The Nation September 22, 2011

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

Senate confirms Musdapher as CJN NEWS

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•‘Judges part of the larger society’

Jonathan: terrorism can’t intimidate us

NEWS

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•President addresses UN in New York http://www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 7, NO. 1891 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

N150.00

ONHIT I S S N PE SET .3TGRE AS N2 PA 11 •Asiwaju Tinubu at the tribunal before the sitting ... yesterday. Behind him are: Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, Mr. Demola Seriki, Hon. Mutiu Are and Prince Wasiu Eshinlokun

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Tinubu’s trial: Court stops reading of new charges Ex-governor insists he didn’t run accounts That is evidence of respect for the rule of law. Service requires to be personal. Out of respect, he chose to come; that is good enough. We want Nigerians to take a cue from that – Justice Umar

A

•Justice Umar ... yesterday

MID tight security, former Lagos Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) yesterday. But the matter could not go on, as the prosecution served the defence a new charge, shortly before the session.

Tinubu is charged with alleged

Tribunal adjourns till Oct. 26

I will not object, if the defendant wants to oppose the charge, but for him to say he should not take his plea, no.

Arraignment is different from trial.

– Iziyon

From Yomi Odunuga and Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

operation of foreign accounts, more than four years after he left office.

Attempts by the prosecution to convince the court to read the charge was rejected. CCT chairman Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar insisted on

Your lordships could not have side-tracked the right of the defendant to preliminary objection. It is unfair for the prosecution to insist that the defendant should take his plea. – Olanipekun

fairness and justice in the handling of the case.

He adjourned the matter till October 26 for objection to the charge before the court.

Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), informed the three-man panel that he was served neither the old charge, which was

amended yesterday, nor the new one filed on Tuesday and served on his lawyers in the court yesterday.

He said Tinubu, out of utmost respect for the judiciary, chose to voluntarily honour the invitation which he knew about first in the media. The Continued on page 4

•SPORTS P23 •EDUCATION P25 •NATURAL HEALTH P45 •POLITICS P51

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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NEWS CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL’S TRIAL OF TINUBU

Heavy security at Conduct Tribunal T

HERE was heavy security at the Code of Conduct Tribunal venue of the trial of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday.

His supporters, who stormed the court, said he could not be pulled down.

When The Nation visited the venue at 6:30am, three Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicles had been stationed at strategic locations with heavily armed policemen around the court premises.

About 30 minutes later, more riot policemen and officers from the antibomb unit were deployed to join other security personnel. In all, more than 300 officers lined the entire stretch of the street, frisking and interrogating those coming to the court, including lawyers and some politicians who came to the venue early.

Two kilometers away from the Tribunal, six security checks were

•Aregbesola: Tinubu can never be pulled down From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

mounted at different locations. The situation, however, did not deter the supporters who thronged the venue in hundreds. They walked two kilometres to the entrance, where they were frisked before being allowed in.

Among the early arrivals were: Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), the Rev. James Odunmbaku, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa (a member of the House of Representatives), ACN’s National Publicity Secretary Lai Muhammad, Kamil Akinlabi, Olumide Osoba, Prof. Ebenezer Williams and Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo.

Others were: the Akwa Ibom State

ACN governorship candidate, John Akpanudoedehe, Akeem Gbajabiamila (House of Representatives Minority Leader), Kehinde Bamigbetan, James Faleke (House of Representatives member) and a few other local government chairmen from Lagos.

Lawyers, reporters and officials of the Tribunal had hectic time gaining passage.

As at 9am, loyalists of the governor, including one of his defence counsel, Dr. Tunji Abayomi were already seated.

The supporters chanted solidarity songs for Tinubu. A group of of youths also came in from different parts of the country carrying placards with various inscriptions such as: “Jonathan fear God!”, “Abuja for

Asiwaju,” “Adamawa for Asiwaju,” “Kano for Asiwaju,” “Jonathan trade for peace not pieces” and “ACN supporters cannot be intimidated” among others. Not even the presence of the security men swayed the youths.

Speaking with reporters, Aregbesola said: “The trial of Asiwaju Tinubu is political persecution. It does not matter who is behind it. All we believe is that the party at the centre believes that with this they can pull him down. I want to assure you and the world that they are deceiving themselves. Asiwaju can never be pulled down.”

Odunmbaku said of the trial: “I believe we will carry the day.”

Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Ikeja in the House

of Representatives, Hon. James Faleke, the representative of Lagos Island Constituency 2 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Wahab Alawiye- King and the Chairman of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local government Kamal Bayewu, said the trial was political.

Faleke said: "It is sheer use of political power. They want to use intimidation to cripple the opposition, especially the ACN but the whole world has seen through their gimmick. We believe in the transparency of the judiciary and we know at the end of the day, our leader will be vindicated."

Alawiye-King wondered why the case was coming at this point in time. "This thing has been on since 2007. Why are they just bringing it up now? They want to intimidate us but we will not succumb to intimidation."

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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NEWS CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL’S TRIAL OF TINUBU

Tribunal files fresh charges COUNT 1 That you Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State being a public officer as listed in part II of the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and having subscribed to the Oath of Office as contained in the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution on assumption of office between 1999 – 2000 and while in office as such engaged yourself in the operation of several foreign bank accounts namely: i. Name of Bank - First Heritage Bank Country Club Hills, Illinois, USA Account Name - Bola Tinubu Account Number - 263226700

• Clockwise from top: Prosecuting counsel Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) in a not-so inspiring mood; ACN Chairman in Lagos State, Chief Dele Ajomale, Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and ACN leader in the House of Representatives Hakeem Gbajabiamila; Cardinal James Odunmbaku; Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan; Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele; Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; ACN National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed; former NBA President Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), and leader of the defence team, Chief Wole Olanipekun; Hon. James Faleke; and Lagos lawyer Mr Femi Falana and former Lagos State Commissioner for Justice Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

PHOTOS: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Our encounter with security agents, by ACN supporters

T

HE chairman of Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos, Dr. Rasak Oyesegun Folami, yesterday praised members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for refusing to be intimidated by security agents during their trip to Abuja.

Some members of the ACN were prevented from entering Abuja on Tuesday to identify with their leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was arraigned for maintaining foreign accounts while serving as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007.

Folami, who travelled to Lokoja upon hearing the plights of the ACN members, was not allowed to return to Abuja after seeing the party members.

His words: “I was already in

By Gbenga Aderanti

Abuja. I came into Abuja by flight. I mobilised our councilors and leaders. They were coming by road, but they were stopped at the border between Abuja and Lokoja.”

According to him, there were lots of gun-wielding policemen who were led by a Commissioner of Police at the spot where the ACN members were ‘detained’. Oyesegun said: “There was one Commissioner of Police there and lots of policemen carrying guns around.

“Someone informed me on the phone about what happened, I had to go there to see what happened.

Then, all of us there were detained.

We were not allowed to move to anywhere, I was neither allowed to return to Abuja, nor allowed to

come back to Lagos.”

According to him, the ACN members were detained in the bush for more than 12 hours.

During the detention, the ACN members started singing solidarity songs and questioned the rationale behind the alleged harassment.

When the ACN members asked the Commissioner of Police the reason for preventing them from entering Abuja, the officer, according to him, could not give any reason. “The police commissioner gave no reason for stopping us from going into Abuja. All that he said was that the situation in Abuja was tensed and that nobody was allowed to enter Abuja.”

The council chief said the ACN as a party would continue to reject any form of political persecution.

ii. Name of Bank Account Name

-

Account Number

-

iii. Name of Bank Account Name Account Number iv. Name of Bank

-

Citibank NA New York, USA Bola Tinubu & Compass Finance and Investment Company Ltd 39483134, 39483396, 4650279566, 00400220 39936404, 39936383

Citibank International, New York Bola Tinubu 52050-89451952 and 52050-89451953 HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Tinubu Account Number - 71253670 Sort Code - 40-03-15 v. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Oluremi Tinubu Account Number - 71253670 Sort Code - 40-03-15 vi. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Tinubu – Money Market Account Number - 04320002DN vii. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Tinubu Habibat Oyindamola (Miss) Account Number - 1320960111 viii. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Tinubu Zainab Abisola (Miss) Account Number - 172447101 ix. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Tinubu Oulremi Shade Account Number - 1916667988 x. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Oluremi Shade Tinubu Account Number - 41421522 Contrary to section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 LFN, 2004 as amended and punishable under section 23(2) thereof as incorporated under paragraph 18, part I, fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

COUNT 2 That you Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State being a public officer as listed in part II of the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and having subscribed to the Oath of Office as contained in the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution on assumption of office between 1999 – 2000 and while in office as such engaged yourself and did maintain several foreign bank accounts namely: i. Name of Bank - First Heritage Bank Country Club Hills, Illinois, USA Account Name - Bola Tinubu Account Number - 263226700 ii. Name of Bank - Citibank NA New York, USA Account Name - Bola Tinubu & Compass Finance and Investment Company Ltd Account Number - 39483134, 39483396, 4650279566, 00400220 39936404, 39936383 iii. Name of Bank - Citibank International New York Account Name - Bola Tinubu Account Number - 52050-89451952 and 52050-89451953 iv. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Tinubu Account Number - 71253670 Sort Code - 40-03-15 v. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIWO6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Oluremi Tinubu Account Number - 71253670 Sort Code - 40-03-15 vi. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Sen. Bola Tinubu - Money Market Account Number - 04320002DN vii. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Acccout Name - Tinubu Habibat Oyindamola (Miss) Account Number - 1320960111 viii. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Tinubu Zainab Abisola (Miss) Account Number - 172447101 ix. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Tinubu Oluremi Shade Account Number - 1916667988 x. Name of Bank - HSBC 177 Great Portland Street, London WIW6QJ Account Name - Oluremi Shade Tinubu Account Number - 41421522 Contrary to section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 LFN, 2004 as amended and punishable under section 23(2) thereof as incorporated under paragraph 18, part I, fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

COUNT 3 That you Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State being a public officer as listed in part Iiof the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and having subscribed to the Oath of Office as contained in the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution on assumption of office between 1999-2007 and while on office as such you misinform Code of Conduct Bureau by stating in the Form CCB1 that you do not have foreign account contrary to Section 15(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 LFN, 2004 as amended and punishable under paragraph 18, fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

IT R

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NEWS

•Group photograph of participants at the 10th General Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in Lagos ... yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Senate confirms Musdapher as CJN

J

USTICE Dahiru Musdapher’s appointment as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) was unanimously confirmed yesterday by the Senate.

The confirmation of Justice Musdapher as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan following his appointment as Acting CJN, is in accordance with Section 231(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Justice Musdapher took over from Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu who retired on August 28 after clocking the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Justice Musdapher was admitted into the Senate Chamber at 11.27 am, led by Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Affairs, Senator Joy Emordi. He left the Chamber at 12.17pm.

Senate Leader Victor

From Onyedi Ojiabor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Ndoma-Egba fired the first salvo at Justice Musdapher.

Ndoma-Egba wanted to know how the judiciary got entangled in the messy situation it found itself and how the situation could be remedied.

He also wanted to know Justice Musdapher’s thinking on the controversial suspension of the President of Court of Appeal (PCA) Justice Isa Ayo Salami and the subsequent appointment of Acting PCA when a case was pending in court over Salami’s suspension.

But Senate President David Mark cautioned that the Senate should be careful since the suspension of Salami is being challenged in court.

The senate, he said, should not be seen to make statement that will send out the wrong signal to the public or one which the public would per-

ceive to be wrong on a case in court.

Justice Musdapher said he addressed the issue of the rot in the judiciary at an earlier forum.

He was ostensibly referring to his speech on Monday at the opening of the 2011-2012 legal year.

He said the heart of his address was the low perception of the judiciary by the public.

He noted that the situation in the judiciary could not be divorced from what is obtainable in the larger Nigerian society.

Judges, he said, are also members of the society who are one way or the other affected by goings-on in the society.

He said parties to cases usually believe that they will win “and once you lose a case, you never believe that things went well.”

The scenario, he said, plays out particularly in election

petition cases.

He reiterated the need for stakeholders to meet to find ways to address the problems in the judiciary.

He said some governors failed to release money allocated to the judiciary.

This, he said, is part of the problem affect the performance of the judiciary in the states.

On Justice Salami’s suspension, Justice Musdapher said the issues raised on the matter are issues to be answered by the court.

“I don’t think it is right for me at this time to offer any explanation on the issues raised,” he said.

Senator James Manager asked why there were different procedures in the various Division of the Court of Appeal as regards trial of election petition appeals since 2007.

Manager also asked if it will be proper to increase the

Terrorism can’t intimidate Nigeria, says Jonathan From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

T

retirement age of Supreme Court Justices beyond 70.

Justice Musdapher denied that there were no differences in the procedures of Divisions of Court of Appeal.

He said things were much better at the Federal level saying “we will cause amendment to the procedural laws to ensure that things are better.”

HE President talked tough against terrorism yesterday.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan chose the world stage to hit at the increasing use of terror as a form of political action.

Terrorism poses a serious threat to international peace and security, he said.

President Jonathan spoke in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He said the present height of terrorism has eroded the joy that greeted the end of the cold war, which many taught would lead to peace.

Continued on page 53

Continued on page 53

•Justice Musdapher

Tinubu’s trial: Court stops prosecution from reading new charges Continued from page 1

summons was later dropped in his office, he said.

Justice Umar praised the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for his exemplary conduct, which he advised Nigerians to emulate.

“That is evidence of respect for the rule of law. Service requires to be personal. Out of respect, he chose to come; that is good enough. We want Nigerians to take a cue from that,” Justice Umar said.

Tinubu was at the Tribunal 30 minutes before the sitting began. He was clad in a blue kaftan, a blue cap and a pair of black shoes to match.

At exactly 10:33a.m., members of the Tribunal emerged from the chamber.

The prosecution counsel, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) introduced his team. Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) introduced nine other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) for the defence.

They are: Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Charles Edosomwan (SAN), Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), Dele Belgore (SAN), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Kabiru Turaki (SAN), Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), Deji Sasogbon (SAN) and Dele Adesina (SAN).

Others are former West African Bar Association Presi-

Ex-governor insists he didn’t run accounts

A

LSO yesterday, Tinubu described his case as political persecution and challenged the complainants to bring their proof, if they had any against him.

Addressing reporters after the sitting, Tinubu said: “I believe in the rule of law and constitutional democracy and the respect for the judiciary, believing equally that those who allege must prove beyond reasonable doubt. The substance of the case, I don’t even know.

“They said I operated foreign accounts; they have not shown me statements of account, they are yet to provide information, even though under the Freedom of Information Act they are expected to do dent Mr. Femi Falana, Mrs Jumoke Anifowoshe, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Blessing Umuapo, Charles Musa, Babatunde Ogala, Dr. Muiz Banire, Funsho Olukoga, Dapo Akinoshun, Olanrewaju Obadina, Silas Onwuguonu, Moses Ideh and P.C. Okafor.

Sola Iji, Oye Akintola, Ganji Ajape, Soji Olowolafe, Gbenga Adeyemi, Bayo Idowu, Iyiola Oladokun, Joshua Alogu and Francis Alogboh were also there.

Iziyon informed the Court of the new charge, which the defence counsel did not object to.

Olanipekun told the Tribunal that Tinubu was not personally served the old charge,

that; they have not provided me the amount; is it from the state money?

Is it from Lagos State or from my almajiri exercise or efforts? They have not shown me.

“Suddenly, they pounced on me with a new charge; amended charge this morning in the court premises.

That one, I have not seen at all. I don’t know what the charge is. Anybody who knows me knows that I maintain an open-door policy. My address is known throughout this country. They gave excuses there again that they had to drop the summons in my office because they couldn’t locate me. That, I believe is a fabrication.

“The question is, this is all

adding that “personal service is fundamental in the case”.

His words: “No personal service was effected on him.

It was only dropped somewhere; he heard of it … but out of respect for the court, he chose to come to honour the tribunal. I urge your lordship to direct that all processes be rightly served.”

Iziyon admitted that Tinubu was not personally served the summons. He blamed this on what he called the inability of the bailiff to see the former governor.

But the Tribunal overruled him, saying since Tinubu is no longer in office, serving him could not have been difficult.

Tinubu remained calm

politics.com. Nigeria is facing a very crucial challenge in our democratic dispensation; in our institutional building. The focus of service and development to this country is very crucial at this hour. I think we should wait for them to see and prove whatever they have, but, to me clearly, we should concentrate on the security, the welfare and developmental requirement of our nation.”

As he walked to the BWW Sport Utility Vehicle in which he rode out of the court premises, Tinubu’s supporters chanted: “On your mandate we shall stand, on your mandate we shall stand, on your mandate, on your mandate, on your mandate we shall stand!”

while the proceedings lasted.

Iziyon urged the Tribunal to read the new charge to Tinubu for his plea to be taken. The defence kicked.

Olanipekun said: “My lords, we want to object to the motion. We have perused through the amended charge.

We, as counsel to the defendant, intend to raise a similar and more fundamental objection. The objection will also affect the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to take up this matter. We will need time to prepare our motion. We need time to prepare a formal motion.”

But Iziyon insisted that the amended charge be read to Tinubu.

Citing various authorities, Olanipekun submitted that “by asking that the charge be read, the court is assuming jurisdiction”.

“My lords, the jurisdiction you have is to first determine whether you have jurisdiction or not. Your lordships could not have side-tracked the right of the defendant to Preliminary Objection. It is unfair for the prosecution to insist that the defendant should take his plea. This is the same charge that was served on us this morning. Section 36 of the Constitution is very clear on this. I don’t think even in Libya that this kind of procedure will be allowed because nobody is in charge now,”

Olanipekun said.

Replying, Iziyon told the Tribunal that he would not object, if the Defendnat wanted to oppose the charge, “but for him to say he should not take his plea, no”. “Arraignment is different from trial.”

Justice Umar said: “We have to look at this case generally.

We are here for justice for all.

This is a court of summary trial. You (Iziyon) served the amended charge today; they did not object to that. They observed that they want to object to the charge, they did not object to you serving them. Issue of jurisdiction is very fundamental. We cannot proceed if we don’t have jurisdiction.

I’m of the opinion that we grant them the necessary time to raise a motion to challenge the charge; we should not be jumping the gun.”

The CCT Chairman appealed to counsel for cooperation so as to decide the case expeditiously.

“Bear in mind that the prosecution in this court is summary; please, do not delay…we want to dispense this case so quickly; we want a fair trial,” he added.

Upon agreement by parties, the Tribunal gave the defence 14 days to file its written address on the Preliminary objection. The prosecution has 14 days to reply. The Defendant will then have five days to reply on point of law.

ADVERT HOTLINES: 01-280668, 08070591302, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

5

NEWS

•European Court of Human Rights (on the right) denied Britain the right to deport Akinshipe (left)

In a decision that has irked the British establishment, the European Court of Human Rights rules that a Nigerian, Akindoyin Akinshipe, convicted of rape should be allowed to stay with his family in London, reports The Daily Telegraph

European court stops Britain from deporting Nigerian convicted of rape A

KINDOYIN Akinshipe, 24, was first told he was being deported in 2003 while serving four years for the rape of a 13year-old girl.

He was 15 at the time and told the girl he was called DMX, after the controversial American rapper who glorified the rape of young girls.

Akinshipe had only been in the country three years when he first faced removal but he has been able to challenge the order through the domestic and European courts for the last eight years.

Since then he has been to university, gained a Master’s degree, become a regular churchgoer and found a job.

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ruled that deporting him now would breach his right to a family and private life, despite accepting that “very serious violent offences can justify expulsion”.

After the ruling, his family told The Daily Telegraph that they were “very pleased” with the court’s decision.

The ruling was even based on the fact that he had effectively developed a social and cultural life in the UK rather than a family life because he does not have a wife or children.

It is the latest controversial decision from the Strasbourg court to defy the ruling of UK courts, which had concluded he could be removed.

The court agreed to a request from Akinshipe not to identify him in its ruling but The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed his identity.

The move is another blow to David Cameron’s pledge to overhaul human rights laws and deport foreign criminals.

It also comes two months after Theresa May, the Home Secretary, announced moves to re-examine the definition of right to family life in a bid to stop it being exploited by offenders and terrorists.

Figures last week showed foreign criminals are using the so-called Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in more than half of all successful appeals against deportation.

Dominic Raab, the Tory MP who campaigns for a review of human rights laws, said: ‘It is a warped no-

What the court said T

HE applicant’s deportation from the United Kingdom would be disproportionate to the legitimate aim of the ‘prevention of disorder and crime’ and would therefore not be necessary in a democratic society.

The fact that the applicant was a minor when he committed the offence does not preclude his deportation given the seriousness of the offence in question.

(But that) consideration must be carefully weighed against the applicant’s exemplary tion of human rights that allows a convicted rapist to claim the right to family life to avoid deportation.”

Akinshipe arrived in the UK aged 13 with his two sisters in 2000 to join their mother, who was working as a nurse.

Two years later he was convicted of the rape of a 13-year-old girl after he and friends had encouraged her via text messages to meet them.

The Old Bailey heard at the time that he was obsessed with the US gangster rapper DMX, who said in one of his songs: “If you got a daugh-

conduct and, as the evidence before the court demonstrates, commendable efforts to rehabilitate himself and to reintegrate into society over a period of seven years.

In such circumstances, the (UK)government are required to provide further support for their contention that the applicant can reasonably be expected to cause disorder or to engage in criminal activities such as to render his deportation necessary in a democratic society.

However, the government have neither cited other relevant concerns nor submitted any documents capable of supporting such a contention.

ter older than 15, I’m gonna rape her”.

Akinshipe was jailed for four years but the Home Office inadvertently granted him indefinite leave to remain while he was inside after granting his mother the same right.

Once officials realised he had a rape conviction he was told he would be deported in 2003.

Attempts to prevent deportation were made before immigration tribunals and the Court of Appeal but failed but the case dragged on and ended up before the European Court.

Judges there concluded that while his conviction was a “serious one” other factors that had to be taken in to account included his length of stay in the UK, the time that had elapsed since his offence and the “solidity of social, cultural and family ties” with the UK. The court said that he has now spent almost half his life here and now works for a local council in London. It also awarded him almost £3,500 in costs.

Speaking from their terraced house in Downham, south east London, his mother, Munisola, a 48- year-old hos-

•Cameron: wants Human Rights Act scrapped

pital nurse, said: “We are very pleased (with the court ruling). It has been a very traumatic experience. But he will need to speak to his solicitor. We just want our privacy.”

A UK Border Agency spokeswoman said: “We are extremely disappointed by this judgment and will consider the next steps carefully. This government is determined to remove foreign criminals from the UK and does not believe that Article 8, the right to family or private life, should outweigh the need to protect the public from serious criminals.”

Timeline of the controversial legal tussle

S

EPTEMBER 27 2002: At the age of 15, he was convicted of the rape of a 13 year-old girl. He was jailed for four years in a young offender institution.

July 7, 2003: While still in detention, the Home Office granted him Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom following the grant of Indefinite Leave to Remain to his mother.

September 8, 2003: The Home Office realised the blunder and warned him he now faced deportation.

July 27, 2004: While still in detention, he was formally served with a deportation order. He immediately appealed.

August 16, 2004: He was released from custody.

August 12, 2005: The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (“the AIT”) allowed the

applicant’s appeal against the deportation order.

August 22, 2005: The Home Secretary applied to the AIT for reconsideration of the decision which was granted three days later.

September 2005: Akinshipe commenced a university undergraduate degree in Economics, Banking and Finance. He lived with friends during term-time but continued to regard his mother’s address as his permanent residence.

January 17, 2007: A panel of the AIT unanimously quashed his decision.

April 13, 2007: The AIT ruled he can be deported.

August 2007: David Cameron, in opposition, called for the Human Rights Act to be scrapped.

January 25, 2008: The Court of Appeal

refused him permission to appeal.

December 2008: David Cameron promisesd to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights if elected as he warned the traditional “fabric’’ of British rights were being undermined.

July 2011: Theresa May, the Home Secretary announced officials were to reexamine the definition of Article 8, the right to family and private life, to curb its use by foreign criminals.

July 2008: He completed his undergraduate degree, gained a Masters the following year and got a job with a local authority in April 2010.

September 20, 2011: European Court of Human Rights ruled deporting Akinshipe now would breach his right to a family and private life.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

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NEWS Group rallies youths for Kogi election A GROUP, The Network of Under-‘50s for Decent Politics and Good Governance, has started mobilising youths for the December governorship election in Kogi State.

National Coordinator of the group, Onoja St. Michael noted that youths play important roles in organising credible elections.

He said: “In the bid to effectively mobilise youths between 18 and 49 years, the network recently embarked on a successful preliminary sensitisation programme in Kogi State where youths and youth-based organisations expressed their gratitude to the organization and promised to support its campaign for a violence-free ‘youths’ own elections’.”

Kogi youths, he said, have demonstrated “remarkable preparedness to participate actively in the governorship election. They are set to elect a governor who possesses the qualities to transform the state, strictly on merit, not on the basis of ethnic or religious sentiments.

“With this level of political consciousness, it will no longer be business as usual for politicians and political parties. The network will help youths to analyse the candidates and compare all with the view to identifying the one with the best quality, rally round him en masse and vote him in as governor,” he said.

Kwara: Tribunal berates PDP for frivolous time extension From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

•Belgore

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HE Kwara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, yesterday berated the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for repeated requests for extension of time.

The tribunal tonguelashed the party yesterday when it again failed to

present its remaining 36 witnesses in its defence against the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) petition.

The ACN, its candidate, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), and his running mate, Joshua Adeyinke, are challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration of Abdulfattah Ahmed as governor and Peter Kishra his deputy governor in the April governorship poll.

Ahmed and Kishra (the first and second respondents) had, on Tuesday, presented only six of the 42 witnesses they earlier said they want-

ed to call. But at noon, they sought an adjournment till yesterday to call them.

They again failed to produce any of the 32 witnesses when the court resumed yesterday, prompting the tribunal Chairman, Justice Ngozi Emehelu, to lament PDP’s habit of seeking frivolous extension of time.

The respondents presented a copy of The Punch and The Guardian of April 27.

Justice Emehelu said: “When you knew you didn’t need this extension of time, I think it is wrong for you to have asked for it, just because the petitioners asked for it.

You don’t just ask for an extension for the sake of it. I, therefore, implore all of you

(the remaining respondents, PDP and INEC) to get your witnesses ready. I appeal to your consciences to make things easy for us.”

The PDP had on Saturday asked for four additional days to call 42 more witnesses, but the tribunal, after listening to the petitioners’ counsel, gave them two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) when the party called six witnesses, instead of 42 it earlier requested from the tribunal.

Justice Emehelu allowed the PDP to present as exhibits copies of the newspapers in which Belgore was quoted as hailing the turnout of the voters.

The ACN candidate was

also quoted as expressing optimism that his party would carry the day, if the process was free and fair and the outcome reflected the wishes of the electorate.

But Belgore had told reporters on April 28 that the outcome did not reflect the people’s wish and that several irregularities marred the exercise.

These include ballot box snatching, intimidation, multiple thumb-printing, violence and inflation of result figures.

Although counsel to ACN, Osaroh Eghobamien, did not object to PDP tendering the documents - because it came from proper custody (National Library) - he said the tribunal should refuse it because it was not frontloaded before it.

Uncertainty over Kogi PDP primary as party chieftain goes to court A PALL of uncertainty hangs over the Kogi State governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lokoja today following a suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday.

Also, there were conflicting signals on whether the court has stopped the conduct of the primary.

But a top source at the party’s national headquarters said it had not received any court order as at 8pm yesterday.

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

Seven aspirants are vying for the ticket, which had earlier been won by a former Executive Director of the defunct Afribank Nigeria Plc, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho.

Other aspirants are: Alhaji AbdulRazak Kutepa; Dr. Adinoyi Onukaba-Ojo; Dr. Aaron Baba; AVM Saliu Atawo-

di (rtd); Capt. Idris Wada; and the outgoing Deputy Governor Phillips Salawu.

Although most stakeholders favour the retention of the governorship ticket by Echocho, a few others, led by Governor Ibrahim Idris, prefer Wada.

As at press time, there were conflicting signals on the position of the Federal High Court on a motion filed yesterday by a chieftain of the PDP in Kogi State, Umar Lawal.

Investigation showed that Lawal had, through his counsel, S.I. Ameh (SAN), ap-

proached the court for a judicial review based on the mandate given to Echocho by the party.

Brought pursuant to Order 34 Rule 5 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, Lawal said the mandate of Echocho cannot be annulled.

He also sought “an Order of Mandamus, prohibition and other declaratory reliefs in terms of the reliefs sought”.

The fate of Lawal’s application was enmeshed in controversy last night.

A party stalwart, who spoke in confidence, said:

“We learnt the court has granted Lawal some reliefs, which may make the primary a nullity, but we have not got a copy of any court order. We cannot act on rumours.

“But we are all gripped with anxiety because Echocho may storm the venue of the primary with the said court order on Thursday.”

But an official at the National Secretariat of the PDP said: “We have not got any order from any court stopping the governorship primary in Kogi State.

“As far as we are concerned, the primary will go ahead with all the aspirants that have been screened.”

Kaduna workers’ strike threatens Hajj

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HE ongoing strike by Kaduna State civil servants and those of some other states over the minimum wage implementation is threatening the conduct of this year’s Hajj.

The Nation learnt yesterday that the strike is affecting preparations of pilgrims by most northern states, particularly on documentation.

The prosecution, it was gathered, has been slowed down because of the strike.

The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Ambassador Sule Buba, urged the striking workers to resume work, saying their action is threatening the preparations for the pilgrimage.

Kaduna State workers began an indefinite strike on Monday following the breakdown in negotiation between Labour and the state government over the implementation of the new salary and non-inclusion of local government workers

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

in the negotiation.

But the government said yesterday it had concluded negotiation with Labour leaders, adding that the Ministry of Finance was working on the salary table.

He said Labour leaders insisted on seeing the table before signing an agreement with the government and calling off the strike.

State and local government offices, health centres as well as commercial banks have been under lock and key since the strike began on Monday.

The residents are also affected.

Buba visited the NLC secretariat to appeal to the workers to end the strike, saying if it was allowed to continue, it would take its toll on this year’s Hajj, which is expected to begin in the next three weeks.

He said the strike was causing so much delay in the preparation for the pilgrimage as

his office was locked by Labour leaders, despite its huge work load on the operation.

Addressing reporters in Kaduna, the NLC Chairman Adamu Ango and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Paul Jezhi, said they would call off the strike as soon as the government complied with their demand and an agreement signed.

“What the government and Labour have right now is a memorandum of understanding and not an agreement. There would have been an agreement because we have agreed on certain issues, but the government did not attach the salary table for implementation.

“We will only sign the agreement when the government produces a table. We were prepared to sign the agreement when the government brought a joker saying that the local government was not included. We will continue the struggle until our demand is met.”

Bauchi votes N120m for youths’ skills acquisition

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HE Bauchi State Government has earmarked N120 million to empower 12,000 youths with skills acquisition this year, Governor Isa Yuguda said yesterday.

The governor said each of the trainees would receive N10,000 monthly as logistics allowance to relieve their parents of financial stress and reduce unemployment and crime.

He directed local governments to replicate the scheme in their domains, noting that it would create a friendly environment for investment.

Yuguda urged the youths to engage in useful ventures for the development of Bauchi

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

State, saying: “The only way they can make positive impact in the society is when they show themselves as responsible citizens of Nigeria. Therefore, the youth sector is one of the most important sectors that need to be given more priority.

“If youths are neglected or given less attention, you can be sure that the security we desperately need will be far-fetched because once our youths are idle, any opportunity will be good for them. This could be dangerous.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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NEWS Fed Govt to sign MOU with private sector on NYSC

By Adeola Ogunlade

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HE Minister of Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi, yesterday said the ministry would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the private sector on jobs for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members after their service year.

Abdullahi spoke in Ikeja, Lagos, at an interactive session organised by the ministry with youth organisations.

According to him, corps members will henceforth be deployed to the health, environment, infrastructure, works, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sectors where they will be empowered with requisite skills.

He said: “The Federal Government will stop sending corps members to the private sector as the government wastes over N30billion annually to subsidise the private sector.”

The minister said any private firm requiring the services of corps members would have to sign an undertaking to retain them after the service year.

Abdullahi called for a comprehensive review of the NYSC scheme to reflect the needs and yearnings of youths.

He noted that the objective of establishing the NYSC in 1973 no longer tallies with the present needs, challenges and opportunities in an emerging economy like Nigeria.

The minister said the challenges of Nigerian youths are not limited to lack of jobs, adding that there are emerging opportunities in agricultural, manufacturing, environment and ICT sectors.

Abdullahi said only youths with requisite skills are employable.

He cited a recent report that Nigeria spends over N5billion annually to import artisans to work in the infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

Abdullahi said: “We are determined to facilitate opportunities for young people to acquire relevant skills and opportunities with the support of other ministries and agencies in Nigeria.”

ICSAN seeks foreign training for members

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S part of efforts to cement the existing relationship with its parent body, the executive members of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) met their counterparts from parent body, the ICSA U.K. in London recently.

Among other things, the two bodies deliberated on how best to promote bilateral cooperation between them. One of the areas discussed was training, especially because ICSAN has begun the Nigerian version of its examinations.

The Nigerian version, according to the Registrar and Chief Executive, Mr. Dele Togunde, became imperative to take cognisance of local content and the environment.

Togunde, who said the London curriculum was based on U.K. environment, while the Laws were also British, explained that the Nigerian version would allow more people to take the ICSAN examinations as fees would be paid in the local currency.

Reps reject motion to reduce rents in Abuja

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HE House of Representatives yesterday threw out a motion that aims to make rents cheaper for residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The motion, which was sponsored by Friday Itulah, wanted the House to prevail on the Federal Government to construct massive low income houses in partnership with the private sector to make houses affordable for the residents.

The motion, entitled: Unbearable High Cost of Rents on Accommodation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also proposed that the House should invite stakeholders to a public hearing to fashion out a comprehensive and integrated housing policy.

But House spokesman Zakari Mohammed said the motion was rejected because members wanted the House to prepare for a more holistic

•It will be re-presented, says spokesman From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

approach to the matter.

According to him, lack of opportunity to amend the stipulations of the motion contributed to its rejection by members of the House.

Moving the motion, Itulah said high rents in Abuja and its environs had become unbearable as accommodation has been overpriced beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.

He noted that some private developers had been making efforts to establish housing estates as profit-making ventures, thus making accommodation expensive for the average resident and only affordable to the rich in the society.

The lawmaker expressed concerns that due to high cost of accommodation, many civ-

il servants are without decent homes, resulting in the loss of man hour and negative consequences on the economy.

He wondered what could have been responsible for the inability of the Federal Government to bring down rents by constructing more housing estates as well as reducing the high mortgage banks lending rates.

Ibrahim Olaifa said the high rents in Abuja reflected what obtains in other capital cities of the world.

He attributed it to security and other infrastructural facilities which are available in Abuja but non-existent in other Nigerian cities.

The lawmaker said it would be absurd if the Federal Government is planning to increase the tariff on electricity and other infrastructure while compel-

ling private sector investors to adjust to specific limit on rents.

“How would they recoup their investments and pay back the loans they obtained from the banks?” he asked.

Mohammed argued that rents are influenced by market forces of demand and supply, saying rather than control the sector, government should construct mass low cost housing schemes for low and medium income earners.

“That would definitely bring down the high cost of rent in Abuja,” he said.

Andrew Uchendu said an enduring mortgage system as well as opening up of more areas in the capital city, besides the review of cement price, would lead to lower rents in the FCT. When the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, called for voting on the motion, majority of the

members showed they were against it.

Mohammed, who addressed reporters after the plenary, said rejection of the motion should not be seen as insensitivity on the part of the representatives of the people.

According to him, the motion would be tabled again after a thorough reappraisal of its merits.

He said: “The rejection should not be seen as the House being anti-people but the fact remains that we have to look at some other factors to make it all-encompassing.

“For instance, there are issues that concern the government in this matter when we view the charges of processing land allocation in the FCT that went up to N100,000 from N20,000. Banks’ lending rates have also gone up.

“Some of these concern the government and we have to look at them critically and not just on the surface, as the rejected motion tended to do.”

Mohammed said if the opportunity to amend the motion was available, the House would have done so.

“Notwithstanding, the motion would be presented again so that the residents can enjoy maximum benefit from it,” he said.

I sold family land to buy cocaine •Drug suspect laments

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

* Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (left); his Niger and Kaduna states’ counterparts, Babangida Aliyu and Patrick Yakowa discussing during the Northern Governors’ Forum in Abuja…yesterday

Ladoja faults Obasanjo’s choice for Boko Haram dialogue F ORMER Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja yesterday faulted the choice of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to dialogue with the Boko Haram sect.

Addressing reporters in Ibadan, the state capital, the former governor noted that former Presidents from the North would have done the job better because the insurgence is emanating from their region.

Ladoja, who said the Federal Government should dialogue with the sect, added that poor handling of their activities led to an aggravation.

He urged the Federal Government to set up a peace panel to identify the grievances of the sect.

The former governor insisted that it was wrong to have asked Obasanjo to do the job his Northern colleagues would have done better.

Ladoja said: “I would have thought that a concerted effort from former Heads of State, who know the people better, would yield a better result.

“We still have Abdulsalami Abubakar; Ibrahim Babangida is still alive; Shehu Shagari is still alive; and Boko Haram is a northern issue. I would have thought that they can broker the peace between Nigeria and Boko Haram.”

According to him members of the sect were misinformed about Western education and therefore should be educated

•How to curb sect, Jos crises, by Okorocha

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan and Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

on the advantages of Western education.

He said attempts to engage the sect in a fight would only aggravate the situation.

Ladoja said: “We cannot go back on Western education if that is what they want. I am sure that it is because they were misinformed. If we were able to negotiate with the people of the Niger Delta, I think we should also negotiate with the Boko Haram sect.

“Obasanjo had a very good opportunity as President. But he was at the same time the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Obasanjo gave more time set-

tling scores with people rather than face the task of governance. We have not been lucky.

If Obasanjo considered himself lucky to have come out of prison and gone into State House, he would have dedicated his time to services, not to self-aggrandisement. Maybe he would have been a better President.”

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, at a separate forum, said the solution to the Boko Haram insurgence and Jos crises in Plateau State lies in better communication among religious, political and traditional leaders.

The governor, who addressed reporters on the justconcluded economic summit

on Business in Nigeria in Washington DC, United States, said: “There must be a forum of people with different faith and beliefs to interact and douse rumours and other issues likely to cause disaffection and breach of peace in Jos communities.”

He described the Jos crises as unfortunate and called for a peace rally to unite the warring groups that have lived together in the city for years.

Okorocha said: “Leaders must come together to solve this problem. Jos used to be a peaceful city where different ethnic groups lived and did businesses together. We should work to return Jos to what it used to be in the past.

“Nigerians are not terrorists.

Nigerians respect lives. What is happening today as regards Boko Haram is alien to our culture and religions.”

Ogun gets first female Chief Judge

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GUN State yesterday produced the first female Chief Judge as the House of Assembly approved the appointment of Justice Olatokunbo Olopade.

Justice Olopade will succeed Justice Charles Oluremi-Jacobs, who has attained the retirement age, having been called to Bar in 1976 and appointed High Court judge in 1993.

Justice Olopade was on Monday nominated

by Governor Ibikunle Amosun when he forwarded her name to the Assembly for consent.

Olopade’s nomination sailed through on the floor of the House yesterday when she got the

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

ratification of the Adekunbi Suraju-led Assembly following the ratification of her appointment by the House Selection Committee.

The motion calling for her ratification as the next Chief Judge of Ogun state was moved by the House Majority Leader, Isreal Jolaoso.

Addressing reporters after her screening, Justice Olopade said: “As the Chief Judge, I will be visiting prisons from time to time so that judgments are delivered in due course and I will also encourage that among the judges so that cases would be brought up in good time.

A

56-year-old man, Chiafor Emmanuel Ndubuisi, who claimed to have sold five plots of his family land, and invested the proceeds in illicit drugs business, is now counting his losses following his arrest.

After selling the land, he bought cocaine with the proceeds, ingested it and sought to export it to London.

Luck, however, ran against him for he was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during outward screening of a British Airway passengers.

The auto parts dealer was found to have ingested 97 wraps of cocaine.

The weight of the drug is 1.990 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of N15 million. It is said to be the highest quantity ingested since January .

Ndubuisi told his interrogators at the NDLEA that he was “totally confused”.

He said: “I was deceived into the drug trade with a promise of making five times the money I invested. My intention was to start my business in a big way. Now, I have lost everything. I now understand why they lured me into giving them N5million was my contribution to the deal.”

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade said drug traffickers’ hope of making money would continue to be dashed like that of Chiafor.

He said: “One sure way to reduce illicit drug trafficking in the country is through arrest and seizure of drugs. This way, drug barons are made to forfeit their huge investment in the criminal act.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NEWS Lagos Assembly donates medical equipment to LASUTH

By Oziegbe Okoeki

T ja.

HE LAGOS State House of Assembly has donated medical equipment worth millions of naira to the Burns Unit of the State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ike-

Presenting the equipment to the hospital’s management, the Deputy Speaker, Kolawole Taiwo, said the donation is the House’s contribution to the treatment of burns patients.

Taiwo said the House was impressed by the way patients were treatment in LASUTH. He said the donation was informed by the way a member of the House, Rotimi Kazeem, was treated few months ago, when he had some burns .

Taiwo said: “Few months ago, one of our colleagues was brought here for treatment and we appreciate the way he was attended too. We felt it was necessary to contribute something to the hospital and that is why we are here today.”

LASUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD) Dr. Wale Oke said the equipment would assist in saving lives and pledged to take good care of them.

Items donated include oxygen concentrator, oxygen cylinders, operating dermatone, 50 packs of sodium bicarbonate injection, 50 packs of potassium chloride injection, 120 packs of metro infusion, 100 pillow case, 50 mackintosh, 50 bedliners, 100 bedsheets.

Others are surgical gloves, pink and green canula, D/line, N/ saline, D/Heantruxin, augumentin injection, damazine cream, examination gloves, face masks, guaze rolls, sufrattle and plasters, among others.

Taiwo was accompanied by the Leader of the House, Ajibayo Adeyeye, Deputy Chief Whip Rotimi Abiru, Kabir Lawal, Suuru Avoseh, Segun Olulade, Muyibat Adeyemi, Kazeem Alimi and Yishau Gbolahan.

Ekiti to open Kiriji play tomorrow

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi will tomorrow open the stage performance of the Ekitiparapo wars, known as Kiriji, in commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the end of the Yoruba wars.

The premiere is tomorrow, but the play will run through Saturday and Sunday, with two shows per day.

Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Alhaji Ayodele Jinadu said: “The play is not to reopen old wounds, but to tell our history as it is, so that our children can know where we were coming from and the heroic deeds of our forebears.

“The play will also showcase the advancement of the Yoruba in science and technology as at that time.”

Southwest governors and traditional rulers are expect-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti

ed at the premiere. The play will be shown in Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.

Descendants of the principal actors during the wars would also be in attendance.

They include Chief Ogedengbe (Ilesa), Chief Osungbekun (Ibadan), Chief Ogboriefon (Ibadan) and Chief Fabunmi (Okemesi).

Others are Chief Faboro (Ido-Ekiti), Chief Latoosa (Ibadan) and Chief Olaosebikan (Ilorin).

They are expected to come with artefacts of the war as their contribution to the proposed Museum of War History to be established with the proceeds of the play.

Tickets for the play, which go for N1,000 and N500, are on sale at the Ekiti State Ministry of Culture and Jibowu Hall.

Fayose’s supporters head for ACN From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti

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UPPORTERS of ex-Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose in Ekiti North Senatorial District have kicked against his return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

After a meeting yesterday in Oye-Ekiti, they resolved to join the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which they said is “capable of taking the state to the Promised Land.”

Their decision is in line with an earlier agreement by Fayose’s loyalists to support the cause of Governor Kayode Fayemi in the 2009 re-run election.

The meeting, held at the home of the ex-Chairman of Oye Local Government and ex-senatorial aspirant, Mr. Bamitale Oguntoyinbo, was attended by members of the five local government areas in the district, namely Ekiti North/Moba, Ido/Osi, Ilejemeje, Oye and Ikole.

They said the support given to Fayemi in 2009 ought to have extended beyond mandate recovery to achieving political and economic stability in the state.

Oguntoyinbo said the people of Ekiti North were impressed with Fayemi’s leadership style and achievements, and would support the governor to rebuild the state.

Ondo teachers suspend strike

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The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in Ondo State yesterday suspended its three-day warning strike.

ASUSS was protesting the withdrawal of the 27.5 per cent professional allowance by the state government.

The union’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Balogun Tajudeen, said they sus-

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

pended the strike to dialogue with the government.

He said: “We are using this medium to suspend the three-day warning strike over the withdrawal of our 27.5 percent professional allowances in order to negotiate with the government.”

•Mr. Gideon Ayere (2nd left) receiving an award from Mr. Lawrence Okonofua during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba, Nigeria, in Lagos. With them are Lady Ester Ayere (left); Grang Knight, Lagos SubCouncil, Charles Mbelede; and Mr. Isiekwene Patrick.

Oyo PDP, ACN trade words over Olubadan

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State yesterday disagreed over Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s decision to stop the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, from calling meetings of the state’s Council of Obas and Chiefs.

The PDP condemned the governor’s decision and warned him to stay away from the council’s affairs.

In a statement, PDP Direc-

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

tor of Media and Publicity Dr. Morohunkola Thomas said Ajimobi’s action was a violation of the Chiefs Laws of the state as amended.

The statement reads: “What the governor has done is illegal, an abuse of office and a flagrant disrespect for the institution and person of the Olubadan. The governor should have waited for the court judgment

before taking such a step.”

Speaking through its Publicity Secretary Matthew Oyedokun, ACN argued that Ajimobi’s action is legal and in the best interest of the state.

It accused the PDP of engaging in divide and rule politics aimed at causing disunity among the people.

ACN said: “Ajimobi, on assuming office, told the whole world that his administration would not be a continuation of the gangsteric,

man-know-man rule of impunity that he inherited, where the governor’s village and fancies decided state policies.

“Ajimobi will not abet injustice to satisfy base sentiments. Whatever the law prescribes is what he will follow.”

The party urged the people to be wary of those, “who sold the state to the swine and are now pretending to be advocates of the masses.

Tribunal sets aside lawmaker’s victory in Ekiti

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HE ELECTION Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday nullified the election of Mr. Oyetunde Ojo, representing Ekiti Central II at the House of Representatives.

Ojo contested the election on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The candidate of the National Transformation Party (NTP), Peter Bamidele, had protested that his name and party’s logo were unlawfully

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti

excluded on the ballot paper used in the elections, which denied him the opportunity of being voted for.

Bamidele urged the panel to nullify the election and order a fresh one.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was joined as a respondent.

The tribunal ruled in favour of Bamidele. The judgment reads: “Evidence before

the tribunal show that Bamidele was validly nominated by the NTP. “This panel has no doubt about the fact that the petitioner was unlawfully excluded from the April 26election.

“Consequently, the election and return of Ojo as the winner is hereby nullified according to the provisions of Section 140 of the Electoral Act. “INEC is hereby ordered to conduct a fresh election, including the name and logo

of Bamidele and NTP, within 90 days.”

Bamidele’s counsel Obafemi Adewale said the judgment has justified his client’s confidence in the judiciary.

Counsel to the respondents Mr. Niyi Idowu said INEC excluded the petitioners’ name and logo because the commission was not invited to NTP’s primaries as stated in the Electoral Act. He said his clients would appeal the judgment.

Mimiko runs a one-man show, says ex-LP chair

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ORMER Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State Dr. Olaiya Oni yesterday said the party has derailed.

Oni alleged that LP is set to move to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), going by the statement credited to exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo during a visit to Akure, the state capital.

Obasanjo was quoted as saying: “Governor Olusegun Mimiko is in the LP physically, but his spirit is in PDP.” Oni spoke during a programme, entitled: “Political Spectrum,” on Adaba FM, a radio station in Akure.

He said: “I don’t believe in the philosophy of the PDP, and since the leadership of LP is moving towards it, I made a reasonable decision by resigning as LP chairman.”

Oni, who has declared his intention to join the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said the average Yoruba man believes in justice, enduring

Govt: it’s a lie ‘I don’t believe in the philosophy of the PDP, and since the leadership of LP is moving to it, I made a reasonable decision by resigning as LP’s chairman’ From Damisi Ojo, Akure

democracy and fairness.

He decried the slow pace of development in the state, stressing that many of the projects embarked upon by the Mimiko administration

since February, 2009, have not been uncompleted.

The ex-minister of education said: “The administration has everything it takes to actualise the wishes of the people, but unfortunately, Mimiko has been running the state like an imperial one-man show.

“His brother, Prof. Femi Mimiko, and I initiated the Caring Heart Programme that has now been abandoned.

“Go and check from the commissioners, they did not get any briefing from the people they met on ground when they took over. This is because the transitional committee set up by the governor has no knowledge of governance.

Anytime I gave an advice, they said my idea about governance was outdated, even though I was a top government official and technocrat for 21 years.

“Mimiko does not be-

lieve in the systematic style of governance, he prefers being autocratic.”

He alleged that people who voted for the LP are now facing economic hardship and decried the deplorable state of roads in the state, particularly in Akoko.

Oni said the initial notion that nobody would go to bed hungry again in the state had been defeated.

Describing ACN National leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as “the last man standing,” he praised him for providing a political compass in the Southwest and beyond.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Olabisi Kolawole, however said the achievements of the Mimiko-led administration are unprecedented.

He said Oni’s resignation from the LP would not affect the party.

Olabisi urged the people to support Mimiko.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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NEWS Tension in Delta over Appeal Court judgment From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

THERE is tension in Delta State over today’s Court of Appeal ruling in the January 6 governorship re-run election.

The police have warned of dire consequences if the judgment is used to perpetrate criminality.

The Delta State Command said it is ready to deal with any breach of the peace.

Police spokesman Charles Muka said the police are on the alert to check hostile activities as a result of the judgment.

His words: “Police are on the alert to check any hostile activities as a result of today’s judgment.

“The police are aware of the issues at stake and have put machinery in place to checkmate any act of criminality that may arise.”

Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) governorship candidate Great Ogboru is challenging Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s victory.

Commissioner for Information Chike Ogeah said the petitioner would fail at the Appellate Court.

But DPP State Chairman Tony Ezeagwu said DPP would win, adding that Delta State will become free today.

1,000 oil spills occur yearly From Chris Oji, Enugu

OVER 1,000 oil spills occur annually in the Niger Delta, it was learnt yesterday.

The Director, Corporate Accountability and Administration, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, made this known at a media training on environmental reporting in Enugu yesterday.

Oluwafemi said in the southern part of Nigeria, “we have coastal and gully erosion, environmental impacts associated with oil exploration, forest degradation and loss of livelihoods.

“We must admit that the environmental challenges that we have to contend with as a nation are enormous.

“In the Niger Delta, the operations of the oil industry have endangered conflicts and impacted wetlands, water and sanitation. “ Close to 1,000 oil spills occur every year although the official figure currently puts this at 34, 000 over a period of four years .

The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Nnimmo Bassey said about 1 million barrels are stolen daily in Nigeria.

He regretted that surface water throughout the creeks of Ogoni have hydrocarbons.

Three policemen to face trial for alleged murder

T

HREE policemen alleged to have killed three persons at a funeral in Akoko community, Ndokwa West Local Government of Delta State will face murder charges soon, it was learnt yesterday.

Commissioner of Police Mamman Tsafe made this known in Asaba.

He said they are currently facing orderly room trial.

Tsafe said the policemen were uninvited guests at the funeral.

The commissioner said Corporal Emmanuel Jacob; Constable Ogala Osamudiamwan and Constable Otutu Justice must have been drunk, adding that they violated the conditions under which firearms could be used.

•Robbery suspects killed in Lagos •Murder suspects paraded in Edo From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba, Osagie Otabor, Benin and Jude Isiguzo

His words: “The policemen went to the funeral uninvited.

“We were told one of them was drunk and misused his gun. Under Section 237 Force Order, there are conditions under which you can use your firearms.

“All the conditions were not followed. He pulled the trigger and in the process three men were killed.

“We have arrested them and they are facing orderly

room trial. We ’ll arraign them for murder.”

Three suspected robbers were killed yesterday by police detectives attached to Ajah Area Command, Lagos.

A source said the command received a distress call around 2:30pm that some hoodlums were operating at an area in Ajah.

The Area Commander, Felix Vhami, deployed policemen to the scene.

It was gathered that in an exchange of gunfire, three of the robbers were killed while the others escaped.

In a related development, two persons, who were sus-

pected to have beheaded a student of a College of Education, Ekiadolor, Edo State, Edurance Obanor, have been arrested.

Osagie Omorodion (23) and David Odigie (24) were alleged to have taken part in the beheading of Obanor and dumped the severed head in front of the school gate.

Parading the suspects yesterday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamad Hurdi said the suspects were arrested through a covert intelligence operation.

Hurdi, however, said the leader of the rival gang, who ordered the killings, Marvis Omorogie, has fled the country.

He said the police would

track the suspects.

“You will recall that on July 11, Obanor Endurance was murdered by suspected cultists.

“The two suspects have confessed to the crime and alleged that Marvis Omorogie, who is their leader, ordered the execution of the victim, who was alleged to be a member of a rival cult.

“Investigation showed that Omorogie has travelled out of the country.”

Omorodion (aka Musa) said the killing was the result of a cult war between the Neo-Black Movement (aka Black Axe) and the Eiye Confraternity.

He, however, denied taking part in the killing, saying he only assisted in tracking the deceased’s movement.

Ex-US VP for Bayelsa Summit From Clarice Azuatalum, Port Harcourt

F

• The protesters...yesterday

Students’ protest grounds Effurun

A

CTIVITIES were grounded in Effurun, Delta State, yesterday, following a protest by students of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun(FUPRE).

The students, who blocked the Warri-Port Harcourt Road, said they were protesting non-accreditation and lack of basic infrastructure.

Thousands of placard-carrying students stormed Jakpa Road from their hostels and marched on P.T.I Road, Ebrumede, Okuokoko and Iteregbe. Some of the placards read: “Dissolution of Governing Council, Who is fooling who?”; “No accreditation after four years”; “Our graduates can’t serve”; “No road, no water, no workshops, no laboratories”; “We are tired of empty promises”, among others.

Their leader, Michael Mwosisi, said they have been in the institution for four years and there was nothing on ground to show for the alleged N1billion take off grant given to the school.

His words: “Our anger is that after four years, our school is yet to be accredited. We need infrastructure, we don’t have workshops, there are no laboratories.

“Most painful is that we don’t have good hostels, no water and good road, how can we study under such conditions? It is

From Shola O’Neil, Warri and Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

unheard of that a school like this will be neglected like this.”

He urged the Federal Government to respond quickly to the issues raised, stressing that although yesterday’s protest was peaceful, “We may be tempted to go violent.”

Acting Dean of Students Affairs Dr. John Arubaiyi said there was nothing unusual about the protest. He said the students had met with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Babatunde Alabi.

Arubaiyi said:”All they have asked for, the school has started the move to provide them.

“I was surprised when I got a call that they were going on with the protest. On the issue of the N1 billion take-off grant, it was allocated to the university by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and to be disbursed by Education Trust Fund (ETF) and Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF).

“Unfortunately, when Obasanjo left office ETF gave us N500 million as the take off grant but PTDF has not released a kobo.

“Efforts by the Vice-Chancellor to revalidate it didn’t work.

I advise students to be patient as the school will meet their demands.”

Fed Govt hails Sylva on amnesty

S

PECIAL Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Matters Kingsley Kuku yesterday said Bayelsa State is the home of the amnesty programme.

Kuku, who was in Yenagoa to brief Governor Timipre Sylva on the achievements of the programme, said Sylva was the initiator of the programme.

He said it was the idea Sylva sold to former President Umaru Yar’Adua that led to the implementation at the national level.

His words: “Amnesty has its root in Bayelsa State. If the Bayelsa experiment had failed, the national experiment would have failed also.

“You will go down in history as the man who initiated this programme..”

Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

He also praised President Goodluck Jonathan for supporting ex-President Yar’Adua to carry out the programme.

The special adviser recalled that Jonathan as the then Vice- President visited the dreaded militant camps in the creeks to dialogue with the militants.

“Everybody was waiting for the Vice-President to come back from Camp 5, one of the dreaded camps, as there were fears that he may be kidnapped or killed.

“Dr. Jonathan defied all security advice and warning to visit the militants controlled creeks then.

“Everybody was waiting for him to come back. Was he going to be kidnapped,

will he be able to come back? ” A major challenge, Kuku said, is the issue of agitation for a third batch of the programme.

“We must stand our ground against third batch, we should not mess the programme up. The programme has increased oil production from 700, 000 to 2.8million barrels per day.

“Our people should not mess up the moral dignity we have in the programme. This programme has made us proud, we initiated it; we accepted it. Today, the nation has accepted it.”

Sylva, who was happy that the programme is being handled by persons who are in the system, hailed its success .

He recalled that he wrote a

•Sylva

memo to ex- President Yar’Adua after the February 12, 2009 meeting he had with militants in the state.

“Another memo was written to the President on March 8 2009 as a follow up. “Before then, we had already tested it and it was successful here.

“I’m very happy that the amnesty has succeeded so far.

I am happy that the amnesty is being managed by people who were in the system.”

ORMER United States Vice-President Al Gore has been invited by the Bayelsa State Government as a speaker in the Environment Summit being planned by the government.

Gore is an internationallyreputed environmental activist.

Commissioner for Environment Robert Enogha said Gore would deliver the keynote address at the summit where stakeholders will find a solution to the environmental challenges in the state.

Enogha alleged that oil companies in the state have been insensitive to the plight of the people.

He said steps are being taken to seek reparation from the oil companies for their decades of abuses to the environment.

He said the state is not in the mood to go to war with the oil firms but every legal step will be taken to call them to order.

Benin monarch advises editors From Osagie Otabor, Benin

T

HE Benin Monarch, Oba Erediauwa, has urged members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to draw attention of the relevant authorities to the insecurity in the country.

Oba Erediauwa spoke yesterday when he hosted the executive of the NGE led by its President, Gbenga Adefaye.

The Benin Monarch said: “Tell them to answer the question of security of the country.”

Adefaye told Oba Erediauwa that they were in Benin for their Annual Conference.

He said the theme for this year’s conference is “Deepening democracy with Nigerian Editors” and that the conference will re-focus the media on matters of democracy and its dividends.

Also, Governor Adams Oshiomhole hailed the media as one of the strongest infrastructure of democracy in the country.

Oshiomhole spoke when he received the executive members of the Guild.

He said the guild was one of the important segments of the society.

10

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Murder suspect on hunger strike

By Jude Isiguzo

THE woman who allegedly confessed to killing her husband last Friday has gone on hunger strike.

The accused, Mrs Ngozi Ademoye, on Tuesday, allegedly confessed to killing her businessman husband Mr Kazeem Ademoye becaused she alleged that he assaulted her.

She was said to have gone on hunger strike at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, where she is being detained after the reality of her action dawned on her.

It was gathered that since Tuesday night, she has refused to eat and when police investigators noticed that she was getting weak, they invited medical personnel to administer treatment on her.

She was transferred to her isolated cell where policemen monitor her closely to ensure that she does not harm herself.

Investigators said relatives of the deceased said that Ademoye had an inkling someone was after his life about three weeks before his death.

They said the deceased had called his brother and one of his friends to tell them that an attempt was made at his life at the Old Toll Gate along the Oworonsoki Express Way, but that he managed to escape.

Family members believe that their son was not killed by his wife alone and urged the police to find her accomplices.

The suspect has also been accused of instructing some of her relatives to take her children out of the house without informing her inlaws, a development which did not go down well with the family.

The late Ademoye was married to the suspect for 13 years and they had three kids; a boy and two girls.

President, Ihedioha mourn Ndaguba From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday commiserated with the family and friends of the veteran ace broadcaster and leading Master of Ceremonies, Chief Ikenna Ndaguba, who died on Tuesday.

He said he received with sadness news of Chief Ndaguba’s death.

The President was reported by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati as saying that all Nigerians who were privileged to know Chief Ndaguba as one of the best newscasters of his generation will forever treasure their memories of him and of news bulletins delivered by him with great voice, fluency and professionalism.

The President expressed his sincere condolences to Chief Ndaguba’s wife, children and relatives, and prayed that God Almighty might grant him peaceful rest from his earthly labours.

Also, House Deputy Speaker Emeka Ikedioha described the death of Ndaguba as devastating.

Ihedioha lamented that his departure had left a huge vacuum in the country’s broadcast industry.

•Fashola.... yesterday

•South African High Commissioner • Ms Brand Mr. Kingsley Mambolo

• Equitorial Guinea Consul- • Mr. Bello General Mr. Manuel Bibang PHOTOS: OMOSEHIN MOSES

Africa must join forces against climate change, say Fashola, minister •Lagos governor, West African Mayors sign declaration

L

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola, yesterday joined other West-African mayors and diplomats to sign the African Mayoral Climate Change Declaration.

The declaration is a policy position adopted to combat the onslaught of climate change in Africa and set agenda for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC COP-17) scheduled for Durban, South Africa later in the year.

The signing was the highpoint of the African mayoral Climate Change Declaration West Africa Pre-con-17 Congress held in Lagos.

Fashola called for complementary cross-border intervention to tackle the challenges of climate change.

He said: “To deliver sustainable solution at the global and local levels, tackling the root cause of climate change, its impact and implementing necessary adaptation strategies, require multilateral action.”

The conference themed Building Climate Change Resilient African Cities: Climate Proof-

By Toluwani Eniola, Miriam Ndikanwu

ing Africa on the road to COP 17, was organised by the Lagos State Government in partnership with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI).

It attracted environment experts, community leaders, diplomats and top government functionaries such as the Minister for the Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia represented by Dr. Adejare Adejuwon, Commissioner for the Environment in Lagos State, Mr Tunji Bello and his Ogun State counterpart, Hon Adebayo Faari.

Others were the Environment Director, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Johnson Boanuh, Executive Director, ICLEI Africa, Mrs Kobie Brand and Secretary General, African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development,Dr Mohammed Kadi.

The governor said: “From New York to Mumbai, Lagos to Mississipi, Ibadan to Pakistan, Japan to Australia, thousands of human lives and billions of dollars worth of prop-

• Dr. Adejuwon

erty have perished with it, including farm lands which provide our major source of sustenance.

“The evidence of the threat is real, at a time where the global economy is struggling to come out of recession, the last thing we can afford is a continuous and unpredictable damage of life sustaining infrastructure such as roads,

bridges, power supply and farmlands.”

He explained that for any discussion about strategies to deal with climate change to be impactful in Africa, such forum must put Nigeria at the forefront, because of its population and size that placed her at a greater risk of a humanitarian disaster.

He listed these challenges to include, threat of severe weather condition in the North and the coastal erosion in the southern part.

He challenged the gathering to adopt strategies that would represent the collective voice of Africa at the forth coming United Nation deliberation on climate change tagged Cop 17 in Durban, South Africa.

Fashola said the strategies must reflect the voices of the affected victims mostly women and children and the down trodden in the society.

In her presentation, Mailafia, who was represented by the Head, Special Climate Unit, Federal ministry of Environment, by Dr. Adejare Adejuwon, said climate change has continued to pose greater challenges to human

existence, causing intensive rainfall and drought depending on geographical location.

She lamented the impact on developing countries, pointing out that climate change mitigation activities are aimed at achieving economic growth of the countries.

The minister who blamed the current hike in the price of food items on the menace of global change said the devastating effects had drastically reduced food production in some regions, while exacerbating ailments like Malaria, Meningitis and water-borne disease like cholera.

In his goodwill message, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Robin Gwynn praised the initiative by the African leaders considering the devastating effects climate change has on the continent.

He said the British government has begun plans to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emission by 50 per cent by the year 2025, saying that the capacity of the African continent to mitigate the effects of climate change will go a long way to determine if investors will make long terms investment.

Some lawyers are out to ruin judges, says CJ

C

HIEF Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, yesterday accused some lawyers of trying to “ruin” judges when cases do not favour them.

He said such lawyers seek “to ruin judges” especially when they bring bad cases to court or are on the losing side.

“How many judges can you ruin?” he asked Auta said lawyers are also partly responsible for perceived delay in the administration of justice, as they are usually unwilling to stick to court rules.

According to him, speedy justice is impossible when lawyers deliberately stall cases. He spoke in Lagos at the presentation of the draft of the reviewed High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2004.

The Chief Judge, who was represented by Justice Charles

By Joseph Jibueze

Archibong of the Lagos Division, noted that cases would not move fast if lawyers fail to stick to the rules, no matter how good they are.

He said: “Because you have lost a matter or you’re losing it, and you know it’s a bad case, you say: ‘ah, how do I do this? Let me ruin this judge.’ It doesn’t work that way because it means you will ruin every judge you come across.

“Not everybody will agree with you. No matter what these rules say, when you say you want speedy dispensation of justice, it means speedy for the person willing, and as slow as much for the person who knows he is losing. Lawyers, look at yourselves!

“We have to be humane and human and professional in our dealings. If you want justice, do the best for your client and move on to the next mat-

ter.”

Auta hailed the Lagos judiciary for being a pace-setter, saying: “We lookup to Lagos State judiciary and Bar to set the pace in justice administration”.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Inumidun Akande, said the draft rules could not come into force yet until the amendment of Section 89 (1) of the High Court Law to provide specifically for the Chief Judge to make rules for regulating practice and procedure of the court’s rules, as it was under the repealed High Court Law of 1973.

“The amendment of Section 89 (1) of the High Court Law 2004 is imperative as it is inconsistent with the provision of Section 274 of the 1999 Constitution,” she said. Section 274 provides that the Chief Judge shall make rules for the court, and not the state House of As-

sembly.

She urged the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye to make his input in the draft rules and make presentation to the House of Assembly for the amendment.

“Section 89 (1) of the High Court Law 2004 has undoubtedly breached the provision of the 1999 Constitution, as it affects the concept of Separation of Powers,” Akande said.

Chairman of the review committee, Justice Opeyemi Oke said new provisions were added to the rules.

They include an order for screening of cases for suitability for alternative dispute resolution (ADR); and the changing of the name- Pre-trial Conference to Case Management Conference.

Lawyers are now required to include their phone numbers and e-mail addresses in

•Justice Archibong

court papers filed by them while a counter-affidavit is to be filed along with the written brief in reply to the application for summary judgment, which is applicable to liquidated money demands.

Where no defence is filed, the claimant may apply for judgment, and where evidence is necessary, may apply for the matter to be set down for trial, the rule says, among others.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Naira hits two-year low on dollar demand

By Collins Nweze

T

HE naira yesterday closed at its lowest level in more than two years against the dollar as demand for the dollar surged at the official window and in the interbank market.

Traders said the naira closed at 157.92 to the dollar on the interbank, its weakest since August 14, 2009 when it hit 158 and down from yesterday’s close of 157.20.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria has consistently allowed the depreciation of the naira at its auction in past months and with a large inventory of unmet demand, putting further pressure on the available dollar stocks at the interbank market,” one dealer said.

Dealers said the interbank market takes a cue from the trends at the bi-weekly foreign exchange auction. At the official window, the CBN sold $350 million at N154.42 to the dollar compared to a demand of $560.54 million.

The regulator sold $350 million at N153.91 on Monday.

Traders said the local unit of United States energy giant Exxon Mobil sold about $50 million to selected banks, but it was not enough to provide support for the local currency.”The naira is going to continue to experience steady depreciation until the end of the year as long as there is strong demand and the central bank fails to meet market expectations,” another dealer said.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $34.11 billion by September 19, up from $32.3 billion on September 2, according to CBN’s latest figures showed on its website..

Nigeria’s foreign reserves closed the month of August at $32.92 billion and rose to $34.85 billion on September 14.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$118.7/barrel Cocoa -$2,856/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,161/troy ounce Rubber -¢146.37pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N6.747 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation -9.3% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending -15.84% Savings rate -1.42% 91-day NTB -6.99% Time Deposit -6% MPR -8.75% Foreign Reserve $34.87b CFA EUR £ $ ¥ SDR RIYAL

FOREX -

0.281 215.1 245.00 153.16 1.5652 243.2 40.57

If it is clear that a bank cannot recapitalise on its own, then all options will have to be explored by the regulators. We will not allow depositors, employees or the financial system to suffer.

-Mustapha Chike-Obi, CEO, AMCON

Shell: no plan to build refinery T

HE Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell, said it has no plan to invest in oil refining in Nigeria.

The Global Leader Crude Trading, Shell Trading, an arm of Shell Group, Mr Mike Mullier, diclosed this while fielding questions from reporters at the ongoing Africa Energy Week in Accra, Ghana.

Mullier said Shell no longer considers downstream crude processing lucrative, adding that the company has already saturated its downstream portfolio.

He identified low returns on downstream investments andpeculiar situation in some African countries including Nigeria where the

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

government regulates prices of petroleum products.

He said some of these fears had made Shell to shut down it downstream operations long ago. He said the company has no intention of expanding it downstream portfolio in Africa where, especially in few countries, where Shell still retains some refining businesses.

The company’s investment direction, he explained, is focused in high profit areas that offer growth opportunities and make adequate returns on investors’ funds.

Mullier’s pronouncement may have sealed off any

hope of private investment in refinery in Nigeria domestic refining, especially as Shell is Nigeria’s biggest petroleum industry operator and produces nearly half of the country’s total crude oil production.

The statement also puts question mark on investors’ assessment of government’s appeals and policy incentives, especially in encouraging the multinational oil firms to assist in boosting the domestic refining capacity.

The statement came a week after the Akwa Ibom State government declared withdrawal from the highly advertised Amakpe Refinery, which has been highly

rated ahead of other licencees for construction of refineries.

The government over the years has restated commitment to refining in-country 50 per cent of the total oil production, but without any indication of implementation.

The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), meant to give direction to the oil and gas industry and encourage private investment through deregulation of the downstream sector and unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, has been in the National Assembly for about two years awaiting passage into law.

Union Bank targets N65b profit

By Taofik Salako

U

NION Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc has indi cated its intention to resume dividend payment as from next year if shareholders support the ongoing recapitalisation of the bank.

According to the forecasts included in the capital restructuring of the bank, profit before tax is expected to be about N65.4 billion for between 2012 and 2014.

Profit before tax of N13.1 billion is being expected in 2012 and may likely move up to N24.6 billion and N27.7 billion in 2013 and 2014.

Net earnings distributable to shareholders is expected to be N9.16 billion in 2012 and subsequently rise to N17.9 billion and N19.4 billion in 2013 and 2014.

Breakdown of net earnings showed that basic earnings per share would be 47.58 kobo, 89.31 kobo and about 101 kobo in 2012, 2013 and 2014s, indicating the probable level of dividends that the earnings of the bank might support.

Gross earnings of the bank is estimated at N121.72 billion in 2012 and, thereafter, to N147.85billion and N169.22 billion in 2013 and 2014.

The forecasts, however, were based mainly on shareholders’ approval of the bank’s recapitalisation deal at the extra-ordinary general meeting scheduled for September 30.

Savannah Sugar to establish power plant From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

T

From left: Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga and President, Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture, Dele Oye (right) during a visit by ABBUCIMA’s executives to the ministry to brief the minister on the forthcoming Abuja International Trade Fair scheduled for September 29 ... yesterday.

Pension assets hit N2.3t, says NPC chief

T

HE Director-General, National Pension Commission (NPC), Alhaji Mohammed Ahmad,has said Pension assets have appreciated to over N2.3 trillion.

Ahmad told The Nation that the funds, generated through the Contributory Pension Scheme, are expected to assist in the economic development of the country. “Pension assets as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have been on a steady increase,” he said, adding that the industry has continued to witness steady growth He said the apex authority, regulates and supervises the pension industry, has adopted various strategies, including on-site inspection of employers, collaboration with regulatory and professional bodies,

By Toba Agboola

public enlightenment campaigns and application of regimes of sanctions, among others, to ensure compliance with the provisions guiding its operations, stating that the commission is continuing with its efforts with other government agencies to achieve compliance by the private sector.

“In this regard, the support of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) was obtained to ensure that any supplier, contractor or consultant bidding or soliciting contract or business from any Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies, must fulfill its obligations to workers to pensions, as well as comply with the provisions of the PRA 2004

as required under session 16(6) of the public procurement Act 2007. That has significantly contributed to compliance with the PRA 2004 by private sector organisation ,” he said.

Ahmad listed some of the challenges facing the commission to include failure or refusal of some ministries, departments and agencies to provide their normal rolls to enable the commission to credit their employees retirement savings account with monthly pension contribution.

“Thus, some public sector employees still have zero balances in their RSAs. Other challenges include the unwillingness of some private sector organisations to join the CPS, while others who have joined do not remit the monthly contributions as and when due,”

he said.

To address these challenges, Ahmad said the commission is soliciting the support of relevant government agencies to ensure that MDAs submit nominal rolls bi-annually He said the commission would engage recovery agents to follow-up on outstanding pension contributions from defaulting private sector employers.

On the transfer of contributions under the NSITF scheme which begun in 2009, only 62,406 out of about 1.3 million have forwarded their applications for transfer of the contributions.

He said to ensure the easy transfer of the contribution, the commission has reviewed the documentation requirements to allow members file their claims.

HE Managing Director, Savannah Sugar Com pany Limited, Taaziya Akila Todi, has said plans are afoot to set up an independent power plant that would generate 50 megawatts of electricity. The plant, he said, will address the company’s electricity needs and that of its host communities.

Todi made this known while receiving members of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating activities of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

He said the company intend to achieve this feat through the use of a by-product known as bagase.

He said the company has started an out-growers’ scheme in which local farmers are encouraged to grow the sugar cane, adding that “the company will buy from them after harvest”. He also said the firm is executing the scheme in conjunction with the Nigerian Sugar Council, adding that 70 hectares of land had been cultivated with each farmer given a hectare.

Todi pointed out that the company decided to embark on the scheme as part of its corporate social responsibility and to give the host communities a stake in the company to stave-off the threat of burning its plantation as was the case some years ago.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

12

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule

APMT to invest $65m

MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

1. Arik 2. Aero 1.

2.

3.

4.

LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40 08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20 12.15 12.45 09.10 11.00 11.10 16.20

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

08.40 08.40 14.55 15.10 17.40

1.

2.

3.

4.

Arik Aero Arik Aero

LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

09.1 12.50 12.55 15.55

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik 1. Dana

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

08.00 18.00

LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

By Uyoatta Eshiet

A

• From left: Marketing Mananager, Larger, Nigerian Breweries Plc; Mr Tony Agenmonu, Marketing Director, Mr Jacco Van Der Linden and Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr Yusuf Ageni, at a press conference and launch of Star Mega National Consumer promo to commemorate Independence Day Anniversary, at the Nigerian Breweries premises Ijora, Lagos.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

Lagos unveils four-year plan to boost LPG T

HE Lagos State government yesterday revealed plans to boost consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also called cooking gas, in the state in the next four years.

It said it is prepared to raise its consumption, put at about 60 per cent of the nation’s total consumption, through different targets.

At a public/private sector dialogue on LPG for cleaner and greener environment in Lagos, the state’s Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Taofik Tijani, enumerated some of these targets.

They include injection of an estimated 2.3 million gas cylinders/ cookers into the system, establishment of 200 auto gas conversion and 200 cylinder maintenance workshops and the registration of 150 new trucks.

Others are the introduction of LPG into 50 per cent of taxis, government vehicles, public transport buses and corporate staff buses.

By Bidemi Bakare

The state also hopes to record 800 new retailers and 100 new plants.

On how the state intends to achieve these targets, Taofik said it has put in place many strategies.

These, he said, includes the development of innovative funding mechanisms in form of micro finance schemes to overcome initial costs, the regulation of fair competition in the industry and the development and enforcement of world class cylinder management principles.

Other strategies include the campaign against cross filling and decanting to ensure consumer protection, encouragement of the use of appropriate equipment for economic and safety reasons and targeting subsidies for household use by lowering the initial entry cost of service.

He noted that LPG consumption in

the state was low compared with some mega cities in the world, he said with the government’s action and attitude of residents toward LPG, the right environment can be created for investment to flow. LPG has become popular across the world because of the advantages it offers, he added.

Some of the advantages are the reduction of deforestation, improvement of health, provision of significant business opportunities, reduction of poverty and decrease in CO2 emissions.

He noted that the private-public dialogue on LPG was necessary to help the state develop a blueprint for moving the LPG sector forward.

He said: “We are aware that infrastructure is important to develop LPG. We know there are cylinder manufacturing companies somewhere around Ibadan and other places. So, what my ministry intends to do is to engage the manufactures of these cylinders to find out what there problems and challenges are.”

SEC sets up committee on demutualisation

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is setting up a committee to jumpstart the dragging demutualisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Demutualisation is the process by which a member-owned entity is converted into a joint stock company or public limited liability company. It will allow the shares of the NSE to be quoted on its floor and widely available to interested investors. NSE is a limited by guarantee company.

The committee, to be headed by Mr Asuelime Ighodalo, a leading commercial lawyer, was constituted at the 61st meeting of the board of SEC on Tuesday.

By Taofik Salako

It is expected to review the process of the demutualisation, time and approach and necessary changes preceding the conversion among other recommendations that would lead to successful conversion of the Exchange.

SEC has confirmed that the committee would be inaugurated today, kick-starting the change in ownership structure of the NSE. Demutualisation of the NSE has been on the cards for several years, but it has been dogged by controversies on allegations of vested interests and undue interference.

Some shareholders and stockbrokers had criticised what they

called alleged attempt by SEC to dictate the demutualisation of a self-regulatory organisation (SRO).

The Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke-led management of the NSE had also suspended the process, after SEC indicated that it would oversee it.

But SEC has continuously stressed that it was interested in a fair and transparent demutualisation that would enhance the performance of the secondary market.

Meanwhile, most analysts agreed that demutualisation would lead to improve corporate governance and infrastructure at the NSE. It will open up access to new capital through raising funds from the investing public, they added.

Japanese firm to build $4.5m manganese factory

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HE Asian Mineral Limited (AML), a Japanese firm, yes terday announced its plans to invest $4.5million (N6.7billion) in a manganese development factory at Kaoji in Kebbi State.

Besides, the President, Association of African Economy and Development, Mr Tetsuro Yano, who disclosed this said since raw materials would be available, the firm would produce one million tons of the product yearly.

Yano, who spoke in Abuja during a visit to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Usa Sada, said the plan would lead to the employment of 90 workers.

AML, according to him, will be committed to the business in Ni-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

geria, adding that it already had mining firms in South Africa, Zambia and Brazil as well as factories in China, India and Malaysia.

Yano asid the company would take-off as soon as it gets a licence.

His words: “The company has already prepared $45million for this project and we are prepared to start as soon as we get the mining right.

We already have a site in Kaoji in Kebbi State. At the moment, we are still at the exploration stage, but now we have 90 people working for us. We are looking at tripling that in a couple of months. It all depends on how quick we can get the mining lease. We are also looking at the

issue of environment and also ready to operate according to the mining rules and regulations. Our projection is from 30,000 tons monthly.”

The minister urged the firm to write to indicate its area of interest and that the ministry is eager to see production start soon.

Sada, who said the Federal Government would accord every investor the opportunity to play in the sector, added that Nigeria identified with Japan as partners in mining and steel development.

His words: ”The steel industry in Nigeria needs to grow and we will be glad to have Japan participate in the growth. We can set up a technical team and have a formal discussion.

PM Terminals Limited, Apapa, Lagos says it will increase its capacity at the ports by an additional 40 per cent in the next 18 months through additional $65 million investment.

The Managing Director, Dallas Hampton, who stated this in an interview with The Nation, said the company is doing everything possible to fast-track cargo clearance at its terminals. He said after some initial teething problems, the new measures introduced by the firm, with other stakeholders, have resulted in an increase in the scanning of containers daily.

“It was a little slow getting the process to run optimally due to several constraints, not all of which were under APMT’s control, but I am happy to say scanning has picked up significantly. There has been more than 200 per cent increase in the number of containers that are being scanned daily, adding that the average waiting time for scanning at the terminal has been reduced to about two days from the previous four to five days.

“It is necessary to emphasise that APMT is not responsible for scanning of containers, it is the responsibility of Cotecna and the Nigeria Customs Service. All we have done is to assist in the logistics to facilitate scanning and we are pleased that our intervention is paying off in the interest of importers and agents. Our aim is serve up to 90 per cent of customers within two working days,”he added.

The APMT boss, however, warned that the process would continue to run smoothly only if stakeholders adhere strictly to the agreed maximum number of containers that can be handled by the scanning and logistics system daily.

“For optimal result, it is important to stress that our customers and the Nigeria Customs Service do not nominate more than 200 containers per day for scanning otherwise there will be backlog because that is the maximum capacity that the new process can accommodate”, he stated.

7Up eyes N60b turnover From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

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HE Managing Director of 7up Bottling Company, Sunil Sawhney, said the company is targeting a turnover of N60 billion in 2011.

Sawhney, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the launch of its pet drinks production line, said the need to stop the movement of its products from its headquarters in Lagos necessitated the setting up of the plant, adding that the machine will not increase production, but also generate more employment.

He praised the National Agency for Foods, Drugs, Administration and Control ( NAFDAC) and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board ( AEPB) for their assistance.

“We started the Abuja plant with one line in 2005. We are happy to be here today to open the third line to expand our production and also to be able to meet our supply as the festive period approaches,” he said The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Paul Orhii, while inaugurating the plant, implored the firm to maintain its high hygienic level, adding that he decided to open the machine due to the instruction from President Goodluck Jonathan that the various agencies and parastatals in the country should support organisations that are ready to create more jobs in the country.

Orhii said the firm complied with international standards in its production.

The General Manager of the Abuja plant, Nelson Oladimeji, described the Abuja plant as an historical achievement.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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INDUSTRY

MAN dumps independent power project T

HE Manufacturers Associa tion of Nigeria (MAN) may have abandoned its Independent Power Project (IPP) initiated to address the power supply crisis facing its members.

Indication from MAN’s headquarters in Lagos is that the 625 megawatts (MW) project is a victim of gas supply guarantee crisis rocking power stations and the stringent conditions attached to establishing IPPs. Director-General of MAN, Jide Mike, confirmed the development Consequently, the focus of the association is now on industrial clusters planned by the Federal Government.

Speaking on the project, the association former President, Bashir Borodo, said: “MAN IPP started as a very ambitious project designed to produce 625MW. Land was iden-

Stories by Toba Agboola

tified and local/foreign financiers were willing to fund and or guarantee the project.

“It was very clear to us that MAN IPP project will relieve manufacturers from the mindset of lamentation to one of creating solution to our problems. To our shock and grief, we discovered late in the day that gas to power the turbines is not available. Because of this, we have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again.”

Borodo said the association was considering pilot projects in industrial clusters with 10 to 20MW each with co-generation based on gas/ black oil.

At the initial stage of the proposed power project, Chairman, Infrastructure Committee, MAN, Reginald Odiah, an engineer, said

the association planned to generate between 120 and 150 megawatts of electricity.

He said: “We realised that most of the industries are situated in Ikeja and its environs, so this is the reason why we are targeting that area for now. One thing we must learn is that it is not cheap, it is capital intensive, so we need to do it bit by bit.

“Manufacturers have been at the

receiving end, on the lack of infrastructure. Forty to 60 per cent of our industries have closed down and this is due to poor infrastructure. We have the plan of generating about 2000 megawatt, but we’ll be doing it bit by bit.”

To bring a lasting solution to power, Mike called for complete liberalisation of the power sector to allow the private sector

and the states to participate in generation, transmission and distribution of what they produce.

He said the utilisation of renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, hydro and biogas should be explored and exploited for power generation.

He added: “The on-going power reform should be accelerated and more investment on IPPs should be encouraged.”

‘We realised that most of the industries are situated in Ikeja and its environs, so this is the reason we are targeting that area for now. One thing we must learn is that it is not cheap, it is capital intensive, so we need to do it bit by bit’

Fed Govt reiterates commitment to textile sector •Assures investors of support

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HE Minister of Trade and In vestment, Olusegun Aganga, has reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to growing the textile sector.

Aganga told the visiting Chairman, CHA Group of Hongkong, the parent company of the United Nigeria Textiles Plc (UNTL), Ms Madline Wong, in Abuja that the government and the private sector have to develop the textile industry in view of the large quantity of cotton in the country.

He said the ministry owed it a duty to ensure that the government’s policies do not make it difficult for stakeholders to access quality cotton at the right price. He added that the Ministry of Agriculture is to ensure that the right quality of cotton is available.

Aganga said he had received some complaints from stakeholders, which the ministry is addressing to create an enabling environment for the sector to thrive.

He said: “We are aware of most of your complaints and we are working on them. Textile sector is a big employer of labour and we are speaking with the Ministry of Power on industrial power as well as the Ministry of Agriculture on the right quality cotton.”

On diversification of UNTL into the cement sector, and the request for some incentives, such as equipment import duty free status for the company, Aganga said the ministry would look into it.

He said the backward integration policy has resulted in increased cement production to 10.6 million in 2010 and additional 8.6 million was being expected by last quarter of this year. “The policy has been extremely successful and we will leverage on that,” he stressed.

Ms Wong pointed out that the com-

pany was facing a lot of infrastructure problems and shortage of raw materials, and pleaded with government to intervene to facilitate the availability of right quality cotton to enable the company achieve its target and take advantage of the export market.

UNTL has been investing in Nigeria for over 50 years. The company is one of the beneficiaries of the N100 billion Cotton, Textile and Garment, Industries Revival Scheme being managed by the Bank of Industry.

The minister of State, Mr Samuel Ortom, has also reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to give necessary support to potential investors.

Ortom gave the assurance when he received Mr Romeo Barberopoulos, Chairman, Export Promotion Group of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) in his office in Abuja.

“The Ministry of Trade and Investment is ready to work with all intending investors in the country and we will not relent until we win the war of insecurity and make the environment conducive,” he said.

He stressed that the challenges in the power and security sectors would soon be a thing of the past.

According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan’s agenda is to provide jobs and to create wealth for the country’s teeming youths. He said the ministry was set up to actualise and achieve the target of the administration, adding that it was working hard to remove the hindrances to achieving economic development in the country.

Ortom assured them that the government was doing all it could to tackle insecurity in the country for the industrial sector to develop.

“I want to assure the manufacturers that the President has given his words that every investor and his investments will be protected in the country,” he said.

•Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mr Dauda Kigbu (left), taking over from Dr. Abubakar Muhammad, at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

From left: Mr. Chucks Omeife, President, Nigerian Institute of Building (NIB) presenting the Nigerian Building Code to Mr. Gimba Ya’u Kumo, Managing Director/CEO, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria during a courtesy call on the FMBN by NIB in Abuja.

Ogun pledges support for women entrepreneurs

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HE Ogun State government has assured women of gov ernment’s support.

To actualise its words, it has doled out N5 million grants to the women group - Small and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state, promising to double the amount if fully repaid.

Speaking at the presentation of certificate of registration to the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture’ Women Organisation (NAWORG), the Commissioner for Community Development and Co-oporatives Hon Samuel Duro Aiyedogbon said Governor Ibikunle Amosun is disposed to-

•Issues certificate with N5m loan wards mobilising and motivating groups and individuals that will contribute economically to the development of the state.

H e said the governor recently released a loan of N25 million to the Ogun State Co-operative Federation Limited at seven per cent interest for lending to Cooporative Societies and unions, adding that NAWORG will be given N5 million out of this it.

“Today, the people of the state now see the co-operative movement as an effective instrument for the improvement of the socio-economic status of the urban and rural

poor. It is therefore gratifying to note that our people have come to appreciate and accept co-oporative as a way of life. People are increasingly choosing the co-operative form of enterprise in response to the new economic realities.

“The certificate of registration now being presented to your union is an evidence of government’s recognition of the union as a co-operative body and a legal personality, which grants protection to the union’s finance.

By virtue of the registration, the union’s bylaws are vested with legal sanction and become lawfully

enforceable.

This gives it control over the affiliate members.”

He said the benefits derived from the co-operatives will be lacking if the management does not have the required skill to manage the society/union successfully.

Therefore,co-operative stakeholders must be well-informed about the expectation of members and be seen to be hardworking, dedicated and transparently honest in rendering selfless service to the cooperator.

His words: “It is, however, pertinent at this juncture to charge you to use the loan judiciously and adhere to the tenets of co-operative

principles and practices in order to ensure early repayment of the loan which the state government has promised to double on full payment.

“The loan beneficiaries should not see the loan as their share of the state cake , rather they should see it as an economic empowerment, through which you will improve productivity and increase your income.”

The Chairperson of the Group, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, said the role of women entrepreneurs in ensuring the realisation of a nation’s economic development cannot be over-emphasised in present day economy.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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INDUSTRY

ECOWAS members unveil tax integration initiative

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EADS of West Africa Tax Ad ministrators Forum (WATAF) are to collaborate and share information to improve tax administration among member states, the Director of Corporate Communications Department of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS), Emmanuel Obeta, has said.

In a communique issued at the end of the body’s inaugural meeting in Abuja, the forum decided to work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure a structure that would be dedicated to taxation.

It was jointly signed by the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) of Nigeria, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaur;Mariama Soumanou of Benin; Nii Ayi Aryeetey of Ghana; Andrew Paygar of Liberia and Mamour Joof of Gambia.

It stated that the forum would ensure that ECOWAS member states speak with one voice on tax policy and administration matters at Africa Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), as well as other international tax organisations.

The meeting agreed that the chairman of the forum would be the head of Tax Administration in the ECOWAS Chairman’s country, and will provide the secretariat during his tenure.

Stories by Toba Agboola

It also agreed to ensure the signing of tax treaties, exchange of information agreements and memoranda of understanding among member states of ECOWAS. Mrs. Omogui-Okauru said the inaugural meeting presented an opportunity for putting in motion the first step towards becoming a prominent voice within Africa.

She said the meeting presented a platform for members to exchange ideas on issues relating to the development and modernisation of the tax system in the region, capacity building, reform of tax legisla-

‘There is no doubt that WATAF presents a unique opportunity for us to put heads together and deliberate on issues, agree on strategy and action plans for achieving the goals of regional integration, cooperation and collaboration’

tion and engagement with international tax organisations.

“There is no doubt that WATAF presents a unique opportunity for us to put heads together and deliberate on issues, agree on strategy and action plans for achieving the goals of regional integration, cooperation and collaboration.

“In this regard, we should commit to ensuring that this inaugural meeting is a success and deliberations and resolutions at this meeting serve as a platform for achieving our overall goals. In my role as a host, I will do all that is necessary to ensure that we carry out our deliberations in a conducive and hospitable environment.

“I also commit to facilitating any interactions as may be required by member countries at this meeting and, therefore, let us see our roles here as that of service to our respective countries, the West Africa sub-region and of course, Africa as a continent,” Mrs. Omogui-Okauru said.

The meeting featured other presentations, including status of ECOWAS, tax treaty network and exchange of information, African tax administration, update on ATAF working groups, interagency co-operation and administrative modalities.

Firm introduces tracking devices

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RAMIGO, an expert in the tracking devices for vehicles, has developed a wide range of tracking devices using advanced technology. The devices are now available in the country through a strategic partnership agreement with local dealers.

Speaking with reporters in Lagos, the Country Manager, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiaku, said Tramigo product allows consumers to track the location of and manage their vehicles with their mobile phone.

They can be notified when unexpected events such as a kidnapping, accident or breakin occur, he said.

“Our product is positioned as the next generation car alarm - silent with features that are useful every day, not just when a theft is attempted.

“Our business is bringing advanced telematics (GPS tracking combined with wireless communication) products to the consumer

market.

“The product is easy to use since any mobile phone can be used to manage your vehicle no special handset, web site, customer help desk, or 3rd party service is needed which also means no monthly service fees are required. This makes our product cheaper to use as well.”

He added: “The reason we can support a normal mobile phone, the one device most consumers already own, and not require additional costly infrastructure is due to our unique strategy of building the geographic data into the product.

“In the near future we will also support personal tracking devices such as GPS enabled phones to further improve the “peace of mind” of our customers. We will be also adding support for other wireless networks to improve the coverage of our products,’ he said.

Firm supports Ibadan flood UFIL Prima Foods Plc, victims makers of Indomie instant

D

noodles, has provided victims of the recent flood in Ibadan with free lunch meal and educational materials at the relief camps.

The company visited the United African Methodist Church, Odo Ona, Ibadan where about 140 victims are camped and the Sacred Heart School, Ayede off Akinyemi Way, where about 120 displaced families are taking refuge.

Company’s Public Relations Manager, Mr Temitope Ashiwaju, said the gesture was part of its corporate social responsibility and a way of identifying with the victims.

He said: “As a responsible corporate citizen, we have to stand up for the people who are part of our consumers at this critical period of need to identify with them and reassure them that we are not only after profit.”

He explained that it has always been part of the corporate social responsibility drive of the company to provide succour to people, especially during trying times such as this.

Responding, the victims thanked the company for coming to their aid and providing them with food and educational materials for the children.

Consumers excited with sales outlet at MMA2

C •From left: Eze Chika Cyril, Ewo Sunday and Nwaokoye Benedict winners of Star T.V. Game show with their cheque sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc held at LTV 8, Lagos.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

SMEDAN to develop leather works cluster in Kano

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HE Director-General of Small and Medium Enter prises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Alhaji Mohammad Umar Nadada, has said the agency would soon develop an Industrial Development Centre for leather works at Tiga village, Kano State.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on the state Governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, at the Kano Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, the Director-General, said the decision to develop the leatherworks cluster, is to boost the growth of leather enterprises in the state.

Alhaji Nadada, also revealed that Kano is slated for the pilot scheme of the Rural Enterprise Development Programme in partnership with the Japanese International Corporation Agency

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

(JICA) for the “One Product, One Local Government Project,” adding that the rural enterprise project is centered on groundnut, leather and rice.

Nadada, said each local government would develop a particular produce based on its natural endowment, stating that such strategy would immensely improve small and medium enterprises in the country, and also improve the economic well-being of the people.

He stated further that the agency would look into areas of small, medium and macro enterprises to explore the possibility of partnering with the Kano State government.

The SMEDAN boss said already, the programme of “One

Product, One Local Government” has taken off in Rwanda, Malawi, among other nations of the world, stating that the enterprises the agency hopes to develop would rely on local technology.

In his response, Governor Kwankwaso, expressed appreciation to the agency for choosing Kano for the pilot project, saying the government is ready to partner with SMEDAN to develop small and medium enterprises in the state.

He said his administration has made a lot of efforts towards developing small and medium enterprises, adding that one of such initiatives is the establishment of 18 institutes in the state, with a view to making the teeming youth more enterprising and productive members of the society.

LASSIC Beverages Nigeria Limited (CBNL), makers of La Casera soft drinks, is set to further endear the brand to its numerous consumers with the opening of a retail outlet at the food court of MMA 2, Lagos.

Speaking at the opening, the Chief Operating Officer, Mr Prahlad Gangadharan, said it became imperative to open a sales outlet at the airport to meet the increasing demand for La Casera.

Gangadharan said it was based on information through consumer feedback mechanism of the inability of consumers to access the drink at the airport.

He said: “We realised from consumers’ feedback that some of them in transit have had to wait for hours due to flight delays and connection, and, therefore, need to refresh with La Casera which until now was not available at the Airport, hence the La Casera ‘kiosk’.”

‘Product adulteration our challenge’

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HE Chairman of Grand Pe troleum Limited, Mr Tony Ogunbor, has said adulteration of the company’s products by unscrupulous persons is a major challenge to it.

He told the company’s distributors business forum that it was working with relevant government agencies with a view to curtailing and apprehending the adulterators of their products.

Grand Petroleum produces engine oils, gear oils and offers haulage logistics services in collaboration with Nosak Group, their parent company.

On the prospects of the company, he said the vision of the board is for the company to be among the top five oil servicing

By Ajose Sehindemi

company by 2012. This, he said, they are working on with the provision of a world-class lube oil blending plant of an installed capacity of six million litres.

Ogunbor said with the investment the company would satisfy the demand for its products, especially the Hi-Speed engine oils and gear oils nationwide He said the Hi-Speed range of lubricants is produced in accordance with international specifications and standards.

He enjoined distributors, workers and others to share best practice ideas in the retailing and manufacturing of their lubricants in order to take the business to the next level.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

17

INDUSTRY

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Chamber seeks improved infrastructure to reposition manufacturing

HE Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), has urged the Federal Government to give priority attention to the provision of infrastructure that will reposition the manufacturing sector as the engine of growth.

Its First Deputy President, Dr. Solomon Nyagba, gave the advice in Abuja, at a news conference on the sixth Abuja International Trade Fair.

Nyagba commended government for the ongoing power re-

Stories by Toba Agboola

form and encouraging investment in Independent Power Projects (IPP).

He said power supply has been a matter of serious concern to operators in the manufacturing sector.

He said: “To reposition our manufacturing sector as the country’s engine of growth and as a transformation agent, we urge government to give infra-

structure overall priority.

“Among these are security, good roads, potable water and health care, among others. We, therefore, call on the three tiers of government to promptly address these hindrances to the growth of our economy.”

He called for appropriate incentives to encourage the development of linkages between Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), saying that SMEs could

be used to boost the economy.

He stressed that the chamber would like the government to provide a conducive environment, especially those that would allow the private sector operate to their optimum.

The sixth Abuja International Trade Fair, is slated for September 29 to October 11 at the Old Parade Ground, and will be decleared open by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The fair is to promote accelerated development of commerce and industry for the revitalisation and diversification of the economy through non-oil exports.

Other objectives are to provide and promote access to research and technology findings with focus on the role of the private sector in the economy.

Nyagba said the fair would be unique as many embassies and corporate bodies from various countries and confirmed their participation.

SON warns against use of fake building materials

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HE Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is set to clamp down on manufacturers of fake building materials.

Its Director-General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, gave the warning during a meeting with stakeholders in the steel sector, at SON office in Lekki, Lagos.

He said the use of substandard products was responsible for incessant building collapse.

“When a building collapses, everybody blames SON. However, the reason behind it is because of the substandard products being used by builders. The is a big challenge for us in SON, but we are going to stop it,” Odumodu said.

He warned those using fake products like steel, cement and so on to desist because the SON will not relent in it efforts to sanitise the sector.

In a related event, stakeholders in the industrial sector have posited that for Nigeria to grow and be globally competitive, it needs to put in place conditions necessary for high standard of products that will translate to greater productivity, jobs creation, poverty reduction and increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This was the submission of stakeholders at the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies (AES), monthly business luncheon in Lagos recently. The stakeholders including Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Nike Akande, Chairman, AES Excellent Club Governing Board, Dr Ausbeth Ajagu, and others until manufacturers adhere to standard and consumers step up efforts to go extra mile to purchase quality products Nigerian goods and services may not be able to compete at the global level.

According them, a nation will only to compete with other s when its real sector is vibrant, as it has the ability to contribute signifi-

By Olaide Adeyanju

cantly to the GDP of a growing economy.

In the 2010 Global Competitiveness Report released recently, Nigeria ranked 127 out of 139 countries and also performed poorly in the Africa Competitiveness Report released recently.

Recognising the importance of trade as a vehicle of globalisation and an enhancer of global competitiveness, AES decided to dwell on “Positioning Nigerian Goods and Services for Global Competitiveness.”

Odumodu, who was represented by the Director, Standards, Charles Okoro, said despite the efforts by SON to ensure that all goods manufactured in Nigeria and imported into the country, are of good quality more efforts from all stakeholders are needed to achieve tangible results.

“SON has been doing its best to ensure that all products that are manufactured in Nigeria and those being imported are of good quality, but we are not well funded. The government expects us to generate our own funds.

The only money we get from government is just to pay staff salaries. Apart from that, our staff at the borders are not armed. This has made them unable to face the smugglers of sub-standard products.

“Also, the situation at the nation’s ports is not making it easy for us to identify containers with sub-standard products. There is no way we can effectively check the numbers of containers with fake products at the ports without causing congestion.”

He disclosed that many manufacturing companies in Nigeria had closed down their factories due to inability to maintain standards in their production process.

Odumodu also said poor packaging of indigeneous goods has also worked against its acceptability in the international market.

•From left: Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; Head of European Foreign Investors, Mr Behgjet Pacolli; and Rep of the Oceamer Services Limited, Mr Avni Dervishi, during the signing of MoU between the Federal Government and a Consortium of Swiss and European investors, at the Ministry’s Headquarters, in Abuja

China National Petroleum proffers solution to power problem

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HINA National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) owned-Jinan Diesel Engine Company Limited (JDEC), experts in gas to power solutions, has announced that it will be providing natural gas engines, gas dual fuel engines and generating sets in Nigeria.

The company has developed a wide range of gas engines and generating sets using world advanced technology which are now available in the country through a strategic partnership agreement with Emel Advanced Power Solution (EAPS).

According to the General Manager of the Gas Engines Division of CNPC/ JDEC, Mr Qixun Song: “We are already working with several large companies who are successfully utilising our natural gas generating sets for their manufacturing units.

“We have a strong techno-commercial team on the ground and have set up a 24/7 after sales service centre dedicated to providing prompt back up and service to our customers.”

“Recognising the vast demand for gas to power solutions in Nigeria, both for IPPS as well as industrial use, we have allocated significant resources towards rap-

‘We are already working with several large companies who are successfully utilising our natural gas generating sets for their manufacturing units’

idly establishing our presence in this market.”

Commenting on CNPC JDEC’s partnership with EAPS, Head of African Division, Mr Xuejiang Sun, said: “Our partners have a strong foothold in the Nigerian market and we are leveraging their ground level expertise and infrastructure to strengthen our capability and enhance our reach. “ Through the joint efforts of our alliance, we are already equipped with a large inventory of gas engines, generating sets and spare parts and are well positioned to serve our customers at every stage of the value chain from marketing and sales to installation, technical training, operations & maintenance.”

CNPC JDEC’s high powered engines have been used successfully in several other countries for power generation.

State govts to encourage foreign direct investments

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S part of measures towards facilitating Foreign Direct In vestment (FDI), state governments across the country are seeking the review of the Land Use Act. This was one of the highpoints of the communiqué issued at the end of a two-day retreat organised by the Ministry of Trade and Investment for the 36 state commissioners of trade and investment in Abuja.

The theme of the retreat was: Creating Jobs, Generating Wealth and Enhancing Economic Growth.

In Nigeria, the Land Use Act of 1978, vests the ownership of land in the governors.

The governors are statutorily responsible for the allocation of land in their respective states while the Minister of the Federal Capital Ter-

ritory oversees the allocation of land in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

However, participants at the retreat noted that although there currently exist land registries in each state of the federation , there has been little effort on the part of the state governments to computerise such land registries.

They also expressed concern that since all transactions on land require the governor’s consent subject to registration with land registry, the process of obtaining Certificate of Occupancy is often expensive, timeconsuming and frustrating.

This situation, they said, constitutes a serious barrier to investment.

In order to remove the bottlenecks associated with the acquisition of land for investment, they stressed

an urgent need to simplify existing land procedures for effective title and consent delivery.

The communique stated : “One of the major problems militating against attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria is the current provisions of the Land Use Act. “There is an urgent need for the Federal Government to review it with a view to making it proactive, investor-friendly and easier for land

to be used as collateral.

“In order to achieve this objective, state governments should ensure speedy access to Certificates of Occupancy and Governor’s Consent to compliment the efforts of the Federal Government in facilitating investment into the country”.

It added: “The Land Registries in all the states should be digititalised; the concept of Geographical Information System as applicable in Abuja,

‘The Land Registry in all the states should be digititalised; the concept of Geographical Information System as applicable in Abuja, should be replicated in all the states’

should be replicated in all the states.

“Governors should be encouraged to delegate powers to appropriate officers in the states to approve and sign Certificates of Occupancy.

“Similarly, there is a need to prevail on the governors to create industrial layouts in all Local Government Areas of their states and also pay compensation on land acquired for investment purposes.”

Commending the efforts of the Ministry of Trade and Investment towards facilitating the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country, participants, however, stressed the need for closer collaboration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to successfully drive the Transformation Agenda of the current administration.

18

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Fuel subsidy bogey • The removal, while welcome, does not address the basic problem

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HE proposed plan by government to remove fuel subsidy is over heating the polity, creating in the process unnecessary distractions. The proposal, whatever the intentions of government, good or bad, does not take due cognizance of the Nigerian realities of rampant poverty, intractable unemployment and rampaging insecurity. Added to these facts is glaring official inefficiencies in the management of petroleum matters in the nation.

We consider as official insolence against suffering Nigerian masses the proposed pump price increment from N65 per litre to N195 per litre. We ask; where is the empathy for the suffering people of Nigeria who, despite the afflictions of unimaginable poverty, still rely on fuel to do everything both domestic and official.

Clearly, those goading President Goodluck Jonathan to embark on this expedition are definitely enemies of the Nigerian state.

Those behind this detrimental idea, especially the governors and several presidential aides, must have closed their

‘Actually, it is the independent marketers and some highly placed government officials and their cronies who feed fat on this avoidable greedy situation. This comes by way of what is called round tripping’

minds to certain salient realities.

Obviously, they are only interested in the revenues that would accrue to their state coffers from hike in price of fuel through removal of the supposed fuel subsidy.

Worse still, most governors wasted these revenues as brazen underdevelopment of infrastructure and retardation of human capital reign in states across the country.

The usual cliché of government incurring trillions of naira through yearly spendings on fuel subsidy has been on since the military era in the country. The same old mantra is what President Jonathan’s administration is relying upon to excessively increase fuel price at this inopportune time. It was equally reported that the Federal Government spends up to N1 trillion yearly on fuel subsidies which it erroneously believes was done to help the masses.

Actually, it is the independent marketers and some highly placed government officials and their cronies who feed fat on this avoidable greedy situation. This comes by way of what is called round tripping. The marketers ship fuel to our shores and fuel subsideis accrue on them and the same shipment is taken abroad and returned for another roud of subsidies. This is criminal and exploitative. It bolsters the superfcilious lifestyles of these indolent and parastic citizens.

Moreover, the so-called previous deregulation of kerosene and diesel actually led to higher prices and nonavailability of petroleum commodities.

We believe that the same thing will happen to attempts to deregulate the

marketing of petrol.

We unequivocally deprecate any kind of planned increase in prices of petroleum products. Our investigation has shown that with more prudent official approach to fuel issues, there would not be need for fuel subsidy or the controversy currently being witnessed. For example, the problem of transport and landing cost element would have been obviated if Nigeria’s aging and mal-functioning refineries were to be working at full capacity.

Regretfully too, importers even build in questionable financing charges to arrive at outrageous landed cost of a litre of fuel.

There are also avoidable logistic hiccups at the port with cost-consequences.

Surprisingly, all these facts are not alien to government since it has heaps of reports detailing what ought to be done to eradicate the problems of fuel pricing and scarcity in the country. The government must tell the nation what happened to past reports of committees on the petroleum sector. It is also imperative that it tells the concerned public of the country why monies spent on Turn-Around-Maintenance (TAM) in the last four years have not resulted in improved refining capacity in the nation’s refineries. President Jonathan should also let Nigerians know who has been punished if the epileptic conditions of the refineries was a consequence of sabotage.

We demand for fair price of fuel but such must be affordable and must exclude official inefficiencies. But we doubt if this government is interested in achieving this hard reality.

Allocation row • NNPC should not operate above the law

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IKE a bad coin, the matter of the N450 billion owed the federation account by the Nigerian National Petroluem Corporation (NNPC) keeps popping up. Like it was nearly three years ago when it first blew into the open, it seems fresh as ever - unresolved. At last Friday’s meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting, it resurfaced– to force the suspension of the monthly revenue sharing exercise.

To say that we are surprised that the NNPC has not paid up the amount in question would be an understatement. We had thought that the dispute was over after NNPC admitted to the shortfall with a promise to refund same to the federation account. That is nearly two years since. Except other issues that have cropped up between then and now to make it change its mind – which members of the FAAC are entitled to be informed – we can only put the failure to either negligence or bad faith on its part.

Although it tends to behave like a supra-executive body – accountable to no one but itself – the NNPC needs to be reminded that it is merely an agency of the federal government – at best an exploration and trading agency of the federal government – overseeing the collection of crude revenues due to the federation account. Because, the two tiers of

government jointly own whatever revenue that is declared, the corporation ought to see itself as primarily answerable to them as cobeneficiaries.

Beyond the dispute over the N450 billion, what the current row does however is to expose a more fundamental malaise of the corporation. Just because the corporation has tended – in years – to see itself as answerable only to the President and whoever answers to the title of Petroleum Minister– first under the military and later under civilian democratic regimes – it has often operated outside of the strictures of the law. Not only has the corporation remained unyielding to demands to throw open its books to its stakeholders and Nigerians as a whole, its operating budget has remained also something of a mystery – known only to its cult of operatives.

Needless to state that this is what informs its modus operandi of deducting whatever it deems fit as operating costs before remitting whatever it considers due to the federation account. This apparently underlies the belief that states should not be privy to details of costs and how they are arrived at.

As it is, additional issues which cropped up may have helped fuel the latest rage. For instance, FAAC alleges that NNPC lifted crude oil in excess of what was approved for it.

Specifically, it accused the corporation of lifting 1,240,592 and 2,938,879 barrels for the months of May and June –said to be higher than its actual approvals for the period.

There were also disputes on what the corporation deducted as oil subsidy – as there were also insinuations that it was in excess of what was appropriated.

There is nothing to suggest that the position of the 36 states finance commissioners lack merit. The matter seems clear enough; it is bye-product of NNPC’s intransigence. FAAC should press for the refund of the money as agreed while insisting on more transparent rendition of the accounts of the corporation. We are not aware of any provision in the 1999 Constitution which makes the states junior partners when it comes to sharing from the distributable pool. Nothing, therefore, appears to us as unreasonable in their demand to be paid what is legitimately theirs.

‘There is nothing to suggest that the position of the 36 states finance commissioners lack merit. The matter seems clear enough; it is byeproduct of NNPC’s intransigence’

A heedless rush for Palestinian statehood

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AHMOUD ABBAS acknowledged Monday what many Palestinians and Arab leaders concluded long ago: The result of his plan to pursue U.N. ratification of Palestinian statehood will be more hardship for the people of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Congress may terminate U.S. aid, causing an instant economic crisis; Israel is hinting at retaliation, ranging from the withholding of tax funds to the annexation of its West Bank settlements. At worst, demonstrations being orchestrated by Mr. Abbas to support the statehood initiative will get out of hand, producing a violent confrontation with Israel.

As for the statehood proposal itself, it will be voted down or vetoed by the United States in the U.N. Security Council, if it is ever taken up.

Abbas could then appeal to the General Assembly, which could upgrade Palestine to a nonmember status comparable to that of the Vatican, allowing it to join some international agencies and maybe the International Criminal Court. Yet taking advantage of those forums to challenge Israel will not win Palestinians a state — only more Israeli enmity.

The Obama administration and its European allies have engaged in a frantic wave of diplomacy whose product would be to save Palestinians from their leaders’ latest self-defeating scheme. Of course, Israel also stands to lose from the U.N. votes, which together with deteriorating relationships with Egypt and Turkey could leave it more isolated than at any time in decades. The United States, too, could pay a price in the Arab world if it is forced to veto a statehood resolution — though Palestine has not been a central concern of the mass movements of the Arab Spring.

So far, the rescue mission appears to be making little headway. Mr. Abbas, who at 76 has announced his intention to retire next year, has little incentive to abandon an initiative that, in the form of a General Assembly resolution, could provide him with a superficial political legacy — and save him from embracing the painful concessions that would be needed for an agreement with Israel. Attempts by former British prime minister Tony Blair to formulate a statement by the European Union, United States and Russia that could serve as the basis for new Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have foundered in part because of the Palestinian refusal to accept language describing Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people. European proposals for a compromise General Assembly initiative have met similar resistance.

Israel shares responsibility for the developing crisis: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been too slow to embrace reasonable terms for Palestinian statehood. However, the issue that caused a rift last spring between President Obama and Mr. Netanyahu — defining a Palestinian state according to Israel’s 1967 borders, with land swaps — has receded. Mr. Netanyahu now appears ready to accept the principle, provided a recognition that Israel will not return to the 1967 lines. Were he serious about achieving statehood, Mr. Abbas would seize on that point — which he defined as critical just months ago — and proceed with negotiations about drawing a border. Instead, he appears likely to stick with his grand gesture — and to let Palestinians pay the price.

– Washington Post

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

“ Yes INDEED “

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IR: I reside in one of the cities in Nigeria that has a pool of fuel stations owned by both the major and independent marketers and purchase fuel at the so-called subsidised rate of N65.00 per litre.

However, during the last yuletide, when I took a voyage to visit my kith and kin, I realized that fuel is sold at N110.00 per litre in Kirenowa and N120.00 per litre in Baderi all settlements in Marte Local Government area of Borno State.

You will agree with me that there are more Nigerians living in the rural areas than there are those living in the urban centres and the so called subsidy of fuel is not felt by them when you consider the fact that they buy the product at about 100 percent more than the regulated pump price of N65.00 per litre.

When I came back from my voyage I became interested in the de-

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Another view on petroleum subsidy bate on the fuel subsidy in Nigeria and listened to various stakeholders on this very important issue. On one hand Nigerian Labour Congress is insisting that the subsidy on fuel should not be removed as it will further pauperise the Nigerian workers. The historic mistrust of government arising from a poor record of financial accountability has remained a major source of the general resistance to the removal of the subsidies

Government on its part is saying that the subsidy is a burden on its shoulders and will want to deregulate the petroleum sector. Former chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum now member of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Bukola Saraki once stated that four billion dollars ($4.00 Billion) was spent on fuel subsidy alone per annum.

Some might want to know what this subsidy is all about. The Petro-

leum Subsidy Fund (PSF) is a pool of funds from the national budget set aside for the stabilization of the domestic prices of petroleum products so that volatility in international crude and product prices does not translate in to high volatility in prices of fuel at the pump.

Government has put in place two agencies to ensure uniform pricing: the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF): established in 1973 to ensure that petroleum products are sold at

Killer phone number rumour: matters arising IR: The country is always awash with one rumour or the other. Sometimes, one begins to wonder what those in charge of information dissemination in the country are doing. Is it that they are deriving a kind of joy from the many alleged rumours of some environmental/health challenges?

Even among the most primitive rural communities, there are ways of getting to the root of rumours.

The leaders will summon each and every one and agree on a particular measure to adopt to get at the truth.

But modern Nigeria is a different ball game. As soon as rumours die down, leaders are soon to forget the particular issue (rumour) that caused panic among its citizens. No one cares again to find out whether or not there facts in it.

For instance, the issue of killer beans was just treated as one of those things. No one cared to investigate to find out the true position of things. It was swept under the carpet.

Not long ago, the rumour of acid rain threw many into panic. The latest from the rumour mill was the alleged killer number (09141) on Wednesday September 14. It caused no little stir among members of the public.

Many sent text messages across to their loved ones, charging them not to answer or reply any call

S

from a five digit number, especially 09141. In fact, all network providers in the country raked in more money to their coffers due to the repeated calls and text messages, warning against any five digit number. There was even rumoured deaths in some part of the country.

Though the Federal Government, through NCC’S spokesman, Ruben Mouka, later reacted saying that it was “unimaginable that somebody will die while receiving a call”, citizens were already in panic. His assurance that only very gullible people would believe such rumour did little to allay fears.

Cases like this demand strong federal investigation to prevent

future occurrence. Should things continue this way, many people may be sceptical should there be genuine information to alert members of the public against a particular outbreak or development.

If rumours of whatever nature is being peddled, the NCC and others should see it as a matter of duty, and carry out well informed public enlightenment campaign, to press down their claims. Issuing a public statement about the alleged five digit killer number is not out of place, but concerned authorities should learn how to add colour to issues.

It is important also that NCC and those who are saddled with infor-

mation/communication control/ management tighten its grip on all network providers in the country for proper scrutiny.

Whether acid rain, killer beans or toxic number, let there be a deliberate attempt by the concerned authorities to unmask those behind the act. They should also see the actions of the unseen hands as sabotage and should urgently adopt a radical approach that will permanently prevent future occurrence, if the business of information/communication management means any thing to them.

• King Onunwor, Port Harcourt

uniform prices through out the country and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) established in 2003 to monitor and regulate the supply and distribution and determine the prices of petroleum products in Nigeria.

However, a study carried out by the Strategic Union of Professionals for the Advancement of Nigeria (SUPAN) in 2005 arrived at the price of refined petrol at N31.50 per litre while the pump price is N65.00 per litre. There is a profit of thirty three naira fifty kobo (N33.50) per litre which is a margin of 106%.

They further stated that for imported petrol, unnecessary additional costs are incurred: international crude oil sale and profit margin, transportation costs of products from source country to Nigeria, port charges, taxes and export duties at source country, insurance costs for transportation, brokerage costs for agents etc.

To improve domestic supply and reduce cost, the following can be considered: maximise existing local refining capacity utilization (average capacity utilization of the three refineries was 22% as at 2008), increase local refining capacity by building additional refineries, improve Joint Venture crude oil development and production efficiency to reduce costs Essentially, total deregulation of the downstream sector is the ultimate panacea since in the long term competition will drive down prices and the proceeds from the subsidy could be judiciously invested for the good of the common man.

• Engr. Idris jibrin Adewole Industrial Estate Ilorin Kwara State

Boko Haram: failure of leadership

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IR: I wish to use your reputable national daily to air my views on this issue of Boko Haram scourge and the general state of insecurity in Nigeria. Nigeria is gradually becoming Dante’s infernal territory. The Hobbesian depiction of life becoming nasty, short and brutish due to ceaseless ‘war’ of all against all in that imaginary jungle called ‘state of nature’ is now “live” in Nigeria.

Nigerians now live at the mercies of the merchants of pain, terror and

death because of the indefinable creed of a sect that has turned Nigeria to a hellhole. Nobody knows who the next victim will be.

Governance is on sabbatical and the raison d’etre of Nigerian state is being audaciously assailled and challenged, unchallenged. The helplessness of Nigerians is compounded in the perception of this arrangee government of its leadership failure.

This government is clueless,rudderless, directionless and is overwhelmed by ineptitude, incompetence and inertia. Today

Nigeria has abdicated her territory to bloodthirsty feuding marauders in boko haramists, armed robbers, oil pirates, kidnappers, political thugs and the notorious street urchins, also known as area boys.

The Jonathan administration seems to extremely overwhelmed in all sectors of national life. In the face of the onslaugt of all shades criminal gangs and sects, the presidency must urgently order the security chiefs, the head of the army, the IGP, the head of the SSS and others who draw tax-payers money as

salaries monthly for the sole purpose of securing us to buckle up and be proactive in tackling the boko haram menace and other security challenges facing Nigeria now or be shown the way out if they are incompetent.

The buck stops at the president’s table. The president must act now otherwise it would seem there is presidential leadership failure.

• Akinrolabu Babatunde Omonitan, lkeji-lle ljesa, Osun State.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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EDITORIAL/OPINION

Nigeria and the curse of elections – 3

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HE war years saw the failure of several attempts to unite the various political movements, until the Nigerian Union of Students (NUS) formed in 1939 put pressure on leaders through mobilization of its members.

The NUS called a conference in August 1944 in Lagos of all organizations including the NYM which declined, for the purpose of organising a national council, to, in their own words “weld the heterogeneous masses of Nigeria into one solid block.” On August 26, 1944, the inaugural meeting of the conference was held and it resolved: “Believing our country is rightfully entitled to liberty and prosperous life…. And determined to work in unity for the realization of our ultimate goal of self government within the British Europe, we hereby bind ourselves together forming the Nigerian National Council.”

Herbert Macaulay was elected President and Nnamdi Azikiwe the General Secretary. This was not a political party but a rally of several organizations including even tribal unions. The name subsequently became National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) because Cameroonian associations in Lagos such as Bamenda Improvement Association, The Bakweri Union and the Cameroon Youth League joined the council. The NCNC from 1944 to 1957 became the dominant political party in Nigeria. While this was going on, Awolowo had proceeded to the United Kingdom in 1944 to study law and had in 1947 written his seminal book Path to Nigerian Freedom magisterially advocating the federal system of government as the only workable constitution for a country with the kind of ethnic and religious plurality of Nigeria. He returned to Nigeria to organise a political party the Action Group which took a contrary position to the NCNC’s advocacy of a unitary form of government. The strength of the two political parties was first tested in 1951 and the acrimony surrounding events after the election has remained with us till today.

The election into the newly created Western Region’s House of Assembly was of historical significance partly because the two contending parties represented constrasting political thinking in that part of Nigeria. The NCNC then led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe after the demise of Herbert Macaulay, the doyen of Nigerian nationalism, saw itself as a political rally of all Nigerians, a mass movement, some sort of political hurricane sweeping British colonialism out of the way. The NCNC also liked to feel that the ethnic differences of Nigerians did not matter and that over time these differences will disappear. The story is often told of how Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe told Ahamadu Bello that Nigerians should forget their ethnic differences but Ahmadu Bello retorted that rather than I feel it is honourable to admit that things are not as they ought to be. Since the judiciary exists for the benefit of society, then the essential verdict regarding our performance must be from that which we sit to serve.

- Chief Justice Dahiru Musdapher.

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Y Lord, let me start by doff ing my hat to you for your candid admission of the rot in the judiciary. You captured succintly the mood and the feelings of the people regarding the judiciary, especially in the dying days of the tenure of your predeccesor, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu. My Lord, Justice Katsina-Alu bequeathed a rotten judiciary to you; a judiciary that was divided by suspicion and mistrust.

That is the judiciary Katsina-Alu left behind. Since you assumed office, I have been waiting to know what is your vision for this important segment of our national life. I, like many others, believe so much in the judiciary, but it must be a judiciary that is pro-active and will serve the people.

In a democratic setting like ours, the judiciary can make the difference by its robust interpretation of the laws and fearless dispensation of justice to all manner of men. In recent times, our judiciary has been found wanting because those at the helm of affairs believe that they are there to serve the interest of certain people, especially the appointing authority. This, from time immemorial, has been the bane of our judiciary.Our judiciary tends to pander to the whim of our leaders and the powerful. This has been the practice even long before your predecessor became the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) in December 2009.

Considering the controversial circumstances he came to office, one

forget their differences they should understand them.

The Action Group under its leader Obafemi Awolowo felt the ethnic differences constituted fundamental questions which could only be tackled through a confederal structure in which the ethnic reality of Nigeria was appreciated and realistically dealt with and that no matter the pretensions that they did not exist, these differences would not disappear. The 1951 elections into the three Regional Houses in Kaduna, Enugu and Ibadan was through carefully organised electoral colleges. The people as such were not voting directly for the candidates. The result of the election in the North saw the Northern People Congress (NPC) as the majority party. The NCNC easily won in the East but in the West where the A.G. emerged as winners the result was disputed. The NCNC claimed its members were bought over.

What indeed happened was that considerable number of members of the House came in as independents and went with the emerging Action Group majority. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who had been elected from Lagos and had wanted to lead the government was therefore frustrated out of the West and he went to the East and ousted Professor Eyo Ita who had emerged as the leader of the government. Thus emerged, the fissiparous tendencies and ethnic bifurcation of Southern Nigerian politics as well as ethnic bitterness between the Igbo and Yoruba political leadership up to the present time. When Obafemi Awolowo became Premier of the West, the NCNC under Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Premier in Eastern Nigeria saw it as its bounden duty to undermine the Action Group government in the West. The acrimony and political hatred was equally reciprocated in the same degree and measure. The NCNC was so formidable in the West that it always gave the Action Group a run for its money. This was simply because the NCNC had been planted from 1944 in the hearts of the Yorubas particularly in the urban centres of Lagos, Ibadan, Ijebu-Ode, Shagamu, Abeokuta, Ilesha, Oshogbo, Akure, Ondo and Ado-Ekiti, and virtually in all urban centres in the country. It became quite difficult for the Action Group to dislodge the NCNC from the psyche of the Yoruba people. Furthermore the almost innate political liberality of the Yoruba was against the idea of a tribal party which was what to many the Action Group represented. All attempts to tar the NCNC with the brush of Igbo tribalism failed because quite a few of the NCNC big wigs were Yorubas like Adegoke Adelabu the “lion of Ibadan” T.O.S. Benson of Ikorodu, Adeleke Adedoyin, scion of Shagamu Royal House, Babatunji Olowofoyeku and J.F. Fadahunsi of Ijeshaland and a host of former members of the old NYM and NNDP who found their ways into the NCNC.

O b a f e m i Awolowo’s genius lay in the way he utilised, some would say, manipulated the Yoruba traditional institutions particularly the Obas to discreetly champion the cause of the Action Group. The government which he headed in 1951 was so well run that over Jide time the A.G. received Osuntokun massive support from the rural areas and small towns and particularly from the agricultural community that benefited from enhanced commodity prices particularly the market price of cocoa. Even then this did not prevent the resurgence of the NCNC in the federal elections of 1954 when the Action Group, the governing party in the saddle at regional level, was worsted in the federal elections in the West. The fairness of the election was so obvious that there was no dispute at all. The Action Group accepted the defeat without complaining and moved on to reorganise and re-strategise for the future. This transparency was unfortunately a rarity in the electoral history of Nigeria. But it proved that the democratic practice of voting out and removing from power for whatever reasons, a ruling party, if the people so desire it is possible even in Nigeria.

‘The Action Group under its leader Obafemi Awolowo felt the ethnic differences constituted fundamental questions which could only be tackled through a confederal structure in which the ethnic reality of Nigeria was appreciated and realistically dealt with and that no matter the pretensions that they did not exist, these differences would not disappear’

Letter to Musdapher

would have expected Katsina-Alu to make a clean break with the past and carve a niche for himself as a judge who made a difference. But he ended up worst than many of his predecessor. My Lord, you were privy to all that happened under Katsina-Alu’s watch, particularly towards the end of his tenure. He threw caution to the wind at a time he should be cicumspect in handling sensitive judicial matters.

What we are wtnessing in the judiciary today is the fall out of his mishandling of an institution which is crucial to the good governance of a country.

A country, I believe, is as good as its judiciary. Where we have a rotten judiciary, the country too will be rotten. It takes the judiciary to clear the rot in a society, but when the institution itself is below par, we will all be at the mercy of our leaders who like to exhibit tyrannical tendencies. The judiciary is not referred to as the last hope of the common man for nothing. It is so-called because it is expected to be the sanctuary for the oppressd and the heavy-laden. But you saw what our judiciary turned to under the watch of your predecessor.

We all saw it. Nigerians were shocked that their CJN who should be the paragon of uprightness and truth was at home defending the indefensible and supporting what all men with good conscience will never support. As the second in command to Katsina-Alu, many believe that you should also share part of the blame.

But sir, I want to give you benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that you were hamstrung from doing anything then because you were number

As CJN, you should be your own man and not be beholden to anybody on account of your appointment. It was your turn to be made CJN and the president had no choice than to appoint you. The world is watching to see how you will discharge the functions of your office. Will you be a CJN like Katsina-Alu or one that will be remembered for good after your tenure in two years?

two and should be seen to be loyal to your boss. But then, according to Prof Wole Soyinka,’’the man dies in him that keeps silent in the face of tyranny’’. So, because Katsina-Alu exhibited traits of a tyrant as CJN, you should have called him to order. Perhaps, you did without our knowing.

The opportunity your predecessor missed, you now have to write your name in gold. My Lord, will you salvage the judiciary or compound its woes? The choice is yours to make. But for me, I will like to remember you as the CJN, who disproved cynics like me that nothing good can come out of your tenure.

You have taken the right step with your admission of the fact that the judiciary is sick. As the foremost doctor in the judiciary, pardon the pun, you have unveiled the palliative measures to be taken. The major one, you said, is to reform the sector. Your proposal of a Judicial Reform Committee (JRC) is not new. The late Gen Sani Abacha set up a similar committee headed by Justice Kayode Eso in 1993.

The report of that committee has been gathering dust wherever it is kept since it was submitted in 1994.

My Lord, calling for the Eso report will not be a bad idea. If you start from there, you will go a long way in your plan to reform the judiciary. I like the step you have taken because it tallies with the biblical injunction: ‘’Physician, heal thyself’’. Our judiciary is capable of great things if it can get its acts right. A nation, which has produced World Court judges and chief justices for countries like Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana, among others, should boast of a judiciary that is without blemish. But regretfully, we cannot for now, boast of such a judiciary. How sad. I have a strong feeling that you are also pained by this development. Your speech at the beginning of the 2011/2012 Legal Year in Abuja shows that you are fully aware of the public’s perception of the judiciary.

You seem to find it difficult to accept this perception, but then My Lord, that is the reality. Please let me refer you to an interview in The Guardian of last Tuesday wherein a former vicepresident of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Ikeazor Akaraiwe, spoke on recent happenings in the judiciary. ‘’I think the former CJN, the PDP government, President Goodluck Jonathan shot themselves in the foot in this regard (the face-off between Katsina-Alu and suspended President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Ayo Salami). My view about Salami is that he chose to complain about the CJN only at the time he was being elevated to the Supreme Court. I feel that Salami should have complained when there was an interference in his job and not at the time of elevation. ‘’Former NBA president, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), led his 13 officers (I inclusive) to separate meeetings with both men and I am astonished at some of the denials in the public domain, especially such things, which were privately admitted to us. For instance, the question of interference in the Sokoto election tribunal or not...it is left for Mr Akeredolu to speak about that. But having said that, it seems crystal clear in my opinion that the underlying reason Salami had to be removed...was because the politicians, realising the power of the judiciary to make or break, decided at all costs, to contain the judiciary...I see here a process of containment by the PDP Federal Government, scared of the Presidential Election Tribunal as well as other tribunals constituted by Salami ...We didn’t need to get to this level and I am worried that President Jonathan acted undiscerning in swearing in an acting PCA, in spite of the NBA’s advice, an association he said was his honorary legal adviser. ‘’...Jonathan should have told the NJC that he was not going to act on the removal of Salami while the case was in court. In the alternative, he could

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net

have publicly advised both Salami and Katsina-Alu to resign, eventhough CJN Katsina-Alu had but a few hours to go...By acting the way he did, with undue haste, he gave the impression that there was something more to it all...Let’s talk about vacuum...Not long ago,Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, a member of the board of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, was suspended by the board and the president...reversed the suspension, saying that proper investigations had not been carried out. If on the premises of proper investigations, Runsewe’s suspension was reversed...why was the PCA suspended with litigation ongoing and the president hurriedly swore in another person because he did not want a vacuum. This gives him out as acting in a partisan way...The politicians want to kill the last bastion of hope, the judiciary, God forbid’’.

My Lord, I have quoted Akaraiwe extensively to show that you have an Herculean task before you. As CJN, you should be your own man and not be beholden to anybody on account of your appointment. It was your turn to be made CJN and the president had no choice than to appoint you. The world is watching to see how you will discharge the functions of your office.

Will you be a CJN like Katsina-Alu or one that will be remembered for good after your tenure in two years? I will wait until then before congratulating you.

SMS ONLY: 08056504763

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION

T

OMORROW September 23, the Security Council takes a decision on President Mahmoud Abbass’ bid for UN membership for the state of Palestine. He is calling for an end to what he describes as ‘historical injustice by attaining liberty and independence like other people on earth within a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967. He has also tried to reassure all stake holders that his drive for UN recognition of a Palestinian state is not a call for the isolation of Israel .

Fewer friends of Israel believe that. Fewer still share Palestinian hopes and aspirations.

From all indications, it is obvious both the US and Britain will most certainly veto the Palestinian bid. President Obama has said several months back that a nod by the UN was not what will guarantee statehood for Palestinians. For him, the best approach is negotiating with Israel. Early this week, Mark Turner, his State department spokesman said ‘any gesture, any movement in the in New York to that end would be counterproductive to what the real focus should be, which is ‘direct negotiations between the parties’ About a week ago, David Cameron of Britain echoed the same sentiments. To him UN nod will be symbolic and cannot guarantee the creation of a state for Palestinians. Europe, the major actor in the Middle East debacle has similarly distanced the organization from Abbass’ bid. Catherine Ashton, the body’s foreign policy chief, has made it clear that the European Union will ‘continue to believe that a constructive solution that can gather as much support as possible and allow for resumption of negotiation is the best and only way to deliver the peace and the two state solution the Palestinian people want’.

This is an admission of failure of old strategies by the West that created the Middle East crisis. It is an end to hypocrisy of dubious peace makers after prolonging the travails of both Israelis and Palestinians for over 60 years. It is a challenge to both warring first cousins that have reduced the Middle East to a land of pain and blood for their children. It is a call for self re-examination by cousins who in spite of their immense contribution to world of civilisation in terms of advancement in arts, science and commerce, exhibit worst base instincts of man.

The Jews and Palestinians must realize that they are not just first cousins, but that they

I

S Nigeria a failed State? This is the big question which keen observers following happenings in Nigeria have asked severally, in view of the palpable fear that has gripped the nation, due to the high level of insecurity. Although, Nigeria may not have reached the unenviable status of Somalia, regrettably, the present state of things in the country seems to be pointing steadily towards the direction of a failed state.

What with the worsening economic fortunes characterized by widespread hunger and poverty in the land, coupled with the rising rate of insecurity of lives and property, including the sporadic and incessant riots and killings in Jos and other parts of Northern Nigeria, the Boko Haram debacle; acts of terrorism and violence, bombings, killings, arms proliferations, murders, assassinations, kidnappings, robberies and other forms of violent crimes and social vices.

To crown it all, the government has been flouting or skirting around the constitution and duly enacted laws of the land! All these are symptoms of a failed state and symptomatic of a leadership failure. What further proofs do we need that we are gradually degenerating and heading towards a failed state?

In simple terms, a failed state is a state of chaos and lawlessness: a “jungle society” where anything and everything goes, and in which citizens live in fear almost on a daily basis, as crimes and other violent acts are constantly committed, perpetrated and perpetuated with impunity and there seems to be no bona fide government in control or the government seems to be helpless in arresting the situation.

The first and primary duty of any responsible and responsive government to its citizens is that of ensuring the security of lives

‘A leadership without a clear vision backed by action is an illusion. So, where you have a visionless leadership, no meaningful progress can be made by such a nation’

Palestinian UN membership bid both suffer from the same afflictions. They are obstinate, unforgiving rebellious. They both adhere strictly to the Jewish Torah injunction of ‘an eye for an eye’. Their brutality against each other could only have been surpassed by that of the Romans, their overlords or the Germans, their nemesis. For admonishing them against rebelliousness, their most illustrious son, Jesus Christ was murdered. Asked by Pontius Pilate why they were bent on killing an innocent man who was called ‘the King of the Jews’, by others, the obdurate and seditious Jews chorused, “May his blood be on us and on our children’ Until 1948, Israel’s unilateral declaration of independence, a move encouraged by the West to atone for their sins against Israel, both first cousins had been supportive of each other. In AD 66, they jointly massacred the Romans in Jerusalem and both were at the receiving end of Rome’s well known brutality in AD 70. The Palestinians for centuries successfully played the role of caring and accommodating cousins. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, the Palestinians came to the rescue of their homeless first cousins. After the pogroms of 1881 in Europe, it was to Ottoman ruled Palestinian that the Jews fled. Much later, Palestine was also on hand to receive over 40 thousand Jews fleeing from Kishinev pogrom and still more, fleeing from holocaust and Narcism, who were rejected by Europe and other parts of the world, including Africa.

The Jews and the Palestinians might be victims of generational curse, but their real tragedy has been prolonged by outsiders.

First, the desert and the ‘valley of death’ they

call home, have at different periods been envy of the Assyrians, Babylonian, Persian, Greeks, Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire from whom Arab seized the land. But since after the First World War, the tragedy of the Jews and Palestinians have been greatly aggravated by the West that claim to love Jews more than the Jews instead of admitting indirect atonement for their thousand years of anti Semitism especially by Spain, Portugal, France and Germany that incinerated six million Jews ostensibly in retaliation for Jews’ murder of their own illustrious son, Jesus Christ.

The Arabs that cannot liberate themselves but claim to love Palestinians than Palestinians are as guilty as the dubious western peace makers. Turkey a few days ago accused Israel of behaving like the spoilt child of the West and of constituting itself to major impediments against the resolution of Middle East crisis. But Turkey is as guilty as other self serving Middle East peace makers. Turkey has been a close collaborator and supporter of Israel in the last 50 years. But now it is convenient for Turkey’s Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, to build on anti Israel sentiments of Arab youths in search of a leader following the popular uprising that has decimated Arab leadership.

European nations found themselves in a moral dilemma after making Europe hell on earth for the Jews. They arranged the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) which recommended the partitioning of Palestine into two states, Palestine and Israel.

On May 14, 1948, a day to the expiration of the British mandate, Israel proclaimed her

State of insecurity and leadership failure

By Kayode Oluwa and property. Where this is lacking, such a government has evidently failed in its primary role and constitutional duty.

Therefore, a government that cannot protect its citizens and guarantee security of lives and property is a failed government.

Concomitantly, a failed government or leadership can only lead to a failed state.

According to a former American president, Franklin Deleno Roosevelt, “there are four essential freedoms: The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want. The fourth is freedom from fear”. However, in Nigeria today, there is palpable fear in the land due to the high spate of violent crimes and terrorist activities and the attendant insecurity to lives and property.

The spate of terrorist attacks and bomb blasts by the sectarian sect called Boko Haram in the northern part of the country and more especially the bomb attack on the United Nations office building complex in Abuja has further heightened and exacerbated the state of insecurity in the land. It must be said, however, that in real terms, security is not just about intelligence gathering, crime prevention and eradication. It is much more than that. I am of the school of thought that there are three basic fundamentals which are sine qua non to attaining effective security, namely the provision of food, education and job creation (employment) without which security, peace and harmony cannot be meaningfully guaranteed.

According to the legendary philosopher, Aristotle “poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. Where some people are very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will be either extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy, or despotism will come from either of those excesses”.

In the words of William Cowper Brown

“No man can be a patriot on an empty stomach”. The situation where majority of the people are poor and hungry and a lot of the youths are jobless and unemployed, will definitely result in high rate of crime and criminalities. It has been established, especially in the recent case of the London riots, that most violent crimes are usually perpetrated by those who are jobless or with little or no education. People without jobs or with little or no education tend to have little or no hope about the future and are, therefore, ready to jeopardize their future by getting involved in many untoward and criminal tendencies. And because they are ignorant, jobless and hopeless, they are easily teleguided, misguided, manipulated and lured into all sorts of mischief and violent crimes by some self-serving elites and leaders in the society for their own myopic selfish interests and personal ambitions. Theses elites and leaders could be political leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, business leaders and some other powerful interest groups who may have one grievance, grouse or grudge against the authorities in power.

Let me, however, say that the problem of security cannot be effectively address or tackled by the government or the political leadership alone, neither can it be resolved by police or military action. It is a collective responsibility of the society which requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders.

Therefore, when we talk about failure of leadership, we are not just referring to the government or political leadership alone. It refers to leadership at all levels. For example, it is the failure of religious leaders to effectively control their worshippers and adherents that will cause some misguided elements under the toga or guise of religion to perpetrate all sorts of evil, barbaric and dastardly acts including terrorist attacks all

independence within the borders as set out within the partition plan. US President Harry Truman, to cover up the shame of the West, immediately recognized the state of Israel while the unthinking Arabs declared war against Israel and by inference, against a world power. At the end of the war, Arab states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria divided among themselves what was left of the UN planned Palestinian state after Israel had also secured more territories including the all important Sinai Peninsula.

With the West at their wits end, and the Arabs caught up in the web of their intrigue and massive exploitation that has reduced people without hope to unthinking followers of Osama Bin Laden, I think it is time the Palestinians accept that Netanyahu, even in his madness has spoken the truth to the effect that armistice can only be on the terms of the victorious. Palestinians should acknowledge their defeat by their cousins, recognize their rights to exist and denounce terror having realized they and their first cousins are both merchants of violence. In any case even among the suffering and traumatized Palestinians, societal attitudes are changing.

In a poll carried out by Palestinian Center for Public Opinion in May this year, 32.1% favoured negotiated settlement with Israel while 42.5% opposed violence against Israel.

Netanyahu, like Ben Gurion, has only one life even if they are not touched by the sufferings of their first cousins who have been reduced to refugees after Israel’s confiscation of their land. But it is a burden educated Israeli youths are not going to live with for long. For now, let Palestinians accept the challenge of one of their own, the slippery, horrid hawk called Benjamin Netanyahu that ‘‘peace is not achieved by a unilateral approach to the UN and not by association with HAMAS terror organization; peace will only be attained by direct negotiation with Israel”

‘‘Peace is not achieved by a unilateral approach to the UN and not by association with HAMAS terror organisation; peace will only be attained by direct negotiation with Israel” in the name of religion. Also, it is the failure of intelligence gathering on the part of the security, police and military leadership that they cannot be pro-active enough to effectively address the problem of insecurity to the extent that various violent crimes including bomb blasts, killings and assassinations have continued unabated without being nipped in the bud and perpetrators apprehended and brought to book. Similarly, it is the failure of the leadership in the judiciary that suspected criminals are not prosecuted and brought to justice speedily to serve as deterrent to others with criminal intents.

The progress and development of any nation depends more on the character of its leadership (good governance) and not mere statements of intents (vision this, vision that), emotional sentiments or good intentions of the leadership. A leadership without a clear vision backed by action is an illusion. So, where you have a visionless leadership, no meaningful progress can be made by such a nation. Our leaders have to learn and start taking decisions on what is best for the country rather than their self-serving interests.

I believe and wish to submit that if and when we get the issue of leadership right, every other thing – including the issue of security and the much touted issue of restructuring the federation – will automatically and naturally fall into place.

This is because it takes a visionary, bold and courageous leadership with a strong political will to identify the problems – including issues like structural imbalances/ restructuring (and the need for a sovereign national conference), corruption, nepotism as well as other socio-economic and political challenges confronting the nation – and forge ahead to tackle them head long without fear or favour. But, when you have a lame duck in the saddle of leadership, you cannot expect any meaningful progress in terms of development. Therefore, unless and until we successfully address the challenge of leadership, the country can never move forward.

• Oluwa, President, Academy for Leadership and Change Management wrote in from Lagos.

NATIONALITY DISPUTE

FEDERATION CUP FINAL

Pg. 24

Amadu worried over NFF, Lagos, plan for grand finale Ameobi, Moses Pg. 41

Nation Thursday, September 22, 2011

PAGE 23

FIFA/COCA-COLA WORLD RANKING Pg. 24

•Kalu Uche

Nigeria drops to 43rd

Now fifth in Africa Spain returns to top spot

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

24

41

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

FEDERATION CUP FINAL

FIFA/COCA-COLA WORLD RANKING

NFF, Lagos, plan for grand finale

Nigeria drops to 43rd

T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Lagos State Government have concluded plans to make the grand finale of this year’s Federation Cup competition a memorable one.

Officials announced on Tuesday that the grand finale will be preceeded by a range of activities, including a tour of media houses planned for Thursday to showcase the trophies, as well as a novelty football match between officials of the Nigeria

•Gov Fashola

Football Federation and the Nigeria Premier League as curtain raiser on the big day.

The grand finale of the 66th Federation Cup competition will take place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Sunday, 25th September, 2011. The competition started in 1945 – same year as the foundation of the football-governing body in the country- and has failed to hold only in 1973, when Nigeria hosted the 2nd All-Africa Games.

Ocean Boys FC of Brass will clash with Bayelsa United FC of Yenagoa in the third place match starting at 2pm, while last year’s runners-up and CAF Champions League semi finalists Enyimba FC of Aba tackle Heartland FC of Owerri in the final match starting at 4pm.

NFF’s Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi confirmed on Tuesday that Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, chairman of the Osun State Football Association, a former NFF Executive Committee member and the immediate past chairman of NFF Technical Committee, will be Match Commissioner for the third place match between Ocean Boys and

Bayelsa United. Ogunjobi is also a former Secretary General of the NFF. For the final match, between Enyimba FC and Heartland, Chief Kunle Adesiyun will be the Match Commissioner.

The coordination meeting for both matches will take place at the Conference Room of the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Saturday by 4pm, with the four participating teams expected to storm Lagos by Friday.

Sports-loving Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State will be chief host while the Honourable Minister/Chairman, National Sports Commission, Hon. Yusuf Suleiman will be special guest of honour.

Nigeria’s Football Ambassador Nwankwo Kanu, a number of exinternationals and some outstanding names from past Federation Cup (formerly FA Cup) competitions, including the talismanic former goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala, have been invited to grace the occasion.

There will also be former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries, as well as Chairmen of State Football Associations of the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.

• Now fifth in Africa • Spain returns to top spot

N

IGERIA has again dropped five steps in the latest FIFA/ Coca-Cola ranking, sliding from the 38th position to the 43rd spot.

The Super Eagles are also fifth in Africa with the likes of Cote d’ Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal and lowly rated Burkina Faso, toppling Nigeria on the log.

This drop maybe unconnected with the 1-3 loss to Argentina in the International friendly in Bangladesh

By Innocent Amomoh at the last FIFA free day.

However, after just one month, the Netherlands (2nd, down 1) had to relinquish first place to Spain (1st, up 1), that returned to the top spot.

With England having taken a tumble (8th, down 4), Germany (3rd, unchanged) now sit directly above Uruguay (4th, up 1), who occupy their highest-ever position

on the global ladder. Other movers towards the summit were Portugal (5th, up 3), Italy (6th, up 1) and Brazil (7th, down 1).

Elsewhere in the top 50, Switzerland (18th, up 12), BosniaHerzegovina (22nd, up 17), Hungary (27th, up 18) and Armenia (44th, up 27) all made good progress.

Outside the top 50, meanwhile, no fewer than six teams leaped more than 20 places Estonia (58th, up 28), Sierra Leone (68th, up 24), Wales (90th, up 27), Togo (95th, up 26), Namibia (119th, up 24) and Nicaragua (155th, up 24). In addition, Papua New Guinea reentered the Ranking in 187th place.

NATIONALITY DISPUTE

Mmadu clears air over Amadu worried over appearance report

Ameobi, Moses

N

IGERIA Football Federation (NFF) General Secretary Musa Amadu has expressed worry over the continued delay of changing the nationality of the duo of Shola Ameobi and Victor Moses by FIFA. According to the scribe, all documentation on the change of nationality has been completed, while they still await FIFA to give the final nod “we have sent to FIFA all the documents relating to the issue. The English FA has written to say that they have no problem with both players playing for their fatherland having

B

Kalu wants Kanu at FA Cup final

A

S Enyimba and Heartland warm up for Sunday’s Federation Cup final, former Abia state governor Orji Uzor Kalu’s dream is to see Admiral (rtd) Ndubuisi Kanu in the State Box. Kanu, first military governor of old Imo state who facilitated the birth of both clubs in 1976 when he lured National Sports Commission (NSC) boss Jerry Enyeazu to Owerri.

In Kalu’s words,”I am excited that Enyimba and Heartland will meet for the first time in a national grand finale. Perhaps not many know that it was the foresight of Admiral Kanu that produced both Clubs. I would want him applauded at the stadium.”

Kalu said,” What Kanu did was unusual. He wrote a personal letter to Enyeazu pleading with him to leave his exalted job of NSC Director for that of Imo state. Enyeazu was moved by Kanu’s boldness, and accepted the offer.”

When Enyeazu hit Owerri,he set out to form a football club. But ended up doing something unique.

“Players came from far and near.Harrison Mecha, Rangers, Alphonsus Dike, Kevin Onwana, John Nwadioha, Aham Umelo, Vasco,Tony Ukeachu, Eugene Ohuabunwa, Sid Ugorji, Sharks, from the north, Goddy Ebomuche, Peter Mgbachi and even non-Nigerians Emiliano Momokobo and Lyonga Nangoh arrived. Enyeazu did want to boost the Labour market,he formed two clubs instead of one. And Kanu promptly okayed Spartans (today’s Heartland) of Owerri and Enyimba,” Kalu explained.

Enyeazu had founded Rangers in 1970.

He would later create Grasshoppers handall club. Kalu hopes Heartland boss Fan Ndubuoke would educate both clubs on Kanu and Enyeazu.

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri NationSport that the team left for Lagos about five days to the match to ensure that proper acclimatization is done ahead of the epic final.

“We are already in Lagos and we will have about five full days of intense training in Lagos. The players and the officials have since relocated to a place where they will not be distracted ahead of the final.

“We are ready for it and we are promising Enyimba a good match on Sunday. This is our cup and we shall do everything within our reach to get the Cup.” Ndubuoke enthused.

In the same vein, Enyimba FC Midfieder, Eneji Otekpa also confirmed same to NationSport and he expressed the determination of the Peoples Elephant to win the Federation

Cup after the near miss of the team in 2010 to Kaduna United in the final.

•Chibuzor Okonkwo

Build team around local players, NFF charges Eguavoen

T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday, charged National Under-23 coach Austin Eguavoen to build his team for the forthcoming eight Nations Olympic championship billed for Egypt in November around players from the home front.

Eguavoen on Tuesday saw his Olympics championship qualifying programme approved by the technical committee of the Federation after over two hours of probing by the Barrister Chris Green led committee.

“We are happy that the coach has

•Eguavoen

learnt from the mistakes that denied us a ticket for the 10th All Africa games. And as such we have told him to build a formidable team around players from the home front” declared Barrister Chris Green.

“This is not to say that we would not welcome the foreign based players but we will not be banking on them because the tournament is not in FIFA’s calendar and as such clubs are at liberty to release players” he said.

He added, that “as a Federation we will do all within our powers to persuade clubs to avail us the needed players; that is why we have commissioned Coach Eguavoen to visit some of the club directors and discuss their possible release”.

Dream Team V spokesperson, Arafat Aliu confirmed that the team will resume camping in Abuja on the 2nd October.

Coach Austin Eguavoen will use the next FIFA free window which is between 7th to 11th October to visit players in Europe.

The second and final Phase of camping will hold from 7- 20th November in either Turkey of Portugal while the team will depart for Cairo on the 22nd of November.

The Maiden edition of the CAF 8 Nations Olympic qualifier championship will run from November 26 to December 10.

Hosts Egypt, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa are the eight participating.

played for England at the junior level.

We have taken the documents to FIFA and we are expecting them to give us a feedback, which is exactly what is holding back the two boys to play for Nigeria”. He said that they remain confidence that the players would freed soon to enable them play for Nigeria.

Both players have been invited severally by Samson Siasia, but have not been given.

Eagles’ call excites Ujah

S

UPER Eagles, new invitee Ugochukwu Ukah has expressed happiness on the invitation extended to him by Coach Samson Siasia, saying that he would surely justify his inclusion.

Speaking from his base in Poland,

Onyewu scores Enyimba, Heartland hit Lagos for Fed Cup final in Sporting’s win OTH Enyimba International of Aba and Heartland FC of Owerri have both arrived Lagos for a close camping exercise ahead of the Sunday final match of the 2011 Federation Cup billed for the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The two Oriental teams got to Lagos Tuesday night and have since relocated for last minute preparation toward making meaningful impact in grand finale.

The General Manager of Heartland FC, Fan Ndubuoke in a chat told

From Andrew Abah, Abuja

N

OT far removed from his first start for new club Sporting CP, U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu now has his first goal for the team. The big defender rose up above the crowd to head home a corner kick in the 74th minute of Sporting’s 3-2 road win against Rio Ave in the Portuguese Liga Sagres.

Sporting had been leading 2-0, but the hosts fought back to tie the game before Onyewu scored the eventual winner.

Onyewu’s goal came in his third straight start and sixth appearance overall in the Sporting first team.

With the team qualifying for the Europa League group stage, the defender is likely to see more playing time as Sporting looks to negotiate multiple competitions.

The goal and continued regular playing time could also put him on the radar of U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The German coach has not called up Onyewu, who has six goals and 60 caps for the United States, since his appointment at the end of July.

Onyewu was called up by previous coach Bob Bradley for the U.S. team in the 2011 Gold Cup that eventually lost the final to Mexico, but did not feature in the tournament due to lingering questions over form and fitness. His most recent appearance for the U.S. was in a Gold Cup tuneup game, a 4-0 loss to Spain on June 4.

From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja the Abia State born six feet defender, “I am so excited that I am receiving an invitation to play for my country for the first. I think this is an opportunity to prove to my country men that I have all it takes to make the difference in the senior national team”.

He said that the invitation is the most exciting thing that would happen to his career. The Widzew Lodz of Poland player expressed confidence on the ability of the Super Eagles to turn the table against the Sylis stars of Guinea when both teams meet in Abuja on October 8 at the Abuja National Stadium.

He said that the 2pm time would not be a hindrance to the Super Eagles who are trailing the Guinea by three points from same matches.

E

X-SUPER Falcons midfielder, Maureen Mmadu has debunked a report in the media which disputed the 102 record games she played for the Nigeria’s senior female national team before she retired from international football after the 2007 Women’s World Cup held in the USA. Speaking exclusively with NationSport from Norway, the former international disclosed that whoever seems confused about the number of matches she played for the Super Falcons should consult the Federation of International football Association (FIFA) for the right facts.

Mmadu queried the brain behind the report which suggests she had lower than the over 100 caps the record showed and dared such ones to come out with genuine proofs if it will stand the test of time.

The one-time Lorkoping of Norway player affirmed that she joined the Falcons in around February, 1993 during a Qualifier against Sierra Leone and was ever present in all the games the team played before she hung her boots in 2007 after the World Cup held in the USA. “ I am really gutted by this very report. It is misleading and a fabrication of the highest order. I don’t know where they got their facts but for me I knew I played my first game for the Super Falcons in 1993 and I was always in the team until I retired in 2007. I have over 100 matches I played and the records are there to authenticate my pronouncement.

“These ones are enemies of progress.

FIFA is there to get the real truth and I don’t think I have any issues with anybody at all. They are saying this because I have been recognized by

FIFA. It doesn’t move me a bit and it has not stopped the love I have for the game I played with so much passion.”

It would be recalled that the internet was awash with a report monitored by a research conducted by one German Women Football Specialist, Hennies Rainer which stated that Mmadu played over 50 matches less than the numbers of matches credited to her dating back from 1995 till 2007 when she exited from the Nigeria’s Female team.

The report came at the heel of recognition of Mmadu by World Football Governing Body into the prestigious FIFA Century Club meant for players who have made over 100 appearances for their national team.

•Mmadu

Rivers Angels target Super Six trophy

R

IVERS Angels Football Club of Port Harcourt continued their battle for the Super six trophy on a good note when they recorded their second victory on Wednesday afternoon in Abuja.

Angels which topped the National Female Group B Table had in the first encounter played on Monday walloped Sunshine Queens by four goals to nothing and emerged victorious in the second match played yesterday against Bayelsa Queens as the encounter ended with a lone goal victory, courtesy of Rebecca Kalu.

The club progress their game on Friday when they battle Pelican Stars of Calabar in a match that will determine their stand into the finals that will be holding at the •Rabiu Ibrahim

Utaka to miss Fredericia game

From Florence Nkem Israel, Port Harcourt

FIFA Arena on Saturday.

Delta Queens are the defending

B ODENSE must do without the services of Peter Utaka for the cup game against Fredericia on Thursday at Monjasa Park.

The Nigeria international is ill and did not participle in Wednesday’s training. After an unimpressive start to the Danish season, Utaka is beginning to sparkle and has scored three goals in his last three games in all competitions.

But it’s a surprise he was selected for the Eagles games against Guinea and Ghana because he’s failed to justify his inclusion with below-par performances in earlier games.

Chris Sorensen and Reserve Keeper Mads Toppel have complaints and won’t make the trip to Fredericia.

Champions but the Team Manager of Rivers Angels, Matilda Otuene said her team is focused this time to ensure that it grabs the trophy.

WBC FINAL ELIMINATION BOUT

Ajose gets Fashola’s support

T

HE ambition of Nigerian boxer, Olusegun Ajose to fight Canadian naturalised Algerian, Ali Cheba in a World Boxing Council (WBC), final elimination bout, got a big boost with support from governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

Speaking with sports journalists at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos at the weekend, Ajose, a former Olympian paid glowing tribute to governor Fashola for coming to his aid in his bid for the fight against Cheba, which will come up in

O

•Onyewu

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri

•Ajose

By Innocent Amomoh

SAN Ynez, California in USA. “I’ve been preparing for months for this fight. I have travelled to London, California, New York and now back home in Lagos in the course of preparing for this fight, which has suffered several postponements. Along the line I exhausted the money I had saved up, but I was lucky with the help from governor Fashola, who is supporting my preparation for this fight with the sum of N1.6m,” Ajose said.

Coach Joe Mensah who trains the pugilist said that the support from governor Fashola came through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports to the Governor headed by Prince Wale Oladunjoye and the Ministry of Sports and Social Development.

“We are indeed grateful to our dear governor, Raji Fashola who did not hesitate to approve the money for Ajose when the proposal came to him.

I believe that with this support, Ajose will not disappoint Nigerians when he fights Cheba in America September 30,” said Coach Mensah.

Ajose and his handler, Coach Mensah will travel to the United States on Wednesday to round off his training for the fight.

25

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

email:- education@thenationonlineng.com

New federal varsities on a shaky start The nine new federal universities are preparing for post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening of candidates.

However, they are still grappling with the challenges of non-release of funds, lack of infrastructure and location, report KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE, ISAAC OMBE, OBINNA OGBONNAYA, and SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN

L

AST week, the National Universities Commission (NUC) published dates for the postUTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination) screening by the nine newly-established federal universities. President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed doubt over the possibility of the universities starting on time for the 2011/ 2012 academic session.

The institution are located in Otuoke, Bayelsa State; Lafia, Nasarawa State; Lokoja, Kogi State; Wukari, Taraba State; Kashere, Gombe State; NdufuAlike, Ebonyi State; Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Dutse, Jigawa State and Dutsin-ma, Katsina State.

They are yet to get all of the N1 billion take-off grant promised them by the Federal Government.

Besides, not all the host communities, which, according to the original plan, are to support the institutions with funds/facilities have been forthcoming.

It is unlikely that any of the institutions will take off next month as infrastructure are not yet in place and the recruitment process for academic and non-academic staff is yet to be concluded.

The Federal University at Otuoke, the President’s home town, conducted its post-UTME screening for candidates who selected the institution and made at least 180 in the 2011 UTME last Thursday and Friday at the Niger Delta University, Wiber Force Island, Bayelsa State.

Its permanent site is far from ready for take off. The president was there on August 15 and he told journalists that the institution still had issues with land acquisition and the waterlogged terrain, as well as funding.

“We would not want to admit students where we don’t have infrastructure and there are funds to be released for the prompt takeoff of the university,” he said back then.

Education Minister Prof Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufa’i also visited the university with her environment counterpart, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim on August 20.

Only two buildings were under construction when Prof Rufa’i toured the site.

They are the library complex and one of the three faculty buildings being put in place by the host community of the institution.

Though the community started construction of almost all buildings on 15 of the 200 hectares of land acquired for the university in anticipation of the take off of academic activities by October, the construction had to be scaled down to two buildings to meet the deadline.

The community is to roof the two buildings and others, then hand them over to the Education Trust Fund (ETF) which will complete them for use.

The Registrar of the institution, Mr David Suoware, said to the minister: “We have restricted the buildings to the library and faculty for now.”

The faculty building will accommodate lecture halls, offices, and if possible hostels pending the completion of other buildings.

The building, which has two large open courtyards may also be used as hostels and accommodation for staff too.

When The Nation visited on Tuesday, roofing work was going on on the buildings. The faculty and library buildings are yet to be plastered. The library, built in a swampy area, has not been sandfilled – evidence that academic activities many not start next month.

Suoware declined comments on the preparations when contacted on phone.The skeletal staff at the temporary office also refused to comment. But sources said the aptitude test for the candidates had been conducted and results were still being processed.

The source added that applications for employment are also being processed and the number to be employed yet to be known.

An impeccable source said skeletal activities may commence next month while academic work would begin January.

•Prof Rufa’i with David Suoware when she visited the Federal University, Otuoke

•The Central Library building in a waterlogged area

Until the National Universities Commission (NUC) fixed October 12 for the post-UTME screening by the Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, the site was devoid of any significant activity.

Since the advertisement however, human and vehicular movement has been on the increase as parents, applicants and intending students besiege the university’s permanent site to gather information on the procedures for admission and the plans to recruit academic and non-academic staff.

Before the permanent site was handed over to the university, it

was occupied by the Government Model Secondary School, Ndufu Alike Ikwo. The state government also handed over about 11 blocks of classrooms to the university for smooth take off. But, after that, work at the university site has been at a slow pace.

With most of the blocks completed, intending students seem to be certain of a take-off date soon.

Our reporter who visited the permanent site observed that, at least, no fewer than nine classroom blocks are ready while the remaining two are yet to be completed. The blocks, which can ac-

commodate 400 students, were constructed by the state government, while one was donated by a new generation bank.

The university is yet to begin recruitment of academic and nonacademic staff. Thousands of unemployed youths in the state visit the university daily to ascertain when recruitment would commence.

Our reporter also observed that hundreds of youths from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Benue and other •Continued on Page 26

•LAGOS IINSISTS ON SAFETY CERTIFICATE FOR ADMINISTRATION - Page 28 • UNILORIN SHOPS FOR N1B FOR WAUG- Page 37

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

26

EDUCATION UNILORIN FILE Boko Haram: Varsity allays fears MEMBERS of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) community have been assured of adequate security on campus and environs.

The Acting Chief Security Officer of the university, Mr Balogun and the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Kwara State Command, ASP Ezekiel Dabo, gave the assurance while speaking on UNILORIN 89.3FM. This came against the background of the recent threat by members of the Boko Haram (Western Education is Sin), to bomb some tertiary institutions in the Southwest.

While reiterating that security of lives and property all over the world is the duty of all and not security agencies alone, the security personnel implored the university community and the general public to promptly inform them whenever they notice any suspicious movement and/or dumping of any materials suspected to be harmful.

Education for all: Minister decries challenges against 2015 target

F

OUR YEARS away from the Education For All (EFA) target, the Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i has lamented that despite government’s efforts, the large number of children who are out of school has continued to increase.

The minister, who made the observation in Abuja at the EFA forum with states commissioners of education called on the states to expedite action on meeting the needs of those that are marginalised in their domains.

She also asked the traditional institutions and individuals to lend their support to meeting those needs ahead of the 2015 target date.

Prof Rufa’i said that one great challenge facing the education sector is the growing number of children, youths and adults who were excluded from basic education for social, economic or geographic reasons.

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

She, however, stated that the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and non-Formal Education (NMEC) has concentrated its efforts on providing education to the marginalised groups.

The mass literacy, she explained, is an effort aimed at enabling people across all ages to acquire the skill of reading, writing and making simple calculations to enable them function effectively.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Mr Ezenwo Wike, said his ministry has long acknowledged that Nigeria may not achieve the Millennium De-

velopment Goals (MDGs) on Universal Basic Education and the EFA targets of 2015 unless government step, up efforts to reach the marginalised with qualitative education.

Wike affirmed that overcoming marginalisation in education by eliminating disparities and building inclusive and equitable education system must receive priority attention.

According to him,“since marginalisation in education is embedded mostly in socio-economic and culturally institutionalised candidates, we can achieve greater successes in our efforts to eliminate marginalisation in education, if we act decisively to tackle the

•Prof Rufa’i

socio-economic and institutional factors that perpetuate such disadvantages”.

New federal varsities on a shaky start •Continued from Page 25

parts of the country were dropping their Curriculum Vitae (CVs) in front of one of the blocks at the permanent site.

One of them, Mr Clement Ugbo, from Cross River State, said: “We have been coming here since May and the security men continually told us the management asked them not to receive any CV from any applicant. It is disappointing coming all the way from Cross River to this place and going back with out any conviction that what you are looking for would materialise.

“In a bid not to be informed that we didn’t forward our application on time, we had to drop it at the point where the security men used to stay; but once or twice a month, we come to check if there is any information on employment.”

Another applicant, Mrs Chinwe Okoro, from Afikpo in Ebonyi State, who was seen at the permanent site pleading with the security men to collect her CV, noted that she has been to the site six times but the security men were not helpful.

“Each time I am at the permanent site, it is the same story. Since the pronouncement of the university, we have not seen the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe or the Registrar, Mr Gabriel Chukwu. it is regrettable that you can’t access any information from the school yet they are promising that they are taking off this September. How would they achieve that? They are yet to recruit, the structures are not in place and there is no information about the university.

On the proposed post-UTME, some candidates who included the university as either their first or second choice have continued to troop to the university to check the notice board for more information.

Intending students who have been trooping to the banks to pay N1000 for their draft regretted that, after the payment of the said amount, they are given no further information on the modalities for the examination. Most of them are

curious to know if the examination is for those that picked the university as their first choice or second choice at the just-concluded Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination.

When contacted, Chukwu said the university on its notice board informed candidates that more details on the modalities for the postUTME examination would be made available later, adding that the NUC will advertise for recruitment of staff in the dailies as was done in the case of post-UTME. Chukwu noted that the tentative date for the take-off of the university would be made known by the authorities and urged students to avail themselves of the information on the notice board.

Ibidapo-Obe said progress is slow because of paucity of funds.

He said work was ongoing to rehabilitate the facilities inherited from the state government, adding that the university would most likely open for academic activities in January.

He denied claims that he and the registrar were unavailable as little activities were going on at the permanent site.

“I am sure we will take off early next year. It depends on what progress we make in terms of rehabilitation so that students can be comfortable. We are trying to get laboratories, classrooms and hostel facilities up to a fairly okay state.

“We can’t just stay at the site when nothing is happening. I just came from Abakaliki this morning. The school has just been vacated for us,” he said.

He also said the university has received far less than the expected take-off grant, and that the host community was not helping out.

He said: “The community is not doing anything. They are struggling with minimum wage, so how much do we expect them to contribute? The Federal Government has not released the grant but that is being worked on. All the money we have received is far less than N100 million, so funding is a major issue.”

On recruitment of workers, Ibidapo-Obe said the exercise was

•One of the classroom blocks at the Federal University, Udufu Alike

in progress.

“There are people who are willing to work. We have to screen them though so we don’t just recruit junk,” he said.

While most of the new universities are preoccupied with getting infrastructure and workers ready for the students to take off, the Federal University in Ekiti State is still grappling with the issue of location.

This became an issue almost as soon as the Federal Government announced Ekiti as one of the nine states to have federal universities.

Is it Ikole Ekiti or Oye Ekiti? Essentially, the question has remained unanswered.

The two neighbouring towns in the northern axis of the state are struggling to win the privilege to host the Institution.

On December 23, 2010, when the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr Labaran Maku, announced the approval of three more federal universities bringing the number to nine, Ikole Ekiti was announced as the host town of the institution.

However, another announcement on February 10 by Prof Rufa’i when she disclosed appointments of vice chancellors, registrars and locations of the new universities contradicted Maku. That was after a visitation panel comprising former Minister of State for Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, NUC

Executive Secretary and others including the Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi visited Ikole to inspect some sites.

Since then, there has been wrangling on the issue.

Location of the administrative headquarters of the Institution still remains a subject of conjecture as the Vice Chancellor, Prof Chinedu

Nebo, who visited Oye Ekiti last week to inspect a site chosen by the community, said the site lacked basic facilities for take-off.

However, he hoped Fayemi would allow the use of the Unity School in Oye Ekiti which has some facilities to enable the institution •Continued on Page 27

“To be or not to be ... that’s the billion-naira question !”

27

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EDUCATION

NUC okays medical facilities at ABUAD

M

EMBERS of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Resource team have endorsed the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) medical facilities.

The team inspected the facilities ahead of the take-off of the institution’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Geology.

Students of Medicine, Laboratory Technology, Nursing and Geology are expected to commence studies in the next academic session, if NUC gives the green light.

The team inspected such facilities, as Medical Laboratory, Nursing Laboratory, Anatomy Laboratory (Museum), and Multidisciplinary Chemical Science laboratory.

Others are Physics Laboratory, Medical Biochemistry Laboratory, Medical Physiology Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Biological Laboratory, Anatomy House, Geology Department and ICT/e-Library.

ABUAD proprietor Chief Afe Babalola said when parents visited the university and saw the facilities, they pleaded with the authorities to begin the courses.

“It is for this reason, among others, that we have applied to NUC to assess our facilities to enable us run these courses,” Babalola said.

He said the university signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, one of the best equipped hospitals in the country, to boost the academic standard of the medical college.

Describing ABUAD as a nonprofit institution, Babalola said over 350 candidates wrote the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for medical courses last month.

The Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, said ABUAD facilities were outstanding.

He said: “What we saw in ABUAD was surprising. Even the Federal Government could not have done better within this short period of existence of the university”.

Benjamin spoke at the palace of

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado Ekiti and Damisi Ojo, Akure

the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, during a visit to the monarch.

Replying, Oba Adejugbe expressed confidence that the facilities would fulfil NUC’s requirements to kick-off the courses at ABUAD. He also praised the founder of the university.

“Anything he (Aare Afe Babalola) does is always the best. His farm is one of the best. He is hardworking, unassuming. He is not just a lover of the environment, he is as well a lover of quality education. “ Oba Adejugbe added: “The university is a miracle because of the rate of development on the campus.

The students receive lectures everywhere. I know you (NUC) will give us the certificate and you will not regret you did. Federal Medical Centre has also provided the institution with some assistance. By the time you come in the next five years, we would have had our own hospital at ABUAD.” Appealing to philanthropists to emulate Babalola, the monarch observed that many graduates were roaming the streets without jobs, thereby adding to the high crime rate.

The NUC team, led by Dr Modupe Adeniran, arrived at ABUAD on Tuesday, last week.

In continuation of its inspection, the team, on Thursday, headed for the Federal Medical Centre, IdoEkiti, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ABUAD in respect of medical programmes in the university.

No fewer than 31 facilities were inspected at the FMC, headed by Dr Ololade Ojo, its Chief Medical Director. Ololade was represented

by Dr. Ayodele.

The centre, according to Dr Ayodele, has 60 full-time consultants, 19 local consultants, 350 nurses and 76 laboratory technologists. Six departments in the medical centre are involved in residency training in various medical fields.

Dr Ojo promised that in the Public Private Partnership initiative, the FMC would be more supportive of ABUAD in areas of research and learning.

•Aare Babalola addressing the Ewi and chiefs of Ado-Ekiti at the palace

•NUC officials: (From Left) Prof Ozumba, Prof A.S. Anjorin and Dr Adeniran

New federal varsities on a shaky start •Continued from Page 26

take off in January.

Nebo said: “The facilities I have seen at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti at the temporary site are not adequate. We will try to see what we can do to make it adequate before January.

“It would be wonderful if our beloved Governor Fayemi would be kind and gracious enough to give us the originally intended site here in Oye where there is Unity School. That site will make it much easier to start. That way, we start the two campuses together. I believe that the governor himself will be happy with that. If we don’t, then it means that we might take off a little later than that. But, my prayer and hope is, come January 2012, the students would be on ground.”

To resolve the location issue, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Funminiyi Afuye, said both Ikole and Oye will host the university.

“The only sure thing I can say for now is that, as the governor has said, the two communities would jointly host the university. Re-

garding details of where the administrative headquarters would be, assurances of January take-off date and whether fund is already released for the institution, I cannot comment for now as the two principals, I mean Fayemi and Jonathan, are still engaged in talks,” he said.

A visit to the site at Oye revealed that there are no facilities on ground except two buildings provided by the community.

However, the Ikole community was confident that when the ViceChancellor visits the proposed sites in the town today, he would be happy to see what can be called a proposed site of a federal university. Said Prof Ishola Filani, an indigene: “Ikole is prepared for the university. We have in place not just the human resources but structures.

Apart from these, the committee has raised a sizeable amount of money to leverage on for the take off.”

The NUC has announced October 15 as the post-UTME screening date for candidates. It is to hold at the Ekiti State University (EKSU), AdoEkiti.

•Aare Babalola, his wife (left) and ABUAD VC Prof Sidi Osho (right) with NUC officials inspecting FMC facilities

•ABUAD workers: From left: Pastor Babalola, Prof Ajisafe, Prof Osho, Prof. Alalade and Mr. Ogunjemite

28

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EDUCATION LASU FILE

Varsity bans bills The Management of the Lagos State University (LASU) has outlawed the posting of posters and fliers on building walls.

It warned members of the university community, particularly students seeking election, to desist from defacing structures with posters.

The Independent Electoral Committee of LASU Students’ Union has also warned that candidates who disregard the law will be disqualified.

Lagos insists on safety certificate for school administrators S

CHOOL administrators in Lagos State have been directed by the government to obtain a safety certificate before opening for the new academic session.

The directive, according to the Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mrs Dominga

By Miriam Ndikanwu

Odebunmi, is geared towards ending disasters.

Mrs Odebunmi lamented the series of avoidable accidents that happened last session and reiterated the

government’s commitment to proper safety standard in public and private schools.

She said the government would not fold its arms and watch children die, adding that the commission was established to effectively

address this challenge.

She called on proprietors to ensure that school buses are in good condition, with qualified, careful, and level-headed drivers.

Mrs Odebunmi said the government also charged road contractors to expedite action or have their contracts revoked.

The commission, she

UNESCO prize for grabs THE Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM) has called for nominations for the 2011 UNESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers.

In a letter to thye National Universdity Commission (NUC), NATCOM said the prize is to reward candidates that made outstanding contributions, through their teacher-related activities and in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. The Prize consists of $90,000, a testimonial of appreciation and a cup of honour for each winner.

Registrars tackle govt on vices

By Musa Odoshimokhe

T

Faculty installs CCTV THE Acting Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has praised the Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof N. C. Nwaboku, and the Acting Head, Department of Science and Technology Education, Dr Biodun Akinpelu, on the installation of instructional Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in the Faculty.

Prof Olatunji-Bello said the installation has opened new potential and greater challenges for the Faculty of Education on account of its ability to aid effective practical teaching and learning of Educational Technology Concept.

She said the CCTV Technology feat is not only an honour to the Faculty but to the entire university and the equipment will also enhance the quality of instructional delivery, examination monitoring, surveillance and social control in the Faculty, she stated.

said, would soon embark on training for safety and health emergencies, stressing that first aid measures, emergency exits and fire extinguishers would be provided at all work places.

She said henceforth, government would take action against defaulters.

•The teachers try their hands on the mobile phones during the training

Teachers to deploy maths, science videos in class

M

S Funke Ijitusin teaches at Oluwalogbon Primary School School, Ketu, Lagos. But right now, she wishes she were a pupil once again.

After going through training as a Master Teacher for Nokia/Pearson Foundation initiative, Bridge IT, which employs the use of movies and mobile technology to teach mathematics and science, Ms Ijitusin knows that when the programme kicks off in schools on September 26, her pupils will be excited to learn.

“It is all about the use of technology to teach mathematics and science. Gone are those days when maths teachers come to class and pupils run away. These children do so many things at home relating to mathematics. This is to make them realise that learning is a continuum and is fun,” she said.

She and 61 other Primary Five teachers drawn from 31 public primary schools received certificates after a

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

four-day training at St Francis Primary School, Maryland, Lagos.

Pearson Foundation, the non-profit arm of Pearson, the world’s leading education publishing firm, partnered with Nokia, which provided the mobile phones that contain the maths and science movies.

Bharti Airtel provided the air time to power the phones.The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), as the agency in charge of primary and junior secondary schools, is collaborating on the project to improve teaching and learning.

Beyond learning to incorporate the movies into their lesson plan, the participants are also creating movies that will be culturally relevant.

Ms Ijitusin said the teachers acted a movie that explained the concept of prime numbers using a birthday party scenario.

“We are making movies

on our own that are culturally accepted. Yesterday, we acted a movie on identifying prime numbers,” she said.

Bridge IT Co-ordinator, Mrs Atinuke Adelakun, said the teachers prepared storyboards for four movies during the training which will be produced and added to the lot already in use. She added that 10 of the 62 teachers will serve as master teachers to train others as the project expands.

“I think the programme is a fantastic opportunity for them to improve their teaching skills. The teachers got to practice a lot and it was obvious they are already familiar with the use of the technology. We are starting with 31 pilot schools. We are going to continue to grow the number so the master teachers will teach teachers from other schools.

“We are going to do quite a number of movies. From this class alone, we have done storyboard for four. We will continue to add to it,” she said.

Each of the pilot schools has been provided with televisions, Nokia phones and airtime by Airtel.

Explaining how the initiative works, Eric Gregory of Pearson Foundation said the aim is to enable teachers use familiar mobile technology like cell phones in enhancing teaching and learning.

“The essence is teacher training using mobile devices to deliver education to students in maths and science. The teachers have the television and they hook the mobile devices with cable and download the videos in maths and science from the cell phones using software called Nokia Education delivery.They have lesson plan to teach e.g. Fractions, half way through, the plan, it says play Video 643, and they play,” he said.

Gregory expressed optimism that after the threeyear time frame set for the initiative, it will grow even bigger with other technology companies buying into it.

CIMA seeks professionalism in Accountancy

A

CCOUNTANCY students have been charged to elevate the

bar in the standard and quality of the profession.

A crucial factor for attaining this is by qualifying for internationally-recognised certificates,Business Development Manager, Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Mr. Abiodun Musliu Olajide, said.

He spoke at a seminar for the commencement of the Accountancy Student’s Week of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos.

In a paper entitled:

“CIMA: Where business meets with Finance”, Olajide stressed the need for accountants to qualify for the institute’s certificates as studies have proven that Management Accountants are five times more sought after than financial accountants.

“Ourqualification, recognised in over 165 countries with over 83,467 members and 99,264 students across the world, is a sign of commitment to high professional standards and code of ethics. CIMA is at the forefront of developing

ethical and technical best practice for our students and members. Our advice, technical research and support programmes mean they will continue to drive value for their employers today and into the future as they are well rooted in finance, accounting and business” he said.

Olajide said success could only be achieved by being completely up-to-date with developments in economic and business environments and corporate social responsibility.

HE Chairman of Conference of Registrars of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COREG), Mallam Labaran Ibrahim, has urged the authorities to tackle problems militating against qualitative education.

He spoke at the 56th COREG conference at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State.

Qualitative education, he said, had continued to suffer because of admission irregularities, certificate forgery and reduction in subscription to polytechnic education by candidates.

Ibrahim said admission into polytechnics has reduced because of perceived discrimination between graduates of universities and polytechnics.

Apart from these shortcomings, he said despicable vices were being perpetrated on campuses.

He said: “It is common to hear reported cases of armed robbery, cultism, examination malpractice, sexual harassment, indecent dressing, hooliganism, gang- raping, drug abuse, abduction, internet and financial scam.”

Independence Day walk

O

N October 1, a marketing firm, Capris Creations, will embark on an exercise tagged: Capris Children’s Independence Day Walk (CCIDW).

The walk is to commemorate Nigeria’s 51st independence anniversary.

The walk is the brain child of Mrs Prisca Lawson, a Lagos based expert.

The event will also give insight into national values and the essence, aftermath and dividends of Independence.

A statement signed by Mrs Lawson, thanked organisations, such as Wemy Industries, Nutricima, GSk, Infinity Snacks & Beverages, Kaira Cakes, Bigi, UAC Foods, Playhouse, Topcrown Custards, Chellarams, Evans Medicals, Rotpat Ventures, Dangote group, among others, for supporting the exercise.

•Mrs Lawson

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Campus supremacy at the Maltina show

PostUTME fever again

Page 34

Page 31

*CAMPUSES *NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE

0805-450-3104 email: ladycampus@yahoo.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) and the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti (FEDPOADO) protested, within one week interval, over what they called “extra fees”, and bad roads. OPEYEMI SAMUEL, SEGUN ADEGBENRO, MICHAEL ADEBAYO (200-L Computer Science, University of Ilorin), OLATUNJI AWE (100-L Political Science) and OLAJIDE ADEDAMOLA (Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti) report.

Protests rock Ado-Ekiti T

HEIR ownership differs. One is owned by a state government and the other is a federal institution. Last week, students of Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti (FEDPOADO), took to the streets to protest what they called “unbearable terms and conditions.”

FEDPOADO students’ protest was on September 5. It was a Monday. Many motorists were stranded on the Ado-Ijan Road for hours.

The students’ grouse was with the deplorable state of the road leading into the institution.

Some of them carried placards, appealing to the state government to come to their rescue.

Some read: “We do not want to die oh! Help!”

Others sang aluta songs.

The road links Ado-Ekiti and Ijan-Ekiti, a local community; it is also a major route for travellers going to the north. There are two other institutions on the route, the Afe Babalola University and the newly-built storage institute of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

The road was abandoned by successive governments. The last time the road was rehabilitated was in 2002, before the visit of then Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, for the inauguration of the Ekiti Golf Course and the Afe Babalola Hall, the administrative block of FEDPOADO. A week before the last first semester exams, some students were involved in an accident that left two of them seriously injured. Another happened a day before the protest. Though the accident was not as terrible as the former, the students swung into action over what they called “an impending menace which may cost lives”.

The Student Union President, Daniel Adebayo, who stood on the green Aluta Cruiser bus, addressed students. “Today’s protest becomes unavoidable as we cannot continue to fold our hands and watch our friends and colleagues die due to the bad state of the road. We have pleaded several times with the government to come to our rescue but nothing has happened, leaving us no choice than to let the world know our plights, “ he said.

Students blocked the road preventing vehicular movement in and out of the polytechnic. To get more students involved, a disc jokey was hired to enliven things up.

The SUG Welfare Director, Temitope Akinbolade, said adequate measures were in place to prevent the hijacking of the protest by miscreants.

“We have decided to prevent the hijacking of the protest by area boys and thugs to avoid destruction of public infrastructure

•Students of EKSU during their protest.

and facilities. All this was achieved by the censoring and monitoring of those involved in the protest. That is why the protest is peaceful. Instead of destroying public facilities, we only barricaded the road to let the world know what we are passing through.

Daily, we face rigorous stress and hazards just by travelling on this road. It is common to hear passengers shout ‘Blood of Jesus’ when abus suddenly enters pot holes,” he explained.

Policemen came around to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order. During the protest, an emissary came, inviting the student-leaders to the Government House.

CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, attended to them. The students initially refused to listen to Mrs Ajayi, insisting on seeing Governor, Kayode Fayemi. The commissioner scolded Adebayo for what she considered his audacity. Later, the students tabled their grievances.

“The road you are talking about is a federal road and our hands are tied. The government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi is a listening one and I’m proud to tell you that the repair of the road has been awarded with support from the World Bank,” she said.

The commissioner asked the SUG to put demands in writing and send to her.

Some students spoke.

Adedipe Seun, in Business Administration,

•A bad stretch of the road that caused the FEDPOADO students’ protest.

said: “This road is a good example of a bad road. Journey from Ado township to school shouldn’t take up to 15 minutes but now it takes more than 30 minutes. Just last week, a friend of mine was involved in an accident on her way to school. She sustained injuries on her legs and hands.”

Femi Ajiboye, in Quantity Surveying, said: “The repair carried out last year on the road under the sponsorship of Chief Afe Babalola

has been washed off by erosion due to lack of drainage. To make it worse, drivers no longer ply the road as from 7pm leaving us stranded with no where to sleep except in churches or mosques.”

Exactly a week after, EKSU students barricaded the main road leading to the university. They were protesting a registra•Continued on page 31

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

30

CAMPUS LIFE ing, any wonder the folly in our young have taken full expression?

We see this all over the place. On campuses and even outside, it is no longer enough to rape girls; the victims are videoed and that circulated in CDs and the internet for the entire world to see. It does not do anymore to “just” murder rival cult members; with they are shot, then hacked into pieces and the remains parceled off to daddies and mummies. Their parents are 08054503104 also not spared. It is no longer enough (SMS only) to keep boyfriends or even sugar daddies; girls now happily submit them•campuslife@thenationonlineng.net selves to a pimp and go in groups to •ladycampus@yahoo.com satisfy the depraved urges of old men.

The means of cheating in tests and exfate (especially for those in the arts, music, etc) ams have also gone “nuclear”. At the slightest – is usually not something we bother much provocation, students go on the rampage, killwith in these climes. And that, dear reader, is ing, burning and tearing down. exactly where our problems lie.

I am mightily miffed when I see vice-chanPosition and fame are great; they command cellors, rectors, governors, ministers, the presirespect. They happen to a fraction of us at a dent, and so on who have contributed to the time. It is understandable that the few they rot or done nothing to stem it mount the high happen to be respected. But if indeed we re- horse and begin to sermonise to students. Just spect position and fame, as we should, we would as they do not take themselves serious, so the ensure that only the deserving gets them. That students do not even listen to them. way, we would be sure that the value attached Besides, more often than not, the students to them would not diminish. Anyone who gets they usually force to sit and hear them (or who in “by mistake”, we would “help” to get out as buy the papers where they are talking) are not fast as possible. the ones responsible for the havoc.

That way, we would be doing them a world No amount of sermonising can change things. of good, we would be doing the office a world No amount of force can either. The only remof good, we would be doing ourselves a world edy is a change in the prevailing culture. The of good and we would be leaving a worthy dog-eat-dog mentality, the negation of values, legacy for posterity. And posterity – the future the barefaced lies, the deception, the sheer ne– is my concern this morning. glect and self centeredness of our leaders must The Bible, in Proverbs 22:15 says: “”Foolish- stop. “Our leaders” include those I mentioned ness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod in paragraph eight above. of correction will drive it far from him (New It’s either we do that or we continue to lick King James)”. The Message translates: “Young our wounds. The latter is no option. people are prone to foolishness and fads; the Ciao cure comes through tough-minded discipline”.

How can we cure our young of the foolishStill on the beleaguered campuses ness and fads of the day that have their hearts The denial by managements of the Univerbound when we lack the tough-minded disci- sity of Benin (UNIBEN) and the University of pline that will exert the needed rod of correc- Ibadan (UI) of last week’s widely reported Boko tion? If as leaders (parents, employers, lectur- Haram scare is, at best, an afterthought. ers, management officials, political office holdThe Public Relations Officers of both instituers, etc), we glory in pedestal desires, lies, de- tions, Mr. Harrison Osarenren and Mrs. Joke ception, cutting corners, propaganda and gen- Akinpelu, were differently quoted in the many eral corruption which we also go about flaunt-

The prevailing Pushing culture Out

S

INCE October 2007 when this column made its first appearance on these pages, I have written several times on what I called a time bomb waiting to happen. I refer to the effects of the long years of stiff refusal to provide governance by successive governments at all levels, and the wanton bastardisation of the rule of law by people in power.

I have always warned that when parents fail to lay the right examples for their children, the result is that by the time the young ones begin to reproduce what they have learnt, it would be worse than anyone could have imagined. This is because they are much more energetic, reckless and adventurous.

My concern is with the future, with posterity really. Just like the individual, any nation that does not make and take decisive steps to protect its future will have an unpleasant time waiting for it. Only fools leave their futures to chance. While many of us may not lose sleep over the fact that Nigeria is described that way, except for a sigh at most, we would take it quite personal should a newspaper columnist or anyone for that matter refer to us as “fools”. I’ll leave it to each of us to ascertain how a nation filled with “wise” people ends up amongst the worst in all the indices of development. Why have we had more of the worst rulers in the past 51 years? What is it in our society that throws up these people and keeps them there, even when we all complain of their misrule?

While I encourage each of us to find the answers to those posers, I will simply state here that we are where we are because we have refused to move to another level. And this refusal is not limited to one person or a few people. Each of us is an egocentric waiting for his or her “time” to shine! And our definition of “shining” starts and ends with getting a juicy political, business or social recognition.

How we manage that trust – whether given by a group or an individual (the President or a governor, etc) or circumstances, also called

Ngozi Agbo

reports carried out by virtually all the papers. Denying that the threats were there does not cut it at all.

If the institutions had come out to tell the world that the emails were eventually found to have been sent by mischief makers, that would be talking. But to just dismiss the incident as a “hoax” would not do.

I urge all – students and staff – to be alert to security breaches because should the fundamentalists strike a higher institution, it should be no surprise knowing what they stand against, from their name.

3rd CAMPUSLIFE Annual Awards Entries are now being received, from our correspondents, for the 3rd Coca-Cola/NBC CAMPUSLIFE Annual Awards.

Award Categories: There are eight prizes up for grabs. The first seven are: Culture Report Prize, Investigative Report Prize, Entertainment Report Prize, Campus Politics Report Prize, Campus Personality Profile Prize, Opinion Writing Prize and Campus Sports Report Prize. The last and overall, CAMPUSLIFE Reporter of the Year, will be awarded by the judges on the correspondent whose entries make the most impression on them.

Eligibility: Entries must be sent in by the particular writer who authored the article. Articles must have been published between September 2010 and August 2011.

Deadline: Nominations will be received between September 8 and 30, 2011.

Guidelines: • For each category, only ONE entry will be allowed from each nominee • A nominee can apply for all categories.

• No nomination sent after close of work on Friday, September 30, 2011, will be accepted.

• Each entry, with the title and date of publication as well as category on it, should be sent to ladycampus@yahoo.com. The email must have as title: 3rd CAMPUSLIFE Awards.

A panel of judges, made up of senior editors and journalism teachers, will decide the winners. The Awards ceremony will hold in November; the date will be announced.

Good luck to all our correspondents.

Lawrence Osahenkhue is the Vice-President of the University of Benin Student Union Government (UNIBEN-SUG). The 400-Level student of Fishery is popularly known as MC Casino.

GILBERT ALASA (200-Level Foreign Languages) met him.

‘You lose some to win some’

•Lawrence

Y

OU are a student but involved in a lot of things - politics, business, and entertainment. How do you manage all these?

I would attribute all to God, first.

Then, the determination and courage to make sacrifices. In life, you have to be ready to give up some things to realise your purpose. You have to lose some to win some. I had to give up certain interests. I don’t watch football anymore because of my busy schedule. The thirst to realise my lofty ambitions has become my girlfriend as well as my choice soccer team. Without doubt, it’s been interesting and challenging at the same time. But, all in all, adhering to the rule of prioritising and effective time man-

agement is crucial.

How did you rise to share the same stage with big names in the industry like I Go Die and Basketmouth?

I had to go through the mills. Sure, there were hard times. It is said that the inconvenience of heat gives gold better expression. My talent soon stood me out. I will also perform along other big names in the industry in the Love Concert, currently the biggest entertainment event in the South-south. That excites me.

What inspires your jokes?

God is first. The next is a deep understanding of self. I believe in the Socratic dictum. “Man know thyself”.

You‘ve got to know who you are. You also need to understand what motivates you and how this influences your creativity. My immediate environment inspires my jokes. I am moved by the things I see around me: the hustling and bustling to make ends meet. And, of course, the daily struggle to make meaning out of life.

All these inspire my jokes.

How does it feel to be a very popular face on campus? How do you manage your fans, especially girls?

It feels good. But there is also the bitter side to it. Most times, you are misunderstood. You’ve got to exchange pleasantries with hundreds of people within a few minutes of walking as I don’t have a vehicle. Failure to acknowledge their “washing” (a term for cheers in the form of flattering) may spell doom and bitter ha-

tred. I don’t have an emotional life as most girls shun dating popular guys like us. Their fear usually is that famous people are often wayward with women. But then, the female students are my biggest fans.

As an entertainer, why didn’t you go for Director of Socials? As VP, what impact have you made?

I came in basically to resuscitate the ailing social life of students. Perhaps being the Director of Socials (DOS) would have done the magic too. But I went for the position of vice-president due to the political realities of the time. I think I have done excellently well, politically and socially.

Aside my achievements in the area of students’ welfare, we achieved a major feat by organising the biggest campus blast in the history of the university, an event sponsored by Etisalat. UNIBEN students saw the likes of M.I., Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, Wacomzy and a host of other artistes perform live on stage. It was awesome.

Where do we hope to see MC Casino in the nearest future?

In a few years, I intend to own one of the biggest horticultural farms in Nigeria. I also want to be a big name in the entertainment business. At the moment, I have done the Season One of my show tagged “Comedy Alive” where comedians like I Go Die, Maleke, I Go Save and others performed. Plans are in top gear to do the second edition of the event.

•Some of the SUG leaders during the cleaning exercise.

Union holds health week HE Lagos State University Students Union (LASU SU) has held its health week. The week featured many activities at the Ojo campus. The union also organised a seminar on cancer and various diseases young people may contract.

Present at the event were Dr. R. Randle from the Lagos State University Health Centre; Dr. Betty Akeredolu, Dr. Babinton Balogun from Lagos State Blood Transfusion Centre; Mr. E. T. Umoh, president of Lagos State Red Cross, and Onyinye Obi, a pharmacist.

According to Dr. Randle, cancer results from uncontrolled cell growth.

He said other causes of the disease include retroviruses, DNA viruses, heredity predisposition, ionising radiation, ultraviolet light, chemical mutagens and exposure to radiation.

Akeredolu lectured the students on the dangers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“There are about 30 STIs from vi-

T

From Nurudeen Yusuf LASU

rus, bacteria, protozoa and AIDS,” she said.

Nofisat Bakare, in 300-Level Biochemistry, said the seminar was educative. “Today I was exposed to some of the knowledge I needed to live a healthy life as a woman, most especially on breast cancer that has been killing a lot of young ladies in our generation,” she said.

Meanwhile, the SUG officials kicked off the “Keep LASU clean” campaign. It started at 11am from Abe Igi, a popular spot on campus.

The SUG president, Olayiwola Adebayo, was joined by other leaders to pick empty sachets of water and other waste materials dropped by students.

Olayiwola warned some shop owners on cleanliness and threatened to lock up stalls that flout the student union’s order on clean environment.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

31

CAMPUS LIFE Across campuses, the last one month has been one of intense activities. It is that time of the year when admission seekers go through the last lap of entrance examinations that have come to be called “post-UTME”. HABEEB WHYTE (400-Law, University of Ilorin) and CHIAZOKAM ORJI (200-L Biotechnology FUTO) write on experiences at Kwara State Polytechnic, Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and Imo State University (IMSU).

Post-UTME fever again

A

DMISSION into higher institution does not come easy. The authorities have been accused of making things difficult for candidates. The Kwara State Polytechnic has not escaped this accusation. Admission seekers into the national and higher national diploma (ND and HND) programmes complained of frustrating times at the website where they were directed to register for the test. The commonest is what they call “ID error”.

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that this prompted the immediate past Chairman of the Governing Council of the institution, Mr. Musa Ayinla Yeketi, to advise that the consultants handling the service be discharged. For some reason, this is yet to be effected.

The post-UTME candidates told our correspondent that there was no stated office of the company to which they can address their grievances.

Three candidates - Lukman Jelili, Kafilat Bello and Simon Adeleke who applied for Accountancy, Science Laboratory Technology and Estate Management, said the difficulties were mostly experienced by those applying for the HND programme.

In Owerri, the Imo State capital, a considerable number of those seeking admission into the state-owned IMSU had a relatively easy ride. But itr was not so for candidates of

•Chimere.

•Amaka.

(FUTO). Both institutions sold the registration forms at the same period; they also held their exams simultaneously. While FUTO forms were sold at N1,000, that of IMSU’s went for N2,500.

FUTO candidates waited for over 24 hours, the time stipulated to allow for payment at designated banks and online registration, without luck. The banks and management offices were besieged by the desperate candidates. Though those with the most complex cases were referred to the Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre, many could still not register online even on the exam dates.

While the lucky ones who eventually had their online printout used that as identity cards, others made do with their bank tellers.

The exams were spread across three days, because of the large number of candidates.

Business operators had a field day,

especially those who could provide online services. This meant that, in addition to the many cybercafés on campus, many others who had laptops and internet service took positions under trees to help students register online.

There were a few cases of impersonation consisting mainly of students writing the exam for some candidates. A drama played out when a final year student of Civil Engineering, a cripple, was caught in the act.

One of the invigilators, a lecturer, who knew him wondered what he was doing in the hall. The guy wanted to run but he couldn’t go far in his wheelchair. He and others who were caught were taken to the security unit.

CAMPUSLIFE learnt that Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Petroleum Engineering departments had the largest number of candidates – over 15,000. They were the first to take the post-UTME.

•Some UNN students registering for an event.

While the students generally complained of the tediousness of the exercise, matters were compounded by the heavy rain that lasted the three days. Candidates who wrote the exams were soaked; for some, even their scripts were not spared.

Some said they could not write well as they shivered all through because of their wet clothes.

Going to and fro the campus on the outskirts of Owerri was another wearisome task. The large crowd and rain combined to ensure scarcity of vehicles. Many were stranded. Buses were rushed and candidates were charged N200 for a trip to Owerri that costs N50. It was not only transporters that had

PHOTO: OLADELE OGE

a field day; food vendors and cyber operators also made brisk business.

Some of the students spoke to CAMPUSLIFE. Chukwunyere Orji: “There wasn’t enough time and the questions were tough. All the same, it was a success.

By this time next year, I’m going to be a FUTOITE”..

Emmanuela Mpamugo: “We started late and I had to write on my laps because there was no table. But I believe that I have done my best so I’m leaving the rest to God.” Mmesoma Achebe said: “This exam was really tough but I thank God because I believe He will grant my request.”

Protests rock Ado-Ekiti •Continued from page 29

tion deadline of two weeks. This was compounded by the lingering crisis of what to pay for 200-Level students. It started with the reduction in school fees by the Fayemi administration. The former Governor, Segun Oni, had raised the fee to between N91,750 and N200,750.

This affected only the then 100-Level students.

On resumption last October 16, Fayemi reduced the fees to N50,000 for all. The students, who had already paid, were asked to roll over the money to the next session. A circular was passed to this effect under the former Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Dipo Kolawole. Those who paid N91,750 were asked to pay N10,000 to balance up the N50,000 payable fee across bar.

With the assumption of Prof Dada Adelowo as Acting VC, another circular, to the effect that the roll-over arrangement was no longer feasible was released. The now 200-Level students were asked to pay the school fee last semester; the institution is now in its second semester.

After a protest by the students, the management rescinded the hard stance.

But on resuming for this semester, on August 9, there was another circular that the students should register in two weeks, or risk paying N2,500 as penalty for late registration. This sparked last week Monday’s protest.

Funmilola Adewemimo, in 200Level English, said: “This is a big cheat on us. We have overpaid the expected amount. This is what Prof Dipo Kolawole will never do to us.

How do they expect us to pay another money? What will happen to the remaining money? This is theft.”

The protest started as early as 6am

when the students, especially those affected, went to the Student Union President, Shittu Olalekan, to ask that he lead them in the struggle.

They marched from hostel to hostel singing:“An injury to one is an injury to all!” They moved from the school gate area to Osekita, Satellite phases One and Two, and back to the school gate.

By 7am, their number had increased greatly. They blocked the road as they chanted songs of betrayal by the Fayemi administration. Bisiru Bolanle, in 400-Level History and International Studies said: “The government has just showed they are not concerned about us. We joined them during their struggle for their stolen mandate but rather than keep to the October 16, last year promise, they are reneging”.

The students requested to see the governor, refusing to listen to some of his aides who came to address them. Mobile policemen were deployed in the venue. While the policemen set a three line formation to stop the protesters from advancing, the students set up their own formation. Some others stayed behind the first group engaged in a mock parade. Yet others set up rival football teams and began to play a match on the Ado-Iworoko express road. The girls brought out their stoves and pots and began to cook.

At this point, the policemen gave the students till 10:30am to leave the road. They were given another 30minutes. after the expiration of the first ultimatum. Yet some of the students were defiant. After the second ultimatum expired, the mobile policemen began shooting teargas canisters into the crowd. The students ran.

But after the policemen retreated, some daring students returned. The

•Dr. Ajayi addressing the Poly student-leaders at the Government House.

•Some of the EKSU students with placards denouncing the directive to 200-Level students to register.

cat-and-mouse game went on for a while. Some students, including the SUG President, were arrested.

Soon, a release signed by EKSU’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajibade Olubunmi, announced the

proscription of the Students Union.

Reacting, the President of the Federation of Ekiti State Students Union, Adebayo Ayiti, said: “The civil agitation of our students against the insincerity of the uni-

versity management in handling the school fees saga is within the confines of the law. Therefore, we condemn in its entirety the decision of management to use coercion in a bid to compel obedience.”

32

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

33

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

34

CAMPUS LIFE The ongoing Maltina television show is not a contest for universities; it is among families. But, as OLAWALE AJETUNMOBI reports, at the grand finale on Saturday, three institutions – UNIZIK, UNIPORT and UNIJOS – will be among those slugging it out for the star prize.

Campus supremacy at the Maltina show

T

HERE is no doubt that students are playing a key role in the excitement brought by the ongoing Maltina Dance All (MDA) family television show. Six undergraduates are among the finalists who will showcase their talents at the grand finale scheduled to hold in Lagos on Saturday.

Kanayo Ngwu, a 300-Level student of Microbiology and Brewing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, is the representative of the Ngwu family.

He is accompanied by his parents – Mr. Samuel and Mrs. Cecilia Ngwu – and younger brothers, Chikezie and Okechukwu.

Kanayo said: “Initially, I thought dancing is just what you do when you shake your body or make certain gestures. But I have come to understand that it is deeper than that. Here, at the MDA, we are taught the ‘art of choreography’, the pantomime and other complex types of dance. These have taught me the intellectual side of dancing.”

Another undergraduate who is giving it his all to make a presence at the academy is 19-year-old Princess Edoho, a 200-Level Petrochemical Technology student of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). She is the Edoho family’s representative. With her are her younger brother, Victor; mother, Beauty; uncle, Dan Edoho who is the father representative and cousin, Paul Udo. Princess qualified from Benin region. Unlike other participants, this is the first time Princess is participating in the competition.

•Princess (left), of UNIPORT, leading her family members, the Edohos, in one of their performances. •The Utogos

•Oshinaike, Burgess and Adegoke - the judges.

She described the academy as a “school”. “(Here) you are cut off from the outside world to concentrate on key family values that matter. We are taught the importance of cooperation and solving problems within the family unit. Apart from dancing, what we have learnt will take us far as we face the challenges of

life beyond the academy,” she added.

Esther Dare, the representative of the Dare family, is a 200-Level Sociology undergraduate of the University of Jos (UNIJOS). Apart from her mother, and cousin, her brother, Enoch, in 400-Level Theatre and Film Art, also of UNIJOS, is also with her. Esther and Enoch

said they have learnt “great lessons that will last us a lifetime.”

They likened the Maltina Academy to “a school where you are taken through a crash programme where only the intelligent and smart can make an impact.”

The show has been identified as a training ground where undergraduates have launched themselves into successful careers in dancing. A case in point is Ukalina Opuwari of the Opuwari family which won the 2008 edition of the show.

Ukalina, with the assistance of Maltina, enlisted at the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) and has become the first female Nigerian to be certified in Latin/Ballroom by the IDSF/IDAT in Beirut, Lebanon.

Other students who, sadly, have crashed out of the current academy include 23-year-old Ogechi Chidi, who is running a certificate programme at UNIPORT. She was the representative of the Chidi family. There was also 21-year-old Ukamaka

Anigbogu, a student of Economics at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, said her company undertook the project because “we are very passionate about the family institution and we will do the little we can as a responsible corporate entity to ensure that the institution continues to remain relevant.”

She stressed that Maltina was interested in equipping parents and their children who come to the academy to be relevant to the society they are moving into.

“Our motive is to equip them effectively to confront and proffer solutions to some of the everyday challenges we face in life and for them to use what they garner at the academy to help other families in the society.”

Many who have been following the MDA cannot wait for Saturday to know which family will cart away star prize of N5 million and an SUV. The three judges - Muyiwa Oshinaike, Janell Burgess and Michael Adegoke – sure have their jobs cut out for them.

Science students at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, have elected an ideological group to lead them this session. FAITH OLANIRAN (500-L Biochemistry) captures the election intrigues.

•A student voting.

M

EMBERS of the National Association of Science Students (NASS) of the Federal University Technology (FUT), Minna, were at the polls penultimate week to elect new leaders. The members are students of the departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biological Sciences, Science Education, Mathematics, Physics, Geography, Geology and Chemistry.

The election, which started around 10am, was monitored by the university’s security men and members of the Man ’O’ War. It held at the

•Seun, the new NASS president.

•Members of the faculty, queuing to vote.

A vote for ideology at Minna Bitrus Sawa Square, Bosso Campus.

At the end of voting, the results were compiled by members of the electoral committee under everyone’s watchful eyes. It was the first of its kind; this was because FUT, Minna students are known as ‘efikos” who do not joke with their academics. That the election held with many students participating at a time they were writing tests and preparing for examina-

tion, was, remarkable.

Ideological groups played a major role in swaying the votes. A group, Da Activists, was led by Seun Amure.

He was also its presidential candidate. His major contender was Mohammed Sanni, a popular student seemingly without much sympathy for political ideologies.

After the compiliation of result, it was announced that Seun was lead-

ing with one vote. While the activists were jubilating, the electoral committee discovered that one ballot paper was missing.

Following this controversy, the election was annulled after a series of meetings between the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. A. Iyaka and the electoral committee. It was resolved that a re-run be held for the post of president only.

The re-run came up on September 10. This was just four days to the examinations. To the surprise of many, hundreds of students were on campus before 9am and waited without water or food until 3pm or 4pm before the collation of the votes was completed.

“Our destiny is in our hands because we know where we are going. I must cast my vote today because we need change,” said a student who did not want to be named.

Security was tight to ensure that nothing disrupted the election. Seun •Continued on page 36

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

35

CAMPUS LIFE

Nollywood, please up the ante

By Hannah Ojo hannah_ojo@yahoo.com

G

ETTING on the soap box to discuss Nollywood at a time when environmental apocalypses like the Ibadan flood and Boko Haramism are on the rampage could be considered a distraction. Of course, one needs distractions once in a while to get refreshed and reinvigorated and be in a better position to face other challenges.

We often escape into the cinema or stay glued to our computers to catch a

S

INCE the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009, a lot of social and political developments have unfolded. Goodluck Jonathan, then Vice-President, was sworn in as President in a circumstance one could describe as a rise from grass to grace, having emerged from “a poor background.”

Probably banking on his name, Goodluck, Nigerians raised their hopes as he was sworn in and gave him the support he needed. Even when he was (s)elected the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerians stood by him and elected him.

How time flies! More than 100 days have been passed in the life of Jonathan’s administration and many have started assessing his achievement, if any. This is important because a journey of a thousand years begins in a day. If the President made great achievements in the first 100 days in office it shows that the remaining 1350 would be filled with positive developments, but if the reverse is

flick of a motion picture, thus leaving the world of reality to get into the world of forms, apologies to Plato.

Some scenes often nudge us to reality. At times we cry, we laugh or get a pinch on our such conscience depending on how strong and in-depth the thematic occupations of such movies are.

I cannot brag of being a movie aficionado but I can vouch for movies with great taste such as My name is Khan, 3 idiots, Like starts on earth - all from India. Tyler Perry’s For coloured girls and other American films like Exam and Experiment are movies which will get one thinking. These listed films possess strong themes on terrorism, abuse and humanity.

What’s up with Nollywood, the highly publicised second largest producer of films in the world? How much do we get in terms of values and substance from spending close to two hours engrossed in a Nollywood film? Except for a minute few, many will concede to the fact that most Nollywood films are trash - a great waste of time! There is no content and depth, and one already knows the end from the beginning.

By Omah Agbo

O

H how much longer should I continue to live in fear and trembling? How many classmates am I going to lose to a preventable crisis? Was it a wrong choice that we chose to become students of the University of Jos (UNIJOS)?

How more bitter shall the story of my university days taste if I am going to tell it to my children? Yes, what about the students who left their rooms for lectures and never returned? What about those who went for shopping and were caught up in the unending crises? How can I forget those who were, unfortunately, felled by stray bullets even when the security came to

tinction, remain among the very best. The least Nollywood can do is to help us preserve them. I give thumbs-up to Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions and Tade Ogidan, who have ensured that our cultures remain on the cinema radar.

Nollywood should please desist from this one-way-traffic of doing films on only love and voodoism when there are other interesting themes that they can channel their creativity on.

It took the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to do a good film called Blood and Oil; a film which tells the sour tale of the Niger Delta.

Should we also expect Bollywood or Hollywood to come down here and do some griping stuff on Boko Haram and our corrupt political system? Good films surely have the power of healing the past by saving the future; Nollywood should not shut its eye to this attestation. If they are short on story ideas, let them start adapting literary books which explore contemporary themes.

As an excuse for their mediocrity, Nigerian film makers complain about lack of funds and support

Hannah, 300-Level English, OAU

Jonathan: 100 days gone and so? the case then voters may be on a voyage to an uncertain future.

Let me go straight to the point by pointing out some of the things that have characterised Jonathan’s administration. It is left for the readers to decide if the President has achieved anything or not. In the first 30 days, the Federal Government had no cabinet - no ministers. This was after Jonathan had spent weeks at the Obudu Cattle Ranch to prepare the names of would-be ministers. This took another 30 days to be released. Moreover, the list contained the names of PDP politicians and their hirelings. Next, was the setting up of the economic team which is headed by the former Managing Director of World Bank, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Now, we are being told that the country would be among the top three investment destinations in Africa, but does it end there? Has

The cry of a Josite

agboomah@yahoo.com

We learn the preservation of cultural values in Indian films; American movies makes us dream big and think of innovation. What does Nollywood leave us with? Recycled story lines and imported cultures! Are the scriptwriters out of muse? Should women be always portrayed as sexual objects? We don’t always need repetitive love stories, not at this point in time when the nation is under the siege of some mad fanatics whose penchant for violence is triggered on the bias that the president did not emerge from their region.

It is usually a joke among students on my campus that the easiest way to catch some sleep after the brain has been saturated following a hard day’s reading is to turn on a Nollywood film; one is sure to snooze after the first three scenes.

Again, there is this saddening trend which is the imitation of Ghanaian movies. Ghanaian movie producers are the miserable wannabes, copying the debasing parts of western cultures and feeding it to tasteless audiences. This is Nigeria, a place with distinct cultures and values which though on the verge of dis-

from both government and corporate bodies. Truth is, if a Tony Elumelu or Jim Ovia would prefer to take time out to Terra Kulture to see a stage play rather than sit at home and watch a sensedulling Nigerian film, no bank will put their money down for film production neither would any corporate organisation show much interest. If a great sum of money is spent on a movie without a strong theme and well developed characters, it will all turn out to be a watery show.

The other complain we hear from Nollywood actors is piracy. This I too condemn strongly. Even students are guilty with all the copying and downloading we engage in.

The best bet would have been to turn to the law enforcement agencies but they themselves need help.

It is likely that there is just one policeman for 1000 Nigerians but not until one gets to the highway, the only place where they seem to be in abundance plying their N20 naira trade.

These are some of the ills in the society that Nollywood can help portray and subsequently correct.

They are the custodians of history.

make peace? Whose face shall be the next on that poster of missing persons?

Should it be because I am a Christian or a Muslim or maybe a native of the land that I get killed and burnt? I really cannot define human vampires. Yet we are prone to their terrible sense of inhumanity.

I remember vividly as a teenager, in my final year in secondary school, how I desired to study in Jos. I told my parents I would not go to any other university if not UNIJOS. But, today, if I could turn back the hands of time, I don’t think that burning desire of yesterday would remain the same.

It is no gainsaying the fact that studying under this tension-filled atmosphere has had its toll on students.

The panic from the continuous sounds of gunshots, the insecurity in town, the sorrowful counting of missing students and the painful loss of property to arson have continued to frustrate the conducive environment for learning. This in turn affects the aim of acquiring education within the specific duration.

Oh, what a price to pay in the quest for education!

Omah, 400-L Geography and Planning, UNIJOS

unemployment been tackled?

What is the fate of Nigerian youths? What about the power sector?

The President set up the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NEBT) and approved N19 billion to fund power projects in various parts of the country. He also approved funds for the construction of roads to facilitate transportation of goods and services. He also signed the Freedom of Information Bill which was described by many as unprecedented.

However, his administration’s inability to handle cases the Boko Haram insurgence, resurgence of ethnic wars in some parts of the North, and the recent bombing of the UN building in the first 100 days in office has created a doubt on the ability of his administration to handle security issues. The Boko Haram sect seems to be the greatest threat the nation is dealing with at

I

HAVE seen triumphs and I have seen tragedies. I have seen love and have also seen hatred. I have wept bitterly and I have laughed hilariously. Like a star he appeared; he blossomed and shone in full radiance of hope. Then he dimmed and, like vapour, he vanished without a trace.

His death refuses to vanish. I am greatly obsessed with the passing away of a brother, a companion. How would I portray John Chibuzor Ulonnam, whose sudden death on August 31, 2010, came at a time he was to write his final degree exams at the Civil Engineering Department of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO)?

John, in a text message, informed me that he had been admitted at a private hospital in Port Harcourt. On his own, he left school and went straight to the hospital. I always visited him in the hospital. John was in pains, yet he looked very healthy. The family battled to save his life. His medical doctor brother, who was based in Abuja, had to fly to Port Harcourt and worked with some consultants from the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital. But all was to no avail.

Each time I visited, we would leave his hospital room to the lobby. He looked okay, but appearances can be deceptive. He kept complaining of weakness. I returned to Umuahia shortly. I kept calling him but, after a few days, John’s mobile phone became unavailable.

I didn’t sense any danger, I simply assumed he was advised to switch off to avoid distractions. I kept trying till the night the line was avail-

the moment, and security operatives seem helpless in tackling the issue.

The President described the sect as cowards and promised to put them in their place. But if no one has been apprehended for the bombing and the federal government could not assure security of our lives and property, Nigerians need not scream Hallelujah in 100 days because economy of a nation thrives in a peaceful and well secured environment.

Another controversy the Jonathan administration is courting is tenure elongation, which he jumped into barely 100 days in office. It is ever doubtful if any Nigerian other than the few political appointees at the various levels and their children will join in popping the champagne.

It is time for the President to fulfill the promise of transforming Nigeria. The steps he takes right now will determine what he will

By Hope Ofobike hopeofobike@yahoo.com

be remembered for. Nigerians await the promised transformation.

Hope, recently finished from Mass Comm., UNIJOS

Tribute to John Ulonnam

By Stanley Ibeku ejibeks@yahoo.com

able and the dad picked. The man requested to know who I was and after explaining, he patiently told me: “It is over, young man” and dropped.

I should have read meaning into the statement but my mind simply refused to believe the obvious. I called back and the dad responded: “Young man, I told you it is over. Do not bother yourself.”

It was another friend, Patrice Arukwe, who broke the news in black and white. I couldn’t write anything on John then because I couldn’t come to terms with his death. Thanks to the CAMPUSLIFE Editor, Aunty Ngozi, who not only devoted her column but reproduced one of John’s persuasive write ups.

We met in FUTO’s Café A restaurant. John bought his food and came to my table. “You are Stanley Ibeku, I guess?” He asked. He said he has been reading my column, Campus Bubbles, in our campus newspaper, Third Eye. John told me he was interested. That remark excited me as I did get lots of messages from students but not a few would want to join the group going by what they termed unsuitable environment.

John joined the CAMPUSLIFE family; I recall that we did together our first cover story on CAMPUSLIFE. As a campus journalist, he had some rather unfortunate events, chief

among which was when the then Dean of Students Affairs sent some Man O’ War boys to pick him up for doing a report on the diversion of the Student Union’s money to a private account.

I had got wind of the scandal but couldn’t conclude investigations as I was on industrial training. John took over the case and attended the Students Representative Council meeting where the issue was debated. The editorial crew of our campus paper made the issue the cover story but the then SUG Public Relations Officer, who was the editorial chairman by virtue of his position, saw the story and alerted the Dean . The cover pages of that edition were burnt on the instruction of the Dean. That incident cost the paper a lot because much had been spent on the colour pages.

John had a retinue of friends, admirers and allies because he exemplified humility. He chose to live a disciplined and clean life. John had a strong conviction of making life better for his friends. He became a regular guest at a youth-oriented programme on Treasure FM, Port Harcourt.

It is sad that he had to leave the stage at a very young age. I imagine the pains and regrets the memories of John causes his family. We can’t question God. We will do well to fight on.

Adieu, dear friend.

Stanley is member, NYSC Port Harcourt

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

36

CAMPUS LIFE

Allergies and campus life N ALLERGY is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur to normally harmless environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid.

Strictly, an allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is characterised by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophiles by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response.

Simply put, allergies occur when a body’s immune system determines that an ordinarily harmless element is a potential threat. It happens when the immune system is overactive. The body therefore reacts with symptoms ranging from rashes, sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, runny noses and the like.

These allergies can make life on campus quite miserable and uncomfortable to say the least. Our goal is to share certain life styles that can ease the discomfort that allergies may bring on a student.

There are basically two ways of dealing with allergies. One, you can try antihistamine medicines. These medicines try to block the flow of histamines to areas of the body affected by allergies. It is very important to speak with professional doctors before using any form of medication and we totally advise against all and any form of self medication.

The second strategy to dealing with allergies and this is our focus in this write up is to try to reduce your exposure to allergens. This is clearly the healthier remedy in the long run, because you don’t have to take medicines with short term and long term side effects.

The following simply lifestyles will help.

1.

Keep your room fresh! Avoid humidity in your room as much as possible. Humid temperatures are perfect places to breed molds.

These molds many times are the cause of the sneezing and runny nose symptoms many suffer. Your room must be aerated and dry as much as you can.

2.

Keep laundry well separated: In regular home set ups, it is advised that clothes that you have worn be put in a laundry bin away from the sleeping area of people with allergies. For students it may not be too easy to achieve this, so we encourage that you have laundry bags (and not baskets) where you can contain your dirty clothes and which you can seal adequately thereby trapping the minute pollens and dust particles safely away from you.

A

On and Off Campus

By Uche Ogbonna uche.ogbonna@fidelitybankplc.com 08055061278

3.

Take a bath: When you return from classes be sure that you will be covered by microscopic pollens and dust particles which in many cases aggravate the allergic conditions you feel.

Taking a bath helps to wash off these dust and pollen particles and helps you stay fresh and clean.

4.

Dust them off: when bringing in your washed laundry, take a moment to dust them off, especially your bed sheets. Do this with a covering over your nostrils. As your clothes dry, particles in the air settle on them. Wearing these clothes or lying on these bed materials may cause some discomfort.

5.

Pay attention to what you ingest: Sometimes allergies result from what we eat and/or drink. As we notice this we must be careful to draw out a pattern, noting the reaction of certain meals and certain drinks and the discomforts we feel when we eat or drink them. Noting this pattern will help in proffering some solution for your relief. Carefully eat and when you discover a pattern do well to discontinue the meal structure or combination that makes your allergies worse.

6.

Be careful of air fresheners, perfumes, etc: Sometimes these air diffused products can cause a surge in allergic reactions and many people who are allergic find these products very uncomfortable. Please do well to properly ventilate your room if you have used a spray mosquito repellant.

7.

Use saline solutions: Where the problems are predominantly nasal, get a properly qualified medical practitioner to prescribe a good nasal saline solution. These solutions help to prevent the allergic attacks by cleansing out the nasal cavities and can even go a longer way to prevent some form of infection.

8.

Get medical help: Anyone who suffers from allergies must have regular consultation with a doctor. This cannot be over-emphasized. While in school you will do well to register yourself in the health centre and if possible have a close relationship with the resident doctor.

We hope this has been helpful. You may not have an allergy but you may notice allergies in a class mate or roommate. Please recommend these life styles to them to help alleviate their discomfort but most importantly get them to go see a medical practitioner urgently.

This article is sponsored by the Fidelity Flex account. Do you have the Flex factor? Sign up now!

By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•Winners of the Thrillhouse quiz competition held for students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. PHOTO: CALEB ADEBAYO

S

TUDENTS of Mass Communication have held their 2011 week; it was one that had other departments look on in envy. The week ran for three days.

The first day was a rally “against examination malpractice”.

The second day, resource persons in the communication industry came to speak to the students in a seminar tagged “The Media Industry in the 21st Century: The Opportunities and Threats”.

Mr Lekan Otunfodunrin, the Sunday Editor of The Nation newspaper, and Mr. Deji Falope, a former presenter at Sound City were among the speakers.

On the third and final day, the “MASCA award night” held. Deserving students, lecturers and personalities went home with an award. Mr. Sammy Ogunsanya, the staff adviser of the

Department holds week From Segun Odunayo LASPOTECH

department won the best lecturer of the year award while Mr. Ade Inasa Thomas won the most accommodating lecturer of the year.

Abiodun Atere and John Motunrayo won the Mr. and Miss Mass Communication awards respectively. Present at the event were Damilare Alajogun, the SUG presidentelect and Blessing Nnochiri, the lady vicepresident-elect. Also present was the new queen of LASPOTECH, Miss Kelechi Iherika, an ND1 student of Mass Communication.

Varsities test strength at UI

T

HE annual national inter university discourse has held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI).

Seven institutions selected from the six geo political zones and the FCT, Abuja, were in attendance.

Next to the hosts were the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), University of Jos (UNIJOS), University of Benin (UNIBEN, University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN, Usman Danfodio University (UDU), Sokoto.

Dignitaries at the event include the immediate past Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Gen Maharazu Tsiga and Senator Hosea Agboola representing Oyo North.

Tsiga said that the NYSC was a great unifying factor among Nigerian youths which

T

HE African Youth Circle, a non-governmental organisation, has organised the maiden edition of Lagos Leadership Conference. The event was held at the Art Theatre, King Jaja Hall, University of Lagos (UNILAG). The theme was “Working towards a better generation”.

Guests included the comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, Dr. Adeyemi Daramola, a lecturer, and Bisi Paul, a presenter with UNILAG FM. The event featured discussion, comedy and question and answer sessions.

Adeyinka, speaking on “My talent, my asset”, urged young people to discover their potential early and work on them.

From Kelechi Maduakolam UI

goes beyond just being posted to different regions. He urged those calling for the scrapping of the scheme to give it a second thought.

A recommendation was made that sanctions be placed on affected states where corps members are killed. There was also strong condemnation of regional posting as it would defeat the essence of achieving national unity.

At the end of the presentation on intellectual discourse, made by student-representatives themselves, institutions were rated. UI scored the highest, followed by UNIJOS. UDU and UNIABUJA tied for the third position.

Leaders of the UNIJOS team, Herbert Nguor and Michael Onuh expressed satisfaction with their performance.

Group excites at conference From Tosin Adesile UNILAG

Dr. Daramola opined that young people lack the technical expertise on how to take Nigeria to the next level. He urged them to change their mindsets and learn.

The event was sponsored by Bright Media Production, Taidob College, Abeokuta, Mr. Akin Adedotun, UNILAG FM and Sparklight Magazine.

A vote for ideology at Minna •Continued from page 34

Amure again won with a landslide of 586 votes to Mohammed Sanni’s 390.

Thus, Seun became the fourth president of the association which was inaugurated at FUT, Minna in 2007. It was all jubilation for admirers and members of Da Activists, who also won 12 of the remaining 13 positions. They danced round the campus, shouting the president-elect’s name while the losers quietly went away Kayode Popoola Kayode, in 500-Level Physics, who served as an observer, said: “The rerun was devoid of manipulation. We have done our work by making sure it was free and fair.

The winners should go and work to fulfil the promises they made.”

Seun spoke to CAMPUSLIFE: “It was a land-

slide all the way. We appreciate our supporters who came out again for the re-run. We thank them for believing in our promise to deliver us; and we will not disappoint them. We will all witness and experience a great turnaround in this faculty. The election was the first challenge; I have a bigger task before me. I appreciate the electoral committee and I pray that free and fair election like the re-run should continue in FUT Minna and even Nigeria as a whole”.

Other winners include Hafsat Sani (Vice-President), Sedick Austan (General Secretary), Kasim Sanusi (Assistant General Secretary), Suberu Alabi (Financial Secretary), Mohammed Sherif (Director of Sports), Tosin Atolaabe (Welfare director), Suleiman Kudu (Director of Research), Olanrewaju Hussein (Assistant Director of Research) and Suleiman Akande (Provost).

37

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EDUCATION

UNILORIN shops for N1b to host WAUG

T

HE University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is looking for N1.2 billion to host the West African University Games (WAUG) in January next year.

Members of the Governing Council of the institution were in Lagos on Monday to solicit support from distinguished alumni, corporate organisations and others to raise needed funds for the games.

Its Vice-Chancellor, Prof Is-haq Oloyede told journalists at the Council Chambers of the University of Lagos that the university has only been able to raise N250 million so far but was optimistic that stakeholders would rally round to help UNILORIN host one of the best games ever.

“I wish to inform you that of the estimated N1.2 billion the event will cost, the university has so far realised only N250 million which is just a drop in the ocean when compared to what we need.

I want to use this opportunity to thank the Education Trust Fund (ETF) which gave us N100 million, the Chairman of Globacom, Dr Mike Adenuga, who gave us N25 million, and other philanthropists who had given us some support.

The Ministry of Sports has also kindly promised us some money and we are hopeful the money will be released soon.

“We shifted our Council meeting to Lagos because we want to meet with potential benefactors,” he said.

With available funds, Oloyede said the institution is constructing a new pavilion at its stadium, tartan tracks, and gymnasium – in addition to purchasing a large Marcopolo bus to aid transportation. He assured that afterwards, facilities put in place will be well maintained.

“We are going to use WAUG as an excuse for improving and maintaining our sports facilities.

We have made sufficient provision in the budget for maintenance of facilities,” he said.

He said the university has the leave of the Kwara State government to use the Kwara State sta-

Road reconstruction begins THE Governing Council of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) has approved the reconstruction of a 2.8Km road by OAA Nig. Ltd. The contractor has since moved to the site.

The ring road is vital to the university as it connect all offices and facilities.

Members of the UNAAB community have expressed delight at the reconstruction. They said when completed, the road will complement the Ceremonial Road that was also reconstructed, earlier in the year.

Also, the Works and Services Department of the university has embarked on the patching of the bad portions of the CampUNAAB road.

Hostel allocation policy reviewed •Prof Oloyede with Prof Albert Olayemi, DVC Management Services at the briefing.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

dium for some of the 14 track and field events that will be competed for during the games.

The VC added further that universities in all West African countries have indicated interest in participating in the sports meet, which was last hosted by a Nigerian university (University of Benin) in 1995.

At the same forum, Oloyede announced the promotion of 35 academics to professorial cadre, while 31 have been appointed associate professors/readers.

Their promotion was approved at Monday’s Council meeting following the recommendation of the Appointments and Promotions Com-

mittee which considered the report of external assessors on academic publications of the candidates on September 12.

He said their promotion is a call to higher service to enable them function even better.

He however expressed concern that women academics consisted only 12.1 per cent of the 66 promoted, and urged them to put in more efforts into their publications.

“With males constituting 87.9 per cent (i.e. 58) of the number and the females constituting 12.1 per cent (eight), it appears that our female colleagues are still trailing behind their male counterparts quantitatively. It is hoped that our academ-

ics, especially the female ones, will continue to brace all understandable odds and publish and flourish while our male dons would also not be complacent by allowing the publish or perish dictum to hold sway,” he said.

Meanwhile, the university has created a new office for a third Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC).

Oloyede said the academic that occupies the new office, which was approved during the Council meeting, will take charge of Research, Technology and Innovations.

“We have done a GAP analysis and we found that those who are where we want to be have high level officers in charge of research,” he said.

THE UNAAB management has approved a new hostel allocation policy for the 2011/2012 academic session, effective from this month.

Chairman of the Students Welfare and Hostel Management Committee (SWEHOMAC), Prof Morenike Atinuke Dipeolu, said the policy was introduced to ensure effective utilisation of the limited bed spaces available for students.

Consequently, hostel accommodation will only be considered for freshers; 200-Level and final year students.

Dipeolu added that others students to be accorded preference include foreign, physicallychallenged and outstanding sportsmen and women.

Campus Radio starts soon THE UNAAB Radio will begin production soon, in readiness for full broadcast operations.

The station, almost fully equipped with a modern studio, is awaiting a visit by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

After the NBC assesmnet, a recommendation will be made to the Presidency for an operating licence.

The Chairman of the Implementation Committee for the establishment of the Community Radio, Prof O.B. Kehinde, said: “We are very hopeful of the Presidency’s nod after the NBC’s visit as all things have been done to demonstrate our seriousness to have the radio station. We already have a mast in place and we will get the transmitter immediately we receive the official approval of the Presidency to operate.”

Sheffield Varsity honours Odugbemi

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HE University of Sheffield, has conferred on the ViceChancellor (VC) of Ondo State University and Technology (OSUSTECH) Prof Tolu Odugbemi, the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).

The award is in recognition of Odugbemi’s outstanding contributions to science and the advancement of knowledge.

At the ceremony, the eminent professor of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Lagos and former University of UNILAG VC was celebrated in the presence of distinguished scholars from all over the world.

In attendance were the ProChancellor/ Chairman of Governing Council of OSUSTECH Prof. Funso Akere, Prof. Wole Atoyebi, Provost, College of Medicine, UNILAG and Prof.

Wole Famuyiwa of the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, UNILAG, Odugbemi ‘s wife Titi and other family members.

At the National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria, Ijanikin, Lagos, Odugbemi was also conferred with the Distinguished Fellow of Medical College (DFMC) award.

UNAAB FILE

•Distinguished Professors felicitating with the awardee, Prof. Tolu Odugbemi (middle). (From right), Prof. Wole Atoyebi, Prof Wole Famuyiwa and Prof Funso Akere

LAUTECH invests N100m in organic spices

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HE Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) is investing over N100million in the production of organic fruits and spices for export to European countries.

To actualise its dream, the institution, which is collaborating with Switzerland on the project, has written to the Federal Government and the World Bank for logistics support.

The Managing Director, LAUTECH Agricultural Services Limited, Dr Victor Togun, said the university plans to export tons of organic products

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

duly certified by the International Marketology of Switzerland (IMO) in a few years.

“The university plans to export 3,300 tons of dried ginger, 1000 tons of dried Turmeric, and 60 tons of dried lemon grass,” he said.

At present, Togun said LAUTECH Agricultural Services Limited is partnering with the National Poverty Eradication Programme in the cultivation of hundreds of hectares of ginger, turmeric and lemon grass.

“It is a shame that the government a is spending fortunes to import fertiliser when the country has the potential to develop its organic agriculture,” he said adding that all over the world, the use of chemically-produced fertiliser that “induces cancer-related diseases is being discouraged.”

Togun said LAUTECH’s organic products are in high demand.

“Our objective is practically to touch lives by enhancing wellness and liveability in a simple, effective and natural manner.

Varsity receives special breed goats THE University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, last Saturday, took delivery of 60 Kalahari Reds, a special breed of goats with unique qualities.

The goats were air-freighted from South Africa last Friday evening through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking at the handover of the animals at the University’s Farm Centre, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, appreciated the facilitator and breeder of the goats, Dr. Brylyne Chitsunge, for making out time to deliver them.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

38

EDUCATION ACE FILE

SCHOLARSHIP

Provost warns against malpractice

APPROACHING DEADLINES

THE Provost of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Prof Adeyemi Idowu, has advised sandwich students to shun examination malpractices.

Addressing the over 100 National Certificate for Education (NCE) sandwich students during their matriculation, the Provost said examination malpractices had become the albatross of many students.

Idowu, presented by his deputy, Dr Olufemi Olajuyigbe, admonished them to abide by the rules and regulations of the college and abstain from vices and other socially unacceptable behaviour that may truncate their studentship.

He also implored them to exploit all official channels of communication in their relationship with the management, workers and their peers and not to resort to self help or illegal means.

Organization: University of Westminster, UK Scholarship Provider: The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London Scholarship can be taken at: UK Eligibility:• have Polish citizenship; • be fluent in Polish and English; • be a graduate of a Polish university (candidates should already hold a degree, applications from students will not be accepted); Scholarship Application Deadline: 10 September 2011 http://scholarship-positions.com/bohdan-winiarski-scholarship-ininternational-law-at-university-of-cambridge-uk-2012/2011/08/24/

New heads for committees

2012 Skadden Fellowships for Law School Graduates, New York Study Subject(s):Law Course Level:Graduates Scholarship Provider: The Skadden Fellowship Program Scholarship can be taken at: USA Eligibility:The sponsor must be a 501(c)3 organisation which provides civil legal services to the poor, including the working poor, the elderly, the disabled or those deprived of their civil or human rights.

Scholarship Application Deadline: October 3, 2011 http://scholarship-positions.com/2012-skadden-fellowships-for-lawschool-graduates-new-york/2011/06/27/ Wollongong Excellence Scholarships for Applicants from Singapore, Australia Study Subject(s):Engineering and IT, Health Sciences and Medicine; Business and Commerce Applied and Natural Sciences; Arts, Communications and Creative Arts, Law and Education.

Course Level:Diploma and Bachelor Degree Program Scholarship Provider: University of Wollongong Scholarship can be taken at: Australia Scholarship Application Deadline: 27 Nov 2011 http://scholarship-positions.com/wollongong-excellence-scholarshipsfor-applicants-from-singapore-australia/2011/06/18/ Coase Scholarships for Undergraduate, University of Buckingham, UK

THE ACE Provost, Prof Adeyemi Idowu, has approved the appointments of Dr Bunmi Ogungbenro, Dr Martina Chinelo Onuegbu and Mr Suleiman Raji as committee chairmen.

Ogungbenro is chairman, Housing Loan and Furniture committee; Onuegbu, chairs the Admissions Committee, and Raji, the Sport Committee.

Their appointments took effect from August 1 and will end on July31, 2013.

As the chairmen, they will be responsible for the daily administration of the committees and will also report directly to the Provost on matters relating to the committees.

1-2 PhD Fellowships within Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Oslo, Norway Study Subject(s):Criminology and Sociology of Law Course Level:PhD Scholarship Provider: University of Oslo, Norway Scholarship can be taken at: Norway Eligibility:* The PhD candidate must hold a Norwegian cand.polit. degree/ a master degree in criminology and sociology of law or an equivalent degree. * The candidates grades, the project proposal, and the applicant’s personal qualifications will be taken into consideration in the evaluation of the applications. Applicants may be called for an interview.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 15 September 2011 http://scholarship-positions.com/1-2-phd-fellowships-withincriminology-and-sociology-of-law-university-of-oslo-norway/2011/07/ 23/

Study Subject(s): Law, Economics and Business Course Level: Undergraduate Scholarship Provider: University of Buckingham Scholarship can be taken at: UK Eligibility: Candidates should be UK citizens and should have or expect to achieve at least 300 A-level points. Particular consideration will be given to needy students requiring financial assistance.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 May 2012 http://scholarship-positions.com/coase-scholarships-for-undergraduateuniversity-of-buckingham-uk/2011/06/30/ University of Victoria Graduate Student Fellowships 2012-2013, Canada Study Subject: Culture,Ethics, Health, Law, Environment, Technology, Government and Public policy, Human conflict, Art, Literature, Media, Philosophy ,Natural sciences etc.

Employer: The Centre for Studies in Religion and Society Level: Graduate,PhD Scholarship Description: The centre welcomes applications for projects that meet its mandate of promoting the interdisciplinary study of religion in relation to any and all aspects of society and culture, both contemporary and historical.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 February, 2012 http://scholarship-positions.com/university-of-victoria-graduatestudent-fellowships-2012-2013-canada/2011/05/12/ 2012 International PhD Fellowships at BIGSSS, Germany Study Subject:Political Science,Sociology,Psychology, Law, Economics or Mass Communication Employer: The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) Level: PhD Scholarship Description: The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) invites applications to its Ph.D. programmes. The programme will commence on September 1, 2012. Successful applicants for the Ph.D Scholarship Application Deadline: March 15, 2012 http://scholarship-positions.com/2012-international-phd-fellowships-atbigsss-germany/2011/05/16/ Alfred Deakin Scholarships in Law at Deakin University, 2012 Australia Study Subject(s):Law Course Level:Undergraduate Scholarship Provider: Deakin University Scholarship can be taken at: Australia Eligibility:To be eligible for this scholarship you must be: -an Australian citizen or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian -a future student enrolling in a Bachelor of Laws or a combined Law course in a Commonwealth Supported Place at the Melbourne Burwood Campus, the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus or the Warrnambool Campus.

Scholarship Application Deadline: September 30, 2011 http://scholarship-positions.com/alfred-deakin-scholarships-in-law-atdeakin-university-2012-australia/2011/09/01/

To the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, education can only develop if civil servants and stakeholders are truly committed and transparent. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE and UJA EMMANUEL report.

‘Education must rise above corruption’

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HAT is the reason for policy sumersaults in education?

The main problem why you see most policies are not implemented – it is not as if we don’t have capacity but the problem is that we are always changing leadership and when you change leadership, anybody who is coming on board instead of him to continue with the policy that is there, would abandon that programme and introduce other policies that we will know that he was the one who initiated the policies.

Again, civil servants you know, no matter how sound your policies are – who are the drivers of these policies, who are the implementers of these policies? It is the civil servants.

It is not the issue of not having capacity but I can tell you by the special grace of God, if I am opportune to remain as minister, I will implement every policy I say, I will do.

What do you think should be done to improve the quality of education in the country?

It has been acknowledged that corruption thrives everywhere so some schools aid examination malpractice. There should be inspection of schools so as to have independent results.

N o n - G o v e r n m e n t a l Organisations (NGOs) can do this and also others, but corruption has eaten deep into other sectors of the

economy. Even NGOs write organised reports, not independent.

A lot of NGOs compromises. So much sentiment is brought in. We are working towards ensuring that we improve the quality of education in the country by improving the infrastructure base and teacher quality to strengthen education at the foundational level in order to have a better tertiary education. Sectors such as Almajiri education, girl child education, nomadic education and restoration of parity in girlchild and male child education in the Southeast will be seriously promoted by the government. We are plugging all loopholes to ensure that education begins its climb to where Nigerians want it to be.

Recently, WAEC released two conflicting results, what step has the Ministry taken to resolve the problem?

I called the Head of WAEC; I said he should tell the nation what has happened. The problem was lack of communication. There was no deliberate attempt to circumvent anything; but lack of communication is the problem. People will have the impression that something wrong is going on.

In the past, there used to be cancellation of results and so on. Nigerian is a difficult place. We must learn to take certain actions. Offending schools can be blacklisted for say 10 years and students for five years. By such action, everybody will sit up .

But people will not like it . We must take action to show that government is serious.

The Federal Unity Schools are in a state of disrepair, what is the government’s plan for these schools?

We want to take the unity schools in phases – take two or three federal schools in the zone – say 18 schools in a year. If this is done we will solve the infrastructure problem . The president will want to improve the infrastructure. There is a concrete 4 year strategic plan to develop education and the Unity Schools are well covered in this plan. By the time we embark on this phased development of Federal Unity Schools, in four years, we would have completely transformed 72 schools to serve as a model for secondary education.

These models will assist states and private individuals develop quality schools for Nigerian children.

What about the challenge of funding in the system?

When it is said that funding is not enough, what is happening to the little one available ? Management of school can be done by the old students, the community , etc it will take a little framework . Without education , nothing can work in the whole nation. It’s the rock.

Some states are yet to access their UBE funds, what is the problem?

Such states are yet to pay their counterpart funds. But we have started intensive consultation and advocacy and these states are ready to respond

•Wike

positively. We are discussing with governors under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to ensure that something positive is done in this direction.

Primary school is basic. With good products, they will affect secondary and tertiary education. Things are going well in Rivers State. There is no primary school without library or computers. If you get it right from the basics, you will get it right in the secondary.

People are now leaving private school to public schools. Education in Rivers State is now a model for others. It is through education that poverty, insecurity, can be solved.

For now, the Federal Government is developing schools for the

almajiris and other less privileged children. We have started constructing over 100 schools for these Nigerian children across the nation.

Without teacher motivation, nothing can be achieved in the long run.

What is the government doing in this regard?

Houses have been built for teachers, given different motivations to attract them into the classrooms.

President Jonathan is committed to the welfare of teachers, been a teacher himself and he is ready to commit funds into education.

Teaching is a passion; one must have interest and be delight to want to be a teacher. Being a teacher is like a curse, but it should not be so.

Need for them to have mobility, housing, earn fat salaries like Chemical Engineers, etc. teachers will be given a different package entirely.

If education is in crisis, there is need to radically deal with it. Recently, I met with officials of British Department for International Development and Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria and I put forward a proposal for enhanced capacity building for teachers in basic education level, which they agreed to support. We are reaching out to different groups to ensure that the condition of teachers improves as well as the quality of teachers.

At present, students, who pick second choices in their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations are not considered, any steps to redress this situation?

I know there is first choice, Second choice of universities and if you don’t meet the score of your first choice, but such scores fall within the second choice, then you can go to the second choice. That is how it should be.

39

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EDUCATION

Foundation kicks off book campaign

A

CAMPAIGN to give a book to every Nigerian child of primary school age has begun.

The idea is to lay a foundation for children in developing their reading skills,and getting them focused on their future careers.

It is called 1 Child 1Book project, and it is the project of Tosin Jegede Foundation.

At a briefing in Lagos, Miss Tosin Jegede, who is the project initiator, said the idea was informed by the startling statistics from the United Nations ranking Nigeria among the 12 countries that harbour 75 per cent of the world’s illiterate population.

This, she said, was made more worrisome by the 2008 United Nation’s Children Fund report, which also claims that about 10 million Nigerian children of primary and secondary school age are out of school.

The project, which aims to complement government’s efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), she said,

By Adegunle Olugbamila

would take off in Lagos State as a pilot.

She said: “The Tosin Jegede Foundation, as a non-governmental organisation, aims to complement the effort of the government by putting a book in the hands of every child in Lagos State primary schools. We believe this will help achieve Millennium Development Goal Two, which is the advancement of universal primary education. Our project aims to stimulate and build an early foundation for the love of reading and the use of books to acquire knowledge to improve the future of our nation.

We strongly believe that when children are exposed to books from a young age, they will be able to develop an enduring culture of reading.”

In addition to public schools, Tosin said the project would target unapproved private schools.

“The 1Child 1Book project aims

•Jegede with some of the children displaying their new story books

to give each child, who would not normally be able to afford one, a storybook of his own,” Jegede said.

Educationist flays uncommitted parents N educationist has explained why public school pupils perform poorly.

Mr Dvid Otuyemi, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Oloruntele Intergrity Schools, Meiran Lagos, said parents should share part of the blame.

He said parents don’t show interest in what their children are doing in schools once they enroll them.

Parents to monitor their children undermine government’s efforts.

He said parents who enroll their wards in private schools are more committed.

“Population in Lagos schools is so high and parents care less. They depend solely on the state government for all the things their children need. They don’t provide essential things; they don’t supervise their children’s home work. If government provides everything, let parents supervise,” he said at the dedication of Oloruntele Integrity Secondary School complex.

Otuyemi said evidence that many

A

S

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

public school pupils lack supervision is in the number of books they take to school everyday.

“For instance, a student goes to school with only one big note tucked in his back pocket and he has to study about six subjects per day. The note is not enough for all the subjects he takes. That is why you find that some public school children will not be in school for upwards of three to four months and their parents won’t know,” he said.

Otuyemi praised parents whose children attend private schools for monitoring their progress.

He condemned some for supporting examination malpractice, which he said his school would not tolerate.

“I told parents during the dedication that there will be no expo here,” he said, adding that as the proprietor of the school, he is determined to ensure that it provides

‘For instance, a student goes to school with only one big note tucked in his back pocket and he has to study about six subjects per day. The note is not enough for all the subjects he takes’

She solicited for the assistance of well-meaning Nigerians, publishing houses, corporate organisations and likeminded

•Otuyemi

the best in terms of facilities and personnel for the groaning pupils.

He said the u-shaped three storey building can accommodate 35 classrooms, 18 toilets, four laboratories among others.

He added that the school, which would work to provide all required facilities to speed up approval by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, the West African Examinations Council and other relevant bodies.

“We put all these in place so that within a short time the Ministry of Education will approve, as well as WAEC and NECO. We want our students to write the examinations internally,” he said.

•Angela Omo-Dare, Company Secretary, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC (second right); Isioma Ogodazi, Head of Human Resources, and Thandi Mgxwati - Political Counsellor/Head of Lagos Office, South African High Commission; with students of the University of Lagos when they visited the bank under the ‘Take a Girl Student to Work’ initiative.

charities for partnership.

Jegede, a one-time child singer, said the foundation would start with giving out 20,000 books.

States urged to provide community libraries

TATE have been urged to create at least two libraries in each local government.

A nominee of the Nigeria Liquefied Gas Limited (NLGL) literary prize, Mr Adeyemi Adeleke, said reading should be a culture that can be passed to coming generations, noting that this can only be achieved when one reads, talks about books and also have libraries to keep records.

He spoke at a National Schools Resumption summit held at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

He said: “Until we help the government schools, we are not doing anything. The Indians do take their children to public libraries but here, we don’t do that, all we do is take our children to restaurants. The Indians look into the future, but we don’t see; we should borrow this idea from them by constructing good libraries stored with books.

“It saddens me that many

By Seun Olalude

homes you go, you find home movies but hardly will you find good books like in other parts of the world. Not only in the United Kingdom likewise the Chinese, and the Korean where they have high population. You will always find books at affordable prices.”

He urged parents to work in understanding with pupils especially in the choice of books to read.

“Parents and pupils should set goals. Parents should let their children know what they expect from them and pupils should have a list of books to read in a week,” he said.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbgbo, said the government had made efforts to improve education, admonishing parents not to leave everything in goverment’s the hands.

‘MMA School needs support’

D

ESPITE all the achievements recorded by the Murtala Muhammed Airport School Lago, finance has remained its greatest challenge.

The Principal of the School, Pastor Theresa Ngozi Enilama said the school, which was established to cater for the children of different cadre of workers in the aviation sector, cannot afford to raise its fees above the reach of the workers.

As a result, she said since the fees are pegged for both the managing director and the security guard’s children, it was difficult to generate enough funds to renovate the school and pay salaries as there is no subvention from any source.

“Because it is a staff school, we can not increase our school fees like other schools even though we have the standard that would have made us to do that but we are constrained to keep it in such a way that even the gateman and cleaner can afford to send their children there. But I think we are really making progress,” she said.

Pastor Enilama explained that the school has been mindful of the

By Kelvin Osa-Osunbor

quality of staff hired since inception, saying this has helped it in maintaining a very high standard in producing men and women of substance, such as Dare Art Alade among others.

She noted that the school has witnessed tremendous achievements under Edward Olarerin, Chairman, Board of Trustees, with 100 per cent pass in 2010/ 2011 National Common Entrance Examination while for two consecutive years, the school came second in the NNPC/Shell Coral Competition.

Other achievements enumerated by the principal, include the payment of improved salaries, mass renovation work and the near completion of the school’s befitting hall.

She announced that the school was proposing hostel accommodation to house the final year students and exchange programmes with schools home and abroad for the students.

The Murtala Muhammed Airport School was established in 1983.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

40

EDUCATION EDUTALK

Is impersonation worth the risk?

with

Kofoworola

Belo-Osagie N the course of production this week, my colleague, Kofosagie@yahoo.com Ngozi Agbo, shared a story 08054503077 (SMS only) with me which we laughed over – about a physically-challenged final year student who was caught attempting to help a candidate write the post-UTME test of his university. We wondered how he could have thought he could get away with it when he would have stuck out like a sore thumb because of his mobility challenges.

Giving it a thought later, I questioned what amount of profit lures students to impersonate for others. Given the laxity in implementing the Examination Malpractice Act against perpetrators during public examinations, mercenaries usually get off lightly even when caught.

However, this is not the case for bonafide students within the tertiary education system. When caught impersonating during school examinations, such students are made to face a disciplinary panel – usually made up of principled lecturers that have earned the reputation of being ‘wicked’ because of their uncompromising stance on rules and regulations.

If found guilty, the penalties are usually grievous: suspension, rustication for a semester/session or outright expulsion.

It is not news that securing university admission in this country is an arduous process. With hundreds of thousands denied placement yearly – many not because they are not qualified but because there is no space – those who get in should count themselves blessed among students.

It therefore belies comprehension that students forget how they earned their place (if they did) and knowingly jeopardize their future by engaging in illegal activities with such grave consequence as the one that impersonation attracts. Which parent or sponsor would understand that after years of financial and emotional investment his child would not graduate because of an act of indiscretion? If expelled, where does the student start again to pick up the pieces of his life? Does he go back to write the UTME again? Will he be willing to do so? Who will pick up his bills again? How will he feel seeing his peers graduate while he is forced to start again – if he gets the chance to? Students should ask themselves these questions and more when anybody approaches them to act as mercenaries.

When caught, the perpetrators usually try to escape. I have heard stories of students jumping from upper floors to their deaths trying not to get caught. Even if they are not caught, the person they represent is automatically uncovered once the invigilator has the answer scripts in his possession.

To avoid getting into trouble in school, students should face the main purpose of being there squarely. They should complete registration on time, attend lecturers, complete tests and assignments, study, and write their examinations by themselves.

I

•From Left: Mr Obasanya, Ms Seyi Coker, Project Director, LEGO® Education, and Mrs Nkem Awani, Retail Manager, LEGO® Products during the briefing to Launch LEGO at the corporate headquarters of Arc Lights Ltd.

Firm to launch learning tools

A

S schools resume for the 2011/2012 academic session, a representative and distributor of LEGO® Education is set to unveil its range of education solutions to boost cognitive and creative skills. The devices will be found useful by pre-school and nursery kids, primary and secondary school pupils.

The products are toys for pupils produced by Denmark-based Lego Education to enhance learning in schools.

The introduction of the LEGO® Education solutions is aimed at equipping schools, teachers, parents and guardians with tools to effectively deliver new learning methods to boost the cognitive development of pupils and enhance their creativity.

At a briefing in Lagos, Managing

By Seun Olalude

Director, Arc Lights Ltd, Mr Tayo Obasanya, said in the 21st century, learning is about providing children with opportunities to experiment with their surroundings to solve problems and make discovery.

“Arc Lights seeks to contribute to the success of educators by offering unique tools that have proved effective at nurturing the creativethinking, problem-solving and team-working skills of pupils in an active learning environment, thereby, enabling children to develop the skills necessary for them to be able to embrace the challenges of the future in the 21st Century,” he said.

As the children play with LEGO products, Obasanya said they are learning every step of the way.

“LEGO® Education solutions are playful means of learning because research in this field has proven that learning is accelerated when play and creativity are involved and have demonstrated that play promotes cognitive development, language, motor abilities and social maturity,” he said.

He assured of the company’s readiness to collaborate with the government to improve education.

The Project Executive, Ms Tosin Coker, said the firm plans to train teachers to boost the awareness campaign of its products.

“We are trying to organise trainees for the teachers in schools to be equipped to teach their pupils. Our vision is to present Lego to all schools. This we will begin by an awareness which will commence with Lagos and Bayelsa states,” she said.

Caregivers learn to teach pre-schoolers

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DUCATING pre-schoolers is not just about teaching them to read and write, teachers learnt during a training in Lagos.

Some 1,790 care givers working in the Early Child Care Development and Education (ECCDE) department of public nursery/primary schools in Lagos were taken through the eight themes of the National Early Childhood Curriculum to help them know what to put into the consideration in educating the two to fiveyear olds in their care.

Lead trainer, Ms Olutoyin Olakanpo, whose firm, Train 2 Gain Enterprises is consulting for the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB) to appropriately coordinate the ECCDE, said teachers need to realise that there is a difference between nursery and primary children and recognise the developmental milestones they should pass through.

“We are here to ensure that these children start learning early. The focus is to train ECCDE teachers so they have a better understanding of the difference between nursery and primary school children. They should if the children are growing properly, are developmental stages they must pass through,” she said.

During the training, the teachers learnt how to monitor the physical, affective/psychosocial, cognitive developments, food and nutrition, environmental sanitation, and health of children under their care taking into cognisance milestones they should achieve at certain ages.

Declaring the workshop open, LSUBEB Chairman Mrs Gbolahan Daodu said the aim was to improve the skills of nursery teachers in providing quality education to young children.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

“Many of the teachers that train this set of young kids don’t have the skills or qualifications. The state just engaged consultants in this regard. We now have a database of teachers and have reviewed the ECDDE curricular. This training is the third phase of the project,” she said.

She urged the caregivers to be serious about the training as the government has invested over N17million to bring them up to standard.

Similarly, about 4,000 primary and junior secondary school teachers were trained to improve their pedagogical skills in the core subjects of Basic Science, Mathematics, English and Social Studies. They were also taught the techniques of item writing to test the three domains of learning.

The workshop, tagged: “NTI 2011 MDGs Teacher Retraining Programme” was co-ordinated by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), which provided the course modules used by consultant facilitators, drawn from various universities.

At Fagba Junior Grammar School, where 476 teachers from four education districts underwent the training, Centre Co-ordinator, Dr Joseph Awoyinfa praised NTI for the

production of qualitative modules which he said were effective in addressing the training needs of the teachers.

He, however, sought the restoration of teachers training colleges, which he said provide trainee teachers with the best foundation needed for professionalism in the field.

“Eradication of teacher-training college is the bane of our problem.

Right now, after four years in the university, you can be a teacher. But to be a professional teacher, you should go through the teachers training college, then NCE before going for a Bachelors, Masters and PhD. Some of the teachers here are getting what they never got even when in school,” he said.

Speaking on the impact of the training, Mr Abiodun Adedotun of Millennium Secondary School, Egbeda, said the facilitators not only helped them to be grounded in the core subjects, but addressed them on the need to value their profession.

“We have been enlightened about certain facts – that we need to believe in ourselves and appreciate our value as teachers,” he said.

SUBEB Representative, Mrs Omoladun Kutemi, said it was the first training of its kind for teachers in junior secondary schools.

Alumni body elects officers

T

HE Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities (CAANU) has elected Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho as its chairman for the next two years.

Ahonaruogho and 12 others were elected during a special convention of the body held at the University of Agriculture, Markurdi, between September 15 and 18.

The new leaders will be inaugurated at a ceremony to hold at the University of Benin, the alma mater of the chairman, on November 12.

Other elected CAANU executives include: Dr Bibiana Igbabul (1st ViceChairman), Mr Steven Olawale Fasakin (2 nd Vice-Chairman), Mallam Chuks Agoha (Secretary), and Mr Uthman Tajudeen (Treasurer).

‘It therefore belies comprehension that students forget how they earned their place (if they did) and knowingly jeopardize their future by engaging in illegal activities with such grave consequence as the one that impersonation attracts. Which parent or sponsor would understand that after years of financial and emotional investment his child would not graduate because of an act of indiscretion? If expelled, where does the student start again to pick up the pieces of his life? Does he go back to write the UTME again? Will he be willing to do so? Who will pick up his bills again? How will he feel seeing his peers graduate while he is forced to start again – if he gets the chance to? Students should ask themselves these questions and more when anybody approaches them to act as mercenaries’

From my Inbox Re: The Nigerian Factor (Thursday, September 08, 2011) The Nigerian factor goes beyond what you wrote. How do you explain that in a competitive examination some people who fail are given chances because of quota? How do you explain that in a free and fair election, those who fail decide to make the place ungovernable? Or instead of prosecuting the sponsors of a crime, government will arrest miscreants. 080385714—.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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e-Business The number of mobile phone users is currently put at over five billion globally by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The figure is bound to rise in no time because of the high phone demand in developing countries and mobile access to the Internet for data services. Unscrupulous persons are, however, profiting from the sale of counterfeit phones, throwing up a challenge which mobile phone dealers are seeking to address. ADLINE ATILI reports Then the phone could become unusually

The menace of fake phone sellers •Dealers chart way out

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IGERIANS, generally, like good things and this is reflected in their desire for sophisticated handsets. Many have burnt their fingers in a bid to get these handsets as they end up being sold fake phones. Yet, they have not relented in their search for such handsets. It is to satisfy this demand that as many as three mobile phones are introduced almost every week by one maker or the other.

A recent survey, by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations, found that nearly a quarter of the world's over six billion people use the Internet, majority on their mobile phones.

ITU expects the number of mobile broadband subscriptions to surpass one billion around the world this year, a leap from 600 million at the end of 2009.

The organisation predicts that within the next five years, more people will hop onto the Web from mobile gadgets than from desktop computers.

Africa is reported to be the continent with the fastest growth, where penetration has soared from just one in 50 people at the turn of the century to 28 per cent, with Nigeria, the continent's largest telecoms market.

Developing countries are said to account for about two-thirds of the mobile phones in use, globally.

Much of the take-up in Africa is thought to have been driven by money transfer services that allow people without bank accounts to send money speedily and safely by text messages, which the recipient-typically a family member-can cash in at the other end. With mobile payment system set to take off on a large scale in Nigeria, expectedly, mobile phone use will soar.

This scenario presents a big challenge for buyers-the challenge of avoiding buying counterfeit devices.

The sale of fake and sub-standard mobile phones has become a big business in Nigeria, a country with widespread poverty and unemployment.

Poverty lures a lot of unsuspecting people into buying substandard mobile phones and umemployment pushes a lot of youths into trading in these devices.

Even though cutting-edge mobile phones are getting ever more complicated, somehow, counterfeiters are managing to keep up with the latest technologies and produce many convincing fakes.

This influx of fake mobile phones is thus a serious concern for both manufacturers and consumers.

• The real challenge for consumers is how to tell a counterfeit phone from a genuine one

More customers are opting for these fake mobile phones because they are cheap and look exactly like their original counterparts.

Even new models are being faked and sold in the markets as soon as an original is released.

Underground companies who manufacture fake mobiles reap heavy profit as they can evade taxes and the heavy cost of infrastructure.

Pirated software are also used for these phones, allowing the manufacturers to earn a decent profit.

Leading phone manufacturers are worried as the trend seems to be affecting the prices of the global brands.

But price is not the only issue to contend with.

Studies have shown that counterfeit phones, especially batteries, can kill and maim.

Last year, an Indian died in an explosion while using his phone, which was said to have exploded.

A Chinese was also reported dead after his mobile phone exploded, severing a major artery in his neck. Local reports said that was the ninth recorded cellphone explosion in China since 2002. There have been cases also, when users sustained injuries when phones exploded.

China has been fingered as the major source of fake phones shipment into Nigeria. Hundreds of Chinese companies are flooding markets all over the world too with fake mobile phones everyday.

Visitors to China argue that with the help of modern technology, a small company with as little as 10 workers can create new models of fake phones, which are known locally in the country as 'shanzai' or black market cell phones.

These small companies, with their mind-boggling technology, have succeeded in eating up the market share of leading mobile phone manufacturers in many markets.

Before Samsung mobile came up with its first dual SIM GSM phone, the China phones were already in the market with attractive dual SIM phones that came with affordable prices too.

Consumers rushed in droves to buy the phone that would afford them the rare opportunity of owning two phone numbers without the physical and financial burden of an extra phone.

In Nigeria today, these 'China phones can carry as much as four SIM cards! The ever-growing 'shanzai' market has responded quickly to the

needs of the mobile users by manufacturing fake version of all the new models.

A mobile phone dealer at the Computer Village in Ikeja, where fake phones are sold in high quantity, Shola Adeoye, said one way of identifying them is that, like the originals, they come meticulously packed with charger, headphones and an instruction manuals.

The only difference, however, is that they come without a warranty, cluttered and complicated software, difficult to operate and low quality batteries which may explode anytime.

He added that these fake versions do not adhere to any safety standards.

The global brands have been warning mobile users about the dangers of buying fake models.

Adeoye advised that caution should be exercised when buying a new phone, urging that the spelling of the brand name should also be carefully checked.

"The name may be deliberately misspelt in the fake phones using the same font but a wrong spelling. 'Nokia' may be written as 'Nckia,' making the 'o' and 'c' look similar. Some write 'Samsong' instead of 'Samsung.' They come in different models, shapes and sizes and the prices are unbelievably low."

The phones, poor immitation of the original, were widely dubbed palasa in the Nigerian local parlance when they were first sold, which literally means 'total or absolute fake,' because of their very short life span.

Interestingly, consumers, however, say it is not only China phones that are deserving of the appellation.

They argue that some of the notable brands, such as Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson also have their accessories like battery, faked, such that even a trained eye would sometimes not be able to detect them.

The first sign of trouble, according to palasa users, is that the talk time becomes shorter than normal. This applies to both China phones and other popular brands which batteries or other components are counterfeit.

This is, most times, closely followed by some funny displays like the phone automatically switching itself on and off.

Some are even said to charge themselves.

That is, without being plugged into an electrical outlet, the charging bars start moving to give the semblance of charging.

loud so much that one would think it is in speaker mode. The user would also try to access some features like the silent mode but would be unable to.

At other times, the camera would refuse to function normally; the phone would even become unable to read text messages.

One such phone user, Kehinde Olushola, said two weeks after he bought his phone, a palasa, he has not been able to switch it off or put it in silent mode for months.

He said the phone had caused him untold embarrassment in public places where he forgot to remove the battery, as that was the only way to switch off the phone, adding that he bought the phone, which had become an albatross to him because it was cheap.

Mobile phone manufacturers and governments around the world are increasingly, more than ever, mounting pressure on the Chinese government to adopt stringent measures to stop the proliferation of fake phones, which is forcing the global players to turn down their prices, thereby causing great loss to them.

They are also stepping up consumer awareness and beefing up security efforts to stop influx of these substandard devices.

The Nigeria Customs Service has reportedly deployed scanning machines at the country's ports to detect goods that are deliberately concealed from the ordinary eye by unscrupulous importers.

Another mobile phone dealer, who works in an authorised outlet, while craving anonymity, advised buyers: "First of all, just look at the price. There's no free lunch even in Freetown and if something looks too good to be true, then it probably isn't good.

"Second, check the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. The IMEI is a unique 15 or 17-digit code assigned to every phone upon production. No two phones have the same IMEI. Most of these counterfeit phones do not have IMEI or correct IMEI. If any, The IMEI may have been cloned.

"Another thing buyers should know is that it is always safer to buy from an authorised mobile phone dealer of the handset make you want. This way, you get waranty for the product and after-sales services and repairs.

"For instance, if you want to buy a Samsung phone or accessory, buy from Sansung authorised dealer. Same goes for any other brand.

"Buying your mobile phones from such authorised dealer is like buying directly from the manufacturer. Even in this Computer Village, we have authorised dealers of these mobile phone makers, though a lot of people think only counterfeits are sold here.

"He also advised buyers to be wary of some touts attempting to lure them into patronising 'London' phones.

He said: "Some of these touts lure people with fake claims. Though the so-called London phones may be 'fairly-used- ones, afterall that may still be in top shape, I'll advise buyers to be wary.

"Most of these phones are simply palasa, sold together with the 'London' phones to deceive unsuspecting buyers.

"Additionally, even with the London phones, you get no warranty after buying. So, it's better to buy new phones from authorised dealers. Phones are not as expensive as they used to be; it's better to buy with peace of mind."

He added that one feature he has over the years noticed about instruction manuals that come with substandard phones is that they are not written in the English language and those that are in English contain very frequent grammatical errors.

He advised buyers to carefully read the manuals that come with phones for grammatical and other noticeable errors, including poor packaging.

44

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

e-Business

Ministry, stakeholders to work on IT policy T

HE Federal Government will consider the input of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) before adopting a new Information Technology (IT) policy, Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, has said.

Addressing a delegation of the NCS led by its President, Mr Demola Aladekomo in Abuja , the minister said a team has been constituted to work on the policy. The team will look into NCS before a final document is released. In his address, Aladekomo said NCS was ready to partner with the government on four key areas: employ-

Stories by Adline Atili

ment creation, terrorism, IT legislation and IT policy plan. He said: “We look forward to using technology to stop the spate of bombing and make life safe for Nigerians. We have as members professionals whose input into the way and manner intelligence is gathered with the use of IT tools can help isolate potential threats to lives and property.”

The minister agreed with the NCS’s stance, saying it tallied with the four key mandates of the ministry which she disclosed in Lagos.

She said: “Some aspects of my

briefing are also what you have said here. That is gratifying. I am glad NCS and the ministry are on the same page in these issues.”

She assured that the ministry would work towards improving the use of IT in the economy, saying IT was engaged seriously in the past. According to her, the role of the ministry will be to develop the policy and then work with the industry in implementing it. She declared that while she was not keen on separating the industry (IT and telecoms) because of convergence, the ministry would no longer be all about telecoms.

GADGET TREND

Airtel partners Nokia

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EADING Telco, Airtel Nigeria and Nokia have introduced the Nokia dual SIM X1-01 phone, with free airtime and SMS exclusively on the Airtel network.

The offer will enable consumers to enjoy one of Nokia's latest phones and Airtel's innovative, and affordable telecom solutions.

According to the companies, customers who purchase Nokia X1-01 will get N250 bonus airtime for every N400 cumulative airtime recharge monthly for six months.

The customer will also get 20 free SMS monthly with a minimum recharge of N100.

Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava, said: "The partnership offers Nigerians the opportunity to enjoy the benefits and value that c o m e w i t h such innovative collaboration.

He said to qualify for the free monthly airtime, those who purchase the bundle offer will need to recharge up to N400

monthly either via the physical scratch cards or electronically through its unique Easy recharge service. This airtime, he added, may be used for voice calls on the Airtel network and is valid for 30 days, including the 20 free SMS. He noted that the bundled Airtel SIM cards are provisioned on the Airtel Big Family package of 15 kobo per second call rate to Airtel numbers and 30 kobo pere second second to other networks.

Nokia X1-01 at a glance The aesthetically built Nokia X1-01 comes in exciting colours, with built-in music player and FM radio, offering the user opportunity to listen to music and news on the go It is also equipped with up to 16GB memory card support, easy SIM manager, customised settings, flashlight, clear sound output and MP3 players with one touch music keys. The phone boasts of long battery power that supports up to 36 hours of music playback.

Firm gets certification • From left: Senior Manager, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young, Mr Israel Rasilevski; Leader, Hacktics Advanced Security Centre, Ernst & Young, Mr Tal Mozes; Managing Director, Performance Frontiers, Mrs Ify Chukwuma and former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) Mr Ernest Ebi at a seminar in Lagos.

‘MTN still committed to journalism growth’ ELECOMS giant MTN has reaffirmed its commitment to the advancement of journalism and the media in Africa. It promised to do so through its continued collaboration with the Highway Africa which yearly Conference came up in Cape Town, South Africa, last weekend.

Widely regarded as the world’s largest annual gathering of African journalists, the conference brings together media and key Information and Communication Technology (ICT) players from across the continent to discuss important issues and challenges facing Africa.

“This year, Highway Africa is being attended by more than 500 journalists to focus on the media’s role in tackling the global sustainability challenge and seek ways to improve its understanding and coverage of

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climate change in Africa .

The conference is expected to serve as an opportunity for an interrogation of African journalism and media, and how they have framed issues such as climate change, food security and global sustainability.”

Another issue on the agenda is how African media can prepare adequately for the upcoming United Nations’ Climate Change Summit in Durban, South Africa, and what platforms would be used to cover the event effectively.

“We are very excited with the opportunity to be part of this crucial event for journalism and media on the continent. For MTN, Highway Africa doesn’t only provide us with a platform to engage key pan-African journalists, but it’s another way in which we reiterate our commitment to continue playing a leading role in the development of journalism

and the media on the continent.

“The debates to be had at this year’s Highway Africa conference will provide content and invaluable reference material for African journalists to more accurately frame the sustainability story for African audiences in a bid to rally them behind the noble cause to save Planet Earth,” MTN’s Corporate Affairs Executive, Rich Mkhondo said.

He said MTN was looking forward to playing an active role on debates around sustainability and innovation, as these were subjects the Telco was particularly passionate about.

Highway Africa is a partnership between Rhodes University ’s School of Journalism and Media Studies, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and South Africa ’s Department of Communications.

MainOne unveils internet protocol services

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AINONE Cable Company, a broadband Internet services provider, has unveiled two new Internet Protocol services to meet the growing broadband capacity needs of consumers.

The new products are: Global IP Transit for large services providers and operators and Global IP Internet Access, for partners, institutions and organisations. These services, according to the company, will enable customers to be connected to a Tier One provider and ensure that

they receive optimum routes for traffic wherever the destination may be globally.

In addition, with the IP-NGN (Internet Protocol-New Generation Network) platform, traffic can be switched locally, thereby speeding up Internet transactions, and improving latency.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Ms Funke Opeke, said: “This event underscores our continuous effort to provide uninterrupted and high quality broadband capacity.

These new IP services will guarantee increased business opportunities and efficiency for our partners and customers.”

Ms Opeke noted that since commencing operations, product development and appropriate pricing to increase broadband penetration in Nigeria has been at the heart of the company’s operations.

The company’s Head of Marketing and Strategy, Adebayo Oyewole added that the new services will spur business growth of organisations with specific bandwidth needs.

ESOURCERY, an ICT solutions provider, has achieved the CommScope Elite Partnership Status, BICSI (Building Industry Consulting Service International) RCDD certification and BICSI corporate membership status.

CommScope is a major player in the deployment of the world's best communicationsnetworks.

CommScope Elite status is the highest level of partnership any company can achieve and by attaining this status, Resourcery has become one of CommScope's most trusted partners in Africa . At present, there are less than 20 Elite partners in the world, with over 90 per cent in the US .

BICSI is a professional association supporting designers and installers of information systems for residential, commercial and government projects. BICSI fosters member

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communities around the world to help raise the level of quality expected by end users around the globe.

In a statement, Business Solutions Manager of the company, Mr Bisike Uba said: "The standards that we have set for ourselves have been rewarded through the attainment of this award, and we are delighted that our processes tally with the global standards set by CommScope for its partners.

This achievement not only boosts our image as a premier system integrator in the region, but also consolidates our plans for regional expansion and market penetration."

He assured customers of enhanced support with roundthe-clock service, quick response and fix time, professional handling of customer problems and certified designs by high calibre pre-sales engineers.

‘Globacom is people’s network’

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HE Transition Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Stella Okoro, has commended Globacom for being the only network that has consistently demonstrated its interests in the empowerment of the Nigerians.

Okoro spoke in Ekpoma, the council headquarters while opening a Glo Zone outlet in the university community.

She noted that with the Glo Zone, the people of the community are now relieved of the burden of travelling long distance to resolve telephony issues.

“I am happy to be part of this opening and I want to note Globacom’s patriotic concern for the welfare of Nigerians since the network was launched eight years ago. This facility, apart

from solving the community’s needs will offer employment opportunities for the people of the community,” she said.

While registering her Glo SIM card at the outlet, Okoro urged the company to set up Glo Zone in other parts of the local government.

Globacom’s Head of Glo Zone, Michael Ehumadu, said the establishment of the Glo shops in the rural parts of the country, was aimed at solving the problem of travelling long distances to get customer care services.

Ehumadu added that the Glo Zones would be run by private entrepreneurs who will provide services similar to what is obtainable in Gloworld outlets nationwide.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

45

e-Business

Production Team: Femi Jolaolu, Lekan Hammed, Yomi Oseni, Ugo Ananaba, Mustapha Sulaimon, Dare Ojo, Lanre Malik Marketing: Adeline Atili, Nkechi Nwabaogu, Kemi Makinde, Lillian Nsi-Enodien, Mariam Adeyanju Edited by: O’seun Ogunseitan

Pls. send Questions to oseun2@gmail.com or text to

080 5511 9009

Creating multi-booting computer installations (1) Running Windows 7, XP and Linux on a PC G OOGLE Corporation’s Chrome Operating System (OS) made available in Nigeria recently by PCUser2User, offers yet another reason to consider installing more than one OS on personal computers.

Just what do you do if the Windows installation on your PC refuses to boot. I mean: You switch on your PC and it starts off, then suddenly shuts down and keeps restarting and shutting down - a common experience with PC Users.

Worse still. The problem started just when you needed to quickly print out a product brochure already converted into a PDF and a cover letter to an invoice on the computer as a Microsoft Word documents. You have less than 20 minutes to get this done or the payment until another 30 days.

Of course, you can get on another computer and print what you want to print. But the documents you want are on a computer that will just not start, so you really cannot copy the documents for printing on another machine.

What do you do? You definetely cannot reinstall your Windows and Microsoft Office and still get the documents printed all within 30 minutes.

If your computer multi-boots and has another partition in which you installed Windows XP, as most PC users were forced to learn to do because of the instability of Windows Vista chances are you may be able to print out your documents by booting into the Windows XP partition. But this is if, and only if, you actually installed and have a duplicate of all the applications you had in the Windows Vista partition, in the Windows XP partition. For example, if you did not

By O’seun Ogunseitan

install the same version of the Microsoft Word, a lower version of Word will not open documents created by a higher version. You must have a higher version of Word to be able to open the lower version, if they are not the same version.

Even at this, you will be lucky if the software glitch, virus or other bug that grounded your Windows Vista installation does not ground your alternative Windows XP partition.

This is where the new Chrome OS from Google comes in very handy. It is based on Linux, a totally different kettle of fish,

in the world of computer Operating Systems. Linux sees hard disks in a totally different way, compared to how Windows sees hard disks. This makes it totally impossible for most software glitches that would ground Windows OS at boot, to have any impact on your Linux installation.

Additionally and very convenienlty for PCUsers, Google’s Chrome OS installation from its single disc, contains more than 100 other installable applications, including Microsoft Word-compatible Libre Word inside a Libre Office Suite, which not only reads Portable Document format (PDF) files, but also writes hundred per cent Acrobat-compatible PDFs.

Pains and gains of PC multi-booting file copies, critical. Updates of work •The spliting of hard disc space, to files may become an unending cycle as create a new partition for the newer and better updated files, may be alternative OS is not attractive and regularly over-written by older updates. inconvenient for PCs with small-sized hard discs • In the case of Windows, there may be OS compatibility issues with many • Accidental choices of an undesired applications.

Operating system in the startup menu of a multi-booting PC, almost always •An alternative OS partition is however, demands a time-wasting restart of the like a live disc and data recovery computer before the correct OS choice partition, on a working computer. can be made.

•A bootable alternative partition on a •It can be confusing remembering which hard disk, allows for a safe backup of OS partition particular works were files in the event of a need to reformat a done in, making the tracking of work partition and reinstall the OS.

The 3,000 Most Important English Words™& other Free downloads at

www.facebook.com/pcuser2user

I am of the opinion, that no computer is complete, unless it has more than one Operating System installed. Normally, if you are using Windows, you are missing the relatively higher security of Linux. If you are a die hard Linux fan and the word ‘Windows' makes you uncomfortable, you are missing access to the billions of nice software applications you can't run anywhere else other than in Windows.

Here is a, step-by-step guide for you to make your PC a multi-booting digital heaven.

Please note however, that some instructions given here, though, nondestructive in nature, and your data will remain safe, still, some inadvertent move may make your PC un-bootable state and non-starting. Continue, only if you think you know what you are doing! I here disclaim any liabilities on account of your experimentations.

Creating multi-booting computers

Step 1 - Write down your Disk stats: You need at least two partitions in your hard disk for a true dual-boot machine.

For a truly multi-booting machine, you need as many partitions for as many Operating Systems you want to install.

Even though, there are work-arounds to the actual installation of multiple operating systems in single hard disk partitions, the discussion for now is limited to actual installations of multiple OSes. There are many Virtualisation software which offer alternative OS platforms on single compuers without the need to actually insall the alternative OS. If you already have one or more free Partition, you can skip to next section, otherwise read on: Step 2 - Create additional partition for additional OS If you do not have at least one free partition for an additional OS, then you need to create one. If you have only one hard disk installed, then it is a good idea to buy another one with fairly large capacity - say, 250 GB and partition it into three or more to use for your new OSes. If you have fairly large amount of free space available in your existing Windows installation and you do not want to buy another one (or have already installed a second hard disk!), then you can create a partition in the free space.

To create a partition from a Dos or Windows free space, you can use a free partition utility like FIPS available on many of the utility discs like Hundred Software Tools or Ultimate Boot Disc from PCUser2User.

If you want to create additional partition in free space available in a Windows machine, then first defragment it and then use FIPS. It is simple in use, non destructive. Your data generally remains safe if you handle it wisely.

Step 3 Install additional OS in new, empty partition Having created an empty partition for an additional Operating system. Install additional operating system in this empty partition the same way you would install the OS, but be careful to choose the empty newly created partition, so that you will not wipe out the old partition and its data!.

If you are installing one of the Linux OSes on an existing Windows installation, Grub/Lilo boot-loader of Linux will easily handle booting Windows through the master boot record (MBR). It is however, a good idea to install the Linux boot loader in the first sector of the root partition where Linux is being installed.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

46

e-Business

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Sea cables changing telecoms market

T is over a year since two undersea cables landed in Lagos, arguably, West Africa's commercial capital and one of the major business hubs in Africa.

The first to land, MainOne cable is promoted by a number of Nigerian investors with diverse entrepreneurial background s ranging from the financial to the technology sector.

The Chief Eecutive Officer of MainOne Cable, Ms Funke Opeke, was before her new portfolio, the Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, the country's biggest mobile network of over 40 million subscribers.

Built with over $240 million, 'the 7000 kilometres fibre optic MainOne cable runs from Portugal to Nigeria and Ghana, and also branches out to Morocco, the Canary Islands, Senegal and Ivory Coast.' Quoting Reuters: "The MainOne Cable Company says it delivers more than ten times the broadband capacity of the South Atlantic Terminal (SAT)-3, Nigeria's sole existing undersea cable, and 20 times the entire satellite capacity of sub-Saharan Africa."

Globacom's international submarine cable, Glo-1 landed at about the same time as the MainOne cable in what has helped to drive competition and sweeten broadband access in a market where connectivity has been largely depended on very costly satellite infrastructure and the erratic WASC/SAT-3 cable owned by moribund state owned Telco, NITEL. The 10,000 kilometres Glo-1 undersea cable worth some $800 million is promoted by Mike Adenuga's owned Globacom Limited with sev-

eral landings in coastal cities across West Africa. Globacom is Nigeria's second biggest mobile network with over 30 million subscribers. Its landing in Lagos in 2010 joined the MainOne cable to expand the prospects for increased and cheaper bandwidth connectivity access?the major snag in the take off of several Internet-driven services whether in the health, education and financial sector among several others.

Crashing cost of access Since the commercial launch of these two cables, prices of connectivity have crashed greatly and there is a more robust delivery of bandwidth like never before helping to drive new level of services that were once non-existent.

Take the increasingly popular BlackBerry (BB) services offered by all the four Global System for Mobile communications networks. There has been about 45 per cent cut in Internet costs through the BB window. These also apply to other forms of Internet access. In the last 10 months, BB tariff has crashed considerably from about $35 per month to about $20 per month whether on MTN, Globacom, Airtel or Etisalat network. This has helped to drive up the popularity of mobile Internet on all smartphones generally and BB services specifically.

Also, in the last 10 months, as recent research has shown, Nigeria is the largest market for smartphones and accounts for over 50 per cent of all smartphone sales on the continent in the last two quarters. This, no doubt, is as a result of the crash in Internet tariff.

The existing submarine cables in Nigeria carry an installed capacity of over 19.2 terabytes and over 340 gigabyte combined, a major increase in the size

of the pipe available to drive bandwidth-dependent services. Already, the lower Internet tariff is being felt in the hinterlands as terrestrial infrastructure companies take advantage of the increased available bandwidth to install connectivity pipes and open up once un-served remote locations in several of Nigeria's state capitals including Abuja, the country's political capital.

BCN Limited, Phase One Limited and Layer 3 Limited - three backbone connectivity companies with heavy presence in Abuja are already leveraging on these new opportunities to take connectivity to towns and cities in northern parts of Nigeria's vast over 927, 000 square kilometre landmass.

The immediate casualty of this development is satellite infrastructure providers all of which are foreign-based.

Both Glo-1 and MainOne cables are firming up their presence in Nigeria's booming oil and gas sector; Globacom is using its submarine cable to serve major oil companies and helping them to lower the cost of connectivity like never before. "Glo 1 has signed on a number of major oil companies in the past few months, signalling increasing preference for the cable as bandwidth provider of choice," according to a local news publication, the Nigerian Pilot. The list of customers includes: Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Total ELf, Chevron, Agip, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Exxon Mobil and TransOcean. Hitherto, the major oil companies had to depend on satellite connectivity for major high-speed international bandwidth link that connects all their operation centres including remote locations in the Niger Delta

Matters e-Rising Segun Oruame segun@segunoruame.com

creeks and corporate offices in Lagos and the United Kingdom.

The soul of connectivity is undersea cables "New analysis from Frost & Sullivan 'West African Broadband Market Tracker,' covering Nigeria, Cameroun and Cote d'Ivoire, finds that the market earned revenues of $929.9 million in 2009 and estimated this to reach $1.932 billion in 2016.

"The research stated that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) still remain the dominant players in the region, except for Nigeria where mobile broadband connections have outpaced fixed broadband connections. "In comparison to other countries, high investments are made in infrastructure development and broadband services present the highest areas for growth opportunities due to the decline in voice revenues," the report said.

"The analysts said these investments (in undersea cables) would unlock the constraints in the West African telecommunications market and catalyse the economic potential of the region. They stressed that a compelling opportunity exists to lower the restrictive cost of international telecommunications and significantly expand Internet access via submarine cable, which will lead to greater efficiency and more competitive business."

"We see new and expansive growth prospects for ISPs who have to remodel their business offerings to reflect the new opportunities and trends," said the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos based ISP, Junisat, Gboyega Ojuri. General Manager of DCC Networks of Com-

puter Warehouse Group, Mr Oladipo Raji, says Nigeria needs to step up on capacity utilisation of the cables.

While there are exciting uptake of the privately-owned cable facilities, he sees explosive growth in months ahead through an expanding window for e-commerce, e-payment, e-learning, e-health, e-government and the likes.

Sierra Leone and the coming of fibre optic sea cables What do all these hold for other West Africa countries? A bounty of change! Africa is set to experience its own bandwidth glut from years of bandwidth famine. That is why the expected landing of fibre optic sea cable in a country like Sierra Leone is bound to change for good the way business is done. Cost of access will crash and connectivity will become more readily available. It then means people who were once unconnected to the global knowledge space will now be able to expeience the unique leapfrogging that only ICT can bring.

The Internet will readily become avaibale in the pocket. Many people on the streets of Freetown need only have a smartphone to access the Internet at an affordable rate and experience the transforming power of ICT in the workplaces, homes, hospitals, banks, schools, farmlands and mining sites. Change is already in the offing for Sierra Leone. They only need to see what the coming of undersea fibre optic cable has done to Nigeria in only 12 months to have a taste of what is about to happen in the land of the Lion Mountains.

Etisalat pledges quality services • Subscriber base hits nine million

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•The Otota of Abraka, Chief Godwin Bonomuofe, registering his Glo SIM at the Glo Zone in Abraka

ITH a nine million subscriber base, Etisalat has pledged to continue to provide affordable, innovative and quality service.

According to its Chief Executive Officer Mr Steven Evans, the company’s success is hinged on quality network, good customer service and innovation.

He said: “Despite the fact that we are growing our network and adding hundreds of cell sites every month, Etisalat has the best quality network. Good customer service is equally important to us.

We brought a new level to customer service in Nigeria. In adition to good quality network and better customer service, we lead the way in innovations.”

In furtherance of its promise of delivering innovative telecommunications solutions to its subscribers, the Telco has introduced DotMe, an SMS-based message service that enables its subscribers to publish information

Investor to expand business

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BUSINESS support services and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions provider, Morvest is set to cement its foothold in the country with another launch of its products and services offering.

According to the firm, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, is expected as guest speaker at the event.

At a media briefing in Lagos, Managing Director, Mr Louw

By Paul Oluwakoya

Cilliers, said its company’s expansion strategy is geared towards increasing its investment particularly, infrastructure and manpower development, through partnership with local companies.

“Morvest has the capacity and expertise to transfer technology to African markets and to help bridge the technology gap preventing African businesses from competing effectively worldwide. We have hundreds of staff members and we

plan to employ more through this expansion strategy in Nigeria . All our employees are Nigerians and our contracts are primarily awarded to Nigerian companies,” he said.

Speaking on the company’s move to extend its service beyond SIM cards and smart card voucher production, Cilliers said: “Originally, Morvest’s service in Nigeria was limited to cards production but the upcoming launch will initiate Morvest’s Business Innovation and Group

(BIG) into Nigeria with specialties in professional advisory, consulting, governance and training services.”

The firm reported that it had invested over $10m in stimulating the Nigerian economy in the last six years and is set to invest more in the expansion scheme.

He maintained that Morvest’s BIG can contribute extensively towards Nigeria ’s Vision 20:2020 drive by creating and using a technologydriven economy with business intelligence as primary driver.

By Adline Atili

on their mobile number via SMS while on the go.

The SMS-based social bulletin board fashioned after the popular social network, Twitter, acts like a personal bulletin board that enables users to instantly post information of 140 characters from their mobile via SMS, and can be retrieved by their contacts, or any other persons on demand via SMS. Etisalat’s Chief Commercial Officer, Wael Ammar explained that to use the service, a ‘dotter’ simply sends a message or an update to the service code 8900.

This can then be accessed on demand by his or her followers on any network anywhere in the world as long as they have the ‘dotter’s’ Etisalat mobile phone number.

“For a start, the dotter invites his or her contacts to follow his or her posts by asking them to text a dot, that is, a full stop (.) to his or her Etisalat mobile number to retrieve his or her status, and updates this status regularly. If you are a follower, all you need to do is to send a dot to the Etisalat mobile number of your dotter, and you are able to receive the post of the person you are following. For instance, sending a dot (.) to 0809xxxxxxx would result in a response SMS with the post of the dotter.”

He said businesses can use it to communicate with employees, just as religious organisations like churches, mosques, can use the DotMe service to communicate or send devotional messages to faithful.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

47

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Expert raises the alarm on rising male impotence •’Cure can be found in natural medicine’

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NATURAL Medicine practitioner, Dr Leye Popoola, has said more than 50 per cent of active male adults are impotent.

According to him, many men in that category could hardly sustain erection before sexual intercourse. “A research carried out by Boston University School of Medicine linked overall health to impotence. Researchers’ study of the medical histories of 1,300 men aged 40 to 70 years showed that 52 per cent is impotent,” he added.

Popoola identified poor lifestyles, diseases and drugs as the major contributors to developing impotency. Ingestion of marijuana also known as Indian hemp, libido boosting drugs and alcohol, among others, are the chief causes, he added.

But he said, Nature has remedies for impotence though they work slowly, but steadily, they would achieve the set goal for curing the condition.

He said men, who have or are being treated for high blood pressure (HBP), heart diseases or diabetes are one and a half to four times more likely susceptible than the overall group to be completely impotent later in life. The situation was even worse for men with heart diseases or hypertension who also smoked.

Urging the people to take responsibility for their health, he said: “Our health is our primary responsibility because a man down with malaria or headache would not think about sexual intercourse. When our sub-system works well, we shall attain a health system generally.

By Wale Adepoju

A healthy body makes all the parts to function properly. Impotence among men in their 40s and early 40s is associated with excessive consumption of alcohol than any single factor.”

Prostrate disorder medication, he said, may cause impotency, “They usually have an inscription on them, warming that they may make you become impotent. In any event when regaining prostrate health is far more important than having active sexual life, common sense demands that in 10 times of 10, all men will like to regain their health and lose their libido.”

He said the health of a spinal cord is more important to active sexual life, saying the strength of all muscles including those involved in sexual act depends on the well-being of our spinal column. Men are advised not to engage in activities that can harm or damage the spinal column, he added.

Popoola enjoined men to ensure that they treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) promptly because a diseased part of the body could impede best performance.

“Pre-mature ejaculation is very common among men who masturbate a lot, and it may be as a result of problems with the arteries and veins that run to the penis. Veinous leaks may be one of the problems because the extra blood that should go to the penis which will make it erect is draining away. So, it will be difficult to maintain erection for any length of time,” he said.

He said: “Also, ulcer medication may lead to impotence. There are many alternatives, observation is important when you are using any new medication. Inform your doctor immediately. Sleeping pills, sedatives, and tranquilizer are equally dangerous.

“Arteriosclerosis which is blockage of the arteries restricts blood supply to the penis and failure and supply blood to the nerve that controls sexual arousal may result in penis failure during intercourse. If impotency is related to clog blood vessels a diet low in fat will help reverse the problem.”

Popoola said smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for five years is 15 per cent more likely to develop clogging in the arteries that serve the penis, a situation that can cause impotence.

“Heavy smoking reduces sexual capability by damaging the tiny blood vessels in the penis. Marijuana and cocaine can also result in impotence. In view of the foregoing, should you want healthy sex life do not smoke and do not stay where smokers are. Do not take marijuana or any hard drug. If you have been in the habit, see your health provider,” he said.

He advised: “Many men with the problem of weak erection have turned to many directions because they crave a quick solution. But herbal medication does work, but slowly. Some problems take eight or nine weeks to be resolved.”

Popoola said men experiencing weak erection should take enough vitamin A to help transform their cholesterol into active hormones, adding that it is also present in carrots, water

•Dr Popoola

melon and mango among others. “Similarly, B complex, B 6 and B 12 help to strengthen the heart. Potato is rich in vitamin B. Vitamin C helps to maintain proper circulation and it keeps the arteries clean and strengthens the collagen content of the veins. It is called anti-stress vitamin.

“Vitamin E increases blood circulation and strengthens the male reproductive organ as it hunts for free radicals to prevent arteriosclerosis. This vitamin can be got from vegetables, fruits, millet and sesame which contains lots of vitamin E. Zinc is also good because it keeps the testosterone level up. It is present in French beans, cucumber, onions spinach, cabbage and pumpkin. Banana is good because it reduces mental stress due to its high potassium presence which relieves stress.”

He said there are potent natural alternatives for these drugs in nature, but “We fail to seek the alternatives, even when we find the alternatives, we don’t use them?

Popoola advised men to increase testosterone levels to maintain active and regular sex life.

Govt urged to develop natural medicine

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FRICAN governments, especially at the state and federal levels in Nigeria have been called upon to show more commitment to the development of natural medicine as it is more accessible and affordable and a means of improving the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

A nutritionist and phyto-medical practitioner, Dr Bamidele Ogaga, made the call at the First International Media Conference in Africa and Award of Merit, 2011 in Lagos.

According to Ogaga, enough attention has not been paid to what is popularly known as alternative medicine.

“Chinese practitioners are making a lot of money because the Chinese government devoted time and money to its development. African leaders should tap the important roles of the preventive and curative health care that traditional medicine offers,” said Ogaga.

Ogaga, who received the merit award presented by Revelation International Magazine, along with Dr

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FOOD expert has urged Nigerians to eat good food if they want to live long. She also urged them to take food supplements.

A nutritionist and Director, Amelia Organics, Dr Dupe Oduye said: “Sheer ignorance, most people do not understand how the body mechanism works. Some Nigerians do not go to experts before they begin to take drugs. They rely mostly on the testimonies of their acquaintances or, even worse, adverts.

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

Kwaku Frimpong, noted that there are certain diseases alien to Africa before 1923. “But which now ravage Africans. This is due to changes in their character and infiltration of western culture.”

He cited high blood pressure as an example of such disease, “But it came when we started imbibing western life styles and started consuming western diets, which came with its attendant health predicaments.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Revelation International Magazine, Mr Paul Bassey, said from the beginning of human history, herbal medicine had always provided remedies to man’s health challenges, contrary to widespread belief that the use of herbs for medicinal purposes is evil. “It is important to state categorically that herbs and plants are some of nature’s best healing and curative measures,” said Bassey.

He also said that enough is not being done to promote herbal medi-

•Managing Director, West Africa International Magazine, Dr Otibu Asare presenting an award to Dr Ogaga.

cine in Africa.

To him, “When we talk of herbal medicine, we are referring to herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal based products that contain parts of plants or other plant materials as active ingredients.

“If the Nigerian Government, nay African governments can invest more in traditional medicine, and push it to the front burner, it will record a huge success like China that generates huge revenue.

“The World Health Organisation

‘Good food plays major role in healing’

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

Our human body is marvellous and it possesses the awesome ability to repair and renew itself as long as we live. In fact, your body is performing this near-miraculous feat every time.

“This probably comes as no surprise to someone who is health aware. But the average person has a very different idea.

Most people believe we are born with a perfect body that slowly deteriorates as we age, until it finally falls apart. They see their body as a machine, something that requires continual maintenance from doctors, whose job it is to repair our damaged parts. Most doctors believe this too.

Indeed, our entire allopathic medical system is based on this idea.

“But this mechanical model of the

human body is precisely where modern medicine is not absolutely correct.

“In reality, a doctor’s role in the healing process is very small. Most of the healing job, as much as 90 per cent of it is accomplished without any need of a physician or his medicines.

For example, if you cut yourself while shaving, what happens? Almost immediately, new tissue begins

(WHO) said the annual revenues in Western Europe reached US$5 billion between 2003 and 2004, while in China, sale of herbal products equalled US$14 billion in 2005 and in Brazil, it was US$160 million in 2007.” to form and days later you can’t even tell where the cut was. Break a bone and the same regenerating process occurs. Even more remarkable, the healed bone emerges stronger than before.

“The same is true for damaged arteries, injured brain cells and nerve tissue, and worn out cartilage in arthritic joints. Doctors have been quick to downplay this self- healing ability of the body. They say, joint cartilage just doesn’t regenerate very well,” she re emphasised.

48

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NATURAL HEALTH

Ravage of diabetes too close for comfort I

T took quite some time to configure this column. Each time I remembered the face of the man I’d always known as the Big Uncle in my extended family, as he lay in his sick bed, earthlife no longer meaningful to him, all his expressions suggesting a deep inner struggle to vacate his wasted physical body, one unfolding configuration of this column rapidly dissolved into another. Writing is all about going on a journey, developing the travel plan, mobilising resources for successful arrival at the goal. I guess this can be said for all human endeavours as well. I was called in to see my big Uncle two Sundays ago. He’d been diabetic for about 30 years. But, this time, the blood sugar level ran a deadly riot to 525, against a normal, of about 120. Only last July, his younger brother, died in similar circumstances after lapsing into diabetic coma for two weeks, regaining consciousness for one day during which his elder brother visited him before succumbing. The events were emotion riven. No one told big Uncle his younger brother had gone. But, intuitively, he picked it up. Perhaps he became more sensitive to ethereal vibrations, his body already weakening and relaxing its hold on the soul.

He broke down. Who may not. In March, his youngest sibling died. In July the next followed. He must have found himself inwardly alone, ignored his medications and the consequence of doing so.

As I looked down the face of Uncle, I remembered him as the man who helped me out of the shock of my first Out- ofBody-Experience (OBE) at 24. It happened in my sleep. Sometimes, you are sleeping in the dead of the night and you are dreaming. You are shouting in that dream and trying to punch someone who is threatening your life and you catch your sleeping body simultaneously performing those acts.

That’s a case of the soul having an intense experience of the currents which get so powerfully transmitted to the resting body that the physical body catches the flu. An OBE is a different ball game, I did not sleep walk. I found myself in the middle of my single-room apartment struggling with a weird male figure who wanted to approach my physical body, on the bed. When it appeared I could not stop him, I began to scream and my sleeping body, too, began to scream.

The screams awoke my house mates as well as my neighbours from nearby houses. In the struggle, a standing KDK electric fan fell. A Singer refrigerator overturned. And one writing table was broken. I managed to get to the door and undid three locks. I was later to learn, in the course of striving to understand this dramatic experience, that I had an ethereal experience. Nightfall became scary. I lived in fear of this evil one approaching me again. But Big Uncle saw to it that I stabilised.He brought a second bed to his bedroom which he and I shared, while his wife slept on their marriage bed. From then on, I immersed myself in the search for the meaning of existence and why everything that happens occurs.

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WO Sundays ago, I noticed that the cycle of his earthlife was closing. A dangerously risen blood pressure will be the reason we will find for his bow. He was incoherent but took his meals from his wife who was nursing him like a baby. I asked that he be taken to hospital immediately. And he was. That hospital referred him to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he died last Sunday. The Saturday before, I dreamt of a party in the family home in the village. On my way to the detached toilet, I saw a young dead cockerel. Inside, I saw an older dead cockerel.

Who is killing these cockerels? I asked myself. A party in the village family home at this time intuitively came to me as his passage. I told my sister of this dream and called his son, who said he was gasping and had been placed on life support. Gasping, as hospice workers will tell us, suggests a soul about to take his bow from this earth, is finding it difficult to do so. Hospice workers are professionals who care for terminally ill people and make dying as easy for them as a bride’s broad smiles on her wedding day. The next day, my Uncle made it.

Since his passing, I have tried to revisit the question of diabetes once again. I am concerned about the ravages of elevated blood sugar. One of these is that, if the diviners or oracle men of the time of my birth were genuine and right on the mark, I am the re-incarnation of my father’s father.

He was a reputed herbalist who was consulted by the Awujale of his time. He died in 1948 from, as the story goes, diabolical poisoning of his urine. Thus, I was tutored as a boy not to make water where anyone may discover any trace of my urine. Now, I know we are linked for a while by a wave of radiation or vibration with anything which spirit within glows through the body and anything the body is in contact with. Bible readers will remember the woman with the issue of blood who touched the garment of Jesus Christ, believing power from it would heal her, and it did. Christ was to ask: who touched me? He felt power go out of Him! To cut a long story short, my grandfather urinated excessively until he died. His condition may very well not have been caused by some wicked person who poisoned his urine.

Very likely, he may have been simply diabetic. And when I knew Big Uncle and his younger brother, sons of the half brother of my father, became diabetic about 20 years ago, I showed more than a passing interest in this health condition to correct any possible genetic contagion.

I was for many years a low blood sugar person. One of my fasting blood sugar checks posted 60, 10 units below average normal. That suggested the pancreas may have been over functioning, over producing insulin, which was rapidly sweeping sugar out of the blood and creating shortages. In this state, one could feel dizzy, weak, even faint in abnormal

bread 46/barley26.

Serials: Cornflakes 81/Shredded wheat 75/ Weetabix 70/ Kellogs special K 69/ Porridge oats 58/Muesli 55.

Pulses: Chickpeas 42/ butter beans 36/ Kidney beans 28/ Soya bread 14.

Vegetables: Potato: (Baked) 85/ French ties 75/ beetroot (cooked) 64/ sweet potato 161/ potato (new, boilded) 57/ sweet corn 54/ carrot 47.

Snacks and drinks: Lucozade 95/ Jelly beans 80/ Fanta 68/ squash (diluted) 66/ corn chips 63/ potato chips 54 /orange juice 50/ apple juice 40 / Peanuts 14.

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states. As this could be a precursor to diabetes, urgent measures need be taken by anyone in this situation. There is the need to watch the diet, and move over from simple carbohydrates to complex ones. It is important, also, to clean all the major organs (liver, pancreas, spleen, kidney) of foxing and, as Dr. Holda Clark has advised us in the last five weeks, to check if flat worms may be disturbing the pancreas.

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ANY people fail to catch this at the level of low blood sugar. Their doctor may even be an “old school doctor,” who will prescribe soft drink or any food with fast-releasing sugar to quickly raise blood sugar level. But this is ‘petrol’ to aid a brewing fire. In his SUGAR BLUES, William Dufty sites the cases of American doctors who couldn’t help themselves and their wives out of hypoglycemia, as low blood sugar or hyperinsulination is also called. A classic example is Dr. Stephen Gyland, from Tampa, Florida, who “fell ill myriad of mantel and physical symptoms”. Dufty reports that Dr. Gyland was losing concentration and memory, was “weak, dizzy with rapid, unprovoked beating of the heart, and he suffered from unprovoked anxieties and tremor. As the story went: “Dr. Gyland went to one of the most eminent specialist he knew, only to be told he was neurotic and ought to retire for the good of the profession. He sought another opinion and then another. Before he was through, he had consulted 14 physicians and three of the most-famous diagnostic centres in America.

Dr. Gyland received many diagnoses, which included “neurosis, brain tumour diabetes, cerebral arteriosclerosis, ( hardening of the arteries of the brain). He was fed up and was close to resigning himself to fate when he discovered a medical paper by Dr. Harris published in the journal of the American medical association in 1924.

He took the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) suggested by Dr. Harris for his condition and learned his problem was low blood sugar. He followed Dr. Harris’ prescriptions and ‘went on a simple diet that eliminated all refined sugar and white flour”. “All symptoms — anxieties, tremors, dizziness, neurosis and cerebral arteriosclerosis faded” that made him realise that previous presumptions of soft drinks and simple sugars merely compounded his problem. He became bitter and launched a public campaign to change medical thinking about hypoglycemia and diabetes.

Glycemic Index One of the first things I learned about diabetes is the GLYCEMIC INDEX of foods. This is the rate at which food floods blood with sugar. The more the blood flowed, the more the pancreas is stimulated to produce insulin to drive the sugar from the blood into the cells. If the pancreas is over stimulated all the time, it soon gets tired and old from overwork. Worn-out, it may begin to under function and to under produce insulin, a cause of type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes. It may very well happen that this condition, as Dr. F. Batmanghelidg has proved, dehydration at cellular level may inhibit pancreatic function as insulin is water based, sometimes, though, the pancreas is riven with viruses, worms — and yeast, and needs to be rescued. In the glycemic index of food, published by Dr. Patrick Holford in the HOLFORD diet, foods are classified as low, medical and high flooders on a O to 100 scale. That scales rank some food as follows.

Maltose (grains sugar 105/glucose 100 honey 55/sucrose (table sugar) 68 lactose (milk sugar) 46/ fructose (fruit sugar).

It is clear from the above that people who wish to reduce sugar intake and thereby prefer not to drink “soft drinks load themselves with sugar.

In the fruit category, the GI expresses as follows.

Dates 103/water melon 72/ pineapple 59/melon 65/raisins 64/kiwi fruit 53/ banana 52/ grapes 42/orange 46/ strawberries 40/ raspberries 40/ plum 39. Apple 38/pear 38/ grapefruit 25/ cherries 22.

Grains/grain products White rice 72/whole wheat bread 71/white bread 70/ whole grain rye bread 58/brown rice 55/ whole grain wheat

e-mail: femi.kusa@yahoo.com or olufemikusa@yahoo.com

ROM the foregoing, it would appear there’s little or noth-ing left for the diabetic to eat. But that’s untrue: Fibre is the secret. Diabetes should keep off simple carbohydrates and enjoy complex ones. A simple carbohydrate is one which rushes sugar into the blood. A graphic illustration I often give is the hospital drip. It doesn’t rush but drips. Fibre in food, especially soluble fibre as in beans, slows the rate of digestion so that sugar drips, not rush, into the blood. Two Sundays ago, I learned Big Uncle still enjoyed pap. This is made from corn from which the fibre has been removed. That’s why one gets hungry so quickly after a pap meal. Ghanaians do not remove fibre from their pap! I grew up on pap as a breakfast staple. So did Big Uncle. I gave it up many years ago.

He didn’t, despite my encouragement even hospital served him pap and cow milk! Complex carbohydrates, like yam and unripe plantain, have fibre. So, does a complex carbohydrate meal taken with plenty of vegetables.

When diabetes has set in,and hospital drugs would not help, either because they do not address bacteria, fungi, yeast and worms in the pancreas, or because cellular dehydration is not addressed by them, the therapist and the patient may explore possible imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system of the Autonomic nervous system, which may have led to high cortisol levels in the blood. High cortisol level means rapid conversion of glycogen (stored sugar) or blood glucose and its infusion into the blood circulation. When this occurs, as in other events, which elevate blood sugar level, nature lends a helping hand in the following recipes and more.

B Vitamins They help sugar metabolism. Most refined foods have little or none of them. Diabetes need a good supplement in which Bs are highlighted to 50, 75 or 100 milligrams. This is a far cry from the cheap drug hypes of 5mg most diabetes take; like B1 aids carbohydrate digestion. B2 protects the nerves, often damaged by high sugar levels, supports carbohydrate metabolism and boosts immunity. B3 boosts sugar uptake capacity and promotes circulation. Sugar thickens the blood and slows circulation! B5 aids growth, supports production of cortisone by the adrenal glands and is useful in the protection against stress. B6 is good for hormonal balance and glandular and endocrine balance and function. Ongoing research suggests it may mitigate some complications of diabetes. B12 may help blood formation and protect against diabetes neuropathy, and clear cholesterol mess which may obstruct glucose absorbtion.

Chromium This is the ‘broom”, which sweeps insulin into cell with sugar in tow. Where cholesterol sludges have blocked “doors” and windows” on the cell membrane through which insulin enters the cell, keeping insulin out, chromium clears the way. It is removed from food in the refining of white flour and white rice for example.

Bitter Melon Many diabetes lower their blood sugar with this help. It has been found useful also in the management of uterine fibroids. Hypoglycemic profit from it and chromium as both have exhibited capacity to medicate low and high blood sugar.

Fenugreek This help lower blood sugar and blood cholesterol.

Kelp A nature source of iodine, it drives up the metabolic rate which may encourage sugar uptake and provide essential mineral and vitamins

Magnesium Crucial for glucose metabolism in ways too many to mention here, diabetes are often grossly deficient in magnesium.

Manganese The last I would mention today, but by no means the end of the roll, this antioxidant was used in deficiency status to induce diabetes guinea by testing.

Potassium, Zinc Carnitine and selenium are useful also.

For worms in the pancreas I suggest Amazon A-P: for Candida AmazonA-F: for virus Amozon A- V How I wish that my Uncle survived his last bout with diabetes so I could scold him all over like a baby for not keeping in touch with mother nature the way I’d have loved him to. Now, I can only wish that the man who helped me get over the trauma of my first Out–of-Body-Experience (OBE), who bore the earthly names James Adegboyega Kusa, awaken to joyful life.

Tel: 08034004247, 07025077303

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

50

THURSDAY, SEPTEM BER 22, 2011

51

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

After winning a keen governorship poll, Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State is being challenged at the tribunal by other candidates, who are contesting the legitimacy of his victory. The litigations have experienced twists and turns? FANEN IHYONGO, who has been following the proceedings, paints a vivid picture of the drama and melodrama at the tribunal.

Legal battle for Taraba rages T

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in April returned Governor Danbaba Suntai as winner of the governorship election in Taraba State. On May 29, Suntai and his deputy, Alhaji Abubakar Sani were sworn in for a second term. But 100 days on, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Senator Danlami Ikenya and the man who was of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) flag bearer Mr. Ahmed Yusuf, are challenging the authenticity of Suntai’s victory at the Election Petitions Tribunal.

The Taraba tribunal is a threeman panel, led by Justice LD Aba. All motions and necessary documents have been filed. Prehearing has ended and the main cases are being heard. The proceedings take place at an office located along Barde Way, opposite the Government House, Jalingo. It has been interesting as both lawyers standing for the petitioners and the defendants try to hit the right knobs through their presentations.

According to INEC, Suntai garnered 60 percent of the votes cast to carry the day. The Returning Officer, Prof. Abdu Sajo said Suntai polled 361,176 votes; Yusuf, 176,342, while Ikenya polled 154,665 votes.

The result also shows that Suntai won in 12 of the 16 local government areas, while Yusuf won three. Ikenya is said to have won only Wukari – his local government area. This is very far from the the actual result, as far as Yusuf and Ikenya are concerned.

Yusuf, a former Commissioner of Finance, and Ikenya, a former Senator who represented Taraba South, in their separate petitions allege that INEC had connived with the PDP to maneuver and falsify the figures that gave Suntai the landslide lead. They have sued the governor, INEC and the PDP for allegedly rigging the election.

Ikenya, through his lead counsel, Festus Idepefo, argues that the poll did not comply with the Electoral Act 2010 and the 2011 Election Guidelines issued by INEC. He is praying the court to nullify the election and arrange a fresh poll.

He submits that: “INEC negated completely the procedure for the election –which starts by accreditation. It made mistakes in compiling and computing the result. There are cases where the numbers of voters in the result sheets are more than the number of accredited voters.”

He contended that if INEC had conducted the election in substantial compliance with the electoral procedure, it

•Vice President Namadi Sambo, shaking hands with Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power, Ibukun Odusote, with them Chairman Senate Committee on Power, Philip Aduda at the Agenda for Power Sector Reform Workshop at State House Banquest Hall, Abuja.

PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN

wouldn’t have been possible to hold the election in the remotest parts of Taraba on April 26 and announce result the following day, as INEC did.

He argues that in Yorro Local Government Area, for instance, it takes over six to nine hours to travel from Pantisawa, the council headquarters, to some of the polling units in the suburbs because of the mountainous terrain.

“It was not practically possible for the election to be held with Suntai and his deputy announced winner the following,” Ikenya emphasised.

The ACN candidate wants to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt, as he seeks to tender the voter register before the tribunal, for forensic analysis.

“The voter register is the fundamental evidence of proof for the fact in dispute”, his lawyer has told the tribunal.

But counsel to INEC, Sebastine Hon (SAN), prayed the tribunal to strike out the petition on the grounds that the petitioner’s “pleadings are irrelevant”.

Using a tactical ‘technicality’, said that the ACN candidate submitted in the petition that there was no election, while certain paragraphs of the same petition said there was election.

“This puts his (Ikenya’s) pleadings at variance or conflict and thus irrelevant”, he argued.

Counsel to the governor, Offiong Offiong (SAN) also wants the litigant to be “specific” in his prayers. He said: “Allegations of fraud and criminal conducts shouldn’t be tried by the court except with details and particulars suffi-

• Suntai

cient to fine a charge. General pleadings, no matter their magnitude, if not specifically stated, shouldn’t be entertained by the court”.

Offiong argued that “noncompliance” as submitted by the ACN lawyer is too general. “The nature of the noncompliance in the pleadings must be clear, concise and distinctively stated with particulars”, he said.

Counsel to the PDP, EA Ibrahim-Effiong also argues that the variance between Ikenya’s ‘specific’ and ‘general’ pleadings was tantamount to ‘irrelevance’ and therefore, his petition should be thrown out. To Ibrahim, like Offiong and Hon, “the ‘general pleadings’ should have given the way to the spe-

• Ikenya

cific pleadings”.

As hearing continued, Ikenya presented the voter register, through an oral witness, Mr. ElKabir Dio Mohammed. Mohammed presented a written analysis at the witness box, after swearing to an oath.

But counsel to INEC was quick to dub the witness’ analysis, as inadmissible. Hon argued that Mohammed is incompetent to advance evidence on the various forms and make remarks on the entire state. He said: “Mohammed is incapable to talk about the figures of the April election result. He did not state in his deposition of oath that he is an agent or an expert. He was not at the poll or scene of the election, nor did he witness the election. Therefore, he cannot ana-

lyse the election results and give comments”.

“An agent of a political party witnesses the polls; he observes the voting, listens to the gossips of an election, including its violence. But the ACN witness is not an agent in the disputed election; he is also not an expert capable of analysing the election figures”.

Hon told Mohammed further that he is a businessman whose opinion or personal evaluation of the election in contention should be rejected by the tribunal. The tribunal then rejected Mohammed’s analysis.

Yusuf, is accusing INEC of providing a clement recipe for the PDP to rig the election.

“INEC did not play by the rules.

To say the least, the conduct of the election was very disgraceful to INEC as a body,” he said.

He held that the electoral body refused to give all the political parties the authentic and certified true copy of the list of all registered voters in Taraba State, even as there were two conflicting lists. He alleged: “One list had shown that Donga local government area had 51,000 registered voters, while another showed the area had 87,000 registered voters”.

He alleged further that the election results were perfectly cooked and doctored in six local government areas, Donga, Takum, Karim Lamido, Kurmi, Bali and Sardauna, to give Suntai a sham victory.

“If you look at the pattern of the results produced in these local government areas, they were consistently identical in all the elections. These are the local governments that swayed the votes in favour of the PDP. If you remove these votes, you would see that the PDP would have emerged a distant third (position) in the election,” he said.

Counsel to Yusuf, Sule Joseph Gani also argued at the tribunal that there were irregularities at the polling units and at the collation centres in 10 out of the 16 local government areas in the state, including Takum, Sardauna and Ussa.

He presented witnesses and tendered some documents to underpin his claim. But counsels to the respondents (Suntai, INEC and the PDP) objected to the claim and tagged the documents as irrelevant.

Pre-trial sessions are now over.

Ikenya’s and Yusuf’s essential documents or exhibits are already received, while their cases have been closed. Counsel to the respondents (Suntai, INEC and the PDP) are now to open their defence and call their witnesses.

As the tribunal attends to the cases, the people of Taraba are waiting eagerly for the verdict.

Wherever the pendulum swings eventually, will determine how Taraba is run up till 2015.

52

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEM BER 22, 2011

POLITICS 2012 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Crack in Wamakko’s House of Hope The ambition of Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko to retain his seat next year is being threatened as the opposition attempts to present a united front against him. He had been assured of an automatic ticket, but opposition has emerged even within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The State of the Caliphate may witness a real contest for the first time since 2003, ADAMU SULEIMAN reports.

S

IX months to the governorship polls in Sokoto State, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has a lot to contend with to maintain its grip on the state. Significant among the hurdles is the opposition that is waxing stronger by the day asaggrieved members in the party have formed a political force to challenge Governor Aliyu Wamakko at the 2012 poll.

The current development which signals a new chapter of contention even within the PDP in Sokoto seems dramatic and unbelievable even as the party is beginning to accept the reality of the growing strength of the opposition within and outside the ruling party.

Senator Abubakar Umar Gada who is believed to have the support of many, has made public his intention to confront Wamakko at the primary whre the party’s flag bearer will be elected. His sole candidacy already hinted by the North West Vice Chairman, Ambassador Kazaure is now challenged.

As interesting as it is, the politics of personality, loyalty and commitment in the Caliphate has always sprung surprises particularly at the eleventh hour and candidates’ strength and weaknesses are largely measured by their humility, antecedents and ability to transform the the state.

These factors played out in the election of former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and the emergence of Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi as Democratic Peoples Party’s (DPP) candidate in 2007.

Championing a cause to effectively renew a responsive pattern that will to suit the conviction of people of the state and woo them politically, Wamakko categorically and strategically named his government as that with “listening ears”.

Although, the re-democratisation of the nation in 1999, Sokoto, seat of the caliphate has had its fair share of political activities in the last twelve years that saw an ANPP governor spanning eight years after two successive terms of four years each, while at its twilight, it metamorphosed to DPP, hitherto, beaten at the polls and succeeded by a PDP government in 2007.

It took the ruling party at the centre to wrestle power from the DPP-led government in the caliphate in 2007 through what was considered marriage of convenience that was influenced by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was a peculiar development that returned the caliphate on the track of mainstream politics by neutralising its direction for PDP to hold sway.

Promptly as it were, those in the opposition have continued to wink at their unending dreams to snatch the seat, particularly, the DPP whose governorship candidate, Dingyadi curiously chased after Wamakko’s victory to the appeal stage, but failed to survive for obvious judicial conclusions.

Obasanjo had to pacify the former Water Resources Minister, Mukhtari Shagari to appreciate the need for compromise by stepping down for Wamakko so as to effectively guarantee the party’s control of the state which is believed to be significant to the ruling party in view of its status and political history in the north and beyond.

Wamakko who had the structures and support with large followers, was given the party’s ticket on the conviction that his current deputy (Mukhtari) then, lacked the popular support of the electorate and political will to deliver the caliphate for the ruling PDP. It was a shortcoming that further paved way for defected ANPP candidate to occupy the stage.

The overwhelming grassroots support of Wamakko who then was an ANPP candidate at the elections, sparked off the arrangement though he did not participate in the party’s primaries that was won by his Deputy, Mukhtari, who beat Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed Gusau and Senator Ila Gada, now the DPP gubernatorial candidate for the 2012 polls in the state.

Bafarawa’s then anointed DPP gubernatorial candidate, Dingyadi, hitherto failed to stand the test of incumbent governor Wamakko’s votes margin that clinched the seat for the ruling PDP twice at the general and 2008 re-run elections after the cancellation of the 2007 polls respectively.

However, for the first time in the political journey of the caliphate, a ruling party (PDP) would be stretched by two governorship candidates, adding to the list of contenders for the most sensitive position of the Chief Security Officer of the state.

The contest is between incumbent Governor

‘The contest is between incumbent Governor Wamakko who is from Sokoto Central and immediate past Senator, Abubakar Umar Gada from the Eastern Zone who still has to contend with the issue of structures and popularity as well as get acknowledged by institutions and personalities that matter in the political lineage of the historic Sokoto caliphate’ •Wamakko

Wamakko who is from Sokoto Central and immediate past Senator, Abubakar Umar Gada from the Eastern Zone who still has to contend with the issue of structures and popularity as well as adoption by institutions and personalities that matter in the political lineage of the state.

The courage of the sixth Republic Senator has generated wide speculation that he enjoys the support of President Goodluck Jonathan and some other PDP stalwarts at the national headquarters, even as sources in the party have said he is a longstanding ally of the President who actively funded his political enterprise since his electioneering campaign as deputy governorship candidate inBayelsa state.

Hitherto, Gada had lost his bid to return to the senate for the second time to Engr. Ibahim Gobir who is also from the same Gada local government in Sokoto State.

The readiness of the sixth republic senator to challenge Wamakko may have primarily been borne out of his mindset over the unending belief that the old PDP members in the state of which he is one, would not have the feel of political belonging.

Besides, there are pointers to the development that some old party stalwarts within the PDP in the state tend to support the new political chapter of rivalry declared by Gada who is said not to be favoured by the state governor.

Wamakko on the other hand will have to contend with pressure from the opposition while he battles to reconcile with internal party heat to enable him realise his ambition.

However, the political antecedents of the two contending gladiators have put the state on the political stage for discourse by potential electorate, particularly members of the ruling PDP across the 23 councils in the state.

But this may not hold substantial ground in its favour because the party, according to pun-

F

dits, may allow its walls to crack for political opponents (ACN, DPP, CPC) to have a smooth sail in the state governorship seat.

Justy last Saturday, Bafarawa was said to have seized the opportunity of the presence of prominent personalities, most of who were politicians at his Maiduguri Road, Sokoto residence for the wedding Fatiha, one of his daughters, to chart a way forward.

However, sources confirmed that the ceremonial assembly x-rayed the Sokoto political scenario as well of the nation including what 2015 would offer.

Among those at the meeting according to the source, were: Senator Ahmed Sani, former governor Boni Haruna of Adamawa; Chief Ogbonanya Onuh, incumbent governor Abdulazizi Yari SAbubakar, Senator Adamu Aliero among many others.

However, Gada was also in attendance. It was gathered that Wamakko was billed to attend but for a reason, he couldn’t.

Already, there are secrete moves currently going on within opposition parties in the state for an alliance to face the ruling PDP at the coming polls believed to be one that would be keenly contested.

Giving reasons for his declaration to aspire for the state number one seat, the former Senator said he was billed to transform the state’s dwindling socio-economic and political status with emphasis to redeeming its moral glory.

Notwithstanding, Wamakko’s government is acknowledged for the fact that it has consolidated its political status by ensuring the party’s victory at the various elective activities in recent past.

Besides, it has also succeeded in traversing all aspects of socio-economic and structural development needs of the populace which are enough indices to help the incumbent to return to office

next year.

But more interestingly, Gada who seemed not convinced by that, remarked that the leadership in the state had failed the test of peoples’ expectations in all respects, adding that “we must put our house in order and do better to salvage the state.’’

According to him, majority of people in the state were tired of the incumbent leadership and want an urgent change.

Gada’s intentions were made more clearer at a press conference in his personal residence while correcting the misinforming statement of the North West Vice Chairman of the ruling PDP, Ambassador Ibrahim Musa Kazaure, that Wamakko is the sole candidate for the state governorship polls in 2012.

For Gada, who considered the statement as one blown out of proportion, said he called the Zonal Vice Chairman to remind him that the party had said “all states with staggered elections must conduct primaries. He acknowledged the error by admitting that “it was because I was not aware of you nor any other person contesting the seat in Sokoto and based on that, I made that statement,’’ Kazaure said according to Gada.

“With due respect to him, it is human for someone to commit error and be corrected,’’ he pointed out.

He noted that Kazaure’s ealier statement that incumbent governor remained the party’s flag bearer was an error.

“All answers to the questions I put before him (Kazaure) were, ‘no,’ confirming that there were misinformation’’, added Gada.

Although, Gada who said he was not billed to join issues with or refute party intentions but give an outright explanation on the process ’’ I had to call and correct the North West zonal Vice Chairman of the party by drawing his attention to the statement capable of misinforming the party’s arrangement on the elections process’’ He maintained that Kazaure’s position was blown that out of proportion, hence he should try and retract that to give the public the correct information in order not to undermine his political image and integrity’’ However, Kazaure who was ealier in Sokoto on Thursday as part of a touring visit to sensitize party members in the zone on PDP’s intention to ensure renewal of their membership cards, had said that the party had endorsed Wamakko as its gubernatorial candidate for Sokoto State in the coming poll staggered elections. Kazaure said: “PDP has a sole candidate which is you (Wamakko)’’ While further expressing his mind towards the number one seat, the Senator said no society would satisfy the expectations of the majority where its youths are bastardized, adding: “The leadership has failed on political, moral and socio-economic fronts.”

Gada who believes he could unseat the incumbent, stressed that PDP is an entity that deserves to be protected in the interest of democracy, adding that “we have everything to move the state forward and I’m assuring you that we are billed to do that.’’

Whoever will carry the day will be decided in a matter of months.

Edo Assembly settles down for business

OR the first time since the inception the Fourth Republic, the Edo State House of Assembly took off in June with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having only five members in the House, while the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has 19.

New ACN members in the House include Festus Ibea (Esan South-East), Friday Ogieriahki (Orhionmwon), Abdulrasaq Momoh (Etsako West 1), Osazemwinde Sunday (Ovia North East), Aghedo Sunday(Ovia South West) and Ohio-Ezomo Michael (Owan West) while the new members of the PDP are Victor Edoror (Esan central), Iluobe Patrick (Esan North East)and Ehighalua Monday (Esan West).

This was quite different from the last assembly when the PDP had 16 members at inception and then AC, now ACN, had eight.

The loss of ACN in Edo Central senatorial district where it won one out of five seats saw

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

the emergence of Hon Uyi Igbe representing Oredo West as Speaker, while Festus Ibea emerged his deputy. Hon Phillip Shuaibu the emerged Majority Leader, Folly Ogedengbe, Owan East as Chief Whip and Patrick Osayimwen as Deputy Whip.

The lingering leadership crisis in the Edo State PDP stalled the nomination of Minority Leader and Minority Whip from among the five PDP lawmakers as two letters from two factions of PDP in the state were sent to the assembly.

One of the, signed by Chief Dan Orbih of the Chief Tony Anenih faction, nominated Emmanuel Okoduwa and Kingsley Ehigiamusoe as Minority Leader and Minority Whip respectively, but another letter signed by former Deputy Governor of the state, Rev. Peter Obadan and the Publicity

Secretary, Francis Iyasere urged the assembly to ignore the nomination of the Anenih faction.

The letter from the Ogbemudia faction said there was a case before a competent law court on the authentic leadership of the party in the state. It urged the lawmakers to be patient until the crisis rocking the party is resolved so that the PDP can speak with one voice.

Speaker Igbe, while stepping down the nomination of the Anenih faction, said the assembly would not interfere in the internal affairs of the PDP. He urged the PDP to resolve its crisis and send nominations to the House as soon as possible.

Igbe promised to operate an open door policy and vowed to work in a co-operative environment with other arms of government “without eroding “its autonomy or subordinating itself to anyone, arm or structure.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

53

NEWS LASTMA can’t impose fine, says court

Senate confirms Musdapher as new CJN

By Eric Ikhilae

Continued from page 4

A

FEDERAL High Court in Lagos has voided some sections of the law establishing the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

Justice Okon Abang, in a judgment, declared that Sections 9, 11, 12 and 13 of the law establishing LASTMA is unconstitutional and of no effect on the grounds that it contravenes Section 36 of the Constitution, which guarantee every citizen’s right to fair hearing.

The court upheld LASTMA’s power to arrest traffic offenders, but held that it lacks the powers to impose fine on such offenders. It added that the power to impose fine on anybody who contravenes an existing law resides only with the court.

The court held that the imposition of fine on any traffic offender by LASTMA amounted to being a judge in its own cause.

“Section 9, 11, 12, and 13 of the law establishing LASTMA is unconstitutional. It is against the spirit of the Section 36 of the Constitution, which gives right of fair hearing to every Nigerian. Moreover, that would amount to being a judge in your own cause,” the court held.

It awarded N500,000 damages against LASTMA. A Lagos resident, Jonathan Odutola, whose car was impounded in March and compelled to pay a fine instituted the suit.

He said his car developed some mechanical problems on the Third Mainland Bridge and stopped, and that in an effort to ensure that the car did not obstruct traffic, he immediately called a towing-van which towed the vehicle completely out of the road.

•Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo (right) greeting the Head of Civil Service of the Federation Prof. Oladapo Afolabi during a meeting on retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries Benefits at the State House Abuja.... yesterdy.

PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

He said the rules of appointment of National Judicial Council (NJC) members is due for amendment after 10 years.

On retirement age of justices, he said it should be left for the legislature to decide even though it is desirable for review.

Senator Smart Adeyemi wanted to know whether Justice Musdapher will support stiffer punishment to curb corruption. He sought to know his view on capital punishment for corruption charges.

Musdapher said whatever would be done to stop corruption in the country would be a welcome development.

He noted that though capi-

INEC asks Presidential Tribunal to vary order on Jega

T

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday asked the Presidential Elections Tribunal sitting in Abuja to vary the subpoena served on its Chairman, Prof.

Attahiru Jega and exclude Biometric data bank containing the national register of voters, from the list of documents to tender in evidence.

It also asked the five-man panel of Justices to delete the tendering of the voters register evidencing accreditation, forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C used for the conduct of the election evidencing the results declared at the polling units, wards and local government areas.

In a motion filed by its lead Counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the Commission prayed for an order of exten-

•Seeks removal of some materials as evidence From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

sion of the pre-hearing period for the purpose of hearing and determination of the application.

Similarly INEC wanted the tribunal to delete from the documents to be produced by Jega the certified true copy of tabulation of ballot papers distribution evidencing the serial numbers of ballot papers shared across the country to polling units, wards and local government areas.

Others include: *Excel application used in computer summation of the result of the presidential election across the country. *Original copy of the petitioner’s letter to INEC dated

March 30th 2011. * Original copy of the petitioner’s letter to INEC dated April 18th 2011. * Original copy of the petitioner’s letter to INEC dated April 2nd 2011. * Original copy of the petitioner’s letter to the INEC Chairman dated April 1st 2011. *INEC’s letter to the petitioner dated April 2nd 2011. * INEC’s letter dated May 5th 2011; and. *The original copy of the petition dated April 14th 2011 written on behalf of the petitioner.

Awomolo said the application was brought on the grounds that pre-hearing was concluded long ago, that the subpoena which is the subject matter of the application was

filed on September 20 in the course of hearing and that the motion could not have been filed at the pre-hearing session.

He argued that these”items “form the subject matter of an agreement signed by the parties to the effect that election materials used at the states for the election should be obtained by any person desiring them from the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the respective states.”

“The agreement having been made an order of the court INEC cannot in law, produce original letters in its possession more so when the copies of such letters have already been tendered. INEC cannot in law produce the certified true copy of its letter to the petitioner presumably in the custody of the petitioner.

tal punishment is applied by some countries like China in corruption cases, if the law is made, the judiciary will apply it.

Senator Sola Adeyeye asked Musdapher to write his name in the history books by ending writing in long hand at courts, which he said, leads to delay in judicial adjudication.

Justice Musdapher said though electronic recording of cases is desirable, some of the judges are too old to be computer literate.

He said even now that they write in long hand, some judgments leak. With the computerized system, it might become worse.

Senator Babajide Omoworare raised the issue of unending cases at the Supreme Court.

Musdapher noted that they were seeking ways to limit the number of appeals that go to the Supreme Court as a way to reduce the workload of Supreme Court justices.

He said that there are about 1500 cases pending at the apex court since 2002.

He added that Anambra State alone had 200 election petition cases.

He said the Constitution should be amended to limit cases that come to the Supreme Court.

Omoworare also asked whether it will not be proper for the President to appoint any of the Justices that is qualified as CJN instead of the appointment based on seniority as it is currently being done.

Musdapher said the Constitution gives the President the power to appoint the CJN. He said Mr. President can choose but the constitutional and NJC provisions on the appointment of CJN should be complied with.

Terrorism can’t intimidate Nigeria, says Jonathan Continued from page 4

He said the current situation on the global level is becoming more precarious, unpredictable and certainly more dangerous perhaps more than any other time in history.

He also spoke on Nigeria’s share of terrorist attacks, saying the upsurge rather than intimidate, will only help to strengthen the country’s resolve to develop appropriate national strategies and collaborate even more closely with the international community to fight the menace.

He told the world leaders about his signing into law, the law on Terrorism (Prevention) Bill 2011 and the AntiMoney Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act. He said those laws will not only outline measures for the prevention and combating of acts of terrorism, they will prohibit the financing of terrorism and laundering of the proceeds of crime in Nigeria.

He assured that Nigeria will continue to work with the UN and other partners in terrorism fight.

Jonathan who spoke on the Theme “The role of mediation in the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world”, said the war against terrorism is one that must be won as it infringes on the fundamental rights of all peoples to life and to live in safety from fear.

He said for the world to move from a culture of response after conflict to that of a culture of prevention, the

international community must muster the political will to promote preventive diplomacy, in particular through mediation.

This, he argued will necessarily entail re-dedicating greater human and financial resources to institutions and mechanisms that already exist within and outside the UN system for conflict prevention and resolution.

On the way forward, the President wants the UN to establish a Conflict Mediation Commission, which should be saddled with the responsibility of collating information on conflict situations across the world, identify the dramatis personae and develop appropriate strategies for initiating resolution of such conflicts.

The Commission, he said, should develop rules of engagement, including sanctions which would apply to those who may obstruct efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Jonathan also spoke on trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). He said it is an issue that must be seriously tackled if the idea of mediation in conflicts is to succeed.

He said, “Mr. President, despite our initial optimism, the peace dividend we had hoped would accrue following the end of the Cold War is yet to materialize. On the contrary, the world of the 21st century in which we live is becoming

ever more precarious, unpredictable and certainly more dangerous perhaps more than any other time in history.

The increasing use of terror in various regions of the world as a form of political action poses serious threat to international peace and security.

We must win the war against terrorism because it infringes on the fundamental rights of all peoples to life and to live in safety from fear.

“Over the past few months, we in Nigeria have faced an upsurge of terrorist attacks in parts of our country. Only recently, the UN Building in Abuja housing several UN Agencies was the target of an atrocious terrorist attack which left people dead. On behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria, I like to convey my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the entire UN family for this barbaric and heinous attack against those who have dedicated their lives to helping others.

As the United States and the rest of the world commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/ 11, we are reminded of the international dimension of terrorism and the imperative of a concerted global response to combat this scourge.

“Mr. President, for us in Nigeria, terrorist acts, rather than intimidate, will only help to strengthen our resolve to develop appropriate national strategies and collaborate even more closely with the

international community in the fight against this menace.

As part of Nigeria’s efforts to fight terrorism, I signed into law the Terrorism (Prevention) Bill 2011 and the AntiMoney Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act on the 3rd of June this year. The new laws not only outlined measures for the prevention and combating of acts of terrorism, but also prohibit the financing of terrorism and laundering of the proceeds of crime.

Nigeria will continue to work with the UN and other partners in this global fight.

“To this end, Nigeria is working closely with the United Nations Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), as well as relevant international bodies and friendly countries to sharpen our response mechanisms. In this connection, the UN Counter Terrorism Implementation Task force is launching its first project in Abuja in November 2011, aimed at conflict prevention and countering the appeal of terrorism to youth through education and dialogue. In addition, Nigeria is a member of the new global body, the Global CounterTerrorism Forum (GCTF), initiated to galvanize and pull our efforts together to fight the scourge in all its ramifications. We pledge to continue to work with all stakeholders, as we enlarge and intensify our partnerships.”

Speaking on this year’s theme which he said was apt, Jonathan said, “for too long, the international community has focused too little attention on mediation and preventive diplomacy and far too much effort and resources on military aspects of peace and security. Yet, measures to address the root cause of conflict, including dialogue and mediation, can be far more effective as means to achieving sustainable peace and stability.

“Going forward, I should like to propose the establishment, under the SecretaryGeneral’s Office, a Conflict Mediation Commission, to be charged, among others, with the collation of information on conflict situations across the world, identify the dramatis personae and develop appropriate strategies for initiating resolution of such conflicts. The Commission will also develop rules of engagement, including sanctions which would apply to those who may obstruct efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully.

As Nigeria is approaching the end of its tenure on the Security Council, I will like to express my country’s deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve in this important organ. In this course of our stewardship, the Council had the courage to reach many difficult decisions that resulted in positive development around the world. We are proud to be associated with these decisions.

•Dr Jonathan

“I would like to urge the Council to continue its important work in the maintenance of international peace and security. In spite of the Council’s many successes, it is our belief that this important organ will benefit from the vigour and fresh perspectives which only a revamped Council that accommodated changing global political realities can provide. “Mr. President, I urge you to set up clear criteria for the reform of the UN Security Council in line with the demand of the majority of the World. A reformed UN Security Council is the only way to demonstrate that all nations have equal stake in the UN. Nigeria looks forward to the prospect of membership in a reformed UN Security Council.”

54

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-09-11 2ND-TIER SECURITIES Company Name PRESCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 10 10

Quotation(N) 7.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 124,700 884,866.00 124,700 884,866.00

Quotation(N) 1.95 5.71

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,652,900 3,323,866.00 1,580,756 9,138,874.04 3,233,656 12,462,740.04

Quotation(N) 1.33

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 413,430 545,083.93 413,430 545,083.93

Quotation(N) 5.30 3.95 2.80 4.30 2.06 9.99 0.50 12.37 9.25 0.70 1.15 5.50 1.41 3.95 2.09 0.65 0.68 12.52

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 31,428,428 172,755,060.63 1,734,258 6,856,968.75 959,568 2,572,188.28 5,172,046 22,267,213.40 56,903,646 116,778,978.98 16,330,445 163,406,840.13 665,242 332,621.00 19,318,212 239,678,479.97 3,358,037 31,001,579.90 669,000 468,300.00 255,300 293,595.00 9,588,948 52,626,248.31 3,213,521 4,602,542.46 6,957,722 27,900,099.38 80,177 167,569.93 1,539,184 978,436.01 3,186,112 2,166,056.75 27,346,537 340,906,693.39 188,706,383 1,185,759,472.27

Quotation(N) 220.25 85.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 778,637 172,476,952.25 1,637,315 139,935,014.69 2,415,952 312,411,966.94

Quotation(N) 18.50 7.30 100.00 43.20

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 203,644 3,752,843.10 37,600 261,267.00 66,275 6,473,426.18 112,298 4,779,193.49 419,817 15,266,729.77

Quotation(N) 9.38 21.89 1.14 10.01

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 20,611 183,938.92 411,525 9,014,425.64 6,093 6,768.19 500 4,755.00 438,729 9,209,887.75

AIR SERVICES Company Name AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 31 64 95

AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 16 16 BANKING

Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC FINBANK PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC INTERCONTINENTAL BANK PLC. OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC SKYE BANK PLC. STERLING BANK PLC UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC UNITYBANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 138 48 40 79 113 574 5 438 43 17 3 83 28 183 13 37 23 299 2,164 BREWERIES

Company Name GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 100 145 245 BUILDING MATERIALS

Company Name ASHAKA CEMENT PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 35 6 24 29 94 CHEMICAL & PAINTS

Company Name BERGER PAINTS NIGERIA PLC CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC DN MEYER PLC NIGERIAN-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 23 4 1 32

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 25 26

Quotation(N) 0.50 2.45

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 17,000 8,500.00 629,900 1,583,322.00 646,900 1,591,822.00

COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 2

Quotation(N) 4.53

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 55,600 251,868.00 55,600 251,868.00

Quotation(N) 30.11 0.83 39.02 28.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 225,435 6,797,999.72 8,224,979 7,042,693.94 134,504 5,135,609.74 380,047 10,527,763.85 8,964,965 29,504,067.25

Quotation(N) 49.64

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 29,350 1,386,832.50 29,350 1,386,832.50

CONGLOMERATES Company Name PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UAC OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 50 86 41 62 239

International Breweries, Lafarge Wapco, Flour Mills to raise N86b

T

HREE quoted compa nies have concluded arrangements to raise about N86 billion in new equity and debt capital from the capital market, new issues that may set the tone for the reactivation of the dormant primary market.

The three companies- International Breweries, Flour Mills of Nigeria and Lafarge Cement Wapco, are expected to open the application lists for their new issues in the weeks ahead in time for them to conclude the capital raising exercise within the fourth quarter.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday confirmed that International Breweries Plc would be raising N7.51 billion from existing shareholders through a rights issue of about 1.48 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N5.80 per share.

The pre-allotment ratio for the rights issue is seven new shares for every 10 ordinary shares held by shareholders as at the close of business on July 05, 2011.

The NSE also reaffirmed that Flour Mills Nigeria Plc would also be raising N28.2bn from its shareholders through a rights issue of 455.57 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N62 per share.

The pre-allotment ratio for the rights issue is fixed at eight new shares for every 33 ordinary shares held as at the close of business on October 07, 2011.

Flour Mills closed yesterday at N75.05 per share as investors continued to take positions for the rights issue ahead of the closure of the register of shareholders.

CONSTRUCTION Company Name JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 11 11

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 2.08

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 10,000 20,800.00 10,000 20,800.00

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC UTC NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 13 35 104 46 66 8 25 55 4 356

Quotation(N) 45.50 16.00 6.10 9.01 75.05 3.16 4.48 401.00 0.50

Quantity Traded Value 119,104 174,980 1,700,587 628,852 213,435 31,973 263,902 137,351 1,000,115 4,270,299

of Shares (N) 5,394,672.00 2,705,305.74 10,311,052.50 5,660,518.60 15,236,400.89 99,694.51 1,160,522.70 55,060,169.50 500,057.50 96,128,393.94

Quotation(N) 0.86 1.48 27.00 3.43

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 141,400 121,704.00 252,900 378,595.00 197,985 5,345,595.00 421,400 1,418,716.00 1,013,685 7,264,610.00

HEALTHCARE Company Name EVANS MEDICALPLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 10 11 38 62 HOTEL & TOURISM

Company Name CAPITAL HOTEL PLC IKEJA HOTEL PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 45 46

Quotation(N) 7.50 1.63

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 9,220 65,738.60 1,607,120 2,544,279.60 1,616,340 2,610,018.20

INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name B. O. C. GASES NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 1 9 12

Quotation(N) 6.90 38.51 5.98

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 10,000 69,000.00 20 731.80 262,592 1,573,532.00 272,612 1,643,263.80

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name CHAMS PLC STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 1 4

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 79,868 39,934.00 19,500 9,750.00 99,368 49,684.00

INSURANCE Company Name AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE CO. PLC. CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC. STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 26 6 1 7 8 10 1 2 1 5 13 1 2 1 1 1 86

Quotation(N) 0.70 1.04 0.50 2.51 0.50 1.03 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,429,810 975,645.48 418,333 435,076.32 1,000 500.00 85,225 223,531.75 4,166,603 2,083,301.50 579,990 596,860.00 5,000 2,500.00 6,150 3,075.00 1,000 500.00 3,105,000 1,552,500.00 1,218,382 609,191.00 1,000 500.00 8,000 11,440.00 20,000 10,000.00 4,000 2,000.00 31,697 15,848.50 11,081,190 6,522,469.55

Meanwhile, Lafarge Cement Wapco Plc yesterday confirmed that it plans to raise about N50 billion in debt capital, as against earlier expectation of a rights issue.

Finance director of Lafarge Cement Wapco, Mr. Fred Amobi, said the company would be targeting about N50 billion from the bond but would take a minimum of N20 billion from the debt issue expected to be listed on the NSE early October.

According to him, the company would consider the pricing of the bond issue to determine the amount to be taken. Lafarge Wapco is targeting a price range of 10 to 11 per cent with a maximum benchmark price of 11 per cent.

Both International Breweries and Lafarge Cement Wapco would be using net proceeds of their new issues to reduce the short-term debts on their balance sheets and free the profit and loss accounts from the strangulating impact of high interest expenses.

Meanwhile, the overall market situation at the secondary market reverted to the negative as investors remained on the edge as the crucial resolution dates for the banking sector draw near.

The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index at NSE, dropped marginally to 20, 868.21 points as against its opening index of 20,875.32 points while aggregate market capitalisation of equities slipped from N6.657 trillion

to N6.655 trillion.

The downtrend was driven mainly by losses by the banking and oil and gas stocks.

The NSE Banking Index had dropped from 297.74 points to 296.85 points while the NSE Oil and Gas Index declined to 242.89 points compared with its index-on-board of 244.72 points. Given the dominance of the banking stocks within the most capitalized stocks, the NSE 30 Index also dropped from 937.70 points to 936.90 points.

Food and beverages and insurance stocks meanwhile were divergent to the negative trend with the food and beverages index rising from 692.00 points to 693.42 points. The NSE Insurance Index closed higher at 145.54 points compared with opening index of 144.53 points.

Two subsidiaries of UAC of Nigeria Plc- CAP and UACN Property Development Company topped the losers’ list with losses of 115 kobo and 81 kobo to close at N21.89 and N15.51 respectively. Oando followed with a loss of 69 kobo to close at N26 per share.

Unilever Nigeria led the upswing with a gain of 51 kobo to close at N28.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated gained 30 kobo to close at N12 while Dangote Flour Mills added 29 kobo to close at N6.10 per share.

Total turnover stood at 234.77 million shares worth N1.82 billion in 3,942 deals.

Banking sector accounted for 188.71 million shares valued at N1.19 billion in 2,164 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-09-11

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name CUTIX PLC Sector Totals

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

MARITIME Company Name JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 76 76

Quotation(N) 0.82

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 3,555,105 3,026,906.63 3,555,105 3,026,906.63

MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name RESORT SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 39,215 19,607.50 39,215 19,607.50

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name CRUSADER NIGERIA PLC. NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 6 1 9

Quotation(N) 0.50 1.03 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 17,500 8,750.00 395,544 419,687.52 150 75.00 413,194 428,512.52

Quotation(N) 1.90

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 593,340 1,149,053.70 593,340 1,149,053.70

PACKAGING Company Name NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 59 59

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. FORTE OIL PLC MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 10 20 5 15 17 146 15 228

Quotation(N) 63.86 33.00 5.13 11.58 148.00 26.00 203.32

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 27,619 1,675,664.20 100,889 3,367,009.24 9,663 47,155.44 54,878 629,948.10 93,338 13,125,361.20 2,835,351 73,026,683.15 13,144 2,538,895.04 3,134,882 94,410,716.37

PRINTING & PUBLISHING Company Name ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LONGMAN NIGERIA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 9 8 21

Quotation(N) 2.60 4.84 3.93

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,250 5,557.50 601,100 2,914,316.44 148,000 581,640.00 751,350 3,501,513.94

Quotation(N) 15.51

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 105,100 1,631,637.00 105,100 1,631,637.00

REAL ESTATE Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 5 5

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Company Name ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 4 4

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 79,782 39,925.82 79,782 39,925.82

Quotation(N) 0.69

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,800 1,296.00 1,800 1,296.00

TEXTILES Company Name UNITED NIGERIAN TEXTILES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals 29 29

Quotation(N) 12.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,707,774 20,110,854.41 1,707,774 20,110,854.41

3,934

234,194,518

1,807,834,599.83

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

55

MONEY LINK

AMCON allays shareholders’ fears over rescued banks

T

HE Asset Management Cor poration of Nigeria (AMCON) has assured that it would not interfere in the management of any of the rescued banks where it holds substantial equity. The assurance came after shareholders expressed concerns that the asset firm’s shareholdings might lead to undue interference and distortions in management plan.

The Managing Director/CEO, Mustafa Chike-Obi, said the corporation will be a passive share-

Stories by Taofik Salako and Collins Nweze

holder in the banks and will not interfere with the day-to-day running of the banks, but stated that AMCON will appoint directors into the boards in line with its shareholding position.

He said AMCON’s percentage shareholdings in the rescued banks would be between 10 per cent to 100 per cent. AMCON already has 100 per cent equity stakes in three banks that it bought after they were national-

FCMB to acquire 94.4% holding in FinBank

Agreement (TIA) that will lead to eventual merger of both financial institutions. This stemmed from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both parties in May. In a joint statement, both banks explained that the business combination will involve a Scheme of Arrangement, followed by a Scheme of Merger to be executed in accordance with statutory provisions.

“The combined bank will be a unique financial institution with proven corporate banking capabilities, strengthened commercial banking business and a robust platform for retail growth,” the statement said.

S

HAREHOLDERS of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) will own 94.4 per cent of its equity on the completion of acquisition of FinBank Plc, the bank has said.

By this development, FinBank shareholders will own 1.5 per cent of the combined lenders, while the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), set up to buy bad loans from banks, will own 4.1 per cent after investing N155.6 billion according to a statement obtained from Bloomberg.

FinBank Plc and FCMB Plc, recently signed a Transaction Implementation

ers to salvage part of their investments, which he argued, would have been completely lost as in the case of the three liquidated banks.

Chike-Obi explained that though government’s funds were being used to bail out the banks, the AMCON strategy would ensure that such funds are recouped by selling the shares.

A shareholder of Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Chief Mobolanle Ajomale, expressed support for the recapitalisation of the bank, but cautioned that the

S

Standard Bank grows outlets

TANDARD Bank has boosted its Personal and Business Banking unit with the opening of a new branch in Lagos.

This has brought the bank’s total branch in Africa to 500, with a customer base of over 2.5 million.

The bank also said it has three million active accounts in 16 countries across the continent.

Head of Personal and Business Banking, Standard Bank’s Group Africa operations, Terry Moodley, said, reaching these milestones and the remarkable growth in the bank’s continental footprint is tangible proof of its continued commitment to Africa.

“For those serious about taking advantage of the growth opportunities in Africa, there can be no substitute for proper on-theground presence in the key markets. We have been investing steadily in Africa for the best part of 20 years.

This experience has provided many lessons that continue to help us understand how best to continue growing in the continent,” Moodley said.

He added that the bank expects to report further growth in branch numbers and customers this time next year because of the new investment it continues to commit.

Kolawole, said the promo was introduced to reward loyal customers and to encourage the salary savings culture amongst the staff. She added that it is a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to empower people financially.

While congratulating the winners, she reiterated that the promo is still on and the opportunity to win remains open to all customers that run their sal-

ess which was certified by the Consumer Protection Council and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

He explained that to qualify for the draws, existing customers are expected to increase their account balance to a minimum of N20, 000 which should be left in the bank for 30 days. Also, new customers have to open a salary

ary accounts with the bank.

Also speaking, the Regional Head, South South and South East, Godwin Eton, stated that every salary account holder with Ecobank is a winner in the promo irrespective of location or where the account is domiciled.

He pointed out that the winners emerged through a globally accepted and automated random selection proc-

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 21-9-11 SYMBOL DANGFLOUR NCR UNITYBNK UPL WEMABANK IKEJAHOTEL AIICO GTASSURE ETI UNILEVER

O/PRICE 5.81 4.32 0.62 3.75 0.65 1.56 0.67 1.00 11.70 27.49

C/PRICE 6.10 4.53 0.65 3.93 0.68 1.63 0.70 1.03 12.00 28.00

CHANGE 0.29 0.21 0.03 0.18 0.03 0.07 0.03 0.03 0.30 0.51

LOSER AS AT 21 -9-11 SYMBOL CAP UAC-PROP STERLNBANK JAPAULOIL NPFMCRFBK EVANSMED FIDSON ACCESS TRANSCORP OANDO

O/PRICE 23.04 16.32 1.48 0.86 1.08 0.90 1.54 5.50 0.86 26.69

C/PRICE 21.89 51.51 1.41 0.82 1.03 0.86 1.48 5.30 0.83 26.00

Amount

Offered ($) Demanded ($)

MANAGED FUNDS

Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

domiciliation account with the same amount to qualify for instant gift and also participate in the draws.

The climax of the draw saw the presentation of the star prize from the first draw to Mr. Uyouko Efiok Nyong who won a Kia Soul during the draw in Lagos. The excited Mr. Nyong commended the bank profusely for initiating the promotion.

DATA BANK

Tenor

OBB Rate Call Rate

The bank signalled its intent to grow its position in Africa when Chief Executive Jacko Maree said last month that the group will use part of the $750 million it expects from the sales of stakes in its Argentinean subsidiary Standard Bank Argentina and Troika Dialog in Russia to focus on its franchises in Africa.

Africa remains at the core of Standard Bank and this is reflected in our refined strategy unveiled earlier this year.

These milestones in Personal and Business Banking are a further indication that the strategy is the right one,” Moodley said.

Winners emerge in Ecobank promo

T

HE second draw of Ecobank Sal ary Domiciliation promo has produced a set of 30 winners, bringing the total number of winners to 61 since its inception. The Star prize winner, Ajayi Davis Oloyede of Apapa Wharf Road branch, took home a brand new Kia Soul car, while the other winners went home with black berry phones.

Speaking at the draw event which held in Eket, Akwa-Ibom State, Head, Asset and Liabilities Product, Olanike

NIDF NESF

shareholding by AMCON should not be a source of undue government interference in the bank.

AMCON, which is responsible for reversing the huge negative capital of Union Bank to zero level, would hold minority equity stake of 18.51 per cent in the post-recapitalised bank.

It would also have equity stakes in Ecobank Nigeria Plc, through its equity in Oceanic Bank International; Access Bank, through its equity in Intercontinental Bank and First City Monument Bank, through its equity in FinBank.

ised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Chike-Obi, said AMCON would sell its stakes in all the banks with time, stressing that the corporation will also conduct a transparent sale process for the shares.

The process of sale will include hiring a credible financial adviser to assist with the sale process and third party valuation of the shares to ensure real values for AMCON stake.

He said, the intervention of AMCON has enabled sharehold-

Amount

Exchange

Sold ($)

Rate (N)

Date

450m

452.7m

450m

150.8

08-8-11

250m

313.5m

250m

150.8

03-8-11

400m

443m

400m

150.7

01-8-11

EXHANGE RATE 26-08-11 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD

147.6000

149.7100

150.7100

-2.11

NGN GBP

239.4810

244.0123

245.6422

-2.57

NGN EUR

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

Bureau de Change 152.0000 (S/N)

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

Parallel Market

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N)

13-09-11 N6.7026tr 21,018.52

14-09-11 N6.760tr 21,199.16

% Change -0.87% -0.86%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

(S/N)

153.0000

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Aug ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

8.75%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 9.4%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 117.83 107.46 0.79 1.02 0.94 1,628.78 8.65 1.39 1.87 7,606.56 193.00

9.08 1.00 117.53 107.10 0.81 1.02 0.93 1,625.40 8.23 1.33 1.80 7,368.81 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED

CHANGE 1.15 0.81 0.07 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.20 0.03 0.69

• STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 24 Aug, 2011 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 26, Aug, 2011 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous

Current

04 July, 2011

07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

57

NEWS The Nation driver beaten up From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

SOME soldiers in Ukwa West LocalGovernment of Abia State have beaten up The Nation driver for failing to give them a free copy of the newspaper.

He was going to Port Harcourt after collecting unsold copies.

Speaking with The Nation on telephone from Ukwa West , the driver, Murphy, said the soldiers beat him up and ordered him to roll in a pool of water for an offence he did not commit.

Murphy urged the army to call its erring officers to order.

He was released when Gen. Sylvester Audu intervened.

Audu promised to investigate the matter.

Benue ACN chair worries over ‘conflicting’ verdicts

T

HE Benue State Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Comrade Abba Yaro, has expressed disappointment over the conflicting ruling of the Appeal Court, sitting in Makurdi, in a petition filed against Governor Gabriel Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Prof. Steve Ugbah, the ACN governorship candidate on September 16.

The court held that the pretrial sessions could begin via a letter without the petitioner filing a motion ‘exparte’or on ‘notice’.

The court had dismissed Suswam’s appeal. But it later awarded judgment on the same issue to the PDP. In a statement yesterday, Yaro noted that the provisions of Paragraph 47(1) of the first schedule to the Electoral Act, pursuant to which the tribu-

nal dismissed the petition, has been part of Nigeria’s laws, “and it has not been the practice that ‘leave’ is sought and obtained before an application for pre–trial is granted”.

He said: “I, therefore, view the action of this appeal tribunal as an attempt to deliberately clog the process of justice.

“It will be recalled that the Acting Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Dahiru

Musdaphar, had, in his inaugural comment at the special session of the Supreme Court to mark the beginning of the 2011 Legal Year, chided the judges against the application of procedural rules and technicalities.

“He had said: ‘In line with the reform agenda, I warn judges against the application of procedural rules and technicalities that do not lead to the attainment of substantial

ANAN’s founder loses mum

Senate confirms Ishaku as minister

MOTHER of founder and pioneer president of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Mr Omooba Sosanya, is dead.

Mrs Juliana SosanyaDawodu, a fellow of the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Sagamu-Remo, Ogun State, was aged 86.

The family said in a statement by Sosanya that funeral arrangements would soon be announced.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu

T A cross-section of tanker drivers during the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) tanker drivers’ rally in ...yesterday.

Okorocha woos American investors

I

•The late madam Sosanya

Funeral Sept. 30 MADAM Victoria Idah has died. She was 80. Her funeral rites begin on September 30 with a service of songs and wake at her residence, Umuolie Village, Amachai Quarters, Okpanam, Oshimili Local Government, Delta State. A funeral service/ interment will hold at her residence on October 1. The outing service comes up on October 2 at the Celestial Church of Christ, Ezenei Avenue, Asaba. She is survived by children and grandchildren, among whom is Felix Ideh.

Lawyer to be interred THE remains of seasoned lawyer Jonathan Ahmeseworun Kuye will be buried on September 23 at Kuye Street, Ikoya, Okitipupa Local Government, Ondo State after a funeral service at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral at 10 am.

He was 90. Members of the Okitipupa branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) will hold a valedictory court session for the deceased on Thursday at the High Court , Okitipupa at 10 am.

•The late Kuye

justice, as it was clearly against modern trends of adjudications.’

“The pronouncement by this appeal tribunal is a temporary setback, but our team of lawyers has since appealed against it at the Supreme Court. I, therefore, call on our teaming supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, with absolute resolve and faith in God that justice will prevail at the end.

“I wish to finally draw the attention of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Judiciary to the urgent need to overhaul the judicial system to enhance public perception regarding its capacity to dispense justice without bias.”

MO State Governor Rochas OKorocha has reiterated his commitment to attract investment and create jobs for the Imo people. He restated this pledge in America when he participated in a conference on the development of business in Nigeria, organised by Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington.

The organisers of the conference selected Imo State because of what they described as Okorocha’s innovative and

From Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

pragmatic style in governance.

Okorocha urged international investors to take advantage of the enormous natural and human resources to set up companies that would provide jobs and boost the economy of the state.

“Imo is the China of Africa, we have high literacy level and very sound people who can do anything required of them to help any company grow,” he said.

He pledged the commitment of his administration to entrench policies that will encourage economic growth.

This, according to him, includes tax-break, provision of land and guarantee on security.

The governor said the state is already growing, owing to the determination of his administration to move forward despite inherited challenges.

The governor reiterated his administration’s readiness to provide jobs and transform the rural areas.

Okorocha listed his priorit

ies as free education, infrastructural development and security.

The conference was organised by the former Ambassador to Nigeria, Renee Sandras and featured officials of World Bank and American government agencies.

The participants explained to the governor the procedure of accessing funds and other assistance programmes.

They also identified Imo as a potential state capable of meeting the requirement of international assistance, judging from Okorocha’s policies.

Aero begins flights to Enugu

A

ERO Airlines has announced new flights to Abuja and Enugu.

The airline has also announced additional frequencies in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Enugu from October 1.

This brings to eight the number of its daily flights to Abuja from Lagos and two flights each to Kano and Enugu from Lagos.

G

The airline has also introduced a special independence promotional fare of N10,000 for economy cabin and N26,000 for business class cabin to 11 major destinations in Nigeria.

Customers can enjoy these offers by booking their flights online, by SMS or through the airline’s customer care centre, according to

the Managing Director of the Airlines Capt. Akin George.

He said: “We are pleased to announce the launch of a new service from Enugu to Abuja; and additional frequencies from Lagos to Abuja, Kano and Enugu.

“We are offering fares that cut across families, students, business community and leisure travellers to celebrate

Nigeria’s independence.

“Booking and paying for flights have never been easier with different electronic platforms; online, SMS, ATMs, banks and through our ticket sales centres.

“We just acquired an additional Boeing 737 aircraft to boost our capacity in the Nigerian market.”

Security a duty for all, says Orji

OVERNOR Theodore Orji of Abia State yesterday said the security of lives and property of Aians is the duty of all.

He spoke in Umuahia during the launching of the state police command strategy on crime prevention for the ‘ember months.’ He urged residents to assist the police in fighting crimes.

Orji urged the people to be vigilant, “if we do not want to go back to the era of kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and other violent crimes in the state.”

He called on them to volunteer information to security agencies to sustain the ex-

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

isting peace in the state.

He said: “Let me use this opportunity to call on our people to be a part of making our society safe, by developing the culture of volunteering information to security agencies, if we want to sustain the peace and security we fought hard to get.”

Orji advised the people to report any strange faces with no meaningful means of livelihood to the police, “if we do not want to be plunged back into the dark days of armed robbery and kidnapping or, worse still, the current spate of bombings which were pre-

viously alien to our climes.”

He said the state government has shown great commitment to ensuring security for people and businesses within its territory, through the donation of vehicles, communication, surveillance and security equipment to security agencies.

Commissioner of Police Bala Hassan said criminal activities during the ember months are usually very high.

Hassan said social miscreants use the period to try to make quick money and thereby make life miserable for the people, “but I want to tell the criminals who are still operating in the state, that we are

prepared for them.”

He said: “The Abia State police command is determined to find ways to curb the excesses of the criminals in the state by launching a war against all forms of criminality in the state. All the idenfiable criminal hide-outs in the state would be raided, while the normal stop and search will continue.”

He thanked the InspectorGeneral of Police Hafiz Ringim for the five Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) donated to the state. He also hailed the state government for providing communication gadgets to the command.

HE Senate yesterday confirmed Mr. Darius Dickson Ishaku as the minister representing Taraba State.

President Goodluck Jonathan nominated him when the Senate refused to confirm the nomination of Mr. Obadiah Ando to represent the state.

Before he was confirmed, senators drilled him on some issues bordering on proper town planning and development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Senator George Thompson Sekibo sought to know why there was disparity between the development of Abuja city and the suburbs of the FCT. Sekibo noted that the disparity was like “between heaven and hell.”

Ishaku said that though he participated in designing the master plan of the city, a mistake was made during its implementation.

He added that the suburbs were supposed to have been developed first since the areas were to house people that would service the main city.

Lawmakers decry erosion From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

A

NAMBRA State House of Assembly members have decried the erosion ravaging some communities in the state.

The motion was sponsored by Tony Muonagor, Ify Onyebumuo and Tony Ezekwelu.

They said about 28 buildings have been subsumed by the erosion, while the Nkpor /Nnobi /Abatete road has almost collapsed.

The lawmakers representing Idemili North and South Local Governments urged Governor Peter Obi to, as a matter of urgency, remedy the situation before the Nimo Road is cut-off.

According to them, the Nimo Road linked several communities.

They also urged the Federal Government, Senator representing Anambra Central, Chris Ngige and the House of Representative member for the Idemili North/ South Charles Odedo to address the problem.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

58

FOREIGN NEWS Food aid driver abducted in Kenya A KENYAN driver for an organisation providing drought aid is missing after being held up at gunpoint in a refugee camp near the Kenyan-Somali border.

Care Kenya said three men approached the car on Monday, ordered him into the back and drove off.

The abduction occurred near Dadaab - the world’s biggest refugee camp.

Care has scaled down its aid effort following the first known attack on an aid worker since famine was declared in parts of Somalia in July.

The United Nations says more than 1,000 people are turning up at Dadaab every day fleeing Somalia’s famine and war.

Tens of thousands of people have died in what the UN says is East Africa’s worst drought for 60 years.

Twenty years of fighting and the lack of a national government mean that Somalia is by far the worstaffected country in the region.

According to Care’s country director, Gary McGurk, the abduction took place in broad daylight.

It is not clear what nationality the attackers were or where they took the car and driver.

NATO extends Libya bombing campaign

•Gaddafi

A

S the seven-month-old Libya conflict winds down, NATO an-

T

nounced a three-month extension yesterday of its bombing campaign.

“We are determined to continue our mission for as long as necessary, but ready to terminate the operation as soon as possible,” the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said in a statement from its Brussels headquarters.

It was the second 90-day extension of the NATO campaign during the Libya conflict and was approved with less than a week before the campaign was set to end.

NATO’s aerial campaign in

Libya, authorized under a United Nations Security Council mandate to protect civilians from Colonel Qaddafi’s military reprisals in the conflict, effectively became a major weapon of the rebels who toppled him last month.

Libya’s Transitional National Council, the interim government of anti-Qaddafi forces that have taken control in much of Libya, has expressed gratitude to NATO for its role.

Colonel Qaddafi, who remains at large, has expressed outrage over the growing in-

ternational acceptance of the Transitional National Council as the legitimate authority in the country he ruled for more than four decades. In an audio message broadcast Tuesday from an unidentified location, Colonel Qaddafi taunted his opponents by predicting their new government would collapse once NATO ends its attacks on loyalist forces that have yet to surrender.

As if to answer him, Britain’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that its warplane contingent in the

Palestinians rally in West Bank for UN bid

HOUSANDS of Palestinians gathered in cities in the occupied West Bank today in a show of support for the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

The demonstrations coincided with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where the Palestinian bid is topping the agenda.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, around 2,000 people rallied in a central square as they listened to speakers on a stage. Civil servants and students were given the day off, and many of the students wore their uniforms and waved flags

while others sported traditional Palestinians scarves.

The mood was festive and upbeat as the bid is a popular challenge to the world after what Palestinians say are years of failed talks with Israel moderated by a prejudiced United States.

“What we’re saying is that with a belligerent opponent like Israel and a dishonest broker like the United States, we’re not going anywhere,” said Palestinian-American lawyer and activist Huwaida Arraf who was watching the rally. “This is not leading to peace so we want to go to the international community and ask for international law to be applied to our plight.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to apply for full membership at the U.N. on Friday, a mission Obama administration officials

have been trying to quash for months and now admit there’s little hope of stopping. The U.S. has promised to veto the request in the Security Council, a prospect they are trying to avoid so as not to deny a people self-determination and further anger the Arab world that sees American support for Israel as heavily biased against Arabs.

If the Palestinian bid for full UN membership fails, they will likely go to the General Assembly for an upgrade in status from “observer entity” to “observer state.” This would allow Palestine to join international bodies and go after Israel in international courts, a threat Palestinian officials have repeatedly made.

American and European diplomats are working desperately behind the scenes, floating various formulas to

contain the fallout and bring both sides back to the negotiating table while allowing Palestinian and Israeli leaders to save face with their respective peoples.

Palestinians are largely realistic about the fact that no matter what happens at the U.N., little will change on the ground. Many worry that living conditions will actually get worse, with Israel clamping down further as punishment.

But after almost two decades of failed negotiations, many Palestinians say they need to try something new.

“I think it reflects the re-gaining of hope, Palestinians need hope,” said politician Mustafa Barghouthi. “Palestinians were depressed and frustrated with 20 years of negotiations that were leading to nothing but expansion of [Israeli] settlements.”

Obama to Palestinians: no short cut to statehood

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RESIDENT Barack Obama has told the United Nations General Assembly the Palestinians deserve their own state, but that this would only be achieved through talks with Israel.

The US president’s speech came as diplomatic efforts for Palestinian UN membership intensified, while thousands rallied in the West Bank.

He added there could be no “short cut” to peace, and is expected to urge the Palestinians to give up the initiative.

A Palestinian official said the UN would be given time to study the bid.

Mr Obama has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas later.

Mr Abbas has so far appeared determined to press ahead with the statehood bid on Friday, after his address to the UN General Assembly, with a written request to Sec-

retary General Ban Ki-moon.

Mr Abbas is complaining he is under huge pressure to withdraw the UN membership bid - he says he will not. But the US have said they will veto that bid, saying it is not the way to build a lasting peace.

Another school of thought which I’ve heard from some senior Israelis as well as Palestinians - is to allow the Palestinians to join the UN and then thrash out the details.

Domestic politics are playing an important part in this. Mr Obama faces re-election next year and one of his main Republican opponents has been getting at him recently accusing him of appeasing the Palestinians. But for the Americans, after the Arab Spring their alliance with Israel stands more starkly as one separate side against the Arab side, which undermines the status they had tried to promote as an honest broker.

On the Israeli side, Mr Netanyahu does not want to lose

NATO Libya operation had attacked loyalists’ military deployments in three areas.

In a statement, the ministry said British Tornado GR4’s had hit targets in Colonel Qaddafi’s hometown of Surt, the loyalist desert enclave of Bani Walid and in the northcentral town of Hun. There was conflicting information about the efforts by anti-Qaddafi forces themselves to eliminate the vestiges of armed support for the ousted Libyan leader.

Three dead at funerals held for Yemeni protesters

Y

EMENI government forces yesterday fired mortars at tens of thousands of mourners at funerals held for protesters killed in clashes, shattering a cease-fire negotiated a day earlier to end the Arab nation’s latest bout of deadly violence. The shelling killed three people and wounded at least 16.

The mourners were gathered for funeral prayers for antigovernment protesters killed in a deadly, three-day government crackdown in which the death toll topped 80 — a sudden spike in violence explained by protesters’ impatience with their longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who they say is dragging his feet instead of signing a deal to step down.

Also in Sanaa, the headquarters of the renegade 1st Armored Division came under heavy shelling from government forces.

The officials said the shelling targeted a part of Change Square, where protesters have camped out since February to demand the ouster of Saleh, in power since 1978.

US ambassador returns to Libya

T •Obama

his right-wing base which is important for his electoral prospects. That means he isn’t going to make the compromises that not only the Palestinians, but also some European countries want as well.

If his request is approved by Mr Ban, the Security Council will then examine and vote on it. In order to pass, the request must get the votes of nine out of 15 council members, with no vetoes from the permanent members.

HE United States ambassador to Libya returned to Tripoli yesterday to lead a newly reopened American Embassy in a post-Moammar Gadhafi era.

Ambassador Gene Cretz arrived in Tripoli, a day before plans to raise the US flag over the embassy building in the Libyan capital. It was about eight months after he left for consultations in Washington in January after WikiLeaks posted his opinions of Gadhafi’s personal life and habits in a classified 2009 diplomatic cable. At the time, the Obama administration was considering replacing him due in part to strains in ties caused by the blunt assessment.

NEWS

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ATIONWIDE industrial action looms in Nigerian Universities as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has concluded plan to embark on a warning strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 agreement with it.

ASUU and Federal Government had, in 2009, reached an agreement on new conditions of service, funding of education, university autonomy and academic freedom as well as

Varsity teachers set for strike From Kunle Johnson, Yusufu Aminu Idegu and Shelong Wapdyiel

other matters including non salary components.

ASUU, however, bemoaned what it described as lack of commitment by the Federal Government to implement the agreement it entered into with the union especially on adequate funding of Universities.

In the light of the above, the union has declared that

there is no going back on the planned September 25, 2011 warning strike over alleged recalcitrance of the Federal Government on the implementation of agreements that would reposition Nigerian Universities, saying that the strike will be total The Calabar Zone of ASUU in a resolution signed by the zonal coordinator Dr. Charles Ononujju and the University of

Calabar branch chairman, Dr. James Okpiliya at the end of its extra-ordinary meeting held at the University of Calabar, Wednesday, explained that the Federal Government had failed to show commitment in the adequate funding of Universities and other financial and non financial issues, saying that all members of the union in the zone shall withdraw their services during the period of the strike.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NEWS

EU debt crisis raises banks’ risk by $410b, says IMF

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UROPE’s debt crisis has increased the risk exposure of banks in the region by •300billion ($410 billion) and they need to recapitalise to ensure they can weather potential losses, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday.

In its Global Financial Stability Report, the IMF said it sought to “approximate the increase in sovereign credit risk experienced by banks over the past two years.”

The report did not measure bank capital needs, which the IMF said would have to be determined by fully fledged stress tests to identify balance sheet assets, income or losses.

Earlier this month, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde drew fire from European officials when she called for a mandatory recapitalization of Europe’s banks.

News reports last month said the IMF had identified a •200-billion shortfall in European bank capital, but officials in Europe insisted the figure was off the mark and the capital position of most banks in the region was solid.

European officials stood by bank stress tests they conducted in July that found only eight banks deficient in capital with a combined shortfall of only •2.5-billion, a figure widely criticized as too low and politically skewed.

The IMF’s report yesterday made clear the •200-billion figure was not a hard measure of a capital shortfall.

Instead, it measured how risk exposure had increased as sovereign debt prices had fallen. It said a further •100-billion increase in exposure was related to a recent decline in bank asset prices and rise in bank

funding costs.

The report said banks should raise capital privately although public funds may be necessary for viable banks. Ms. Lagarde had said Europe might need to consider tapping its sovereign debt bailout fund to bolster banks.

The IMF said the damage could spread from Europe to banks in emerging market economies.

For the first time, it estimated emerging market bank balance sheets could be reduced by up to 6 percentage points if the pace of global growth fell sharply on the back of Europe’s troubles and forced a sudden reversal in capital flows.

The IMF said banks in Latin America were most vulnerable, while banks in Asia and eastern Europe were more sensitive to increases in funding costs.

“Risks are elevated and time is running out to tackle vulnerabilities that threaten the global financial system and the ongoing economic recovery,” the report said.

The IMF called for a “coherent” strategy to address the risk of financial and economic spillovers from the European debt crisis, which has forced Greece, Portugal and Ireland to turn to the European Union and IMF for rescue loans.

In a surprise move on Monday, Standard & Poor’s cut Italy’s credit rating — a sign the crisis was spreading to larger euro zone economies.

The report said political differences among European policymakers on providing support for crisis-hit countries in the euro zone periphery slowed Europe’s crisis response and rattled confi-

dence.

It also said there were growing doubts that political leaders in the United States could agree on ways to lower U.S. budget deficits over the medium-term, which it called critical for global financial stability because of the status of the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency.

The IMF said markets had started to question the ability of both Europe and the United States to get their budget deficits under control, raising concerns about the risk of default.

It said banks in some economies have already lost access to private funding markets, raising the possibility of a wider bank lending freeze and more severe deleveraging unless adequate steps were taken to address budget strains and strengthen banks.

CP expects Asian demand to remain strong

T

HE head of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.CP-T says the country’s second-largest railway expects Asia’s demand for energy and commodity products will continue to be strong next year.

“So we see no reason on the foreseeable horizon that the softness would materialize in those markets,” Fred Green, chief executive of the rail company, told a conference in Montreal.

But Mr. Green warned its intermodal business, which carries retail goods, isn’t expected to return to strength soon.

“We’re seeing a lot of discomfort

in consumer confidence and as a consequence would not expect the intermodal side of the business as being particularly robust this year or next year,” Mr. Green said.

Canadian Pacific has spent more than $1-billion this year in capital investments, such as new sidings and extensions, as well as longer trains.

Mr. Green said Wednesday the spending is expected to remain “strong” over the next several years.

Canadian Pacific transports coal, fertilizer, grain, automobiles, consumer goods and other materials across its vast North American rail network.

UK is ‘open for business’

L

ORD James Sassoon, commercial secretary to the British Treasury, is spending much of this week in Canada meeting with pension funds, politicians and the Bank of Canada.

The purpose of his trip is multipronged, but one of his main aims was to let major Canadian investors know that the UK is “open for business” – especially when it comes to infrastructure projects.

Canadian pension funds are already among the largest investors in British infrastructure, and Mr. Sassoon is hoping that will continue as the UK embarks on a massive £200 billion, five-year infrastructure spree (to be funded by both private and public sector money).

“People like Omers’ Borealis and Caisse de dépôt have been very consistently on the ground with offices understanding the way the U.K. operates in infrastructure, (they) have

been there for a long time,” Lord Sassoon said during a stop at The Globe and Mail.

Among the notable recent deals, Borealis Infrastructure teamed up with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in the winning $3.4-billion bid for the rights to run High Speed One, Britain’s only high-speed rail line.

While the opportunities will be larger going forward, there is also going to be a shift, Lord Sassoon said. “Whereas a lot of investments in the last decade went into renewing our social infrastructure, our hospitals and schools … the emphasis in the next few years is going to be much more focused on the purely economic infrastructure.”

As the government seeks to rank its potential infrastructure projects by their economic effect, it expects that it will begin to concentrate on areas such as energy and transportation. It will be releasing more

FEMA’s flood maps to change insurance rates

I

F recent rainstorms are any indication, homeowners will continue to battle flooding across portions of Bucks County.

According to Worldinsurance news.com, residents are invited to attend an informational meeting Sept. 28 on the proposed revisions to the flood insurance rate maps and the National Flood Insurance Program.

Residents can get information as to if and where their home is positioned in a flood plain. The new, digital maps will determine who needs flood insurance and how much they need.

Also, there have been new studies for the Delaware River and Pennypack Creek watersheds. Residents, especially those in flood prone areas, are urged to attend, said Alice Lambert, environmental planner for the Bucks County Planning Com-

mission.

The changes could impact homeowners’ flood insurance rates and require some to buy a flood insurance policy for the first time.

Passed by Congress, the National Flood Insurance Programme stipulates that if a community practices sound flood plain management, the federal government will offer flood insurance to its residents through a partnership with private insurers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency last revised its flood hazard maps roughly 20 years ago, and Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast, brought new attention to the outdated maps. “Congress and FEMA noted that there was a lot of disparity between what had been mapped and where flooding has been happening,” said Dave Bollinger, a FEMA regional mitigation coordinator.

• French President Nicolas Sarkozy (left) with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas during the 66th session of the United Nations

Lloyd’s of London sinks to $1b loss

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HE Lloyd’s of London insurance market crashed to a firsthalf loss of £697 million ($1 billion), hit by an unprecedented string of natural disasters led by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The loss compares with a profit of £628 million a year earlier, and reflects a total of £6.7 billion in claims during the first half, making it the costliest six-month period in Lloyd’s 323-year history.

That included £2.7 billion in catastrophe-related claims, more than 10 times Lloyd’s average disaster loss for the first half of the year.

Lloyd’s said it was financially strong enough to cope with a potential further spate of big claims, with central assets - used in the event that individual syndicates are unable to meet their obligations - rising 10 per cent to £2.47 billion.

“We go forwards into the second half of the year as strong as we’ve ever been,” Lloyd’s finance director Luke Savage told Reuters on Wednesday.

Lloyd’s performance over 2011 as a whole will depend on whether the June-to-November US hurricane season inflicts further losses on the industry, and on how its investment portfolio fares as the euro zone sovereign debt crisis continues to unsettle financial markets, Mr. Savage said.

Lloyd’s has been gradually withdrawing maturing cash deposits away from banks in heavily-indebted peripheral euro zone countries since the onset of the crisis a year ago, Savage added, declining to say how much has been moved.

“The cash by and large is placed with high credit quality banks, we’re not using peripheral country banks,” he said.

Lloyd’s directly manages about £6.5 billion of the market’s total asset base of £57 billion, and 3 per cent of this was held in cash at the end of June.

Many European and US insurers have reported steep half-year losses because of a run of natural disasters between January and May, which also included an earthquake in New Zealand, flooding in Australia, and tornadoes in the United States.

“I would expect to still see some positive (full-year) profit from some of the companies that have managed the risk correctly,” said Espirito Santo analyst Joy Ferneyhough.

“We haven’t really had much US hurricane activity, so there is every opportunity to earn back some of the losses for the first half.”

The 2011 hurricane season so far has been the most active on record, but with the exception of Hurricane Irene, expected to cause an insured loss of up to $5.5-billion, no major windstorm has hit the

U.S. mainland.

This year already ranks as the second most destructive on record for catastrophe losses after 2005, with the insurance industry absorbing $70 billion in claims in the first six months alone, according to Swiss Re , the world’s No.2 reinsurer.

The sector had hoped that the catastrophe hit would force some players to retrench, easing competitive pressure and reversing a four-year decline in prices.

However, insurers now expect prices to be broadly flat, barring an increase of up to 15 per cent for catastrophe-related business, when customers renew their polices in January.

Lloyd’s, which traces its origins to a 17th century coffee house where merchants met to insure ships, said its investment income for the first half fell nine per cent to £548 million in the first half amid record low interest rates.

The market, made up of about 80 competing insurance and reinsurance syndicates, conservatively allocates its assets equally between cash, government bonds, and high-rated corporate debt to ensure it can meet policy holder claims.

Last month, Catlin , operator of the biggest Lloyd’s syndicate, reported a first-half loss of $201 million, while rivals Amlin and Hiscox unveiled deficits of £192.3 million and £85.6 million, respectively.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NATION SPORT

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ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Gerrard’s return won’t hide faults

IVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish has stressed the imminent return of captain Steven Gerrard will not detract from the work which will have to be done in the wake of their White Hart Lane humiliation.

Even before the Reds had Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel sent off in Sunday's 4-0 defeat it was apparent they were nowhere near the level Tottenham were playing at. A second successive defeat, and in particular the first-half performance, will no doubt pose a number of questions but Dalglish stressed they would not be answered by Gerrard's return.

The England midfielder could well end six months on the sidelines with an appearance in today's Carling Cup tie at Brighton. But Dalglish said: "It's natural everyone will chase Stevie, especially after we lost 4-0. But we have to look at ourselves. We know there is plenty of room for improvement after that [defeat]."

He added: "He (Gerrard) has done fantastically well to get where he is. We will monitor his fitness, we will see how it goes, and then we will decide between ourselves when he is fit to play.

"We have to correct the mistakes we made, improve on it and try to make sure it doesn't happen again. That is all we are going to concentrate on.

"We have had good days and we will have a lot more coming but that doesn't mean we dismiss a performance like that.

"It doesn't mean we go away and don't correct what we have done and take it for granted. When we played well we went out and worked hard to make it better and we'll do exactly the same."

L • Zamora • Zamora

•Gerrard

Pulis expects Potters riposte

Zamora: Fulham S ready for lift-off

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OBBY Zamora Monday insisted Fulham can use their sensational comeback against Manchester City as a launchpad to escape the Premier League relegation zone.

Zamora's second-half strike inspired Fulham to claw back from 2-0 down against City and end the 100 per cent domestic record of Roberto Mancini's megabucks team.

It was Zamora's second goal in successive Premier League starts, a statistic he hopes may alert England manager Fabio Capello ahead of the European Championship qualifier in Montenegro on October 7.

But of greater immediate importance, it helped lift Fulham off bottom place in the table where they resided going into Sunday's game.

However, all is still not rosy in the Craven Cottage garden. Martin Jol remains without a League victory in his first season in charge. And Fulham, who are 18th in the table, are now the only top flight side without a win.

But Zamora said: "It means nothing at the minute, in terms of looking at the table. I don't think you can tell anything until

a good 10 to 15 games into the season.

"This was a great point for us. Craven Cottage has always been our fortress, we've always done well here. Hopefully, we can continue now and kick on.

One win and you're halfway up the table."

There had seemed little grounds for such optimism after Sergio Aguero beat Fulham's offside trap to score in the 18th minute and then stunned the home side just 10 seconds into the second half with a second goal that threatened to open the floodgates.

In 46 minutes and 10 seconds - including a minute of time added to the first half - City had equalled Fulham's goal tally from four-and-a- half League matches, exposing what Jol believed was his team's lack of a "cutting edge".

But Zamora, who netted the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Blackburn seven days earlier, is sharpening his skills nicely despite the lingering effects of an ankle injury.

His 55th-minute effort from the edge of the area, which had the beating of England goalkeeper Joe Hart from the moment it left the toe of his right boot, had international class written all over it.

TOKE boss Tony Pulis expects his side to regroup after their resounding loss at Sunderland on Sunday with Manchester United up next.

The Potters, who last Thursday impressed in the Europa League group stages, were humbled at the Stadium of Light with the Black Cats hammering the visitors 4-0.

But with a United's visit on Saturday, Pulis believes his troops won't dwell on the disappointment.

"We have had six years of growth, of success at this football club, and it's what we have achieved," he said.

"We have worked very, very hard to achieve this and we have to embrace and enjoy

it.

"We played Tottenham on Tuesday and then we play Manchester United, two magnificent, famous football clubs in England.

"This is a great era for Stoke City and it's something we have to cope with an enjoy and relish.

"We have been punched on the chin - now we have got to get up and make sure we are ready to go for the next two games.

"You do that in football. It doesn't always run for you.

It goes for you sometimes, it doesn't other times, and you have to take it in your stride and move on. Fingers crossed, that's what we will do."

•Pulis

Larsson: Things are looking up

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EBASTIAN Larsson is c o n f i d e n t Sunderland's 4-0 demolition of Stoke can lay the foundation for an upturn in fortunes on Wearside.

Sunday's Barclays Premier League victory over the Potters was the Black Cats' first of the season and dragged them out of the relegation zone into the relative comfort of mid-table. In the process, it lifted the cloud which had been hanging over the Stadium of Light ever since arch-rivals Newcastle turned up on August 20 and left with all three points.

Larsson said: "It is a massive win because you don't stop hearing about it, getting that first win. We had slipped down the league a little bit and you never want to be there, so it's nice to get the first three points and hopefully that can really get us flying for the forthcoming games now."

Manager Steve Bruce had found himself, unfairly in his opinion, under pressure from disgruntled fans with some commentators suggesting defeat by Stoke could prove fatal for him.

However, having raced into a 2-0 lead within 11 minutes - they had scored

only twice in their previous five games - the Black Cats ended a run of eight defeats in nine home league fixtures and sent the locals home celebrating a league win at the Stadium of Light for only the third time this calendar year.

Asked if the pressure had been transmitted to the dressing room, Larsson replied: "Of course. We all knew, we were all desperate for that first win.

"We know what has been said about the start to the season and we know what we are capable of, so of course we wanted to put it right and get the first win, especially here at home.”

•Pulis

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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

NATION SPORT

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Nadal heaps more criticism on ITF

PANISH superstar Rafael Nadal again blasted the International Tennis Federation on Sunday, claiming they were shirking their responsibility to players by failing to lighten a packed tennis calendar.

Nadal led Spain to a 4-1 Davis Cup win over France, and a final date with Argentina, but there were tears for his US Open final slayer Novak Djokovic whose injury-forced retirement saw defending champions Serbia slump 3-2 to the South Americans.

The Spaniard, who earlier in the week refused to rule out a strike over a schedule which forced him to play the Davis Cup just four days after losing the US Open final, said he regretted none of his comments.

ITF chief Francesco Ricci had hit back at Nadal's criticisms Saturday, stating that they should be directed towards the ATP who control 90 percent of the calendar.

But the world number two insisted: "The ATP have done a lot of things for players.

"They noteably helped players increase their benefits and not just financially, while the international federation (ITF) are in the handy position of not wanting to change anything.

"Of course they look after the youth categories by giving them money but they make no effort concerning the

• Cavendish

WORLD record holders Paula Radcliffe and Haile Gebrselassie head a field of 40,963 runners at the Berlin marathon on Sunday, organisers said on Monday.

Radcliffe, 37, is set for her first race over 42.195 kilometres since placing fourth in New York 2009.

The Briton's world record two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds came in London 2003.

While Radcliffe makes her debut in Berlin, the 38year-old Ethiopian Gebrselassie has won the race four times and bettered the world twice on the fast course, to 2:04:26 hours in 2007 and the current mark of 2:03:59 in 2008.

• Gebrselassie The two record holders - and others including men's title holder Patrick Makau of Kenya - also aim to meet the qualifying criteria to compete at the London Olympics next year.

Ryan Lochte wins athlete YAN Lochte has of year received USA

R

• Nadal

calendar.

"The ATP's problem is that their good will is not enough.

As they represent not only the players but also the tournaments there is a lot of inertia to change things."

Ricci had stated: "I have the deepest respect for Nadal. He is a great champion and a sporting role model, but to accuse the Davis Cup of putting players' physical well-being at stake is

Cavendish finishes stage eight with a flourish M

ARK Cavendish won his second stage of the Tour of Britain seven days after his first as the race ended in London on Sunday.

Holland’s Lars Boom won the overall honours after leading the general classification since his first stage win on Tuesday in Stoke.

Enthusiastic spectators packed Whitehall where, at the finishing line, they were packed 10-deep. From morning till early evening the British public, despite a late downpour, made themselves

Radcliffe, Gebrselassie head Berlin field

heard as they came out in their droves eager to get a glimpse of the action.

And, of course, particularly Cavendish and Team Sky’s men in blue and black.

Bemused tourists, families and lycra-clad cycling aficionados stood shoulder-toshoulder as the day got under way with the 5½-mile individual time-trial around Westminster and along the Embankment.

Alex Dowsett, Team Sky’s recently anointed British time-trial champion, did the national jersey proud, motoring round the course five seconds ahead of Boom, himself a decent time-trialist, who came in second.

Dowsett’s win preceded the final act, the hotly contested 55-mile criterium along the same course, where Cavendish was to make it a British one-two.

What Dave Brailsford and British Cycling would give for a similar result in next week’s World Championships is anyone’s guess.

The team will have to cope without Dowsett, who failed to make the final selection for Copenhagen. The 22 yearold, though, remained upbeat.

“I’m not bitter at all,” Dowsett said. “If Brad Wiggins and Dave Millar are up for it, well, they’re both world-class time-trialists and are more proven than I am, so I wasn’t surprised when I wasn’t selected.

“I was a little bit disappointed by not being selected for the road race, but I need to prove myself over longer distances like 260 or 300km to make sure that I get into the Olympics team next year. ” Kristian House and Roman McLaughlin formed a two-man breakaway that lasted almost the entire stage. The inevitable followed, as the peloton, controlled by the major teams, swallowed up the RaphaCondor-Sharp and AN PostSean Kelly riders in the final lap.

Then, Mark Renshaw, Cavendish’s loyal lead-out man, made his move in Parliament Square. With around 100 metres to go the man nicknamed the Manx Missile dropped the hammer and coasted past his Aussie team-mate with a smile as wide as the Thames.

“I didn’t want to take too many risks today with the world championships coming up,” said Cavendish. “It was a wet finish. I backed off on the last corner. I thought I was too far back to get it but I went for it anyway and I came through on the line.”

incomprehensible.

"Why doesn't Nadal address his complaints to the ATP which controls 90 percent of the calendar when we control just a few weeks?

"And to say that the ITF turns a deaf ear, this really doesn't hold water. We have always listened to the players. For example, I have always said that a September date for the Davis Cup wasn't fair and that we wanted to change it."

"We are always open to dialogue. I have talked to the president of the ATP who has asked me to address the ATP player council. We are in the process of finding solutions."

Swimming's athlete of the year award, capping a season in which he won five gold medals at the world championships and became the first swimmer to break a world record since polyurethane suits were banned.

Lochte was honored at USA Swimming's convention in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday night.

He set a world mark of 1:54.00 in the 200-meter individual medley at the world meet in China, which also earned him the

• Ryan

performance of the year award.

The family of Fran Crippen, the open water swimmer who died in a race in Dubai last October, was honored with the Athletes' Appreciation Award recognizing the individual who contributed most significantly to the athletes' movement.

Crippen's personal coach, Richard Shoulberg, was given the USA Swimming Award for making the most outstanding contribution to the sport.

Crippen's sister, Maddy, was given the Glen S. Hummer Award for making the greatest contribution to open water swimming.

Ashley Twichell and Alex Meyer received the female and male open water swimmers of the year awards.

Mallory Weggemann and Marcus Titus shared the award for outstanding performance of the year by disabled swimmers.

Norman likes the look of global squad

I

NTERNATIONALS captain Greg Norman was confident and excited about the 10 players who have automatically qualified for his squad in November's Presidents Cup showdown against the United States.

Golf's global stars from outside Europe will face the American trophy holders from November 17-20 at Australia's Royal Melbourne Golf Club, site of the only Internationals triumph in the rivalry back in 1998.

"I think the guys are as inspired as we were in 1998," Norman said on Monday.

"What it did for the Presidents Cup was huge. A victory now would be huge again for the Presidents Cup if we did it."

Norman's line-up, based on world rankings, includes US Open and Masters runner-up Jason Day, ranked seventh, and World No 10 Adam Scott, who shared second at the Masters with Australian compatriot Day. Together with Geoff Ogilvy, who fought his way into the line-up with a third-place

showing in last week's US PGA BMW Championship, there will be at least three Aussies in the liuneup, all of whom know Royal Melbourne well.

"We've got the three lynchpins of Australian golf in there," Norman said. "Geoff's move was a positive one. He took a lot of pressure off me in a lot of ways. He said it's the first time in a while he's feeling great. His golf game is coming around."

The Internationals will also include South Koreans KJ Choi, Yang Yong-Eun and Kim Kyung-Tae, South Africans Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and Japan's Ryo Ishikawa.

"We have an extremely balanced team," Norman said.

"Some of the players have played really well. Most of my guys are (in great form) right now. They are not going to lose that before November."

Ishikawa, the lowest-ranked member of the team at 47th, still rates two spots ahead of Tiger Woods, already named as a captain's choice by Norman's American

counterpart, Fred Couples.

"There are some logical pairings," Norman said. "We all see the natural bit of the ways these players have been playing and their personalities."

Ogilvy lives only a chip shot from Royal Melbourne as well, something that should help give the hosts an edge on the Americans.

"Those guys are great players," Norman said of the US contingent. "The one thing that might be a tough hurdle for them is not knowing Royal Melbourne.

"I know how to make every put from every pin position out there. You can't go straight for the pin. More times than not you can't go straight for the pin. There are a lot of sucker pins out there. But you have got to know that."

Norman will announce his two captain's selections on Septrember 27 and while he likes knowledge of Royal Melbourne and wants to inspire strong fan support in Melbourne, his picks will not necessarily be Aussies.

THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

63

SPORT EXTRA

MAPUTO FALLOUT

Egbunike commends Team Nigeria

A

former Nigerian athlete, Innocent Egbunike says Nigeria will soon establish a dynasty in African sports if the performance of Team Nigeria at the just concluded 10th All Africa Games in Maputo should be used as a yardstick for the future. The former Olympic champion urged Nigerians to have faith in Nigeria’s sports as the athletes have shown that the future is bright.

“It is amazing to hear some critics say that Nigeria did not do well at the All Africa Games but I feel these people are not objective,” Egbunike said. “I was in Maputo and I have taken time to analyse the performance of Nigeria at the games and I am happy that we will soon establish absolute dominance of the continent’s sports. I saw a team of Nigerians who are determined to succeed and ready to compete with the best.

“Nigeria may not have won the games but the third position is not a bad result in all standards. It could have been better if the organisers had not removed Powerlifting, Wrestling and Paralifting from the games. I can assure Nigerians that Team Nigeria will be the team to beat in Congo

FEDERATION CUP FINAL

Glo set to bring back lost glamour

T

ELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, Globacom, has expressed its expectation for a memorable final in this year’s federation Cup as Enyimba of Aba slugs it out with Heartland of Owerri at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Sunday.

Enyimba and Heartland defeated Bayelsa United and Ocean Boys respectively in the semifinals to win the final tickets to what Nigerians regard as the biggest event in the country’s football calendar.

A statement by Globacom yesterday stated that the company would encourage fans to troop en masse to the Cup final venue, saying it was determined to re-ignite the old glory associated with the competition.

“We are aware that the Cup final had been talk-of-thetown in the past decades and we are working hard at regenerating that era with a view to bringing back the lost glamour,” the statement by the company further said.

“We also believe that the fact that the two finalists this year command a huge following, would make the fans troop to the venue and we will do all within our capacity to make the final memorable.”

Globacom is a major partner of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and sponsor of the national football teams.

Meanwhile, the company has congratulated the Lagos State government for hosting the Federation Cup finals.

“We look forward to other state governments accepting to host subsequent finals,” the statement concluded

Brazzaville in 2015.”

Egbunike believes that some of the Nigerian coaches have not really developed themselves in their respective areas, stressing that the time had gone when any coach could choose to be lethargic.

“I observed some lapses in coaching in some events but we have to correct all those before the next games,” he said. “I have come back home to render whatever help I can for my country and I will try

to talk to some of the coaches.

“I am happy that the leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) is on the right track to develop sports in the country. Results from the last Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the Maputo Games are made possible because of the shrewd managers at the NSC. I am ready to work with the Director General, Dr Patrick Ekeji to ensure that he will not regret inviting

me from America to come home.”

Egbunike is optimistic that Nigeria will record her best result at the London 2012 Olympic Games stressing that one full year will be enough to do the magic.

He commended the NSC for releasing the athletes training grants immediately hoping that Nigeria will begin real preparation for the Games as soon as possible.

Sixty pros eye N3m Nigeria Cup

O

VER 600 players’ of which 60 professionals will battle for N3 million in the 15th edition of the National Daily Golf Tournament tagged ‘Nigeria Cup’ at the lush green course of Ikoyi Club 1938, Lagos from September 24 to October 1.

The pros selected from across the country will battle for two days alongside semi professionals.

According to the week-long programme lined up to celebrate the Nigerian Independence Day, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Victor Adebayo, revealed that qualifying games have been concluded to determine players that would par-

ticipate.

The event which will tee-off with a clinic for children on September 24,will on September 26 see the Caddies, ladies and men take the center stage, while the pros will also begin their quest for a share of the prize money.

“This year, the prize money has been reviewed from N2m to N3 million to meet the country’s economic trend. The organizers have handed the money to the professional body to decide on the modalities of sharing,” the LOC chairman said.

Invited clubs will battle for the special kitty on September 27, while on the following day the pros will round off their

'Why we sponsored Golf Corporate Challenge ’

T

HE Golf Corporate Challenge (GCC) teed off at the Ikeja Golf Course last weeek and co- sponsors of the week long tourney, Nigerite Limited has said that the chioce of Golf is informed by the fact that the elicit sport is synonimous with the ideals of the company.

In a chat with NationSport, Executive Director Marketing, Toyin Gbede, revealed that the company known for the manufacture of roofing sheets, is not only involved in the sponsorship of the competition, but also presented a team in the 16team tournament.

"To us Every sport is important. And because sports is actually important to our existence , we are more interested.

A lot of Nigerians especially in Lagos are too busy, and we tend to mistake being busy for exercise. That is why you see a lot of sudden deaths being recorded from one place to the other.

"For this reason we as a corporate body realise that there's need for us to participate more and more like never before in the sponsorship of sporting activities. This time around we decided on Golf, hopefully as time goes on we will participate in other form sports later," he explained.

Gbede said the company which already owns a football club with a standard pitch on its premisses, wants to encourage as many as possible, especially its staff to embrace sports.

"Most of our staff play all the sports you can think about. Our senior staff are members of various sports clubs.

"We decided this time around that there is need for us to be more visible than we used to be so we decided to field a team that will participate in this Golf competition at the Ikeja golf

Course . Now in addition to this we choose Golf much more because every where in the world we talk about the environment. Talking about sustaining the environment, most of our brands work with this thinking.

"Golf happen to be one game that preserve the environment, they preserve the trees, the fields are green, and we realize that this actually gel with our corporate idea, since Golf is enviromentally friendly," he added.

contest.

The guests and veterans will battle on September 30 for honours, while the grand finale comes up on October 1.

The tourney is supported by MTN, Diamond Bank and Heineken with about 15 trophies set aside for winners in various categories as well as best Net, Gross and Long Drives.

116 Nigerians register for 2011 Obudu Race

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S many as 116 Nigerian athletes have registered to participate in the 7th Obudu international mountain race as well as the 3rd African Nations Mountain Running Championships for both men and women, which will hold at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu,Cross River state on Saturday November 26,2011,reveals the Local Organising Committee for the two-in-one event.

W i l l i a m Archibong,chairman of the LOC also revealed that 111 children within the towns bordering the Obudu Ranch resort have also been registered for the children race which will also hold on the same date.

'We have closed registration of athletes for this year's race.We accepted 116 applicants from Nigeria out of the thousands that applied to participate after thorough scrutiny of their applications.The registration like we did last year was done online via www.obudumountainrace.com.We

used the same method for both the local and international athletes',said Archibong adding that the online registration will help in completing the accreditation tags of athletes before their arrival.

'We used the same method last year and it was hugely successful.It eliminated unnecessary queues for accreditation and made identification easy.We have also registered over 100 children from the Obudu area for the children race.His Excellency isparticular about the children race because he wants us to expose them early so that they can grow quickly to become champions and role models.He is a great lover of children',he further said.

Meanwhile, president of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA),Bruno Gozzelino says the Obudu Ranch Resort,venue of the annual Obudu international mountain race is good enough to host the federation's flagship event,the world mountain running championships.

TOMORROW

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 7, NO. 1,891

IN THE NATION

‘BAT is perceived by PDP to be the greatest threat to its illusory ambition of regaining power in the south-west. Their weapon is not to brandish empirical dividends of democracy on the political turf, neither is it ready to demonstrate political popularity in the court of public opinion nor is the party ready to deploy superior democratic credentials’ MOBOLAJI SANUSI

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

WO kids sink their tender heads in the bosom of their distraught mother, hiding their terrified faces. Her eyes heavy with tears, the woman holds them tightly, as if to say nothing will take these ones away from me.

A girl straps her little sister onto her back, strolling in light, steady steps to a row of seats arranged for the grim but obligatory task at hand. A few minutes later, the little one disembarks from her sister’s back. She begins to shed tears. Women are crying, like babies. A boy reads an oration that betrays the innocence of a kid in a vicious world of hyenas. Men shake their heads in utter helplessness.

But the ocean of tears would not bring back the victims of the August 26 UN House, Abuja bombing in which 23 people died. Not many scenes have been as moving as last Friday’s memorial. It provoked some introspection and nudged some of us into the consciousness of our failing humanity.

Boko Haram, the Islamic fundamentalist sect, claimed responsibility for the despicable act. Why will a young man, who security agents have identified as Ustaz Mote, launch a fiendish assault on innocence by taking a plunge into a questionable martyrdom? In a video, the youth is shown clutching an assault rifle and telling his family why he had to do what he did. Who brainwashed him? Who funded the lethal mission? Are our security agencies actually helpless in tackling this threat to our civilisation and claim to human decency?

The UN House tragedy is the latest in a series of attacks by the sect, which has waged a jihad to avenge the 2009 death of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in the hands of the police. But the tears had not dried up when Jos grabbed the headlines. A chain of attacks targeted at families left many, including women and children, dead, shot in their sleep.

Photographs of dead parents, their dead kids lying beside them, are splashed on the pages of some newspapers. The bestiality of it all is scary. Nightmarish. Isn’t there something that can be done about Jos? Who will tell the marauders: “enough!”? Is the matter beyond dialogue? Has anyone ever won a fratricidal war in which a win is actually a loss? Are the sponsors of the bloodletting too big for the government to confront?

In Benin-City, the Edo State capital, a businessman was kidnapped by yet unknown gunmen, who shot his wife – she died later in the hospital – daughter and guard. He was released, apparently after a hefty ransom had been paid.

Till date, his abductors are yet to be seized, despite threats by security agents. When a prominent citizen is kidnapped, there are assurances that he will be found. In most cases, such victims are found, but nothing is heard about the abductors. Does it mean security agents know who these kidnappers are? Why is it easy to secure the release of victims, but difficult to arrest the hoodlums? Connivance?

Incompetence? Both? We need to know.

The Ibadan floods humbled us all in its devastation. Scores died. When human criminal neglect is wedded to elemental anger, the result is sheer cataclysm of biblical proportion

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

These Transformation Times (TTT)

‘

Isn’t there something that can be done about Jos? Who will tell the marauders: “enough!”? Is the matter beyond dialogue? Has anyone ever won a fratricidal war in which a win is actually a loss? Are the sponsors of the bloodletting too big for the government to confront?

•A child crying at the memorial service

as we have seen in Ibadan and many other places, such as Kano, Sokoto and Lagos.

If we seek in science answers to the natural disasters – ozone layer depletion, global warming and such exoticisms – what explanation do we have for the calamities wrought by human hands? What premium do we put on life? Why are killers so many in the society? Signs of the

Tinubu’s Code of Conduct Tribunal trial

T

HOSE idle critics who see nothing good in the government should by now testify to the efficacy of the transformation agenda.

Consider the Boko Haram bedlam in Abuja and some other parts of the North; add the turbulence in the Judiciary and the bloodbath in Jos. Throw in the seven-year single tenure and spice it all with the spate of kidnappings and robberies. Who says the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan presidency is not earning its space in history?

But, the tricksters who pose as experts are not done. For full measure, they have added the trial of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

RIPPLES APRIL ELECTIONS: THERE WAS BUYING AND SELLING AT INEC–MOMOH

Yes, BUYING AND SELLING... that led to INFLATION?

’

end time? Sheer cynicism? I doubt it. Plain failure of leadership? Most likely.

Amid the disenchantment, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has changed its threat to rule for 60 years. Now, it plans to rule ad infinitum.

Lord have mercy! It is as if power is “captured” just for the sake of it, as an end in itself. Wrong.

The end, which should be the well being of all and justice for all as well as its corollary of

prosperity, freedom and peace, means little to the PDP, its intelligentsia and its infantrymen.

Nigerians seem to have resigned themselves to this cruel fate, finding solace in their inimitable sense of humour; sardonic humour and rumour peddling. Only last week, a telephone message made the rounds that a particular number was calling mobile phones and killing anyone who dared pick the calls. Many, who believed this, planned to retire their mobile phones, but before they could, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) weighed in with a statement, saying it was all a hoax.

Yet another said the Boko Haram (Western education is evil) sect had caused telephone cards to carry bombs, which would explode upon being used. Then, a message went round: “Please, take this as serious.

Don’t load recharge cards on your phones directly. It will explode, as Boko Haram has implanted bombs in them. Scratch and send the pins to my phone alongside your phone numbers. Pass on to save lives.”

There were also messages that said the sect planned to bomb the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. Yet, others said schools were to be attacked. In fact, University of Ibadan (UI) students protested that the authorities did not tell them about the bomb scare before it mounted a security guard to stop any such incident. There was panic at the University of Benin (UNIBEN).

On Tuesday, the National Assembly was evacuated because of a bomb scare. Our lawmakers abandoned the complex as the rumour spread that a Boko Haram bomb was on the way. All – lawmakers, lawbreakers and visitors – struggled to use the elevator, in a desperate battle to flee the complex.

Some, who are still fit, opted for the stairs.

Those whose frame seem too weighty for the race of life stood there, sweating as the elevator took eternity to arrive. Who still doubts Boko Haram is winning the psychological battle?

A BBC reporter said a man, who claimed to be a Boko Haram chief, met him on a Lagos street and warned news agencies to stop accepting “ every junk” as Boko Haram spokesman.

All this in these days of transformation?

Transformation “my foot!”

A

FTER pretending for weeks that the 42year Muammar Gaddafi regime was still in power, the African Union (AU) has finally bowed to reality by recognising the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), coordinators of the Libyan revolt. By the time Gaddafi fled Tripoli on August 23, the revolt had lasted for six bloody months. But while news of the Libyan strongman’s deposition was yet to circulate globally, Nigeria had joined many European nations and the United States in recognising the NTC, much to the dismay of some African countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

Yesterday, it was reported that the AU and South Africa had finally recognised the NTC as the legitimate government in Libya. In the case of South Africa, the Jacob Zuma government faced severe criticisms for previously withholding recognition, unlike Nigeria which faced criticism for according recognition to the rebels. This newspaper of course saw very early the inevitability of Gaddafi’s fall in the face of

leader of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), whose arraignment at the Code of Conduct Tribunal yesterday was a demonstration of the people’s defiance against reactionary forces resisting change. The popular thinking is that it is all about dislodging the ACN from the Southwest, where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its army of crooks, cranks and pranksters have been rejected by the people. Strike the captain and put the ship in disarray; that seems to be the theory. Not so simple, sirs. The case seems dubious all through. Little wonder the prosecution has been reworking and rewording the charges.

Tinubu left office four years ago; now he is being charged with possession of foreign accounts he and his family never ran, all of them with less than £32, 000 balance. And people are saying: “Is that all?”

ACN and its supporters need not despair. This show will bring more popularity and make a hero of Tinubu, even as the PDP, which he loves to call Papa Deceiving Pikin (PDP), continues to mix politics with governance, stumbling and fumbling from one trouble to another. Any message for the anarchists? Well, I wish them good luck!

HARDBALL

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

AU bows to reality on Libya mounting rebel activities and took a position to side with the people of Libya. It will be recalled that Libyans themselves drew inspiration from the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, a purely Maghrebian force of history that is still raging in some countries in the Middle East.

Indeed, the surprise was not that Nigeria quickly recognised the rebels, though that wasn’t even done until Tripoli had been overrun, the real surprise was that after Gaddafi fled Tripoli, the AU still argued that it was either too hasty to recognise the NTC or that the continental body should withhold recognition until the rebels had formed an all-inclusive interim government containing rebels and elements from the Gaddafi government. In fact, Zuma at first argued preposterously that it was

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necessary to get the fighting forces in Libya to amicably negotiate peace. Such hopeless unrealism came to a crushing halt on Tuesday when the AU, attempting to save itself embarrassment, belatedly recognised the NTC, and the United Nations officially did the same.

Battles may still be raging in a few Libyan towns like Bani Walid, Sabha and Sirte, but the resistance will neither affect the running of government in Tripoli nor stand the minutest chance of returning Gaddafi to power.

Gaddafi’s loyalists may also be fighting bravely on many fronts and perhaps are hoping for a miracle, but they are outnumbered, outgunned and out-argued. If the AU is capable of learning any lesson, the Libyan crisis should afford the organisation a fitting template to test its ability to build scenarios, do more realistic peer review and develop a more commonsensical approach to anticipating future political events in Africa and the course of the continent’s history.

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