The Nation, September 13, 2014

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THE NATION,

BOKO HARAM

2 News

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Troops kill over 100 insurgents in battle for Maiduguri

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HE Boko Haram sect failed yesterday in its plan to invade Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Its insurgents were beaten back by soldiers at Konduga, 35 kilometres from Maiduguri. The intervention came 48 hours after the Borno Elders Forum (BEF) raised the alarm that Boko Haram fighters had almost encircled Maiduguri to launch an attack, and a week after the sect circulated leaflets in Maiduguri warning of its plan to invade two military barracks in the city. The Defence Headquarters had dismissed the BEF claim as alarmist, although it also said that “all facets of security ar-

•Boko Haram repelled 35 kilometers to Borno capital •Air raids of Bama, Gwoza continue Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

rangements for the defence of Maiduguri have been upgraded to handle any planned attack.” About 100 Boko Haram members were killed in yesterday’s battle, according to a military source. The insurgents were said to have attempted to overrun Konduga as a prelude to an attack on Maiduguri. “Following intelligence report of alleged plans by Boko Haram to invade Konduga and

use it as a base for final attacks on Maiduguri, the military rose to the challenge,” the source said. “Troops laid ambush for the insurgents and killed more than 100 during fierce encounters. The victory was a major one for troops in Borno State in recent times. “The troops have sent a strong signal to the insurgents that Maiduguri is a no-go area for them. “The attackers were repelled... there were casualties on their side,” government spokesman, Mike Omeri, also told Reuters. Many sophisticated weapons

and armoured tanks were recovered from the insurgents. A military mop up of the area was said to be in progress. The military’s claims could not be independently verified last night. It was also gathered that troops were getting close to reclaiming Bama from the sect. The source said: “part from air strikes, troops are on the verge of taking over Bama from the insurgents. They are making an inroad now. “We have sustained heavy air strikes on Bama and Gwoza in the last few days and we will not relent until the insurgents

•Corp Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission, Boboye Oyeyemi(right);Assistant Corp Marshal, Kayode Olagunju; Assistant Director, Road Transport Management, Federal Ministry of Transport, Elisha Benjamin and Prof. Christopher Okoro during the stakeholders forum on the implementation of National Standards on Maximum Road Speed Limiters for Vehicles in Abuja yesterday PHOTO: Abayomi FAYESE

Mark charges military to reclaim lost territory

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ENATE President David Mark yesterday tasked the Armed Forces to brace up to the critical security situation ochestrated by Boko Haram. He urged them to reclaim some communities in the North East said to have been taken over by the sect. Mark, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, in Abuja, told a crowded audience at the graduation ceremony of the 61 Regular Course of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna that the nation is at a critical moment. He said: “Our peaceful and corporate existence is threatened by insurgency, terrorism and sheer criminality.” He lamented that the war against terrorism has already taken a severe toll on the lives, finance and economy of the nation, stressing that “huge resources that would have been used for national development are now being diverted to fight insurgency and terrorism.” In the face of all these challenges, however, the Senate President assured that “we will never relent in keeping this country one.” He added that ethnic, political, sectional and religious problems complicate issues in Nigeria. A solution to it, he said, demands that all hands must be on deck to tackle it. He warned politicians against playing politics with the nation’s security and unity, pointing out that “politicians, irrespective of ideological or party affiliations, should remember that politics can only be played when Nigeria exists

ise if only we could put our dif- Former Head of State, Gen. Onyedi OJIABOR, Assistant Editor, Abuja ferences behind us and work to- Yakubu Gowon, and first indig-

as a corporate entity and is in peace.” He berated those fanning the embers of war and disunity and stressed that “Nigeria is not an accident. It has pleased the Almighty God to put us together as one and it is our solemn duty to nurture Nigeria to her full potential.” According to Mark, “the future still holds greater prom-

gether as one people. “With greater commitment and resolve, I have no doubt in my mind that Nigeria will be one of the world’s super powers.” He assured that the National Assembly will continue to give all the support to the military to win this asymmetrical war just as he urged Nigerians to cooperate with the armed forces to succeed.

enous Commandant of the NDA, Gen. David Ejoor, were awarded honorary doctoral degrees at the convocation ceremony for their meritorious services to the nation. Commandant of NDA, MajGen. Mohammed Idris promised that the school will continue to live up to its billing, improving on research and knowledge as important ingredients for national development.

2015: Chibok girls, insurgency won’t stop Jonathan, says group

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GROUP, Transformation for Good Leadership and Development Initiative (TRANSGOLD), has said the delay in the release of the abducted Chibok girls and the insurgency in the NorthEast will not stop President Goodluck Jonathan from declaring his ambition for another term as president. The group said Jonathan is set to announce his ambition for re-election soon, adding that there is nothing anybody can do to stop him. Hon. Dugdale Kpobari Badom, the South–South Coordinator of the group, spoke yesterday at the South-South Zonal meeting of the group held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. He said the meeting, which was attended by National executive members of TRANSGOLD, was to in-

•President to declare soon

Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

form supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan in the region that he will soon declare his ambition. Badom said there is no need to panic over the comment of some Northerners as nothing, including the activities of Boko Haram and the delay in the release of Chibok girls, would stop Jonathan from declaring his ambition. He noted that the meeting in Port Harcourt was to prepare the minds of supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan on his historic declaration, which will take place soon. “We are grassroots mobilizers. The national members of our group are in Port Harcourt to encourage

President Goodluck Jonathan’s supporters in the South-South region to be steadfast and not to consider any negative comment against the President by his critics. “Jonathan is a blessing to Nigeria. He will announce his ambition soon. Nobody will stop him; not even the activities of Boko Haram. “Our happiness is that even in the North, Jonathan has more friends and supporters than those who are against him. “As for the release of the Chibok girls and to end insurgency in the North, President Jonathan is doing his best and we are assuring Nigerians that the Chibok girls will be released. So, nobody should play politics with the abducted girls.”

give up.” Another military source said: “Riding on its recent reversals of Boko Haram fortunes, the Nigerian military at dawn today dealt a further blow on the insurgents during a futile attempt to take over Konduga town, some 40 miles from Maiduguri. ”Combining air power with infantry activities, troops ambushed the insurgents while marching from Bama to Konduga, Air Force jets and attack helicopters rained fire and brimstones on the invaders while ground troops picked those of them attempting to flee the scene. “At least 100 of the terrorists were dispatched to the great beyond while a few of the about 200 strong militants escaped in the only truck that manoeuvred from the scene. ”Most of the dead insurgents were mangled beyond recognition during the few hours of fury displayed by our men”. It was learnt that several weapons, including anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks and RPGs, were gathered by the military following the annihilation of the insurgents. Other materials taken by the military included an armoured personnel carrier (APC), several Hilux vehicles and motorcycles. Officials of the state government worked round the clock to reassure frightened residents of the ability of the armed forces to defend them against the militants. Maiduguri residents said they heard gunfire and explosions coming from the direction of Konduga, south east of the city, yesterday. What followed, according to them, was a massive movement of troops in the direction of Konduga. “Some people came from Konduga... They told us the army are in control,” Musa Sumail, a human rights activist in Maiduguri, told Reuters on the phone. Other residents said they were told the army had intercepted an attempted probe into

Konduga by Boko Haram fighters. No details of casualties were available. Sumail said military helicopters were flying over Maiduguri which is brimming with tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Boko Haram forces advancing from the north, east and south of the city in the last few weeks. Another source said the terrorists arrived Konduga in a convoy of pickup trucks and motorbikes. Many residents have fled Maiduguri westwards towards Damaturu, the Yobe State capital for safety. The Borno Elders Forum had said it was convinced that the federal authorities “have not shown sufficient political will to fight Boko Haram and rescue us from the clutches of the insurgents which may ultimately lead to the total annihilation of the inhabitants of Borno,” and called for the fortification of Maiduguri. Chairman of the Forum, Amb. Gaji Galtimari Usman, said about 50 per cent of the population of Borno State had relocated to Maiduguri, adding: “Since July 2009, the Boko Haram insurgents have not only grown in size and number but seemed to have become better equipped and trained, more sophisticated and the scope of their brutality has become overwhelming. “They have reached as far as Kayamla from the South of Maiduguri; Dikwa and Mafa from the East of Maiduguri; and have destroyed almost all the island settlements at Lake Chad and the commercial fishing towns of Baga, Doro, Kingarra, Duguri, Daban Masara, etc.” Simultaneously, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) accused President Goodluck Jonathan of mishandling the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. The ACF said that the state of emergency declared in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe has not succeeded in stopping the sect from sacking towns and villages in the Northeast and maiming and killing innocent people.

130 Borno refugees storm Kebbi

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EGA Local Government Area in Kebbi State has received 130 refugees, who fled crisis-ridden Borno State. The Chairman of Jega Local Government, Alhaji Haruna Haruna, who received the refugees, told newsmen that the affected victims arrived Jega through Maiyama, Bunza and Argungu local government areas, adding that none of them hails from the local government. He said the victims were provided with temporary shelter, food and medical care, pending when they would reunite with their families. He said the victims had been subjected to rigorous screening by security agencies and medical personnel to ensure that they did not constitute a threat to the society, stressing that “the medical check-up was done to ascertain their health status, considering the current prevalence of contageous diseases, though we have not recorded a single case in the whole of the state.” He commended the people of the area for complementing the efforts of government in providing clothes, food, potable water and medicaments to the people. Also speaking, the District

Khadijat SAIDU Birnin Kebbi Head of Jega, Alhaji Muhammad Bawa, said the refugees were not from the area but only came to Jega for their own safety, especially because Jega people are hospitable. He called on the general public to be vigilant by reporting any suspicious stranger to the appropriate authorities. Mallam Musa Muhammad, who spoke on behalf of the refugees, said most of them were from Doron-Baga area of Borno state, adding: ”We were chased out of our towns and villages by the insurgents. I lost contact with some members of my family, especially my nine children, as I managed to escape with their mother only.” Musa said he had lived in Borno State for 30 years, adding, ”I had no option but to leave.” A mother of eight, Fatima Abubakar, said: “We were chased out of Michika in Adamawa State. I was holding my baby when the Yaran Malam popularly known as Boko Haram visited our homes. I had to abandoned the baby there and run for my dear life,”she said.


THE NATION

NEWS 3

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Left and right: Scenes of the collapse of the Synagogue Church building in Ikotun, Lagos

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15 feared dead, several others injured...as Synagogue Church’s six-storey building collapses

HE popular Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN),Ikotun,Lagos was all sorrow yesterday. A guest house under construction for foreign visitors at the church,led by Pastor Temitope Joshua, unexpectedly collapsed on workers and worshippers. About 15 people were feared dead although there were conflicting reports on the exact casualty figure. While the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed six deaths,eye witnesses said they saw up to 15 bodies pulled out of the rubble by rescue workers and taken away in ambulances. Many others were injured. An unknown number of people remained trapped under the rubble last night. However,the church authorities categorically denied any death in the incident. Its media team said: “Nobody died in the incident,and no one is trapped.” But it said some people were injured and were being treated in undisclosed hospitals. They said the church would give a detailed account of the incident later, and asked the press to discountenance internet reports on the accident. Eye witnessed said three children escaped from the collapsed building unhurt It was in the process of being raised from two floors to six when it gave way. It was not immediately clear what could have caused the accident. The incident happened at about 1pm. Security personnel and emergency management offi-

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PHOTO: Rahman SANUSI

•Many worshippers, workers trapped Kunle AKINRINADE/ Innocent DURU/ Precious IGBONWELUNDU

cials rushed to the scene moments after the news of the disaster broke. They barricaded the premises and prevented reporters and photographers who also stormed the premises from recording the tragedy for history . A police corporal even shot into the air when the surging crowd queried them for disallowing journalists from going in. Hoodlums and some overzealous members of the church soon turned on the emergency management officials, stopping them from performing their duties. The hoodlums harassed and assaulted hoodlums, almost sparking violence.. Spokesmen for NEMA and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) LASEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye and Keyinde Adebayo respectively decried the hostility they faced from the church members. They stated that most people were still trapped in the building but that rescue officials were being assaulted. Farinloye said:"The collapsed building in Synagogue was a five-storey building which was two initially. "The additional three were being constructed when it collapsed around 1:00 pm "The church members have been very aggressive and tried attacking emergency respond-

ers.

"Before emergency responders arrival, about 15 people were said to have being rescued alive and three dead. "We have rescued three more alive and three dead. Many are said to trapped still." A military helicopter was sighted hovering over the area. Some members of the church blamed the tragedy on ‘enemies’ who purportedly planted bomb on the pre-

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judges is coming on the heels of the completion of search by the team of experts assigned the role of gathering deserving stories across the nation. The seven judges who will pick the three final stories in the first, second and third categories for this year’s IIDA 7th edition are as follows: Mr. Graham Stothard – Principal Grange School, Ikeja, Lagos; Publisher of Today’s Woman Magazine,Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenukwe; foremost motivational speaker, Mr.

"God will definitely judge them. Why is it that people do not like good things? If anybody is sick and comes here, he will be healed, if one has no money and comes here, he will be given some money to establish himself. "Even the barren that came here ended up being parents. So, what will they say he has done??" The Lagos State Police Command, however, dismissed the insinuation. The State Police Public Re-

Amaechi’s uncle hacked to death

n uncle of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has been hacked to death by unknown people at his Ubima farm in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state. Mr. Sabinus Ordu was, until his death, vice principal of Community Secondary School (CSS), Aluu in the same Ikwerre LGA. His son, Collins,described him as an easygoing civil servant. The State Commissioner for Health. Dr. Sampson Parker has however escaped an alleged attmpt on his life while on an Ebola sensitization at Abua Central in Abua/Odual Local Government area. The state government expressed concern over Mr. Ordu’s murder, describing it as an ominous sign ahead of next year’s election. It called for police probe of

Judges for ‘Heroes of Nigeria’ unveiled September 25

S the countdown to the 2014 Indomie In dependence Day Award (IIDA) for ‘Heroes of Nigeria’, draws near, Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Nigeria’s leading noodles has picked September 25 as the date for its 2014 Judges seating. This event, is a yearly initiative by the company that assembles esteemed Nigerians, carefully selected to assist in the picking of three finalists has always been the norm since inception. The announcement of September 25, as date for the Judges seating and names of

mises. They openly rained curses on such ‘enemies’. One of them who simply gave her name as Kate, said: “What has T.B Joshua done to warrant this? This is the third time they have tried to bomb the church. "On two occasions, they intended bombing this place but God exposed them. Now, they came because they knew that our father(T.B Joshua ) was not around and succeeded in blowing the place up.

lations Officer (PPRO),Ngozi Braide told The Nation last night that “there was no bomb in the Synagogue incident.” She added: “If it was a bomb,there would have been an explosion,but the building which was under construction,just came down,no noise,no explosion.” Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi was sighted at the church as he was beng led into his car by security men. Hoodlums rushed at him apparently to extort money from him but his driver was quick to leave the scene. Scores of tippers were driving into the premises to start clearing the debris.

Olakunle Soriyan and Managing Director of Red Media Africa, Mr. Chude Jideonwo . Other members of the panel include: Editor of The Guardian Newspaper, Mr. Martins Oloja ; Mrs. V.O. Osuntokun of Heritage Homes Orphanage, and Executive Director, Corona School,Ikoyi,Mrs. Olufunto Igun. While giving insight into the development, the Public Relations Manager, Dufil Prima Foods, Mr. Tope Asiwaju, said: “At the moment, 16 stories have been shortlisted to be deliberated on by the judges out of the over 200 entries received.”

•Rivers Commissioner escapes assassination •Governor demands probe Bisi OLANIYI, Port Harcourt

the attempt on Parker’s life. It was gathered that Ordu, who is survived by a wife and children , left for the farm on his motorcycle soon after returning from school on Monday afternoon, to check his traps. His family became apprehensive when he failed to return home by 8pm. A search party that was immediately raised to trace him found him in a pool of his blood. Nothing, including his motorcycle was taken from him. Ordu’s family promptly reported the assassination at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Elele. Information and Communications Commissioner Ibim Semenitari told reporters yesterday that while the state government would not jump to conclusion on the

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Birthday

EVERAL activities have been lined up for the 60th birthday of The General Overseer of The Pavilion of Faith Global Church, Ikeja, Lagos, Apostle Anthony Oluseyi Fasipe,. The event which holds tomorrow at the Ikeja branch of the church will bring together people from different walks of life Fashipe, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, said he is “looking forward to memorable ground breaking event on Sunday”

matter “his crime is that he was related to Amaechi.” She said: “The late Ordu was a peace-loving, simple and hardworking Rivers man, who was not greedy, and was not running after contracts, but focusing on teaching and hunting/farming after the working hours. His crime is that he was related to Amaechi. “We cannot just understand why anyone would kill a civil servant, who was trying to earn a living. We are not apportioning blame, but the police in Rivers State should leave no stone unturned and bring the killers to book, to serve as a deterrent to others. It must not go down as mystery killing. “It was a very grievous crime committed against an innocent man. The Rivers State Government will continue to resist the killing of the peace-loving people of the state. Only God gives life and can take it. “We are not willing to cast aspersion. We hope the murder was not politically-motivated. It is curious that the late Ordu could be so murdered in cold blood, with many machete cuts on his body. Every indication points to the fact that it might be politically motivated, but police should resolve the mystery.” The Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muhammad Kidaya Ahmad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), yesterday confirmed Ordu’s assassination and said the command was “doing everything possible to

ensure that those behind the dastardly act are apprehended.” He said he had not “established that the deceased was related to Governor Amaechi.” Speaking separately to reporters, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha alleged that political thugs fired gun shots at the Ebola enlightenment team, led by Parker, at Abua Central. He said: “Parker, who was on tour of the 23 LGAs of the state, on an Ebola Virus Disease’s (EVD’s) enlightenment campaign, witnessed a horrifying scene at Abua Central, as gunmen believed to have been hired by a political group championing the governorship ambition of a serving minister, freely fired AK-47 rifles at the crowd that gathered to receive the Health Commissioner and his team. “We are alarmed about the desperation of politicians, who will stop at nothing to secure political positions. We are surprised that a peopleoriented programme, that was designed to protect the people from a deadly health hazard, like the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), could be disrupted by a group, because they had guns. The Rivers PPRO also stated that the Abua incident was being investigated by the command, while describing the state as peaceful, with crime reduced to the barest minimum.


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ENEVA - The Ebola outbreak has now killed more than 2,400 people, according to the United Nations (UN). The head of the World Health Organisation, Margaret Chan, warned that the spiralling tropical epidemic demands a stronger and faster response from the international community. “In the three hardest-hit countries, the number is moving faster than the capacity to manage them,” she told reporters in Geneva. The alarm call came as the UN vowed its peacekeeping force in Liberia — one of the worst-affected countries along with Guinea and Sierra Leone — would “stay the course” against Ebola. “As of 12 September, we are at 4,784 cases and more than 2,400 deaths,” a jump

EBOLA OUTBREAK

THE NATION,

Ebola death toll hits 2,400

of around 100 since the WHO’s previous toll on Tuesday, the UN health chief said. She did not specify if the figures also included Nigeria, which has reported 18 cases, seven fatal, since the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record began in Guinea at the start of the year. Another 500 foreign health professionals and around 1,000 local doctors and nurses are needed to stop its deadly surge through west Africa, the UN health agency said. “The thing we need most of all is people,” Chan said. In neighbouring Liberia, Chan said there is not a single bed left to treat Ebola pa-

tients. The UN said its peacekeepers will not abandon the country, whose warravaged health services were on the slow road to recovery when the Ebola outbreak began. “We are here to stay the course and to help the people of Liberia and its neighbours to get through this terrible crisis,” UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous

told AFP late Thursday. Ladsous was in Liberia to assess how the mission, known as UNMIL, can support the fight against Ebola and has held meetings with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and cabinet ministers. The UN mission has been in the country since the end of 14 years of devastating civil war in 2003 but has been downsizing from a

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

peak of 15,000 troops. “One has to recognise that a peacekeeping mission is not a public health operator,” Ladsous said. “But at the same time, we are there to support the country... to solve the root causes of a very long crisis.” Health workers in Liberia reported being overwhelmed by new Ebola cases on Wednesday, with the WHO predicting an “exponential

increase” in infections across the region. The agency says that among Liberia’s 2,300 cases and 1,200 deaths, some 152 health workers have been infected and 79 have died. Ladsous said the actual toll was probably considerably higher. “We know that the actual numbers of victims are definitely higher and that as days pass they rise exponentially. Now it is — everyone recognises — a particularly bad time in Liberia,” he said.

WHO commends Fashola on containment HE World Health Or-

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ganisation (WHO) has hailed the leadership shown by the Lagos State Government and Governor Babatunde Fashola in the containment of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country . WHO Country Director, Dr Rui Vana Gaz on a courtesy visit to the governor in Ikeja said he and his team had come to transmit the compliment and high recognition of the top hierarchy of the WHO to the state government for the excellent leadership the Governor provided in containing the Ebola Virus Disease. He stated that the world body was happy with the way the state established the Isolation Ward with the necessary support and that the organisation also offered its support by deploying its staff to support the Isolation Centre and supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and resource mobilisation. Gaz said Nigeria must avoid any form of complacency to ensure that there is

no other case. He also urged the state to ensure that the schools in the state are fully prepared with the parents being sensitised on what they should do concerning the personal hygiene of the children before the schools are re-opened. Responding, Governor Fashola said the state would not be complacent about the gains made in containing the spread of the Ebola virus disease. According to the governor, there is no room for complacency in the state because as long as some parts of the West African sub-region still have cases of Ebola and with the ECOWAS protocol guaranteeing free movement, the Nigerian nation and Lagos State still stand at a risk. He added that what this calls for is the putting in place of an enlarged capacity to contain such outbreaks in the future while also using the opportunity to make improved sanitation a way of life for the average resident of the state.

Economy resisting Ebola, says Okonjo-Iweala

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HE Ebola outbreak in West African countries is not adversely affecting the Nigerian economy, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said. “We have a team monitoring the economic impact and we don’t feel we are yet at the point where we can say it’s having a huge impact on the economy,” Okonjo-Iweala told Bloomberg TV Africa late Thursday. “There’s been some fall-off in hotel occupancy, in Lagos in particular, some meetings have been postponed, but you still have other businesspeople who are arriving,” she said. Nigeria has recorded 21 cases of the virus, and eight people have died within its borders, according to the World Health Organisation. The virus has claimed at least 2,288 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Okonjo-Iweala also said that the country’s Excess Crude Account, where a portion of oil revenue is stored to cushion the economy against volatility, stands at $4.11 billion. The minister said in January she was concerned that a decline in the account balance to

about $2.5 billion at that time had left the economy “vulnerable” and should be redressed this year. The country plans to open the Development Bank of Nigeria by March. It is expected to be capitalised with $2 billion which may rise to $10 billion, and fill a gap in Nigerian business lending, the minister said. “It’s very difficult for businesspeople, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to find any money for five years, seven years,” she said. “Mostly they can borrow for a year to three years. If you want to build a business sustainably and you want your economy to have sustained growth you’ve got to fix access to finance.” The development bank will be partly financed by the Federal government, and is also due to receive $500 million each from the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and a credit line from the German development bank, KfW Group, she said. “It’s going to be strong and get rated,” she said.

•From right: Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu; Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Country Representative of World Health Organistion (WHO) in Nigeria, Dr Rui Gama Vaz, at a press briefing by the minister on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Lagos yesterday. PHOTO: OYEYEMI GBENGAMUSTAPHA. health personnel from rejecting sick people, just as he advised anybody that is sick to go to hospital for treatment. “By rejecting patients, hospitals’ personnel will be ‘protecting’ themselves, but indirectly will be exposing the larger society to the risk of HE Minister of Health, Oyeyemi “So there is no need to panic. spread of other sicknesses. Prof Onyebuchi GBENGA-MUSTAPHA “Likewise, if a sick person Parents have been going to Chukwu, has said that and Olatunde Odebiyi markets, churches and does not go to the hospital, his ministry and other intermosques with their children. such will not be able to know national professionals in the 12 survivors, and in Lagos, No market or religious place what is really wrong with him. treatment and further spread there are 11 contacts and 18 has been shut down due to It is only at the hospital that of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Port Harcourt. Ebola. So why won’t schools we can make proper diaghave nothing against the Sepnoses and declare what is “There are still some people be allowed to open?” tember 22 resumption date on surveillance and those Chukwu said Nigeria is wrong with a person, be it for schools in the country. will complete the 21-day sur- ready to assist in training of Lassa fever; Denge fever or The Minister stated this at veillance. personnel and finances of Ebola.” the briefing on the update on Prof Chukwu said nobody “This means we have won managing Ebola in other EVD yesterday in Lagos. should stigmatise or discrimithe battle and not the war. ECOWAS countries. He said the schools can Until those on surveillance “since Nigeria was able to nate against anybody that is resume and there are precau- complete the 21 days, we can- manage the Ebola outbreak sick or even treated of Ebola. tionary measures expected to not say we have seen the end situation, it is indeed a pass “Health workers should be put in place. mark that we are up and do- continue to adopt the univerof Ebola in Nigeria. According to Chukwu, “We will continue to be on ing and can assist our sal precaution. Survivors are there are no cases of people our guard. Enugu and Lagos neighouring countries in the willing to share their stories with active Ebola virus again are free; only Port Harcourt region in terms of training and to tell the society that getting in the country. Ebola is not a death sentence. finance. has people on surveillance. The Minister said: ”What “Quarantine does not mean “Already, the Federal Gov“As professionals, if there we have now are surveil- are dangers in the further ernment has committed criminality. It is to help screenlance cases. Nobody is re- spread of the Ebola virus, we $3.5m to ECOWAS Ebola in- ing the person properly and ceiving treatment for Ebola. would have spoken with the tervention fund.” for adequate treatment There are seven deaths and Ministry of Education on it. He warned hospitals and should such be positive.”

Schools can resume Sept 22, Health Minister insists •Says no more active Ebola case in Nigeria

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Primary school teachers oppose Sept 22 resumption date

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HE Association of Primary Schools Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), the umbrella body for all head teachers of public primary schools in Nigeria, yesterday rejected September 22, 2014 resumption date for schools announced by the Federal Government. AOPSHON wants the date shifted to October 22, 2014. A statement jointly signed by National President, Comrade Mahmud Lawal, and the Secretary, Comrade Oluwole Adeola, said: “The Association of Primary Schools Head

Gbenga OMOKHUNU, Abuja Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), the umbrella body for all head teachers of public primary schools in Nigeria, is strongly opposed to the 22nd September, 2014 school resumption date announced by the Federal Government. “In view of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) scare, with reported deaths in Lagos and Port Harcourt and a number of people still under surveillance, the association is of the

view that the Federal Government should have maintained the 13th October, 2014 resumption date earlier announced. “The association is of the view that schools should remain closed until adequate preventive measures are put in place to screen pupils coming to school, provision of hand sanitisers and importantly the training of teachers on precautionary measures which till now government is yet to provide. “While the Association commends the government on its prompt response and

management of the Ebola Virus Disease, We wish to stress that greater focus must be given to the complete elimination of this dreaded virus disease, hence a hasty reopening of schools portends danger to the life and health of our children. “We demand that the school resumption date be extended to 13th October, 2014 earlier announced and even beyond if need be, while giving government ample time to provide all the necessary preventive kits to all schools. Education is for the living.”


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

NEWS

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Adadevoh died to save lives —Minister HE Minister of Health, Prof Chukwu Onyebuchi, yesterday described the late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh as a real doctor who died to save the lives of others. Onyebuchi spoke while paying tribute to the late Dr Adadevoh at the requiem mass held for her in Holy Cross b Cathedral, Catholic Mission Street (CMS), Lagos. Dr. Adadevoh died after contracting the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while treating the index case, the late Liberian-American, Mr. Patrick Sawyer. He said her life was very important because she laid emphasis on sacrifice, which he said had been noted by the government. He said: “As we mourn her today, we must take note that her death was to save lives and we must also give the best to our profession,” he said. He described her as a woman who was courageous, responsible and a lover of salvation. “She was a brave Nigerian heroine and somebody we must all learn from,” he said. He urged Nigerians to pray for the country, adding: “We all have a role to play in ensuring the safety of our health,” he said. Prof Chukwu said he shared some things in common with the deceased, including attending the same College of Medicine, Idi Araba and being a Catholic. “Being a Catholic makes us understand the sacrificial life of Jesus. And I entered Idi Araba the year the late Adadevoh left the school. She was a sterling product of the school. Dr Jide Idris, Commissioner of Health, Lagos, and Chief Medical Director (CMD), LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun, who were her mates, testified to her commitment and other good works,” stated Prof Chukwu. Rt Rev Monsignor Benard Okoduwa, in a sermon, urged

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Oyeyemi GBENGAMUSTAPHA and Olatunde ODEBIYI the gathering to emulate the life of the late Dr. Adadevoh. A sister-in-law to the late Dr Adadevoh, Mrs Abimbola Cardoso, said her sister was a friend, a family person and a mother. “She played the role for and had special relationship with everybody. She was an angel, a wonderful person,” she said. She urged Nigerians to stop blaming the late LiberianAmerican, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who was said to have brought the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to the country. “We should blame ourselves. Sawyer was trying to find a way to save his life. I believe he came to Nigeria because he believed Nigeria had better facilities, and there should be thumbs up to our doctors for that, or maybe he came to use it as an exit root to get to America. If it was not Sawyer that brought Ebola to Nigeria, somebody else would do, because Nigerians travel up and down to countries that there Is Ebola. “The issue about Ebola is not Sawyer, the issue is that the country was not ready for it; it took us by surprise. Nigerians should be more cautious about hygiene and the government should focus on health care. “What Adadevoh would really want is for people to look after themselves and ensure continuous and adequate medical check-up,” she said. A cousin, Sayo Cardoso, said the deceased was a very kind, joyous and loving. “She was always there for me as a counselor, doctor and adviser, and she was someone that teases you and makes you laugh,” she said. Dignitaries at the service include Chairman, Amuka Pemu; Prof Osato GiwaOsagie; Prof Akin Oshibogun and Dr. Pat Ajayi, among others.

UI will produce research development on Ebola, says VC S the world strives for a medical solution to the rampaging Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the ViceChancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Adewole, has said that the institution will initiate a project on medical research and development with the aim of developing indigenous medicines capable of curing deadly ailments including EVD. He spoke while commissioning a research laboratory in honour of Prof Lekan Salimonuý, by the Department of Chemical Pathology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan over the weekend. “This immunology research laboratory will go a long way to unravel different research results, particularly at this time when everybody is concerned on how to find a lasting cure for Ebola disease,” Adewole said According to him, “I am

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Tayo JOHNSON, Ibadan sure our Department of Chemical Pathology and Immunology will be able to provide solutions to some of the deadly diseases.” He said the research laboratory will come out with outstanding researches, adding that it will also tackle the way the country responds to infections and the way it can overcome them. Adewole said: ”I want to thank this department for fulfilling the mission and vision of the institution. This research laboratory will assist the department to progress. “A few months ago, I discover that this department did not have a laboratory and I challenged them on it. Today, they have achieved it. We will continue to assist to ensure that you operate in a conducive research environment.”

• Late Dr. Stella Adadevoh’s son, Bankole Cardoso; his father, Afolabi Cardoso; Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; former Vice President Alex Ekweme and his wife, Beatrice at Adadevoh’s funeral at the Holy Cross Cathedral Lagos in Lagos...yesterday

•Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu consoling Dr. Stella’s Adadevoh’s son, Bankole Cardoso and the father, Afolabi Cardoso PHOTOS: Adejo DAVID

Ebola virus war: PSN donate anti-Ebola materials to Abia HE Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria [PSN], Abia State Chapter, has donated some anti-Ebola Virus Disease materials to the State Ministry of Health to aid them in preventing the disease from entering the state.

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Ugochukwu UGOJI-EKE Speaking in Umuahia while handing over the materials to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Okechukwu Ogar, the state chairman of PSN, Chief Albert Opara, said that

Quarantined South African woman tests negative HE South African woman quarantined in Nigeria has tested negative to the deadly Ebola fever virus, said American disease expert, Aileen Marty. Marty is assisting Nigerian health authorities. “She is negative (to Ebola),” Marty was quoted as saying. The professor of infectious diseases said the patient was treated for amoebic dysentery. She added that the woman would be allowed to return to South Africa on the first available flight. The woman was on her

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way to South Africa when she flew from Morocco to Lagos, Nigeria. Once in Lagos, she reportedly filled out a questionnaire in which she admitted to experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting. More than 2,400 people have died after they contracted the deadly virus since the outbreak began in West Africa earlier this year. According to the World Health Organisation, the disease was racing ahead of control efforts in the affected countries, and as many as 20,000 people could die before the virus can be brought under control.

the materials were part of their effort to help in the war against Ebola virus. Opara said that the state had not recorded any incident of the dreaded virus. “We want to be proactive with the materials we have donated in the event it finds its way into the state, and we are doing it through our little contribution,” he said. The PSN state boss used the forum to commend the governor, Chief Theodore Orji, for the wonderful things he has been doing in the health sector and empowering the health ministry to provide the necessary materials and logistics to fight against any outbreak of Ebola in the state. He commended the health commissioner for his untiring efforts in the area of sensitising the people on how to fight the war against Ebola. “Your advocacy and enlightenment programme are sequel to none in any state since the outbreak of Ebola Virus disease in the country,” he said. Opara listed the materials

to include three cartons of surgical gloves, two cartons of syringes, 48 pieces of zinc oxide adhesive roll plaster, four cartons of Izal disinfectants, four cartons of Dettol and 48 pieces of instant hand sanitizers. Receiving the materials, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Ogar, praised the pharmacists for keeping to their promise of donating materials to fight against the encroachment of Ebola virus into the state. Ogar said: “The society, during one of their stakeholders meeting with the ministry, had promised to help the ministry and state government to fight against the Ebola virus from coming into the state through the donation of some materials, and you have fulfilled that promise”. The health commissioner said that the society has never been found wanting in offering their help to the ministry, state government and hospitals, adding that their advice to the ministry have been very helpful.


THE NATION

6 NEWS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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ORMER First Lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu yesterday spoke on the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s vision for change, stressing that a lot of mobilisation and sacrifices must be made to achieve the goal. She said Nigerians have a unique opportunity to effect progressive change and install a people-centred leadership, in the next general election, in the national interest. Senator Tinubu said: “As we approach 2015, we have to be watchful, keep abreast of what is going on in the polity and ensure that we repeat the model that Osun has shown us. There is no time to feel downcast, disheartened and hopeless. Nigeria is at a critical juncture in history. Collectively, we must do our part by taking inspiration from what transpired in Osun State.” “The coming general elections provide us with a unique opportunity to end stagnation and usher in a new era of progress and development. All of us must mobilise others, make sacrifices wherever required and remain resolute in the struggle to realise our collective vision for positive change.” The senator spoke at the 12th Town Hall meeting with Lagos Central District constituents, held at the Incubator, Victoria Island, Lagos. The theme was: ‘staying engaged in a challenging democratic environment.’ The major highlights of the meeting was the presentation of N25,000 each to 650 widows under her new initiative, ‘the Widows’ Economic Empowerment Scheme (WEES) and the presentation of N50m aid, which she facilitated, to the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin. However, following a motion by the Chairman of Yaba Council, Hon. Jide Jimoh, Mrs. Tinubu was endorsed for a second term by constituents. The town hall meeting was witnessed by the Secretary to Government, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, the senatorial leader Prince Tajudeen Olusi, former Lagos State Deputy Governor Femi Pedro, former Minister of State for Defence Demola Seriki, former Secretary to Government Hon. Omotilewa AroLambo, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Political and Legislative Matters Hon. Musiliu Folami, Former Culture Commis-

•From Left: Former Minister of Defence, Chief Demola Seriki; Senator Oluremi Tinubu(Lagos Central; Provost, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Dr Olalekan Basorun; Leader, All Progressives Congress(APC) in Lagos Central, Alh. Tajudeen Olusi, and member, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila during a Presentation of N50million Education Grant by Senator Tinubu to Adeniran Ogunsaya College of Education at the 12th Lagos Central Senatorial district’s Town Hall meeting by Tinubu in Lagos on Friday. PHOTO: Niyi ADENIRAN

Vote for change in 2015, says Sen Tinubu at Town Hall meeting Emmanuel OLADESU Group Political Editor

sioner Tunde Balogun, House of Representatives Minority Leader Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, a federal legislator, Hon. Jide Akinloye, one-time Finance Commissioner Mr. Wale Edun, House of Assembly member Mrs. Lola Akande, Chief Tayo Oyemade, Chief Murphy Adetoro, and Chief Alabi Macfoy. Also at the ceremony were the APC governorship aspirant, Akinwunmi Ambode, APC Secretary Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, Col. Rafiu Ajala (rtd), Provost of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Wasiu Olalekan, the Obanikoro of Lagos, Chief Adesoji AjayiBembe, Hon. Jide Jimoh, Mr. Dele Adekanye, Abayomi Daramola, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, Hon. Tajudeen Ajide, Mrs Bola LawalOlumegbon, Mrs. Funmi Fidi, Mr. hakeem Apatira, and

•Doles out N16.25m to widows Imam Tos Gbajabiamila. Elders statesman Olusi praised Mrs. Tinubu for her performance in the Senate and leadership in the district, urging her not to relent in her pursuit of welfare policies and programmes. He said: “She is our beloved senator in whom we are well pleased. We are proud of her performance. She has not disappointed us. Urging party followers to gird their loins, ahead of next year’s polls, he said their support for the cause of All Progressives Congress (APC) will facilitate the achievement of positive change. The party elder advised party faithfuls to obtain their Permanent Voters’ Cards, saying that they would be used as the electoral bullet during the elections. Olusi added: “We should work hard so that the APC can form the next govern-

ment. The party has performed in many states. Lagos government is the best in the country. Ogun government is performing. In all APC states, our governors are working. That is why the APC deserves to form the next government. It will not be easy, but, it is achievable. “PDP people are coveteous and greedy. That is why there is chaos in the PDP and the country. We should gird our loins. We can only do it by voting them out. We should pray. But, we should also vote. Go and obtain your Permanent Voters’ Cards. It is the electoral bullet you will use to effect change in 2015. If any of our members have any complain to make about anything, they should not be annoyed. They should know that the party will always meet their demands and satisfy their yearnings.”

Jega must go, Ijaw youths tell Jonathan, Mark

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HE Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has called on Presi dent Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark to immediately sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Atahiru Jega, for alleged plot to destabilize Nigeria. IYC, in a statement issued and circulated by its spokesman Eric Omare, to the media in Warri yesterday, it described INEC’s recent creation of additional polling units, which gives more than 21,000 to the north and a little about 8,000 to the south, as a ploy to perpetually enhance northern political advantage, to the detriment of the south. IYC, which also alleged plots by the INEC chairman to sabotage the chances of President Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, said it would be in

Bolaji OGUNDELE, Warri the best interest of Nigeria, that Professor Jega resigns. It said that his conducts are a violation of the constitution and clearly targeted at destabilizing the country. Citing the instances of the allocation of polling units to Abuja and North-West, which comparatively surpassed those of South-East region and the entire south respectively, the group concluded that INEC’s and Professor Jega’s intents were suspect and aimed at robbing the southern part of the country, politically in favour of the north. “The proposal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create additional polling units in which Northern Nigeria is al-

located more than 21,000, while Southern Nigeria is allocated just slightly above 8, 000 is a well thought out political coup to perpetually give Northern Nigeria a political advantage over Southern Nigeria in national elections with the 2015 elections in mind and to deliberately cause instability in the country ahead of the 2015 elections. “It is common knowledge that in Nigeria, the more polling units that is allocated to a particular area automatically results in more voting population whether the population exist or not. “The case of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with less voting population having more polling units than the whole of South East is a clear case in point. Also, is Professor Jega telling Nigerians that the North West has more or equal

voting population with the whole of Southern Nigeria? “Furthermore, the arrogant posture of Prof. Jega in responding to the call for his resignation by the leaders of Southern Nigeria clearly shows that he is carrying out an orchestrated agenda by vested interest in the North to destabilise the country and the Jonathan administration ahead of the 2015 elections. “This obviously is an act of misconduct and violation of the oath of office Prof. Jega took as INEC Chairman. Therefore, before Prof. Jega would fully nurture his destabilisation tendencies, the IYC call on President Jonathan and the Senate to remove Professor Jega from office as INEC Chairman for gross misconduct in compliance with section 157 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended)”, the group said.

Senator Tinubu reflected on the quest for social change, saying that it can only be achieved through commitment and dedication. She said: “As individuals and groups within a community, and most importantly as members of the APC, each of us must recognise that we belong to the larger social fabric. Socio-political problems must thus concern us. This involves the willingness to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate.” Noting that the APC is on course, the senator said its victory in the recent governorship election in osun State, despite the intimidation and harassment of chieftains, attested to the people’s commitment to truth, justice, and the sanctity of the ballot box. Mrs. Tinubu, who spoke on her activities in the Senate, said she had represented the state and articulated its interests. She informed the constituents that the Senate had adopted the recommendations of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Electoral Act; the report of the Committee on Education on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) College of Education Bill and the Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity report on the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund Bill 2014. Other bills, which have been passed, include the National Sugar Development Council Act, the FCT Appropriation Bill, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Budget 2014, and a Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Financial Centre. Senator Tinubu said, while the report of the Committee on Finance on the alleged unremitted 59.8 billion dollar by the

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was considered, the Senate refused to accede to the demand for subsidy removal. The senator also said that she participated in oversight functions and critical deliberations on the floor of the Senate on education funding, sourcing of funding from Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFUND), the resolution of strikes in tertiary institutions, and tragedy of Chibok girls. Mrs. Tinubu announced the funding for the construction and furnishing of an N80m Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit at Badore Health Centre, Badore, Eti-osa. She said the facility will provide expert medical services for female reproductive health, surgery, childbirth and care of mothers. The senator thanked two stakeholders, Rev. Olatunji Seriki and Dr. Lookman Babayale for giving her feedbacks on the state of on-going constituency projects in the district. She said the Millennium Development Goals (MDDG) Office has been informed about the shoddy jobs done by some contractors. On the N16.2 billion life line for 650 widows, Mrs. Tinubu said the donation, which would facilitate their empowerment in accordance with the APC mandate, would be sustained. Senator Tinubu, who also reflected on the state of the nation, urged constituents to be vigilant to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). She paid tribute to the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh, who, in the process of curtailing the spread of the dreadful disease, contacted it and died in active professional service. After asking constituents to observe a minute of silence in her honour, Senator Tinubu urged the government to immortalise the medical patriot and amazon. Eshilokun, Adetoro, Jimoh and Gbajabiamila applauded Mrs. Tinubu’s effort, stressing that she has set a good example of leadership, patriotism and commitment to public welfare.


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

COMMENTARY 7

Eminent Southerners have cried foul and have asked the INEC Chairman to resign but he has refused but instead has said firmly that he would be around in 2015

Sanctions, war and unity N his address to the American people on the 13th anniversary of 9/11, the plane bombing of the twin towers of New York and the Pentagon building by Al Quada, the US President Barak Obama sounded more like his predecessor former President George Bush when he addressed the US Congress in 2001 after that unfortunate event that changed the course of world history with the start of the US War on Terror. The context was of course different and Obama had been elected on an anti war mood and campaign in 2008 but the spirit, the target, the message and challenges were the same. The US will go after those who kill or threaten its citizens any where in the world and would not flinch in fighting any threat to it security in any part of the globe. How this unity of purpose and commitment came about for these two very different presidents of the US and what we can learn or glean from it in advancing our understanding of the global security challenges posed by the rising menace of Islamic Militancy, is the kernel of our discussion of today. Since the US is perhaps right now, the only nation taking on ISIS on behalf of a watching, waiting and docile world, including of course a Boko Haram ridden and ridiculed Nigeria, we shall look at events that shaped the new US policy on ISIS which explicitly states that it will degrade and destroy the capacity of ISIS to kill, behead and murder innocent people with impunity anywhere in the world. Along side this we shall look at the efforts of UK Prime Minster David Cameron in trying to save the unity of the Kingdom by appealing to Scots desperately not to vote for separation or independence from the UK in the forthcoming referendum on that subject. We shall also look at an issue that threatens Nigeria’s unity and stability and that is the reported reallocation of polling booths in Nigeria by INEC. The two highlighted issues - from UK and Nigeria - bother on national unity and territorial integrity of both nations, and one should note that even in the newly declared limited war on ISIL, the US president has the backing of the Opposition Republicans in the US who even feel the ISIL war should be bigger in scope, just like George Bush got his go- ahead from his Congressional Address in 2001 to show internal unity of purpose on the war. Going back to the US president’s declaration of war on ISIL, on the anniversary of 9/11 this week I want to teasingly say that the road to war, albeit an half hearted one, by the US, has been littered by the grit, sweat and success of sanctions, first against Iran and now Russia on which the US announced further sanctions this week. In that ISIL address the US president praised his previous efforts in maintaining world peace by stating that the much criticised US policy on Syria where he stopped the much envisaged air strikes on Syria, yielded the dividend of the destruction of Syria’s much dreaded chemical weapons. It is interesting to recall that Russia was very much a stumbling block in thwarting any UN resolution advanced by the US and EU to get UN

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approval for the airstrikes against the regime of President Assad who was blatantly killing his country men just to stay in power. Obviously Russian foreign policy prevailed in the UN then, as it was able to prevent the west from dislodging the Assad regime with airstrikes .To me that lack of deterrence made Islamist extremists bolder in Syria leading to the emergence ISIL. It made Russia led by President Vladmir Putin more aggressive and that was how the invasion of Crimea came to pass and stand, till today. It also finally and inadvertently led to the to the invasion of Ukraine, which the EU and the US reacted to with sanctions but which the Russians interpreted as a lack of will to fight, but which now is biting so hard that the Russians have begun the withdrawal of their troops, as confirmed by no less a person than the Ukrainian president himself this week. Now, Russia’s joy in stopping a UN sanctioned US airstrike over Syria has boomeranged into a pyrrhic victory with the rise of ISIL which has seen the US willing to fight along its erstwhile adversary in the region, Iran which also is opposed to ISIL or Islamic State and wants it destroyed by all means - but first in Iraq. Which is where it is attacking the Iraqi government led by a Shia majority whose brand of Islam is from Iran .Hitherto Russia and Iran have been staunch allies propping up the repressive regime and bloody tyranny of President Assad in Syria. Now the US and Iran have a sudden convergence of interests in liquidating the Islamic State threat for their mutual security, regional control and peace. The basis for this partnership of strange bedfellows lies in the Obama ISIL war declaration this week in which he asserted that ISIL is not Islamic because Islam does not approve of killing innocent people and is definitely not a state and therefore has no locus to claim any territorial authority. So Iran, familiar with the withering power of economic sanctions over its bid for nuclear weapons has now found some measure of respect for US outlook and values, in spite of the differences of culture and politics, which have hitherto made both nations implacable enemies till now. Similarly, the Russians who have been making merry with Obama’s steady dilemma in going to war, any where, now know that sanctions can bite really hard, while invasions can be costly to enact and very expensive to maintain in the face of a determined and bold EU and US not really willing to go to a full scale war; but ready, crafty and wily enough to impose crippling sanctions which obviously have made the rampaging Russia bear of the brazen invasion fame, to respect international law and withdraw to its borders at least from Ukraine as it happened this week. While the US was making the Middle East secure against Islamic State, Britain was fighting a war of unity as the PM and his deputy flew to Scotland to urge the people there not to secede as it were from the UK as the opinion polls were suggesting that this was the direction of the mind of most Scots on the referendum on Scotland’s proposed Independence. David Cameron’s advice that there would be no going back on the yes vote seemed like a subtle blackmail to me as the choice is before

the electorate which has had more than ample time to ruminate over this. Which ever way it goes, the Scots have their fate and future in their hands I wish them well in choosing either to jettison the Union Jack or not as that would not really end the sonorous singing of popular national anthem – God Save the Queen What is admirable in all these is the fight being put on by the British PM to preserve the unity of the UK even as the choice is before the electorate to decide. Which is quite the opposite in Nigeria where objections have been raised to the way INEC has re demarcated polling booths and given more to the North than the South. Eminent Southerners have cried foul and have asked the INEC Chairman to resign but he has refused but instead has said firmly that he would be around in 2015. Which to me seems he has turned the issue into a do or die affair. Which also is as bizarre as it is unfortunate. This is because in a nation in which the army cannot contain an insurgency similar to that the US declared war on this week, even though ISIL is not on its homeland, elections can certainly not be a priority over security and the containment and quashing of the insurgency. In addition by using whatever figures or statistics INEC used for the number of polling booths in the North and South, INEC has opened a dangerous pandoras box over Nigeria’s census figures which have always revealed that the North is more populous than the South. Which also is a fallacy in terms of the steady north- south population migration which is the demographic trend in Nigeria away from the creeping Sahel which makes habitation difficult leading to further migration away from the Sahel to find greener pastures down south. But in Nigeria the Sahel States have more population than the southern states to which people are running to from the harsh unsustainable vegetation of the Sahel . When I saw pictures of students being evacuated from the University and Polytechnic in Mubi because of Boko Haram I could not but recall that when I served as a youth corps in Federal School of Arts and Science Mubi, which later became the Polytechnic in Mubi the population of North Eastern state was put at 15m. The state later gave birth to six states namely, Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gongola, Gombe but unfortunately the former NE is now the theatre of war in Nigeria with Boko Haram claiming territories as caliphate on a daily basis. Is INEC planning to conduct elections in 2015 in these states especially Borno? And are more polling booths being allocated in these war zones for the 2015 elections? Surely these questions beg for answers as the elections are less than six months away. Again I want to stress that it is bad enough having elections during an insurgency that is intractable, not to talk of adding another headache over polling booths based on questionable census figures that have always generated heated and passionate political contentions and controversies. A word I think is enough for the wise and I urge INEC to show a great sense of responsibility and restraint and rethink the basis of its new polling booths allocation nationwide, if it has any respect for the unity and stability of Nigeria as at presently constituted.


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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

NEWS

300 suspected terrorists on trial as prisons overflow RESH facts emerged yesterday that more than 300 terrorists are in prison custody nationwide awaiting or undergoing trial. The development is said to be overstretching prisons and detention facilities in the country. According to a source, who made a document available to our correspondent, there might be need to expand the existing prisons ahead of the conclusion of the trial of these terror suspects. The document said in part: “There are over 300 inmates undergoing trial for terrorism offences in prison custody but only about eight of the accused persons have been convicted under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 & 2013 (as amended). These include: (i) Edmund Ebiware (sentenced to life – Oct 1st 2010 accomplice) and (ii) Kabiru Sokoto (Sentenced to Life – Christmas Eve Madalla Bomber) “The rest terrorist inmates undergoing trial are spread across Prisons in Kuje – Abuja, Lagos and Bauchi “Some of these ones have been moved to an undisclosed location as directed by NSA through the Directorate of Military Intelligence. “Although in Nigeria, there are no special courts for trying terrorism cases, there are special judges and state counsels trained to try and prosecute those accused of these offence(s).” But the source said the nation’s prisons would require expansion to be able to cater for jailed

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Yusuf ALLI, Managing Editor, Managing Editor, Northern Operation terror accused persons. The prison warders will also require training in counter-terrorism to be able to cope with the challenges of hosting terror convicts in different yards across the country. The source said the designs of the prisons did not take into account the scourge of terrorism afflicting the country. The document added: “Efforts are also being made by the British High Commission and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to remodify already existing prisons to reflect the status of being able to hold inmates of this category but like it or not, it is a shortterm measure. “This is because the huge number of persons in custody once convicted will further swell our outdated and decaying prisons, this time not with common criminals but with terrorists. Imagine a terror convict escaping and finding his way back into the society. “However, the bone of contention is this: Those who these terrorists and those accused of doing same will spend a greater part of their time/life with during and after trial are completely left uncatered for in the FGN’s counter-terrorism arrangement. This is indeed lopsided. “A lot of money is being spent pursuing these fellows throughout the country and even up to foreign extraditions (remember Ogwuche from Sudan). “There is need to develop the capacity of Prisons officers en

masse to reflect the new status of security challenges and this is more achievable when an appropriate head, adequately qualified and versed in all of these is appointed. “Like the entire country, the prison was unprepared for this category of inmates, and as such, the ‘learning process’ is fraught with certain costly mistakes and fundamental blunders that if not put in check will earn the service a bad name and make nonsense of the complete efforts of the FGN. “While these ‘bad guys’ are in custody, it is expedient that officers who are clearly known not to be sympathisers should maintain direct control with them. “A situation where some of the top brass of the prison service are those who boldly display obvious signs of extremism and fanaticism is nothing but an indicator of greater danger if allowed to go unchecked.”

Cuba dispatches 165 health workers to West Africa UBA is sending 165 health workers to West Africa to help in the fight to stop the spread of Ebola. They will include doctors, nurses, epidemiologists specialists in infection control, intensive care specialists and social mobilisation officers. Health Minister Robert Morales Ojeda said yesterday that the first batch of the workers would arrive Sierra Leone early next month and serve for six months. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed gratitude for the help and said that Cuba’s contribution will make a significant difference against the raging outbreak. “If we are going to go to war with Ebola, we need the resources to fight,” WHO chief Margaret Chan said. “ Cuba is world famous for its ability to train outstanding doctors and nurses and for its generosity in helping fellow countries on the route to progress,” she added . Chan stressed the importance of human resources across the region,

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notably experienced doctors and nurses. She added that in Liberia there is not a single bed available for an Ebola patient and noted that 1,500 health workers are needed in the region. Since the 1959 Cuban revolution, the country has sent its first-class doctors from Venezuela to Brazil to work on issues from maternal health to cataracts. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak, a Cuban medical brigade of 1,200 health workers who have been in Haiti since 1998 treated more than 30,000 patients in 40 centres across the island. Cuba’s international medical programme dates back to 1960, when it sent doctors to earthquake-hit Chile. In 1963, it dispatched a team of 50 doctors to Algeria. A famous programme called Operation Miracle started in Venezuela where Cuban ophthalmologist treated cataract patients in exchange for oil. The initiative is believed to have helped 1.8 million in 35 countries to restore their eyesight.

Boko Haram carts away 500 cows in Yobe ORE than 500 cows belonging to village heads of Gutumba and Marma have been carted away by suspected members of Boko Haram in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State The Councillor representing Dadingel Ward in Gujba council disclosed to newsmen yesterday that the assailants have within the last three months terrorised and stole many cattle in the area. He said: “Boko Haram boys stole 257 cows from five herds belonging to the Village head of Gutumba and two other ward

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Duku JOEL, Damaturu heads, Bulama Bukar and Bulama Mallam of Marma village. “The 157 is owned by the village head while the remaining 103 is for Bulama Bukar and Bulama Mallam of Marma village,” he said He said that the assailants had also carted away the 69 cows from the herd of District Head of Ngurbuwa at Dadingel village. “Two Months back, they carried one herd of 69 cows belonging to Ngurbuwa district head,

his car and other materials in his residence,” he said. He lamented that the Boko Haram sect in the area was taking new steps to ground livestock breeding and production in the area and Yobe State by extension. He called on security operatives to return to the area and ensure the security of lives and property which, according to him, is the sole responsibility of the government. Gujba and Gulani local government areas of Yobe State have been taken over by Boko Haram insurgents following the absence

Belated Appeal: A twist in INEC’s moves OUR recent article of August 23, 2014, titled: Senate and INEC's belated appeal by Bukola Adegbenro made an interesting reading. Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, must really be a pain in the neck of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s, to draw so much ire from the electoral agency, which has sustained its refusal to honour the verdict delivered by Justice Kolawole at the Federal High Court 5, Abuja Division on July 29, 2014, which voided the party’s de-registration. Now, Freshphobia has created a hole in INEC’s political permutations as the party’s lawyers just unveiled the diabolical web of deception which the Commission has been weaving against the party. After months of tales and double-speak by INEC’s spokespersons, the recent release to the party by the Commission’s lawyers of a Motion on Notice/affidavit dated 17 July, 2014: 363 days after the judgment delivered in favour of FRESH by the honourable Judge, underscored the dishonesty of INEC in this needless crisis. Part of the motion stated that, “The Appellant/Applicant being desirous of prosecuting the appeal, compiled and transmitted the records, but out of the time allowed by the rules of this honourable court…”. FRESH’s struggle for justice and respect for the rule of law has begun to yield fruit; it has compelled INEC to re-file an abandoned notice of appeal and rush a re-amendment of the relevant section of the Electoral Act by fellow respondent in the case; the National Assembly, in order to legalise its unconstitutional de-registration of parties. The Commission had failed to meet the stipulated 90 days’ timeframe for filing an appeal at the Court of Appeal. Whether the appellate court would accept its prayers for an extension of time remains to be seen. INEC initially assumed that FRESH would accept the party’s de-registration as an “act-of-God”, and let sleeping dogs lie, especially as three other parties had engaged the Agency in court and lost. But when FRESH unexpectedly got a favourable verdict, the Commission, through its spokesperson, Kayode Idowu said they would appeal the judgment, again hoping that FRESH would be intimidated by the sheer force of INEC’s governmental influence. The Commission’s Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega even claimed not to have seen the judgment, although a certified true copy was sent to him by FRESH’s lawyer, Barr. Kola Dopamu. We need explanations here; what tasks kept INEC’s legal team so busy that they failed to brief their Chairman on the outcome of the INEC - FRESH court case? The excuse that

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•Jega Phillipa FRANCIS the appeal was delayed for almost a year after the judgment because INEC was busy with election matters is a red herring. No reasonable Judge will accept a breach of court processes for such a flimsy reason. Then there was also the impulsive re-amendment of Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010 by the Senate, which was again supposed to deter the FRESH Party which insists on the respect of the court verdict by the electoral agency. But if truth be told, this is another manifestation of the Nigerian factor, which is the root of Nigeria’s hydra-headed problems and stunted development. The late Gen. Sani Abacha was quoted as saying; “If insurgency lasts more than two hours, government is involved”. INEC’s long-drawn insurgency against opposition parties is evidence of executive backing! The agency which at different times publicly claimed that it could not re-certify FRESH because there was, a subsisting court case at the Appeal Court challenging the party’s hardwon verdict, had previously charged FRESH to seek re-reg-

istration despite the court judgment and the purported appeal. In a report monitored in the Punch Newspapers (August 25, 2014), Kayode Idowu, INEC’s spokesman maintained that the issue was in court. This was in response to the charge that the agency could not stop the party’s Presidential candidate, Rev. Chris Okotie from contesting the 2015 presidency. The party meanwhile, says it would not accept INEC’s plea for an extension of time, to enable it relaunch the appeal. According to the party, INEC had claimed in its Motion on Notice and affidavit of 17, July, 2014 to the appeal court that “… the registrar of the court below did not compile and transmit the records of appeal within the time stipulated by the rules of this Honourable Court”. INEC is trying to shift the blame for the nine months delay on the registrar of the court, and it took that long to figure this out, as they were caught up in other ‘more important’ legal matters. Pleading this excuse for denying FRESH its legal rights is being unkind. For an agency in-charge of such a sensitive function of national interest to offer such a funny excuse is unfathomable. The fickleness and venality of Nigerian politicians is counter-productive at best and vindictive at worst, especially in a country as fissile as Nigeria. One cannot but re-emphasise the question that hangs over the competence of the agency. If the case were actually ongoing in court, would INEC’s lawyers then not continue to seek frivolous adjournments because they have other matters? That is one of the big challenges that the judicial system faces today, which begets unduly protracted litigations and denials of justice like INEC is exhibiting here. Saying INEC’s modus operandi is an out-dated and overstated cliché; a square peg trying to force itself into a nonexistent round hole, and the characteristic attitude of the Jonathan administration to the plethora of human rights abuses under his government put a question mark on Nigeria’s future. FRESH’s momentum in canvassing for recertification, if sustained will steer INEC away from its path of electoral adventurism and political brinkmanship. The appeal charade which the electoral agency is waving will not cause the party to succumb to the continuous assault on its fundamental human rights in this day and age; it is a base disregard for constituted authority being so openly expressed with impunity. •Phillipa Francis wrote from Jos


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

COMMENTARY

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Good governance as panacea for sustainable democracy AST week, the Nigerian Guild of Editors held its 10th annual All Nigerian Editors Conference in my home state Katsina. I was humbly asked to be one of the discussants on a paper that was to be delivered by the brilliant and inspiring Barrister Ayo Obe. Anyone who knows the first thing about me knows that I have an unreasonable phobia for wall geckos. And as fate would have it, in the room that had been allocated to me, a baby wall gecko decided to make an appearance to welcome me. Apart from the fear imparted by the sight of this horrible little reptile I knew that the sight of a baby wall gecko meant only one thing…It’s mother would be somewhere within the vicinity. And as I leaped onto the bed to get away from the little cretin, lo and behold, what looked like his mother together with a companion decided to make their appearance and join in the fiesta of scaring the living day lights out of me. Anyone who understands the trepidation of people with phobias can imagine what happened next… Yes all hell broke loose. Jumping up and down the bed and yelling in a manner that would have given Pavarotti a run for his money, a once composed Hannatu Musawa with a strong conviction of the message she had wanted to deliver at the conference became a total and bumbling mess. Although I made it to the conference, albeit late, and managed to relay a short message, there was a lot in regards to the theme, “Good Governance as Panacea for Sustainable Democracy”, which I had wanted to speak on but wasn’t composed enough to do so. This forum gives me the opportunity to, perhaps, express the message that the fear of those nasty creatures didn’t permit me to. In spite of our enormous natural resources and huge potential, Nigeria remains grossly and undoubtedly underdeveloped. Regardless of all the social and economic policies that have been implemented by successive administrations, Nigeria still remains laggard in social, economic and political developments. Political instability, abject poverty, severe youth unemployment, heightened crime rate, poor health-care facilities, pervasive malnourishment and, recently, insurgency/terrorism have been the predominant features within the polity. Nigeria certainly defies conventional logic — severe poverty amidst vast mineral riches, agricultural potential and abundant human capital. This “development anomaly” also fits into the trends and narrative of political instability within the continent, for which Africa has become notoriously infamous and synonymous with. Indeed, governance is one of the major problems in Africa and, by extension, Nigeria. In retrospect, the myriad of the nation’s problems can be attributed to the absence of good governance, democratic growth and development, thus effectively ensuring democratic dividends to be stifled and non-existent. It is an unassailable fact that democracy as is currently practiced in Nigeria has produced unpalatable results associated with the nature of the Nigerian state and the character of our elites. Our democracy has thus far tended to promote inequality rather than equality. Hence, there can be no genuine democracy in a country where citizens are grossly unequal in wealth and the poor who are invariably the majority are dependent on

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the wealthy. Good governance, on its part, is absolutely imperative for social and economic progress. Good governance involves justice, equity, protection of life and property, enhanced participation, preservation of the rule of law and improved living standard of the populace. Governance is termed bad when it fails to achieve these purposes. Good governance is about the performance capacity of a government or as it relates to leadership capability. Failure of governance, therefore, could expressly mean failure of leadership. For good governance to be feasible in Nigeria, sound anti-corruption policies devoid of mere speeches or lip service must be put in place. There have to exist a functional legislature, a viable and independent judiciary, and the attitudinal transformation on the part of our political elite, the absence of which good governance and development will continue to be a mirage. Also, for good governance to be achieved there is a dire need for the entrenchment of internal democracy and adequate funding of political parties. In Nigeria, our political structure is styled in such a way that political parties are funded by wealthy individuals and wealthy party members, as opposed to political parties being self-funded as is obtainable in other genuinely democratic climes. A situation where political parties are hijacked by a few wealthy individuals who determine those presented as candidates during elections is the reason good governance has been elusive in the nation’s democratic governance. As long as our political parties lack internal democracies and are being funded by government or a group of wealthy party members who dictate the pace of things in the party, good governance would continue to be lacking and sustainable democracy non-existent. In addition, the successful conduct of free, fair and credible general elections is an important foundation of democracy and good governance. Credible elections ensure that the right and capable candidates are elected into office, capable of delivering on campaign promises and good governance, not selected candidates who are only interested in enriching themselves and their “godfathers”, thus advertently putting round pegs in square holes! Good governance can also be a panacea for conflicts in Nigeria. Since most conflicts stem from extreme poverty, inequality, ethnicity, alienation and bad governance, good governance is certainly indispensable in effectively defusing tensions and preventing conflicts within the polity. The civil society comprises numerous organizations which cover varied interests and segments of the polity; it should undoubtedly become the major defender

of our burgeoning democracy and also sustain it. Being closely involved in the government’s policy-making and implementation, civil society can effectively monitor the democratic process and the performance of these governmental institutions and their programmes. The simplest way to see civil society is as a “third sector”, distinct from government and business. Civil society is a reinforcing mechanism for effective governance in the overall interest of the majority of the people. The civil society has the responsibility in influencing public policy processes and consensus building on societal priorities. They also provide a legal authority for public participation and the enhancement of civil education and expanding opportunities for greater involvement in governmental programmes. In other words, civil society can positively contribute to sustainability of democracy by legitimizing and entrenching institutions and the culture of democracy as well as by contesting, de-legitimizing and opposing authoritarian, undemocratic and uncivil practices and dispositions. Apparently, democracy transcends the forming and merging of political parties, general elections, grapple for political office and having a civilian government/leadership in power. It is a process that involves the total and effective participation of citizens in determining policies and decisions which affect their day-to-day lives at all levels. It involves the responsiveness of the government to the needs and aspirations of its citizenry. It is based on the ability of a nation to provide channels for discussions, consultations and mobilizations. Nigeria needs to develop her democracy in such a way that it largely empowers the majority of the citizenry and guarantees their survival. Our democracy should be developed, whereby the system of governance advertently and inadvertently develops the masses’ individual and collective potential, which would promote and contribute positively to the overall wellbeing of the nation. Democracy vis-à-vis good governance involves every stakeholder, particularly in the control of economic and political power in a way that inspires one’s faith and commitment in the corporate reality of the nation. This will certainly guard against the monopoly of state powers by the supposed “political godfathers”. For Nigeria to get her democracy right and ensure the dividends of democracy reaches the majority of her citizenry, she needs to ensure and emphasize good governance in the polity. The Nigerian Guild of Editors is undoubtedly one of the most well managed and structured organizations in Nigeria. It is a credit to the leadership of the Guild and all the officers who worked so diligently to deliver yet another well organized conference and discuss the very important issue of good governance being a panacea for sustainable democracy. I have no doubt next years 11th annual All Nigerian Editors Conference will also be a success, no matter where it is held. Congratulations to every member of the Nigerian Editors Guild, all the participants and all the people who worked tirelessly to put another wonderful program together. And a massive thank you to the good people of Katsina state, who showed that Katsina truly is the home of hospitality.

Arthur Eze and peripheral roads in Abia State T is only a blind man who will not attest to the fact that there is absence of Federal concern in the whole of South East region and Abia State in particular due to the fact that it is centrally located as a result of its geographical connectivity to the peripheries of neighbouring states. This situation has remained static for quite sometime that we can no longer keep quiet because people of the South East have continued to suffer in silence for the fact that we purposefully remain loyal to Mr. President. The fact that roads in Abia State have erroneously remained on the front burner is not only troubling but calls for immediate concern and attention by appropriate authorities. South East remains a major bloc of supporters in Jonathan’s administration and yet there is not much to write home about with respect to nature and status of federal infrastructures in the region. The crux of this write up is to disprove the notion in circulation that Abia roads are bad, which is not the same thing as saying that roads in Abia are bad, because road users do not know the difference. In Abia State federal roads criss cross the length and breath of the landscape and not one is faultless to say it mildly. Beginning with Enugu, Port-Harcourt road which is almost a death trap that has constituted serious menace to the economy

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Ben ONYECHERE of the south east and Abia State in particular to the Arochukwu-Ohafia road for which attempts in its reconstruction by the Federal Government have been aborted by unscrupulous contractors, other federal roads in Abia are Aba to Ikot Ekpene express way via Ogbor Hill Aba, Ikot Ekpene to Umuahia via Ikwuano, Umuahia, Ohafia, Arochukwu to Ikot Ekpene/Itu/Calabar express roads. The present administration of Chief T. A Orji has continued to toil in the turmoil of federally located infrastructure and rather than receive encomiums is being vilified by some uninformed and unpatriotic elements most of whom are in a better position to canvas for federal attention in the south east but rather than do that they choose to pass wrong judgment on a State which is struggling to come out of the woods due to long period of neglect by past administration because they would not like to be preserved as been confrontational with the federal authorities in order not to endanger their businesses at the cost of dilapidation of federal presence in the south east. The comments attributed to a businessman who visited Abia with respect to roads in the State is not only massively doctored to suite a media fit in Lagos owned by a sworn enemy of Abia who has been crying over spilt milk for long

time now, but misdirected at the wrong target all in the bid to play to the gallery. In the past, honest evaluations of infrastructure which have been conducted in Abia have attested to the incontrovertible fact that the current Governor of Abia State has done very well in a formerly dry land where nothing existed than propaganda. Today in the south east erosion has continued to ravage the environment thereby constituting fear and despair among the populace particularly in Anambra, Imo and Abia States but our so called leaders have turned a blind eye to it. It is no longer secret that the federal authority is selective in its road reconstruction projects which has tilted more to the North because it feels the Igbos can not raise an eye brow. The State of federal roads in Abia is simply deplorable particular along Aba axis and the whole stretch of Arochukwu Ohafia roads for which the contractor is said to have absconded with the fund already available to him, and as such the so called businessman whose verbitude and character of speech is enmeshed in controversies can be more useful to the society by assessing correctly and reporting situations to the appropriate authorities to the benefit of the entire populace. • Onyechere writes from Lagos


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NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

•Abuja city gate

INSECURIT Y: L Abuja residents work, worry

IFE in the Federal Capital Territory may not be the same for a long time. Like in most parts of the North where the Boko Haram insurgency has sent fears down the spines of the people, residents of the Federal Capital Territory have cause to live in fear of the unknown. Social life in the city had been great fun until bombers and terrorists found their way into it, killing and maiming innocent citizens. Even the terrorists’ attacks on the Police Headquarters and the UN Building in the city, did not seem to have as much impact on its economy as the twin bombing that occurred in the Nyanya and the one that shook EMAB Plaza in the Wuse 2 area of the metropolis recently. More threats from the members of the Boko Haram sect have further instilled fear in the minds of the people who now tread with lots of caution. It is now common sight in most places to see operators of business premises putting lots of security measures in place. For example, at the NNPC mega station in Wuse Zone 3, motorists are screened with metal detectors before they are allowed into the station to buy fuel or transact any other business. It is the

n Tony AKOWE, Abuja n same scenario at the popular GSM village, also in Wuse Zone 3. The threat by the group to hit more targets within the city has sent jitters down the spines of residents, especially when the police confirmed such threat. The police had recently alerted the nation and residents of the FCT of the plot by terrorists, especially transport companies operating within the city. In sending out the security alert, the police, through the then spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, said: “Credible intelligence reports at the disposal of the Nigeria Police indicate that terrorists have perfected a plot to carry out attacks on the Abuja transport sector. The attacks, which are intended to cause panic amongst Abuja residents and visitors alike, are planned to be perpetrated through suicide bombings, or through the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) concealed in luggage, bags, cans, and other receptacles.” The Police High Command, therefore, while ordering FCT Commissioner of Police and other the others in the adjoining states to beef up security at major parks around Abuja and its environs, enjoined the general


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

NEWS

•Aerial view of Abuja Buisness District

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public, particularly those within the Federal Capital Territory, to be roundly vigilant and report any suspicious person, object, movement or activity to the security forces without delay. “Meanwhile,” the statement added, “the police authorities enjoin citizens not to panic as the security forces are working round the clock to neutralise and effectively deal with the threat. As part of additional efforts at forestalling the attacks and strengthening security around the transport sector, the police high command has called on the management of motor parks to ensure that travellers and workers’ safety comes first. “It charges them to constantly conduct regular and routine scanning of their environments while insisting on carrying out a thorough search on passengers and their bags as well as vehicles entering and leaving their parks. It also advises that such searches must have the active participation of the passengers involved and warns that any item or luggage unaccompanied by any passenger must be rejected outright and should not be allowed into the vehicle. “Passengers are also enjoined to be on the look out for any passenger who might come in with luggage but will attempt to disembark without such luggage. While operators of motor parks are strongly advised to discourage overnight parking of vehicles at motor parks, particularly by unknown persons, the police authorities further advise motor park workers to reduce congestion at the parks by disallowing indiscriminate parking of private cars, tricycles and motorcycles at the precincts of motor parks. “In addition, the police high command advises that the general public in other places outside the motor parks should also monitor their environment as the terrorists may likely shift attention, having known that their plots have been uncovered.” The reasons for the warning by the police, which came a few days to the end of the Ramadan, manifested first in Kaduna and then in Kano during the Sallah celebration. First, it was an explosive concealed in a refrigerator brought to a motor park by a wheel barrow pusher. The refrigerator was supposed to form part of the luggage meant for a Port Harcourt-bound luxury box. That was followed by suicide bombers throwing explosives into a Catholic church while teenage female suicide bombers were also on the prowl in the ancient city of Kano. Added to these was the rumour of terrorists targeting the Ambeez Shopping Plaza in Abuja. Operators of the various motor parks across the city have been operating with utmost care, screening visitors coming into the park as well as their luggage. In some instances, touts have taken over the parks while a handful of security operatives are around to keep watch. At the Jabi Motor Park, it was business as usual as touts are constantly busy scouting

for potential passengers while security agents carried out surveillance within the park. An official of the park was quoted as saying that they were in God’s hands as the insurgents were targeting everybody and not just motor parks, adding that efforts the union had made for government to upgrade the park had met a brick wall. He dismissed police claims that terrorists were targeting motor parks alone, arguing that everybody had become the targets of the group. He noted that even people held up in traffic have reasons to be afraid. The Nation gathered that operators of motor parks in the city are not leaving anything to chance as some of them barricade the entrance with used tyres to prevent unwanted vehicles from gaining access. They only leave enough space to accommodate one vehicle at a time. In the major markets where vehicles are allowed in, security guards attached to such places conduct a stop and search on visitors before they are allowed into such places. At the Garki market, visitors and traders are frisked to avoid anyone sneaking into the market with explosives. Even after the search, they are made to pass through the entrance gate and follow the exit gate when leaving. Investigations revealed that the authorities of the University of Abuja have also taken measures to ensure the safety of its students who had just resumed from a prolonged closure. When The Nation visited the Gwagwalada Campus of the institution, students were seen on a long queue and were being screened before they were allowed into the campus. Similarly, corps members who reported to NYSC orientation camp at Kubwa recently were subjected to thorough screening by armed soldiers before they were admitted into the camp. Officials of the NYSC said it was part of the safety measures being taken to safe guide the corps members. However, many residents are apprehensive that in spite of the security measures in place, there is still cause to fear since checkpoints mounted by security operatives are causing traffic jams within the city. They are afraid that terrorists could take advantage of the heavy traffic to carry out their nefarious act. They are particularly concerned about the heavy traffic on the Abuja/Keffi Road. Yakubu Musa, a commercial driver who operates along the Abuja/Keffi Road, told The Nation that he is always very anxious to get off the traffic along the road for fear of any eventuality. He said: “My brother, I am always afraid any time I find myself in traffic jam because you don’t know where these people will come from. We appreciate what the security people are doing, but they should know that it is risky to keep people in this hold-up for too long. Sometimes, you will stay on the same spot for several minutes before you move. Sometimes, they will not even search people and

It is now common sight in most places to see operators of business premises putting lots of security measures in place. For example, at the NNPC mega station in Wuse Zone 3, motorists are screened with metal detectors before they are allowed into the station to buy fuel or transact any other business...

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yet they allow the traffic to build up.” Some people have, however, made their own arrangement to avoid being caught up in the traffic jam. For example, a civil servant with one of the ministries in the FCT was quoted by a national daily as saying, “since I heard the threat story, I have decided to be leaving home as early as 5 am to avoid the hold-up. I also leave town late so that I will not be caught up in any traffic jam. “We now live in fear. I have stopped my wife from going to the market as frequently as she used to do before now. We used to go out once in a while with our friends to relax in the night, but insecurity has stopped that.” Another resident, who identified himself simply as Mallam Sale, is unhappy with the situation which he said has affected his business. Sale, who claimed to be a trader, said he was worried because members of the Boko Haram sect don’t just issue threats that they do not carry out. He said: “The threat may take some time, but they always carry out their threats, especially when people have begun to forget that there was such a threat. Everybody is running about now, but soon, we will all relax and they will strike. That is my concern and that is why I am scared. If you watch closely, you will realise that we took them for granted when they threatened to invade Abuja and before you knew it, they bombed Nyanya.” Places of worship are not left out of the security measures. Some churches visited within the city have set up barricades where they carry out search on visitors and members before they are allowed into the church premises. In some churches, only vehicles belonging to known faces are allowed to pack close to the church while handbags are not allowed into some of the churches. Security experts, however, believe that although the situation is scary, there is need for Nigerians to be on the alert. They believe that while Nigerians believe that the government is not doing anything about the situation, it would be worse if nothing was being done. A senior police officer, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the government and the security agencies were working hard to bring the situation under control. He noted that it is not wise for the government to disclose what it is doing to curtail the activities of insurgents, pointing out that the Boko Haram sect is not the only one terrorising the country. While noting that security should be taken as the business of everybody, he said Nigerians must also help the government by informing security personnel about suspicious persons and movements around them. He gave the example of a young boy who alerted the police about a vehicle filled with explosives and targeted at a mosque in Kano. He said: “Do you know how many people would have died if that boy had not been vigilant and informed the police about that? These terrorists are not ghosts. They live among the people, they eat with people, and they relate with people. If we can get enough information, they can be stopped. I also know that government has been working on getting the latest technology that will help in the fight against terrorism.” Another resident, Musa Idris, believes that barricading the roads is not known to have produced any result leading to the arrest of insurgents. The arrests so far made, he said, have been done through intelligence report and cooperation by members of the society. He argued that the government should find better ways of checkmating the activities of the insurgents rather than subject the people to severe hardship through roadblocks that create unnecessary hold-ups. Patrick Karim, who works with an IT firm in Abuja, said his parents had been piling pressure on him to abandon his job and return home because of the security situation. He said: “My parents, especially my mother, want me to leave Abuja and come back home. But I have told them that even in the South, there is insecurity and that if they want me to leave Abuja, they will have to get me another job. Even if they do that, I will have to first evaluate the job, compare it with what I am doing presently and be sure that I will derive job satisfaction from it better than the one I have now before I leave. Otherwise, I am here to stay.” While Patrick is not considering moving out of the city until he is sure of something good, many others, especially those engaged in private businesses, have started relocating their families from the city, believing that the current situation has to do with the 2015 presidential elections. Others who have gainful employment are working their transfer out of the city, believing that Abuja will not be a safe place to be during the elections. While some have argued that their decision to leave the city is a result of the current state of insecurity, others are complaining of dwindling economic activities in the city.


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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Reduction in Ogun fees: ‘Amosun was a welfarist before he became governor’ Against the backdrop of the recent significant reduction in the school fees payable by students of tertiary institutions in Ogun State, Special Assistant on Media to Ogun State Governor, SOYOMBO OPEYEMI, fielded questions from reporters in Abeokuta. HAT informed the decision of the Ogun State government to reduce school fees in the stateowned tertiary institutions?

I think it is important to settle one fact in our minds. Senator Ibikunle Amosun, by nature, is a welfarist. Long before he became the governor of the state, he invested a lot of personal fortune in scholarships for children of the poor. He instituted many welfare schemes for people at the grassroots. So, it was not surprising that once he became the governor of this state, by the grace of The Almighty, he picked education from the bottom rung of the ladder of public policy that the previous government left it and placed it on the top rung. He has consistently devoted more than 20% of the annual budget to education. I’m yet to know of any government doing that in Nigeria. The last time children of the state enjoyed free education was during the era of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo in the Second Republic. Amosun re-introduced functional free education at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels from the 2011/12 academic session. That included free writing materials and quality textbooks. He abolished all manner of fees being paid by school children under the previous government. Of course, he fulfilled his promise to review downward by 50% the tuition fees in our higher institutions of learning, which were increased by 100% by the departing government. Indeed, he achieved a 60% reduction. You’ll recall that a few months after the launch of our free education scheme, the governor promised to further reduce school fees in the stateowned higher institutions of learning once the finances of the state improved. What Senator Amosun did recently was simply to fulfill his pledge. And I think this is the hallmark of good leadership. How will you react to the charge of the opposition that the reduction was done in order to win votes? We often forget that this administration is not yet up to three and a half years. Yet, it has a mandate of four years. Shall we say because election is coming in 2015, the governor must not fulfill his pledge to the students? We forget often too that it is the same brothers and sisters of these tertiary students that have been enjoying free education from the nursery level to secondary school since the inauguration of the Amosun government in 2011. So, Amosun has already won the hearts of the overwhelming majority of parents and youths in Ogun State by his welfarist policies. Our people are satisfied with the continuous grassroots-oriented programmes and policies of the governor. Will it be right to suggest that your government aims at free education at all levels? As a matter of fact, we are only a few years away from attaining that; 60% reduction is no joke. In Naira and Kobo, it means if you were paying N100,000 before as school fees, you will now pay N40,000. If you pay N40,000 through the welfarist policy of the Amosun government and your colleague in a private institution pays as much as N500,000 or N600,000, then the relief to our parents in the grassroots is better appreciated. Of course, depending on the course, school and level of the student, the percentage reduction varies. The highest is 61%. But it will interest you to note that with this reduction, some students will pay as low as N29,700 from the 2014/15 academic session. Clearly, if the finances of the state improve, as expected, anything is possible in the next few years. Your model school initiative has come under heavy criticisms from • Governor Amosun the former governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. He says it’s a waste of money. Well, it is said in law that you cannot simultaneously approbate and reprobate. You cannot in the same breath call for more access to be provided for our children and condemn the very steps taken to achieve that just because the person doing it belongs to a rival political party. I think we should separate politics from development. We are returning mission schools to the owners, who will charge school fees, where will we put the thousands of children from poor homes if we don’t expand the current facilities in the existing schools and build new ones? And lest we forget, it was Amosun that saved about 23,000 children from roaming the streets due to the policy faux pas of the former governor. And you can’t put children in those dilapidated classrooms, which the Amosun government inherited. Indeed, many of such buildings are to be pulled down. Sometimes, the children have to make do with make-shift classrooms till new ones are built because we don’t want to endanger their lives. Besides, some of the current schools are already choked by development; they need to be relocated. Population has also increased. If you check some of our schools, you will see new buildings. And let me sound a note of caution here. When you see inscriptions such as “SUBEB 2008/2009” in these structures, it does not mean they were built under the Daniel administration. Indeed, they were built under the Amosun government because he was the one that offset the counterpart fund for 2008 and 2009, indeed up to 2011, which made the construction of such classrooms possible. Yes, we must play politics but let’s weigh the options before we attack our political adversaries. Indeed, there’s no government anywhere in the world that will achieve 100% in all the sectors. But when you choose to attack your opponent in his or her strongest area, you end up burning your fingers. There was a government in Ogun State when the price of oil kissed the rooftops, hovering around $150 per barrel and the state literally basked in money. That government did not declare free education even at the primary school level. Today, we all know the situation in our country. Even the pittance Ogun is entitled to in the Federation Account is no longer guaranteed. Yet, Amosun’s government has not wavered or even for a second reconsidered the implementation of its free education policy from the nursery level to secondary school. Today, through the free education policy of the Amosun government, enrolment figure at JSS level has shot up from 174,820 in 2011 to 214,837. The figure has increased from 146,737 to 162,536 at SSS level. Due to improvement in our technical education, some children now move from JSS to such schools while the majority proceed to SSS, which is a big plus for our drive in vocational/technical education. Between 2007 and 2011, for example, the Daniel government did not provide a single chair or table for pupils and teachers at the pre-primary school. But within two years of the Amosun government, our

Yes, we must play politics but let’s weigh the options before we attack our political adversaries. Indeed, there’s no government anywhere in the world that will achieve 100% in all the sectors. But when you choose to attack your opponent in his or her strongest area, you end up burning your fingers

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children in the nursery schools have been provided with 3,200 chairs, 800 tables, 17,043 two-seater desks and 10,900 two-seater desks with shutters; 7,148 tables and 14,296 chairs have also been provided for their teachers. Under the Daniel administration, pupils were paying for all manner of things such as file jacket, ID card, school prospectus, students dossier, examination fee, school inter-house sports, etc., but the Amosun government abolished them. We can go on and on. I just hope the former governor was not being misquoted in the press. Recently, some staff of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) went on strike. Is there industrial restiveness in your state? We should not see a storm in a teacup here. Without sounding immodest, I think Ogun State can stand stall in the comity of states in Nigeria in terms of industrial peace. And this again has to do with the welfarist nature of the current administration. Workers in some states have been on strike for about a year now on account of non-payment of the minimum wage, yet in spite of the meagre amount we get from the Federation Account, the Amosun government has paid above the minimum wage, and implemented it across board, thus making it the only government to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria. Not only that, it offset the inherited bonuses and allowances of workers from 2008 to 2011. It paid union dues, cooperative deductions and bank loans of workers, which the previous government deducted but failed to remit. It cleared the promotion arrears of thousands of Ogun workers, including teachers due since 2008. The governor is also paying the pension and gratuity arrears of workers that had served the state meritoriously, which he inherited from the previous administration and has announced housing and car loans for workers. The truth is that the few times workers have gone on strike in Ogun, it was always on account of the salaries and allowances owed them by the Daniel administration. I must confess that the Daniel administration created a lot of mess for the Amosun government. It owed salaries of workers up to 13 months, pension and gratuity in excess of 29 months. It owed teachers; it owed civil servants. It owed everybody. In Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), for instance, it owed salaries for nine months! In OOU, it owed more than N2.5 billion in salaries and allowances. The OOUTH you referred to was owed some salaries and allowances of about N300 million. Why did the former governor do this? The Bible says you should not allow the sweat of a labourer to dry before you pay him his wages. It is the same in the Koran. These workers have families; how do they feed them? The Amosun government, as a matter of deliberate policy, does not owe these workers a dime. But because of the belief that government is a continuum, we have to clear the Augean stable; and we are doing this. The Amosun government has been clearing the backlog of pension and gratuity from 2007; yes, from 2007. Imagine if we had such billions of naira now used to offset inherited debts for development. The billions could have built up to 10 flyovers. Imagine how many school buildings we could have erected with the money; the number of additional hospitals that could have been built. How about the finances of Ogun State? The former governor also alleged a huge debt profile. To the glory of God, the Amosun administration has raised the IGR from the N730 million per month inherited from the Daniel administration to N5 billion a month. This is a milestone. But how did we achieve this? Essentially, I repeat, essentially by blocking the loopholes inherent in the old system and entrenching a culture of e-payment in the system. You’ll recall that the state lost about N30 billion in revenue in the lands department alone under the former administration. Things have changed dramatically today. I don’t really like reacting to the disinformation about the debt profile of the state. The aim of the opposition is to deceive the public and detract the government so that rather than focus on the ground-breaking achievements of the Amosun administration, the public space will be invaded with sterile debates on imaginary debts. Are you suggesting that the former governor is unaware that no bank is permitted to lend more than N25 billion to any government or loan more than 10% of its total portfolio to the public sector? We deal, in the main, with two banks in Ogun, how then can anyone suggest bank debts to the tune of N100 billion, N200 billion, N300 billion or even N50 billion? From the IGR, the paltry amount coming from the Federation Account, the cut in the administrative cost of governance through drastic reduction in salaries of political office holders, the Amosun administration is repaying loans, including those inherited from the previous government and meeting its obligations to the contractors. It is this rare feat that is confounding the opposition, and rather than seek counsel from the Amosun School of Financial Management - free of charge - they recourse to mendacity. And let me place this on record, there is no government that pays as low an interest rate on bank loan as the Amosun government. I stand to be corrected on this; none in Nigeria! You may say that’s not surprising because he’s a top-notch accountant, an FCA but when you compare what interest rates of 12% or 13% and 18 or 20% amount to, then you know what humongous amount Amosun is saving for the good people of Ogun State. There is no “bond of bondage” under the watch of Amosun. If the former government that had less than seven months to complete its maximum of eight years in office suddenly requested for a bond of N100 billion to build God-knows-what, if that is not a “bond of bondage”, what then is it? If you had such a gargantuan dream, why did you not start from your first term or even the beginning of your second term so that people could see how you would spend the bond and how much you would have paid back? Imagine what Amosun has accomplished in just three years with the finances of the people of Ogun State. It is more than what Daniel accomplished in eight years, yet there is no N100 billion “bond of bondage” anywhere in this government. Not even N1 billion “bond of bondage” because Amosun is paying back every dime it collected from banks, and all eyes can see what he has done with the funds. It is Amosun’s prudent financial husbandry and exceptional expertise in financial matters that have made it possible for us to declare free education up to the secondary school level. Now, we are inching towards free education at all levels, fulfilling the dreams of our founding fathers like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Olabisi Onabanjo. We are indeed very much touched by the overwhelming support that the Amosun government is getting from our people in towns and cities, villages and hamlets.





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•Rounabout joining Jalingo city and the Wukari-Yola Express Way

•Another highway in the city

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n Fanen IHYONGO, Jalingo n

Young men and women, who receive auxiliary pay cheques in the Ministry of Environment, work as cleaners to sanitise the main arteries to make them sparkling. You will marvel at Jalingo’s contrasts from what it used to be two decades ago. Its architectural range reflects modern touches

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JALINGO

NE remarkable feature hallmarking Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, as an emerging beautiful enclave is its traffic lights. Like other modern cities, motorists are now stopped at junctions by the red light, until the Green gives them way. Traffic officials now have less work to do. At night, when darkness comes, street lights shine to enthrall a beautiful grey or tan colour. These were absent when Taraba State was created from the defunct Gongola in 1991. Rev. Jolly Nyame, who became the first democratically elected governor in 1992, met Jalingo as a typical rural settlement. From that time till date, what is referred to as the ‘City Beautiful Movement’ may not have been speedy here, compared to the cosmopolitan cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano, but it has been stunning, especially recently. The improvement of the aesthetics and monumental grandeur in Jalingo, accom-

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panied with increased population, has reshaped the moral and civic virtues of the Jalingo community. Young men and women, who receive auxiliary pay cheques in the Ministry of Environment, work as cleaners to sanitise the main arteries to make them sparkling. You will marvel at Jalingo’s contrasts from what it used to be two decades ago. Its architectural range reflects modern touches. That is to say that at 23 years of creation, which the state celebrated last month, the urbanisation of the state’s capital has influenced both demographic social reform and contemporary planning of settlements, particularly in its heartbeat. Magami and Mayo-Gwoi areas are good examples. The state capital had taken off in disregard to its Master Plan. Residents had used local implements like hoes and shovels to open up foot paths. They built residences on sanitary lines and dumped

refuse in water channels that blocked run-offs. There was no descriptive settlement pattern, and raw sewage was openly dumped to pollute the town. Its environment was always enveloped by a putrid smell of meat and animal defecates. But that was before. All that has changed significantly. Jalingo city, like every other capital city, is now more of the people than the physical precinct; the social and economic life, their businesses and where they unwind after the daily official work etc. Jalingo residents now have new shopping malls, which have led to a shift from the hitherto uproar by a rowdy grasping consumers or buys and goods vendors struggling to make brisk business, to a modified pattern of buying and selling.

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New face of

•Traffic light at FMC Junction, Jalingo

Before 2005, Jalingo could only boast of a Union Bank, First Bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA). But now, many modern banks have sprung up, adorning the face of the Hammaruwa Way, which used to be the only artery in the state capital. Shoddy buildings with rust zincs as well as empty plots have been cleared for new edifices, built with long span

Now, some good roads, paved streets and curvets have been built, stimulating the rise of grandiose structures and exquisite complexes like shopping plazas and banks. Before 2005, Jalingo could only boast of a Union Bank, First Bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA). But now, many modern banks have sprung up, adorning the face of the Hammaruwa Way, which used to be the only artery in the state capital. Shoddy buildings with rust zincs as well as empty plots have been cleared for new edifices, built with long span. The ban on motorcycles in Jalingo streets by Governor Danbaba Suntai also informed local-minded residents that Jalingo has to make progressive changes that are synonymous to its status as a state capital. Vehicular and traffic lines have become more pronounced, as more cars have been bought.

Pe a c s CitY

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There are eatery joints where people can unwind and buy takeaways. Popular ones include Mega Delight, Green Beach, Aunty Peace, New System etc. You will love their squeaky-clean facilities and catchy interior fittings. There are standard hotels for visitors. The popular ones include: De Bas, Yukuben Motel, Eloheen Suites, Camp Lavet and Jalingo Motels, among others. On Fridays, party freaks have a number of night clubs to go and dance. Clubs like Bahamas, Planet One and MobileLinks are usually thronged by fun seekers. There are many cool joints where residents retire to in the evening, after the daily routine of stressful life. The Green Beach, located at the bank of River Mayo-Gwoi, is the most popular. There, you can find a lot to eat and drink. Many youngsters are pulled to this beach, perhaps due to their mixed music and records, to which they freely dance.

•A newly built road liking Jalingo capital city and Mile Six suburb

•Traffic light at Jolly Nyame Way


17 THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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RELIEF AT LAST

•Ogun govt comes to the rescue of LafargeWAPCO’s host communities •Cement company visits Olapeleke, promises to rebuild houses •Residents excited over govt’s intervention

In the wake of The Nation’s investigative series on the dangerous impact and consequences of LafargeWAPCO’s cement production activities on its host communities in Ewekoro LGA, the Ogun State Ministry of Environment has intervened, causing LafargeWAPCO to initiate a process to right its wrongs n Olatunji OLOLADE, Assistant Editor and Kunle AKINRINADE n GAGGLE of widowed women line up the front terrace of a derelict bungalow in Olapeleke, like hoary hens roosting on an old fallen log. They are exchanging mournful stories of past tragedies, current miseries and hopeful fantasies about tomorrow. They are excited about Ayo Olubori, Ogun State Commissioner for Environment’s recent visit to their dying neighbourhood. One aged woman en-

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thuses with joy that she might yet live to witness the much clamoured salvation of her community from the jaws of death and extinction; another woman, much older than the latter, acknowledges that The Nation’s relentless reportage of the devastation wrought on their community by neighbouring cement company, LafargeWAPCO Plc, has elicited the government’s intervention.

Continued on page 18

Story on pages 18,47&48


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Ogun govt comes to the rescue of LafargeWAPCO’s host communities

Continued from page 17 According to her, “Several journalists have come and gone. None of them fulfilled their promise to bring to the notice of the world, the devastation, neglect and fatality that we have to suffer daily, as a result of LafargeWAPCO’s production activities in our neighbourhood. Thank God, a newspaper (The Nation) has revealed our sad plight to the world. The commissioner has been here; it’s left for the government to make sure that LafargeWAPCO rebuilds our community and compensate us.” In the wake of an investigative series on the devastating impact of LafargeWAPCO’s limestone blasting and cement production activities in Olapeleke, Ewekoro and other neighbouring host communities to its production plant in Ewekoro Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State, Olubori, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment has visited Ewekoro to inspect the damage done to the beleaguered communities by LafargeWAPCO. Olubori visited Olapeleke on Saturday, September 6, 2014, the same day that The Nation published “Inside the wastelands of Ewekoro and Olapeleke…” an expose on the socio-economic cost and consequences of LafargeWAPCO’s cement production activities on farmers in the af•Cement dust blown from LafargeWAPCO’s plant chimney pollutes fected regions. the evironment and covers many rooftops in Ewekoro township Olubori revealed that he was forced to take a trip down to the devastated area limestone debris from LafargeWAPCO’s quarry in the immediately he saw the Special Report, which haparea. They also promised to treat the community’s pened to be the fourth of the investigative series on the water supply periodically, in order to make it safe for impact of the cement company’s commercial activities consumption. in the region. A larger team, however, visited the community for The commissioner, who arrived in the community the second time, several days afterward, pleading with with a team of aides from the state’s Ministry of Envithe natives to call The Nation and ask the newspaper to ronment, noted that he had been followdesist from further publication ing The Nation’s reportage on the of the impact and consequences widespread devastation and that his of its commercial activities on visit was meant to facilitate immediate the community. That was after solution to the miseries afflicting the ceThe Nation published the third ment company’s host communities. of the investigative series on the However, the Environment Commissocio-economic and environsioner did not stop at that; he summental costs of Lafargemoned the management of WAPCO’s commercial activities LafargeWAPCO and traditional rulers of in the area. the company’s host communities to a The team, comprising the staff meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun State’s capiof LafargeWAPCO’s managetal city, two days after his visit, that is, ment and community relations Monday, September 8, 2014. Consedepartment, promised the vilquently, an ad hoc committee comprislagers that the cement company ing representatives of the government, would embark on immediate LafargeWAPCO and its host communirenovation of damaged buildties has been inaugurated to chart a path ings in the area. to the peaceful resolution of problems afflicting the area as a result of the ce“They will all come to make ment company’s commercial activities in noise and eventually desert us” the region. But despite the company’s Prior to the Ogun State Ministry of Enpromises to mitigate the devasvironment’s intervention, the managetation wrought on its host comment of LafargeWAPCO had visited munities, several residents of Olapeleke twice. The company visited the embattled communities are the community immediately after The at crossroads about whether to Nation published the second part of the believe the cement company or investigative series. During the visit, not. Festus Ogunleye, the company’s Com“We do not know whether to munity Relations and Communication trust them (LafargeWAPCO) or Manager, assured the community that not. That is how they come to LafargeWAPCO will move promptly to visit us whenever we protest; come to the natives’ aid. Ogunleye’s they rush over here promising team arrived in the village with cameras to do innumerable good things to take photographs of houses destroyed for us. But immediately we acand rendered derelict by flying rock and cept their promises and stop

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Consequently, an ad hoc committee comprising representatives of the government, LafargeWAPCO and its host communities has been inaugurated to chart a path to the peaceful resolution of problems afflicting the area as a result of the cement company’s commercial activities in the region

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•Provision of motorcycles to some youths in the area

protesting, they desert us and choose only to deal with our traditional rulers. And we hardly get to see or enjoy the results of their various meetings with our traditional rulers,” laments a member of the community. The Nation investigations across the company’s host communities reveal widespread dissension and bottled up grief amongst the natives. Among the impoverished natives of Ewekoro and Olapeleke, for instance, a widespread wave of desolateness and tragic resignation subsists. Theophilus Amoo Ibigbami, 87, laments that it is a futile enterprise to expect LafargeWAPCO to come to his community’s aid. “With all that we have done in the recent past, I no longer have any hope again that help or succour might come our way; I just don’t think there is any hope for us,” he says. Pa Ibigbami claims that he joined the Building Section of LafargeWAPCO on September 28, 1958 and, according to him, he was one of its pioneer workers. “I was around when the construction company handling the building of the factory gave a ridiculous compensation to those whose land had been grabbed…We have done so much to protest our plight in the past but all that we did amounted to nothing. We got a lawyer who was based in Oshogbo to fight our case. But he died in the course of fighting our case. He was frustrated by the powers that be in the country. Even upon his death, his son who is also a lawyer continued from where he stopped. “He took over the case but all his attempts to seek redress on our behalf were fruitless. He gave up on our cause explaining to us that he was being frustrated every step of the way by certain powers that be. Personally, I have been to so many places over this matter. My family house, among several houses in Olapeleke, had been destroyed by the blasting of limestone by LafargeWAPCO and there is nothing I can do about it. There is nothing anyone can do about our plight. They will all come to make noise and eventually desert us,” laments Ibigbami. In 1985, through a publication in the now defunct National Concord newspaper of December 4, the community called the attention of the then military governor of Ogun State, Group Captain Mohammed Lawal, to the

•Provision of hairdressing equipment

company’s activities. The community also contracted a law firm to write the cement company on February 10, 1993 to demand reparation for loss and damages suffered by the company’s limestone blasting and cement production activities but the cement company customarily rebuffed their effort. On February 20, 1995, the community embarked on a protest to the company’s factory gates at Ewekoro with placards bearing the inscriptions: “No more blasting without building houses for us at ‘Lapeleke; “Enough is enough, 30 years (1960-1990) lease expired without any payment;” “Fresh negotiation required for second term (1991-2020) 30 years lease;” yet the company called the villagers’ bluff.

Politics of a lease agreement Residents of LafargeWAPCO’s host communities claim that Ewekoro communities are being defrauded of their dues conferred upon them by a lease agreement signed on January 13, 1964 on behalf of WAPCO now LafargeWAPCO by the Western Regional government of the period. They claim the lease was extended over a 500-year period, contrary to the provisions of the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which compelled the then Ministry of Land to sign a 30-year basic lease agreement with WAPCO commencing on October 27, 1963. The agreement reportedly compelled the cement company to pay annual rents to the land owners through the

Continued on page 48



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CRIME & OTHER STORIES

olukunle87@yahoo.com

‘How we hijacked fuel tankers with fake army uniforms’ •Continued from 19 After operation, Ugbuagbu was asked to take the truck to Sango-Ota where its content would be discharged. On the way to Sango-Ota, he contacted Udeagwu who would help him to locate the buyer while the truck was driven by Boniface, the gang’s professional driver, who was also a driver with vehicle leasing company located in Victoria Island, Lagos. Boniface was said to have been attached to the engineer of the leasing outfit and was allowed to take home the company’s vehicle, a Toyota Hilux, at the close of work around 6 pm. But at about 8 pm, members of the gang would gather at an agreed location and Boniface would convey them to the scene of operation. Upon their arrest on July 21, the items recovered from them were said to have included a truck and an operational Hilux van. Some of the victims who had reported the syndicate at various police stations were said to have had their heads broken or their teeth removed with the butt of the gang’s rifles. In an interview with our correspondent, Ugbuagu admitted belonging to the gang. He said: “My name is Alex Ogbu Ugbuagu. I am married with a child and reside at 16, Adekoya Street, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos. I am a native of Abakaliki town in Ebonyi State. I am also a transporter. I met Evans (Boniface) in Lagos. “I was first arrested by NUPENG (National Union of Patroleum and Natural Gas) Task Force and handed over to the police on July 21, 2014. I confessed that I did it and led the police to a filling station where we discharged the fuel at half the price. We discharged it at one AP filling station. “We have done it five times. My share was N360,000 and I used the money to pay my house rent and for the upkeep of my family. I came to Lagos in 2012. It was Evans that had contact with the soldiers and naval men that joined our gang. “My role in the gang was to stay with the driver and conductor of a hijacked truck while Evans, our driver, would take over the steering and drive it to the filling station where it would be discharged.” “On their mode of operation, he said: “We allow the petrol or diesel truck to slow down at a bad spot and used the Hilux van to block it. The Sergeant would order the driver to come down and enter the Hilux van while the merchant navy man would order the conductor to come down and join the driver in the Hilux van. “We acted like task force men on the highway. At times, we would tell the driver that he had brushed someone’s car and damaged the headlamp, or that he had hit somebody. As we held the driver and the conductor hostage in our Hilux van, our own driver, Kazeem, who is still at large, would drive the truck to the filling station where we intended to discharge the fuel. “After discharging the fuel, we would take the truck to a place where LASTMA (Lagos State Transport Management Authority) would see it. The driver and conductor would also be taken to an area where they could get a vehicle to take them home. “We didn’t use guns. We only used army and navy uniforms. I was physically present when trucks were stopped and their drivers and conductors were ordered to come down and enter our Hilux van. Our uniforms were enough to scare our victims.” The second suspect, Udeagwu, said: “I am a businessman. I am also a Customs auction sales representative. Customs auctioneers don’t have licence to operate. I am married with four children. I live in Sango Ota, very close to Iyana Iyesi. “My problem started when Alex (Ugbuagu) called me on the phone and told me that they had stolen fuel to sell and that I should help them to get a buyer. I participated only once. I knew Alex about three years ago as a motor boy. I got N5 per litre of fuel. If you multiply 33,000 litres by N5, that was what I got. We could not get a buyer for one of the trucks we hijacked and the police recovered it and returned it to the owner.” The third suspect, Evans (Boniface), said: “I live at No. 101, Era Road, Ijanikin. I work with Aguila Leasing Company Nig. Limited. We work on MTN masts. I was employed as the driver of the engineer, driving the Hilux van that conveyed him to work. I operated five times with the gang. I conveyed some of the gang members in the Hilux

Police arraign four men for breach of peace n Stories by Rukayat JIMOH n OLICE has arraigned three men Ikechukwu Iyererume(35); Ola James(31); Ade Ademola(25) and Femi Olowoye (34) before an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrate's court over alleged breach of peace. The accused persons were alleged of causing breach of peace by dragging customers and disposing them of their valuables at the Yaba minimarket about 2 pm on September 9, 2014. They were also said to have unlawfully obstructed police men while discharging their duties. It was reported that the accused persons have been perpetrating the atrocities on numerous occasion making business transaction inevitable at the market. They pleaded not guilty to three counts charges bordering on conspiracy, breach of peace and unlawfully obstruction. The counsel, Spurgeon Anteana applied for the bail of the defendants in the most liberal terms. The Police prosecutor, Mr. Moses Uademevbo told the court that the accused persons had committed an offence punishable under Sections 409,166 and 117 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011. The presiding magistrate, E.O Ogunkanmi admitted the respondents to bail in the sum of N100, 000 and two sureties in like sum .The matter was adjourned till October 16, 2014.

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•The truck

•The suspects, from left: Alex, Izuchukwu, Evans, Aniekan, Patrick and Taiwo van while Alex (Ugbuagu) will be in a danfo bus. “My salary as the company driver attached to the engineer was N45,000 per month, but it was increased to N68,000 in February 2014. I regret participating in this diversion business. The engineer allowed me to go home with the vehicle for security reasons. If anything happened to the vehicle, I was the one the company would hold responsible. “In August last year, we were five in number with some soldiers and naval men, some of whom are in prison now. We hijacked a PMS truck and took it to Ijebu-Ode. A mobile policeman who went with us was arrested and sent to Kirikiri prison this year. “I only participated in two operations with this sergeant. My engineer master was shocked to the marrow when the police took me to my company to tell them what I had done. The engineer is a white man from Sweden. “It was only once that I got a share of N320,000 after we sold a truck of fuel for N1.5 million. If I am released, I will not do it again. “We didn’t operate with guns and we didn’t torture our victims. Even after operation, we took the drivers and conductors to a safe place where they could get ve-

hicles to their various places. It was only stubborn drivers and conductors that we sometimes stripped naked, tied up and abandoned in a bush, so that by the time they would get assistance from good Samaritans, we would have gone far. Stripping them of their clothes was also a delay tactics to enable us escape, because people who see them naked would take them for mad men and would not like to go near them.” The fourth suspect, Aniekan, a resident of No. 28, Adebari Street, Meiran, Lagos, said: “I am a merchant navy. We work with shipping companies after our training in the School of Oceanography at Victoria Island, Lagos. We don’t go to war. When I finished training, I could not secure work in a shipping company. Hence I started to do private security work with SPS security company with N25,000 salary. I also worked for another security company in Ikeja, which used to pay me N20,000 monthly. “I only knew the fake army sergeant sometime last year because we were living in the same area. We became friends one day when people in the area suspected that he was a fake soldier because he used to wear an army uniform. They were beating him before the street boys came to his rescue. I later knew his

house. “He then told me that there was something he would tell me that would interest me, and that we would make big money with our army and navy uniform by acting with power. I asked him whether it was about oil bunkering and he said I should be patient till August 3 when we met at Oshodi. It was also at Oshodi that I knew Evans. I was arrested on July 24 this year. “We succeeded in our first operation, but the second operation was a disaster. My role in the operations was to catch the conductor and drag him into our Hilux with serious beating at times, while the soldier among us would catch the driver. “Once we saw a truck we wanted to hijack, we would follow it to a bump where it would slow down and we would quickly cross it with our Hilux van and order the driver and conductor to come down. “We started operation around 8 pm and finished at about 10 pm. The army sergeant is a fake soldier.” The fifth suspect, Patrick a.k.a. Army Sergeant, said: “I am married with two girls and four boys. I left the army in 2009 because the salary was too poor. It was from leave that I went on AWOL (away without official leave). My salary then was just about N33,000. I could

Lagos monarch accuses bizman of land grabbing HE traditional ruler of Cardos in Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Chief Moruf Kaka Owonla, has accused a businessman, Mr. Olugbenga Solaja of land grabbing and harassment over a parcel of land in Oke-Ira Nla village, Ajah, EtiOsa Local Government Area of Lagos State. Owonla said: “There was a court judgment that voided the ownership of the land by the family from whom Solaja initially bought the land .The new owner of the property is the family from whom I purchased the land. He (Solaja) had initially agreed to pay me N10 million in order to sustain his ownership of the property. He had asked me come for the money in a hotel in Ikeja where he told me point blank that he won’t offer more than N3 million. When I realized that he has reneged again, I left him but not without asking him to stay off the property. “As a law abiding person, I wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Abuja and the IGP’s Monitoring Team stepped into the matter by visiting the location of the property as well as inviting Solaja to Abuja to hear his own side of the matter. Speaking further, Owonla said: “After Solaja returned from Abuja, he boasted of his high connections and closeness to top police officers, and that he would use his police connections, especially at Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos, to deal with me. Surprisingly, he led some policemen from the zonal command to invade the property and destroyed a set of shops erected on the land and arrested my men working at the site. “When I also went there, he asked some men of Odua People Congress (OPC) to ambush me and I narrowly escaped unhurt but not without my car’s

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• It’s not true, says bizman n Kunle AKINRINADE n side mirror being damaged by my attackers. As I speak, my employees are being hunted by police at the instance of Solaja who boasted that the Zone 2 Police Command is stoutly behind him. I have filed a law suit at a Lagos High Court restraining Solaja and police from trespassing on the property but he has ignored the court processes duly served on him by using police to forcibly take over my property.” In a telephone conversation with The Nation, Solaja, however, denied all the allegations made by Owonla, saying: “I have not been served with any court processes and likewise, the Zone 2 Police Command. Besides, I did not promise to pay Owonla any money again for the renewal of my ownership of the property. “Let me tell you what happened. In 2003, I bought a parcel of land (about 15 plots which is about two and half acres) from one Dosu Fatokun who also purchased the property from the Fasakin family. I paid N4.5 million for the land and erected a bungalow on it; a dredging company later leased the property from me in 2007. “In 2008, a family got a judgment from the court as being the rightful owner of the property. The family asked me to do a ratification of the property and I paid N15 million for the ratification. In 2010, when I decided to construct a petrol station on the land, the family asked me to pay N2.2 million to its agents for issuance of job card. Owonla is one of the agents who

collected the money from me. I was subsequently issued a job card and I built a petrol station, farm and staff quarters on the land.” Expatiating further, he said: “Early last month (August), I gave Owonla N100,000 when he told me that his daughter was getting married. I was shocked on Saturday August 30, 2014, when my employees told me on the telephone that Owonla and his boys were disturbing them. I immediately went there to ask him the reason for his action, only to be accosted by two policemen whom Owonla had pointed me to.I was arrested and taken to Asokoro Police Station, Abuja, where I was shown a petition written by Owonla to the effect that he had bought the land as far back as 1990 and that I had been threatening his life with thugs who allegedly shot sporadically at the site of the property. “I was released on Monday September 1 after the Officer in Charge of IGP Monitoring apologised to me after listening to my own side of the story. After I was released, my wife told me that Owonla had erected about nine shops on the land while I was being detained in Abuja. She told me that men of the Langbasa Police Station turned them back when they went there to report Owonla’s action. Hence, I reported the matter to the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Police Command, Mr. Umar Manko. My brother (the reporter), I am leaving town right now because I don’t feel that my life is secure.”

not secure a security job to take care of my family when I left the army, hence I became a clearing agent at Apapa. “I have worked at the Two Base Ordinance Depot, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State. I have also served in the First Mechanised Division, Jos. I joined the army in 1984 as a private, promoted to Corporal in 1986 and Sergeant in 1996 before I left in 2009. I did not submit one of my uniforms. I used it to find money to feed my family. I am the gang’s leader during operations. But when it comes to sharing money, Evans becomes the leader. “It is only myself and the naval man that were

fake uniform men. I did not get a kobo from the two operations I participated in. Criminals are very bad. If you allow them to go and discharge any truck in your absence, they would come home with all kinds of lies. The sixth suspect, Taiwo, said: I am an oil and gas supplier. I reside at No. 24, Ibukun Oluwa Street, Ogijo area of Ikorodu. They (the gang members) sold the fuel to me at N90 per litre and I bought a truck of 33,000 litres of fuel which I sold at N92 per litre. “Three of them came with the truck. It was Kazeem I paid the money to but he is still at large. I made only N66,000 gain.”

35-yr-old faces trial for allegedly defiling 14-yr -old

Rotary shifts polio campaign A to Lagos neighbourhoods

To curb further spread of polio disease in Nigeria, members of the Rotary Club of Omole Golden, yesterday stormed Ogba, Aguda,Omole and Ojodu neighbourhoods of Lagos State on a sensitization programme tagged “Golden Walk for Polio”. The walk took off from Ogba and terminated at the popular Berger Bus Stop and members of the club were seen distributing handbills to motorists and passersby. They also engaged members of the public on one-one talk on precautionary steps to be taken against the disease rampant among children. At the Omole Phase 1 Estate Gate, the Rotarians took some time off to enlighten people and also entertained questions from respondents. President of the club, Mr. Chris Alabi said: “The campaign against the spread of Polio by

• The Rotarians during the rally

Rotary actually started about nine years ago. However, we are trying to sensitize people about the danger of polio in tandem with Rotary goal so people can embrace immunization. We have been distributing flyers and we have experts such as medical doctors and pharmacists that will enlighten people on the need to join the crusade against polio in Nigeria. “This morning, we had a breakfast with youths drawn from various communities around and we are using this rally not only to campaign for the eradication of polio but to also encourage physical exercise among our members. We would also have another rally in October, 2014 and 2015 respectively,” he added.

35- year- old man Akintola Olarenwaju, has been arraigned before an Ebute Metta Magistrate Court for allegedly defiling a 14 -year- old girl (name withheld). He was said to have had canal knowledge of the girl by pretending to lead her home. He was arrested and arraigned on two counts charge of rape and fraudulent pretence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The charge reads in part: "That you Akintola Olarenwaju, about 1.20 pm on September 7 September, 2014, along Thomas Street, Ebute Metta, in the Lagos magistrate district did defile a 14year-old girl(names withheld) by unlawfully dipping your right fingers into her private part which caused her minimal bleeding in her virginal and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.” '”That you Akintola Olarenwaju ,on the same date , time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did unlawfully have canal knowledge of the girl after obtaining her consent by means of fraudulent pretence that you are going to lead the stray child home and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 258 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State,2011.” The police prosecutor, Inspector Nknakuk told the court that the accused person has committed a punishable offence under Sections 137 and 258 of the Criminal Laws of the Lagos State, 2011. The counsel, Mrs. Melinda Adebambo applied for the bail of the defendant in the most liberal terms. The presiding magistrate, E.B Daodu admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100, 000 and two sureties in like sum adding that the sureties must deposit a refundable sum of N50, 000. The case was adjourned till October 15.

















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Why my marriage with my Indian wife collapsed —Ex-Minister Alex Akinyele At 76, age is already taking a toll on the once sturdy physique of former chairman of National Sports Commission (NSC) and exMinister of Information, Chief Alex Akinyele. Yet he told JOKE KUJENYA about his plan to take a new wife; a move informed by the decision of his Indian wife to desert him about two years ago. The father of many children, who was once reputed for his flamboyant lifestyle, spoke softly as he explained the necessity of his new move, among other issues. Excerpts:

• Chief Akinyele s it true that you are about to take another wife? Why can't I? Life must continue. At 76, I am not too old to have another wife. This is because in the past two years, I have felt very lonesome. All my life, I have been used to being cared for by one woman or the other. But for the past two years, I have been without a wife. All my children are grown and working and hardly have the time to come and sit down with me or to say they want to leave their own lives to look after me. So, for the purpose of personal care, I decided to take another wife. It is not for jollyjolly, I tell you. It is clearly for the fact that I really need somebody to look after me. I am weak. I am worn. I have been full of activities all my life. But now, I am weak. For instance, I heard some piece of news from Ondo, my home town this morning; they said I am dead. The person that called me said the rumour is around that I am dead. I asked him why and he he said people felt that because I missed a particular ceremony called Odun Oba in Ondo, an event I don’t ever miss, it must be because I had passed on. And not only that, because I go to Ondo every week, but for four weeks now, I haven't been able to go, they assumed that I was gone. However, those who think I am dead are not just confused, they are also stupid. The point I am making is that in these days of the internet, if I,

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Alex Akinyele, dies this minute, within the next five minutes, the whole world will know about it. So, if they were educated, they would definitely know that I am still very much here. They might be missing me quite alright, but I need to let them know that I am hale and hearty. May I ask why you need a wife at this age? Good. When you want to take a wife at an age like mine, you have to be extremely careful not to pick on a wrong one who would rush you to your grave. That is why I am not only anxious, but extremely careful to have a wife of about 55, 60, given their age and maturity. Yet, there is danger in marrying a woman in this age gap because it is about the time they begin to have their peculiar problems such as arthritis, lumbargo, and so on. You know, if such care is not applied, I could end up taking care of her instead of her taking care of me. And that is if I happen to still be alive. That is why I accept to say that I have to be very careful. And you can’t say that because you want to take a wife, she should bring her medical certificate. No. That would be unfair on the person. But sincerely, I can’t over-emphasise it that I am weak and need someone to help me. And you know that some people are very old even at 70. Others, even at 60, they are so frail, and that depends on how they spent their youthful period of life. But in my own case, I am 76 going on 77. I think I am old enough to look for a helper. It’s surprising to hear that you’ve been alone for two years, given the fact that you told the media that your immediate past marriage had come to stay. With your respective ages, some level of maturity would be expected to come into play. What went wrong? You are very correct on that. I truly thought the union had come to stay. But it was like she was on a journey. And she has fulfilled and completed her journey, and I cannot stop her from proceeding to whatever the next phase of her journey in life is. How then do you think Nigerians will receive and react to the news that you’re again set to marry? The reaction of Nigerians to the fact that I want to marry another woman is immaterial to me. It is my personal life and I am entitled to live it the way I deem best for and with me. You know that for people like me, whatever we say we want to do, people will always have something to say. They will react to it because I am like those the media call celebrities. And you know that they have problems of privacy and whatever they want to do is always subjected to public opinions. So, I won’t be bothered because if anyone sympathises with me so much, let him provide me the much needed help or give me a better wife. Let me tell you, there are many people who are suffering bitterly under the battlement of bad matrimonial experience. And because of what X or Y will say, they suffer in silence. I don’t want to suffer in silence, because I am a usually a happy person. Nothing really ever bothers me. So, if a woman goes, another woman comes, and life continues. But when you begin to think of what people will think or say, you will never be able to live your normal life. And those who are saying this or that, have their own problems which they are covering under thick clothes. So, whatever people like, let them say. Even as I am here and many of them come in, what they usually say is ‘Chief, why have you subjected yourself to being so lone-

When you want to take a wife at an age like mine, you have to be extremely careful not to pick on a wrong one who would rush you to your grave. That is why I am not only anxious, but extremely careful to have a wife of about 55, 60, given their age and maturity

some? What is wrong with you? Take another wife. There are so many good women out there. Are you going to kill yourself because a woman went away? And so on. Some even said if the woman was so good, would you have allowed her to go away? After all, you were the one who filed for the divorce; so, why are you now living alone? It’s not good or else you will soon die. And we don’t want you to die now… So, the argument went on. And some of the concerns expressed are that somebody has to cook for me, look after me and assist you in several other ways. So, the fact is, no matter what, people will talk about you. Without a feminine touch to your life in the last two years, how have things been? That is a very good question. I miss my wife even when she was the one that left me and went away. I really miss her. But I also thank God that she went away. If she hadn’t gone away by now, I would have died. Oh yes! That is a fact. So the fact that she has left the house makes me very happy. And there’s even greater happiness around the entire house. The addition is that there is greater understanding between my children and me. It was like my children sang Halleluiah when she went away. They said we told you earlier to send the woman packing; you didn’t listen. Now that your eyes are open and you’ve seen things for yourself, it was good she left. One thing is I get used to certain kind of foods when a new woman comes. I take the pains to either tell or teach her. And if the woman chooses to go eventually, I will miss that aspect of her in my life. I have lived the larger part of my life with my domestic aide called Goodman. I have taught him the way things are done, like if you cook anything for me, you must add sufficient pepper. And the young man has taken to that and doing it very well. The foundation of food in this house was laid by my late mother. When I got married to the late Lady Yvonne, my mother told her that of all her children, I was the one who enjoyed food best. She then, for about six months, taught Yvonne how to cook my food. That was my late mother’s sacrifice. And like you all know, my late wife took that to heart and did it perfectly well. She on her own also taught our other domestic staff how to cook for the family. And when a new woman comes, we quickly tell her, please, no vex o (don’t be annoyed) this is how we do here, to see if it is okay with the woman. When two young chaps are in courtship, they usually go for counselling on how to live together. Aside from food, what • Continued on page 39


THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 • Continued from page 38

other orientation do you give your women before tying the nuptial knot to determine whether they can cope or not? With me, there was no woman that was not able to cope. In fact, each of them coped very well. Basically, every woman is a cook as their primary assignment. You know there are some men that would say they don’t eat pepper at all. Some don’t eat salt. These are regular things in marriages. Some men don’t even like their wives slicing too much onion in their meals. There are so many men that love their food simple without all those garnishing. So, you only have to tell the woman how you like your own food to be cooked, the quantity they prefer and all the other basics. But when you talk about a wife for Alex Akinyele; you are talking of a very beautiful wife. I have that knack for any woman that would be my wife. She really has to be very beautiful. And like Shakespeare said, ‘If you have a beautiful wife, don’t slap her on the face. But slap her on the buttocks so you don’t destroy the beauty of her face.’ That is the respect every man owes a woman, whether she is beautiful or not. And in my own case, I want my wife to be very beautiful and nothing to destroy her beauty both on the inside and outside. An added virtue to that is that she has to be sociable and a good company. The way I have led my life, I am a genial person. I am often being invited to lots of laudable occasions. So, I wouldn’t want to get to an outing with my own wife and she would turn out an embarrassment. I don’t want to go out with my own wife and pretend she is another man’s wife. Now, it is said that it takes two to tango. In the case of your immediate past marriage, I won’t expect you to assume you’ve been the saint in it all. So, how would you describe yourself as a husband? Well, it is a bit difficult for me to give a testimonial of myself as either a good or a bad husband. I am someone who always loves a woman before I marry her. And basically, I am a very loving human being. But I would want my wife more or less to love those things which I love. I also want my wife to always dress properly and be attractive. I don’t like women dressing casually at any time because you never know when you may have visitors coming in. And there are some women who are in the habit of dressing casually when they are • Chief Akinyele around the house. And whether you are going out or not is another talk. But you have to learn to be well dressed, which doesn’t have to be expensive, but modest and neat. That is something I emphasise. But as you know, some men are not good communicators such that when the wife wants to spot with them, they could even tell her to leave them alone. Well, I am not like that. You know, every man who is truly in love with his wife will communicate with her, because the basis for their being together in relationship is companionship. If a man does not communicate with his wife, it is not good. There is no tenable excuse for it. The man must communicate to help the woman know what he wants; his views or impressions on different things, or on what she is doing right or not. In fact, their communication chain must be regular. And he must also create the room for her to communicate with him at the time she feels like it. It must never be one way but two ways to be effective. Tell us the qualities you want in the woman that would become your new wife. I thank you for this question. Now, for the woman that I have in view, I believe, may God bless us, I want to tell you I have only tried to see if she would be the dream woman for me. I believe she would have her own mind, fears or thoughts too. That is why we have not fixed the date yet. And if finally our minds are fully made up, I give you my word; you will be one of my guests to celebrate with us. However, I am not the type of a man anyone would pick a wife for. I make my own choice. And very soon, you all will meet the woman that is going to be my help and support, and I will be same to her. Now, your children are grown with your grandchildren on the side. How open are they all to this? My children are very critical of in decision to marry and who the wife herself is. They give me the freedom to make a choice. But before I eventually take in the wife, I seek and get their full permission. We sit in a roundtable, I discuss with them, ask them if they like my choice and everything about the issue. But the end decision, at least up to about 70 per cent, is mine. However, the house will not be happy if I take and bring in a woman that they don’t like or approve of. They want a woman that will connect our family and not disconnect us. And that was one of the problems I had with my last marriage because my children didn’t like her at all. And she didn’t like them too and made no pretence about it. It was very serious. So, the one that we are now both looking at and expecting is a woman that is going to be absolutely accessible to my children and grandchildren. She is going to be a mother and a friend to them at the same time because this is very important.

‘Why I want to take a new wife’

The house will not be happy if I take and bring in a woman that they don’t like or approve of. They want a woman that will connect our family and not disconnect us. And that was one of the problems I had with my last marriage because my children didn’t like her at all. And she didn’t like them too and made no pretence about it. It was very serious

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The Nigerian civil service: A reformer’s manifesto (1)

perhaps responsiN what can rightly be ble for my being at described as his ‘last the right place at testament’ shortly the right time before his death, titled today to con‘There Was A Country’, tribute my quota Africa’s pre-eminent to the collective novelist, Chinua Achebe, healing of Nigeria graphically paints a picthrough instituture of a colonial Nigeria tional renewal in which there was qualiand reengineering tative service delivery, that will define the the school system funcsubstance of our tioned and could comcontribution durpare favourably with the ing our tenure”. It best in the world, public is thus in this coninfrastructure such as text that we can roads and electricity appreciate Dr were functional and effiOlaopa’s life-long cient and there was safepreoccupation, ty of lives and property. theoretically and While not necessarily practically with romanticising colonialthe ‘imperative of ism or denying its essena functional, effitially exploitative cient and profesessence, Achebe was • Olaopa sionally capacitatintellectually honest ed civil service’ enough to as an ‘urgent acknowledge and Segun AYOBOLU desideratum’ demonstrate for democracy, through the experiences of his generation that the colonial adminis- good governance and development in Nigeria. It is thus not surprising that throughout this tration functioned, largely, in a purposeful, meaningful and predictable manner. Even the most book, Dr Olaopa stresses the indispensable relaardent patriot would find it difficult to deny that, tionship between theory and practice. Effective following a brief flowering of progress and devel- and productive practice, he insists can only emerge opment in the immediate post-independence era, from sound theory which is “the basis to launch a the quality of governance in Nigeria at all levels reformed administrative paradigm that would and in all sectors has steadily deteriorated under enhance the service delivery function of governsuccessive military and civil dispensations since ment”. From this premise, he argues that life-long learning or what he calls ‘enlarged learning’ as disthe attainment of ‘flag independence’ in 1960. What role has the steady and systematic erosion tinct from mere formal education must be the lifeof the values of efficiency, integrity, proficiency, long vocation of his idealised ‘New Professionals’ meritocracy and professionalism in Nigeria’s civil characterised by high ethical standards, and an or public service played in the pathetic deepening unflagging commitment to adding value and of underdevelopment in an otherwise richly enhancing excellence in public service with a view endowed country over the last five decades? Why to promoting development. But then, can this ‘new professional’ of Dr have persistent efforts to promote reforms in the civil service and restore its capacity to act effective- Olaopa’s dream emerge from the diseased womb ly as a catalyst of development failed abysmally in of a political economy characterised by crass rasthe humiliating story of post-independence cality, irresponsibility and massive corruption as Nigeria? What lessons can the country learn from currently exists in Nigeria? Can an optimally functhe abject past and current failings of the public tional civil service advocated by the author emerge service and how can the institution be best re-posi- within the context of a pathetically dysfunctional tioned to help actualise the immense but chained political and socio-economic environment? Does potentials of the Nigerian nation? These are the Dr Olaopa exaggerate the role, influence and insticentral questions to which Dr TunjiOlaopa, one of tutional autonomy of the public service? To what the country’s foremost public administrators, the- extent can the civil service be truly autonomous oretician of public sector governance and expert on and effective in its prescribed professional funcpublic sector reforms seeks to proffer answers in tions of planning, organising, directing, coordinathis seminal new book titled ‘The Nigerian Civil ing and controlling government operations to achieve optimal societal progress? Service of the Future: A Prospective Analysis’. To be fair to Dr Olaopa, he does not shy away In a little under 400 pages spanning 18 mostly concise and incisive chapters, this book published from critically discussing the interface between by Book Craft in Ibadan, will most certainly administration and politics as well as the implicabecome an indispensable handbook, a veritable tions for the institutional reform of the civil service theoretical and practical manifesto to guide the and the attainment of national developmental much needed change that can liberate the develop- objectives. In his words, “public administration is mental potentials of the Nigerian public service as embedded in a complex and interdependent sysa vehicle for achieving meaningful national trans- tem that include the political, social, cultural and formation. Of course, hardly anyone is better administrative institutions of a state”. Successful placed than Dr. Olaopa to undertake this ambi- public service reforms, he submits must be a functious intellectual venture. He holds first and sec- tion both of political will and the governance conond degrees in political science and political theo- text. He hinges the collapse or failure of societies ry, respectively from the University of Ibadan as ultimately on the ability or inability of the relevant well as a doctorate degree in public administra- institutions to effectively, efficiently and competion. Erected upon this sound theoretical ground- tently manage complex change through qualitaing is a rich public service career that has seen him tive decision making. But where does the ultimate responsibility for rise to the position of Permanent Secretary in the Federal Public Service over the last two and a half initiating, managing and ensuring the actualisation of the necessary changes vital for Nigeria’s decades. Dr Olaopa has written at least three other major transformation lie – with the administrative or the books on various aspects of public service admin- political class? Does the embarrassing spectre of istration and reforms in Nigeria as well as a pension fund fraud, fuel subsidy scams, ghost delightful biography of the pre-eminent econo- worker fraud among others in which both the mist, Professor OjetunjiAboyade, one of his administrative and political elite are implicated not acknowledged intellectual mentors and moral suggest that the differences between the two are at exemplars. However, his new work is clearly his best superficial and that they are both incapacitatmagnum opus. Next to the Aboyade book, this is ed by a common desensitising moral environeasily his most readable offering. Although still ment? Even while rigorously dissecting the challaced in academic and theoretical jargon in some of lenges raised by these pertinent questions, Dr the chapters, ‘The Nigerian Civil Service of the Olaopa addresses his mind to the imperative of Future’ is written in more fluent and easily accessi- constructing and empowering developmental ble language to the layman. It is in many ways a states in Nigeria and Africa. Disagreeing with the unique book- part history of the Nigerian public dominant neo-liberal orthodoxy of radically subservice, part philosophical reflection on the place of ordinating the public sphere and society as a public administration in governance and develop- whole to the dictatorship of market forces, the ment, part elaboration of the author’s core ethical author argues that “The lesson brought out of the and moral values and part biography of his profes- SAP experience, therefore, is that contrary to the orthodoxy of rolling back the state and emasculatsional development. Perhaps the best way for the reader to start this ing its interventions, a strong, vibrant and develbook is from the last chapter titled ‘Trajectory to the opmental state is urgently required within the govFuture: An Anecdotal Conclusion’. Here Olaopa ernance network in Africa to intervene vigorously recalls how as a five year old boy in Western in the national development process”. Implicit in Nigeria during the operation ‘wetie’ of the First Dr Olaopa’s submissions in much of the book is Republic that set the region ablaze, “I was at a the imperative for factions of the national elite – wrong place at a wrong time to witness an act of political, administrative, business, intellectual etc – political thuggery that took four lives in a blazing to define such a purposive national agenda and to vehicle. I guess that the providential hand of God, mobilise popular support strategically to actualise and the singularity of that act of malevolence, is set objectives.

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•Palace of the Baale of Ewekoro is covered in a daily gust of cement dust from LfargeWAPCO’s plant chimney

Residents excited over govt’s intervention Continued from page 47

electric power) have been major issues for manufacturers in Nigeria over time. Western Regional government, making It is heart-warming to know that at all the rents revisable after 20 years and levels in Nigeria, government is now every 10 years thereafter. giving power supply the priority attenHowever, Ade Ojolowo, Corporate tion it deserves.” Communications Manager (CCM) of LaThe Nigerian cement market, he says, fargeWAPCO, reacts to the allegation, is dynamic and has great potential for claiming: “To the best of our knowledge, continued growth. “The huge populathere is an existing lease from the appro- tion, level of infrastructural developpriate authorities which Lafarge is oper- ment and massive desire for housing are ating in Ewekoro. Anyone with copies positive indicators. With per capita conof other agreement should produce such sumption as low as just a little above for all to see.” 100, the long term growth prospects for According to LafargeWAPCO and the Ojolowo, the comindustry in general are pany’s major chalnot in doubt,” he says. lenges in its the backdrop of operations are not inOur challenges are TheAtNation’s expose of surmountable. “Our the consequences of Lanot different from challenges are not fargeWAPCO’s producdifferent from what what all other ortion activities on its host all other organizanot a few ganizations dealing communities, tions dealing with people have expressed people have to grapwith people have to dissatisfaction about the ple with. Perhaps, company’s attigrapple with. Per- cement our principles and tude to its host commuapproach to issues Nonetheless, the haps, our principles nities. single us out as a cement company claims people-friendly and and approach to is- it has devised plans to socially responsible satisfy the yearnings of sues single us out entity. It is not out of its host communities. place to sometimes as a people-friendly LafargeWAPCO have a crop of indimakes its pronounceand socially respon- ment in the wake of Olviduals who have a separate agenda from sible entity. It is not ubori, the Ogun State that of the majority Commissioner for Enviand want to push it out of place to ronment’s visit to comat cost. But, the mamunities affected by sometimes have a jority on the side of LafargeWAPCO’s cetruth and fairness crop of individuals ment production activiwill always take the Olubori sues for who have a separate ties. lead.” peace, urging mutual The image maker agenda from that of cooperation between of LafargeWAPCO the cement company the majority and states: “Manufacturand its host communiers in Nigeria will ties. want to push it at naturally wish for inBut while the governfrastructural develcost. But, the major- ment intervenes in the opment in the areas matter, environmental ity on the side of of power, energy, pundits and residents of transportation, skills truth and fairness LafargeWAPCO’s host and manpower deare hoping will always take the communities velopment and imthat Olubori will be proved security. For guided by the sad envilead instance, supply ronmental realities availability and cost plaguing their commuof energy (fuel and

,

,

•Primary school pupils in Ewekoro studying with one of the desks donated by LafargeWAPCO

nities and recommendations made by all relevant stakeholders. According to Olurotimi Kemiki, Ismail Ojetunde and Adeyosoye Ayoola of the Department of Estate Management and Evaluation, Federal University of Technology, “As panacea to this problem it is recommended that government should provide policy response - the introduction of effluent fees which would force the cement and other manufacturing companies to internalize their waste

products by paying for noise and dust pollution. The basic objective of such policy response, is for manufacturing companies to move to the use of energy efficient and eco-friendly plants that generate less noise and dust in their production operations. On the other hand, the cement company should also imbibe Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as part of its efforts in providing a sustainable living environment for the residents in Ewekoro town.”




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Email: counselling@faithoyedepo.org


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Coping with diseaseS With Prof. Dayo Oyekola Ph.D. (Ibadan), NMD,FNCP Tel: 0803-330-3897 Website: www.holisticlifecare.com E-mail: kolemetric@yahoo.com


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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) yester day accused the Presidency of being economical with the truth, in its response to the condemnation of President Goodluck Jonathan, for allegedly hobnobbing with accused Boko Haram sponsor Ali Modu Sheriff. In a statement issued in Dubai, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said, the Presidency's stout defence of Sheriff's presence at President Jonathan's meeting with host President Idris Deby of Chad, and the fact that the presidency's statement was coordinated with the one by Sheriff's spokesman, has shown that it (APC) “is right to have called for the trial of Sheriff and other alleged Boko Haram sponsors by the International Criminal Court (ICC), instead of the Nigerian security agencies which are under the Jonathan spell”. President Jonathan,the APC said, “has not got the liver to investigate and pros-

APC replies Presidency on Modu Sheriff: you’re economical with the truth ecute the accused, who are his friends” ''How can you prosecute a person who accompanies you on a high level security meeting to a foreign head of state?'' The party asked, adding: “The presidency said the security agencies are investigating Sheriff and that the President will not interfere, but what message was the President sending to the security agencies by circulating the picture of the accused with himself? Is that a subtle message to the security agencies that the accused is a friend of the President, hence he is untouchable? ''The Presidency said Sheriff has a long standing business in Chad. Is the Presidency not aware of the memo sent home by the Nigerian Defence Adviser in Chad concerning Sheriff? Why didn't the presidency tell Nigerians whether or not the investigation recommended by the Defence Ad-

viser over Sheriff's alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram was ever carried out, and if so what was the outcome?” It insisted that President Jonathan exhibited ‘palpable indiscretion’ by allowing himself to be photographed with Sheriff while on a foreign trip to rally support for his country's anti-terrorism efforts. ''It is really irrelevant whether or not the President took Sheriff along to Chad or he met him there. What matters and what the entire world saw, through the picture that was widely circulated, was that Sheriff sat in with President Jonathan and President Deby at their meeting. That was the clincher. ''The presidency, in its reaction to the global condemna-

tion of the President's unholy alliance with an alleged Boko Haram sponsor, should have realized that while President Jonathan has definitely subjected Nigerians to the most harrowing experience, they

are not stupid yet. ''Why would the President even allow Sheriff into the venue of his meeting with President Deby? Can anyone just go and be sitting with President Jonathan in a meet-

ing with the Chadian President just because the fellow happens to be in the Chadian capital at the time? What happened to security clearance, protocol and so on?

2015: PDP to kick-start Jonathan's declaration Tuesday •Mu'azu, Jerry Gana, Akpabio, Ahmadu Ali to lead the pack

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ARRING unforeseen ex istences, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party will on Tuesday, set the pace for President Goodluck Jonathan's much awaited declaration for the 2015 presidential race. The event, thinly veiled in what the organisers termed "National Summit for Goodluck Support Groups", is billed to feature mainly prominent chieftains of the PDP. The list of party chieftains programmed to speak at the event includes a former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana; PDP chairman, Adamu Mu'azu; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio; and former PDP chair, Ahmadu Ali. Others are former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; Senate Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba; a former PDP acting national chairman, Bello Haliru Mohammed; and the party's members in the two chambers

Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja of the National Assembly. Also billed to attend the event are members of the party's National Executive Committee, Board of Trustees members, PDP Governors, and members of the Federal Executive Council. Political Adviser to the President, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, who made the disclosure at a briefing in Abuja on Friday, described the planned event as "a unique and rare opportunity to experience an outpour of love, camaraderie and friendship by Nigerians from all walks of life, for President Jonathan". "This National Summit, which is a celebration of the core values that bind all Nigerians as one people, united for peace, stability and progress of our dear country, shall take place on Tuesday, September 16, at the Eagles Square, Abuja from 10.00am", Alkali added.

The President's Adviser said, representatives of over 8000 pro Jonathan groups are expected to attend the event. Ahmadu Ali is billed to chair the event while Mu'azu is listed as Special Guest of Honour. Akpabio is to deliver a keynote address. Asked if the event would not amount to campaigning for the President's re-election bid, against the subsisting embargo on campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Alkali retorted that "we can't wait for the President to declare" Said he: "We are mindful of the fact that INEC has not lifted the ban on political activities. What we intend to do is to convey the goodwill message from Nigerians at the summit to the President. "This is a further demonstration of the deep solidarity for and appreciation of the President's contributions to changing the face of Nigeria's economic and political landscape".

President Jonathan (middle) with President Deby of Chad, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff (left)

Disquiet in PDP as three South East govs shun reconciliation panel job

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RISIS of confidence ap pears to be brewing in the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, as three of the party's Governors pencilled for inauguration as members of a reconciliatory committee on Friday, stayed away from the event. Governors Theodore Orji (Abia); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi) failed to show up at the party's national secretariat venue for the inauguration of members of the National Integration Committee. Former President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani who was named as chairman of the sub committee, charged with the responsibility to reconcile members in the North East zone, also failed to turn up. Terms of reference of the committee, which was set up by the leadership of the party

2015: Group backs Buhari for presidency

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Non Governmental Organisation, ReachForth Nigeria, said Monday that former Head of State and Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has the best credentials to lead Nigeria to the “promised land”. Chairman of the Organisation, Rev. Yunana Oganto told The Nation in a telephone interview that as a way of achieving this objective, it has set up a committee to draft strategy on JOE to mobilize 30 million Voters across the country with effect from October, 2015. Oganto said that the Organisation believe that Gen. Buhari is the only Nigerian among all those aspiring for the presidency that can provide the needed leadership that will pull the nation out of its current state of insecurity. Oganto said the retired Army General has in abundance the required wisdom to lead the nation, saying they believe that he can eventually

•Vows to mobilise 30m voters for APC leader Tony AKOWE, Abuja restore the peace and security that has eluded the nation in recent times. He said: “The Reachforth Nigeria has sat down and taken assessment of political happenings in the country and we saw that Nigeria needs a leadership that will eventually restore the peace and security that we have been enjoying before recent happenings. “In view of that, we looked at all those who are presenting themselves as aspirants to be elected to lead this country, and we saw that General Buhari is the only one that can be entrusted with the leadership of this country, and we can be rest assured that Nigeria will return to its glory and its security will be guaranteed and it’s economy will grow as it use to be. “This is because we have also looked at the despera-

tion of the present administration led by President Jonathan and the way he is going about the leadership of the country and we believe that he cannot be entrusted with the leadership of this country for another four years. “We also took note of the fact that this desperation has made Jonathan and his cotravelers in the PDP, to become so obsessed with winning election, than in providing the good governance that we expected from them. This is the basic reason why we felt that Buhari, if given the chance and the mandate by Nigerians, will be able to lead this country to the promised land”. On the argument that General Buhari is too old to vie for the presidency, he said “We should be mindful of the fact that wisdom is the greatest asset to a leader. In term of Buhari’s age is a pos-

sessor of that wisdom and we need people of wisdom, high calibre wisdom to provide the needed leadership which Nigerians want. “If Nigerians are followers of history, they will realize that the great Soviet Union and even the United States of America had leaders who were elected in their seventies. Ronald Reagan is one of such leaders and he did tremendously well in restoring the economy as well as the dignity of their people. “So, we think that we have tried the young ones. Gen Gowon was about 32 years old and Murtala was in his thirties. So we think that we have tried younger people and where has it led us? Even though they were military people. Shagari was not that old when he came in. He was just about the age of our present leaders. Continued on Page 59

Gbade OGUNWALE, Assistant Editor, Abuja during the week, were to reach out to all estranged members of the party and resolve issues affecting them; work out a harmonious re-union between subsisting members and new or estranged members in a synergic engagement; mobilise new members to join the party as well as obtain the commitment of old members to become advocates of the party's vision. The chairman of PDP's Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih expressed dismay over the failure of the three governors and Nnamani to turn up for the inauguration. Anenih, who described the committee's assignment as a call to service, described the action of the absentee governors as discouraging. National chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu who inaugurated the committee, said if PDP members resolved to turn the fortunes of the party around, it would not only be the party to beat, but the toast of the Nigerian

people "on a sustainable basis". Mu'azu continued: "We should therefore go beyond being a reformed party to a reform-minded institution that is proactively committed to midwifing the accelerated transformation of our dear country. "You have been assembled as great party leaders with great party spirit; men and women of high strength of character who, by your wealth of experience, are wellequipped and disposed to create value, add value and protect values within the PDP family". Chairmen of other sub committees include: Senator David Mark (South West); Sen. Ahmadu Alli (South East); Prof. Iya Abubakar (South South), Dr Bello Aliero (North Central) and Chief Tony Anenih, (North West). The National Vice Chairmen of the party in each of the six geo-political zones are expected to serve as Secretaries of the Committee in their respective zones. The committee was given three weeks within which to submit it’s report.

FG urged to encourage wealth creation

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HE Federal Govern ment has been urged to encourage Nigerians to be skilled in turning waste to wealth, to aid the country’s development. Prof. Kayode Alao, the Chairman, Academic Committee, Fafunwa Education Foundation (FEF), spoke at the 10th Post Doctoral Seminar of the foundation at the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, with the topic: “Walling materials using rice hulk and sawdust as aggregates”. He said government should encourage people to create wealth out of waste products. Said he: “Most of the things we consider as waste products, can be converted to useful items. What we just

need to do is to carry out a research. “We should extol the virtues of the presenter of this year’s post doctoral seminar, Dr. Daniel Momngu Tiough of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who, through a research, has used waste products, such as rice hulk and sawdust as aggregates to walling materials.” Prof. Alao said FEF organised lectures in the past to promote excellence in the education industry, adding that this year’s lecture with the title: “Mother Tongue institution and the Education of the Nigerian Child”, would hold on September 23 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.


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APC chieftain marks 80th birthday N astute politician and the Chairman of Jabita Intercontinental Hotel, Hon. Rasheed Adewale ShittaBey will clock 80years on September 16, 2014. As part of activities lined up to celebrate the former House of Representatives member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a programme of events are being planned by the Hon Adewale Shitta-Bey 80th birthday committee. In a press statement signed by the committee chairman, Comrade Olawale Okuniyi, a world press conference would hold on September 15, 2014, at Jabita Intercontinental Hotel, Ikeja Lagos, as part of the birthday celebration. Also planned for September 16, 2014, is the Inaugural Shitta-Bey Leadership lecture at Jabita Intercontinental Hotel at 11am. Chief Shitta-Bey will then visit the Ebola Isolation Centre on Friday, September 19, 2014, to identify with those infected with the deadly virus. The grand finale of the celebration will hold on Sunday, September 21, 2014, with a thanksgiving service at his Surulere residence, where the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A Adeboye, will minister. Eminent personalities expected to grace the occasion include: President. Goodluck Ebele Jonatha, special guest of honour and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar (GCON), chairman of the occasion. Others expected guests are state governors across the country and APC chieftains among others.

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Community leader pleads with Fashola over road dualisation community leader in Ijora-Badiya, Apapa-Iganmu Local Government Development Area of Lagos State, Alhaji Ibrahim Alatise, has appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to critically review the planned dualisation of Gaskiya road in the area by the state government. Alhaji Alatise, who had earlier led a multitude of residents of the area to the local council secretariat, said that the road dualisation should not be allowed to lead to demolition of houses. He said in a statement that while the residents appreciated the efforts of the state government to extend its massive road development programme to the area, the governor should not allow such project to render many people homeless. “From feelers that we got from officials of the state ministry of works during a recent stakeholders meeting on the road project, more than 1,000 houses are being penciled for demolition,” he said. “This will lead to social dislocation of thousands of residents of this area who are largely peasants, factory workers and petty traders. Alhaji Alatise urged the governor to consider re-construction and expansion of the road and turn it into a “one way” alongside its parallel Fadami Obale road, with one serving as entry and the other exit route from the highdensity settlement.

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Osun Election Petition Tribunal assures APC, PDP of fairness

he Electoral Tribunal sitting at Osogbo yesterday assured the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties involved in election petitions before it of fairness and justice. The Chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Sulieman Amousa, made the statement while ruling on an application

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before the tribunal. Speaking further, Justice Amousa said, "we shall go by evidence and the Electoral Act. We shall be fair to all.” Meanwhile, Justice Amousa granted another substituted service on the governor of Osun State, Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, due to the inability of PDP's counsel to paste earlier order on the state

Government House. A new application brought before the tribunal was, however granted for substituted service. It was received by the state Attorney General, Wale Afolabi, on behalf of the governor. The Attorney General then assured the Tribunal on the willingness of the state to comply with the order.

Stop tour of LGs, Ogun PDP tells Bankole ‘Lack of ...accuses him of anti-party activities HE Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has directed the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole to desist from his tours of party formations in the state. In a letter dated 12th September, 2014, signed by the State Secretary, Alahji Semiu Sodipo, and addressed to the Bankole, the

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party said that Bankole’s move is causing disaffection within the party and urged him to put a stop to it. The letter, which was entitled “Stoppage of Your Unapproved Tours/Political Campaigns”, was also copied to the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Prof Rufai Alkali.

The letter reads: “This is to inform you that the Party is being inundated with reports that your tour of some Local Governments is causing disaffection among Party members and thereby creating disharmony and threatening the peace in the rank and file of the Party membership. “In this connection, you are hereby directed to put a stop to any tour as it is not serving the interest of the Party.”

Why I’m returning to House of Reps –APC chieftain chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Morufudeen Adeola Adefolabi, has disclosed the reasons for his interest in returning to the House. Hon Adefolabi was a lawmaker representing the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2011. While welcoming the citizens of the constituency on a solidarity visit to his house, Hon. Adefolabi said: “My interest in going back to the House of Representatives is, a response to the request of the people of my constituency, that is the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency. It is my belief that they are not just asking me to re-contest. They are doing it as a result of value that I added to their lives when I was their representative between 2007 and 2011. “Another reason for my interest is to improve on what I did for my people before as

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a lawmaker. I brought a lot of projects to them. And they still need more. The only way to give these to them as at now is through robust representation which I attached much importance to when I first represented them. “The third reason is the fact that I am a man of social conscience. What I mean by this is that I am always aware of the problems confronting my people and how to solve them. My records are there. I was a councilor, LCDA executive secretary, LCDA chairman and local government chairman before I was elected as a representative in 2007.” Responding to his address, Mr. Ayo AlabaOgunsanwo, Hon. David Olaniyi, Chief (Mrs) Ganiyat Ololade Gbajumo, Mrs. Mojisola Lawal and Hon. Musibau Adeniji expressed gratitude to Hon. Adefolabi for developmental projects he brought to Ifako-Ijaiye and for accepting to serve his constituency once more in the National Assembly.

accurate data, Nigeria’s bane’ ACK of accurate data and proper research have been identified as the major reasons the country has failed to develop. Mrs Dede Kadiri, the Executive Director of Innovative Matters, who made the remark while speaking with newsmen, said her organization has made it a priority to ensure that Nigerians make data gathering and research a priority. “Innovation Matters partners with the Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP) to deliver reformative approaches to development. Our partnership with LACSOP is being made in the light of the current democratic dispensation and with the realisation that partnerships, reforms and transformation should be the foundation for crafting ground breaking development at national and sub-national levels.” Dede Kadiri has over 14 years’ experience in law, development programming and practice. During this time, she has undertaken development programme conceptualization, assessment, research and policy analysis aimed at designing solutions on a wide range of development issues, including health and education.

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NNPC Deputy Manager abducted in Kaduna Kwara APC •Kidnappers demand N6m ransom scribe dies D T

eputy Manager of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mukhtar Bashir has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen. The sum of six million naira ransom has been demanded by the suspect-

Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kaduna

ed kidnappers. The incident occurred when Bashir with his children went to perform his 'Magrib' and 'Ishai' (evening prayers) and was back in his house in Kudan Road, Kawo area of Kaduna metropolis.

The kidnappers who drove in two cars, Honda and a Golf, waited for him at the entrance of his house, he was accosted as he was about to enter his house As he was about to drive in, he was accosted, before being forcefully taken away in his official

car, Toyota Avensis. Meanwhile, The Nation gathered that, the car has GPS modern tracking technology which enables easy monitoring of the car's location. When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu con-

firmed the incident. According to the Commissioner, "it cannot be concluded to be a case of kidnap, he was taken in his own car and may be dropped on the way, just give us some time, we are working on the matter," he said.

2015: Group backs Buhari for presidency Continued from Page 57 “So, we have tried all these and we discovered that it has not led us to have that kind of leadership that will bring Nigeria into the climax of the leadership in Africa. “We are the giant of Africa and if we are the giants of Africa, we will need to show beyond reasonable doubt that we are able to lead Africa in this project and I believe that we need an old man like Buhari to come in and provide that needed leadership. Middle belt agitation”. He argued that even though the Middle Belt region would want the presidency zone to them when it eventually return to the north, those who would have received the support of the Organisation has declined the presidency. > He said: “I have been part of that agitation. I was one of those who sat down and assess the personalities we have and we concluded that we have only two persons who, if given the chance when the leadership is zoned to the north should be considered. > “But these two persons have come up in recent times to show that they will not be interested in contesting for the leadership of the country. With this foregone conclusion, we decided that the most amenable person to us in the middle belt in terms of what the people say, the reality is that the most amenable to us in the middle belt under whose leadership we will be secured is Gen. Buhari. > “We looked at Gen. TY Danjuma and we felt that he is the most capable man Nigerians can have at the moment as a leader. But Gen. Danjuma is not a politician and he has made it clear that he will not be going. I will keep the second person close to my chest for now”.

•Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State (seated 4th from left) with APC leaders from various states under the chairmanship of Yusuf Maitama Tugga (5th from left) during a visit at the Government House, Kano... yesterday

Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide LYMPIC and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide yesterday ,24 hours after he was found not guilty of the more serious charge of murder for the killing of his girlfriend. He may end up in jail when sentence is delivered on Monday,October 13. The 27-year-old double amputee, who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, stood impassively in the dock, his hands folded in front of him, as Judge Thokozila Masipa delivered her verdict. Pistorius was also convicted of firing a pistol under the table of a packed Johannesburg restaurant but cleared of two other firearms charges - illegal possession of ammunition and firing a pistol out of the sun-roof of a car. Masipa based her culpable homicide decision on the fact Pistorius had acted negligently when he fired

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four shots from a 9mm pistol into a toilet door in his luxury Pretoria home, killing Steenkamp, who was behind it, almost instantly. He said it was a tragic error after he mistook her for an intruder. Culpable homicide South Africa's equivalent to manslaughter - carries up to 15 years in prison but, given Pistorius's lack of previous convictions, he could avoid a custodial sentence altogether, legal experts said. "He's almost certainly, in my opinion, not going to be going to jail," criminal law expert Martin Hood told South Africa's ENCA television. Masipa set sentencing for Oct. 13 and granted a bail extension. Flanked by police and bodyguards, a stone-faced Pistorius made his way out of the court through a scrum of reporters, television cameras and on-lookers. "We never had any doubt about Oscar's version of

events," his uncle Arnold Pistorius told reporters after the verdict. "It won't bring Reeva back, but our hearts go out to her family and friends." South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority said it was "disappointed" not to have secured a premeditated murder conviction, but would not make any decision about an appeal until after sentencing. Masipa's decision also sparked anger outside the court, particularly among those campaigning for women's rights in a country with high levels of violent crime against women and children. One aspect of the ruling has also sparked legal controversy, turning ordinary South Africans into overnight armchair experts on the vexed issue of 'dolus eventualis', a concept of intent that holds a person responsible for the foreseeable consequences of their actions. While Masipa ruled that

NSCDC assures on hitch-free Adamawa election HE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Friday in Abuja said that it had concluded preparation to ensure a hitch-free governorship by-election in Adamawa slated for Oct. 11. The Commandant General of the Corps, Mr Ade Abolurin said this while addressing the management team of the Corps. He explained that the

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deployment of personnel for the election will be done from the neighbouring state Commands to complement the effort of the Adamawa command. Abolurin, however, said that a team from the Headquarters would be deployed to monitor the election. "The early deployment of personnel ahead of election is to enable those from the

other Commands to get acquainted with the terrain for effective policing," he said. He assured the people of the state of a credible, fair and violent free election as all security apparatus would be put in place to ensure that the electoral process was not hijacked by hoodlums. He urged the people to make available useful infor-

mation to nip in the bud any act of sabotage, political thuggery and any criminal activities capable of disrupting the process. Abolurin called on political parties and their supporters to unite in the interest of the people to make the electoral process to be devoid of any unhealthy rivalry that could bring about break down of law and order.

prosecutors had failed to prove explicit premeditation to kill Steenkamp - a decision that had been anticipated by many legal experts - she also cleared Pistorius of murder dolus eventualis. A 2008 paper by KwaZulu Natal law professor Shannon Hoctor explained dolus eventualis as when a person "foresaw the possibility that the act in question ... would have fatal consequences, and was reckless whether death resulted or not".

HE General Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Mr Yemi Afolayan, is dead. According to a statement by the party's Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Buhari, Afolayan died on Friday. He was a member of Kwara House of Assembly. "It is with heavy heart of grief and loss that we announce the death of our General- Secretary, Prince Yemi Afolayan. "Prince Yemi Afolayan passed on morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by the family. "We empathise with his immediate family in this moment of grief and we urge them to find solace in the fact that Prince Yemi Afolayan lived an impactful life. "He will be remembered for his unflinching loyalty to APC, contributions to the development of Kwara State as a parliamentarian and his huge contributions to humanity and mankind. "Indeed, Kwara has lost a worthy son. We pray for the repose of his soul and we empathise with all APC members and the people of Kwara State," the statement said. The state's chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also expressed its condolences to the leadership and members of the APC in the state on the issue. The party’s condolence message was through a letter signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Rex Olawoye, on Friday in Ilorin. "The PDP particularly condoles with the family of late Afolayan and the good people of Isin Local Government Area where the deceased hailed from for the irreparable loss". "We hope the family will find solace in the fact that the deceased lived an eventful life". "May God grant the bereaved the fortitude to bear the loss," the PDP said.

Kebbi APC against tenure extension for local govt chairmen HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State has threatened to drag the Kebbi State Government, and the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission to court if the tenure of the present local government councils is extended beyond September 15 this year and election into local government councils are not hold. The party issued the warning through its Publicity Secretary, Alh Sani Dododo while briefing newsmen at the party secretariat in BirninKebbi. According to him, the party is ready to go to court if elections into the local councils are not held in accordance with the stipulated law and

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Khadijat SAIDU, Birnin Kebbi warned that the party will not condone imposition of sole administrators or caretaker committees. ''Already the tenure of the incumbent 21 local government chairmen would expire by 15 September this year and election into their various vacant offices should hold as stipulated by Law and also we are aware that the chairmen have dragged the state assembly to court to challenge the move for their dissolution' He added that the legislators have already penciled down their tenure to two years according to the law which is enshrined in the constitution of the state, therefore no going back on that.


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Elechi’s kinsmen endorse him for senate n Ogochukwu ANIOKE, Abakaliki n

HE traditional rulers and Leaders of Thought of Ikwo Noyo clan in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have endorsed Governor Martin Elechi for the state central senatorial position in 2105. The clan also commended the governor for his decision to honour the dictate of “justice and equity” by championing the rotation of the governorship position to the southern zone of the state, which according to them, “ is an inspirational act of wisdom, maturity, integrity and fair mindedness.” These were part of the resolutions reached after a crucial peace and development meeting of top traditional rulers, Ozos, political leaders and renowned stakeholders of the clan at Illi (tomb) Noyo in the council area. In a communiqué read by Senator Emmanuel Onwe at the end of the meeting, the group called on all sons and daughters of the clan to continue to give their unequivocal support, loyalty, solidarity and remain steadfast with Elechi’s administration until the end of his tenure on May 29, 2015. The governor's kinsmen called on him to respond affirmatively to the clamour and agitation by the citizens of the zone to pick the mandate and represent them in the national assembly. They also noted that Elechi has demonstrated extraordinary capacity to manage complex relationships with competing political interests within the state, both at the lowest and highest levels, thereby giving “Ebonyi State the best positive public image it has ever enjoyed nationally and internationally.”

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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Don't contest against Jonathan, minister tells Igbo politicians T

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. (Mrs.) Viola Onwuliri, yesterday warned Igbo politicians nursing presidential ambition to jettison their ambition and support the reelection dream of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. She stated that the leaders from the zone have unanimously endorsed Jonathan for a second term in office, and warned that any politician of Igbo extraction that flouts the decision is doing so at his or her own risk, adding that such politician will not

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get any support from the zone. According to her, "We have concluded at the last World Igbo Congress in Houston, USA, to support Jonathan’s re-election. So, any Igbo politician that wants to vie for the office of the president in 2015 is on his own, such person is only going to waste his resources, because the leaders have decided to support Jonathan for his second term bid because of what he has done for Ndigbo.”

The minister insisted further that it is foolhardy for any Igbo politician to contemplate contesting against Jonathan after the massive clamour from other geopolitical zones for his re-election, adding that, “the South East has benefited immensely from President Jonathan’s administration in terms of infrastructures and development, job creation and youth empowerment among other laudable projects. So, we have concluded to continue to support him in the overall interest of the Igbo people.”

She maintained that those currently indicating interest in the office of the president are the same people that have failed as governors of their respective states. “For instance, the Federal Government has just released another N1.2billion for the Port Harcourt-Owerri road in continuation of the massive infrastructural development across the South East, aside the second Niger Bridge and other Federal Government projects scattered across the zone.”

Anambra senate aspirants meet, pray for God’s intervention n Nwanosike ONU, Awka n OUR of the aspirants for the Anambra central senatorial zone on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met yesterday in Awka, the state capital, to declare their interest to their constituents. They are Dr. Obiorah Okonkwo, Senator Annie Okonkwo, Chief Sylvester Okonkwo and the member representing Anaocha, Njikoka and Dunukofia Federal Constituency, Hon. Uche Ekwunife They told the party faithful at the meeting that they had come to seek the mandate to represent them at the senate in the 2015 general elections. In his charge to his constituents, Obiorah Okonkwo said that it is the poor attitude of politicians to those who elected them into office that is breeding the culture of distrust and acrimony, which he says manifests at every election. The state chairman of the party Chief Ken Emeakayi told the aspirants that the party would give them a level playing ground. Okonkwo said that the time had come for change in the way the voters were viewed, as nothing is more important than the people. In his sermon at the meeting, the Bishop of Ogbaru Diocese Anglican Communion, Rt Rev. Samuel Ezeofor, advised members of the party to respect constituted authorities. According to him, "what causes acrimony is disobedience to constituted authorities. If you are disobedient you are causing problems for yourself. “If you respect those in authority, you respect God. And if you disobey them, you disobey God." Identifying the struggle for leadership as a major cause of crisis in a political party, Okonkwo, who is the Political and Economic Adviser to the Archbishop of Onitsha & Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, bemoaned how voters had been shortchanged by those in power.

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Anglican Church drags Anambra Govt. to court over demolition n Nwanosike ONU, Awka n OLLOWING the demolition of St. Ebenezer’s Anglican Church in Oyolu-Oze, Nkwelle Ezezunaka, Oyi Local Government of Anambra State, the church has dragged the state government to court. Also, the Bishops of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion in the state have asked Governor Willie Obiano to direct the security agencies to fish out the hoodlums that demolished the church. The case against the state government was filed by a team of lawyers of the Church, led by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Chief Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN). It was also learnt yesterday that the court has granted the injunction seeking an order of the court to enforce their fundamental right to worship without interference from the state government. Addressing members of Anglican Church yesterday, the Archbishop of Province On the Niger, Right (Rev,), Christian Efobi, who spoke on behalf of the Bishops, made it clear that they were not relocating from the place. He said that the Governor had made overtures to them to relocate the Anglican Church to a new location. According to Efobi, “we condemn this act in very strong term. We appeal to Anambra State government to find out those who demolished this house of God. “Government should not talk of relocating us to another place or to pay us compensation. We are not going anywhere. God has given us this place. “We want to know those behind this. God is asking us not to destroy, but to bear one another.”

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•From left: Out-going Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Tunde Ogunshakin; Gov. Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and new Police Commissioner, Mr Dan Bature, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Port Harcourt on Thursday. PHOTO: NAN

Kalu not back in PDP, says party HE South East zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it has not re-admitted former Abia State governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu into the party. The National Vice Chairman, South East zone of the PDP, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), said the rumours making the rounds that the former governor has returned to PDP were false. He described the rumour as the figment of the imagination of the peddlers. In a statement issued in Enugu and made available to reporters, Akobundu said reports reaching him from both the Bende LGA and Abia State chapters of the party indicated that the former governor is not a member of the party.

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n Chris OJI, Enugu n “He is neither registered in his Igbere ward nor recognized as having done so in Bende LGA, let alone being accepted at the state level of the party as a returnee,” he explained. Akobundu stressed that the zonal level of the party recognized and accepted entrants or returnees who have been duly registered and certified as having fulfilled all the requirements of entry or reentry into the party as laid down in the party constitution. He wondered how some group, particularly politicians from the opposing camp should insinuate that Kalu is now a member of the PDP when in actual fact he is not. “For the avoidance of doubt, Orji Uzor Kalu is not a member of PDP. For the fact that he visited some friends at

the national secretariat of PDP in Abuja and later took photograph with some unsuspecting national officers and former political office holders, as published in two national dailies, does not make him a member of Peoples Democratic Party. The Party has a constitution, guidelines and laid down rules by which it conducts its affairs, including how returnees should be reunited. “Kalu, we should recall, was a governor at a time when our dear National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Ma’azu was holding sway in Bauchi State. That Kalu had gone to our national headquarters to felicitate with his erstwhile colleague, probably in company of others does not automatically qualify him as a member of the PDP.’’

Odenigbo lecture bemoans dearth of Igbo leadership, commends Obi's legacy ROFESSOR Chinedu Nwajiuba of Imo State University has decried the dearth of true leadership in Igboland since the startling examples from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Mike Okpala, and Dr. Sam Mbakwe. He made this assertion at the weekend at the annual Odenigbo Lecture, where he spoke on "Expectation of Good leadership (Ochichioma, Olileanya Ohaneze), at the Odenigbo Podium at Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri. As customary, the lecture was delivered in Igbo language. Speaking, Prof. Nwajiuba reeled out the virtues of good leadership to include humility, prudent management of resources, resourcefulness, genuine commitment to the goods of the people,

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respect for the led, discernment to recognize and sieve evil from good, and mourned that no Igbo leader has shown such laudable leadership qualities since the times of Zik, Okpala, Ojukwu and Mbakwe, until the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi came in and demonstrated to our people, once again, what true leadership should be. Speaking on good economic management as part of what is desired of good leaders, Prof. Nwajiuba said: "Since 1999, Mr. Peter Obi was the only real leader that came from Igbo land. His governance of Anambra State has continued to receive positive testaments from the people, especially the manner he guided the resources of the State through prudence

and his civilized conduct. To crown it all, unlike what is obtainable, he left Billions of Naira for his successor.’ The Prof said that the unprecedented improvement in the infrastructure in Anambra State under Obi would remain a testimony to his enviable legacy. He pointed out how Anambra under Obi utilized the money she got through the Millennium Development Goals to carry out beneficial and tangible projects which he advised others to understudy and do the same for their States. Instituted in 1996, the 2014 lecture was the 17th in the series. It started with a holy mass presided by the Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Obinna.


NEWS

THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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Oil thieves conceal products in sewage truck, shrines •JTF impounds sewage truck laden with crude I N their attempt to beat security, oil thieves in the Niger Delta region have adopted various tricks to conceal stolen products, including hiding stolen petroleum products in sewage trucks. The Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Pulo Shield, said in Yenagoa, on Friday that suspected oil thieves also hide their ill-acquired products in shrines, septic tanks to deceivesecurity operatives. The JTF's Media Coordinator, Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka, who spoke with newsmen, said that its operatives, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a sewage truck with 12,000 capacity laden with stolen crude oil. He said the truck was arrested along Ibada Amukpe community in

n Mike ODIEGWU, Yenagoa n

Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State. Anka said: "The sewage truck was declared to be carrying waste and heading for a disposal dump by the occupants. But, it was discovered to be carrying illegally-acquired crude oil. "Both the suspects and the products are in the custody of the JTF for preliminary investigation before handing them over to relevant prosecuting agency. The task force has recently discovered illegal oil dump buried inside

shrines, sitting room and septic tank." Anka further said that the troops of the outfit recently aided a house belonging to a notorious criminal and recovered one AK 47 assault rifle with registration number CK28817. He said that a foreign-made barreled gun and a locally-made single barreled gun with 12 live cartridges were also recovered. He added that the suspect escaped before the arrival of the troops and that the weapons and the cartridges were in the custody of the JTF.

He, however, said that the JTF was making efforts to arrest the criminals. Speaking further, Anka said JTF troops raided eight illegal bunkering sites at Opumani creek and Adudu in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. He explained that the oil thieves operated with 10 pumping machines, 17 cooking points, three illegal storage tanks and eight metal tanks. He identified other items recovered from the sites as 13 Cotonou boats and illegal bunkering hoses. Anka said the sites and equip-

ment were destroyed immediately in line with the task force's mandate in the Niger Delta, adding that a surveillance supervisor with a private security guard was arrested in connection with the illegal oil bunkering. The JTF spokesperson said: "In a related development, JTF squad, operating along Bayelsa and River states general area have arrested a 33,000 capacity trunk with Lagos registration number RRP 132 XA containing substance suspected to be illegally-acquired Automated Gas Oil. "The suspects abandoned the trucks and fled on sighting the troops. Both the trucks and its contents have been destroyed.”

South-South PDP vice chairman urges support for Jonathan Polycarp OROSEVWOTU, Ughelli HE Southsouth Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, has urged the people of the zone and other party faithful to throw their weight behind the administration of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Ojuogboh, who made the call while playing host to a governorship aspirant, Dr. Gabriel Oyibode, said that credible and hard-working members of the party nursing ambition should be supported. Ojuogboh, who called for total support for Jonathan administration, mostly at this trying time that there is serious security challenges, commended Dr. Gabriel Oyibode for the role he played during his inauguration recently in Portharcourt, River State. Earlier, Dr. Oyibode explained that the visit is to congratulate Dr. Ojuogboh on his new assignment as the Southsouth Vice Chairman and expressed explicit confidence that he will move the party to greater heights.

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Memorial lecture for Agagu holds today S part of the programmes lined up to commemorate the first year anniversary bof the death of former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, the President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, will give a memorial lecture at the International Conference Center, University of Ibadan, today. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to be the chairman of the occasion. The lecture will be preceded by a memorial service at the Chapel of Restoration, University of Ibadan. The eldest son of the late governor, Mr Feyi Agagu, who made the announcement in Lagos, said the programmes are part of the efforts to immortalize the memory of the former governor. Expected to grace the events are colleagues of the former governor, both in politics and the university community, where he was a lecturer for many years.

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MEND denies planning attack on Lagos judges

•Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (Left) with Dr. Austin Alegeh (SAN), President Nigeria Bar Association, during a courtesy call on the governor at the Government House, Asaba, Thursday.

•Dissociates self from alleged threat

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Itsekiri youths accuse FG of bias over amnesty programme UNDREDS of angry •Claims unfounded –Amnesty spokesman Itsekiri youths who During the protest to the benefitted from the n Bolaji OGUNDELE, Warri n palace of the Olu of Warri, Federal Government amnesty programme Thurs- sation, Alabrah said the office Ogiame Atuwatse II and the day evening took to the does not deal with beneficiar- office of the member represtreets of Warri to protest al- ies on ethnic basis, adding senting Warri Federal Conleged marginalisation and that the action of the protest- stituency at the House of Representatives, Mr Daniel discrimination against their ing youths was in bad taste. "The fact they need to Reyenieju, where copies of candidates by the handlers of the programme’s overseas know is that we have not de- the protest letter was preployed anybody in Septem- sented, the youths called on scholarship scheme. But in a quick reaction to ber. But this is not peculiar to the Special Adviser to the the protest by the youths, the Itsekiri people. This office will President on Niger Delta, spokesman of the amnesty not do any selective deploy- Kingsley Kuku, to ensure that office, Dan Alabrah, de- ment, because what they are their problems are solved. Speaking on behalf of the scribed the action as a black- trying to do now is to blackmail targeted at the mail this office by bringing in protesting youths, Tidi Peter administration of the pro- all extraneous reasons that said they decided to embark gramme, adding that the are not anything we can con- on the protest march because amnesty office does not and sider serious. You cannot recent developments had inwill not single out ethnic claim to have been left out of dicated that some persons in groups for preferential treat- a programme when a hun- the amnesty office were exedred Itsekiri youths are al- cuting an ethnic agenda ment. While speaking with The ready studying in the UK," against Itsekiri beneficiaries, alleging that the amnesty ofNation in a telephone conver- Alabrah explained.

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fice had always adduced the lack of funds as excuse each time Itsekiri beneficiaries were due for overseas scholarship. He lamented the inability of the beneficiaries to travel abroad to commence their programme early this September, saying all they hear was that there is no money to foot their bills. He alleged that other ethnic groups do not suffer the same fate as the Itsekiri. “It has now become a norm that anytime the Itsekiri amnesty beneficiaries are to travel abroad for various programme under the postamnesty plan, the unavailability of funds will prop up. The funds are always available for other ethnic nationalities.”

Tanker drivers threaten to disrupt fuel supply ETROLEUM Tankers drivers have threatened to disrupt the lifting and distribution of petroleum product to parts of the Southsouth and South-east and part of the North Central within the next two weeks if the government failed to commence the immediate repair of roads in the area which the said have become a death trap for their members. The National Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG, Comrade Salimon Oladiti,

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n Bolaji OGUNDELE, n Warri HE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has dissociated itself from a recent threat targeted at judges in Lagos State, describing the threat as the work of impostors. It will be recalled that a statement, signed by one Commander Wilberforce and circulated to the Media on Thursday, allegedly on behalf of MEND, had threatened to attack judges in Lagos because of their refusal to sign letters of administration for the properties of some of their late comrades. But speaking in a statement yesterday, the spokesman of the group, Jomo Gbomo, advised the general public, especially judges in Lagos to disregard the threat, saying it had never and would never be party to anything aimed at restraining judicial officers from carrying out their constitutional duties. According to the statement, "as far as we know, this person (Commander Wilberforce) does not exist and there is no collaboration of any sort with this imaginary individual as claimed in the misleading statement. "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) strongly urge the media to disregard any such statement, as it did not emanate from MEND. "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has not and will never threaten any judicial Institution for carrying out their duties," the statement said.

n Tony AKOWE, Abuja n said in a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja on Thursday, that the government has within two weeks to heed the union's call to fix the roads and save the lives of their members. He listed the roads to include Port Harcourt - Eleme junction road, Okigwe— Umuahia, and Jebba— Oloru—Ilorin Roads in Rivers, Abia and Kwara states respectively. While saying that the said roads have continued to por-

tend grave danger to his members, Oladiti said that the roads are daily becoming bad, adding that the deplorable state of the Port Harcourt — Eleme Junction road, a distance of just about 10 Kilometers, takes seven to eight hours of maneuvering and meandering by trucks, many of which breaks down in the process, upturning contents, killing PTD members and endangering the lives of several other Nigerians using the road. He described the present state of the Okigwe —

Umuahia road and Jebba — Oloru as appalling, saying that further delay in the repairs portends greater danger for his members. Speaking further, he said that in spite of repeated calls for government action on the roads, nothing has been done to put the roads in good condition, saying the National Executive has decided to halt the lifting and distribution of petroleum products in the affected areas within the next two weeks if nothing is done about the condition of the roads.


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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-09-14

Market capitalisation sheds N42bn T

RADING at the stock market closed on a negative note weekend as the Market capitalisation went down by N42 billion to close at N13.458 trillion as against the N13.500 posted on Thursday. Similarly, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) went down by 0.31 per cent or 128.20 points to close at 40,757.20 points from the 40,885.40 achieved on Thursday on the back of losses in blue chips stocks like Oando, Guaranty Trust Bank and Dangote Cement. Most of the NSE sectoral indices posted losses as the oil/gas and industrial index topped the losers chart with a decline of 0.44 per cent, while the Banking and Consumer Goods indices lost 0.14 per cent and 0.04 per cent ac-

By Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

cordingly. However, the Insurance index gained 0.03 per cent. Conoil recorded the highest price loss of N5.73 to close at N53.16 per share. Guinness lost N5.46 to close at N168.04, while Dangote Cement dipped by N2 to close at N218. Oando dropped 49 kobo to close at N25.2 and CAP lost 30 kobo to close at N39.40. Conversely, Seplat led the gainers’ by N20 to close at N670 per share. It was trailed by Forte Oil with a gain of N4.98 to close at N225, while PZ Cussons appreciated by 78 kobo to close at N35.

Premier Breweries chalked up by 37 kobo to close at N4.02, while Dangote Sugar rose by 24 kobo to close at N8.65 per share. The total transaction traded went down by 30.9 per cent as investors traded 267.10 million shares valued at N3.06 billion in 4,756 deals. Access Bank emerged the most traded equity with 38.84 million shares worth N368.17 million. UBA Capital followed with 34.03 million shares valued at N70.68 million while UBA traded 22.33 million shares worth N162.88 million. Guaranty Trust Bank sold 21.47 million shares cost N640.77 million and Transcorp sold 16.13 million shares valued at N100.93 million.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-09-14


THE NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

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SPORT EXTRA

Moses wants Stoke win versus Leicester

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ICTOR Moses has said he looks forward to Stoke City beating Leicester City today to sustain the momentum after a big win at Manchester City. He said the players need to forget the famous victory at Manchester City and build on the achievement. “Everyone is buzzing following that win away at Man-

chester City,” Nigeria international Victor Moses told his club’s official website. “It was a fantastic win, but we need to put it behind us and keep that momentum going into this weekend, but we know it’s going to be a difficult game. “It can be hard going into a game after the international break, but everyone who

hasn’t been away has worked incredibly hard and we are ready for the game on Saturday. “Leicester have just got promoted, they’re going to step up and try and prove a lot of teams wrong this season.” He added: “They like to keep the ball and play around. They’ve had a difficult run of fixtures, but I think they’ve

done well so far this season. “It’s not going to be easy, but we need to go into the game with a positive attitude because we know we are good enough to get the three points.” The former Wigan Athletic winger made his Premier League debut for Stoke at The Etihad a fortnight ago and will be hoping for his first start for Stoke in front of the home fans today.

Pistorius found guilty of manslaughter

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• Lateef Kayode (right) pummeled at the ropes by Oritz

Ortiz knocks out Kayode in first round

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UIS Ortiz destroyed Lateef Kayode in a firstround knockout victory to claim the vacant interim heavyweight belt Thursday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Ortiz, a 6-foot-4, 234-pound southpaw, dropped Kayode moments into the fight with a left hand before ending the fight in destructive fashion. Ortiz trapped Kayode in a corner and teed off on him with a two-handed assault of about 15 unanswered punches — although it was the first left hand that badly hurt Kayode — before referee Robert Byrd stepped in and waved it off at 2 minutes, 55 seconds.Ortiz (220, 19 KOs), 35, a Cuban defector living in Miami, celebrated, and Kayode (20-1, 16 KOs), 31, a native of Nigeria living in Los Angeles, complained about a quick stoppage. However, he was not throwing punches back, and Byrd really had no choice but to stop the fight “I want to be world champion,” Ortiz said through a translator. “I just followed my corner’s instructions to pressure him and to be victorious. They also told me to pay attention and wait for the moments, and that the knockout would come.” Kayode was upset by the stoppage. “The first knockdown was a slip,” he said. “[The fight-ending sequence], I was blocking a punch and just coming off the ropes with a right hand, and it was an unfair stoppage. You don’t stop a title fight until someone goes down.” Although Ortiz laid claim to a version of a heavyweight title, he is merely one of three titleholders recognized by the WBA, which has created multiple world titles in the same division in order to generate more sanctioning fees. Wladimir Klitschko holds the

• Nigerian protests ref’s decision main title and is the recognized heavyweight world champion, while Ruslan Chagaev, whom Klitschko owns a knockout win against, recently claimed the organization’s vacant socalled “regular” title. Ortiz, who still has never faced a top contender, picked up the in-

terim version, which is third on the totem pole. Ortiz’s biggest win before beating Kayode was a fourthround knockout in April of long-faded former contender Monte Barrett, who was fighting for the first time in two years.

Gabonese authorities refuse Eaglets’ flight into Libreville • NFF protests to CAF

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HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has sent a strong letter of protest to the Confederation of African Football over Friday’s unsavoury incident in Lome, which saw Gabonese authorities disembark members of the U-17 National Team delegation from a Gabon –bound ASKY Airline flight. Having flown from their base in Calabar to Lagos and travelled by road from Lagos to Cotonou as a result of the cancellation of all Gabon – bound flights from Lagos, the delegation members were issued boarding passes on the ASKY Airline flight from Cotonou to Libreville, via Lome, only to be subjected to the harsh treatment after landing in the Togolese capital. A team of 18 players and six officials, led by NFF Chief Technical Officer, Siji Lagunju, an ex –international player, were dumbstruck when the airline informed them that Gabonese authorities had instructed that they be offloaded from the aircraft alongside their luggage. The protest letter signed by

NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, read inter alia: “On getting to Lome, our delegation Members were disembarked and their luggage brought out of the aircraft, and told that they would no longer be flown to Libreville, on the orders of Gabonese Authorities. “We strongly protest this harsh, unkind and unfair treatment of players below the age of 17, who have had to go through this arduous and tiring journey only to further their career in football. We are very much aware that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has stated clearly that football matches should not to take place in only three countries, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, as a result of the Ebola Virus Disease pandemic. “Our players have taken serious precautions and even have Ebola –free Medical Certificates. “The Nigeria Football Federation is sorely disappointed by this attitude of Gabonese authorities and we implore CAF to come into this matter and determine the issue of the qualifying fixture.”

THLETE Oscar Pistorius is facing jail after being found guilty of the manslaughter of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, and has been granted bail until his sentencing on October 13. South African High Court judge Thokozile Masipa had earlier said the 27year-old Olympian had been ‘negligent’ in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year when he fatally shot the law graduate-turned-model. Pistorius always admitted being responsible for her death at his home in Pretoria, but said he mistook his partner for intruders and fired four bullets from his 9mm pistol through the toilet cubicle. The judge on Thursday dismissed prosecution claims that the doubleamputee intentionally killed the 29-year-old, saying Pistorius could not be convicted of either premeditated or second-degree murder. But she returned to court on Friday morning to convict him of culpable homicide - the South African equivalent of the UK’s manslaughter charge - and one gun charge relating to a restaurant shooting. Pistorius stood with his hands crossed to hear the verdict but showed no emotion. Judge Masipa told the hushed courtroom: ‘Having regard to the totality of this evidence in this matter, the unanimous decision of this court is the following: on count one, murder ... the accused found not guilty and is discharged. ‘Instead he is found guilty of culpable homicide.’

• Pistorius

Freehand to kill Eagles • Continued from back page into an oil well. They have 'sold' the Eagles to shylock European club agents. They have abdicated their jobs to prophets as if other nationals don't know God. For the Nigerian coaches, their assistants are their friends, who cannot tell them what to do since they know that they are being done a favour by getting picked. These assistants are worse off technically than the coaches. So, when the game overwhelms the chief coach, the bench is such an awful sight to behold. His perplexed assistants can be seen with their hand on their chins. The players are confused as they find no inspiration from the bench. Since our coaches don't have benchmarks for picking their teams, they always want subservient players in their squads, leaving the few good and confident among them to do the job. Eagles have tottered terribly under Nigerians coaches who take delight in deriding their employers. They are always rebuilding the team, in a bid to satisfy those who pressurise them to pick unqualified players. I was one of those who pushed for the recruitment of the present Eagles technical crew, based on their exposure in European clubs, especially the chief coach's exploits with a few African countries he handled. My conviction is still strong about their abilities, except that they have lost focus, perhaps because of the feat achieved on February 10 in South Africa, last year. These coaches have destroyed all that they built by lifting the Africa Nations Cup diadem. They have become tin gods, who listen only to themselves. Otherwise, how come they didn't know that Uche Nwofor was sacked by VVV Venlo in Holland? Did they not also know that Ramon Azeez and Nnamdi Oduamdi cannot function as senior national team players? Why did they drop Emmanuel Emenike against Congo in Calabar? Did I hear you say that Emenike was benched because he came late to camp? Wouldn't it have been better to fine Emenike heavily than to bench him? Any team playing against Nigeria will rejoice to find Emenike on the bench. They will have the temerity to beat us like the Congolese did in Calabar last Saturday. Do these coaches watch the Spanish La Liga? Did they not see Isaac Success play so well for Granada? Why was Kelechi Iheanacho not picked for the two games against Congo and South Africa? Are these coaches saying that Nwofor, Azeez and Oduamadi played better than Victor Moses in

Nigeria's 2014 World Cup matches? Can these coaches ever drop an unimpressive John Mikel Obi in Nigeria's games? Why do these coaches play Efe Ambrose at the right wing back position whereas he plays in the central defence for Celtic FC? Can't they see that most teams exploit our shaky defence to score goals? Where is Sunday Mba? Why did they not invite Uzoenyi, especially as we had South Africa to play in Cape Verde? When would they have younger players in the Eagles? I'm glad that the list of players for these two games was drawn up by the coaches. So, where is the excuse that NFF always dictates to them? Is the list different from what we were used to? Maybe Sone Aluko, who was left on the bench in Calabar and only played cameo role as a second half substitute in Cape town. The last time the NFF withdrew logistic support to these coaches and the Eagles, the team scraped through with a last gasp equaliser against Kenya in one of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Shouldn't these two incidents educate these coaches to work with the NFF chiefs? We are back to the era of permutations. I have struggled to convince people that we could still top the group, provided the coaches can pick our best players for the remaining four matches. The coaches must swallow their pride and make the national issue of getting Nigeria qualified for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations sacrosanct. And that includes graduating some of our age-grade players in European teams into the mainstream Eagles. It would interest the coaches to know that Cameroon beat Cote d' Ivoire 4-1 in Yaoundé, using their 18-year-old goalkeeper. Shouldn't we have Alampasu as a reserve goalkeeper to Vincent Enyeama or/and Austin Ejide instead of Chigoke Agbim? The Eagles' outing in Cape Town on Wednesday night was shameful. Thank God we are thinking of renewing the coaches' contracts. We must insist on vetting their list. We cannot trust them in picking our best players for our matches. They shouldn't be given a freehand to pick the players. We have a right to have the best always, not condescending players. Players who come to their coaches to discuss the team's tactics mean well. It is in sync with global best practices. This shouldn't be the reason for dropping them. Any coach who isn't ready to listen to flaws in his team should quit. The coaches know that Nigerians are angry and not a few would celebrate if they are asked to go. Eagles is a brand not a platform to sell players.


TOMORROWPUNCHLINE IN THE NATION

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL.9, NO. 2968

IN reality, however, the experience of most Third World states suggests that public foreign debt has been used mainly to create or maintain fiscal deficits. More often than not, such deficits are caused not by greater public investment but by higher public current consumption or, in some cases, grandiose and unprofitable investment.” – Professor Adebayo Olukoshi Nigerians certainly have every reason to be wary, suspicious and contemptuous of debts purportedly acquired on their behalf by governments at all levels. Ever since the General Olusegun Obasanjo military administration obtained the first jumbo external loan of US$1 billion to finance major public sector projects, the country’s debt profile has risen steeply with negligible impact on national development. By the time of Obasanjo’s second coming as civilian President in 1999, the country’s external debt had risen to over $30 billion. In 2005, his administration celebrated what it described as Nigeria’s liberation from debt peonage. The Obasanjo administration had scandalously agreed to pay the Paris Club of creditors $12.4 billion of debt arrears upfront to have its remaining debt written off. Of course, the country’s external debt stock has been steadily mounting again. According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria’s current overall external debt by both federal and state governments stands at $9.377 million. The DMO is confident that this debt is sustainable and within healthy limits within the context of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The problem is that there continues for the most part to be very little to show for this debt partly due to the factors adduced by Professor Adebayo Olukoshi in the preceding quote. Corruption, inefficiency and poor governance continue largely to make a debt a hindrance to, rather than promoter of economic growth and development. Yet, the mismanagement of debt by irresponsible political and administrative elite does not discredit the fact that debt can be a viable vehicle for driving development. Debt is not a sin. It is not a crime. It is its misuse and abuse that is condemnable and obstructive of development. The sensational reporting of the external indebtedness of the Lagos State government by the media during the week clearly attempts to play on the ill-informed but understandable fear of debt by the general public. According to the reports, Lagos State owes 33.8% of the country’s total sub-national external debts. The state reportedly owes $1.01 billion of the total states’ external debt of $3.01 billion. Components of this debt include $837.91 million from multilateral bodies and $82.5 million from bilateral sources. The loans obtained by Lagos State are for

With more access created for tertiary education with the approval and take off of more federal universities, granting of operational licences for private universities, upgrade of unity schools and improvement in study aid and teacher training, Jonathan showed how important education is to the transformation of Nigerians —Segun Oyepitan

Lagos, debt and development Rejoicing with Professor Adigun Agbaje It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was a season of hope; it was a season of despair. I paraphrase the famous opening words of Charles Dickens great novel on the French revolution, ‘A Tale of two Cities’. These are certainly not the best of times for Nigeria when, for instance, erratic viruses and lunatic terrorists pose such dangerous threats to life. Yet, there are also, daily, life and hope-affirming events and celebrations that are also expressions of faith in the possibilities of Nigeria and humanity. One such joyous occasions comes up today at the No. 3 Staff Quarters of the Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, when the families of Chief (Rtd Col.) Moses Effiong and Professor Adigun Agbaje, celebrate the traditional wedding of their children, Irene Iquo and Ayodamope Ikeolu. Professor Adigun Agbaje is one of Nigeria’s most eminent political scientists and a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He was one of a unique group of distinguished scholars who taught me the rudiments of political science at Ibadan. I remember in particular his foundational course on the ‘Logic and methods of political enquiry’ that taught us not only to detect crooked thinking but also to keep our own thinking straight. I am not surprised that his son, Ayodamope, also a social scientist, travelled far from his native Iwo in Osun state to choose a bride from the Niger Delta. Professor is one of the most broad- minded and detribalised human beings you can meet. Son has simply taken after the father. Love breaks down narrow ethno-regional barriers. The church wedding comes up here in Lagos on Saturday, September 27, at the Catholic Church of Presentation, Oba Akinjobi Street, GRA, Ikeja. I am sure that many of Professor Agbaje’s students resident in Lagos will be on hand to celebrate and rejoice with a man who so selflessly imparted knowledge to us. Congratulations sir. I wish the couple a blissful and fulfilled married life.

clearly stated purposes. For instance, in addition to an initial sum of $95 million, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank has approved another tranche of $42 million loan deal to support the EKO secondary school project. Now, is this loan helping to achieve the objective for which it was obtained? According to the World Bank, the EKO school project has systematically benefitted over 620, 000 students a year in 667 public secondary schools in Lagos State between 2009 and 2013. More concretely, the bank reports that student scores from benefi-

ciary schools went up from 30% to 70% in English, 31% to 41% in Mathematics and from 27% to 65% in basic sciences. And the results of the June 2013 West Africa School Certificate (WASC) external examinations showed that 41% of students from beneficiary schools passed with five credits and above as compared to just over 18% before the Lagos EKO project was implemented. Again, the World Bank has supported Lagos State’s public sector reforms including fiscal sustainability, budget planning, budget execution and improving the investment cli-

mate with a loan of $200 million. Its aim is to help the state “sustain the strong momentum it had achieved in improving public services, facilitating inclusive growth and reducing poverty”. And what is the World Bank’s assessment of the state’s performance in this regard? According to its Country Director for Nigeria, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, “Lagos State has sustained rapid growth and achieved what many would not have believed possible and has managed to reduce its poverty headcount from 57% in 2004 to 23% in 2010”. The truth is that Lagos State offers a model of how debt can be utilised to drive development. In 2002, the Tinubu administration raised N15 billion from the capital market. The fund was expended on such development projects as the Global Computerisation Programme, Millennium Micro Water Works, Construction and Rehabilitation of high courts, waste management projects and massive construction of classrooms among others. The bond was fully redeemed in September 2009. The first bond taken by the administration of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has been redeemed while the second tranche will be due for redemption by 2016. All over Lagos, there is concrete evidence of what the funds are being used for through the various projects being implemented in diverse sectors in an unprecedented manner. This on-going radical modernisation of infrastructure will elevate the economy of the state to a higher level while enhancing its capacity both to generate wealth and to repay its debt. Of course, there is still a lot to be done to get Lagos to the requisite level of development. For instance, the quality of grassroots governance needs to be radically overhauled. The local government councils can certainly do much better in constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining inner city roads. Better equipped, staffed and maintained primary health care centres will reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary health institutions. The Fashola administration can also do much more to reduce waste and the cost of governance. But overall, Lagos is far ahead of most states and the federal government on service delivery and provision of infrastructure. It is not generally acknowledged, for instance, that the entire country owes Lagos a debt of gratitude that the Ebola virus has been so effectively contained. If the Liberian, Thomas Sawyer, had entered the country through a state with a less alert and effective government, you can imagine what a terrible disaster it would have been for the whole country. In the management of its finances, including debt, Lagos offers a model for the rest of the country to follow.

Ade Ojeikere on Saturday talk2adeojeikere@yahoo.com

Freehand to kill Eagles

M

OST Nigerian coaches can't be trusted with power, especially with the Super Eagles job. They seek the plum assignment on bent knees. They are willing to listen to suggestions and consult widely for support when they eventually get the job. But they soon get arrogant when results come. They blame everyone but themselves for poor results. They create divides in the squad to ease away independent players who rely on their pedigree with the Eagles to grab first team shirts. Those insisting that we give Nigerian coaches freehand to run the Eagles want to kill the team. The story of the typical Nigerian coach is the same. He is stuck with fixations, even if his choices of players include orthopedic stars. The Nigerian coach doesn't like to transit players from the junior cadre, largely because such emerging stars would be tagged others' discoveries, not theirs. Aside, these coaches don't have parameters for picking players. They rely on their lackeys in the media, club agents and friends who really don't

understand the rudiments of coaching. Nigerian coaches don't believe in watching games. They don't read newspapers. They don't develop themselves. They rely on prayers from churches and prophets to lift their teams. They keep talking about the 12th man, being the fans to cheer the team to victory without doing the basics- pick good players, who are fit, dedicated and determined to give their best. They can't take risks in introducing new players into the team. When they do, it arises from pressure from the populace. Even at that, they ensure that such new players are either played in the wrong positions or introduced as substitutes to show that they are in charge of the team. Nigerian coaches thrive on making the national teams look like village palaces where the people are treated with levity while the king does what he likes. They only recognise the importance of the players when they want to fight for their entitlements. The worst culprits are the ex-internationals. These ones are all-knowing. They refuse to grow up from being players to managers. They are quick to tell you that they have seen it all in the game whereas not many of them

have played for successful European teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea etc. These ex-internationals are the ones who insist on having a freehand to run the national teams. They rightly point on how it is done in Europe. What they have refused to understand is that structures exist in European settings where the inner workings of the teams are discussed by the relevant bodies before decisions are made. Have we not seen instances where European coaches quit their plum jobs because the managers refuse to give them 100 per cent control of players' recruitment? Nowhere in Europe do coaches have absolute control of what happens in their teams. Administrative decisions are left for those with the right expertise while coaches face the task of moulding the players into a winning team. Not even the revered Jose Mourinho can beat his chest to say he had absolute control of all the teams he has handled. Little wonder when competent European coaches get recruited into the Super Eagles, the team flies because Nigeria is blessed with talented players. European coaches set bench-

marks for the invitation of players. Most times they shun their Nigerian counterparts, having seen their mercantile tendencies in providing them with information on our players. True, European coaches insist on having a freehand to run their teams. But they recruit renowned backroom staff to make their assignment very easy. Who was Clemens Westerhof before the Eagles' job? Who was Johannes Bonfrere too? What was the 'White Witch Doctor' Phillipe Troussier's pedigree before he coached Nigeria? What did these coaches do with other teams after Eagles' assignments? They succeeded because they fielded our best players. They were not afraid to introduce new players who they watched play very well for European clubs in big competitions. They didn't turn the Eagles' camp into a rehabilitation centre or use the platform to showcase average players for sale in Europe. Instead, they took rookies in the Nigeria league who were immensely talented to Europe to improve on their game. Not so for many Nigerian coaches. They have turned the Eagles •Continued on Page 63

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025, Oshodi, Lagos. Telephone: Switch Board: 01-8168361. Marketing: 01-8155547, Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, Tel/08099650602. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mile 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790 ` Website: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: saturday@thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 Editor: DELE ADEOSUN


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