyed his livelihood in the process.

If Nigerians are up in arms against Dana Air today, it is because of the notoriety Indians have acquired by their predilection for cutting corners and not playing by the rules. I am sure if we have to visit all the bereaved families and listen to their stories, they all have sad tales to recollect about their encounter with Dana Air officials. This is why I believe that it is the responsibility of the government whether Lagos State government or the Aviation Ministry to ensure that the right thing is done for the families of the victims of the crash. Precious lives have been lost and there can never be any replacement or compensation that will be adequate. But then, both Dana Air and the government can minimise the agony of the bereaved through prompt and adequate payment of compensation.

The recourse to paying any ridiculous amount, as is being alleged, smacks of indifference and outright

wickedness on the part of the airline. It stands condemnable by all right-thinking human beings.

I am not against Dana Air reentering Nigeria’s airspace but the right thing must be done. Otherwise, no amount of public relations or propaganda will douse the tense situation now prevalent among the bereaved families.

And the government officials and other Nigerians who are colluding with these Indians to short-change their fellowmen must all bear in mind that the incident could have claimed the life of anybody. That we are still living today is by the grace of Almighty God. Nobody knows tomorrow. I can give countless examples of people who inflicted unimaginable pains on people and ended up miserably and tragically themselves. That is where the law of karma or retribution comes in. Whatever you do in life, good or bad, there is a reward for it.

The only thing is that when the time to reap the reward comes, no one would remember what had happened in the past.

Surely, we need Dana to resume its services, although, as for me, I am still skeptical about its safety records. There is need for more players in the airline Industry, especially now that two others—Air Nigeria and Nation Airlines - have suddenly gone asleep. In the case of Nation, we were told that the aircraft in its fleet had gone for routine maintenance ostensibly to stave off any danger in the nearest future. As for Air Nigeria, the airline had been “wobbling and fumbling”, to use Coach Fanny Amu’s words, for quite some time until its management decided to do the needful - take a break and reorganise.

While Nation airline had only operated for a couple of months before it disappeared from the skies, the case of Air Nigeria is quite pa-

Dele Agekameh thetic. The airline had been around for some time. When it operated as Virgin Nigeria under the aviation wizard, Richard Branson, it was the toast of many a traveller both within and outside the country. Then came the bang: for one reason or another, Branson decided to pull out his investment. The airline was later renamed Air Nigeria. Since then, things have somehow gone awry.

Many stories about the airline have been bandied but most of them border on uncouth management practices. A situation where the airline takes money in cash in ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags to purchase aviation fuel and all that cannot be said to be smooth administration after all.

Now that the airline has been wheeled to the hanger for what its management termed “Corporate Surgical Operation”, Nigerians are waiting to see whether a truly improved airline will emerge at the end of the exercise.

Until then, all hands must be on deck to ensure safety in the skies.

We cannot afford another disaster after all we have experienced in this country. Not anymore. Our philosophy, for now and forever, should be: “No more air disasters”.

Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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COMMENTS ‘CBN is only doing what it is supposed to do financially and economically. If those in the agriculture sector, manufacturing, mining, power are lagging in growth to earn Nigeria the required FOREX, blame not Sanusi, he has done and is doing enough to sanitise the banking industry today, and if not for his stabilising the naira as he has done,the exchange rate today would not be less than N250 to one US dollar. He called the bluff of the IMF in January. Why is it only Nigerians that refuse coins? From Lanre Oseni’

•Patience Jonathan

For Olatunji Dare If Obama is now finding it tough going for the second term, it is simply because the Grace of God that threw him up to the presidency must have been withdrawn from him. God typically stepped against racial prejudice to have him elected the first African-American president to prove that with Him there should be no segregation. But it does appear Obama seems not to reckon with such divine favour when he thoughtlessly approved gay marriage in America under his watch - a big slap on the face of God. He may not have performed excellently in office, but that is not the issue. With the grace withdrawn even those things he did that usually attracted loud ovation are bound to earn him scathing comments and snobbery from the people. Hence, his bid for a second tenure has become slippery. Of course, it is our prayer that the God of mercy shall see him through. From Emmanuel Egwu, Enugu.

I read your article on the US presidential election. Please, give me the full meaning of the abbreviation GOP. I have encountered it several times, recently. If Obama fails to make it the second time, he is the architect of his misfortune. I always love reading your articles and views on contemporary issues. Anonymous Sir, If such thoroughly unbiased notes had been taken on Nigeria’s political system, an opportunist somewhere would have condemned the writer as being too venomous to be constructive. Mercifully, truth is sacrosanct. Citizens of any country can only live freely and happily when those trusted with political power use it for the common good. From Adegoke O. O. Ikhin, Edo State Please, what is the meaning of GOP convention? Anonymous Point of correction, it was Bill Clinton v George Bush ( senior) not Bob Dole in 1996.

Anonymous Re: Notes on the US Presidential Race.

Notwithstanding the ‘pellets and bombs’ being thown at each other’s camp, campaign for the presidential election in US could be interesting and is still interesting till date, with justification on points and issues raised regarding tax, healthcare, and others unlike in Nigeria.

One hopes that, we will learn at a faster rate in Nigeria. From Lanre Oseni.

Your piece on the US presidential race is apt and revealing. The salient point is that this year’s election is not being fought along party lines, it is the most racial and nepotic, an opinion poll had 45 percent of the people thinking Obama is a Muslim.

What was the basis for conducting the poll? If all African-Americans, Hispanics, Asia-Americans and other minority races would rally round Obama, the GOP facists will be shamed. From Kayode Ojinnaka, Owerri It is only in Africa that incumbents see second term as a piece of cake. Obama has failed Americans who expected so much from him but got disappiontment; he even refused to visit Nigeria, the giant of Af-

rica. From Eguono, Port Harcourt Bill Clinton v George Bush (senior) 1992, Bill Clinton v Bob Dole 1996, Americans elect the most powerful man in the world so, people like to know the next world leader. Anonymous I read your column article “Notes on the U.S. presdential race”. I am not only shocked but speechless. What has come over America? The giant of democracy. Finally, you have left us to assess, analyse and appraise what the outcome of the US election will be. Anonymous I really appreciate your indepth knowledge of the intrigues of American politics.You are, indeed, not only a well informed, knowledgeable and highly enlightened columnist, but a journalist of international repute. I am highly impressed, sir! Accept my best wishes and regards to the family, sir! From P. Akila Kasham, Plateau State.

For Gbenga Omotoso How are we sure she did not go there after Stella Obasanjo? Let us pray she comes back. Anonymous Please, the First Lady is not missing. She is with me at Yenagoa resting. From Uncle Bruce Bino.

Like the case of Prince Phillip, it is not a big deal if the Presidency clears the mystery on the whereabouts of our number one mother. From Ikedi, Umuahia What is so special about the First lady, or did you vote for the office of the First Lady? Anonymous Prince Phillip not his son, Andrew, was hospitalised. From Yusuf G. Mshelizza, Kaduna I do not know the First Lady. I am just concerned about the mockery you have subjected her to. Freedom of expression does not mean freedom to disrespect and to put to public ridicule. To have a space to publish is not an opportunity to be reckless. From Clement Since I have been going through your columns, this is the one I enjoyed reading.

Truly, the question on the lips of everyone is: where is our First Lady? From Alex Orbuter, Makurdi I read your piece and was left with the opinion that it was trite from the headline to the intro to the main body and to the conclusion! It was rather too cheap and full of sarcacism. Please, leave such nonserious issue to less- endowed journalists.

Thank you! Anonymous Must we print our currencies in a foreign country? What is the reason behind setting up the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Corporation in the 60s?

Granted that the machines should have become obsolete by now, can the cost of procuring new ones be as high as N30 billion? If it is, once we buy it, will it not become our property for a long time? But then there will not be any avenue for the boys to maintain foreign accounts. Or will there be? From Adegoke Adeyemo, Lagos.

Gbenga, you hit those deserving to be hit with stone covered with cotton wool. I always enjoy your column. Of recent, some of my friends who used to buy your newspaper have stopped because of the unnecessary Mimiko bashing. As the editor of the paper, do not allow it to be turned to the defunct “New Nigeria”. Try and moderate the political columnists. From Yinka Niyi, Epe Lagos Re: Where is the First Lady? You did not

empathise or sympathise with the First Lady’s health challenge. On a very serious note, transparency is to declare the true position of those who govern us directly or remotedly. First Lady will sooner than later appear to us in a bigger way.

One thing is clear, she is ok. There is no cause for any row over N5000 note and coins. If N5000 and coins are too much for me, I will go to my level -N200s and N100s.

Our problem is not Sanusi and notes but low production. From Lanre Oseni.

Re: Where is the First Lady. It is really a shame on our leaders that our health system is so dismal that the First Lady had to be flown abroad as alleged for treatment for food poisoning. This was possible because her husband is in power as Mr President. What of the masses who bear the brunt of the dearth of health infrastructure in this country? Where will they go to if they too come down with food poisoning? To hospitals starved of government funding and patronage? This country needs a rebirth. From Olumide Soyemi, Bariga.

Thanks for the hilarious piece on your Thursday back page. Indeed, serious stories can be told with rib-cracking humour as you have always shown. Bravo! From Bassy esq.

For Tunji Adegboyega Re: “N5000 note? Perish the thought!’

The thought should not be perished because all opponents of N5000 note and coins have not been given econo-financial reasons for their rejection. Rather, it has been the usual radical and rejection based on sentiment. Tunji, inflation and value of money are determined by level of productivity of citizens, level of production in agriculture, industries, mining and quantity of exports as well as FOREX earned.

Brother, N20,000 note has no negative impact on our economy. Compare the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s value and exports to post-’85s. From Lanre.

Don’t you think this N5000 note is one of the preconditions set by the West for Mr President for 2015? Think of same sex marriage. From Mazijos.

Tunji, your thoughts on N5000 note are nothing buthard facts. You should write another article on the planned coinage of 5, 10 and 20 naira denominations. Anonymous.

What is all this weeping and gnashing of teeth over a high denomination of the naira. When Ghana released its currency on July 1, 2007, the 50 cedis note had a value of 53.76 USD. How much is N5,000?The UK has a 50 pound note (N12,000). The USD note is about N16,000.

The 10,000 fcfa in poor Cotonou next door is N3,000. When shall we grow up? Anonymous.

Tunji, your comments and analysis have spoken for the masses of this country. The CBN wants the poor people to be poorer and the rich, richer. If not so, let Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi tell the people the true picture of the N5000 in his mind. More of your incisive comments. From Akinleye, H.O. Tunji, your article on N5000 naira note was well researched and intellectually convincing. Honestly, Sanusi started well but is now derailing. I think Soludo was better. How would the President approve of it without wide consultation? Sanusi took advantage of Jonathan’s naivety or,

• Obama else, how could Jonathan have approved it without consulting our economists and highly reputable bankers? A layman will know that it will not do us any good. Sanusi is only out to prove that it was his time as CBN governor that this higher denomination was introduced. This is a PDP agenda of bribing the electorate come 2015. Anonymous If today we mint N100 into coins, it would simply lose its value; that is the point. Let Sanusi and his CBN print even N10,000 note, it makes no difference to corruption, but the real problem is if N5, N10 and N20 notes are minted into coins. Welcome inflation! You and I know that within six months, they are no longer legal tender and that is the real devaluation. Our protest is currently misplaced. We should be against the coinage of those denominations. From Cliff.

CBN is only doing what it is supposed to do financially and economically. If those in the agriculture sector, manufacturing, mining, power are lagging in growth to earn Nigeria the required FOREX, blame not Sanusi, he has done and is doing enough to sanitise the banking industry today, and if not for his stabilising the naira as he has done,the exchange rate today would not be less than N250 to one US dollar. He called the bluff of the IMF in January. Why is it only Nigerians that refuse coins? From Lanre Oseni.

I completely agree with you that people seem unsatisfied at whatever moves by President Jonathan makes; nevertheless, going by his present works I believe he would emerge the best president of this soil ever in the end. I never cease praying for him to hit the expectation of the people.

Anonymous Is it not strange that amongst the so-called NEMT members who supported the introduction of the N5000 naira note are those enmeshed in the oil subsidy scam? Make no mistake about this … From Akindele Kayode.

It looks like the CBN is set to go ahead with it. Why do we not pressure Mr Sanusi and CBN to re-denominate the naira? Pray, what is this our hatred for coins, a media creation? Imagine if the present N100 were to be just N1.00 and you needed only N1.60 for one dollar. Imagine petrol going for just N0.97. Yes, we would gladly use coins. But we love illusion. Big figures excite us. Billionaires! Vanity. God bless. From Harry Dee. I am very surprised despite your being informed that you could not see that what the implementation of N5000 note is telling you is that the naira is over-valued and has to devalue. Like it or not, print N5000 or not, the currency will always find its true level. For as long as we have chosen the path of corruption in this country we shall continue to experience inflation manifesting in high denomination currency. That is the fact. Remember the cedi at the height of Ghanaians bad economy. Watch out, N10,000 note is coming and we shall see worthless minimum wage of N50,000 per month. Be prepared to buy bread for N1000 …. These are all rewards of corruption.

Anonymous

IKE SHORUNMU TO CRITICS

Keshi promises Leave Enyeama alone new-look Eagles •Says goalkeeper remains Eagles no. 1

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Sport Wednesday, September 12, 2012

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LONDON 2012 PARALYMPICS GAMES

Team Nigeria

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arrives to a warm reception •To get cash prizes at Presidential hosting Kaita heads to Olympiakos Nicosia

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NATION SPORT

Playing for Eagles excites Moses

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UPER EAGLES’ playmaker Victor Moses has revealed to the Nationsports that donning the green white colours of the Nigerian national football team remains the greatest thing that happened to his career.

According to the player who shone like a million stars in the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers in Monrovia, said though it took time for him to make his debut for the country, but he is not regretting his

•Moses

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IKE SHORUNMU TO CRITICS

decision “ I am very proud of my country, and I need to be proud wearing the green white green colours of Nigeria, that is one of the greatest things that would happened to me. Though I took me time to change allegiance because I had played for England at the junior level, but when the change of allegiance finally came, I did not hesitate to make up my mind, and I am not regretting it’.

The Kaduna state-born forward also said that he feels great wearing the colours of Chelsea in the English League “ I also feel great been in colours of Chelsea, I am proud of that. That is one of the great places to be. I look forward to be a great player in Chelsea, and considering what the team has done in the past five years, I think I should be part of that greatness.

Definitely we have quality players that can win the premiership this season, and retain the Champions cup.

I looking forward for my debut in Chelsea, and I would continue to improve from there, because the more matches you play, the better for you” he concluded.

added,"We all know that the Eagles form at home is very good and I am confident that we will beat them next month in the return leg."

Yobo, who was substituted in Saturday’s game by Efe Ambrose, also featured for the Eagles when they last lost to the Lone Star 2-1 in Monrovia in 2001.

The Eagles then avenged that shock loss with a 2-0 win in Port Harcourt to get their qualification campaign for the 2002 World Cup back on track.

•Yobo

•Says goalkeeper remains Eagles no. 1 T HERE is no cause for alarm over the choice of Vincent Enyeama as Eagles first choice in goal as goalkeeper trainer and Eagles’ Assistant coach, Ike Shorunmu threw his weight behind the embattled Israel star. There had been hues and cries as regards the performance of the Lille of France star on loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel was in the news for negative reasons having been blamed for the equaliser in Liberia versus Eagles Africa Nations Cup qualifier decided in Monrovia on Saturday.

But Shorunmu was resolute in his defence of his goalkeeper asking critics to leave him alone and not undue pressure on him, while also confirming him as the team’s numero uno (number one). “I don’t want to condemn any player in this kind of situation because if we win, we win together and when we draw, we draw together and if we lose, God forbid we lose together. That is how it should be and that is why we call it a team.

“We are building a team that everybody has to make his input. When you are building a team you don’t have to condemn anybody.

The same Enyeama everybody has been praising everywhere and everytime can’t just be condemned like that. Maybe he is going through some pressure and we have to give him our support. “We still believe in him and what happened in the match against Liberia in Monrovia can happen to any player so we took it as a team.

I believe he will bounce back” the former Shooting Stars Football Club goalkeeper told NationSport yesterday.

Shorunmu said that getting a 2-2 score draw should be commended if the situation the team

…Says blame team not Enyeama …Set for early release of team list UPER EAGLES’ handler, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, has said he was not too happy with news making the rounds that he quarreled with his first choice goalie, Vincent Enyeama, during the 2-2 draw recorded last weekend in Monrovia.

“Haba, there was nothing like that and if there is anybody to be blamed, it’s the team, not an individual: Keshi declared.

Speaking from Abuja, where he is at the moment, Keshi declared that the issue regarding national team performance cannot and must not

•Keshi

E

AGLES’ STAR Sani Kaita has informed MTNFootball.com he has joined Cypriot club Olympiakos from Tavriya of Ukraine on a year’s deal. “I have cancelled my contract with Tavriya because I wish to begin playing as soon as possible after my injury layoff,” Kaita told MTNFootball.com “I have completed all the formalities with Olympiakos and will leave Ukraine on Saturday to join my new club.”

Striker Chidi Onyemah is the other Nigerian at the top Cypriot club.

Major managerial changes at Tavriya meant Kaita would have to wait a little longer before he could begin playing regular first-team football. Kaita also saluted his former club Kano Pillars for winning the Nigeria premier League for the second time in four years.

“I congratulate Pillars for winning their second league championship,” he said. “In my time at the club we did not win anything, but I’m really delighted that at least we set the foundation on which the club have since won two league titles.”

Leave Enyeama alone

Keshi promises new-look Eagles

S

Kaita heads to Olympiakos Nicosia

From Patrick Ngwaogu

Yobo shocked by fans’ backlash AGLES’ SKIPPER Joseph Yobo has said he was shocked by fans disappointment after Nigeria were forced to a 2-2 draw by Liberia at the weekend. The Eagles came from a goal down and were running away with 2-1 victory before the home team fought back to force a 2-2 draw in a game most Nigerian fans expected the Eagles to win.

However, the country’s most capped international with 90 appearances Yobo has insisted the draw in Monrovia was a good result for the team. He told MTNFootball.com:"Unlike before when our last (2012) Nations Cup qualifying game (against Guinea at home) was a must-win with us needing to score a certain number of goals, this is not the case.

"In the UEFA Champions League, teams work hard to get at least one away goal knowing that a single goal at home will earn you the victory to reach the next round. “In our case, we have two away goals, so the return leg is not a must-win but a must-draw."

The former Everton defender

NATION SPORT

I

be placed at the doorstep of a single individual like Enyeama, even as he assured that he will produce a new national team hat Nigerians at all levels will be proud of.

“We will score goals, but I understand the apprehension of Nigerians, and what I have always asked for is patience, I need lots of it to succeed”.

The former national team skipper of the famed Tunisia 1994 squad was speaking against the backdrop of news making the rounds that he has chosen to blame individuals rather than the team for the failure to win in Monrovia. “I never at any moment said that Enyeama, who remains our first choice keeper caused us the draw in Liberia and in fact I think that he is one of the best in the world but at times like this, passion rules over reason, but we must not bring individual players into our poor performance, it’s a collective failure to win”, Ben Alaiya, Super Eagles Media Officer, quoted Keshi as saying.

He also assured hat he was at the point of releasing the team list that will help Super Eagles’ players fight well against Liberia in Calabar early enough so that those who might not be ready for the October 13 game will let him know on time, insisting that there will be no compromise about arrival in camp.

“The list of invited players will be made public early enough and we are sure that we will not only win but win well and plead with Nigerians including enemies of the team for support”.

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

faced in Monrovia is to be put into consideration.

He also believed that the Eagles can turn the game around in the return leg in Nigeria. “We need to thank God for everything. Playing a draw away from home is never easy. There is no pushover country anymore in football. You can see Almighty Cameroon losing 2-0 away to Cape Verde to tell you that there is no minnow any more in football. Thank God we didn’t have this kind of disaster in Monrovia on Saturday.

“In the match we had a lot of chances while Liberia too had their own fair share of chances in the game but that is how it has to end. It is a lesson to us and eye-opener too that we will take to the next game. There are mistakes we made in the match, I know that there is room for corrections and we are going to do just that.

We are eyeing victory in this match at least to put smiles on the faces of soccerloving Nigerians and we will achieve this in the return leg here in Nigeria by the special grace of God. “The Liberian team played well because of the support they got from their vociferous fans and I am confident that our team will enjoy such support or even better here in Nigeria. This kind of support will surely fire us up to deliver and win the return leg Insa Allah (by God’s grace)”, the former Eagles’ safe hands assured.

•Keita

Nkwocha confirms retirement date •Says November 17 is D Day From Tunde Liadi,Owerri

LONDON 2012 PARALYMPICS GAMES

Team Nigeria arrives to a warm reception •To get cash prizes at Presidential hosting

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EAM Nigeria arrived the country on Tuesday afternoon after a successful outing at the London 2012 Paralympics Games which was concluded on Sunday. The team was received by a top official of the National Sports Commission(NSC), Tayo Orewheme and their well wishers at the Muritala Mohammed Airport Lagos.

The Paralympians were later treated to a lunch at Ojez Resturant, Lagos. The Nationsports gathered that the team would be hosted to a lavish reception at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja by President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday.

The Nigerian special sports athletes won a total of 13 medals; six gold, five silver and two bronze

L

EADING telecommunication company, Globacom has demonstrated its commitment to sports development in West Africa as it unveils the Glo Soccer Academy; a TV Reality show tagged The Dream Team in Lagos on Tuesday.

Speaking during a press conference held to formally launch the project, Globacom's Director of Events and Sponsorships, Bode Opeseitan said the Glo Soccer Academy was conceived to discover and train talented young footballers in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic.

He said the company is "proud to float the Glo Soccer Academy which is expected to discover young talent, teach and groom them to become world-class footballers who can compete with their contemporaries anywhere in the world and shine like trillion stars”.

By Stella Bamawo medals, a performance far better than that of the able-bodied athletes, who failed to win a single medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

It was gathered that the National Sports Commission, NSC has decided to reward all the medalists with cash rewards based on the medals won.

According to Team Nigeria’s Chef De Mission to London 2012 Paralympics, Dr Simon Ebhojiaye, the National Sports Commission, NSC has

directed that each gold medalist gets a cash reward of 7,500 dollars, while silver medalist gets 5,000 dollars and the bronze medalists also collect 2,500 dollars.

The gold medalists at the reception included Esther Onyema, Ivory Nwokorie, Loveline Obiji, Grace Anozie, Joy Onaolapo and Yakubu Adesokan. The silver medalists were Ifeanyi Nnajiofor, Lucy Ejike, Anthony Ulonna, Obichukwu Ikechukwu and Folashade Oluwafemi Ayo. In a related development, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Dalhatu

Tafida (CFR), hosted Nigeria’s Paralympic team to a civic reception, at the Abuja House, 2-3 Campden Hill, W8 7 AD, London. Tafida commended the team for their performance.

Dr Tafida later presented a gift to Team Nigeria in appreciation of their heroic performance at London 2012 Paralympics.

According to him "This reception is a testimony to the importance we attached to the Paralympians in promoting the image of Nigeria, and I am also delighted that we won 12 medals at the Games and more importantly, our athletes against all odds also set new world records,"Yakubu Adesokan even lifted almost four times his own weight, it was highly commendable," Tafida said.

Team Nigeria finished on the 22nd position in the world, and placed third in Africa’s medals chart. Tunisia was the first African team with nine gold, five silver and five bronze medals. Followed

by South Africa.

Glo launches Soccer Academy

Obi on the mend

J

OEL OBI is on the mend from injury and could be back for Inter this weekend in their match against Torino.

The Nigerian sat out the majority of preseason for the Nerazzurro, in order to recovery from a troubling muscle injury, and it finally seems he is on his way back after he completed a full training session with his teammates.

Along with Obi, Dejan Stankovic and Ricky Alvarez returned to normal training, while Chivu still took part in a specialised individual training.

The injury has kept the midfielder out since last season’s campaign in March, with his recovery time estimated for the end of September.

The Nerazzurri will take to the field on Sunday evening at the Stadio Olimpico, with Obi, Stankovic and Alvarez all expected to be included in the squad. Chivu; however, will have to watch from the stands until he recovers properly.

….. Restates commitment to sports development

He said the Academy aims at providing a once-ina lifetime opportunity for young talented footballers to kick-start their career in professional football, adding that the Academy is designed to scout through key locations in West Africa in order to screen thousands of promising youngsters out of which 33 talented finalists will be camped in a soccer academy in Lagos and trained by celebrity coaches from West Africa and Manchester United for five weeks. From this lot, 16 participants will emerge as the best of the pack with mouth-watering pecks including cash prizes, scholarships and a training

tour of the Manchester United Soccer Schools in the UK. “Our Sponsorship of the Academy is in line with Globacom’s commitment to constantly develop and promote the game of football in Africa as a socially responsible indigenous company,’’ said the Glo representative.

He called on Youth in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin to make utmost use of the opportunity provided by the Academy as a first step towards realizing their potentials, adding that Globacom is “confident that the Academy will motivate young players, coaches

and administrators to work harder, thereby leading to further development of the game.

He said the Glo Soccer Academy will be "the turning point in the lives of hidden talents in our localities across West Africa."

One of the final 16 players at the Academy will win the ultimate prize of N5 Million for emerging as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition with a Gbam Scholarship worth N750,000 while the rest will win N1 Million plus, G BAM Scholarships worth N750, 000 each.

•Joel Obi

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EIGNING CAF Women's Africa Footballer of the Year, Perpetua Ijeoma Nkwocha has set her retirement date from football for November 17.

Nkwocha who plays for Sunnana SC of Sweden, says her retirement from the round-leather game that gave her fame and honour, will allow her to concentrate on spotting budding footballers and watching them grow to stardom just like her.

"Yes it is true. I am retiring from football on November 17 and it would be a special day for me in my life. I have given football all that I have and it is time to say goodbye when the ovation is the loudest," Nkwocha said.

The four-time Africa Queen was born on 3rd January 1976.

Nkwocha was voted African Women Footballer of the Year in 2004, 2005,2010 and 2011 by CAF. With the Nigeria national team, she has participated in five CAF Women's Championship (2002, 2004, 2006,2008 and 2010), winning four and getting a bronze medal. At the 2004 Women's African Football Championship, she scored four goals in the final against Cameroon to help her country win the title. She also set a record by scoring nine overall goals during the tournament, and was named the best player of the tournament.

Nkwocha has also participated in the 2003, 2007 and 2010 FIFA Women's World Cups and the Olympic tournaments of 2000, 2004, and 2008.

She will after her retirement continue to be involved as a coach.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Life

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Text only: 08023058761

Behold, Oba Ovonramwen’s photographer The late British trained Jonathan Adagogo Green recorded Oba Ovonramwen’s journey to exile in Calabar during the 1897 British expedition •STORY ON PAGE 26

•Oba Ovonramwen

•Green

Soyinka decries threat to book culture

‘The essence of the book is to show the origin of all laws’

•Page 27

•Page 38

Who owns Osogbo Black Culture Centre?

•Page 39

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He witnessed everything first hand. As official photogarapher of the British Colonial Administration, he was there when they came for Oba Ovonramwen of the old Benin Empire. The Bonny-born artist/photographer, the late Jonathan Adagogo Green, recorded the 1897 British expedition for posterity. He captured the monarch’s journey to exile in Calabar, now Cross River State capital. His life and works were discussed at a lecture at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

Behold, Oba Ovonramwen’s photographer themselves in casual, and occasionally reclining, poses typical of Edwardian portraiture, often resulting in an overall asymmetrical composition. Aronson said: “By contrast, the Ijaw prefer to assume frontal poses, with hands and feet fully visible and with emphasis on symmetry and balance.

This conforms to the aesthetic preferences of other African sitters along the western and central African coast, which dominated photography from the late 19th Century well into the 1970s. Moreover, these portraits conveyed a rich sense of design derived from the elaborately patterned gowns, which Green consciously coordinated with the architectural details in the backgrounds of his photographs.

Her position, elicited reactions from some members of the audience who claimed that the symmetrical arrangement of Africans in Green’s photographs was a function of the colonial administrators’ oppression of Blacks.

Aronson said the imported, obelisk-style tombstone that marks Green’s grave in Bonny, identifies him as a professional artist-photographer. Green’s only known selfportrait, he said, showed him at 21 dressed in a respectable Western-style suit, vest, and necktie with a boutonniere in his lapel. Green attended the Church Missionary Society (CMS) High School in Bonny and it may have been SierraLeonians affiliated with the CMS who taught him photography.

His legacy

•Oba Ovonramwen surrounded by his guards

A

BLACK and white photograph of the late Oba Ovonramwen shows the traditional ruler sitting on a wicker chair with three African troops standing at attention in military uniform. The Oba wears an elaborate and voluminous velvet gown covering his whole body, barely revealing his chained ankles. Also, a photograph, which is a single portrait of oba, shows him sitting on a wicker chair.

Another photograph shows oba with Captain Herbert, the child, an African soldier, and several other African attendants.

All these form the collections of one of Nigeria’s foremost professional photographers, Jonathan Adagogo Green. He took these pictures aboard the SS Ivy, the ship conveying the monarch as it was anchored off the Bonny River on its way to Calabar. Nearly every album or collection of photographs from Nigeria dating to this period includes at least one of Green’s portraits of the late Oba of Benin.

Seventy-six years after his death, a new research on Green’s life and works entitled: The two worlds of artist/photographer J. A. Green, conducted by a US-based scholar, Dr. Lisa Aronson of Skidmore College, New York, was the topic of a lecture in Lagos last week. The lecture, organised by Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, was presented by Aronson and it brought fresh perspectives to discussions on who is the first Nigerian modern artist between J. A. Green and Aina Onabolu? In the past month, Aronson has been conducting indepth research in the Niger Delta, expected to culminate in the first and only publication on the artist.

Frontline photographers, such as Pa J. D. Okhia Ojekere, Tam Fiofori, Don Barber, Olu Amoda, Toyin Akinoso, Onyema Ofoedu-Okeke, Abraham Oghobase and other young photographers and visual artists were among those at the presentation.

Green, a professional photographer was born in Bonny, in 1873. He was the son of a successful Ibani Ijaw palm oil trader, Chief Sunju Dublin Green, who worked closely with foreing traders and missionaries. These relationships might have helped his son’s career. He served as the primary photographer for the British and his own people, between the early 1890s and when he died at 32. Although his professional stamp, “J. A. Green, Artist Photographer, Bonny, Opobo & co” concealed his African identity behind his British sounding name.

Aronson said she postponed her travels to Nigeria for three years until an improvement in security. She is happy that she enjoyed a safe productive visit to the Niger Delta last month.

Her research on Green began five years ago when she and her two American colleagues, Martha Anderson and Chris Geary along with Professor Emeritus E. J. Alagoa received a Getty Grant to document Green’s photographs in British archives. This scholarship, she said, gave her the opportunity to learn about Green’s life as a photographer.

She said: “I first became familiar with Green’s photos while researching the history of textile production, use, and trade

•Aronson

MONUMENTS in Southeastern Nigeria, with my initial focus on weaving in Akwete, Ndoki, in Imo State. I discovered Green’s photos of imported textile usage in the Niger Delta before I came to realise Green’s Ibani Ijaw identity.

According to the research, after Green’s death, his nephew, Gobo, took over the business. Gobo did some of his own photography, but mainly used Green’s original plates to reproduce the original photographs until his death in 1936.

The business was then taken over by Gobo’s son, James Adagogo Green, who continued the practice of reproducing J. A. Green’s original images until his own death in 1993, and even capitalised on J. A. Green’s own initials, leading many to think that James was the original J, A. Green.

Aronson showed several photographs by Green and the images revealed the individuals, including Europeans and Africans, who lived and worked in the area. Green’s portraits of the British showed them in Edwardian attires at work or play. Those of the Ijaw showed them in their own contemporary styles of dress, made of cloth acquired from local and foreign sources. Some of Green’s most extraordinary portraits were of Ijaw chiefs from Bonny, Opobo, and the Kalabari Ijaw region, seated with their wives, children, and other members of their extended families.

She observed that what stands out in these portraits, compared with those of the British, is that the latter presented

‘Green was among several prominent Africans working as professional photographers along the coasts of western and central Africa in the late 19th Century, including the Ghanaian Lutterodt brothers, the Sierra Leonian W. S. Johnston, and Walwin B. Holm, a Ghanaian working in Lagos. Using box cameras and glass plates their repertoires, like Green’s, included landscapes, seascapes, views of public buildings, and, most particularly, portraits’

What became of Green’s legacy? Aronson answers: “Green left behind a rich and varied collection of photographs that not only captures a significant moments in Nigeria’s early history but also exhibits his exceptional artistic vision.

“Green was among several prominent Africans working as professional photographers along the coasts of western and central Africa in the late 19th Century, including the Ghanaian Lutterodt brothers, the Sierra Leonian W. S. Johnston, and Walwin B. Holm, a Ghanaian working in Lagos. Using box cameras and glass plates their repertoires, like Green’s, included landscapes, seascapes, views of public buildings, and, most particularly, portraits. Some of them, along with their European competitors, advertised their services widely in urban newspapers and moved freely along the coast with cameras and backdrops in hand to meet the demands of their European and African clients.”

Green’s photogarphs were not all for the British administrators as he confined his works mainly to the Bonny (and Opobo) region of the Niger Delta, which by the 1890s was a thriving commercial centre of palm oil trade and the hub British colonisation of the region.

At that time, the Ibani Ijaw town of Bonny was at the heart of maritime commerce, with the slave trade at its peak in the 18th Century and the palm oil trade dominating throughout the 19th Century.

Green’s photographic skills were in great demand and his business boomed at a time Bonny functioned as the administrative centre of the protectorate throughout the historical trajectory, putting him at the hub of British imperialist activity.

Aronson said though Green’s life was short, a close relative, Gobo, took over his thriving business after his death. Following Gobo’s own death in 1935, another relative, James A. Green, ran the studio until 1993 when he died.

She said: “James A. Green capitalised on Jonathan’s fame by using an embossed stamp that identified him as “J. A. Green” and even reproduced photos from his predecessor’s turn-of the-century glass plates. Both Gobo and James trained other photographers, so the Green legacy lives on.

Early works Green’s earliest documented photograph is a half-portrait of a Kalabari chief who died in 1890. In 15 years, he photographed about 150 different images in a wide range of themes. His works are in major collections in the British Museum, London; Rhodes House, Oxford; Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool; Unilever Archives, Port Sunlight; Manchester University Museum, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and the National Museum of African Art, in Washington D.C USA. Apart from portraits and landscapes, Green’s works included the narrative-like scenes of Ijaw people that engaged in local industries, such as weaving, cotton winding, basket making, ironwork, and the cracking of palm nuts.

Among his early works were several images showing scantily dressed African women in provocative poses.

With this fresh window on another foremost Nigerian artist, art historians will expand the frontiers to ascertain the father of modern Nigerian visual art. Feelers have it that a Lagos photographer, Da Costa was also among the early photographers of the pre-Independence era. There could be more revelations in future that will shape art history.

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Soyinka decries threat to book culture

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OBEL laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has condemned the destruction of treasures in Timbuktu, Mali, describing the action as a threat to book culture in Africa. He said he is therefore hundred per cent in support of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa organised by Lumina Foundation, pointing out that it is a way of promoting book culture.

Soyinka, who spoke during the award of this year’s prize in Lagos said he had made no contributions to the project, sponsored by telecom giant Globacom. He said: “I have nothing to do with the Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. “I have not any contribution towards its hosting. I have only enjoyed free meals from the organisers of the prize. But, I am 100 per cent in support of its promotion of literature and culture of reading. And it is at a time when book culture is being threatened. In Mali, rebels are destroying treasures. It is time to be aggressive about promoting book culture.

South Africa’s Sifiso Mzobe, author of Young Blood, beat two other candidates, Adimora Ezeigbo, a Nigerian who wrote Roses and Bullets and Bridget Pitt, author of The Unseen Leopard, a Zimbabwean born South African to emerge winner of the $20,000 cash prize.

Soyinka urged Federal Government to understand that given the recent destruction of telecommunication facilities by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the battle lines have been drawn, adding that there should be no sitting on the fence. Literature and communication, he said, have meeting point, adding: “If it is not economic, it is cultural. We must back up the fight with all our energies.

The Nobel laureate praised the Lumina Foundation for promoting reading in Africa, adding that literature on the continent would continue to grow with this encouragement from the likes of Lumina.

He called on African youth to work towards promotion of African culture and heritage.

Chairman of the Ghanaian President John Kuffour, who spoke on The Pursuit of Excellence–the Wole Soyinka Example, said Africa is yearning for champions such as Soyinka who did not bottle up his talent within an ivory tower. He said Africa, the rising giant, needs such achievers to hasten its awakening and full maturation within the global society. The former Ghana President said that Soyinka transcends the entire areas of society. “This is what makes him the leader, influencer and exemplar of society not exclusive to Africa. He is indeed intergenerational and a global citizen,” he added.

Such leadership, he said, is the avenue by which various peoples of the continent come to know themselves and how they relate to their each other to give real meaning to their Africanness. “Wole has set the pace and I believe Nigeria must be commended for producing other prodigious writers. They all come together to enhance the image of Africa. In many other fields of endeavour, Nigeria also sets the pace on our continent in producing powerful entrepreneurs of world class,” Kuffour said.

In his message, the Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga (Jnr) praised the organisers of the award for keeping the flag flying, adding that it has since inception carved a niche for itself in the literary circle through promotion of literature and

•Mzobe (centre) flanked by Maaji and CEO, Lumina Foundation, Dr. Ogochukwu Promise at the awards night at Civic Centre, Lagos.

•Members of Foot prints of David on stage

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

AWARDS excellence.

Adenuga, represented by the company’s National Sales Coordinator, Mr. David Maji, said: “The association between Globacom and the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, is premised on the similarity of our aspira-

tions and characteristics in terms of developing a strong, virile African society”. He said the company’s involvement in the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a further ‘demonstration of Globacom’s irrevocable commitment to giving value to our subscribers as well as contributing to the intellectual development of the communities where we have our footprints.’

Mzobe described the prize as a viable platform for the promotion of literature on the continent. He thanked the Lumina

‘Wole has set the pace and I believe Nigeria must be commended for producing other prodigious writers. They all come together to enhance the image of Africa. In many other fields of endeavour, Nigeria also sets the pace on our continent in producing powerful entrepreneurs of world class’

Foundation, organisers of the award for opening such doors for African writers as well as encouraging literature in a continent of numerous voices with many stories to tell. “I thank Wole Soyinka for his awesome life, which is a perfect example of a hero,” he said, acknowledging the challenge of the judges to arrive at the eventual winner.

The Chairperson of Lumina Foundation, Mrs. Francesca Yetunde Emanuel, said the objective of the prize is to honour only those who bring pride to Africa; Africa’s giant writers and make their works to be appreciated worldwide.

“We cannot afford to fail, this prize must continue for the celebration of excellence and the edification of Africans”, she said.

The night was not all about book and literature as it witnessed music and dance drama performances by the masked one and Afro-Calypso exponent, Lagbaja and Nerfetiti and the Crown Troupe. Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and his Ogun State counterpart Ibikunle Amosun were also in attendance.

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Arowoogun’s Ogboni Drum

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ONTEMPORARY Nigerian artists interested in representing current events in the country may profit from studying stylistic strategies used by their predecessors. Traditional Yoruba sculptors, in their visual chronicles, have suggested that between the mid-eighteenth to the late nineteenth century, the military cadre brutally contested power with indigenous rulers in the politics of the region now known as southwest Nigeria. The works of these artists graphically document the struggle for authority between the monarchy and the military, resulting in the partial trumping of the kings, and the relative triumph of the soldiers in Yoruba kingdoms. As the images of these artists indicate, this jostling for power came within a context of conquests, war, bloodshed, unbridled violence, and social cataclysm on a magnitude never before witnessed in that region.

No writer has more eloquently described the violent conditions skillfully couched with images by indigenous Yoruba artists than the historian Samuel Johnson. Writing about Ibadan, the largest Yoruba city of that era in The History of the Yorubas, Johnson noted, At home violence, oppression, robbery, man-stealing were the order of the day. A special gag was invented for the mouth of human beings to prevent any one stolen from crying out and being discovered by his friends. No one dared go out at dusk for men-stealers were out already prowling about for their prey….So bad were those days, and so callous had the people become that if a woman or a child was heard to cry out “O help me, I am taken,” the usual answer from indoors was “ You can go along with him.” The moral and social atmosphere of such a place as has been described could easily be imagined.

A prominent Yoruba artist who contributed to the documentation of this important moment in the history of his people is Bamidele Arowoogun. With his monumental work, titled “Ogboni Drum,” Bamidele portrays the power struggles between the two major ruling forces, and the devastating effects of these conflicts on the populace. With the use of low relief carving, Bamidele incised images of the indigenous characters fighting for power. He portrayed the role played by expatriates with whom indigenes interacted and collaborated to secure their personal and group interests, thereby changing for ever the fortune of the country within which they grappled for control.

When two elephants fight, the ground suffers: the power tussle caused great distresses for the common citizens of this region. From the images that the artists produced, the nineteenth century was an important historical moment that irrevocably shocked and destabilized the lives of the citizenry.

The experience apparently injured people’s psychological composure, while leaving lasting tolls on the geographical mapping, and demographic constitution of the region. It was an era of rapid change that drastically weakened and almost totally invalidated the rule of the monarchs. The most crucial cultural fabric of the people seemed to remain intact, because the daily and ceremonial rituals that sustained their worldviews continued with almost no discernible ripple. But the violence jeopardized the underlying structural body and spirit of the society, which almost disintegrated, threatening the people’s confidence in the viability of their culture. It was therefore not surprising that Western alternatives and facilities, which presented themselves at that same historical moment, felt attractive to many indigenes, further precipitating the appearance of an irreversible cultural collapse.

In northern Yoruba country, the power struggle between the king, Alaafin Aole, and his field marshal, Afonja who was stationed in Ilorin at the beginning of the nineteenth century, culminated in a political convulsion throughout the region southwest of River Niger. A major administrative center of that region, the Oyo Kingdom, directly profited from the transatlantic trade through its contacts with coastal kingdoms. The

VISUAL ART British abolition of slave trade in 1807 dried the economic springs of the kingdom, thus threatening the sources of central monarchic wealth and power. Following their suspicion of the king’s dwindling affluence, vassal groups sought degrees of independence if not absolute autonomy from the Oyo kingdom. But soon after the withdrawal of the British Empire from the slave trade, the centers of Western control over the trade shifted elsewhere, and the trade began to boom in the Caribbean and South America.

Responding to the new boom in slave trading, the king of the Oyo kingdom, Alaafin Aole, ordered his field marshal, Afonja, to sack Iwere, a formidable city-state with a strong army and an authority that began to defy Alaafin’s control.

Alaafin’s motive seemed dual. First, he wanted to eliminate the headstrong forces in Iwere, and capture the citizens to increase his supply of slaves. But the Alaafin also wanted to get rid of his field marshal, who seemed too ambitious, and appeared to nurse a desire to usurp his kingship. The Alaafin was therefore hoping that Afonja would fail, be disgraced, and forced to commit suicide, as was the practice at that time. It was a perfect situation for the king.

But Afonja calculated the odds of winning in Iwere as slim, saw through Aole’s design, and to the king’s chagrin, refused to go on that campaign. Aole then ordered Afonja to attack Apomu, a town within Ile Ife territory. But an ancient treaty safeguarded every town under the protectorate of Ile Ife from attack by the Oyo army. Nevertheless, Afonja sacked Apomu, knowing that the town was poorly defended. But on his return from the Apomu campaign, Afonja marched on the Oyo capital with the assistance of some ambitious palace chiefs. Disgraced, King Aola committed suicide.

With the dishonor and suicide of Aole, the Oyo kingdom was thrown into a period of political uncertainty, during which a rapid succession of kings was enthroned. Many military officers, including the Onikoyi, Adegun, and Are Ona Kankanfo seized the opportunity to establish settlements carved out of the Oyo Kingdom. The shaky situation at the center provided Afonja the chance to consolidate his position in Ilorin, and to observe no allegiance to all successors to Aole. Afonja aligned with the powerful caliphate that was using military might to expand Islamic political influence southwards from the Sokoto capital in the north. But Afonja’s lieutenant, Alimi, outmaneuvered him, and took the earliest opportunity to assassinate him. Alimi installed himself as the ruler in Ilorin, with the assistance of Hausa slaves serving as soldiers under his command, combined with the support of the same Islamic rulers that offered protection to Afonja from the north.

As the center of the Oyo kingdom collapsed, military officers pushed southwards, and established autonomous authorities as rulers in different parts of Yoruba country, including Ijaye, Ibadan, and Abeokuta. All these political moves occurred in the context of war, violence, and turbulence that changed the history of the land from war to peace.

Ibadan’s position in the center of these warlike activities was prominent, given the military backgrounds of all its rulers, and the violent disposition of its earliest inhabitants who preferred mounting campaigns, rather than pursuing the trade of subsistence farming found in other parts of Yoruba country.

The historian Samuel Johnson noted about the Ibadan people that, although they seemed to be now settled, they really lived by plunder and rapine. A single stalk of corn could hardly be seen in Ibadan in the days of [their chief] Maye, and although [their leader] Lakanle encouraged husbandry, yet the people were so much given to slave hunting that they could not grow corn enough for home consumption. The women of

O

•Mrs Lawoyin

•Ogboni Drum

those days were as hardy as the men, and often went in a body— as caravas —to Ikire and Apomu for corn and other foodstuffs although the road was unsafe from kidnappers. They supplied the twon with food while the men were engaged in slave hunting. One company returning would meet another just going out, and often, an unsuccessful individual returning would go back with the outgoing company to try another chance without first reaching home. Ill luck of one did not prevent another company venturing out.

Yoruba artists responded to these changes by making objects that documented this transition of power from the civil to military rulers, using images that scholars are beginning to study as important documents for understanding the Yoruba images, not only as aesthetic statements, but also as historical archives.

With his work titled Ogboni Drum, Bamidele narrates the visual history of a nomad, a diasporic spirit, a wanderer, seeking the perfect wood for the perfect sculpture. He permanently inserted within the wood his life story and the tale of his people, by hiding historical events in images carved on the drum.

As Nigeria faces transitional crisis of uncertainty, it is imperative for the artists to celebrate all aspects of the people’s lives. Some artists will surely continue to service the interests of the rich and the powerful to make a decent living. But it is also important for some artists to document the challenges facing the common citizens grappling with matters of daily survival, as Bamidele did with his “Ogboni Drum.”

Remembering Idi Aba

LD students have some special ways of remembering the significant roles their schools play in their lives.

Some choose financial aids, some prefer assisting in the upliftment of social infrastructure in their old schools. For old students of the Baptist Girls College, Idi Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, it is through physical development and show of gratitude to God and their alma mater.

An old student, Mrs Oyeronke Alake Lawoyin, author of a 326-page book on the school, Idi Aba: Down Memory Lane, said the book would be launched at the Shepherd Hill Baptist Church Hall, Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos on October 4 by 11 am. She described the book as a way to show gratitude to the school that helped to mould and shape the future life of the students. She recalled that until the idea of publishing the book came, she has always felt insufficient in showing gratitude both to God and her school.

In a chat with The Nation, Mrs. Lawoyin said proceeds from sales of the book would be used to build a modern library in the school. She stated that everyone should show sincere gratitude to God, parents and teachers for their contributions in one’s life.

She said the initial thought of writing the history of Idi Aba as part of activities marking the school’s one hundred years, later metamorphosed into the book, which chronicles some of the old students and teachers’ testimonies about the school.

“When the Idi Aba Old Students Association (IBOSA), was planning for the celebration of the school’s one hundred years, I thought writing the history of the school should be part of the activities. After agreeing to the idea, I set a target of getting the book out before 2009 when the school will turn 100 years. But the challenge of collating contributions from old students slowed

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

down the time for the publication of the book,” she noted.

Lawoyin said the uniqueness of Idi Aba as a school, is Jesus Christ, which is a message of truth and transforming student into a child of God. This message, she said, is still alive in every old student of the school, adding that old students through their children still perpetrate the goodness of God. She however observed that there were still some problems especially when government took over missionary schools in the country. She assured that there would be a revised edition in future that would cater for those who could not get their messages published in this current edition.

According to the National President of IBOSA, Mrs. Olayinka Joda, the association is guided by the school slogan, which is ‘give back to Idi-Aba better and greater things which have been given to you’. She said the plan of the association is to resuscitate, reinvigorate and recharge educational excellence which is the hall mark of Idi-Aba. “Our focus is to influence all stakeholders and make the school citadel of excellence, high moral standard, high academic performance, dignity of labour, respect for constituted authority, cleanliness of body and soul, high aesthetic values and above all, imbibing the fear of God. All these, make a total person.

“Our ultimare goal is to have a physical presence at Idi-Aba with the construction of a multi-purpose hall that will provide facility such as ultra modern library that will bring back reading culture,” Joda said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Forecasts Q3 Sept 2012 Oasis Ins Turnover N450m Profit after tax N63.894m Access Bank Gross earnings N54.782b Profit after tax N11.907b Resort Savings & Loans Gross earnings N960.736m Profit after tax N165.540m Trans-Nationwide Exp Gross earnings N170.342m Profit after tax N40.568m GT Assure Gross premium N9.525b Profit after tax N1.241b Pharma-Deko Turnover N454m Profit before tax N10m Cornerstone Ins Premium Revenue N919.418m Profit after tax N41.002m Skye Bank Gross earnings N99.710b Profit after tax N13.933b CCNN Turnover N3.683b Profit after Tax N402.165m Custodian & Allied Gross Premium N8.540b Profit after tax N1.345b UPDC Turnover N10.274b Profit after tax N1.002b Nestle Nig Turnover N28.850b Profit after tax N4.014b UACN Turnover N48.313b Profit after tax N4.611b Julius Berger Turnover N125.541b Profit after tax N3.993b Diamond Bank Gross earnings N27.315b Profit after tax N3.107b Oando Turnover N123.207b Profit after tax N2.967b Presco Turnover N2.400b Profit after tax N613.760m Berger Paints Turnover N976.303m Profit after tax N88.258m Eterna Turnover N56.413b Profit after tax N859.734m Consolidated Hallmark Ins Gross premium N4.110b Profit after tax N511.564m MRS Oil Nig Turnover N76.804b Profit after tax N1.068b Transcorp Total income N2.658b Profit after tax N1.507b Evans Medicals Revenue N1.619b Profit after tax N64.656m AIICO Ins Gross premium N2.561b Profit after tax N344.406m GSK Nig Turnover N6.756b Profit after taxation N580.824m Abbey Building Society Gross earnings N1.300b Profit after tax N217.537m Regency Alliance Gross premium N1.300b Profit after tax N303.777m Total Nigeria Turnover N54.466b Profit after tax N1.804b Red Star Express Turnover N2.888b Profit after tax N200.557m Cadbury Nig Turnover N9.873b Profit after tax N735m Okomu Oil Turnover N2.176b Profit after tax N667.068m Continental Re Turnover N10.028b Profit after tax N1.207b Livestock Feeds Turnover N1.379b Profit after tax N51.654m IEI Gross Premium N4.250b Profit after tax N533.898m

•INSIDE:

As far as local content is concerned, the ICT industry is uncompetitive because it is cheaper to import a base station than to fabricate one in Nigeria. It is cheaper to import a chip card than to make and personalise in Nigeria.

- Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology

New pension guidelines to boost T equities with N400b HE proposed amendments to the pension funds’ investment guidelines may see inflow of more than N400 billion into quoted equities as key stakeholders canvass higher minimum equity investment benchmark for pension fund administrators.

Total pension asset under administration is around N2.6 trillion, according to recent checks with the National Pension Commission (Pencom). Equity investment by pension fund administrators is estimated at about 11 per cent of total assets under management.

New amendments being pushed by the National Assembly, stockbrokers, capital market regulators, fund managers and some other interested parties seek to set a minimum equity investment benchmark of between 15 and 25 per cent for pension funds managers.

The House of Representatives has already adopted a report calling on the PenCom to reverse the current limit for equity investment and replace it with a minimum benchmark of 25 per cent.

Resolution 28 of the Report of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Capital Market, which was recently adopted, recommended that: in order to deepen the equity market, that Pension Commission should reverse the policy that restricts PFAs from investing a maximum of 25 per cent of their portfolios in equities; that Pension Commission should formulate a policy that Pension Funds

By Taofik Salako Administrators should invest a minimum of 25 per cent of their portfolio holdings in viable equities.

The report of the Ad Hoc Committee has been forwarded to the Presidency upon request by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Industry sources said PenCom was already favourably disposed to setting a minimum benchmark of about 10 per cent for equity investment, a move that will mandate many pension fund managers who had taken advantage of absence of a minimum benchmark to hold lesser interests in equities to rebalance their portfolios.

Stockbrokers have canvassed graduated minimum investment scale that would ensure up to 25 per cent of pension funds are compulsorily invested in equities.

President, Chartered Institute of

Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Ariyo Olushekun, said pension fund administrators should be mandated to invest minimum of up to 25 per cent in equities contrary to minimum of 10 per cent being considered by PenCom. He also advocated a higher maximum limit of 50 per cent, which would give flexibility to aggressive fund managers to play in the equities market without violating any rule.

According to him, aggressively managed funds should be able to invest minimum of 25 per cent in equities while medium and short-term funds should be mandated to invest at least 15 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

He noted that pension funds as collective assets of the Nigerian people should be used as catalyst for the Nigerian capital market, which would in turn impact on the nation’s eco-

nomic development.

Olushekun added that Nigeria’s sovereign funds should be invested in the Nigerian capital market, noting that such funds could serve as stabilizer for the market.

“It does not make sense for Nigeria to take funds out of its economy and invest in other economies, thus helping other economies to grow. We should invest our funds to develop our own economy,” Olushekun said.

He outlined the need for government to implement a market-focused recovery plan that would reduce debt overhang, increase liquidity and encourage quoted companies.

He added that government should reduce tax payable by quoted companies to encourage companies to list their shares, pointing out that taxes such as stamp duty, value added tax (VAT) and contract stamp should be removed.

Expert advocates livestock insurance

By Daniel Essiet

T

HE widely reported deaths of cattle has highlighted the need for livestock insurance cover for farmers, an expert, Professor Abiodun Adeloye has said. ,Adeloye, who is of the Department of Animal Production, University of Ilorin, said farmers need to think about the protection their insurance gives them.

According to him, accidents are “standard perils”, which should be covered by farm insurance.

Such losses, he noted, highlighted significant problems for farmers with commercial livestock, sheep and cattle. Considering how commonplace these events are, Adeloye said farmers need livestock insurance to feel better protected.

The idea with the livestock insurance, he said is to help farmers who lose their animals to severe drought conditions as they often do, to receive monetary compensation to either allow them to restock faster, invest in other productive activities or even purchase food and other items of necessity.

He said livestock insurance aims to help protect pastoralists against the full impact of drought-related losses. As livestock are both a principal asset and source of income for farmers, he advised the government to provide data on livestock mortality to allow insurance contracts to be appropriately designed.

NGOs fault EFCC’s claims on money laundering •Page 30

•Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun (middle) flanked by the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Yemi Adeola and, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Ogun State Commissioner for Finance,after a business meeting between the state government and Sterling Bank in Abeokuta on Monday.

CBN, Identity Commission’s partnership intact, says DG

T

HE Identity Management Commission’s (NIMC) collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on providing a National Identity Number (NIN) for bank customers is still intact, the Director-General of the Commission, Chris Onyemenam has said.

He however, acknowledged that there are some hitches in the implementation of the project, but both parties have not jettisoned it.

He explained that what has happened was that there was medium to long-term goal by the apex bank, which is working on a closed database for bank customers.

He said regulator is entitled to have its own database because it wants to fight fraud and other social vices that come with lack of unique identity number.

“The CBN has not jettisoned the NIMC plan, what has happened is that there is medium to long term goal.

By Collins Nweze

Any database that is a closed database that is meant only for a particular sector is targeted at exclusion. The CBN is entitled to have its own database because it wants to fight fraud and other social vices that come with lack of unique identity card,” he said.

He said that although the apex bank has plans to introduce a closed database for the banking sector, there was need for consistency in the process so that when integration becomes necessary, it can easily adapt.

The CBN had recently unfolded plans of the Bankers’ Committee to acquire a biometric-based unique identification portal that will enable it institute a unique database for bank customers.

CBN Deputy Governor Operations, Tunde Lemo said the Committee had taken a decision on a Unique Identity and there is already a sub-committee on the matter.

Lemo said the Committee was working very hard on biometricbased unique identification portal that will be available to all banks, making it possible for them to have a unique account data base for their customers.

This, he explained, will enable the banks to have a unique identification for all bank customers across the entire industry. The apex bank had imposed fresh condition that from January 8, 2013, owning and operating a bank account in the country would require the customer to have a National Identity Number, NIN. The apex bank in conjunction with NIMC, and the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, NIBSS, is expected to commence a three months enrollment exercise for all existing banks’ customers to capture their biometrics and issue to them NIN as well as a General Purpose Identity Card.

Inactive mobile money firms ‘Third quarter earnings ‘ll hamper cash-less initiatives lift equities further’ •Page 31

•Page 32

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

30

MONEY

Offshore subsidiaries: CBN demands cash-strapped banks’ exit strategy T HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked banks unable to fund their offshore subsidiaries based on its new guidelines for their exit strategy.

Its Director of Communications Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said CBN is committed to ensuring that the policy stopping banks from recapitalising their offshore subsidiaries with funds from parent companies is sustained.

He said: “We believe some countries are becoming unreasonable in requesting for recapitalisation

Stories by Collins Nweze

of banks operating in their countries. We will no longer allow banks to export cash to foreign countries. Any bank that cannot recapitalise its offshore subsidiaries based on our new terms will have to present to us its exit strategy.”

CBN had stopped lenders from funding their subsidiaries with parent companies’ funds, but encouraged them to consider mergers and acquisitions with local or

foreign banks in the host-countries.

It expressed concern over the incessant demands on Nigerian banks by various host regulators for the recapitalisation of their foreign subsidiaries. These demands, according to Okorafor, have exerted enormous pressure on the capital base of most parent banks because of the lull in the capital market, making it difficult to raise capital, diminishing profit margins and increasing competi-

tion.

These demands, CBN said, were not in tandem with the growth in business activities in these lenders.

“The CBN shall not permit any further capital outlay from parent banks to augment the capital needs of foreign subsidiaries but would rather encourage banks to consider mergers and acquisition arrangements with other local and or foreign banks in the host country. Under no circumstances are parent banks allowed to guarantee the deposit of their foreign subsidiaries,” it said.

The banks, CBN said could source for fresh capital from the host country’s capital market either through private placements or public offers.

The initial plan was that parent banks whose foreign subsidiaries are unable to raise additional capital in the host country’s market

• CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

will be required to submit exit strategies from those jurisdictions not later than June 30, 2012. But Okoroafor was silent on whether the deadline has been shifted or the compliance level of most banks.

‘IFRS will bring uniformity’

T

• From left: Deputy Governor Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria, Tunde Lemo and Managing Director Nigeria Security Printing and Minting, Ehi’E Okoyomon during a conference and exhibition organised by Association of African Banknotes & Security Documents Printer (AABSDP) in Lagos.

NGOs fault EFCC’s claims on money laundering • Ask Agency for culprits’ names

N

ON-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have debunked claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that their accounts are being used for money laundering.

Speaking to The Nation , Director, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, said the EFCC’s position was a “sweeping generalisation.”

He challenged the Commission to arrest and prosecute any NGO found to have violated the antimoney laundering policy.

Onyekpere said maybe the NGOs being referred to by the Commission are government-owned as professionally-run NGOs cannot engage in such illegal acts.

“I challenge the EFCC to come up with the list of NGOs involved in money laundering. They are making a very big mistake by classifying NGOs as banks. It is a failure on the Commission’s part if it does not name and prosecute culprits,” he said.

Head of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the EFCC, Ms Angela Nworgu, had last week said NGOs served as conduit for money laundering and sponsorship of criminal activities. She spoke at the annual seminar for Designated NonFinancial Institutions (DNFIs) with the theme Strategic partnership Amongst DNFIs for Effective Implementation of AML/CFT Regime in Nigeria at the EFCC Academy in Karu, Abuja.

SCUML is a unit at the Federal Ministry of Trade & Investment that gathers intelligence on AntiMoney Laundering/Combating of Financial Terrorism (AML/CFT).

Its counterpart in the financial sector is called the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Drawing on research by the Financial Action Task Force, she warned that money launderers “who use NGOs to carry out layering of stolen wealth through several countries...to disguise the actual origin of the money do not mind losing 40 per cent of the amount in the process, because it is money gotten from illegitimate means.”

Ms Nworgu further said the essence of the seminar was to expose compliance officers to their obligations and responsibilities in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Nation findings showed that SCUML now visits NGOs demanding and documenting the pictures of events and transport reimbursement paid to members at workshops. This practice, many NGOs find embarrassing.

“We are already swamped with lots of demands. Who will pay for the staff time for this tedious demand? Why group CSOs living on charity in the same group with banks and financial institutions who have all the resources in the world? Is this not a clear attempt at blackmail and silencing critical voices? The demand on CSOs is grossly unreasonable. It is not

HE International Finan cial Reporting Standards (IFRS) will ensure uniformity in financial reporting and make financial statements more informative, the NigeriaBritish Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Secretary, Jim Obaze, has said.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Chamber in Lagos, he said the chamber was working with the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) on tax implication for crossing over to the IFRS. “We are working closely with the FIRS new management so that we can indentify issues that needed to be tackled headlong and not bringing problems to the operators,” he said.

Obaze, who spoke on Adoption

Nigeria, Arab firms collaborate

B

• EFCC Lamorde

Chairman,

Ibrahim

about accountability. It is about shutting down the space we occupy,” Onyekpere said.

NGOs have severally complained that they are not being trained on ways of reporting their financials.

It is believed that training of the NGOs will enhance their knowledge, transparency and accountability.

Principal Counsel, Eze & Associates, Chukwuemeka Eze said the role of SCUML as regards financial reporting is not new. He said the new anti-money laundering regime has been in the works since 2009 adding that it is just being implemented.

of International Financial Reporting Standards: challenges and effects on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, said the chamber had concluded plans to establish FIRS academy and introduce some linkage and awareness programmes for tertiary institutions.

To enhance awareness, Obaze said there would be a learning curve from those that have got over and were listed as public interest entities. He said the slowness of our Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) was a challenge that still needed to be dealt with.

He said nations moving to IFRS would have to partner with the International Council body, the standard in use.

USINESSES in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries are working out modalities that will enable them collaborate with their Arab counterparts. To achieve this, Vicapital Limited, a financial consulting firm, and Opium International Magazine, a bi-monthly publication, will be organising a two day forum tagged: ‘Nigeria – Arab Business Forum. The event holds from November 6 to 7, 2012 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a statement signed by Managing Director/CEO Opium International Magazine, ‘Wale Ajala, said the event will ensure collaboration between both business divides and further remove bottlenecks to businesses in both regions.

He said that much more can be achieved by both Sub-Saharan Africa and Arab businesses by strengthening areas that make it easier for both regions to do businesses together.

“The Nigeria-Arab Business Forum will provide Arab organisations the opportunity to explore investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria, as well as give African organisations opportunity for strategic partnerships, finance and joint venture collaborations that will help grow their economies,” Ajala said.

The forum with the theme:

Doing business with ease will focus on key African sectors such as agribusiness, telecommunications, mining, power, energy, petroleum, financial markets, infrastructure development, hotel and tourism among others.

Experts from these fields are expected to analyse Strength, Weaknesses and Threats prevalent in each region to allow for collaboration and investments based on comparative advantages.

Representatives of different governments in Sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries, oil and gas firms, energy professionals, Information Communication and Technology (ICT)/ Telecommunication companies, infrastructure developers, business community, banking and insurance firms among others are being expected at the event.

Other targeted participants include senior business executives from Africa, the international business community from industry, government institutions and strategic investors.

“The forum will gather all the big names in Arab business world under one roof and therefore presents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet potential business partners and place their companies on international limelight,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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MONEY

Inactive mobile money firms hamper cash-less initiative

T

HE failure of some mobile money firms to roll out financial services is slowing down the cash-less policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), The Nation has learnt.

The 16 mobile money operators licensed last year by the CBN are expected to provide financial services and bridge the gap between the banked and the unbanked conservatively put at over 100 million.

Many of the firms are yet to find their feet a year after their approval, impling that the industry has not fully complemented the cash-less initiative by bringing enough Nigerians into the mobile money transactions net.

Industry watchers, who spoke to The Nation, said poor funding and technology have hindered the effective take-off of some of the firms.

The Nation gathered that out of the 16 firms, only Stanbic IBTC, Pagatech, E-transact, United Bank for Africa (UBA), GTBank (in partnership with MTN and Fortis) have started operations by intro-

Stories by Akinola Ajibade

ducing products to galvanise the market.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, E-Transazt Mr Valentine Obi said infrastructure were a problem because mobile networks are just being developed amid low awareness of the benefits of mobile money transactions.

The Chief Technical Officer, eTransact, Mr Richard Omoniyi said poor awareness had slowed down the penetration rate, despite the huge investments already channeled into the mobile money ecosystem by operators.

He said the issue has prevented the mobile money operators from complimenting the CBN’s cashless programmes as expected.

He said: “One of the most significant aims of the mobile money scheme is to provide financial inclusion to the unbanked and under-banked in Nigeria.

Getting more people to embrace mobile money depends on the level of awareness stakeholders

create. The level of awareness is low and many people are yet to see the benefit of the system. It is thus important for the government to support other stakeholders to create massive public awareness for the public.

In our own end, however we will do more of enlightenment campaigns and seminars to make sure that the service is really circulated.”

A mobile money advocate, Emmanuel Okogwale said it would take time before mobile money companies can reduce the physical cash in circulation.

He said while it is true MMOs have not been able to introduce enough financial services, Nigerians should not write off the ability of the sub-sector to help the growth of the cashless agenda.

“With time, the 16 mobile money firms would help in reducing cash movement in the economy. By the time all the companies fully take off, they would impact strongly on the cashless project,” he said.

AfDB directors meet THE Board of Directors (BoD) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has resumed meetings in Tunis after the summer holiday.

President Donald Kaberuka, according to a statement, outlined four major projects the bank and the board will focus on in the last quarter of 2012.

These are the African Development Fund Mid-Term Review to discuss the Fund’s 12th replenishment from September 12 to 14 in Praia, Cape Verde. The long-term strategy of the bank as it enters its final development phase. The roadmap for the bank’s return to its headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to be submitted to the Consultative Board of Governors in mid-October in Tokyo.

Also to be discussed is the preparation of the triennial budget 2013 to 2015. “The President pointed out that in a very difficult international financial environment, the bank was able to maintain the viability of the institution, while continuing to support Regional Member Countries. It was a difficult task, he noted, but we arrived safely thanks to the efforts of all,” a statement from AfDB said.

It added that the board also approved the 2012 Mid-Year Budget and Performance Report; the Country Strategy Paper 2012-2016 for Benin as well as two projects: Benin’s Economic and Financial Reform Support Programme (PAREF) and Rwanda’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Support Programme Phase V.

Bank chief praises holding structure CHAIRMAN, Stanbic/IBTC, Mr Atedo Peterside, has said the bank’s decision to adopt a holding structure, in compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations on scope of banking activities and Ancilliary Matters No.3 will aid its growth.

Addressing shareholders at the bank’s extra-ordinary general meeting in Lagos, Peterside said the bank would leverage on the holding structure to consolidate the strenghts of each of its business units.

He said the development would enhance the entire group’s ability to drive growth in the future. He said the new structure would accrue significant benefits to shareholders, adding that customers will not be exposed to the risks associated with nonbanking activities of the other businesses or the group.

Peterside said the major reason for adopting the new structure • Stanbic MD Sola David-Borha is to consolidate on the bank’s goal of building Nigeria’s leading end-to-end financial services organisation, stressing that the issue would help the financial institution to leverage on its competitive advantage in its various business segments.

He said the bank will grow well, considering the financial resources and global network of Stanbic/IBTC Group.

Govt, World Bank to fight hazards

• From left: Aladekomo; Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBBS), Mrs Christabel Onyejekwe and Shonubi during Aladekomo’s visit to NIBBS headquaters in Lagos.

NIBSS, NIMC tackle e-payment frauds

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HE Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) is poised to tackle electronic payment fraud, its Managing Director, Mr Ade Osinubi, has said.

Osinubi said it was necessary to improve electronic payment transactions and engender growth in the economy.

Speaking during a visit of the management of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) to NIBBS‘s head office in Lagos, Osinubi said efforts were being made among the stakeholders in the financial chains to rid the country of fraud in the electronic payment system and allied areas.

He said partnerships are evolving to reduce the hiccups in the electronic modes of payments, and further reduce the cost of managing cash in the economy.

Osinubi said electronic frauds hinder the growth of the financial sector and the economy, stressing that the only way to check the malaise is to fight it headlong.

He said there iwas the need to take security serious in the information and technology (IT)driven society, adding that customers and financial institutions must be alert to reduce the fraud.

NCS President Mr Demola Aladekomo said NIBBS has helped to implement the cheque truncation policy, among other measures put in place to enhance the quality of e-payment transactions.

He said more needed to be done to make e-payment transactions free of fraud.

Also, Chief Executive Officer, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr

Chris Onyemenan, a lawyer, said the agency would help in reducing fraudulent practices in the financial industry.

Onyemenan told The Nation that the leadership of NIMC would develop a central national database, multi-factor authentication system and enrolment and card issuing services to identify all Nigerians and plug the loopholes through which fraud could perpetrated.

Others, he said, are development of identification and verification processes in Nigeria to foster the growth of the country.

He said the implementation of the unique identification number (UIM) project of the NIMC in particular was crucial to the success of the electronic payment system initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN).

THE Federal Government and World Bank have said they would spend $18.5 million to tackle hazards caused by Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) to the environment.

World Bank Country Director in Nigeria Ms Marie Francoise Nelly gave the hint in Abuja during the launch of the PCB project.

She said the Global Environment Fund (GEF) has provided $6.3 million, while the Federal Government is to contribute the counterpart funding of $12.2 million for the elimination of environmental and health risks posed by PCBs. Nelly, who spoke through the World Bank’s Senior Operations Officer, Mr Badrul Hague, said the environmental and health risks come from the release of PCBs from the active and decommissioned electrical equipment in Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) facilities as well as from other industries that have PCB stocks, such as dip refineries, airports and textile mills.

“Safe disposal of wastes reduces the environmental and health risks, and this is the objective of the PCBs project. In particular, the project will strengthen and harmonise hazardous chemical and waste management system, and facilities safe disposal of hazardous wastes.”

“Through timely intervention of the PCB project, an environmental and health risks in Nigeria could be reduced substantially by safe disposal of the existing stockpiles and development of a management system for safe disposal of future toxic wastes,” she added.

Bank empowers Corps member FIDELITY Bank Plc has donated N850,000 to a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Miss Omonike Akinselure, under the bank’s ‘Helping Hands’ scheme. The amount, which was given to her at an event held in Lagos, was for her to undergo reconstructive surgery on her jaw.

General Manager, Operations, Mr Sam Obijiaku, said the move was in line with the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of lending support to the needy. According to Obijiaku, “Fidelity bank strives to impact on the lives of its customers and other people around it, by putting smiles on their faces.”

While praising the bank’s staff for their commitment to the CSR project, he said it would go a long way to impact on many lives.

“I praise the bank’s staff for what they have come up with. It is a reflection of what Fidelity Bank represents. It is not just about business and profit making. It is about lending hands to the needy. The passion of the staff toward the lending hand project is commendable,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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THE NATION INVESTORS

‘Third quarter earnings will lift equities further’ A MIDST concerns about the sustainability of the bullish rally at the stock market, market pundits and analysts have said expectations of good third quarter earnings by quoted companies would give fillip to market recovery through to the last quarter.

Major investment advisers and fund managers said the market was still skewed for upswing citing substantial undervaluation of several equities and good interim earnings reports by companies.

Managing director, GTI Securities, Mr Tunde Oyekunle, said third quarter earnings reports would provide impetus for a new round of strong rally as investors anticipate better returns by the year-end.

According to him, while equities have run creditably well in recent weeks on positive investors’ sentiments on returns prospects and valuations, third quarter earnings

Stories by Taofik Salako

would enhance the market’s recovery.

He noted that although profittaking transactions may weigh in later this month, early results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2012 which are expected in middle of next month would further wet investors’ appetite.

Post-listing rules of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) requires that audited annual accounts of companies should be submitted within three months after the year end while quarterly financial statements are expected to be made available 45 days after the end of the quarter.

Regulatory filing calendar made available by the NSE indicated that companies are expected to have fully submitted their third quarter earnings report by Thursday, November 15, 2012.

Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) Lim-

ited, Mr Bismarck Rewane, said the improving fundamentals of quoted companies should point to a higher market.

According to him, several international investors are taking tentative positions in fundamentally strong companies ahead of the earnings season.

He pointed out that banking, food and beverages, agriculture and brewery sectors hold greater prospects for returns to investors.

Rewane predicted that the market would likely gain 5.0 per cent this month to sustain its month-onmonth rally in this quarter.

He advised investors to look out for three key variables of earnings growth, quality and sustainability of business model and valuation and versatility in determining the best stocks to pick.

According to him, the most important attribute of a winning stock is its earnings growth profile while the quality of a company’s prod-

ucts, balance sheet and management as well as comparative valuation to its peers would complement the resilience of such stock in any market situation.

He noted that in spite of the sustained rally witnessed recently which signaled the commencement of a bull rally, the Nigerian market remains the only one that has not recovered its losses as it is still some 60 per cent below its peak in 2008.

Analysts at FSDH Securities said they expected that equities market would continue to receive positive investors’ sentiment as investors seek value in fundamentally strong stocks in the face of dwindling yields in the fixed income market.

They noted that though there could be profit-taking transactions, there were still several stocks with fundamentals that can generate

good returns.

Analysts said they expected average return by equities to retain some additional gains by the end of this month, in spite of accumulated gains that may tempt investors to increase shares supply.

The Nigerian stock market opened this week with average year-to-date return of 19.82 per cent.

Although most analysts were still cautious about the short-term outlook of the market, they agreed that impressive third quarter earnings would significantly enhance the attractions of low-priced equities.

According to analysts, with potential dividend yields on several stocks in double-digits, most discerning investors might find the stock market more attractive than largely single-digit offering of the fixed-income markets.

UACN Group sees lower profit in 2012 •Projects N14b profit

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•From left: President Computer Association of Nigeria, Mr Demola Aladekomo, presents the the award of "Best card innovation Bank of the year" to the Head, E-Channels, Skye Bank Plc, Mr Chuks Iku at the Nigeria Telecoms Awards 2012, held in Lagos

Flour Mills’ plan to reabsorb Bagco shocks investors

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NVESTORS have expressed shock over the sudden decision of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc to reabsorb its subsidiary- Nigerian Bag Manufacturing Company (Bagco) Plc, which was spun off and listed as a separate entity on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2008.

Shareholders who spoke to The Nation, said they were yet to fully grasp the rationale behind the decision, pointing out that Bagco appeared to be stable and in good stead for continued growth.

Flour Mills had last weekend indicated it would reabsorb Bagco and its subsidiary- Northern Bag Manufacturing Company Limited (Bagco-North). Flour Mills holds 70 per cent equity stake in Bagco.

Bagco, a manufacturer of woven and laminated polypropylene bags, was incorporated in 1964 and had operated as a division and subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria until it was spun off in 2007. It was listed on the NSE in April 2008 after a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO). Bagco Group includes two subsidiaries-Bagco Morpack Nigeria Limited and Northern Bag Manufacturing Company Limited.

A leader in one of the sharehold-

ers’ association and activist, Alhaji Gbadebo Olatokunbo, said shareholders were surprised by the decision as there were no indications to that effect.

According to him, it was more surprising because Bagco is doing well and shareholders are happy with the company’s performance.

He, however, said Flour Mills has already contacted minority shareholders and promised to discuss the rationales behind the decision with them.

Market operators who spoke under condition of anonymity, said the decision further brought to the fore the issue of attractiveness of listing on the NSE. They noted that availability of fiscal and regulatory incentives purposely for quoted companies would have discouraged companies from thinking about delisting, even at slightest change.

According to the plan by Flour Mills, the re-absorption would entail the transfer of all assets, liabilities and undertakings of Bagco and Bagco-North to Flour Mills of Nigeria. Consequently, the entire issued share capital of Bagco and Bagco-North would be cancelled and the minority shareholders of Bagco will have an option to elect

for cash or shares in Flour Mills at a price to be determined using mutually agreed valuation methods.

Bagco and Bagco-North will therefore be dissolved without winding up.

Flour Mills stated that the combination would streamline operations, reduce administrative costs, improve operating efficiency and capture the full synergies arising from the merger, which, in turn will result in a significant enhancement of shareholder value.

Bagco had sold its IPO at N3.90 per share. It opened yesterday at N1.80 per share.

With 35 per cent increase in net earnings per share from 16.5 kobo in 2011 to 22.3 kobo in 2012, Bagco increased cash dividends from N808 million in 2011 to N870 million 2012. This implies a dividend per share of 14 kobo for 2012 as against 13 kobo paid for 2011. The future dividend outlook of the company remained robust with a dividend cover of 1.59 times in 2012 as against 1.29 times in 2011. Net assets per share also increased from N1.48 to N1.57. The yields of the subsidiary are better than that of Flour Mills, which had struggled with declining margins in recent years.

HE three quoted companies that formed the nucleus of the UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Group are expected to pool about N13.6 billion in pre-tax profit by the end of the business year ending December 31, 2012, some N3.4 billion short of combined pre-tax earnings for last year operations.

The UACN Group principally consists of three quoted companiesUACN, parent and holding company; UACN Property and Development Company (UPDC) Plc, the real estate subsidiary and CAP Plc, the paints and allied products subsidiary.

According to latest forecast by directors of the group, both UACN and UPDC are expected to witness declines in profits this year while CAP is expected to turn in a modest increase in profit. But net earnings of these companies are expected to remain substantially high to cover previous dividend payouts.

While UACN is still estimated to provide more than two-thirds of the total profit by the three companies, CAP remains the most profitable company. UACN, which aggregate returns from subsidiaries, is expected to contribute 71.7 per cent of pre-tax profit while UPDC and CAP are estimated to account for 17 per cent and 11.5 per cent respectively.

Average pre-tax profit per N100 unit of sales by UACN is estimated to drop from N20.4 in 2011 to N14.12 in 2012. With this, net earnings per share for the conglomerate could decline from N6.37 made in 2011 to N4.39 in 2012. UACN had paid a dividend per share of N1.50 for the 2011 business year.

Also, average pre-tax profit margin for UPDC is expected to drop from N25.3 on every N100 income in 2011 to N16.73 in 2012. The real estate’s net earnings per share, which had closed 2011 at N1.48, is projected to drop to N1.14 in 2012.

UPDC distributed dividend per share of 65 kobo for 2011 business year.

But CAP is projected to fight off the sluggish bottom-line. Pre-tax profit margin is expected to improve marginally from N30.15 on every N100 sales in 2011 to N30.87 in 2012. Basic earnings per share could thus increase from N1.79 in 2011 to N1.90 in 2012. CAP had paid N1.50 cash dividend on every share in the immediate past year.

The forecast show that while UPDC is expected to witness in-

crease in turnover from N10.75 billion in 2011 to N13.74 billion in 2012, rising costs may undermine the bottom-line. Profits before and after tax are estimated at N2.30 billion and N1.57 billion in 2012 respectively as against N2.72 billion and N2 billion recorded respectively in 2011.

In the same vein, UACN is expected to increase total sales from N63.59 billion in 2011 to N69.03 billion in 2012. But profit before tax is estimated to slow down to N9.75 billion this year as against N12.98 billion made in 2011. After taxes, net profit is projected to drop to N7.02 billion from N10.20 billion in previous year.

However, CAP is expected to sustain exceptional resilience with modest increase in all key performance indicators. Turnover is estimated to increase to N5.06 billion in 2012 compared with N4.31 billion in 2011. Profit before tax is projected to improve from N1.30 billion in 2011 to N1.56 billion in 2012 while net profit after tax is expected to inch up to N1.06 billion from N1.0 billion in 2011.

UACN’s profit in 2011 was boosted significantly by extra-ordinary incomes from a one-off sale of equity stake in a non-quoted subsidiary. Excluding extraordinary income, the operational profit of the conglomerate could be better.

UACN has also recently reported arrangements to acquire majority shareholdings in two quoted companies- Livestock Feeds Plc and Portland Paints and Products Plc. The moves were widely seen as strategic efforts to consolidate the conglomerate’s leadership positions in certain sectors and also tap into emerging opportunities.

At a recent general meeting with shareholders, Chairman, UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Plc, Senator Udoma Udoma, said the conglomerate would continue to grow in its sales and profitability.

According to him, the conglomerate has a positive view of future growth of the Nigerian economy and would tap into this growth potential to deliver better returns to shareholders.

He outlined that the company’s strategy was to target top-line growth that significantly exceeds Nigeria’s annual GDP growth rate as the conglomerate build on its existing businesses and make related acquisitions to deliver growth.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

33

THE NATION INVESTORS FACTS

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TO

FACTS

African Paints vs Portland Paints: Red, green colours

FRICAN Paints (Nigeria) Plc and Portland Paints & Products Nigeria Plc represent different generation - the old generation and new generation, of paint makers. African Paints was incorporated in 1974 and later listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1996. Portland Paints on the other hand was incorporated in 1985. It became a publicly quoted company in 2009. Portland Paints is however the bigger of the two companies.

Notwithstanding the generational gap, the two companies share several similarities including operations and products. Latest audited reports and accounts of the companies for the year ended December 31, 2011 showed dissimilarities in the operational results, even though they both engaged in manufacturing and sales of paints.

While Portland Paints appeared to be consolidating its profitability, African Paints sank deeper into the red.

Sales generation

Both companies witnessed modest growth in sales during the period, with latest report indicating above-average growth for the peers.

African Paints grew total sales by 12.5 per cent in 2011 as against an increase of 2.5 per cent in 2010. Average sales growth in the past two years thus stood at 7.5 per cent. Also, Portland Paints consolidated topline performance with an increase of 8.6 per cent in 2011 compared with 4.9 per cent in 2010. Average sales growth stood at about 6.8 per cent.

Profitability

FACTS TO FACTS Turnover growth Gross profit growth Pre-tax profit growth Gross margin Pre-tax profit margin Net profit growth Return on Assets Return on Equity

African Paints 2011 2010 % % 12.5 2.5 -55.5 -256 -55.7 7.2 18.3 -84.9 -26.8 -249.2 -54.5 -14.5 -4.0 -276.3 -21.0

The two companies showed different profit outlook, with Portland Paints on the positive side and African Paints on the negative side. Portland Paints grew gross profit by about 20 per cent in 2011 just as gross profit margin increased from 38.9 per cent in 2010 to 43 per cent in 2011. Average profit per unit of sales improved marginally from 10.4 per cent to 10.6 per cent, which nudged actual pre-tax profit by 11.4 per cent as against a decline of 9.4 per cent in 2010. Net profit after tax recovered with an increase of 19 per cent compared with a decrease of 28 per cent in previous year.

On the other hand, African Paints’ gross profit dropped by about 56 per cent as gross margin shrank from 18 per cent to 7.2 per cent. By the midline, the company made a worse pretax loss of N84.9 per N100 unit of sales in 2011 as against N26.8 in 2010.

Actual returns

African Paints’ underlying returns remained in the red. Return on total

Portland Paints Average % 7.5 -27.75 -155.85 12.75 -55.85 -151.85 -9.25 -148.65

Turnover growth Gross profit growth Pre-tax profit growth Gross margin Pre-tax profit margin Net profit growth Return on Assets Return on Equity

2011 % 8.6 19.6 11.4 42.9 10.6 19.2 14.2 15.6

2010 % 4.9 -9.4 38.9 10.4 -28.1 8.5 13.8

Average % 6.75 9.8 1 40.9 10.5 -4.45 11.35 14.7

assets worsened from -4.0 per cent in 2010 to -14.5 per cent. Return on equity declined to -276 per cent in 2011 as against -21 per cent in 2010.

Portland Paints increased returns generally to all stakeholders. Return on total assets nearly doubled from 8.5 per cent to 14.2 per cent. Return on equity rose above average to 15.6 per cent in 2011 as against 13.8 per cent in 2010.

The bottom-line

The paints and chemical industry thrives on the booms of public and private construction as well as industrial activities. Slowdown in the economy, especially in manufacturing, construction and real estate businesses, no doubt usually influences the performance of the sector. But the performance of each company would largely be determined by its sales strategy, cost management and balance sheet structure. Portland Paints appears to be in better stead than its peer.

First Bank: New structure, greater values

•Onasanya

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S shareholders prepare for the September 24, 2012 extraordinary general meeting, emerging details on the restructuring of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Group into a holding company showed strong potential for increased values for shareholders.

Under a new banking regulatory framework introduced in 2010 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), banks are required to concentrate fully on core banking functions. The new model requires banks to either sell all non-core banking businesses or form a holding company to hold such non-core banking businesses including activities such as insurance, asset management and capital market operations.

First Bank and four other banks have opted for restructuring of their group universal banking operations into holding company structure.

Other banks are seeking to divest from non-core banking operations.

The largest banking group in Nigeria and easily one of Africa’s largest financial services institutions, the choice of holding company complement the existing group structure of First Bank while creating new synergies that eliminate overlapping functions and loopholes and enhance the efficiency of the group structure.

First Bank Group consists of 11 subsidiaries operating in various segments of the financial services industry from pension custodian, asset management, investment banking, insurance, and microfinance banking entities. Besides, the bank also holds investments in companies with international presence in the United Kingdom and France through its subsidiary FBN Bank (UK) Limited, in addition to representative offices in South Africa, China and Abu Dhabi.

Market pundits said the new structure would enhance the productivity of the FBN Group, thus creating values for shareholders along the component structure.

Managing director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, said the decision to restructure into holding company was the best option for shareholders of First Bank.

According to him, the holding company structure would create more values for shareholders given that subsidiaries under the FBN Group are doing quite well and are leaders in their various segments.

He noted that with the new structure, shareholders of First Bank would be able to fully unleash the latent potential and returns locked in the subsidiaries pointing out particularly the long-established strengths of the bank in investment banking.

Investment advisor and securities expert, Sterling Capital Markets Limited, Mr. Sewa Wusu, said the realisation of the holding company structure would enhance the competitiveness of each component as the performance of the core banking operations and other businesses can be measured distinctively against similar businesses.

He said the new structure would lead to increased profitability as all the members of the holding company would contribute profit to the centre, which would now be shared to investors.

He added that holding company would ensure better preservation of

assets of the group as any infraction in a particular segment could easily be contained while the holding company could use its influence to source additional funds for operations of the subsidiaries.

“I think it’s a good development, there is nothing wrong with the new structure. It’s the same group structure only that the new system will create better values and enhance the profitability of each component,” Wusu said.

Shareholders said they were impressed by the clear sense of direction outlined by the management of the bank.

General Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Mr. Adebayo Adeleke said shareholders were particularly happy that the bank’s holding company arrangement is devoid of complexities that have been known to result in fractional shares in other cases.

According to him, the arrangement where all existing shares of First Bank are transferred entirely to the holding company in the name of the beneficial owners, following which the same number of units and percentage would be held in the new entity is better for shareholders.

He noted that each of the companies would be seen as they are, rather than as a bunch, just as it would ensure that the value that has been built in these 11 companies by First Bank shareholders over the years would not be lost.

“We are excited about the development; we are going to get value, because everything we have would be transferred to the holding company.

There will be no manipulation as a result reconstruction that usually leads to fractional shares,” Adeleke said.

Speaking earlier on the plan, group managing director, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Plc, Mr. Bisi Onasanya said the new structure will enhance the bank’s competitiveness, besides streamlining and coordinating various operations across non-bank financial services.

According to him, it would enable

the group to exploit opportunities for synergies between subsidiaries, while aligning the ownership and operation of the subsidiaries and businesses with current CBN regulatory requirements.

Under the new structure, shareholders of First Bank will be migrated to FBN Holdings as at the terminal date by way of a share-for-share exchange between the shareholders of First Bank and FBN Holdings. Also, First Bank’s stakes in each of the holding company subsidiaries and associated companies will be transferred to FBN Holdings, while First Bank’s shareholdings in each of the Investment Banking and Asset Management (IBAM) subsidiaries will be transferred to FBN Capital Limited. FBN Capital will in turn be owned by FBN Holdings, an arrangement that will not alter the current beneficial shareholding structure of the FBN Group.

Shareholders of First Bank are expected to approve the proposal to transfer the shares to the new structure, after which an application would be submitted to delist First Bank shares from the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and listing of FBN Holding shares next month.

Onasanya outlined that the new structure would create an operating model that will profitably grow the bank’s presence in the market for commercial banking and non-banking financial services in order to achieve the aspiration to be the dominant financial services group in SubSaharan Africa.

“The holding company would result in the creation of a corporate centre with responsibility for setting strategic direction, providing groupwide oversight and ensuring the leveraging of synergies across the group through the constitution of a governing board and committees at the group level to optimally align corporate governance and management roles,” Onasanya pointed out.

Market analysts said the new structure would further enliven the performance of bank, which had doubled profit in the first half of this

year. Half-year report of First Bank for the period ended June 30, 2012 showed that net profit doubled by 124.6 per cent to N46.01 billion as against N20.48 billion posted in comparable period of 2011. Gross earnings had grown by 25.6 per cent to N182.30 billion compared with N145.09 billion in corresponding period of 2011.

The first half report was a significant consolidation on the first quarter performance. First quarter report of First Bank for the period ended March 31, 2012 showed that gross earnings rose by 42.5 per cent to N92.3 billion as against N64.8 billion in comparable period of 2011.

Operating income increased to N74.2 billion compared with N49.4 billion in 2011. Profit before tax stood at N28.9 billion in first quarter 2012 as against N14.3 billion in 2011, an increase of 101.6 per cent.

Customers’ deposits also rose by 31.1 per cent from N1.6 trillion in 2011 to N2.1 trillion in 2012.

The performance trend this year supported the growth outlook indicated by the latest audited report and accounts of the bank for the year ended December 31, 2011. The report showed a 27.6 per cent growth in gross earnings to N296.3 billion as against N232.1 billion recorded in 2010. The bank also secured a 45.6 per cent growth in operating income to N259.2 billion contrary to N178.1 billion the previous year. Total deposit growth of 34.3 per cent to N1.9 trillion and was driven by low cost current and savings accounts, leading to a further reduction in total funding costs to 1.7 per cent from 3.1 per cent in the previous year. First Bank’s shareholders’ funds increased from N339.2 billion in 2010 to N365.48 billion in 2011. Cost to income ratio firmed up to 56.8 per cent while earning per share rose to N1.40 as against 95 Kobo in 2010. Consequently, the bank increased cash dividend by 33.3 per cent to 80 kobo for the 2011 business year as against 60 kobo distributed for the 2010 business year.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

INSURANCE

Cornerstone, Linkage others mull merger option

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BOUT six insurance firms are engrossed in merger talks to boost their performance, The Nation has learnt.

Last week, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) said it received a proposed merger plan between Cornerstone Insurance Plc and Linkage Insurance Plc. Mr Wole Tokede, the spokesperson, in the weekly activity summary, said the institutions had notified The Exchange of their proposal to merge into one.

The Exchange said the merger would result in the transfer of assets, liabilities and undertakings, including real property and intellectual property rights of Linkage Insurance Plc to Cornerstone; and the cancellation of the issued shares of Linkage.

The Exchange said: “The application for the merger which is under consideration will however result in the transfer of all assets, liabilities and undertakings, as well as real property and intellectual property rights of Linkage Insurance Plc to Cornerstone Insurance Plc, the shareholders of the Scheme Shares of Linkage Insurance Plc so cancelled will be entitled to 30 per cent shareholding (approximately 74 percent of the current shareholding in Linkage) of Post-Merger Cornerstone Insurance Plc. Commissioner for Insurance Fola Daniel, who confirmed the merger plans, said several firms were fine-tuning theirs. He said the new twist by operators aligned with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) transformation programme.

He noted that the commission over the years has been striving to grow companies that can compete favourably in the global sphere.

He lauded the merger plans of Cornerstone Insurance Plc and Linkage Assurance Plc. Daniel said: “We want bigger companies; we want bigger players’ not faint firms.

The merger plans between Cornerstone Insurance Plc and Linkage Assurance Plc is in line with our reforms programme.

“There are several companies that are looking at merger, at least there are half a dozen that are doing so presently.”

He urged policy holders and

other stakeholders to look forward to a more vibrant industry that would be made up of companies with adequate strength and consumer friendliness.

President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Dr Wole Adetimehin, said the move is to build mega companies, adding that companies have realised that they cannot harness more of the opportunities in the industry with solo effort.

He noted that reforms initiated by the government and NAICOM have opened up more businesses for the industry.

“Presently, there are some silent moves where some people are planning to merge to become mega companies,” he said.

Director-General, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) Sunday Thomas, said NAICOM has put in place structures to enable companies have the required capital that can underwrite the type of risk they cover, adding that some companies have begun consultations on how to raise their capital to enable them key into the opportunities provided by the Local Content Act, especially in the oil and gas insurance business.

“The capital base may not be adequate, but I am aware that companies that want to operate within the Local Content are making efforts to shore-up their capital. Also, NAICOM is working very hard to put in place risk-based supervision. And one of the fundamentals of riskbased supervision is risk-based recapitalisation.

“Risk-based recapitalisation measures the type of business in relation to the capital to back-up the business. Some companies may not be there now, but they would not be allowed to operate beyond their capacity.

I think NAICOM is doing a good job in that direction. For the industry, efforts are being made to shore-up capital and of course, there have been discussions about mergers and how companies can be bigger, because companies have realised that there is beauty in being big. If they are big, they will be able to increase their capacity to retain more businesses and that will impact the economy through job creation,” he added.

Brokers bid for NLNG accounts

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HE Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has written to selected brokers to bid for its insurance stake.

A source from the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) said the firm disqualified some brokers and wrote to some others for financial bids.

He noted that successful brokers in the bidding would be appointed to handle the over N1 billion insurance business of the organisation.

President, Nigerian Council for Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mrs Laide Osijo, said brokers have been equipped to provide all types of oil and gas risks, adding that the Local Content policy has created enormous opportunities for insurance firms, especially the brokering sector.

President, Lagos Area Council (NCRIB), Tunde Oguntade, said the NLNG business is good for brokers, adding that brokers are working to meet the 70 percent

provided for them in the Nigerian Content Act. Oguntade said the involvement of brokers in oil and gas would boost their capacity and growth, stressing that local operators would stem the outflow of premiums from the country.

“We are looking at 70 per cent as stated in the law. That means that 70 per cent premium that used to go outside the country in the past, now has to be with local underwriters and brokers. This would enable us improve on our capacity, train, source good rates and do corporate social responsibility,” he said.

Over 300 brokers get Fed Govt’s group life account

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BOUT 300 brokers were appointed by the Head of Service of the Federation (HSOF) for this year’s Federal Government’s group life insurance, The Nation has learnt.

A broker, who asked not to be named, said the premium was valued at about N7 billion, adding that over 300 brokers were appointed.

Observers, who expressed misgivings over the delay in the release of the premium, called on the government to ensure the premium is released early in the year to forestall issues arising from claims settlement.

A stakeholder urged the government to pay attention to insurance development by ensuring that premiums are paid as at when due, adding that insurance is a necessity which must be considered first among other priorities.

He said: “Delay in payment of premium is not good for the development of the industry. It is an irony that the government which is supposed to encourage insurance growth is the one

Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

contravening its law thereby constraining the market. If huge premium is paid as at when due, it would go a long way in growing the industry.

“The government is not doing well; it should see insurance as a necessary expenditure that must be paid as other expenditure heads. Insurance should not be treated as an after-thought, because we live in a world of risks. Government should note that by paying premium, it is not doing underwriters a favour, but it is a necessary obligation that must be met.”

There has been anxiety in the industry over the payment of claims to government employees that died in the Dana air clash as a result of the non payment of the group life premium.

Former Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Olusola LadipoAjayi, who spoke on the position of insurers on the claims, said the No Premium No Cover’ clause would not deter insurers from settling the claims

of the civil servants who died in the crash.

He said though the Federal Government is yet to pay the group life cover for its employees; insurers would settle the claims arising from the mishap and collect the premium later.

“On the issue of Head of Service, I know the laws says ‘No premium No cover’, but I am not aware that the law criminalises the issue of granting cover without premium. To the best of my understanding and belief, it is a gentle man’s agreement, when premiums have not been paid, that cover exists.

“It has been a serious problem because the federal government is the major insurance buyer in this country. Insurance companies have been in the habit of collecting their premium in arrears. I am sure no insurance company will raise the clause at this point in time for the civil servants that died in the air crash,” he said.

He assured that insurers and government would resolve the issue to ensure that the victims get their benefits.

• Director, Corporate Relations, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Sesan Sobowale; Managing Director, Mr Seni Adetu; Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr Nwanze Okidegbe, and Special Assistant to Chief Economic Adviser, Dr Ogho Okiti, during a courtesy visit by the Managing-Director to the Economic Adviser in Abuja.

Insurance penetration low in Nigeria, says FBN Life boss

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NSURANCE penetration in Nigeria is low with Life Insurance below 0.3 per cent and non-life slightly above 0.5 per cent, Managing Director, FBN Life Assurance Company Plc, Val Ojuma, has said.

Speaking during an interview in Lagos, he said the National Insurance Commission (NIC) and industry operators were working together to increase insurance education and awareness among the public. Also, the regulator is encouraging operators to redesign the various products offerings to make them more consumer friendly. “ The challenge of distribution remains daunting with poor state of infrastructure for premium collection.

Overall, most operators have become aware that the size of the uninsured public offer great potentials for premium growth and will therefore increase penetration,” he said.

He said FBN Life Assurance Company Plc, a subsidiary of FirstBank of Nigeria Plc, strategy right from inception is to offer customised products to customers at the least cost.

He listed some of the company’s re-

tail products to include Flexi Savings Plan, Flexi Cash flow, Flexi Education Plan, Extended Family Support Plan.

Ojuma said the firm’s approach would attract more insurance consumers, build confidence, increase market penetration, enhance industry contribution to overall economy, and position the sector for global competitiveness.

“The company, which is the latest arrival in the insurance industry, having got its licence in 2010, is excited about the reception of its products by insurance consumers, stating that its impetus has awakened old and complacent players in its line of business,” he said.

He said the firm had always met and sometimes exceeded its standard in claims payment, making claims payment within 24 hours.

Ojuma said the company’s products have received very wide acceptance, much to its surprise and delight, pointing out that all have been designed with the consumers in mind, and to address specific gaps in existing product offerings in the market.

According to him, the company is taking advantage of its Financial Advisers and the extensive network of FirstBank of Nigeria to reach potential customers. “We are now able to bring insurance closer to potential customers. We have held several seminars in Lagos and are extending various educational programmes to schools and associations across Nigeria, to enhance the public understanding of insurance,” he said.

He said the company is not yet where it wants to be in terms of service delivery, as there is always need for improvement. However, he said that the firm’s service delivery will improve significantly before the end of the year.

He said the firm’s products have been well received and we have brought some new excitement into the industry. “The old operators, whom seem to have been complacent, have been awakened by our impetus. Our shareholders have shown a lot of understanding and our directors have supported our strategies,” he said.

Company launches private health insurance exchange

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LEXIBLE Benefit Service Corporation (Flex) has launched its ‘Insure XSolutions’ private health insurance exchange. The private exchange promotes a defined contribution funding model that gives uninsured employers a way to set their own budget and assist employ-

ees with health care expenses. The InsureXSolutions web platform provides an online insurance marketplace where employees can shop, compare and apply for insurance plans that fit their personal needs.

Available in select markets, InsureXSolutions is an ideal solution

for employers currently not offering employee benefits. Employers simply allocate a fixed amount of funds for each employee.

Employees can then login to the InsureXSolutions web portal for access to online quoting and comparison resources for individual and family in-

surance plans from various national and regional insurance companies.

Once employees find the right plan, they use the InsureXSolutions online marketplace to directly apply for health insurance, Medicare, shortterm insurance and/or vision insurance.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

35

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

RMRDC calls for use of local technology D

IRECTOR-General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Peter Onwualu, has called for the use of local technology in the fabrication of machineries for processing raw materials.

Onwualu made the call in Abuja at the Third National Competition on Design of Processing Equipment and Plant organised by the organisation.

He said the absence of appropriate local technology and the challenges associated with imported machinery constituted great hindrance to raw materials processing.

Onwualu said the country was endowed with abundant natural re-

Stories by Daniel Essiet

sources, which needed to be harnessed to transform its economy.

According to him, most of the available processing equipment in the country is outdated.

He pointed out that the locally fabricated ones are produced without specification. Such machineries, he noted, were often “not only partially functional but also noisy and ineffective.”

This, he said, forces the management of most processing industries to import their machines, thus leading to capital flight, export of labour, and continuous over dependence on

imported technology.

He said the council had developed technologies for the processing of various raw materials to enable the country achieve value addition in processing its resources.

On the competition, Onwualu said the winners of the first prize would receive a research grant to produce designs for use by industries.

Minister of Science and Technology Prof Ita Ewa praised the RMRDC for the programme, which he said was meant to enhance the capacity of design engineers. Ewa said the programme would assist the Ward Based Cluster Project launched recently by the ministry.

He called on the private sector to key into the RMRDC’s programme to sustain the growth of the manufacturing sector.“It is my hope that this is the panacea for growing our economy toward the realisation of the objectives of Vision 20:2020 of the present administration,’’ Ewa added.

The team of engineers from the Faculty of Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, emerged winners of the competition. The team, which designed a solar powered groundnut dryer with geothermal heath storage, received N2 million.

Federal Institute of Industrial Re-

search, Oshodi’s bin dryer and a solar dryer with dehumidifier won the first consolatory prize of N250, 000 and the third consolatory prize of another N250,000. The team from the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Uyo, won the second consolatory prize for designing one-ton-perhour Rotary Dryer and also received N250,000.

Speaking on behalf of the winners, Prof. Funsho Akeredolu of OAU, praised the RMRDC for encouraging Nigerian engineers, and said such support would lead Nigeria to the true path of transformation.

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agenda for northern Nigeria.

It would advocate for peace as a recipe for economic growth and development, he added.

Rabin said that the summit would harness the vast experience and resources of people of the region and its various governments for economic rebirth.

He said the summit would be about rebirth, revival and reinvention of the north as a region and would be tied to the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.

On the security challenge in the region, the chairman said that the situation was not peculiar to the north as “insecurity is a global phenomenon.”

Summit to address unemployment

HE Conference of the Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CONSCCIMA) has said its economic and investment summit in October will address security and employment challenges in the north.

CONSCIMMA chairman Ahmad Rabin said the conference’s second Economic and Investment Summit coming up on October 15 and 16 in Minna, Niger State.

Rabin said the conference would adopt measures to revamp the region’s economic base and engage the youths in ventures that would keep them away from social vices.

He said the summit would also examine the effects of insecurity on the economy of Nigeria and northern Nigeria, specifically, as well as develop a clear and realistic integrated economic revival

•Small chops

Entrepreneurs invest in mobile catering

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OBILE catering is gradually changing the face of Lagos State as young enterpreneurs invest in the business. As a result, some families could be lifted out of poverty.

This is also changing the perception of the State as the hub of youth hooliganism to a major player in the booming business of mobile catering and small chops business.

With unemployment rates as high as 40 per cent, the young entrepreneurs are now profoundly repositioned and fully prepared to take the leadership of the business. This group comprising youths in the 20-35 age bracket is repositioned and fully engaged in applying all they have learned, in a leap that many young professionals are now chasing.

Youths involved in catering service have shown how food service -led growth can be a powerful antidote to poverty. The evolving industry is laying the foundation for long-term economic vitality for the areas involved.

Some young men have taken their place at the heart of the industry worth thousands of naira.

One of them is the Chief Executive of Ades Small Chops, Mr Ajiboso Adepoju .

With a group of friends, Ajiboso now caters for events fulfilling the social needs for Shomolu-area businesses. Ades Small Chops is a food and services company that cooks and supplies food. The company offers catering services and cocktail drinks for events.

Their productivity is incredibly

high, and engagement scores are incredibly high. With overhead so low, and client base in place, he has began making money.

Ajiboso said with the business of small chops young people can make enough money to live life on their own terms and have a sense of peace and fulfillment.

Taking to mobile catering, Ajiboso and his group provide brilliant mix of services that makes events memorable. The menu offers a mix of old and new favourites that guests can enjoy.

It is clear from the demand for their services that they will change the face of the industry.

The young entrepreneurs have created a multi-million business enterprise.

Their love for the catering business and zealousness to take on new challenges is far from diminished.

They have been to wedding receptions, business meetings and hospitality events, and one thing they have in common, is the array of small chops that always

accompanies them.

Ajiboso has proved that no hindrance is too big to tackle or no obstacle too hard to overcome only if one possesses enough self confidence and are determination to succeed. He had to struggle hard for almost everything he has achieved in life. He has learned to cope with difficulties and face them boldly.

He acquired skills on small chops. Seventy per cent of their jobs come from referrals. The group has persevered with hard work and determination to succeed against all odds. ”We had received several inquiries and the number keeps growing,” he said.

For him why outside catering fails is because the students, or customers, aren’t served the type of food people want to eat. His goal now is to continue to grow the business and work with clients.

One of the young entrepreneurs, Yomi Martins, prepares

•Ajiboso

small chops at its premises and delivers it to the event when needed. His target is private and corporate events. These consist weddings, birthday parties, dinner parties and funerals. He leads a small group of hungry, success driven, passionate, action-taking entrepreneurs whose goals are creating wealth for themselves and others.

Association to govt: Develop fishing to create wealth

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HAIRMAN of Ibeju Lekki Fishers Cooperatives Society, Lagos State, Mr Odubitoe Lateef has urged the state government to develop fishing as a means of wealth creation.

Lateef said the profession was capable of engaging many youths in the country, if well exploited by the government.

He, therefore, urged the government to address the challeges confronting the sub-sector such as lack of funding and modern equipment.

“We want the government to provide us with modern equipment that will enable us to compete with our counterparts in the western world.

“It will make fish available and cheap as well as reduce the importation of fish.

“It is unwise to import fish in a country like Nigeria where we have enough rivers.”

He said the association was encouraged by the state government’s support.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Min-

istry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has launched the artisanal fishing inputs service delivery programme.

During the launch of the programme at Orimedu Beach, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, said the programme was aimed at empowering and equipping youths.He said the government had spent more than N3 million to purchase fish farming equipment for the programme.

NASME frets over shopping malls activities

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HE National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) said shopping malls are taking over the business of small traders.

Executive Secretary of the association, Mr Eke Ubiji, said in Lagos that shopping malls were taking over products being sold by small time traders.

Ubiji said the standard and ambience of shopping malls were enough to attract buyers against the open and harsh environment of petty traders.

“Customers would prefer to go to an air-conditioned shop than to go to an unattractive shop to buy products. Many of these malls have everything in stock. You can buy building materials, hospital equipment and even farm products from the malls.

“If you can buy tomato es, pepper and onions in a sophisticated mall, why would you go to muddy and unkempt open markets to get them,” he said.

According to Ubiji, many of the malls sell products at ridiculously cheap prices to attract more customers.

“Foreign investments are good for our economy, but they should not be allowed to take over our small and medium businesses. It is even sad that many of the malls are owned by foreigners who don’t re-invest their profits into our economy.They would rather take it back to develop their own economies,” he said.

Ubiji appealed to the government to put a limit on the kind of goods being sold by the shopping malls to guarantee the growth and sustenance of ordinary traders.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

INTERVIEW The Osun State Government is bullish about turning the state into the economic hub of the South-West. In this interview with Group Business Editor, AYODELE AMINU, on the sideline of a recent investment forum, held in Osogbo, the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, unfolds the administration’s agenda. Excerpts:

‘Our plan is to celebrate tax payers’ W

HAT has been the profile of the state’s internally Generated Revenue (IGR), especially since Governor Rauf Aregbesola took over?

I handle three portfolios in one. I handle the economic planning, budget and finance.

That gives me a helicopter view of where we are, where we are going and how we are navigating. Yes, when the Governor came in, the IGR of this state was slightly above N300 million. It was hovering between N320 million. The first thing he did was to automate the whole process of IGR. When you talk of IGR, it is a gamut of processes. We have the collection processing of it and the banking sides. So, he appointed a consultant to do similar things that was done in Lagos and some other states. They couldn’t just pull-off the ground until the cabinet came in and in November, we actually went live in terms of automation and we insisted that tax payers must pay directly to the bank, and what happened was that the revenue jumped from N320 million to over N600 million.

But that is not where it should stop in terms of ensuring that you improve your IGR. So, we are now at the second phase. This phase is more difficult because that’s where we are going to do bootstrapping, looking at leakages and ensuring that revenues from agricultural and forestry are not fretting away.

Thereafter, we would begin to look at formal sector, beyond formal sector, you look beyond payee and you will be surprised that since the creation of this state, it has never gone to audit books of businesses and enterprises that are deducting taxes from their employees and are supposed to be remitting to government. All these are areas of improvement that Mr. Governor had to come in.

Already, Mr Governor has come up with a law that is currently in the House of Assembly on revenue administration. What the revenue administration does is to re-orientate internal revenue service and refocus it and actually challenge the officials and put their career in their hands in terms of training, re-orientation, operational flows to run their operations.

Do you have any incentive in place to encourage tax compliance and what is the ratio of current capital spending?

I think from the tax, we discovered that we have a lot of high networth individuals who have country homes here and come around on weekends. And what we have done is talk to them, encourage them and try to also sensitise them and let them also know the programmes of the Governor in terms of development. We believe that we will have some of them walking in voluntarily to pay their taxes. At least, since I became Commissioner of Finance, I have seen more than ten people, high networth individuals that have walked in to say I am a citizen of Osun, I earn dividend income, revenues and I want to pay my taxes. So, our plan is to celebrate them we want to launch our electronic tax card, which enables you to carry your tax payment like a wallet. So, you must have read in the news that we were not going to tax people unnecessarily. Prior to this administration, we discovered that the people of Osun State have been practically abandoned.

There was no social overhead capital expenditure; there is no emergency project and programme in the key sectors of the state economy. So, we knew if we start taxing them from day one, would be unnecessary burden for the Osun people. That is why the government came up with intervention schemes like ORIP, OYES. In ORIP, we have farmers that we provide micro credit, we gave them land. They pay credit to the landowners in Unit trusts, such as a trustee

scheme. They pay the landowners and part of that is actually ploughed back by the government. These are ingenious indirect ways of taxes to ensure that these individuals that benefit from government intervention also pay back by fulfilling their civic responsibilities. So, that is being worked out and for those of them that are in cooperative societies, we engage them at that level rather than running around the streets in Gestapo or uncivilised manner. Basically, that is what we have been doing to improve the revenue.

What is the ratio of the recurrent to capital spending?

You know the Federal Government is doing 70 recurrent to 30 capitals, but we here in Osun we are doing 56 capital and 44 recurrent. But we intend to do 70 capital and 30 recurrent. We are trying to push our recurrent expenditure down in what is called financial concurrent checklist to monitor it.

Why are you raising capital from the bond market?

You will agree with me that bond is what we should use for developmental programme.

We are not happy with roads that lead to our capital city. We are not just building roads; all our roads on capital projects have bankable documents, which tell you about the social-economic importance of that road.

It tells you about the visibility of that road.

Osogbo-Iwo road, for example, you will be surprised that that is the most economically viable corridor. We must do that road too and we also talk about our flagship investment project which is the OUP—a logistic center, which is also we are trying to build, not just a logistic center but a commercial centre where you have commercial activities and exchange of good and values, and that will be an exchange point for our farm produce going to Lagos via rail. That will also be an exchange point for finished goods coming to Osogbo.

We believe if we can reactivate it through that flagship investment activity, we will be better off. Fortunately, the Federal Government has renovated the railway lines which are working now and we have signed a MoU with them which will lead to a full-fledged private-public partnership arrangement. My colleague, Mr Alagbala is already talking to investors in the Middle East that are bringing in funds into that OUP. We will provide the physical infrastructure but they will provide the commercial infrastructure and they will run it. In other to do that, we must build roads. We have awarded a dual carriageway to that centre and some of the funding will come from the bond. I will not go for commercial loan for such a huge capital projects, I will rather do bond. We are also looking for concessionary loan that are long term from the World Bank, China EXIM bank but the fact remains that borrowing from a foreign market is at risk of unstable foreign exchange. That is why we have chosen to go to capital market. We are currently with the SEC and in a matter of weeks, it will be concluded.

What is the level of this year’s budget implementation?

• Bolorunduro

We are above 60 per cent for 2012 budget.

You know in government, it is cash-base accounting.

What is the debt profile of the state?

There so much talk about N18.3 billion. It was actually N21 billion. N18.3 billion was a single loan that was drawn in a very dramatic manner in the sense that it was supposed to be for a project. The construction period for that project was three years and 24 months. So, you expect a phased drawing of the facility. Banks will give you an availability period which is supposed to be at least equal to the project period, which means the loan will be available for drawing in phases but the former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola just drew it once and the state had a debt overhang. That is why the N18 billion is being so much talked about because the purpose was so wrong. Why borrowing a short-term of two to three years to build six stadia at the same time. So, that was a mismatch, and why should he borrow at the twilight of his tenure? Even with the Court of Appeal judgement, they would have left in six months, thereby creating problem for the incoming administration. So, what Mr Governor did was to extinguish some of the short-term loan and he brought it down

‘There so much talk about N18.3 billion. It was actually N21 billion. N18.3 billion was a single loan that was drawn in a very dramatic manner in the sense that it was supposed to be for a project. The construction period for that project was three years and 24 months. So, you expect a phased drawing of the facility’

to N8.6 billion.

What are the incentives being mapped out for investors in the state?

Some were mentioned during the investment summit. We talked about availability of electricity in Osun because of the regional control centre that we have. Currently, there are Federal Government projects to improve electricity and we are already talking to the federal government that they should let us fund it to make it quicker. We know they will make a refund for that. Two key projects of the Federal Government that are pursuing are the Osogbo/Ede transmission line.

It is supposed to be sub-station but has been slow. We can fund it hoping for a refund from the FG, that will make electricity available to feed our Export Free Trade Zone, which the former administration said it spent N1.5 billion on but could not find any structure on it. That will be a key industrial centre. We also promise our investors water and Mr Governor has said he will go beyond that by providing the roads. We are not just saying we wanted to do investment summit. We are going to define our comparative advantage.

Also, there will be easier access to land for investors. Our policy is a one-stop shop.

Even in the Ministry of Land, the whole idea is that we need to make land buying easier.

Ideally, one should be able to get a Certificate of Occupancy out within 90 days. But to fast-track it, as the owner, you must have all your documents ready and submitted to the surveyor-general’s office. In fast-tracking, it comes with extra cost. Every property owner will shortly have titles and every private land and properties will be captured through a programme. For an agricultural land, there is an innovation that we want to pride our self as pioneering. A bill is before the state’s House of Assembly that will look into ways to ensure investors get lands without having problem with the community.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

LIFELINE

BOOK REVIEW

Bayelsa to build film village

Book Title: God’s Dietary Prescription Author: Yomi Ogbaro Publisher: Ayeni Bayo Prints Services Pagination: 171 Year of Publication: June 2012 Reviewer: Ngozi Chilaka

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AYELSA State Government is to build a film village as part of efforts to project its vast potentials to the outside world. Governor Seriake Dickson has said.

He spoke at a state dinner for some Nollywood stars who were in the state for a symposium on the prospects of indigenous films in Nigeria at Government House, Yenagoa .

Dickson spoke of his administration’s intention to collaborate with the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), to enable the academy hold its activities annually in the state.

According to him, aside from the film village, government is putting in place the necessary infrastructure such as good road network , a boat club, golf course and other recreational facilities, that could facilitate as well as enrich film production in Bayelsa State.

Governor Dickson remarked that the Glory land Castle in Government House has been converted to a six- star hotel, which he noted will be the first of its kind in the country when completed.

Re-affirming his administration’s commitment to make Bayelsa State a centre of excellence in the Arts and Culture, the Governor urged actors, actresses and film producers to take advantage of the peaceful and alluring scenery of the state for their film production.

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S the Holy Bible says, “our body is the temple of God” and so we must treat it with a lot of respect and adoration. Going to church, praying every day, reading the bible, and engaging in all other spiritual exercise have proven to be indeed not enough for God, and this is why Yomi Ogbaro, Pastor of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries wrote the book, God’s Dietary Prescription. He says that taking care of our bodies physically is also needed. In line with God’s reality or perception, we need to stop abusing our bodies with the wrong choices we make every day in terms of what we eat and what we drink as well as our general habits.

Pastor Yomi made reference to Thomas Moffet, an English naturalist and physician, who is best known for his puritan beliefs and his emphasis on the importance of experience over reputation in the field of medicine. He said that, “ignorantly, today men dig their graves with their own teeth and die more by those fated instruments than by the weapons of their enemies”.

This 24 chaptered piece takes you through the divine principles of health and the steps taken to enjoy good health. It also contains the tips as well as the dos and donts of good living.

Yomi compared the human’s body to a car that lacks servicing and attention if there is consumption of junk food, improperly prepared meals, imbalanced diets, etc.

He also refers to his book as nutrition 101 at the end of the introductory part. This is indeed correct as the book is a material that takes one through the instructions and guidelines on healthy living based on our diet.

God’s Dietary Prescription exposes humans on why they fall sick, its causes, and also encourages man to avoid the intake of genetically modified foods and stick to the unprocessed natural foodstuffs and fruits. Pastor Yomi also made use of tables and illustrations that should differentiate types and classes of food, their usefulness and importance to the body, He uses this to buttress his points in this mind-blowing piece. The popular saying ‘you are what you eat’, is thoroughly explained in a chapter of the book and helps clear the misconceptions people have about diets and body intakes. The informative and educative ability of the book leaves a reader with the curiosity of flipping through subsequent pages.

Pastor Yomi shows his sense of creativity in terms of the conceptualisation of the book cover and the designers. Toby Isreal and Wale Ibikunle couldn’t have done better with actualising the author’s concept of the cover page. The design of the book has the ability to attract

Life in my city art festival

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Guide to good diet readers’ attention and the content of the book is not disappointing at all. The cover of a book should give at least a little detail of the content of the material and God’s Dietary Prescription did not fall short in that aspect. The author’s combination of health and spirituality is highly exceptional as one might not be able to imagine the relationship both have with our everyday living. Reading a copy of this book makes me understand the fact that what the body wants is very different from what the body needs.

We neglect the needs of the body on the altar of excessive junks that damage the body.

Everyone, both young and old is advised to grab a copy of the book, scholars and those in the professional fields especially health, have a lot to gain from this book as it concerns our everyday living. God’s Dietary Prescription is the perfect illustration of the saying ‘health is wealth’.

Ekiti targets UNESCO listing for its heritage sites

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KITI State government has said that it is working to ensure that tourist sites such as Ikogosi Warm Spring, Arinta Water Falls, the Fajuyi Park and monuments and heritage sites such as Ogun Onire Groove, Esa Cave, Okuta-gbokuta-leri among others meet the standard of UNESCO enlistment as world heritage and boost tourism in the state.

Governor Kayode Fayemi who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, on MOnday in Ado-Ekiti at the opening of the first Festival of Culture and Arts Expo (EKIFEST) described the culture of a society as a way of life of its members, which includes collection of tangible and intangible ideas and habits shared and transmitted from generation to generation that make the people unique and serve as the binding chord.

He said EKIFEST is the demonstration of the love of his administration for cultural values and the determination of the government to resuscitate and restore the love for cultural values and heritage in the people especially at this critical period that the culture and language of the people are suffering deprivation and are at the verge of extinction.

Fayemi explained that in addition to the determination to restore cultural values, his government recognises the potentials inherent in arts, culture and monumental sites development as a veritable alternative to boosting the economy of the state and that the government is stepping up efforts to harness all the available resources in this regard.

According to the governor, the advantages derivable from cultural awareness and adequate development of the

FESTIVAL potentials are not lost to his administration and this informed the creation of a Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism on the assumption of office and the setting up of the Committee on Arts, Culture and Tourism to provide a strategic roadmap on all aspects of the Ministry’s work.

The Governor who listed other activities of the festival to include exhibition of arts, artifacts and antiquities of Ekiti ancestors appealed to all public spirited individuals, nongovernmental organizations and corporate establishments to key into the cultural agenda of the state government to better the lots of the people with an assurance that all talented performers discovered at the expo would be exposed to international competitions through sponsorship.

Commissioner for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Alhaji Ayodele Jinadu described the maiden Festival of Culture and Arts Expo as an epoch-making occasion as it marks a significant milestone in the efforts of Governor Kayode Fayemi towards the socio-economic transformation of the state.

Alhaji Jinadu enumerated some of the efforts of the administration towards cultural developments and advancement of tourism potentials in Ekiti to include the inauguration of bodies such as the Schools Culture Club, State Consultative Committee on Culture Arts and Tourism, Committee to work out the modalities for the establish of a creative centre for cinematography enterprise and the establishment of Ekiti Film Village at Ipole and Ikogosi-Ekiti among others.

HE Organising Committee of the Life In My City art festival, holding in Enugu has picked September 11 as deadline for the submission of entries for this year’s festival. A statement signed by the Artistic Director of the festival, Mr. Ayo Adewunmi, said the first selection of art works for the next stage of the competition would hold on Thursday 13 September throughout the 11 collection centres in all the zones of the country. The exhibition of works for the second stage of the process would be held simultaneously in the six zones where 15 of the best works will make it to the final and third stage in Enugu. The statement added that each zone will forward the selected 15 works to Enugu between the October 3 and 8 in preparation for the grand finale exhibition and jury selection of the prize winners in various categories in the week beginning Sunday October 21.

“There will be a press and sponsors preview of the exhibition of the finalists in the grand finale exhibition on October 22 after which it will remain open throughout the week to the public till the award night on Saturday, October 27. Of particular interest in this year’s festival will be the Pan-African photo exhibition of the 30 finalists of the Photo Africa Competition. The Photo Africa competition is a special event of this year’s Life In My City Festival,” the statement said.

Photographers from all parts of Africa have already been invited to send their works based on the theme ‘Life In My City’ for the competition. A separate jury of professional photographers, teachers and connoisseurs will select the best 30 entries to be exhibited during the final week of the Festival at a separate but prominent venue in Enugu. One winning entry will receive a prize of 1,000 USDollars, which will also be presented at the Grand Finale and Award Night on October 27. Also during the final week of the festival, there will be a children’s art workshop for primary school children to be followed by another workshop for art teachers in primary and secondary schools in the Enugu area on October 19 and 20. The Photo Africa Exhibition featuring the 30 finalists will be opened on Thursday, October 25.

Lagos holds book expo

By Miriam Ndikanwu

L

AGOS State Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye has opened the 5th Lagos Book Expo aimed at broadening the horizon of Nigerian youth through reading.

The book fair, organised by Lagos Television at its Combo Hall in Ikeja, was attended by former Governor Lateef Jakande, students and stakeholders in the education sector.

Mrs Oladunjoye, represented by the Director of Administration and Finance in the Ministry, Mrs Ebun Oladimeji, said the development was necessary to help revive the dwindling reading culture in the country.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos Television, Lekan Ogunbanwo said the fair was meant to widen the horizon of youths and others to reading. ”Without books, we cannot acquire knowledge and we will not know new areas of discoveries. We believe we need to contribute our quota to this book fair. The theme is ‘Read to Widen your Horizon. The fair will be an opportunity to buy new books for you library,” he said.

In her keynote address on Eradicating Examination Malpractice in Nigeria, the Director, Dansol Schools, Mrs Adunola Akinyemiju decried the high rate of examination malpractice in the country. ”In the Nigerian situation, it has become a serious problem in our educational system which is so painful to me as a person and makes me weep because of the negative effect it has on this generation.

“Examination malpractice in Nigeria is a phenomenon which has eaten deep as a canker worm that needs to be treated,” she said, adding that urgent step must be taken to address the malaise.

Akinyemiju listed the causes of examination malpractice to include overcrowding in classrooms, lack of teaching aid, laboratory equipment, libraries to expose students to proper learning; inadequate teachers, love of money by teachers and invigilators and the Nigerian factor.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

38

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

T

HEY were two of the sturdiest Baobab trees in the dense forest of Nigeria’s intellectual universe.

They had razor sharp intellects and exuded great charisma even if in a largely understated manner. In their life time, the duo had so much in common. They were passionately committed to the academic endeavour. They respected intelligence because of their belief in their own intelligence. Rather than being scared of budding intellectual stars and trying to obscure their progress, they identified and mentored them to bring out the best in them. The two men were both progressive in orientation and utilized, in admittedly different ways, the Marxian political economy model as the theoretical handle with which they sought to understand and explicate the dark contours of exploitation, inequality and poverty in contemporary Africa. I speak here of those two veritable giants of social science scholarship in Nigeria, nay Africa – Professors Bade Onimode and Claude Ake. These two scholars epitomized what the late Marxist American political economist, Paul Baran, described in the 60s as genuine intellectuals pursuing truth with passion wherever it may lead. They were surely not just intellect workers intent on offering their knowledge and skills in defence of a corrupt and decadent social order. They were fighters for truth, justice and human dignity.

Professor Claude Ake was born on February 8th, 1999 and perished most tragically in a plane crash en route Lagos from Port Harcourt on November 8th, 1996 aged 52. None of the passengers on board the aircraft survived.

Claude Ake attended Kings College, Lagos, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan where he obtained his first degree in Economics. Thereafter he proceeded to Columbia University for his post-graduate studies. Within a short period, Ake had established himself as one of the most rigorous and original scholars of our time. In the words of the late Professor Aaron Gana, “It was from the hallowed precincts of America’s establishment scholarship that Claude Ake imploded into the world of global scholarship”. A prolific thinker, writer and scholar Professor Ake wrote many highly acclaimed works of political economy.

These include A Theory of Political Integration (1967); Revolutionary Pressures in Africa (1978); Social Science as Imperialism (1979); A Political Economy of Africa (1981) and a Political Economy of Nigeria (edited -1985). Although the eminent political scientist, Professor Adele Jinadu, in a collection of tributes to

Claude Ake and Bade Onimode: Their last testaments Ake was of the view that Revolutionary Pressures in Africa was his most original, even if highly controversial, work. However, the dominant view is that A Political Economy of Africa was a product of the zenith of Ake’s intellectual powers.

On his part, Professor Bade Onimode died at the National Hospital in Abuja on the 28th of November, 2001. He was born in 1944, studied Economics for his first degree at the University of Ibadan before going ahead to obtain his M.Sc and PhD degrees at the University of Chicago and Ohio State University respectively. Like Ake, Onimode has several outstanding books to his credit. Some of these are: Imperialism and underdevelopment of Nigeria (1983); A Political Economy of The African Crisis (1988); The IMF, World Bank and the African Debt (1989); A future for Africa – beyond the politics of Adjustment (1992) and Issues in African Development (1995). It is instructive that while Claude Ake, a political scientist often used the spring board of economic and material conditions to illuminate issues of power, politics and governamce in Africa, Bade Onimode, an econo-

mist, drew heavily from political and historical sources to shed light on the socio-economic structural deformities of contemporary Africa.

But what really do I mean by the last testaments of these two venerable and illustrious social scientists who rank among the best this country has ever produced? I refer to the last major books they wrote before their untimely transition. These books vividly illustrate the passionate concern of these two progressive and radical scholars about the African condition.

They thus sat down to think deeply and vigorously about the continent’s challenges, offering critical diagnoses and also proffering solutions on the way forward. In his own ‘last testament’, titled ‘Africa In the World of the 21st Century’, Professor Onimode explains that “This book attempts to extend current debates and concerns about the African crisis to the status and prospects for Africa in the global system of the twenty-first century”. With this objective in mind, Onimode takes a panoramic view of the African socio-economic and political landscape and exhaustively examines the crisis of the present Global system, offers a

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‘Sub-Saharan Africa is mired in one of the deepest and protracted crises of modern history. This crisis has been phenomenally harsh, tragic, and demoralising. But it has also been an invaluable learning experience. It has taught Africa a great deal about how not to go about development and even a little about how to do it’

Writing to right wrong Dr. Tunji Braithwaite is a familiar figure on the political terrain. The presidential aspirant of the defunct National Advanced Party (NAP) is versed in the theory and practice of constitutional law. In 2009, he retired from politics after being in it for 30 years. In this interview, he speaks on his book, The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles, the many injustices he experienced and why the book is a global product.

T

HE first edition of the book was written in 1986. What prompted writing of the book and the idea of having a second edition.

Usually academic works have subsequent editions. I expect that even after we would have departed this life, that some scholars will continue subsequent editions. There are few legal books and also medical books that have many editions like that which started like 250 years ago. The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles is a book that will have subsequent editions. There few legal books and also legal books that have live over 200 years.

The expectation of the book is for it to live 100 years after I have departed this world because we need to update issues that are treated in the book. The The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles is a legal book but has multi-leisters disciples. It has Philosophy. It has science. It has religion. It has Astrology. The essence of the book is just to show the origins of all laws.

The book traces the constitution of so many countries. The United States, The Great Britain, USSR, before USSR collapsed, Nigeria of course, South Africa in the days of apartheid.

In my own humble way, I have tried to show that the origin of all works is from the law of God—The ten commandments. The Islamic scripture, The Koran, takes a lot of materials from the Torah.

The 10 commandments is not only law for Christians. No, No, No. It has Koran, has To-

LITERATURE rah, Jewish, Buddhism, Hinduism and all sorts of religious tonics, and to show that there is a difference between law and justice.There are basically two school of thought among the Jewish. Some will say that the law should be applied as it is, while others will say law should be applied with rich contempt of element of justice.

You must have heard judges talking about their hands being tied to do justice. My own idea is that no body’s hands should be tied to do justice. It is all a lame excuse not to do justice. That is what the book is saying . Once a judge is sitting on that bench, he should do his best to give justice in any case brought before him.

For those who feel that the law should be administered as it is, they have their reason; that they are not suppose to be the law makers. That law makers are found in the legislative assembly. That their own duty is to apply the law made by the legislators, not to make it.

No, I disagree. Judiciary as the third arm of the government does have the power and the disposition to make laws. So, essentially, it is a book not only for lawyers and judges but virtually for everybody. Lawyers are not the only learned persons.

Apart from law, what inspires you as a law-

•Dr. Braithwaite

yer and politician to write such a book?

Like I said, philosophy is also a branch of the law. And when you are writing books your motive is to enlarge frontiers of knowledge. It is an ongoing process. That is how man-kind is improved. Take technology for instance, take IT. Knowledge is not static. It is an on-going thing.

What inspired me to do that basically is that every body knows that I champion the cause of the oppressed. The book itself is dedicated to the oppressed and those fighting for justice all over the world not just in Nigeria. The book is found all over the world. It is found in so many famous universities all over the world.

I have experienced a lot of injustices in Nigeria, probably arising out of neo-colonialism. For instance the case of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is treated extensively in the book where a judge made a finding that a lot of atrocities were committed on Fela but he

trenchant critique of the present global order and debunks the defective assumptions underlying the IMF/World Bank Structural Adjustment programmes imposed on Africa.

In the manufacturing sector, for instance, he denounces the intellectual mystifications of Import-Substitution-Industrialization (ISI) as a means of industrial development pointing out that it “exaggerates the conspicuous effective demand of the elite minority for car assembly, brewery, lace, carpet and related products, while neglecting the essential commodities of the dispossessed’ Unlike the more doctrinaire and polemical submissions in his earlier books, Onimode settles for a more moderate ‘political programme for Africa’s World Participation in the 21st Century’. Aspects of this programme include mobilisation of social forces for change, a patriotic and committed intelligentsia, promotion of regional and later southern unity and the ultimate identification of core states with the resources and will to drive the process of Africa’s progress and transformation.

In his own last testament, titled ‘Democracy and Development in Africa’, Claude makes the submission that “…the assumption so readily made that there has been a failure of development is misleading. The problem is not so much that development has failed as that it was never really on the agenda in the first place. By all indications, political conditions in Africa are the greatest impediment to development”. Ake then goes on to amplify this position by looking critically at the colonial legacy in Africa, examining various socio-economic agendas imposed on Africa over the years as well as failure of agriculture and industry. In spite of the harsh existential conditions prevalent on the continent, Ake is decidedly optimistic when he asserts that “Sub-Saharan Africa is mired in one of the deepest and protracted crises of modern history. This crisis has been phenomenally harsh, tragic, and demoralising. But it has also been an invaluable learning experience. It has taught Africa a great deal about how not to go about development and even a little about how to do it.

Pushed to the brink, ordinary people in Africa have apparently realized that they must take their destiny into their own hands, and they are struggling for a ‘second business’.

These then is the optimistic mood that radiates from the ‘last testaments’ of Ake and Onimode. Yes, they are no more with us.

But their light shines on in darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend it. failed to give justice for Fela because this was under the military regime. Part of the purpose of writing the book is to encourage judges and lawyers alike to strive for justice, to redress injustice of the dictators, to curb dictators. That is to use the law to curb dictators.

The purpose of writing is to encourage lawyers. The first edition was written during the time of dictatorship in Nigeria, apartheid in South Africa, oppression all over the world, in USSR, even in America.

Precisely, what the book sets out to do is to warn people about it. Funny enough, it is what is happening even now in the Arab spring and if time is not taken it will spread to every place.

What is the relevance of the book to present political dispensation in Nigeria?

Like I said earlier, my mantra is championing the cause of the oppressed. That is one of the reasons for writing the book.

What effort did you put in doing researches to come up with the book?

There is a lot of research. When you read it you find out that the world has moved from what it was in 1986 to now 2012.

There is a lot of development. The world is moving. There have been a lot of development. Before we had two super powers America and USSR. And Europe is now a block that is aligned with United States. Look at the sort of things that are happening the Arab world. Before now, United Nations would not have waded into it. It would have been termed it as domestic matter. Remember what happened in Ruwanda and Balkan. Also Chekoslovakia and Bulgaria. The experience of The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles is not a Nigerian. It is is global. If you look at what is happening globally. Take the Nigerian civil war for instance, the dynamics of the world crushed the Nigerian civil war. Had it been now, Biafra would have survived.

Does time of launching the book has any political undertone?

The book would have been launched few months back. In fact, President Goodluck Jonathan is going to launch the book. The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles is not a Nigerian book. It is global.

39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

BOOK REVIEW MOVING IN CIRCLES, a Collection of the Selected Columns Dan Agbese, Soji Akinrinade, Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed.

Year of Publication: 2012 Pagination:385 Publisher: May Five Media Reviewer: Chidi Amuta Title: Author:

The columnist as avatar

T

HE birth of a new book is for me always a significant event. Not only does it extend the frontiers of knowledge but more importantly, it transforms the body of knowledge and information it carries from the perishable to the immutable and the permanent. A book once published becomes part of the eternal inheritance of our common humanity.

In our recent history, book presentations have become a regular feature of our celebrity hungry social scene and growing national preoccupation with the moment. Authors of all hues cherish the day of presentation or launch if only to savour the few hours of fame and celebrity. Some bring in traditional dancers and drag the village chief to far away Lagos or Abuja to witness the ‘arrival’ of one of his own into reckoning.

Others look forward to the day of launch for the pecuniary benefits of the event. At least some embarrassing debts can be defrayed.

With luck, a new or almost new car could crown the labours of the warrior. May be, that much delayed holiday trip to Dubai could happen in this lifetime. More importantly, if the author is a man, he could regain the commanding heights of family life by handing ‘She who must be obeyed’ a cheque that may not be subject to ‘drawer’s attention’ at the bank!

But I believe the book for which we are here gathered is somewhat different. The authors of the essays here collected have had their moments of celebrity and remain celebrities in their own right on account of the valiant struggles they have waged on behalf of fellow Nigerians. I am therefore of the view that this occasion is designed for a different purpose For me, it marks the transformation of essays that would have been lost in the isolation of the episodes and editions in which they were first published from the transient to the permanent. The book for which we are gathered here today will tomorrow form part of the cumulative knowledge heritage of our nation and our common humanity.

The decision to gather these seminal essays is indeed an important one and the May Five collective must be commended. When we chronicle history through reporting and commentary, we do so momentarily. Unless we later on gather these comments in book form as the authors of this book have done, the risk is that they may be lost to posterity. In this form, we have something to treasure and re-

fer to for all time because books are ageless and we have no way of knowing how far in time and space they may travel.

The columns here gathered and for which these gentlemen as founders of Newswatch magazine have become national icons stand out for a number of reasons. They are first timely interrogations of national history. Secondly, they are courageous encounters with the powers of the days in which they were published even in the days when it was mortally dangerous to speak truth to power. At the level of the art of expression, they happen to represent some of the finest pieces of writing in our journalistic history.

As I read through the book, I was reminded of a question, which I have been confronted with in recent times. Someone sent me an email after reading one of my recent Thisday pieces, lamenting the declining quality of writing in our journals and asking me the morbid question: after you guys have gone, what shall we read? In response, I told the fellow that every generation writes the script of its own encounter with history in its own idiom. My final words to the fellow were somewhat thus: Write your own script. We have written ours.

As newspaper or magazine columns, these pieces fall into place when we consider the old maxim that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Journalism as the fraternity of the pen is at its most threatening to those who wield the sword when it is in the form of opinion essays, commentary, treatises or monographs.

News is easier for people of power to deal with. It is either true or false. If it is true but inconvenient, those in authority find ways to create an alternative truth or deny the truth.

At the worst, they make another news quickly to supersede and override the one in question. If it is a falsehood, it is rebutted with superior facts or the relevant law is invoked to sanction the publication or the reporter.

But an authoritative column shapes opinion.

The more influential and believable the columnist, the more the danger. Columnists are the unconsecrated prophets of an unnamed religion. They command followership among the many. They are the magisterial voices of an unnamed court, the court of public opinion. Therefore, the columnist must be knowledgeable about the subjects he chooses to dwell on and must come across as not only convinced but very impeccably convincing.

The tyranny of the columnist all over the

•Ray Ekpu

•Dan Agbese

world was at its height in the days before the viral spread of the information age. For centuries, the hard copy newspaper was the main source of news and opinion in addition to radio and television. Columnists and news anchors on major networks became like deities.

Their friendship and tacit support was courted just as their endorsements made presidents and prime ministers.

But alas that tyranny has virtually been smashed by the strides of the information age.

The pen is dead, almost. In its place is the keyboard of the computer or the cell phone and thousands of other hand held devices through which news, information, images and opinion assail millions on a moment by moment basis wherever we may be. You no longer have to send for the day’s paper at the newsstand.

The news invades the privacy of your living room or comes packaged to you via your cell phone, pc or tablet.

You may not want to have much to do with the news or the opinions of others. But wherever you may be, they will find you and either make or mar your day. Enter the columnist or journalist as avatar, everyman’s notifier, town crier or just plain free spirit. The spontaneous journalist of the information age is the quintessential avatar, the free spirit of our ancestors come back to haunt us all.

In reference to the essays in this volume, I would say that in many ways, they are founded on the assumptions of an age in which a few good men (and women) held the monopoly of informing, educating and moulding the opinions of others. That is the foregrounding required to understand and appreciate the sometimes magisterial condescension and definitive attitude of some of the essays. So, if you find some of the essays preachy, that is because the authors used to be part of a priesthood of the pen.. If you find some somewhat arrogant, it is also the arrogance of men who once bestrode their world with the footsteps of giants with a near monopoly of conventional wisdom, control of a powerful medium and armed with skill and reach.

The unifying theme of the essays here collected is the recurring nature of Nigerian history and society as well as the repetitive profile of our problems. To see that the things that irked us more than three decades ago still dominate our public discourse today would justify the title of this volume. Unreliable power supply, bad hospitals, rising inflation, falling education standards, corruption in high and low places, incompetent governance, decay in infrastructure, the celebration of decadent values, neglect of the welfare of the masses are all themes that will not go away.

This is not peculiarly Nigerian. It is perhaps global. But what is most distressing in the Nigerian instance is that the mistakes of the past in dealing with these matters are repeated while the intensity of some of the avoidable ills like corruption has increased with time.

In that sense, these essays trace a trajectory of our history as a nation. But more importantly, they also tell a tragic story of the travails of public opinion and the media in general in our country. The governing theme of this volume is perhaps the death of public opinion. We live in a society that has become inured to public opinion. What the public feels is no longer important to those chosen to decide for us. What we write no longer matters.

The ideas and suggestions that the media constantly proffers no longer impress the few who decide the plight of the many.

How we got to this pass is traceable. At first, journalists were regarded as ‘press boys’, better left forgotten at the corridors. Then from the late 1970s, we re-invented ourselves and our profession by recruiting better qualified personnel and raising the quality of news and opinion. Then we graduated to ‘press men and women’ or media executives. We were even seen in the mid 1980s as potential ‘partners in power’. This is the rise of the so-called fourth estate of the realm, corresponding roughly to the birth and flowering of independent media.

•To be continued

Who owns Osogbo Black Culture Centre?

By Emmanuel Oladesu

TOURISM

•Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Ruaf Aregbesola

I

S the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Osogbo, a public property or owned by former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye

Oyinlola?

The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was said to have written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, claiming that the centre is a nongovernmental organisation.

However, other indigenes have objected to the claim, saying that the centre was promoted and sponsored by the people of the state, in partnership with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO. The centre, they claimed, was established by the law passed by the House of Assembly. It was assented to by the former governor, they added. It was titled: “A law to make provision for the establishment of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, Osun State of Nigeria” In the last four years, the state expended

N667.6m on the construction and supply of equipment. Government officials also claimed that the running cost is borne by government.

When the centre was set up, Oyinlola was the permanent chairman. Expected to serve on its board were two representatives of the Presidential Library, Abeokuta, owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

When he assumed the reins, Governor Rauf Aregbesola amended the law setting up the centre. Henceforth, a sitting governor or his representative ceased to be the permanent chairman. According to Section Eight of the law, the board shall consist of the following members: the Chairman of the board, who shall be the governor or anyone appointed by him for this purpose; Commissioner or Special Adviser in charge of Culture and Tourism, two representatives of the academia appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be an expert in Black History and Culture; four representatives of Art and Cultural commu-

nity appointed by the governor, a UNESCO representative and Nigeria’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. The amendment also limited the tenure of the chairman to two years and maximum of four years. The state government therefore, said that it is wrong for a person to lay claim to such huge state investment.

According to Osun State government, the era when a governor would use state resources to set up ventures, which would be converted later to private concerns, has elapsed in the state.

Now, other indigenes are calling for the probe of financial activities of the centre since it was created. They want the audit report on the input of the federal government and other donors in the CBCIU project. This account, must include the valuation report of all such donations in cash and kind.

The state government has said that it will continue to uphold the rule of law and good governance. “The case of the centre will not be an exception”, it added.

40

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

•Deputy Governor of Ekiti Mrs Funmi Olayinka and wife of Governor Fayemi, Bisi, dancing to traditional Ekiti music during the opening of first Ekiti State festival of culture and arts expo (EKIFEST 2012) in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

All for Maryam Babangida

L

AST Saturday, women of Asaba Development Union (ADU) Lagos Branch, were in their elements: welldressed in their traditional attire.

They gathered to raise funds for the development and empowerment of Asaba women, especially those in Lagos. In their traditional white attire with pink head ties to match, they performed several dances to the admiration of the guests. Venue of the event was the expansive banquet hall of the Lagoon Restaurant on Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos that was filled to capacity. Among the groups that showcased the rich cultural heritage of Asaba included Nwa Ama, Anioma and Egwu Alama. The day also featured fashion parade.

Dignitaries such as the General Ibrahim Babangida (retired), Asagba of Asaba, Obi Prof Chike Edozien, Chief and Mrs Tom Halim, Mr. Chevalier Imo and Bridget Itsueli, Chief Sonny Odogwu and Ogbueshi Izegbu.

The President of ADU women’s wing, Lagos branch, Mrs. Christy Nkechi Chizea said the civic center would serve as a multipurpose social center and venue for ADU women’s wing meetings. She added that the centre can also be hired out for functions as a means of earning funds for the developmental programmes for Asaba women.

‘The ADU women’s wing gather regularly to meet and discuss issues concerning the development of Asaba women in order to ensure that they continually join hands to accomplish development objectives that would have been difficult for one person,’ she said.

The building project started ten years ago under the administration of a former president of the ADU. Continuing, Chizea said: “As development grew, and the ideas took shape it was agreed that we name the building after a female role model, whose achievement is of great inspiration to others. The name of the late Mrs. Maryam Ndidi Babangida, wife of former General Ibrahim Babangida (retired) was unanimously chosen as an iconic role model’.

She disclosed that General Babangida

By Olatunde Odebiyi

FUND RAISING received ADU women with great enthusiasm and encouragement and gave them the go ahead to name the civic center after his late wife.

“The civic center located in Amuwo Odofin in Lagos when completed will be named ‘The Maryam Ndidi Babangida Center’. In Maryam’s life time, she spent considerable time and effort thinking about the betterment of women. Her flagship project, ‘The Better Life for Rural Women’ revealed that her heart was especially in the economic and social empowerment of women in small businesses and cottage industries.

Maryam, she noted, displayed a combination of style, carriage, diligence and stature on political, economic and social scenes.” To this end, ADU women’s wing will like to celebrate her achievements and keep it ever green in their memories by specially naming the center after her and continue to carry out ideas that would promote her vision.

Delta State Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan represented by the Commissioner for Information, Barrister Chike Ogeah described the building project by the Asaba women as a wonderful idea, which would give an extra option about Delta State. He noted that the distinguishing factor about the building project is the fact that it is being dedicated to Mrs. Maryam Babangida.

The Governor stressed that the ADU women’s is committed to engaging women in developmental projects such as building small businesses and giving loans to meet their needs.

The Izoma of Asaba, Chief Philip Asiodu said the civic center would be a convenient center, which will also house activities that would be of benefit to Asaba and Lagos State.

He urged the guests present to contribute generously for the completion of the project.

•Presentation by Asaba female professional entertainers

•Babaginda (left) and Chief Asiodu

42

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEM BER 12, 2012

43

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Niger State’s relatively calm political scene has been thrown into confusion for two weeks, with the opposition and some members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calling for the impeachment of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, a development political watchers say may be setting the tone for the 2015 election. JIDE ORINTUNSIN reports accusations, counter accusations and defence that are rattling the ‘Power State’.

Aliyu, opposition leaders test strength in Niger A

LTHOUGH the Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu administration in Niger State has more than two years in office, the government in the past two weeks has been fighting to ward off attacks from the opposition. The political turmoil in the “Power State” the is a pointer to the fact that the power-play for 2015 elections may have begun.

Many never thought that the state could be facing a stormy political season usually associated with an election year. Political watchers saw the development as a sign of greater challenge for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) far ahead of the next general elections.

This month, the political terrain became heated, with accusations and counter-accusations, which climaxed last week with a call for the impeachment of the governor by a group of ‘Concerned Citizens of Niger State’, which sparked a barrage of reaffirmation of confidence by the ruling party and other stakeholders.

The political terrain was calm until late August when the state government advertised the sale of 29 units of the elite housing estate, popularly referred to as ‘Commissioners Quarters’ and the 28 unit ‘Legislative Quarters’ located in Minna, the capital city. It also declared that the proceeds of the sales would be used to finance the ‘Three Arms Zone’, a pet project initiated by the Aliyu administration.

The decision triggered the political storm that engulfed the state in the last two weeks.

The first salvo was fired from the opposition.

Mr. David Umaru, a lawyer and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) 2011 governorship candidate who just returned from an overseas trip, berated the move to sell the property that was bequeathed to the state by the Murtala Nyako administration shortly after the state was created.

Describing the proposed sale a back door deal, Umaru argued, “I am still not able to find any rationale or justification for the proposed sales of these properties, more so that the matter was not presented to the state House of Assembly, nor was it subjected to any public discourse or any public forum under any guise”.

Calling for suspension of the sale in a paid advertisement in some national dailies, the ANPP flag bearer rhetorically demanded, “if the state government is finding it difficult to fund the project (Three Arms Zone) after collecting some loans, what assurances do the people have that the project will be completed with the proceeds from the sale of these properties?”

He however maintained that if government must dispose of the property, “it must adopt a more transparent approach that will give Nigerlites the opportunity to make input into government’s decision to sell this property”.

If Umaru was subtle in his attack of the policy, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was more trenchant. The party urged Nigerlites, and indeed the State House of Assembly, to reject the proposal by the state government to sell Niger State’s landed properties and use the proceeds for the development of a Three Arms Zone, in the face of many daunting needs and infrastructural deficit that are begging for attention.

According to a statement by the party duly signed by the satte chairman, Mallam Umar Shuaibu, the party lamented that, “the people in the state are suffering and any fund coming in should be directed on how to meet the needs of the people”, arguing that the intention to use the proceeds from the sale of the estates to finance the proposed “Three Arms Zone” showed how out of touch the administration is with the reality of what the state’s basic needs are.

For CPC, “Niger State does not need any Three Arms Zone as the existing structures are quite adequate for the state. As for the Government House in particular, all previous Governors, since the inception of the state, lived

• Aliyu

and worked there, carrying out improvements where needed or necessary. We are baffled by the motives behind the proposed sale of those important landed property. Given the infrastructural decay in the state, such as the protracted poor water supply in the State Capital itself and other major towns like Suleja, Bida and Kontagora; the poor state of our health facilities; the numerous rural roads not constructed; despite being provided for in the various Appropriation Bills, and a myriad of problems bedevilling our dear state. If we are so cash-starved to the point of financial desperation that will constrain us to dispose of our landed property (an action we are strongly opposed to), such funds realised therefore should not be channelled to finance the needless and wasteful Three Arms Zone project”.

The CPC considers the “auctioning” of the state’s vital assets for the development of a Three Arms Zone as “clear sign of bankruptcy of ideas, a glaring loss of focus in governance, a grossly illogical prioritization of the needs of the people, and a brazen display of insensitivity and insult to the collective intelligence of the electorates the government claims to be serving. Sadly, this is democracy turned upside down”.

The position of the opposition sent jitters to the spines of the foundation of the PDP led government. While some top government officials felt the opposition vituperations should not be allowed to go unanswered, a powerful group called on Governor Aliyu, who was in Germany to instruct his media managers not to join issues with the opposition. The decision eventually became the undoing of the government. Government silence was interpreted as arrogance.

The emerging political crisis hit the tilt when a group dubbed “Concerned Citizens of Niger State” stormed the state House of Assembly to

lodge a petition requesting the lawmakers to kick-start impeachment process of the governor, accusing him, among other things, of financial recklessness, non-adherence to the Appropriation Law as passed in the last five years. The impeachment, the group said, became necessary to pave way for a genuine development in the state.

The call for impeachment of Aliyu would have been taken lightly but for the fact that the Secretary of the concerned citizens, Garba Ataza Paiko, is a member of the ruling PDP, while the Chairman of the group, Alhaji Mohammed Maude Usman (Chaska) and his deputy, Alhaji Mohammed Awaisu Giwa Wana, are members of the ANPP. The three men who signed the petition are from Minna, the governor’s constituency. It was thus deemed a big blow on the government.

The 6-page document, titled, “Gross Mismanagement of Niger State Resources and a Call for Immediate Impeachment of Mr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu” presented to the Clerk of the House, Malam Mohammed Kagara, reads, “We, the Concerned Citizens of Niger State who cut across the 25 local government areas of the state wish to express our deep concern to the state legislature on the gross mismanagement of the state’s scarce resources by the state governor and outrightly call on the House to impeach him.

“Nigerlites have watched with dismay the annual budget presentation to the state Assembly with its discouraging easy passage which has dented the Assembly’s image in the eyes of the people. These budgets (since the past five years) have remained unimplemented by the Mu’azu administration.”

The petitioners did not only take Aliyu’s administration to the cleaners, the group also descended on the State House of Assembly, accusing the lawmakers of being stooges to the executive arm for their failure to check the financial undertaking of Governor Babangida Aliyu-led administration.

They then admonished the lawmakers that, “The House should clear itself as the people of Niger state are made to believe that the governor usually shares the funds with members every month since nothing worthwhile could be seen to have been done and the Assembly has remained mute over all these wrongdoings.’’

If the government tacitly ignored the protest of ANPP and CPC, the call for Governor Aliyu’s impeachment caught them unawares.

The government, party officials and supporters of Aliyu woke up from their slumber and hurriedly launched counter attacks. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategies, Abdulhameed Danladi, dismissed the allegations, alleging that the petitioners’ action was politically motivated and was aimed at undermining the cordial relationship existing between the Legislature and the Executive.

Danladi urged the public to disregard the allegations, as he maintained that the concerned citizens were out of tune with the developmental strides of the governor. He noted that the action of the petitioners amounted to a distraction and assured the people that the administration was more focused than before.

According to him, “we (government) are focused and we will not allow miscreants to distract us”.

‘The CPC considers the “auctioning” of the state’s vital assets for the development of a Three Arms Zone as “clear sign of bankruptcy of ideas, a glaring loss of focus in governance, a grossly illogical prioritization of the needs of the people, and a brazen display of insensitivity and insult to the collective intelligence of the electorate the government claims to be serving. Sadly, this is democracy turned upside down’

The rattled ruling PDP officially swung into action in a bid to tear the petition to shreds.

According to the party, “the call for impeachment of the state governor is not feasible, because the governor is a hardworking man who has dedicated his time to ensure the development of the state. This impeachment is the work of mischievous individuals looking for relevance. Aliyu cannot be impeached.”

Rising to Aliyu’s defence, party chairman, Alhaji Abdulraham Enagi, told newsmen that, “The PDP Central Working Committee in the state has met and passed a vote of confidence on the administration of Governor Aliyu; we are fully in support of government policies, not only the sale of houses. We always feel proud to associate ourselves with this administration; Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has done us proud.”

Enagi also took a swipe at ANPP and CPC over their cry on the sale. The PDP boss accused the opposition of mischief. He alleged that they are working against the development of the state, adding that the intention of the government to sell the houses were indicated in the 2012 Appropriation bill sent to the State House of Assembly before it was passed into law. “What the ministry is doing is to implement the 2012 budget. I expect that anybody that is opposed to this policy should have been bold enough to submit a memorandum to the assembly during the deliberation on the budget.”

Justifying government action, the PDP chieftain explained that it had been difficult for the state government to keep maintaining the houses due to the monetization policy of government that gives public officers allowances for their houses, stressing that, according to the monetization policy, only the governor, his deputy, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and the Grand Khadi are exempted from the policy and should naturally be provided official quarters and the houses will fall into decay if it is not sold.

But for the intervention of a Minna-based leader, the party was ready to fight dirty. By Wednesday, the leadership of the party in Paiko, where Garba Ataza Paiko, the Secretary of the concerned citizens is a member, was directed to expel him from the party. The same instruction was given to ward chairmen of those whose names appeared on the list of members of the group. The letters were later withdrawn on Friday.

Like the PDP, a pro-Aliyu group, “Talba Success Movement” also threw their weight behind the governor. The group led by Hamisu Jankaro also rushed to the House of Assembly to urge the lawmakers not to honour the petition of the Concerned Citizens.

Aliyu also found support in the state Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP).

The Conference, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Isah, said that Governor Aliyu had judiciously managed the scarce resources of the state.

Though the coast seemed clear, the government is not taking things lightly. The first engagement of Governor Aliyu, as he arrived the country from a 10-day trip to Germany, was a meeting with all political appointees on Monday in Government House to review all the allegations on their merits, with a view to fine tuning areas where necessary.

Despite the steps taken by the ruling party and government, Governor Aliyu’s fate will be determined by the House of Assembly, as the concerned citizens are bent on making good their threat of impeaching him.

Alhaji Usman Chado, a public affairs analyst, summed up the development in the state thus: “The sign of the time is not favourable to the governor. If by now we are witnessing cracks in his house, then it means that the ‘Chief Servant’ may gradually be losing grip of the party and this portends negative development for his political future.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEM BER 12, 2012

44

POLITICS

Useni rejects state police From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

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HAIRMAN of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni (rtd) yesterday rejected the call for state police saying it would be used against opposition politicians.

He also allayed fear over the seeming unending onslaught of Boko Haram sect on the Northern region. He explained that it has been difficult to unravel the actual cause of attacks by the insurgents.

Useni spoke during an interactive session with delegates of Arewa Journalist Forum (AJF) at his office in Abuja.

He said: “Today, we have Boko Haram, we don’t know how long it will take to stop them. You hear that they are making bombs but where do they get those sophysticated items from. We all feel concerned, maybe bacause our border is porous or is it because there are some people within who are doing this because they don’t want us to have peace or what is wrong with us as Nigerians?”

Useni stated that every nation has challenges of insecurity but the Federal Government has been incapacitated due largely to problems of poverty, religious intolerance, bad governance among others.

“There is no country that doesnt have insecurity problem but the difference is that most country have the capacity to reduce it to management level. We are just grappling with ours because we have not been so good in these years back. We still have poverty at large, religious intolerance and everybody is asking which one will have caused it.

“Whether its Boko Haram, Kidnapping or armed robbery, they are Nigerians and they live within us. We are spending money on security yet these people seem to be invincible. So, it means something is wrong with me and you,” he said.

However, Useni stated that President Goodluck Jonathan cannot single handedly solve the problems. Describing everyone as stakeholders in governance, he stated that Jonathan would need supports from members of his cabinet, governors and other stakeholders.

“Who is in government? Its me and you. We need to do our best to ensure things are normal, things are done according to rule of law and we don’t take laws into our hands. We must respect each other.

“The President is a man. He cannot do it all alone. He will need the cooperation of members of his cabinet, the governors and everybody. So, no single individual can about security. You can put in place plans but unless eveybody is prapared, the plans cannot materialise the way we want. One tree cannot make the forest, otherwise, we will continue to have problems.”

Speaking on the issue of state police, he stated that state governors will misuse the opportunity and purpose of creating the force to intimidate political opponents.

“State police will be tools for governors to deal with oppositions. In fact with it, we are going back to those barbaric days,” Useni stated.

Plateau PDP clears Wash-Pam, Pwajok for by-election

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cleared two aspirants for the Plateau North Senatorial by-election scheduled for October 6.

State Chairman, Dr. Haruna Dabin, told reporters yesterday in Jos that the two aspirants were Senator John Wash-Pam, Deputy Senate President in the Second Republic and Mr. Gyang Pwajok a former Chief of Staff to Governor Jonah Jang.

“The two aspirants were successful at the screening carried out by party officials from the party’s national headquarters on Friday and will slug it out in the primary elections scheduled for September 19.”

He said that the senatorial primary would be preceded by the Barkin Ladi State Constituency primary election holding on September 18.

He said that only one aspirant was screened and cleared for the vacant Barkin Ladi State Constituency seat as other aspirants had withdrawn in writing. Mrs Kaneng Fulani, wife to the late occupant of the seat, Gyang Fulani has,therefore, been endorsed as the sole PDP candidate.

The two lawmakers - Plateau House of Assembly Majority Leader, Gyang Fulani, and Sen. Gyang Dantong died in a stampede when gunmen attacked mourners at a mass burial in Maseh village in Riyom

Local Government Area on July 8.

Dabin also reacted to the calls from Riyom that the Senate seat be reserved for them since the late lawmaker hailed from there. he said “Senator Dantong was a federal representative; he was not elected because he was from Riyom.

“Six local governments make up Plateau North and what the PDP is trying to do is to field a suitable candidate to replace the late law maker who was also PDP. “So, Riyom cannot to be only loser following the death of Dantong because he represented all the six local governemnts.”

Dabin rejected suggestions that the party had closed its doors against returning members, and described people that defected just to contest elections as “persons of low moral value”.

“Anybody, who left PDP to run for election under another platform, has no moral standing to want to return to the party.

“They should remain where they are because they left the PDP out of their own volition.”

Senator Abubakar Bagudu, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, last week led members on a visit to Oko Prison, Benin City, Edo State that was bombed in August. He spoke with BEN OGBEMUDIA on topical national issues.

Innocent people are dying in prisons, says Bagudu terday we were informed by the Controller of Prison about the case of four detainees who had been kept there since 1997. They were said to be kept there on the order of the Military administrator. And we found it strange that there is this classification of people who are detained in prison.

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HAT is the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs doing about the security problem in the country?

The Senate has been in the fore front of fighting for increased funding to security agencies because we recognised that our security agencies have been doing a great job but the challenges is multi faceted and the most obvious one which the Senate has paid attention to is to increase funding and increase interactions with the security agencies so that from time to time we are appreciative of those areas that need to be enhanced. Last year, we passed the anti terrorism Act, which we also believe will strengthen security and with other Acts that we believe will enhance the state of readiness so that the security services are well armed.

What about the security situation in our prisons?

We are equally concerned about the security situation of our Prisons, we’ve had a number of Prison breaks and we wanted to ensure that staff and inmates, who are complying with rules and regulations, are not harmed by people who have mischievous design. We are interested in what to do to strengthen the security in the Prisons and, additionally, we want to see that training facilities are available for the inmates such that when they finish serving their terms they will be better citizens, well trained and we very happy at what we saw. .

What is your view on the proposed introduction of N5,000 naira note by the CBN? I am not speaking on behalf of the Committee, I am speaking as a Senator and a Nigerian. I am one of those who are critical of the reasons adduced for the introduction of the N5, 000 notes by the CBN. About eight years ago, the CBN introduced new currency denominations and we thought that was a well thought out policy. So, to quickly come in a very short period and say we are replacing this with coins, we think it is hasty on the part of the Central Bank. If they had thought it out, they would have convinced us then whether we needed new coins or new currency because these things are expensive to print, and therefore the nation is bearing a huge

What is the disposition of the inmates?

• Bagudu

burden and cost.

The second issue is that over a decade there has been little use of coins in Nigeria and I am not sure that any one of you here today has seen coins in the last five years or has any in your pocket. Therefore, if we don’t have the culture and it has not been explained to us why the nation should revert to currency for a significant number of denomination knowing that in our places where currencies are used heavily, we don’t see coins being used. The N5,000 note is equally strange because the Central Bank has come out with policies that all Nigerians are commending them for - that is cashless society and we know that more Nigerians are using debit cards and points of sale are increasing everywhere, so you can’t use a rationale for a higher denomination currency which might affect, the value of the currency.

What is your mission in Benin?

We visited Oko Prison in Benin City in order to review what had been happening to the prison facilities, security arrangement, the training facilities for inmates because the Senate is concerned about a number of issues, like the number of people who are awaiting trials. Many people are in prison who ought not to be there. In fact, yes-

Some women confirmed to us that they have been taught skills, and we have people who have been trained as electricians and plumbers. We think that this should be the case and we want to have more of that. The authorities also complained to us about shortage of manpower.

You have spoken about Prison reforms, but if you look critically at the number of inmates there, you’ll observe that the facilitiy is overstreched. What is the Senate doing about decongesting the Prisons?

If you listen to what to what I said about the awaiting trial detainees, like you rightly said, the Prison capacity ought to be 608 beds but they have 1005 detainees as at yesterday when we visited and 932 of these are awaiting trial. Yesterday one of the areas the Controller mentioned was that it takes a long time before investigations are finished and when these people are taking to court, the trial takes long time before it is concluded. So in most urban prisons, you find that the numbers of awaiting trial detainee are more than the number of those convicted. In fact, Nigerian Prisons population is about 49,000 and of these about 36,000 are awaiting trial detainees. The Senate in the last four months has considered Prisons reform; we have considered many motions to deal with expediting the processes such that the trials period will be enhanced, we have spoken about the need for the police to finish their investigations quickly, the Directors of Public Prosecution and Ministry of Justices to review their files and advice one way or the other promptly, the Chief Judges of various states should undertake periodic visit to Prisons so that they can review some cases on the spot because there are people who ordinarily ought not to be in prison.

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle), Hon. Babatunde Edunjobi, Hon. Harrison Adeyemi, Hon. Odofin Sonuga, State Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Tajudeen Ola Bello and Deputy Speaker, of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Tola Banjo when three PDP lawmakers who defected to ACN to visited the Governor in his office in Abeokuta... yesterday

45

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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HINGS are looking up in different parts of Oyo State. In Saki West Local Government Area, the chairman, Hon Dapo Popoola gave out jobs tools to residents.

In Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, Hon. Sunday Sunday Adepoju, a lawmaker of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), also handed out work tools to the people.

In Oyo South Senatorial District, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin inaugurated over 10 automated boreholes to ease the perrenial water challenges in the area.

Changes hardly come without sacrifices . The people’s representatives elected to positions of authority had made tremendous effort to demonstrate good governance to the people at the grassroots.

Hon. Popoola, the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East /Ido federal constituency, Hon. Adepoju and Senator Lanlehin representing Oyo South Senatorial District have lifted the spirits of their people. It was a time to render an account of their stewardship in the last one year.

The people beamed with a smile, as they savoured the new lease of life .

“It has never been so good in the history of the state,” Alfa Muideen Kola, a farmer in Saki West told this reporter during the distribution of working tools to beneficiaries.

A few months after the donation of seven solar-powered boreholes to the communities, Lanlehin extended the gesture to six more communities.

The communities where the borehole projects were recently commissioned for public use include: Iberekodo in Igbo-Ora (Ibarapa Central Local Government), Ido township (Ido Local Government), Adabeji-Moor Plantation (Ibadan South West Local Government), Felele (Ibadan South East Local Government), Orita-Aperin (Ibadan South East Local Government) and Oje (Ibadan North East Local Government ).

•Popoola

•Sunday Adepoju and others

A lift for Oyo communities From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Lanlehin, accompanied by a mammoth crowd made up of chieftains and members of the ACN as well as other supporters, assured the residents of each community where the projects were located of better things to come as long as they kept faith with the government of his party at all levels.

He said: “Provision of ultra-modern boreholes in your various communities is just a token of what we plan to offer in fulfilment of our campaign promises. All we require from you is maximum cooperation and peaceful co-existence to enable us provide more good governance and dividends of democracy to all and

sundry.”

The Oluaso of Iberekodo community in Igbo-Ora, Oba Jamiu Adedamola Badmus, led other traditional, religious and community leaders to inaugurate the borehole in his domain. The monarch was full of appreciation to the lawmaker who he described as a rare breed politician.

Similarly, the Onido of Ido, Chief Tajudeen Akinola Agura, could not hide his happiness over the borehole cited in his community.

He demonstrated this by conferring the chieftaincy title of Otunba Onido of Idoland on Senator Lanlehin, complete with a staff of office presented to the lawmaker at the occasion.

Provision of ultra-modern boreholes in your various communities is just a token of what we plan to offer in fulfilment of our campaign promises. All we require from you is maximum cooperation and peaceful co-existence to enable us provide more

NGO trains community leaders, youths

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NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, CLEEN Foundation International, has held a two-day training programme for town union leaders and youths in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Over 500 trainees turned for the exercise, drawn from all the autonomous communities in the 27 local government areas of the state.

They were taught on how to partner with government in the areas of development and their roles as drivers of development in rural communities.

The conveners sought to bridge the gap between the government and the people, blaming ignorance on the part of the people for poor governance and its attendant consequences.

In his address, the Head of the Foundation in Owerri, Mr. Ifeanyi Anyanwu, maintained that devel-

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

opment of the society by government should not been seen as a charity but as a right of the people, noting that, “a situation where the government fails to provide basic amenities for the people, where it fails to create employment, the only option left is for the people to resort to self help, which often times lead them to crime”.

Anyanwu said that government will be ac countable to the people if they have the right attitude to development, “a situation where then people does not know their rights and obligations, government may not be accountable to the people and this has greatly impaired the delivery of democracy dividends in the Southeast. This training therefore is to prepare the town union leaders to teach their people at

the grassroots on their rights to good services and governance”.

Blaming poor governance and leadership failure for the mounting insecurity and abject poverty ravaging the states in the Southeast region, Anyanwu, noted that, “a situation where government fails to meet its obligation to the people can become bedrock of crime and apathy to the activities of government”.

According to him, the near collapse of the industrial sector in the zone, occasioned by bad governance, has resulted to high level of unemployment with its attendant challenges, noting that if government provides an enabling environment through the right policies hinged on accountability, the temptation to take to crime by the youths will be drastically reduced.

The Foundation also blamed ig•Continued from Page 48

Alhaji Muibi Yusuff, led the people of his community to welcome Lanlehin and his entourage at the borehole site in Felele community.

Party chieftains such as Mr. Arowolo and Ademola Adegoke were also on hand to convey the goodwill message of the residents to the Senator who they urged to move ahead to empower the youths in his selfless service to humanity.

At Oje market, venue of another borehole project commissioning, the Gbonka Olubadan, High Chief Delesolu saluted Lanlehin’s courage, noting that he was always willing to assist his people without discrimination.

He, however, urged the benefiting communities to make good use of the boreholes.

While acknowledging cheers from

the crowd at Aperin where he had launched one of the six projects, Senator Lanlehin hinted that the general public would always be carried along in his activities as a representative of the people.

At Saki town, hundreds of rural dwellers as well as members of the ACN trooped out in joyous mood to witness the distribution of N7.2million worth of working tools for artisans, and traders includinghairdressers, barbers, fashion-designers and tailors, among others.

The ACN leader in the Oke-Ogun area of the state, a former National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Chief Michael Adeniyi Koleoso and the paramount ruler, the Okere of Saki, Oba Kilani Olatoyese Olarinre II and the state Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Alake, led hundreds of the people of the ancient community to the twostorey Town Hall, venue of the event.

Potable water for Benue communities

•Continued from Page 17

policy to alleviate the suffering of people in the rural areas.

Ngbede stated that the Ayiin water treatment plant has the capacity to pump 1.5 million.

He said the state has provided for N500 million in the 2012 budget for water projects, adding that before the end of the year, more water projects would be completed.

Governor Suswam said he has completed the gigantic Greater Makurdi water projects which were inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan during his last visit to the state.

Suswam said if he has pro-

vided gigantic water projects across the state, a small water project for his community would not be too big to accomplish.

The Minister said with the water treatment plant, the people of Anyiin have a new lease of life, as they no longer have to suffer from water-borne diseases. She urged the people to guard the facility against vandals.

A memorable moment was when both the governor and the visiting Minister filled their cups and drank from the taps.

46

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HE Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has reiterated its commitment to the completion of existing projects across the nine states covered by the commission. Head of the Corporate Affairs Mr. Ibitoye Abosede stated this on Monday while reacting to concerns being expressed in some quarters about the fate of such projects.

He said such concern by stakeholders and communities about the fate of the many projects awarded by former boards of the commission is genuine but that they

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

NDDC assures on projects completion

By Augustine Avwode

should rest assure as the present board has taken the issue of completing existing projects as a matter of priority.

“The board is aware of their concern and appreciates it. The MD/ CEO, Dr. Chris Oboh has said at various fora, that no existing project would be abandoned. He means just that and that is what the Commission is focusing on,” he stated.

Indeed, the desire to complete existing projects is a cardinal focus of present Board. There many uncompleted projects initiated by previous boards of the interventionist agency since it was set up by the government in 2000 to drive development in the oil rich region which has suffered serious neglect and degradation over a long period of time.

At one of his major media briefing in April, the MD/CEO acknowl-

•Mr Alloysius Nwagboso (middle) with Mr Peter Ezeobi to his right and Hon. Dominic Edem on his left as they inspect a road project

edged the challenges posed by such uncompleted projects had declared his determination to deal with the issue.

“One of the challenges we met when we came on board was the multiplicity of uncompleted and ongoing projects across the region.

We are aware of stakeholders’ concerns and are committed to ensuring the completion of as many of such projects as possible within the limit of available time and resources.”

And to give effect to the new vision by the board, Oboh told members of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on the Niger Delta who visited the commission recently that: “the 2012 budget would target completion of existing projects and they have all been placed on priority list. A lot of projects have been awarded since the establishment of the NDDC; we intend to focus on the completion of the projects.”

The Commission has since swung into action by undertaking a comprehensive and extensive audit of all on-going projects across the region, an exercise Oboh described as a “demonstration of the commitment of the board to the completion of projects awarded since the inception of the NDDC in December 2000”.

And the Board’s approach was

simply to constitute itself into three monitoring committees made up of three members each to go round three states and see things for themselves. One for Delta, Edo and Ondo states; another for Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states and the last one for Cross River, Imo and Abia states.

The monitoring committees made up of the nine representatives of the various states on the board of the NDDC have since inspected projects in all the states spread across the region. These include roads, bridges, land reclamation and shore protection, flood control and channelization as well as university hostels projects.

The task before the monitoring groups was to assess what was on ground and recommend measures that would facilitate the completion of the projects placed on fast-track by the commission.

The first monitoring committee to Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom was led by Mr. Edi Orubo, the Bayelsa State representative. The others were Prof. Ibitamuno Aminigo representing Rivers State and Imaobong Inyang, representing Akwa Ibom State.

Orubo said that some of the problems that had previously slowed down the pace of work on NDDC projects had been addressed.

‘People with disability should be included in governance’

•Co

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan and the 36 state governors have been asked to involve people with disability in the running of the country. This is because, in spite of their challenges, they can make a difference in governance.

The appeal was made in Jos, Plateau State capital, by the Administrative Officer on Disability Matters at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Omotunde Ellen Thompson, during a stakeholder’s meeting on community-based rehabilitation organised by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Mrs Thompson urged the federal and state governments to pay particular attention to people living with physical disability when making political appointments or recruiting for jobs.

Speaking at the event, she said that if people with disability are in strategic political or other leadership positions, they will make a difference and help to transform the country.

The appeal was timely. The Nigerian team to the Paralympic games in London lifted the profile of the country, returning with a good haul of medals and placing third in Africa. Their able-bodied counterparts came back home earlier emptyhanded.

Mrs. Thompson, who also lives with physical disability, maintained that if people with disability are

•There are great leaders among them From Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos

empowered people with disability will quit the streets for better things that will aid in Nation building.

The Plateau State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development Olivia Dazyem, a lawyer, said the stakeholder’s meeting on people

Improving the quality of life of people with disability entails the removal of all barriers by way of modifying buildings, access doors to banking halls, adopting inclusive road and building designs and constructions, changing our negative perceptions

living with disability was borne out of the desire of the state governor, Jonah David Jang, to better the lot of people with the challenges.

She urged stakeholders at the meeting to do away with all barriers that will put the disabled at a disadvantage by modifying all buildings to enable them free access to all structures.

She said: “Improving the quality of life of people with disabilities entails the removal of all these barriers by way of modifying our buildings, access doors to our banking halls, adopting inclusive road and building designs and constructions, changing our negative perception that people with disability are useless and appreciating their innate potentialities in employment and services.

“In the law and human rights perspective, the human rights of people, including those with disabilities, are not negotiable; in the short journey into my present position as Commis-

sioner in charge of disability issues, I have realised with a heavy heart that a class of people are denied their fundamental human rights even with the international proclamation of their inalienable rights to legal protection, education, housing, equal opportunities, employment and better health”.

She disclosed that Plateau State is

the first state in the federation to organise a stakeholders’ meeting to marshal out plans on how to better the lives of people living with challenges, maintaining that the administration of Governor Jonah Jang has approved the establishment of a desk for people with disability in all ministries and government agencies in the state.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Keep your weight in control. Quit using tobacco. The sperm of men who smoke may be misshapen and may move more slowly than those of non-smokers. Smoking can also damage your sperm’s DNA. Most importantly, be your own bodyguard to protect your fertility

•Dr Ajayi (in tie) surrounded by his staff in celebration of the award

A

SSISTED reproduction is gradually being acceptable in the country because there are encouraging results, helping to crash the myths associated with it.

The Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi said this while commending his staff for their devotion and professionalism that earned the centre the West Africa’s Best Healthcare Services Brand of the year, 2012. It was given by the African Business Marketing School under the Institute of Direct Marketing.

Dr. Ajayi, the country’s representative of Obgyn.net, a network of obstetricians/gynaecologists all over the world, said the success story of Nordica Fertility Centre owes largely to the fact that it simplifies the terms and terminologies involved in the techniques and services involved in the assisted reproduction.

“By word of mouth, everybody can communicate the basics to infertile couples, without misinforming them,” he said.

For instance, women are often seen as being responsible for infertility in marriage. But the two sexes are responsible and must be examined so as to determine the cause and the treatment options available.

“If you are planning to get pregnant, it’s important to consider ways to prevent infertility. Most women are unaware of how to avoid infertility. In fact, few women realise that their fertility clock winds down

‘Why assisted reproduction is gaining ground’

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

quickly, declining at around age 27.

Surprisingly, the fertility clock declines for men, too. Studies show that men start losing their fertility as young as age 35. Age is an important fertility consideration for both women and men,” said Dr Ajayi.

Defining infertility, Dr Ajayi, a member of Global Health Council, said it is the inability of a person to contribute to conception. Those couples who are unable to conceive after 12 months of contraceptive-free intercourse, with the female partner being under the age of 34 should get themselves checked for fertility test.

Dr Ajayi said: “An important preventable cause of testicular damage in men is uncorrected un-descended testes. Un-descended testes should be surgically treated at an early age to prevent damage, preferably before the age of two years. This requires educating mothers of young boys; and doctors as well. It may also be a good idea to immunise boys against mumps in childhood, thus preventing the ravage which mumps can cause to the testes in later life,” he said.

The Clinic Manager, Nordica Fertility Centre, Tolani Ajayi said from

interactions with clients, and based on clinical assessments, the issue of male infertility could also be traceable to occupational hazards.

Mrs Ajayi said: “Occupational hazards can decrease sperm counts. Many toxic drugs including radiation, radioactive materials, anaesthetic gases, and industrial chemicals such as lead, the pesticide DBCP and the pharmaceutical solvent ethylene oxide can reduce fertility by impairing sperm production. Intense exposure to heat in the workplace, for example, long-distance truck drivers exposed to engine heat; and men working in furnaces or in bakeries, can cause long-term and even permanent impairment of sperm production.”

The Clinic Manager said: “Drugs including alcohol, cocaine and marijuana - are all poisons. They can reduce sex drive; damage sperm production; and interfere with ovulation and sometimes this damage is irreparable. Smoking tobacco also affects reproductive function by depleting egg production; increasing the risk of Pelvic Inflammation Disease (PID); and lowering sperm counts. Often, the adverse effect is temporary, so that when these are stopped, the harmful effects on reproductive function are likely to be reversed. How-

ever, since abstinence is easier than moderation, the best option is not to smoke, drink or use drugs Wearing loose cotton underwear and trousers is advisable - tight clothes increase testicular temperature and may harm sperm production.”

Dr Ajayi said: “Exposure to high temperatures on a continuous basis can also affect the sperm production and motility. It is important for men to protect the genital organs from excess heat. X-rays can be harmful to gonads. If X-rays are needed, the scrotum should be covered with a lead shield.

“Exposure to pesticides, lead, heavy metals, toxic chemicals and ionizing radiations over a long time, reduces fertility in men. Proper protective gear should be used to prevent such chemicals or rays affecting a man’s health especially reproductive health.

Smoking has been found as a major culprit for low sperm counts and sluggish sperm movement in men. Alcohol also reduces sperm counts and can interfere with sexual performance. It may also disrupt hormone balances in women and increase the risk of miscarriage.”

On the whole, Dr Ajayi, said there are bevavioural changes which can prevent infertility in men. “It is found that about forty percent of infertility is due to the man alone. Adopting healthy lifestyle can help in prevent-

ing infertility in men.

“So it is advisable for a man to use multivitamin supplements which provides selenium, zinc and folic acid. These nutrients are important for optimising sperm production and function. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which are rich in antioxidants. Such minerals help to improve sperm health. Reduce stress as stress might interfere with certain hormones needed to produce sperm. Get regular exercise to keep healthy and fit as proper blood circulation and functioning of glands are necessary for fertility.

“Keep your weight in control as too much or too little body fat may disrupt production of reproductive hormones, which can reduce your sperm count. Quit using tobacco which can adversely affect fertility by producing inferior quality sperms. The sperm of men who smoke may be misshapen and may move more slowly than those of non-smokers.

Smoking can also damage your sperm’s DNA. Most importantly, be your own bodyguard to protect your fertility. Avoid lubricants during sex as even saliva can interfere with sperm motility. However, vegetableoil-based lubricants are safe and can be used. You and your partner should be educated and aware of problems that can make pregnancy difficult,” said Dr Ajayi.

NGO trains leaders, youths

•Staff of Jigawa Environmental Protection Agency working on a street in Dutse

•Continued from Page 45 norance on the part of the people for the poor economic and social state of the zone, saying that, “this training therefore is aimed at broadening our knowledge of Right-based approach for adoption as a tool in promoting good governance in the Southeast and Nigeria at large”.

In his presentation, the Chairman of Association of Indigenous Imo Town Unions, Chief Emeka Diwe, disclosed that the collective input of the people through various organized communities, in the development of the zone, far outweighs that of the government especially at the rural a, which forms more than 80 % of the Igbo population and land mass.

He said that the developmental consciousness among the Igbos has tremendously helped in laying a solid foundation for the

government to actualize its development objective but lamented that government has failed to take advantage of the situation.

Diwe however maintained that the people should recognize and appreciate what their demands and right are to be in a position to hold the government accountable to them, stressing that the Right-based approach will identify and recognize the people’s need, culture, tradition and value system to drive development.

Speaking at the end of the training, some of the participants, commended the NGO for the initiative, stating that they have been exposed to right-based attitude that will assist them in demanding their rights from government and educating their people on adopting the right approach to governance.

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 11-9-12

Equities lose N33b as profit-taking persists I NVESTORS continued to cash in substantial capital gains on equities as profittaking trading that started the week extended a bit further yesterday, shaving off N33 billion from aggregate market value of quoted equities.

The All Share Index (ASI) and aggregate market value of equities, the two main value-based indices at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) dropped by 0.42 per cent as investors monetised substantial gains on several highly capitalised stocks. The second consecutive decline pushed the year-to-date return at NSE to 18.51 per cent.

Market capitalisation of all quoted equities slipped from N7.854 trillion to N7.821 trillion.

The ASI declined to 24,568.57 points as against its opening index of 24,671.47 points.

The downtrend was orchestrated by losses recorded by

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

stocks such as Nigerian Breweries, Cadbury Nigeria, UAC of Nigeria, Ashaka Cement, First Bank of Nigeria, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria and Union Bank of Nigeria, all of which had recorded double digit capital appreciation in recent period.

Nigerian Breweries led the decliners with a loss of N2.05 to close at N125.45. Cadbury Nigeria followed with a loss of N1.04 to close at N19.86. UACN dropped by 65 kobo to N35.41.

Ashaka Cement lost 57 kobo to close at N11.17.

GlaxoSmithKline dropped by 50 kobo to N32. Presco slipped by 48 kobo to N14.42. First Bank lost 32 kobo to close at N13.98 while Union Bank dropped 30

kobo to close at N6.21.

However, several stocks showed strong resilience against the general downtrend.

Unilever Nigeria set a new high with a gain of 92 kobo to close at N38.91. Guinness Nigeria also added 70 kobo to close at N252.90. International Breweries rose by 56 kobo to N11.77.

Mobil Oil Nigeria gained 50 kobo to close at N115. Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria added 47 kobo to close at N46.02. Roads chalked up 40 kobo to close at N8.42 while Access Bank Plc, which declared an interim dividend of 25 kobo, gathered 24 kobo to close at N8.74.

Total turnover stood at 265.774 million shares worth N2.579 billion in 4,955 deals. The financial services sector remained atop activity chart with a turnover of 221.203 million shares worth N2.031 billion in 3,194 deals.

NSE to withdraw license of erring market makers

T

HE management of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday warned that it may withdraw the operating license of any erring market maker.

The Exchange also said it would deduct 10 per cent of total value of transaction engaged in by a defaulting market maker in the case of a less-impact breach.

Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema read the riot act yesterday while speaking at a workshop organised by the Exchange on the ‘Market Making, Securities Lending and Short Selling.’

Onyema, who said the Market Making programme will be carried out in phase of limited securities at a time, informed the financial market community that the market will roll out the rest of the securities over a period of six months.

“We are going to roll out over a six months period. During that period, we are going to learn a lot.

There have been a lot of efforts that has gone into this. When it comes to the ability in lending securities, we know that AMCON will lend the credit.

With regards to retail partici-

By Tonia Osundolire

pants, we want to start with professional (institutional investors) to manage the risk and the process.

The whole idea at the end of the day is to improve the market quality. The primary market maker will be there to provide liquidity where you don’t have liquidity. By allowing a very symmetrical market there will be a lot of sanctions for defaulters” he added.

Also, joining the two Securities Lending Agents (SLA) Stanbic IBTC and United Bank for Africa (UBA) are First Bank and City Bank who have also gotten approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate as agents to the market makers.

For the SLA, they are expected to provide additional income and increase business volume in the market.

Explaining further details on how the programme will go, the Head of Transformation at NSE, Mr. Olumide Lala said the lower/upper trading limit will be increased from five per to 10 per cent for securities that get rolled out into the programme.

Lala, who noted that no ‘na-

ked selling’ will be entertained in the operation of Market Maker on the Exchange, stressed that Covered selling will be allowed even as there will be no failed trade.

The market makers include Capital Bancorp, CSL Stockbrokers, ESS/DunnLoren Merrifiled, FBN Capital, Future Capital, Future View Securities, Greenwich Securities, Renaissance Capital, Stanbic IBTC, Vetiva and Capital and WSTC. Among companies selected by the 10 Market Makers to act in the pilot scheme includes; PZ Cusson, Presco, International Breweries, Lafarge Wapco, Fidson Healthcare, Redstar, DN Meryer, Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, Nigerian Breweries, Guaranty Trust Bank and UAC Nigeria Plc. The Market Makers programme, which will debut in the market on September 18 are expected to play a central role in the provision of two-way quotes (comprising of buy and sell prices) for the securities that they are making markets on.

Leveraging the Securities Lending process, Market Makers will be able to borrow securities in order to settle ‘buy order imbalances’ from customers.

A ‘hybrid’ market, allowing both market makers to provide two way quotes and licensed broker/dealers of The Exchange to submit orders as is currently done, will be operated from the commencement date of this key initiative.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 11-9-12

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

MONEY LINK

CBN to assess auditors, compliance officers

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said there is need to assess skills, qualifications, experience and competencies of staff currently occupying controlled functions in banks.

Auditors, compliance officers and other bank staff involved in ensuring that due process is followed in banking operations fall within this group.

These were conained in a CBN circular tagged: ‘Assessment of competencies in the Nigerian banking industry’ signed by Y.B Duniya for Director, Financial Policy and Regulation.

He said such exercise

By Collins Nweze

will enable Bankers’ Committee identify at the preliminary stages, gaps that would impede the effective implementation of the Competency Framework for the Nigeria Banking Industry being appraised by the apex bank.

Duniya said that the list of controlled functions is not exhaustive as other important roles and responsibilities may be added.

However, he said the apex bank has directed the banks to furnish the CBN with names of staff manning the controlled functions, academic and other relevant qualifica-

tions, number of years’ experience on the control function; post qualification and general banking experiences; other competencies that support the performance of the control functions. They are also expected to supply details of identified deficiencies in skills, qualifications, experience and competences as well as measures envisaged to remedy positions within 18 months of the approval of the framework.

The CBN had earlier issued a competency framework that will guide banking operations in the country. The apex bank said the recent global fi-

T

The first national draw was held at the Yar dua Centre in Abuja in July at which a customer of the bank in Maiduguri, Borno State won the star prize of Hyundai Verna car. The customer has since taken possession of the car.

According to the Media and External Communications Manager of the bank, Sani Mohammed Zaria, consolation prizes of fridges and generators will also be given to other qualifying participants at the draw. He disclosed that 3,750 savers qualified for the national draw from all the operational areas of the bank nationwide.

He also intimated that

The framework is expected to address the competency challenges in the banking industry, explore growth opportunities as well as critically facilitate improvement in the quality of the industry’s human capital. Under the framework, successful banks will be those that distinguish themselves by according high priority to continuous enhancement of human capital and lifelong learning.

A

“A broad range of employers from various sectors of the economy such as Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance, Private sector, Media, etc. are expected to participate at the event,” it said.

The World Bank had in 2010, supported Access Nigeria programme during which Skills Gap Analysis conducted showed a distinct gap between what employers need and what they end up getting. It was dis-

CCESS Nigeria in collaboration with the World Bank have concluded arrangement for a twoday National Jobs Fair.

The fair commences tomorrow at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos.

In a statement, World Bank said the event will serve as platform for the organiSations and potential employers to recruit young, skilled and competent employees into their workforce.

Unity bank has three more cars and other consolation prizes to give out in the course of the savings promo scheduled to end later in the month.

The three cars will be given out to winning customers at the grand finale of the six month long promotion popularly known as Aim, Save and Win. The bank has also held zonal draws in the five zones of the bank namely, Lagos & West, Central, North West, North East and South-South in its bid to bring the reward programme down to the grassroots. Many customers won motorcycles, fridges, LCD television sets, phones and bicycles among others.

M

OODY’S Investors Service has said it may join Standard & Poor’s in downgrading the U.S.’s credit rating unless Congress next year reduces the percentage of debt- to-gross-domestic-product during budget negotiations.

Bloomberg report said the economy will probably tip into recession next year if lawmakers and President Barack Obama

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 11-9-12 SYMBOL

INTBREW ROADS BAGCO AGLEVENT TRANSCORP LIVESTOCK STERLNBANK ACCESS UNILEVER GOLDINSURE

O/PRICE

11.21 8.02 1.89 1.35 0.75 1.34 1.16 8.50 37.99 0.50

C/PRICE

11.77 8.42 1.98 1.41 0.78 1.39 1.20 8.74 38.91 0.51

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

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

O/PRICE 5.21 4.42 20.90 0.82 11.74 4.75 4.97 6.51 1.17 0.57

C/PRICE 4.95 4.20 19.86 0.78 11.17 4.52 4.73 6.21 1.12 0.55

CHANGE 0.26 0.22 1.04 0.04 0.57 0.23 0.24 0.30 0.05 0.02

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

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

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

LOSERS AS AT 11-9-12

SYMBOL NASCON UBA CADBURY NEIMETH ASHAKACEM DANGSUGAR CCNN UBN CUSTODYINS UTC

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

CHANGE

0.56 0.40 0.09 0.06 0.03 0.05 0.04 0.24 0.92 0.01

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

political wrangling. S&P cut its rating to AA+ that month, blaming the nation’s political process. Treasuries rallied as investors ignored the reduction, with the yield on the benchmark 10year note since declining to record lows and drawing the ire of investors such as Warren Buffett, the biggest shareholder of Moody’s, who said after the S&P decision that the US should be “quadruple-A.”

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

OBB Rate Call Rate

can’t break an impasse over the federal budget. It said the country’s rating would likely be cut to Aa1 from Aaa if an agreement on the debt ratio is not reached, Moody’s said in a statement yesterday.

Moody’s put the rating under review with a negative outlook in August 2011, when the US pushed back a decision on spending and raised its so-called the debt ceiling after months of

DATA BANK

Tenor

NIDF NESF

covered that most youth lack the fundamental skills required to succeed in the labour market, such as communication skills, cognitive skills and computer skills. This insight led to the formation of the Access Nigeria skills programme.

The programme has in the last two years assessed more than 3000 youth on globallybenchmarked fundamental skills for Information Technology-enabled services economy.

Moody’s Investor may downgrade US credit rating

FGN BONDS

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

•CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

Access Nigeria, World Bank partner

Unity Bank to give out two cars WO customers of Unity bank are to win two brand new cars as reward for participating in the bank’s Save & Win promo. The winners will emerge from the second national draw of the savings promo holding on Saturday, in Lagos.

A statement from the bank said the event scheduled to take place at Planet One Entertainment centre, Maryland, Lagos, will be witnessed by journalists, customers of the bank, officials of the National Lottery Commission, Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria (CPC) and other members of the public.

nancial crisis exposed the inadequacy of skills and dearth of executive capacity in the banking industry.

The skill gap, it explained manifested in, among others the lack of in-depth knowledge of core banking functions and poor understanding of basic banking operations; poor understanding of banking regulations and poor risk management and corporate governance practices.

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 124.79 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 100.11 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.77 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.10 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.93 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,740.52 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 10.45 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 8,571.21 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 124.62 108.78 0.74 1.10 0.91 1,737.02 9.94 1.33 1.80 8,335.18 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

57

NEWS Nasarawa revokes land ownership

G

OVERNOR Umaru Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State has revoked a land belonging to H.A.R. Petroleum Service Limited.

The revoked 41-hectre is situated in Karu, Karu Local Government, on the Abuja Keffi Road, about 160 kilometres from Lafia, the capital.

Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Planning, Sonny Agassi, said the revocation was done in compliance with the provisions of Section 10(b) of the Act, CAP 2002 Laws of the Federation, 1990 which spelt out the conditions for holding a C of O and R of O.

Fuel scarcity resurfaces in Jos

From Johnny Danjuma, Lafia

He said Governor Almakura used his powers to approve the revocation under Section 28(5) and (6) of the Land Use Act, CAP 2002 Laws of the Federation, 1990.

H.A.R. Petroleum Service Limited was also discovered to be having an outstanding charge of N7.2 million after spending nine years on the land.

Agassi said other holders of Nasarawa State land titles were sent demand notices, adding that the government would invoke the relevant provisions of the law at the expiration of the grace period.

Police warn vehicle owners

T

HE Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned and accident vehicles parked at ‘X’ Squad Police headquarters, Ikeja to remove them or lose them through auction.

The vehicles are: Opel Omega GN628KJA, Peugeot Wagon DJ261EKY, Mercedez Benz AJ474 YAB, Mitsubishi Space Wagon DG83EKY, Toyota Camry JJ 688AAA, Toyota Corolla BU 246EPE, Mercedes Benz Truck XY 377 KJA, Volkwagen Bus XL 399 LSR, Nissan Sunny CN 717 LND, and BMW 3 Series X2176 AAA. Others are Izuzu Trooper Jeep marked BB 320 KWL, Isuzu Power Bikie QQ 305 SMK, Infinity RP. 44 KJA, Cherokee Jeep CW 199 KTU, Infinity Jeep, EJ 918 SMK, Toyota Camry EQ 30 APP, Mazda XY 489 GGE, Toyota Corolla BM 145 EPE and Toyota Carina AQ 817BDG.

L

ONG queues of motorists and motorcyclists at filling stations have resurfaced in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Yesterday, most of the major and independent marketers of petroleum products did not sell petrol to motorists and motorcyclists.

Some of the filling stations were Total on Domkat Bali Way, Mobil on Yakubu Gowon Way and a filling station at the Secretariat Junction.

At the NNPC Mega Station in Zarmanganda and a filling station on Murtala Mohammed Way, petrol was sold at N97 per litre.

Black market operators were doing brisk business opposite the NNPC Mega Station, selling a litre of petrol at N160.

The Acting Controller of the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Jos, Mr. Jerry Mashat, said the scarcity would be temporary.

“Sometimes, you have a dip in the supply chain and it comes with the demand pressure. But we are on top of it and shortly you won’t see any queue again.

“We are expecting supplies of petrol very soon.

Our men are out in the field to take care of the situation,” he added.

‘Bauchi civil servants will go on strike if...’

B

AUCHI State civil servants under the aegis of the Joint Negotiations Council of Trade Unions yesterday threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the government deducts two per cent from their salaries to fund the newly-created Ministry of Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

The union’s secretary, Ali Ahmed, spoke at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

secretariat in Bauchi.

He said: “We heard from the media that Governor Isa Yuguda has assented to a bill passed by the House of Assembly. The new law has given the governor the power to deduct two per cent from each civil servant’s salary to fund the Ministry of Orphans and Vulnerable Children.”

Ahmed added: “We want the government to know

that we are opposed to the deduction from workers’ salaries to fund a government agency or project. We are not opposed to the creation of the ministry, but we are opposed to the deduction from workers’ salaries to fund a government project.”

Ahmed said the N18,000 minimum wage is a law in Nigeria and it is on the exclusive list and not concurrent list, adding that “under this law, the Assembly has

no power to tamper with any law that gives workers the N18,000 minimum wage.”

His words: “This law says no one should increase or reduce workers’ salaries without informing the stakeholders. This means labour unions were not contacted by either the government or House of Assembly before the law was made. If the government implements it, we will embark on a strike.”

Suspected cultist arraigned for illegal possession of firearms

A

SUSPECTED member of the Eiye secret cult, Yemi Abolarin, has been arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court for illegal possession of firearms.

He was arraigned on a threecount charge of criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms and being a member of the secret cult.

The prosecutor, Elijah Abegunde, said the offences contravened Section 97 of the Penal Code, Section 1(2) of the Armed Robbery and Firearms (special provision) Act CAP RII Law of the Federation 2004 and pursuant to Section 97(B) of the Penal Code of Kwara State in conjunction with the Kwara State legal note No. 3 of 2010.

The accused was arrested by policemen on surveillance on the Police Road in Ilorin.

According to the charge sheet, a locally-made pistol was retrieved from him when he

From Samson Ademola, Ilorin

was searched by the police.

He reportedly confessed that he bought the pistol from Peter Ibrahim, a co-member of the secret cult, who is at large.

Investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) showed that the accused is a member of the Eiye secret cult.

Defence counsel Wilson Nneji applied for the bail of the suspect in liberal terms, to secure his attendance in court in order to face trial.

But prosecutor Abegunde objected to the bail on the grounds that investigation was still on and the offences were not bailable.

Magistrate Ibrahim Dansuki ordered that the accused be remanded in the Federal Prison, Oke-kura, Ilorin, pending the completion of police investigation.

Kwara brokers 10,000 jobs with WARA State GovernFed Govt ment has brokered job

K

opportunities for 10,000 indigenes with the Federal Government.

It has also provided jobs for 2,000 youths and absorbed 1,430 people into its civil service, Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has said.

He spoke yesterday when he performed the foundation-laying of the International Vocational Centre at Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government.

Ahmed said the training to be provided in the centre would make youths to be employable within and outside the country.

He said his administration attaches importance to youth empowerment through job creation.

He noted that the education reform agenda embarked upon by his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, was still on course, and pledged to use education to add value to the lives of youths and unemployed graduates by turning them to job creators instead of job seekers.

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Governor Ahmed said this would be pursued through his administration’s human capital development strategies.

He added: “I am pleased to be a part of history today as we take another firm step towards transforming our youths to successful economic actors with the foundation-laying of the International Vocational Centre.

•From left: Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Yahya Miya; Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh and Bauchi State Head of Service, Mr. Abdon Gin, at the Code of Conduct Bureau compliance training workshop for political office holders and top government functionaries... yesterday.

Niger impeachment saga: Police convene peace meeting

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HE police in Niger State yesterday met members of the two groups involved in the impeachment move of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, to avert a breakdown of law and order.

Present at the meeting were the Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Desire Nsirim, leaders of the Concerned Citizens of Niger State and those of the Talba Success Movement.

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

Members of the two groups were invited by the Police Commissioner to iron out differences.

Concerned Citizens of Nigeria members last Tuesday wrote Speaker Adamu Usman, asking the legislative arm to begin impeachment proceedings against the governor. The group accused him of financial recklessness and non-im-

plementation of the budget.

In a six-page document, the group threatened to embark on a protest should the Assembly fail to begin impeachment process and remove the governor as soon as it reconvenes on September 18.

A group loyal to Governor Aliyu, Talba Success Movement, stormed the Assembly the next day, asking the lawmakers not

North’s governors urge Wada to run inclusive administration

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HE Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) yesterday congratulated Kogi State Governor Idris Ichalla Wada, following Monday’s Supreme Court verdict that he was the duly elected governor of the state.

It urged him to run an inclusive administration.

The Chairman of the forum and Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu said the verdict of the apex court has confirmed the belief that the judgments of the lower courts on the Kogi election were sound.

A statement signed by Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, enjoined Wada to see his victory at the Supreme Court as a call to the service of the

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

people.

He advised the PDP-led government to extend a hand of fellowship to those who were defeated at the polls, saying “only an inclusive government can bring about the desired change for a better Kogi State.”

The forum thanked the people for their patience throughout the period of litigation and urged them to keep faith with the Wada administration.

It also enjoined those who lost to support Wada to develop the state.

to entertain or honour the content of the letter by the Concerned Citizens Group.

The Nation learnt that the Commissioner of Police invited the two groups to finding a solution to the differences.

The Chairman of the Concerned Citizens of Niger State, Alhaji Maude Usman, led his group. The Talba Success Movement was led by its coordinator, Hamisu Jankaro.

A source at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Commissioner of Police told the leaders that the interactive meeting was convened to provide a platform for discussing security matters.

The police boss was said to have advised the leaders to ensure that their members allowed peace to reign in the state.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS Cross River demands N13b spent on federal roads From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE Cross River State Government has urged the Federal Government to refund the N13 billion it has spent on the repair of federal roads in the state.

Commissioner for Information Akin Ricketts, in a statement yesterday in Calabar, the state capital, said the state of Federal roads worsened in the last six years and the state government spent over N13 billion on palliative work.

He urged the Federal Government to refund the money and repair the roads.

Ricketts said commuters are sometimes held up in traffic for two days on the Calabar-Itu Road because of its bad state.

He said sections of the roads around Odukpani and Ekukunela axis of the Calabar-Itu and Calabar-Ikom federal highways collapsed a few days Ricketts said: “The government is aware of the excruciating pain commuters are facing as a result of this unwholesome situation, as well as the economic implication.”

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SERAP seeks repatriation of Alamieyeseigha’s loot

RIGHTS group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), yesterday urged the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), to “urgently seek from the United States (US) Government repatriation of the $401,931 assets belonging to former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Alamieyeseigha was convicted of money laundering and unjust enrichment while

in office.”

In a letter by its Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP said: “On June 28, 2012, the US Department of Justice obtained the first forfeiture judgment ever issued under the new Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative against Alamieyeseigha.

“The initiative is designed to target and recover the proceeds of corruption laundered in or through the US.

The Nigerian Government has not made a request for the repatriation of the stolen wealth. The failure to repatriate the recovered assets illustrates the government’s attitude to the recovery of stolen assets.

“Being a party to the United Nations (UN) Convention against Corruption, Nigeria has a legal obligation to make a request for mutual legal assistance to the US for the return of the assets. The

Final rites for Ajuonuma begins tomorrow

Enugu bans posters at bus stop shelters

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HE funeral ceremony of Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, the former Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who died in the June 3 Dana air crash, has been fixed for Thursday and Friday .

The ceremony will will start by 3pm on Thursday with a Service of Songs at Harbour Point, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos. His remains would be interred on Friday by 12 noon at his home town in Awalla, near Isiekenesi in Ideato-South Local Government Area of Imo State.

The late Ajuonuma was born on December 2, 1959 in Enugu.

He had his early education in Enugu before proceeding to the United States (US) for further studies.

Ajuonuma was for many years host of the popular Saturday night programme, ‘Open House Party’ – a variety entertainment show, which hosted comedians and music acts on Ray Power FM. He was also host and executive producer of ‘The Sunday Show’; ‘Levi Ajuonoma Live’ and ‘Showtime’ on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and other television channels before his appointment as Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the NNPC in November 2003.

He is survived by a wife and children.

From Chris Oji, Enugu

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convention describes asset recovery as its ‘fundamental principle’ and requires states to ‘afford one another the widest measure of cooperation and assistance in this regard’.

“SERAP’s US Volunteer Counsel Prof. Alexander W. Sierck is in a high level discussion with US officials on the matter, but without the Nigerian Government taking the initiative, the process will not go far.”

•Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (right) greeting the Chairman of the Abia Oil Subsidy Reinvestment Committe, Sir Chris Nkwonta, after the panel’s inauguration in Umuahia...yesterday.

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Erosion: Okorocha seeks Fed Govt’s of the erosion, adding intervention tent that the problem is beyond

MO State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday urged the Federal Government to come to the aid of erosion ravaged communities in the state.

He said erosion has cut many Imo communities off from major cities and some federal roads have been washed away.

Okorocha spoke while inspecting major erosion sites in the state.

At Mgbee, Ideato Local Government Area, he said: “This is an important federal road, which links Anambra and Imo states. We have

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

made every effort to stop this gully before it got worse.

This is not the only erosion site in Imo and I urge the Federal Government to see it as an emergency that must be given urgent attention.”

Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso said the state government had visited the erosion sites with the management of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) to ascertain the ex-

NEMA. Some commuters, who ply the route, said a journey that should be made in one hour now takes close to eight hours.

A driver, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “We are threatened by the gully and the condition worsens every day with the rains. Our children can no longer go to school in the cities because the only connecting road has been washed away by erosion.”

HE Enugu State Government has banned the pasting of posters on bus-stop shelters.

Commissioner for Transport Chuka Utazi announced the ban while conducting reporters round some of the shelters.

Utazi said the indiscriminate pasting of posters has defaced the bus stop shelters.

He said two persons caught pasting posters at a bus shelter had been handed over to the police for prosecution.

The commissioner said officials of the Ministry of Transport have started removing the posters, as well as compiling the names, addresses and phone numbers of individuals and groups on them for prosecution.

He urged the public to report any person or group defacing the shelters to his office.

Old students meet

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EMBERS of the Emekuku High

School Old Boys Association, Owerri, Imo State, (formerly Sebastine Academy College, Emekuku), resident in Lagos State will hold their monthly general meeting on September 16, at the National Stadium, Lagos.

The meeting is slated for 3pm.

The association’s President, Mr. Paul Ogazi urged members to be punctual.

Commercial motorcyclists align with Lagos traffic law

•Fashola

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AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday met with leaders of the associations of commercial motorcyclists on the importance of the Lagos Road Traffic Law.

The meeting was held at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos House, Alausa. He explained the objectives of the law and urged the motorcyclists to obey it.

Fashola said his administration would listen and make operational changes where there are genuine complaints.

The governor said: “Obedience to this law is better than sacrificing the lives of the people. Obey it first. Our doors are open and we will listen to you when there is genuine complaint.

“The law is now in force.

From the day I signed it, it

became a law, so the idea of suspending the law is not something I can do even if I wanted to.

“Our intention is not to arrest or jail people, but to explain to you why this law is in your interest and in the interest of other citizens. It may require me to make some sacrifices, but the gains that I see will be bigger. Voluntary compliance is the real objective of this law.”

Leaders of the associations pledged to comply with and enforce the law.

Chairman, Lagos State Motorcycle Operators Association, Comrade Tijani

Pekis said the associations’ leaders would sensitise members on the importance of the law and ensure compliance.

Pekis said: “The governor has told us to obey before complaining and we are going out en masse to sensitise our members for total compliance. Every association, whether recognised or not, will pick a date when they will go out to enforce the law.

We will meet with all the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) with the document from the Commissioner of Police to get enforcement backing.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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FOREIGN NEWS U.S. will continue to remember Sept 11 victims, says Obama

•Obama

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HE victims of September 11 will be remembered “no matter how many years pass,” President Barack Obama said yesterday during one of the three main ceremonies marking the 11th anniversary of the attacks in which nearly 3,000 people were killed by airliners hijacked by Islamist militants.

Two of the passenger jets brought down the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Centre, another hit the Pentagon outside Washing-

ton and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when passengers aboard that flight fought back against the hijackers.

Obama, speaking at the Pentagon where 184 people were killed, told victims’ families that the country shares their loss.

“Eleven times we have paused in remembrance and reflection, in unity and in purpose,” Obama said. “This is never an easy day, but it is especially difficult for all of you, the families of nearly 3,000 innocents who lost their lives.

“But no matter how many years pass, no matter how many times we come together on this hallowed ground, know this: That you will never be alone, your loved ones will never be forgotten. They will endure in the hearts of our nation because through their sacrifice they helped us make the America we are today, an America that has

emerged even stronger.”

Speaking under clear blue skies that recalled the crisp morning of September 11, 2001, Obama said America’s fight is not with Islam but with al Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks, and its allies.

It is a line he has used several times since taking office promising to mend ties with the Muslim world.

“I’ve always said our fight is with al Qaeda and its affiliates, not with Islam or any other religion,” he said. “This country was built as a beacon of freedom and tolerance.”

Before the Pentagon ceremony, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama observed a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House. Afterward they stopped at Arlington National Cemetery, where the two paid their respects at the graves of military service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Protesters storm U.S. Embassy in Cairo

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NGRY protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and hauled down the American flag, replacing it with a black standard with Islamic emblems, apparently in protest of the production of a film thought to insult the Prophet Mohammed.

The incident prompted a volley of warning shots to be fired as a large crowd gathered outside, said CNN producer Mohammed Fahmy, who was on the scene.

The replacement flag read, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger.”

Others expressed more general grievances about U.S. policy, chanting anti-Ameri-

can slogans and holding up bits of a shredded American flag to television camera crews in front of the embassy.

An embassy operator told CNN that the facility had been cleared of diplomatic personnel earlier Tuesday, ahead of the apparent threat, while Egyptian riot police were called to help secure the area.

The U.S. Embassy said in a statement Tuesday that it “condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”

“Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of Amer-

ican democracy,” the statement said. “We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”

The incident occurred on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, as crowds gathered in somber remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.

It is not clear which film upset the protesters in Cairo.

In 2008, an anti-Muslim and anti-immigration parliamentarian from The Netherlands sparked international outcry when he produced a film that portrayed Islam as a violent religion.

Al Qaeda leader’s brother offers peace plan

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HE brother of al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri is proposing to mediate a peace deal between the West and Islamists.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Mohamed al Zawahiri unveiled his proposal for the first time, saying he is in a unique position to help end the violence and that both sides need to make concessions.

As the al Qaeda leader’s brother, he says they are ideologically inseparable, and that if anyone can talk his brother out of violence it’s him.

He is like so many former prisoners I’ve met — calm, collected, focused and utterly convinced by long held views examined, tested and reforged in incarceration.

Mohamed al Zawahiri is

not a physically imposing man. His long beard is shading from grey to white, his features and figure drawn.

Ramadan is long over but he still fasts until the sun goes down.

Mohamed spent 14 years in Egyptian jail on charges including terrorism and involvement in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat 1981.

He denies the charges.

Reps request budget implementation from MDAs

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HE House of Representatives yesterday requested all its committees to conduct a thorough appraisal of the status of the implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act before resumption on September 18.

The House, had threatened to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan over the non implementation of the budget, claiming that the level of implementation was as low as 34 per cent.

A letter by the Deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor dated September 10, titled: Status of Implementation of the 2012 budget,’ and addressed to all committee chairmen reads: “The Honourable Speaker hereby requests all Committees of the House to conduct a

From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

thorough appraisal of the status of implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act before resumption of the House Recess on 18th September, 2012.

“In this regard, you are to request all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDA’s) that you oversight to submit the status of all releases of funds; how much has been assessed, contracts awarded and general implementation status of the 2012 Appropriation Act. “The above requested information should, after collation, be submitted to the office of the House Leader on or before 18th September, 2012.

“You are to ensure strict compliance as the information collated will form the basis of the decisions of the House on resumption .”

The directive to the committees seem to lend credence to information from sources that the House is not letting up on the impeachment threat against President Jonathan should the level of implementation desired by the House not be met.

While the current implementation level by the Executive is said to have have reached 50 percent, the House had requested for a 100 percent implementation of the Appropriation Act before it resumes on the 18th of September.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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NEWS

Anyim’s Ebonyi community boils over town union polls

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BONYI State community where Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim hails from is boiling over town union elections.

A faction has accused the former Senate President of taking sides in the crisis.

He has also been accused of influencing the security blanket on Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of the state.

Some community leaders are urging the authorities to withdraw the over 100 armed soldiers, policemen and plain-clothed security men said to have been deployed in the town.

Two people- Chief Anyim Stanley and Chief David Aja are laying claims to the leadership of the Ishiagu Community Development Union (ICDU).

Aja fled to Enugu from where he is calling for the removal of security men from the community. He is also blaming the SGF from the crisis.

The fleeing leaders said they were running for dear lives because security men remained in the town after the former senator departed the community yesterday.

But an ally of Senator Anyim, Mr. Godfrey Ajah,

From Chris Oji, Enugu and Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

dismissed allegations against the SGF, saying he had no hand in the crisis.

He said: “Anyim was here for the elections and has always returned home anytime there was ICDU election. It is not the first time and I must tell you that he is a peaceful man and would always want the best for his people in Ishiagu.

“He is just as another Ishiagu man in the election of the town union executives.

He never instigated any crisis.”

The fleeing leaders insisted that the former senate president wants to hijack the leadership of the town union without following the constitution.

Chief Aja who spoke on their behalf said: “I discovered there were about ten trucks of soldiers and riot policemen in the community for the election he claims to be conducting; I saw them running towards my house and I ran for refuge in Enugu.

Aja, who claimed to have been accompanied by chairmen of 12 out of the 18 villages that make up Ishiagu, noted that the town union election which should con-

stitutionally hold a month before the expiration of the tenure of the outgoing executive was conducted in August by the acting President of ICDU, Chief Linus Ukachukwu.

He expressed regrets that Ebonyi State acting Governor Dave Umahi, allegedly jettisoned the recommendations of an investigation committee set up by government and fixed another election for Monday during which soldiers were mobilised to terrorise the people.

But Godfrey Ajah said a peaceful election was conducted and new ICDU executive elected.

He dismissed claims that an election was held in August and insisted that he was the only person legally qualified to conduct the elections.

He said: “Our distinguished son, Anyim, is not causing any problem in Ishiagu; he was there when the elections were conducted and he has always returned home for the ICDU election.

The government in its own wisdom, decided that the best for the community was an election and that’s what we did yesterday. However, a committee set up by government to supervise the election could not come af-

ter they were attacked by gunmen, yet they told us to go ahead with the election.”

A community leader, Mr. Boniface Aja, told reporters yesterday that the community is thrown into fear, panic and uncertainty whenever the town union poll is to hold. He said in 2001 and 2006, many lives were lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed following a disagreement on the authentic leadership of the town union.

Mr. Aja said the community was also thrown into panic and apprehension when on Sunday, a team of soldiers, riot policemen and plain-clothed security men, numbering over 100 besieged the community in respect of the ICDU election.

He said: “It is painful and sad that a common town union election would witness a deployment of more than 100 security men. We are a peaceful people but top politicians from the community have turned the place into a war zone, who deployed security and under whose instruction are they working?”

Another community leader, Mr. Njoku Igwe, urged the immediate withdrawal of the soldiers and riot po-

licemen to avert any confrontation with the community youths.

“The election has been conducted and winners emerged, though unfortunately two factional executives emerged but we believe it is high time the soldiers and policemen were withdrawn from the community to avert any unnecessary confrontation with the youths”.

“We are living in perpetual fear and apprehension because of the presence of the security men, though they were deployed to ensure the peaceful conduct of the election but since the election is over, they should be withdrawn because still allowing them stay in the community may become counter productive”.

A youth leader in the community, Mr. Anayo Okoronkwo, described the military presence in the community as uncalled for adding that the presence of the military prevented the people from coming out to vote for the candidate of their choice.

He said there was no election in the community on Monday and urged the government to disregard any video clip or photographs presented to it by Senator

•Anyim

Anyim as evidence of the election.

But factional Chairman of the town union Chief Stanley described the continued crisis in the community as worrisome, adding that his administration would work assiduously to ensure that peace returned.

He promised judicious use of the royalties accrued to the Community, pointing out that his administration would embark on projects that will be beneficial to the community.

The community is endowed with enormous solid mineral resources, especially limestone mined by CrushRock Company of Nigeria and Setraco Nigeria Limited.

Power generation still 4,439.5mw, says government

•Fashola

Continued from page 1 solidated, but will be improved upon.”

Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Dr. Sam Amadi told reporters yesterday in Abuja that there must be generation of 4,500 megawatt in the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) , as justification for a new tariff regime.

He explained that the 4500mw projected for December was an outcome of all the worst and best scenarios that could be experienced by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, generation companies and National Integrated Power Projects..

Amadi said in order to sound realistic, the commis-

sion pegged its benchmark at 4500mw instead of the 5000 mw projected by the Ministry of Power.

Amadi said: “The idea here is that gas to power would have also gone far. The idea here is that if you look at it from the 4500mw in the market, we are very sure that by December 2012 we would have been able to meet that projection. The idea here is that the generation capacity influences the tariff. If suddenly we have a windfall of 9,000 megawatts, we are going to reverse the tariff because the average cost is going to be lower for every consumer.

“So, let’s bear in mind that this is a day to day market.

Before we got the projection, we got NIPP, we got TCN, we got the generation companies to give us their best and worst case scenario.

“But we took 4500mw and from hindsight it seems we were more accurate to take 4500mw. We already had improvement of 4,300 in the last two weeks. So it is possible we have improvement for the price that is being scheduled. But we expect to do better than 4500mw.”

He said the sector would witness a soaring power generation of 7000mw when the NIPPs would have harvested their inputs by next

year.

That year, said the chairman, all the IPPs and NIPP that are now down would have been operating at full capacity.

Also yesterday, the Minister of State for power said Lagos is currently getting 1,124 megawatts supply of electricity which is about one quarter of the total electricity wheeled into the national grid.

He spoke at the inauguration of the Ikeja Forum for Electricity Consumers. He said the recognition of Lagos as the country’s commercial hub necessitated the high premium being placed on the state in the supply of power.

He said: “As at Monday, power delivery to Lagos alone is 1,124mw. This is because it is the commercial heartbeat of the nation. If I have to do anything, it has to be Lagos first, followed by Abuja and others.” The current power supply to the state is the highest in the history of the country, he added.

He said electricity supply has been on the increase because the Alaoji power plant, being built under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), will be synchronized into the national grid soon as two of its units

Sanusi: Obasanjo is a bad economist Continued from page 4

transportation, for insurance, for clearing, for the bullion van and processing and these are cost to the economy.”

Sanusi said the CBN was introducing coins for various reasons, first as part of cost management since the N5, N10 and N20 note have very high frequency and have to be replaced every

three months but the coins last longer. “Secondly we are working on a hypothesis that the reason Nigerians do not accept the coins is because they couldn’t buy anything with them and maybe if you give them coins that have value as a medium of exchange, they would accept them,” he said.

The introduction of the N5, 000 he pointed out, will

enhance the store of value function of the naira.

The CIBN President, Mr Segun Ajayi, restated professional bankers’ commitment to ensuring that banks continue to play their financial intermediation roles in the economy by standardising the practice and collaborating with key stakeholders, including development partners and other financial institutions.

are already fired.

Lagos State Governor Babatunda Fashola expressed concern about irregular power supply and customer

complaints. He urged the Federal Government to ensure that necessary measures are taken to guarantee sustainable power supply in the

country adding that it is the gateway to move from poverty to prosperity as power is critical to the success of other sectors of the economy.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

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SPORT EXTRA

Reps plan to visit 44 sports facilities nationwide •N6m needed for tour

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OUSE of Representatives' Committee on Sports are set to embark on a planned nationwide sports' facility tour in order to ensure that adequate facilities are in place to discover more talents for the nation.

The Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Honourable Godfrey Gaiya told NationSport in Abuja yesterday that the committee was waiting for the release of funds to prosecute the planned tour and he has promised to fast track the process immediately the House resumes from its recess next week.

“No matter what it takes us, as soon as we resume next week,

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja we are going to address this issue (nationwide facility tour) immediately. We agreed at our meeting that we will visit 44 sites in Nigeria. The cost as at that time we wanted to embark on the tour was 42 million naira.

“We agreed to divide the committee into six teams to make it easier for us to cover the 36 states so that each team will spend a week to cover their geo-political zones, then now remains the issue of funds to carry this out. We couldn’t approach the National Sports Commission because we want to carry out our oversight functions unblemished. We want

NSC talks tough on age cheats •As Ikpeba worried over decline in football

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TOP official of the National Sports Commission(NSC) Tayo Oreweme has expressed disgust over the continuos use of over-aged players at age grade competitions.

In a chat with the Nationsports, Oreweme advised prospective investors in the round-leather game at the grassroots to go back to the basics of the game. This she believes will ensure that players go through the ranks of the round0-leather game.

Oreweme also admonished some parents who falsify the ages of their children in a desperate attempt to get their over-aged wards into the national team.

By Stella Bamawo "Development without truth will not take us anywhere. All the academies being established will just be a fairy tale. I would proffer we start grooming our kids from age seven rather than fifteen. Stop picking adults into age grade teams," she warned.

Buttressing Oreweme's points, Former Super Eagles player, Victor Ikpeba noted that the future of Africa football are the youths.

"Without youth football, I won't be where I am. I was privileged to be discovered in school. Without youth football, nobody will talk about me."

Rangers demand league title •Reject prize money

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N Enugu Rangers top official have said they do not want any prize money but the league trophy they allegedly won.

The Flying Antelopes were poised to win the title before the NPL decided to implement one of the rules guiding the just concluded league season In Article 4(2) 3 which thus expelled Ocean Boys from the league and their points haul deducted from the league table.

Instead of finishing first, Rangers ended up in second position and the club has demanded justice from the leadership of the league body.

The General Manager, Enugu Rangers, Paul Chibuzor Ozor in a brief chat with NationSport said that he read in a newspaper(not NationSport) that a stakeholder and General Manager of a club said that each club should be given a million naira as a compensation. But Ozor in his reply to the comment expressed his disappointment but that the Flying Antelopes only wanted the return of their trophy and not any prize money.

"We do not want any prize money. What we are demanding is the league which we won fair and square.

Things have not been easy ever since we got the pronouncement of the NPL on Ocean Boys.

"The club has made its

grievances known and the supporters and fans alike have shown their displeasure at the NPL and for two days they protested,"Ozor pointed out.

Yobo rates Turkish league best From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja UPER EAGLES captain Joseph Yobo has rated the Turkish League very high among others in Europe, while expressing joy on the in flock of young Nigerian players in the League.

In an exclusive chat with NationSport in Abuja, the Fernabache of Turkey defender said “ the Turkish League is not a pushover. It is very competitive also. When I there, I thought it would be an easy one, but, I later found out that it is just the same standard with what is attained elsewhere in Europe. It is good as many Nigerian players are coming over there. It would be good for our football if they are able to make it there. It would be go a long way to improve their game. It doesn’t matter which club you are playing for over there, the League is good because you play with the best of players in the World. I think, the Turkish League is very competitive.

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to have the barest minimum funds needed for the tour and we arrived at total bill of N6 million because we agreed to go via bus not by air to minimize expenses.

So every geo-political zone we have to manage a million naira for the tour. I then approached the leadership of the National Assembly for money and up till today that money has not been released.

“My challenge has been how to raise the six million naira for my committee to go for the tour.

The release of the money supposed to be through the National Assembly on Capital project, but the money is not forthcoming. Now it has become a matter of public discuss so we have to save our face and our pride, so we will make sure we do it. How I will do it I don’t know. But I want assure Nigerians since we are resuming next week, this facility tour cannot extend to October this year. No matter where I am going to raise money I will raise money. Whether the approval comes or not I will make sure we go on this tour because my own constituency too is affected.”, Gaiya vowed.

7 players selected at COD United Camp for Bolton Wanderers Academy

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HREE players have been selected to travel to Bolton Wanderers FC Academy for intensive coaching in November. The players were selected after showing great skills and attitude during the just concluded COD United /Bolton Wanderers Summer Camp held in Lagos.

The three players, Samuel Vincent, Joshua Olaegbe and Lydon Odiah will be joined by Olabisi Daodu, Azeez Adeoye, Peter Folrunsho, Biyi Oshilaja who were selected at an earlier camp held in April when they depart the shores of Nigeria in November.

Speaking on the selection of the three players, Coach Mick Wild who led the team of Bolton specialist youth coaches said, "It was difficult to choose just 3 boys, left to us, we would have taken all the boys because they all showed great ability and fantastic attitude. But these three young men and the four others earlier selected have been really impressive and they will definitely benefit from spending some time with us in November.

We are looking for the next Jay Jay Okocha at Bolton and we hope one or more of these young men can grow to be as big if not bigger.

Deji Adegbenro, Director of Football at Nigerian National Leagues side COD United also added, "we are glad and proud that our partnership with Bolton is yielding real fruits. These 7 young men will be walking in the same path numerous other boys have followed as a result of this wonderful partnership. We have high expectations of these boys and we believe that they'll pick up one or two things at Bolton that would ensure that they not only become better footballers but better persons.

That's our goal and we are glad that all our work is yielding fruits."

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.7 NO.2,246

‘If Nigerians are up in arms against Dana Air today, it is because of the notoriety Indians have acquired by their predilection for cutting corners and not playing by the rules’ DELE AGEKAMEH

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

I

N the city of Jos in the Plateau State of central Nigeria in early July this year, a group of Christian Berom tribesmen gathered together at a somber funeral for over 60 innocent individuals recently murdered in the home of a pastor by Muslim Fulani herdsmen.

While in shared mourning, they were descended upon under a rain of bullets from a number of armed men, again Fulani. Twenty more were killed, including two leading Berom politicians: a Nigerian Federal Senator and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State Assembly. In response, a number of Berom, the dominant ethnic group in the area, retaliated the following day by killing any person in the area they identified as Fulani, bringing the weekend’s death toll to over 200.

Despite the bucolic slogan of Plateau State “The Home of Peace and Tourism” - the area has been plagued by this vicious cycle of violence between the Christian Berom and Muslim Fulani populations for over a decade. As both groups are motivated by codes of revenge and honour, any violent act is set to trigger a series of other bloody counter-attacks.

Amidst the seemingly sectarian nature of the conflict, the central government’s role, both directly and indirectly, in the violence against the Muslim periphery goes largely unnoticed.

The sequence of events above was triggered by the Nigerian security forces who the Fulani associate with the Berom. Shortly before the Fulani attack, the security forces burned to the ground 50 Fulani homes in retaliation for a Fulani herdsman being accused of killing a Nigerian soldier.

Many are shocked at the brutality of these attacks, with commentators quick to blame attacks against the Christians on “al-Qaedalinked” Boko Haram, the murky and undefined group located in northeastern Nigeria among the Muslim Kanuri people. The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, cited the incidents of cannibalism against the Muslim population in Jos in his defence of the Christmas Day bombings in 2011.

The Fulani as well as the Kanuri could have responded to attacks upon them by means of traditional tribal justice using dialogue through councils of elders or through the religious leadership. They, however, took a route which negated both their tribal and religious traditions, and in the mutation, slaughtered innocent Christians in churches and their homes, including infants. Therefore, their story, their cause and any sympathy for them are lost.

In order, however, to understand the present violence which plagues the heart of West Africa, we must look to the history of this region itself and the place the Fulani herdsmen have held on the periphery of Nigeria.

Prior to British colonisation, the Fulani had supported the Fulani religious leader Usman Dan Fodio, who claimed descent from the Prophet, in overthrowing the Hausa States and establishing the Sokoto Caliphate in the early 19th century in what is today northern Nigeria.

When the British established the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria in 1900, they instituted

OPEN FORUM

By AKBAR AHMED

Breaking the cycle of revenge

•Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State

indirect rule over Sokoto with its Fulani and Hausa inhabitants, relying on the pre-existing state structure and Muslim leadership. Britain even went so far as to declare itself “the greatest Mohammedan Power in the World” in the Nigeria Gazette during World War I in order to bolster support from the Muslim population. In 1914, the British united Northern and Southern Nigeria into a single colony. It proved to be an unhappy marriage.

Throughout these political changes, the Fulani herdsmen remained firmly on the periphery, continuing to evade taxes and searching for adequate grazing lands for their vast herds of cattle, their sole means of economic livelihood. Major JA Burdon, an early 20th century British administrator in northern Nigeria, spoke of the intense attachment the Fulani have with their cattle: “The herdsmen are peaceful and inoffensive; they became warriors through the necessity for self-defence… trusting for the defence of their treasured herds, their one possession, to neither horses nor armour, but only to their spears and their desperate courage.”

Tending their cattle was an important aspect of their code of honour, Pulaaku, or “Way of the Fulani”, which was also a means of providing social order among their nomadic clans.

With independence from Britain in 1960, the national politics of Nigeria was dominated by

HARDBALL

RIPPLES

N5000 note: WE’LL STOP SANUSI - Senators

...we are WAITING

a series of coups and counter-coups as the major ethnic groups - the Muslim Hausa and settled Fulani in the north, the Christian Yoruba in the south, and the Christian Igbo in the southeast - vied for national dominance, including a deadly civil war in the late 1960s which resulted in the deaths of nearly 2 million people.

Apart from this, nearly a hundred other ethnic groups, both Muslim and Christian, found themselves living side by side in the Middle Belt region which serves as the border between the Christian south and Muslim north.

After independence, Fulani herdsmen began to increasingly shift their herds south into the Middle Belt region and establish more permanent settlements. This was largely due to the devastating Sahel drought of the late 1960s and 1970s which greatly reduced both their grazing lands in the north and the size of their herds.

In addition, the development of new farming practices in the Middle Belt region during this period decimated the tsetse fly population which was harmful to cattle and previously served as a barrier to the Fulani herds.

With the growing number of Fulani in the Middle Belt, the herdsmen were seen to be “settlers” or outsiders by the indigenous population or “indigenes”, especially the largely Christian Berom farmers. The Berom farmers complained of the destructive presence of cattle on their land and resorted to stealing or killing the herds, often at the cost of the lives of the young Fulani boys who would tend the herds, a traditional means of displaying courage. The Fulani responded to these overtures of violence with equal or greater brutality.

Large scale violence erupted on September 7, 2001 when the palpable tension between Christians and Muslims led to the Jos riots in which over 1,000 people were killed in a week.

A Nigerian government investigative committee found that between September 2001 and May 2004, the conflict resulted in the deaths of 53,787 individuals.

Since 2001, the Fulani have been subject to targeted discrimination by the government and risk being arrested, tortured, or killed as well as seeing their homes destroyed in dragnet operations and “revenge missions” by se-

curity forces. In November 2008 after rioting broke out, the Berom Governor of Plateau State implemented a 24-hour curfew and issued the security forces a “shoot-on-sight” directive, resulting in over 130 deaths. After the attack on the funeral where the two Berom politicians were killed in July, there were calls from the Berom community to expel all Fulani from Plateau State. Ahmed Idris, a Representative from Plateau State in the House of Representatives, referred to these deportations as “ethnic cleansing”.

The losses to Fulani livestock have been equally devastating and represent one of the greatest threats to their identity. The leader of the Fulani organisation Miyetti Allah stated in February 2011 that herdsmen had lost about eight million heads of cattle in the past decade.

He warned that for the Fulani, “the race was facing extinction”.

The Fulani ethnic group stretches beyond Nigeria and across West Africa, where the Fulani are variously known as Fulani, Fulbe, Fula, or Peul, and this same conflict which fuels the violence in Plateau State can be found elsewhere. In Ghana, as the Fulani shifted their herds south, vicious battles erupted pitting the Fulani herdsmen against local farmers and the security forces. One Ghanaian MP captured the hostile attitude towards the Fulani when he publically announced in December 2011, “If in the course of defending ourselves they have to die then it is justified. So killing them I personally support it”.

In order to find a means to peace in a country like Nigeria with such rich ethnic and cultural diversity, a level of accommodation and understanding is required. The government should respect both the Fulani’s traditional culture, including accommodating land needs with designated grazing routes, and give them their full human and civil rights as Nigerian citizens.

With the Berom and Fulani of the Middle Belt caught in this cycle of revenge, leadership that underlines compassion and non-violence from both their respective faiths, Christianity and Islam, is desperately needed, such as the August 2012 visit of the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama, to the Jos Central Mosque where he was hosted by its Imam, Sheik Balarabe Dawud. In Archbishop’s words, he intended “to dispel the notion that Muslims and Christians in Plateau State cannot meet”.

Only by heeding the message and example of their religious leadership and living up to the ideals of their respective faiths can peace return to the long suffering people of Plateau State and Nigeria. …Professor Akbar Ahmed is Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC and the former Pakistani High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

•Mohammed Haruna returns next week

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Tea party and sleeping policemen

A

DAY after armed robbers cocked a snook at policemen in Lagos, the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, rushed down to the state chafing at the daringness of the criminals and the lethargy of his men who, by all accounts, and by his own confession, were caught with their feet on their desks snoozing away the lazy days. The bloody Sunday, as many newspapers have described the coordinated robbery attacks, led to the death of three policemen, the killing of three or four other civilians, and the loss of over N55 million by bureau de change operators. It was indeed a memorable Sunday because such raids were no longer common, and both Lagosians and their policemen had become dulled to the antics of men of the underworld. The same day the IGP visited the state, the Lagos State government, which was also stung to the quick by the robbers’ effrontery, presented some crime-fighting equipment to the police. The IGP received the equipment for the state police command.

Among these items were 114 vehicles, 40 motorcycles, and other communication gadgets.

An obviously impressed IGP, however, found a moment to lambast his men and charge them

to wake up from their slumber. He couched his rebuke quite inelegantly. “It is no longer a tea party,” he fumed during the inauguration of the crime-fighting equipment on Monday.

“There is no doubt that policemen in the state are sleeping. You must wake up from your slumber.” So that chastened policemen, around whom robbers ran rings on Sunday, would appreciate how disappointed he was, the IGP thundered: “The story of yesterday (the daring raids of Sunday) should not happen again. We must not fold our arms and allow miscreants to take over the state. I have ordered the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, and the state Commissioner of Police to sit down and re-strategise and find a new way of fighting crime in Lagos. You have mobility, you have support, you have allowance from the state government; you must not allow people of Lagos to be terrorised by robbers. It can never be accepted anymore.”

Though it is too early to estimate the impact of the IGP’s rebuke, it is, however, certain that neither the AIG nor the police commissioner would be willing to be ridiculed again by any group of robbers. Policemen everywhere in

Nigeria may be uncomfortable with the scrapping of checkpoints, but as far as the IGP is concerned, that ancient and lazy system of crime control is unlikely to ever return. The heat will, therefore, be on the AIG, Zone 2 and the Lagos police commissioner to devise intelligent countermeasures. Their jobs will depend on how efficiently and quickly they respond to the new challenges. For as the IGP indicated, the Lagos police are the best equipped of all state commands, the most mobile, and perhaps have the best incentives. If robbers once again cock their snook at law enforcement agents in the state, and the snook is not swiftly cut off, there is no telling what the IGP would do, especially when he had said definitively that the situation “would never be accepted anymore.”

But whether we agree with the IGP or not that Lagos policemen were asleep when the robbers struck, his fiery admonition to them should be capable of rousing them from slumber, even of the Rip Van Winkle quality. More, they now probably know that the party is over, and not even the cheapest tea would be served henceforth. Let us, however, hope none of the slumbering giants had a hangover.

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