September 22, 2014 by The Nation

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Don’t shift polls, APC warns NEWS

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News Lagos schools to resume Oct. 8 P7 Sports Quadri wins Portuguese trophy P24 Business N133b pension gap at NNPC P25

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•INSIDE: ADEKUNLE’S FAMILY SEEKS AUTOPSY P7 IBB EXTENDS MEDICAL TRIP ABROAD P4

Boko Haram to free 219 Chibok girls in swap deal •SEE ALSO PAGES 4&9

Synagogue: South Africa sends plane to fly back injured nationals

Govt to release 18 key sect members DHQ probes report on Shekau’s condition

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

FTER much persuasion, Boko Haram has agreed to release the abducted 219 Chibok girls if the Federal Government will simultaneously set free its 18 key commanders. The two parties have asked their representatives to go back to their leaders on the new swap deal proposal. Prior to the latest agreement at the talks in Abuja, which was witnessed by some officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC), Boko Haram had insisted on a piecemeal release of the girls, with priority given to 30 married Christians among them. The Federal Government also offered to release six of the 18 sect leaders in detention. The two sides maintained a parallel stand until they met again in Abuja at a session facilitated by the President, Civil Rights Congress (CRC), Comrade Shehu Sani. The sect said if the government attempted to secure the girls by force, it might lead to fatalities. At the meeting, Boko Haram also maintained that it had the capacity to “engage the Federal Government for 45 years”. It said the outcome of the talks would determine the end of the insurgency. Some of those at the talks gave insights into Continued on page 4

Jonathan to determine Sambo’s fate •PDP cedes power to pick running mate to President From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given President Goodluck Jonathan the power to pick his running mate after his endorsement by all the party’s organs. Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s fate is hanging in the balance —going by this decision. The endorsement by the governors, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National

•L UCKY SUR VIV OR •LUCKY SURVIV VIVOR OR:: South African Lindiwe Ndwandwe, 33, cries as she speaks at the weekend in Lagos about her survival after five days in the rubble of the collapsed church guest house of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). PHOTO: AFP

OUTH Africa, which lost 84 nationals in the collapsed guest house at the Synagogue church in Lagos, has sent a plane to fly home survivors of the disaster. According to reports, 349 South Africans were visiting the church at the time of the incident. There are 265 survivors while 17 remain unaccounted for. The 96 injured are now reduced to 29, including a three-year-old. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) put the final death toll at 90 with 131 survivors. A South African team of experts is already in the country joining the team working on identifying the victims. Yesterday, leader of the church, Prophet TB Joshua, said he would travel to South Africa to meet families and survivors of the house collapse. Joshua told the congregation during his weekly morning service that he “will be travelling to South Africa to meet people from South Africa and other nations who find South Africa easier to visit, in memory of martyrs of faith.” Joshua also observed a

minute silence “in memory of martyrs of faith”. The church leader has blamed the incident on sabotage but the Lagos State and the federal government are investigating the claims. The building collapsed on September 12. Giving an update on the situation in Pretoria yesterday, the South African Government said: “We are aware that this is a difficult period of uncertainty for the nation, particularly for the families, friends and colleagues of those directly affected. “We can assure you that the South Africa GovernContinued on page 4

WHEN WILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15 BE FREED? •GOOD TO SEE YOU: All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (left) and Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II during a visit to Tinubu at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence .... at the weekend.

Continued on page 4

•SPORTS P24 •JOBS P35 •CEO P37 •MOTORING P39 •POLITICS P43 •FOREIGN P59

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS

• Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (middle) receiving branded LAWMA Highway Managers' Kits from the Managing Director/ CEO, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Yemi Adeola... at the weekend. With them is Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello.

•From left: Ibrahim Mohammed,Senior Manager, Customer Care, MTN; Mohammad Jubrin, MD/CEO, Suntrust Mortgage Bank;Akinwole Oludayo; Adekunle adebiyi, GM Regional Operations, MTN; Dr. Kazeem Mustapha,Executive Director, United Healthcare (H.M.O) and Mr. Hetal Shah,Director Operations, Mara Group& Mara Mentor, during the presentation of N2.5 million cheque to Akinwole Oludayo, one of the winners of 2014 Budding Entrepreneur Challenge at the grand finale of this year's MTN Link Forum in Abuja... at the weekend.

•From left: Director, Transcorp Hotels Plc, Obinna Ufudo, MD/CEO, Valentine Ozigbo; Director, Emmanuel N. Nnorom, and Company Secretary Chinedu Eze during the Completion Board Meeting/Signing ceremony of Transcorp Hotels Plc's Initial Public Offer (IPO) in Lagos... at the weekend.

•From left:Chairman /CEO of Geometric Power Ltd., Prof. Bart Nnaji, Presiding Bishop , The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Dr. Mike Okonkwo, Representative of Minister of Power, Frank Edozie, and Representative of Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power, Dr (Mrs) Anthonia Ekpa during a special service for the power sector of Nigeria at TREM Headquarter in PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN Lagos...yesterday.

Over 30 million Nigerians and thousands of livestock and hectares of land will be destroyed in Taraba, Benue, Cross River, Kogi, Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa states, if the Lake Nyos in Cameroon collapses. But, the antidote to this is the Kashimbila multipurpose dam in Taraba State, which aside preventing the disaster can also rival the Obudu Ranch Resort and generate electricity. December deadline has been set for the project, which was at some point abandoned and all eyes are on the Federal Government to see it through, reports SEUN AKIOYE

N September 2, at about 9am, Minister for Water Resources Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe was addressing the African Ministers Conference on Water (AMCOW) at the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. Her presentation titled: “Creating efficient mix in water supply, irrigation and hydropower projects” was one eagerly awaited by the over 100 participants consisting of stakeholders in Africa’s water and energy industry. Ochekpe spoke mainly about the Kashimbila dam, located in Taraba State. The dam, according to her, was built to serve as a buffer in the eventual collapse of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. It also occurred to the government to convert it to a multipurpose dam that will serve agriculture, water supply and energy. “The Kashimbila dam project was conceived with the principles of integrated water resources management in mind, understanding that water drives the economic and social development of nations. In developing the dam, a holistic approach to water management in which many different aspects are closely connected and work successfully together was adopted,” she said. The minister said the dam is a fully funded project of the Federal Government- something not common with big projects in Africa- and that it has cost the taxpayers about $1billion. This revelation threw the group of ministers and participants into a frenzied mood. Many who spoke afterwards praised the initiative of the Nigerians but conceded their government will not be able to afford such a gigantic project, such as Kashimbila. Others asked for some experts’ help from the Federal Government. In that room in

•The beautiful landscape surrounding Kashimbila Dam

Inside the $1b Stockholm, Kashimbila was a far flung place, about 20 kilometers to Cameroon on the Northern fringes of Nigeria. But, Kashimbila began to take a realistic shape as soon as one gets on the road for a visit.

The turbulent Lake Nyos Almost every senior official at the Ministry of Water Resources agreed that Lake Nyos, located in Northwest region of Cameroon about 315km northwest of Yaounde will collapse. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) thought so too. For many years, volcanic activities have been active on the lake sending out carbon dioxide and killing scores of people and animals. On August 21, 1986, Lake Nyos suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2 gas which caused intense suffocation killing 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. To prevent a reccurrence, a degassing tube was installed in 2001, which leaked the carbon dioxide in safe quantities. In September 2005, UNEP commissioned a study of the lake and submitted that due to structural deficit, the lake would collapse within 10 years. But, the lake poses a great threat to Nigeria, according to the report, the structural instability of the lake arising from the constant erosion-about 90 cm a year of the embankment and the constant build-up of carbon dioxide beneath the lake bed is still a threat to many Nigerian states. Ochekpe did not mince words to the gathering of her fellow African water resources ministers when she said Nigeria was at great risk from the predicted collapse of the lake. “The lake is seated on a pyroclastic rock which is weathering away at its base at the rate of 1m per annum. The imminent collapse of the lake will send over 30million cubic metre of water into Kastina-Ala River in Nigeria all the way to the Niger Delta, through the Benue and Niger river system,” she said. There are more bad news: The wave from the lake will arrive in Nigeria within eight hours at the height of about 4meters. The impact will displace over 30 million Nigerians and thousands of livestock and hectares of land will be destroyed in Taraba, Benue, Cross River, Kogi, Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa states. In January 2006, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo after consultations with various stakeholders approved that a buffer dam be constructed across Kastina-Ala River and by April 2007, the contract was awarded to Messrs SCC Nigeria Ltd.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS

•Workers inside the dam

•A part of the dam.

PHOTOS: SEUN AKIOYE

the $1billion ‘money spinner’ called Kashimbila Dam Inside Kashimbila dam Michael Rolbin has spent the last three years working on the Kashimbila dam almost twenty four hours every day. As the Project manager of the SCC managed multi-billion naira Kashimbila dam project, the successful completion of the project rests on his judgement. “This is my home,” he said, waving his hand in a semi circle to indicate the construction site. He was standing on top of the dam with officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Tourism. “We have been working here for 24 hours for two years. This is hard work.” Rolbin did not exaggerate. When the project was first inaugurated in 2007, the construction company moved to site and began the foundation work. But, government was to abandon the project until 2010 when President Goodluck Jonathan resuscitated the project, a December 2014 deadline was set and since then, it has been a race against time. The dam is situated on river Kastina-Ala, which is between the towns of Kashimbila and Gamovo in Taraba. Kashimbila is a product of nature’s wonder comparable only to the mountainous beauty of Obudu. The town is surrounded by hills and many rocks rest on the hills. The dam is located on a valley and the rocks divided it from Cameroon. Dawn comes early to Kashimbila and the surrounding mountains and every morning the clouds rose from within the mountain bringing with it a cool, fresh wave of air often unavailable in the cities. The dam is built about five kilometers from the village. Along the road is the guest quarters where visitors to the dam are lodged. Next to it is the labour camp where the workers also live. Everyone working on the dam lives close by and all the amenities are provided on the camp. Security is provided by a combined team of soldiers and private security companies. Even though the dam was originally constructed to prevent a catastrophic consequence of the eventual collapse of Lake Nyos, it has since been converted into a multipurpose dam. “Mr. President is very interested in this project. He insisted that every potential of the dam must be developed to the maximum,” Reginald Ikpeawujo, Director, Dams and Irrigation at the Ministry of Water Resources said. The dam has three components: A 40 megawatt hydropower; water supply component, including a wa-

Short takes • • • • • • • • • •

Kashimbila dam is a buffer for Lake Nyos UNEP predicts Lake Nyos’ collapse Volcanic activities active on the lake Nyos’ collapse will flood Taraba and others The dam is a fully funded by Fed Govt It has cost the taxpayers about $1billion Kashimbila is about 20km to Cameroon Kashimbila started in 2007 but abandoned Contractors have been working 24 hours The dam is about five kilometers from Kashimbila village

ter treatment plant which will supply water to about 400,000 people and irrigation component, which will irrigate about 2000 hectares of farmland. On the fringe side is the provision for fisheries development, tourism and provision of water for sustenance of the environment and for downstream residents. According to Rolbin, work on the dam is 95 per cent completed. One of the iconic sights is the massive turbines, which will generate 40 megawatts of electricity. There are four turbines each with installed capacity to generate 10megawatt electricity. Rolbin and Ikpeawujo led the way through the water intake of one of the turbines. “This is one in a life time opportunity for you to see this turbine because once we finish nobody else can see it,” Rolbin said. To access the base of the huge turbines, one would have to pass through the 3.5 diameter water intake outlet. This is where the water that will power the turbines to produce the electricity that Nigeria badly needs will flow. Ikpeawujo looked on with pride. “There are four of these turbines, you can see from here how huge they. By the time we finished, we will generate 40 MW from this dam,” he said. The hydropower component is almost completed with only the transmission/evacuation line work being done by the Ministry of Power still in progress. The Kashimbila dam apart from being capital intensive is also a huge engineering challenge. The dam foundation was 30 meters deep; this is one of the “most challenging” aspects of the work due to what

• The dam has three components, including a 40 megawatt hydropower plant • The dam can supply water to about 400,000 people • It will irrigate 2000 hectares of farmland • It can serve fisheries devt and tourism • Work on the dam is 95 per cent completed • It has four electricity turbines • The dam’s foundation is 30 meters deep • Survey of irrigable land completed • Dam to generate 1500 employment

Ikpeawujo called the encounter with “strange rocks.” The embankment is also one of the iconic structures; it is 35m high and 1.585 km long while the spillway is 85,000m3 of concrete mix. The power house is a massive construction along with the raw water intake structure. The river diversion works began in April after which the dam works began across the riverbed. There is a connecting bridge across the river diversion channel which is 132 metres long. About 1000 meters from the dam is the huge water treatment plant with installed capacity for 60,000m3. When completed, it will supply portable water to about 400,000 Nigerians. The dam also has a centre pivot irrigation system component to about 2000 hectares of farmlands, which will benefit about 8,000 people. The survey work and demarcation of irrigable land have been completed. When in full motion, the irrigation project will also bring about micro-cottage industries and agro-allied development. And there is the reservoir development of about 500MCM, which will support fish farming of about five tonnes a day. In all, the dam when completed is expected to generate 1500 employment in the various sectors.

Tourism potentials Dorothy Duruaku, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation was savouring her first visit to Kashimbila. Her brief has been to work out how to harness the tourism potentials of the dam, what facilities to put in place and what is

needed to develop a world class tourism infrastructure. Tourism has not always been a part of the plan at Kashimbila, but after his first visit, Jonathan fell in love with the environment and directed that its tourism potentials be developed. “It is going to be huge. We are going to have a hotel here. We have decided to have eco lodge. We thought we will be able to use the existing infrastructure but coming here we will need to build hotels, but the focus is eco-tourism,” Duruaku said. But, hotels are not the only facility the ministry is planning for, there will also be a museum, the wild park, a theme park and facilities for mountain hike. “We are working on the accommodation, the visitor’s centre, conference hall, mini theatre and the excursion facilities,” said Rolbin. The stakeholders at the Ministry of Tourism, Water Resources and SCC are already dreaming of world class facilities for tourism. “We can create a safari park, bring in wild animals. We will provide a cable car from the reservoir to the wild park. If any tourist chooses, he may go by the river boats,” an official of the ministry said. Duruaku said there would be mountain hiking, one that may one day rival the Obudu mountain relay. A picture of an early morning hiker came to mind, rising with the dawn and hiking directly into the clouds. Ikpeawujo believes there is a lot of potentials in Kashimbila to attract international tourists. “Dam sites all over the world are known to attract tourists. Here we have the beautiful hills and the scenery is one

of the most beautiful in Nigeria,” he said. But, getting to Kashimbila is not an easy feat. From the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, it is a straight eight hours drive through Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba states. This may prove a burden for intending tourists. However, the team already has a solution. At the entrance of the dam is a 1.6 kilometer long airstrip and a tarmac which can accommodate two donnier aircrafts. When Jonathan visited the dam, he directed that two additional lanes must be added to the airstrip to accommodate bigger planes. According to the plan, tourists who can afford it will have the option of flying directly into Kashimbila saving time and labour. Currently, there are no commercial operations into Kashimbila, though top officials and other important guests are already making use of the airstrip. “We have reached 95 percent completion and I can assure you we will deliver by December this year,” Rolbin said. When Ochekpe mentioned the cost of the dam during her presentation in Stockholm to be $1billion, it jolted not a few of the Africans. But, she defended the spending, saying every cost is justified. Ikpeawujo said when considered with the impending human catastrophe, if nothing is done, the cost is justified. “The cost is justified. Imagine how much damage in human and material if the Lake Nyos should fail and we have flooding in Nigeria. That is what the government is trying to prevent and it is justified,” she said. The government may have also been thinking about the revenue, which the lake will bring when fully utilised. This may have informed the decision to extend the focus of the lake into a multipurpose dam. In the morning, the Kastina-Ala River basks in its glorious splendor flowing southwards into the Benue River. For many years, it has been a source of livelihood to the people of the surrounding communities. Soon, it will take a more dynamic role of saving lives and providing livelihood for more people from far and near. Two other rivers will join its southward journey along the way. All three rivers have their sources in Cameroon, which is about 20km from Kashimbila. “This is much better than Obudu,” Rolbin said as he stood surveying the airstrip, “Everything in Obudu is here and we have the advantage of the dam.”

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

PDP cedes power to pick running mate to Jonathan Continued from page 1

Executive Committee (NEC), forecloses a Presidential Primary amid speculations about the fate of Vice President Namadi Sambo. There was no mention of the Vice President by the organs while endorsing Jonathan. But yesterday, the party said

Jonathan is free to determine Sambo’s fate. National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh at a news conference in Abuja yesterday warned party members against what he described as “unhealthy speculations” regarding the choice of Jonathan’s running

mate. Metuh said: “The President is yet to communicate his acceptance of the endorsement to the party and the nation. “We should wait for the President to announce his running mate instead of jumping the gun. I believe the incumbent Vice President enjoys the confidence of the President”. A number of prominent chieftains of the party, particularly some serving governors from the Northwest zone, are believed to be jostling to edge out Sambo. The general perception within the party is that Sambo’s electoral value in his Kaduna

State base has continued to diminish at an alarming rate, a situation which they believe could adversely affect the party’s electoral fortune in the zone. Also, the leadership of the party has given its members nationwide the go ahead to attend the plethora of pro Jonathan rallies, ostensibly being funded by volunteer groups. Only last week, the party banned its elected officials from attending such rallies, apparently to detach the leadership from the sponsored rallies. Metuh who announced the lifting on the ban also said the

party would undertake a nationwide project tour, starting from today. According to him, the tour, which would also cover insurgent-ravaged Yobe and Borno States, is meant to showcase the achievements of the party at the local, state and federal levels. “Indeed, there is no state, local government or ward in Nigeria that has not been positively affected by projects executed by PDP governments at federal, state and local government levels. “Such projects abound in nonPDP states and many Nigerians Continued on page 56

APC warns against plan to postpone 2015 general elections

IGERIANS will reject any attempt by some public officials to elongate their tenure by postponing February’s election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) warned yesterday. The APC alleged that some elected public officials are working silently to push the election forward, claiming that the nation is at war. The party’s spokesman Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement said: ‘’Election is the lifeblood of democracy, the mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates. It is the only way for the citizenry to re-

new and refresh the governing process so they can get the most benefits out of democracy. Therefore, anyone that tries to sabotage this mechanism is aiming a dagger straight at the heart of democracy,’’ it said. The APC said the statement credited to Senate President David Mark, that ‘’there is no question of elections, it is not even on the table now. We are in a state of war,” reflects the thinking in government circles, even though the Senate President, having run into a wall of opposition over his unfortunate statement, has tried to step back from the comments. Continued on page 56

Synagogue: South Africa sends plane to fly back injured nationals Continued from page 1

ment is working around the clock, together with the Nigerian Government and the leadership of the Church, through the South African High Commission and Consulate-General in Nigeria to assist survivors and to recover, identify and confirm the deceased. South Africa has dispatched assessment, medical, forensic, social development and disaster management teams in this regard. “The team deployed in Lagos comprise of internationally acclaimed experts in the

field of forensic science and disaster management. A leading member of the team is Brigadier Helena Ras, Head of Technology Management, Criminal Records and Forensic Sciences. Brigadier Ras is an international expert on body identification and she consulted internationally on disaster management. “The South African assessment team is already in Lagos is assessing the situation on the ground and reporting back to the Inter-Ministerial Committee through the National Joint Continued on page 56

IBB extends medical trip abroad

•Assorted arms and ammunition captured from Boko Haram fighters in Konduga

Five Boko Haram insurgents surrender, says DHQ

HE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday that five Boko Haram insurgents have surrendered after encounters in Konduga, the Borno State town that has been a theatre of war. It said the affected insurgents pleaded for mercy after surrendering their weapons. The DHQ, which made the disclosure in a tweet yesterday,

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

said some captured insurgents were already giving useful information. The tweet said: “As the heat on terrorists continues, five terrorists yesterday surrendered with all their weapons to troops in Konduga, pleading for mercy “Other captured terrorists

have also been giving useful information on the subsequent plans of the group in an apparent offer to cooperate.” Another security source said: “For the fourth time, the insurgents had attempted to gain entrance into Konduga on Saturday but they were repelled by troops. “Following relentless onslaught by troops, many mem-

bers of the Boko Haram terrorists group are beginning to surrender voluntarily. “Some of them submitted themselves and their weapons to the leadership of the troops in Konduga during a further campaign at the weekend. “In the last few days there have been several attempts by terrorists desperate to gain entry to Continued on page 56

ORMER military President Ibrahim Babangida on has extended his medical trip to Germany by two weeks, one of his aides said yesterday. Gen. Babangida who was billed to return yesterday, extended his stay by two weeks on the orders of his doctors, to enable him have enough rest, one of his aides told our reporter in Minna last night. The former leader left the country on September 6 accompanied by his second son, Aminu, for his routine medical checkup. The aide however allayed fears that the health of the former military leader is threatened. He said: “It is true that Oga (IBB) has postponed his return date

Boko Haram to free 219 Chibok girls in swap deal Continued from page 1

the new dimension to the moves to free the Chibok girls, who were abducted from their hostel on April 15. It was gathered that the session was attended by ICRC officials. One of those who attended said: “The sect shifted its position and agreed to release all the girls instead of 30 Christian married girls it had promised. But Boko Haram said it does not trust the government going by previous experience. “If the government had respected previous talks, the Chibok girls were initially meant to be off the hook during the Eid-el Fitr festival. Again about two weeks ago, a delegation was already in Maiduguri until the swap deal was bungled. “Some security agents only advised on the release of six out of the 18 leaders of the sect. They rated the rest 12 as dangerous. “When the insurgents found out, they backtracked and demanded the release of the 18 leaders. The development paved the way for the latest talks in Abuja which involved the ICRC.” “By the new arrangement,

DHQ probes report on Shekau’s condition

HE Defence Headquarters yesterday launched a probe into the alleged “killing ” of the Spiritual Leader of Boko Haram, Imam Abubakar Shekau in the encounters in Konduga with insurgents. Intelligence sources have been analyzing the features of a top commander of the sect who was mauled down in the encounters on September 17. The fallen commander was said to have “the same character as someonewho has been posing as Shekau.” A few months ago, the Directorate of State Security had declared Shekau dead in a battle. It declared the person who appeared in a video as an impostor. The DHQ pledged to address the nation after ascertaining the truth or otherwise of the claim by troops. According to senior military and intelligence sources, “a commander sharing the features of Shekau was hit and fallen.”

ICRC will pick up the girls and simultaneously hand over the detained 18 leaders to Boko Haram. “The government also said it would not free the detained leaders of Boko Haram until all the girls were released. Asked what was eventually agreed upon, another source at the session said:

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

One of the sources said: “The DHQ has received reports of alleged fallen of Boko Haram leader, Imam Shekau by troops. The Defence Headquarters will soon address the nation after full investigation of their latest discovery. The source gave background to the ongoing probe by the DHQ. He said: “Nigerian troops might have scored a strategic victory in the current battle against terrorists operating in the Northeast on September 17. “During a desperate attempt to capture Konduga in their delusion to eventually marching on and capturing Maiduguri, the man who had been mimicking Late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos might have been killed. “It is getting more certain that the terrorists’ commander who has been mimicking Shekau in those videos was the one killed in Konduga on September 17,

“We generally agreed that all the parties should go back to their leaders on the agreement reached. The government said no to piecemeal release of the girls and Boko Haram claimed that it will not have any business with the government until all the 18 leaders of the sect are freed.

2014.” “The suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is responsible for the scattering of the sect members in different independent locations in the neighbouring countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent days. Another military source said: “The process of confirming that the body we have is the same as that character who has been posing as Shekau is ongoing. “He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander. I don’t want to say anything about this yet please.” A third high-ranking military source insisted that the “resemblance is too striking to be a coincidence. “The troops cited his facial marks, beards and teeth apart from the recovery by the Nigerian troops of some of the Armoured Vehicles and Hilux jeeps that had featured in previous videos of the prime suspect.”

“After the Eid-el-Kabir festival, the two parties will meet again on the terms to finalise the agreement or part ways. “Before the meeting rose, Boko Haram representatives warned against the use of force to liberate the girls. It also made it clear that it had the “capacity to take on the

Federal Government for the next 45 years.” Responding to a question on whether the sect will end the insurgency or not, another source said: “The delegation from Boko Haram said the outcome of the latest round of talks will determine whether they should ceasefire or not.”

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

from Germany. He was expected (yesterday) but we learnt his doctors asked him to stay behind for some observation. “Since he left, for a routine two weeks medical checkup we have been in regular contact with him. We speak with him everyday. He is in good frame of mind and in good health”. When told that the doctors might have extended IBB’s stay in because of a deteriorating condition, he said: “We are in constant touch with him. His health is not failing. He was only asked to rest formore days. Oga is in good health”.

Important timeline of Chibok girls’ abduction APRIL 14: The Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok reopened for exams. Armed men in Nigerian military uniform stormed into the school at night, telling the girls they would take them to safety. The students soon realized the men were not real soldiers; they were actually from Boko Haram, a terrorist group based in northeastern of Nigeria whose name figuratively means “Western education is a sin”. April 16: The government of Borno state announce a reward of $300,000 for information leading to the rescue of the school girls. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan calls a National Security Council meeting in Abuja to review security measures to determine the best way forward. The Nigerian military issued a statement that almost all of the girls had been freed. The next day, the military retracted their claim. April 24: Parents of the missing girls and other Nigerians take to social media to call the attention of the international community to their plight and to put pressure Continued on page 56

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THE NATION MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS

Court urged to void INEC’s new polling units HE Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged to nullify the 30,027 new polling units created by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This forms part of the prayers in a suit filed by three men, Ikogi Joseph, Odumegwu Chinedu and Omotoso Nicholas (who claimed to be indigenes of Bayelsa, Anambra and Ekiti states). They also wanted the court to restrain INEC from giving effect to the new polling units. The suit has INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as defendants. It is the plaintiffs’ contention that INEC acted beyond its powers under Section 73 (1) and (2) of the constitution by creating the new polling units. They argued that a fresh national population census must

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

first be conducted before new polling units could be created and that since no such census was conducted, the new polling units were illegally created. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Olukayode Olatoke (SAN), raised six questions for the court’s determination. The questions queried the basis for the creation and the legitimacy of the new polling centres announced by INEC. The plaintiffs want the court to declare that: “The act of INEC in creating more polling units for the North in utter neglect of the South is discriminatory and against the provision of Section 42 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.” Joseph, who deposed a supporting affidavit filed with the originating summons, said

INEC, without any basis, increased the number of polling units from 119,973 to 150,000 and allocated same to states. He said INEC, without justification, discriminatorily allocated 24,386 polling units to the North out of the 30,027 polling units and allocated the remaining 5,641 to the South. Joseph said with the new polling units distribution, the 20 states in the North would have 83,607 polling units, while the 17 states in the South were allocated 66,393 units. “I know that in the North, over 500,000 people have died and another 650,000 have been displaced, following the Boko Haram insurgency. “I know that most people, who fled from Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau states and Abuja fled to the southern part of the country and

Cameroon.” He argued that the voting population of the North had reduced by over 20 million due to insurgency. Joseph said the fact that many in the North had been forced to relocate to the South implied that the South should have more polling units, while the North should have less. “Rather than adding to the number of polling units in the South, INEC removed and closed down many polling units in five states, namely Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Enugu and Osun. “That the formula for the creation of the new polling centre is a ploy for the North to continue to dominate the South.” He argued that there was no justification or any development to the voting regime in the North to justify that astro-

logical increase to give advantage of about 14,000 polling units over the South. Other relief contained in the originating summons include: *A declaration that Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2010 is not exercisable alone without recourse to Section 73 of the 1999 Constitution as amended; *A declaration that INEC could not alter or approve the creation of additional new polling units nationwide in the absence of another national population census after 2011 or any other verifiable and acceptable statistical basis, and; *A declaration that the creation of new polling centres without any statistical basis is unconstitutional, null and void. INEC and the AGF are yet to respond to the suit filed on September 10.

‘Fed Govt should have declared seized $9.3m’ By Collins Nweze

HE Federal Government ought to have declared the $9.3 million seized early this month in South Africa at home and point of entry to the country, the InterGovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has said. It is a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for facilitating the adoption and implementation of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (CFT) in West Africa. Head, GIABA office Nigeria, Timothy Melaye, told The Nation at the weekend that money laundering laws stipulated that funds above $10,000 should be declared at the point of entry and exit into another country. He said the GIABA office was waiting for the Customs to confirm if the seized fund was declared at the point of exit before it could make further comments on the matter. “It is a delicate matter, but we are expecting details from the Customs. When this happens, we will make further statements,” Melaye said.

Jonathan’s biography for launch From Faith Yahaya, Abuja

A BOOK titled “Moving Forward: A biography of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan”, which documents the life and time of the President from birth to his Presidency, is to be launched in America. It was written by an America-based Nigerian scholar and researcher, Dr. Matthew Uzukwu, an adjunct Professor of Operations Management at Bowen State University, United States of America. It will be launched in New York tomorrow.

•From left: Mr. Kiki Whenu; Lagos State governorship aspirant, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode; Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Leaders Forum, Hon. Akinsanya Sunny Ajose; Hon. Moses Dosu and Mr. Andrew Whenu Monday, during Ambode’s solidarity visit to the APC communnity leaders in Badagry, Lagos...at the weekend PHOTO NIYI ADENIRAN

State legislators to seek financial autonomy

TATE assembly legislators are regrouping to assert their independence, it was learnt at the weekend. This may not be unconnected with the alleged sweeping influence of state governments over assemblies. The legislators unfolded a body, the National Association of State Assembly Legislators (NASAL), in Abuja at the weekend to articulate and enforce the views of the lawmakers. The Interim National President of the body, Mr. Valentine Ayika, said NASAL became necessary to liberate the state assemblies from strong personality

From: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

leadership to build strong institutions. He said state assembly legislators were making a strong statement with the inauguration of NASAL that democratic governance based on the rule of law had come to stay. Ayika noted that the body would pursue financial autonomy to state assemblies, especially with the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. He said: “Individually, a state assembly can be dealt with, but with an association like this, we can surmount any recklessness of the ex-

ecutive.” Ayika said financial autonomy was what the state assemblies needed to be independent. He said: “Our salaries are paid by the state governments. It is a fact that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.” Asked why the state assemblies rejected the autonomy granted them by the National Assembly during the last amendment of the constitution, Ayika said there was no organisation to articulate the feelings of the assemblies then. He added: “If the opportunity comes our way again, I am sure we will grab it.” Ayika regretted that only

about two state assemblies of the 36 voted to deny state assemblies the opportunity to be financially-independent. On the gale of impeachment by state assemblies, he noted that “whatever any state assembly construes as gross misconduct remains gross misconduct until the constitution is amended.” Ayika listed the vision of NASAL to include “to unify and build an organisation that can forge a strong bond of collaborative engagement in driving state development in the country and contribute in nation building with enhanced grassroots participation.”

FIRS arrests nine for fraudulent recruitment

HE Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has arrested nine persons for fraudulent recruitment. They will be arraigned soon, it was learnt. The agency alleged that the suspects used a vast network of websites, e-mail addresses, computers, telephone lines and bank accounts in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to demand and receive money from unsuspecting persons for non-existent jobs. Those questioned are Alex Oki, David Kachia, Yakubu

By Joseph Jibueze

Tanko, Mohammed Shuaibu, Kehinde Jamah, Ogbonna Agwu, Aminu Ibrahim, Pascal Ajah and Chris Onyekachi. According to the agency, some of the suspects promised to facilitate the promotion of FIRS officials and sent text messages to spouses, relatives and persons related to FIRS workers. They were accused of forging documents, impersonating FIRS officials and those of other ministries, agencies and banks, and soliciting

money for the promotion of FIRS workers. One of the suspects was said to have sent a text message soliciting payments from senior FIRS workers to facilitate their promotion. Items reportedly recovered were a Toyota Carina II saloon car, complimentary cards, bank deposit slips, among others. FIRS, which recently conducted an online promotion examination, which ran simultaneously in locations, said it is not recruiting for now. It said: “This is to inform the public that FIRS is nei-

ther recruiting nor replacing unfilled positions within its workforce. Anybody submitting his/her CV or applying through any website, responding to SMS on any online medium, social media platforms or in whatever form, for employment with FIRS, is doing so at his or her own risk. “Please note that employment into the FIRS will be advertised in national newspapers as well as on the FIRS website www.firs.gov.ng. The public are advised to avoid being deceived or defrauded by unscrupulous and dubious characters.”

Bishops plan prayer in Abuja From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

THE Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria is set to hold an all-night prayer in Abuja to end insecurity. The bishops urged the government to protect lives and defend the nation, saying its duty was to protect the citizens. The clerics in a statement at the end of their second Annual Plenary meeting in Warri, Delta State, said the prayer would hold on November 13 and 14. “The Federal Government must do more than it is doing to prevent our nation from drifting. It must prevent anarchy and bring criminals to justice,” they said.

Our candidates in 2015, by PFN THE Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has told the United States (US) envoys the kind of candidates it wants. Responding to enquiries on what the PFN was looking for in the candidates it would support in the coming general elections, the Lagos State PFN Chairman, Bishop Sola Ore, said: “We believe anybody who wants to take up leadership position must be somebody with character, courage and capacity. We believe the church has people with these qualities; this is why we are appealing to our members to participate in the elections.” He spoke when a team from the Department of States of the United States met the PFN executives at the weekend in Lagos to find out the role of the church in the coming elections. Mr. Nichola Austin of the US Consul-General in Lagos led Dr. Patrick Quick and Caitlin Conaty of the US Department of States to the meeting. The PFN chairman said the body would mobilise churches.

‘Ban on roadblocks in force’ THE Acting InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, has said the order banning the setting up of police roadblocks was still in force. A statement yesterday by the Force spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the IGP re-issued a directive to commands and formations to that effect. “The IGP warned that semblances of police roadblocks and permanent checkpoints reportedly reemerging in some parts of the country, especially in the Southeast, Southsouth and Southwest should be dismantled. “The IGP, who described the trend as a serious violation of subsisting order on roadblocks, warned that severe sanctions await any command, formation or personnel, which violates the order,” the statement added.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS

CBN sets June 2015 deadline for uniform account numbers

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has set June 2015 as deadline for bank customers to enrol on the Bank Verification Number (BVN) platform. The BVN enrolment, which involves capturing customers’ physiological or behavioural attributes – fingerprint, signature, among others, is ongoing in some banks’ headquarters in Lagos. The exercise is a continuation of the $50 million biometric project involving the CBN, the Bankers’ Committee, Dermalog and Charms Plc, meant to assign a unique number to every bank customer for enhanced security of transactions. CBN Director of Banking & Payments Unit, Dipo Fatokun,

By Collins Nweze

said in a statement at the weekend that all bank customers should have their BVN on or before the deadline documentation to be complete. He said by March, money transfers, loans, contingencies, among others, valued at N100 million and above, would only be allowed for customers with BVN. Fatokun directed lenders to sensitise their customers on the policy and submit details of compliance to the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS). The NIBSS will, from October 1, render consolidated returns on the policy to the CBN on a weekly basis, while the

•Approves reward scheme cash-less stakeholders latter monitors compliance and sanctions defaulting banks. To promote the cash-less policy, the CBN management at the weekend also approved an industry-wide incentive scheme and awareness campaign for cardholders, merchants and salespersons. Fatokun said the Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme (EPIS) would drive increased usage of electronic payments facilities. He said the incentive scheme, which rewards and appreciate usage across channels, would further encourage greater adoption of the cashless policy. According to him, the poli-

cy was designed as a ‘whitelabel’ campaign in which stakeholders were required to partner and focus on the channels of electronic payments, which promote financial inclusion. Part of the incentive, Fatokun said, included reduction in the Merchant Service Charge (MSC) from 1.25 per cent or N2,000 to 0.75 per cent or a maximum of N1,200 per transaction. The sharing ratio among the participants will be retained, while the implementation date is November 1. The CBN also approved effective November 1, a free Commission on Turnover (COT) for merchants. Hence,

all electronic inflows into the accounts of merchants will be exempted from the calculation of COT at the end of each month. The NIBSS will, from November 1, reward merchants through a mystery shopper and recognition campaign. The agency is to collaborate with banks for the implementation of the Point of Sale (POS) functionalities permitting merchants to offer cashout services to customers. Stakeholders will effective, December 1, reward cardholders based on the points grossed through frequency of card usage. The CBN director of Bank-

ing & Payments Unit said the reward scheme would be implemented by NIBSS in conjunction with other service providers, even as the ongoing cash refund scheme based on card usage would continue. He said merchants could also leverage on the incentive scheme to offer promotional gift items to their customers, based on the usage of electronic payment, adding that salespersons would be encouraged to support electronic payments by having them enrolled on the tipping point schemes, through which they would earn points accrued over a period. Such points, Fatokun said, might be redeemed by the salespersons through gift items or cash.

Jonathan, Obama, Ki Moon, Cameron to meet at UN General Assembly From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

•From left: Commissioner, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Mike Onyia; Chief Operations Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Tolu Ojo; Head, High Value Sales, Airtel, Buchi Anaekwe; Director, Customer Service Delivery, Airtel, Ajay Bashki; Director, IT, Rajat Jain and Director, Supply Chain Management, Airtel, Raghvendra Gupta, during the presentation of the ‘Most Customer Friendly Network’ Award to Airtel Nigeria at the Nigerian Telecoms Awards 2014 in Lagos.

Private school owners support September 22 resumption

HE National Association of Private School Proprietors (NAPPS), Southwest chapter, has said primary and secondary schools in Lagos and Ondo states are free to resume today. It hailed Governors Baba-

•Query Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun for postponement By Adegunle Olugbamila

tunde Fashola and Olusegun Mimiko for being proactive in stopping the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). At its zonal meeting in

Ibadan at the weekend, NAPPS berated Oyo, Osun, Ogun, and Ekiti states for postponing the resumption date till October 6 and 8. A statement by NAPPS President, Southwest, Alhaja

Alimi Basirat and Chairman, Lagos State branch, Chief Yomi Otubela, queried the postponement. They said while Oyo, Osun and Ekiti were categorical on the October 6 resump-

Senior civil servants shut Unity schools

HE Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has shut the 104 Federal Government Colleges. This followed a nationwide strike embarked on by education officers in the Federal Ministry of Education and the Inspectorate departments under the association’s umbrella, to prevail on the Federal Government to pay them their salary and promotion arrears. In a statement in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, at the weekend, signed by the Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, ASCSN said the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Educa-

By Toba Agboola

tion and the Inspectorate departments would also be shut from today. “The issues in dispute include but not limited to the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears from 2007 to 2010 and the balance of 2011 promotion arrears, promotion arrears from 2012 to 2013, unpaid workers’ salaries for July, August, September, and October 2013, endof-year incentives, non-payment of the first 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, 2010 Head of Service-organised mandatory training allowance, repatriation allowance, duty tour allowance,

non-placement of promoted officers, etc,” the union said. It said the Federal Ministry of Education admitted that N1.8 billion was released to it this year to settle liabilities including salaries and allowances. ASCSN wondered if the money had entered into a “voice mail” as usual. “On August 20, the leadership of the union met the permanent secretary and other top officials of the ministry and they promised that arrears of promotion would be paid on or before August 31. “However, the leadership gave the ministry till September 12 to effect the payment,”

the statement said. The union noted that when it became apparent that the ministry had not started paying promotion arrears and outstanding salaries , the national leadership of the association wrote a letter, including a reminder to their last agreement. It said the ministry fixed a meeting with the association for September 17 at 12pm. “When the leadership turned up for the meeting at the headquarters of the ministry, neither the minister, the permanent secretary nor any top ministry official was available,” ASCSN added.

‘Why power supply is low’

HE former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has attributed erratic power supply to inadequate gas supply and transmission infrastructure. Noting the reforms in the sector, he lamented that the gains had been limited because the transmission network was inadequate for the

By Sunday Oguntola

nation’s power needs. Nnaji was delivering an address at the Breeding Leaders for Empowerment and National Transformation (BLENT) Service of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), in Lagos.

The event, with the theme: “State of the Nigerian power sector: issues, alternatives and prospects”, attracted policy makers, stakeholders and key players in the power sector. Nnaji hailed the massive investments to improve power supply, but said the

situation would take years before yielding results. The Bishop of TREM, Dr. Mike Okonkwo, blamed the presence of a cabal for the rot in the power sector. He said saboteurs were not punished even when caught, adding that this encouraged others to do likewise.

tion date, Ogun NAPPS, which was absent at the meeting, did not send information on the resumption date. Otubela urged Governor Fashola to extend the preventive measures put in place in public schools to private schools.

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday left Abuja en route to New York for the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, while in New York, the President would attend receptions hosted by President Barack Obama of the United States and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon. He will address the United Nations Security Council HighLevel Session on Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts and present Nigeria’s statement to the General Assembly on Wednesday. Jonathan is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Ki Moon and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. The President will stop over in London for a brief private visit before proceeding to New York. He is expected back in Abuja on Thursday.

Ebola: ‘We were quarantined for an hour in Montenegro’ From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

S the Nigerian government battles the Ebola virus, two lecturers from Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo State, Dr. Kehinde Adenegan and Mr. Bankole Aderemi, at the weekend narrated their experience in the hands of officials in Montenegro. The duo, who took a flight from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Friday about 11:25pm and arrived Podgorica in Montenegro the following day about 1:25pm, said they were quarantined for an hour by Montenegro airport officials before they were released. The lecturers were among the 172 registered participants selected from 23 countries by the Chairman of the Mathematics Education into 21st Century Project, Dr. Alan Rogerson, holding in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Adenegan is expected to deliver a paper on “Early Child Numeracy”, an aspect of Mathematics Education. The programme will last for one week. Adenegan, who sent an e-mail to our reporter in Akure, the Ondo State capital, from Montenegro, said they were disappointed that despite showing the officials their Ebola medical report tests conducted at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, the officials still quarantined them. He noted that the officials showed them the names of the six countries, including Nigeria, pasted at the passport control posts. Adenegan said: “We showed them our reports on arrival at Podgorica. Our passports and documents were collected for verification. The unfortunate thing is that six countries’ names have been pasted at the passport control posts, including Nigeria’s. Despite our defence, the doctors showed us a list that six people have died of Ebola in Nigeria, hence our country is not Ebola free. “We were placed under quarantine and became popular at the airport, as security officials were attached to us.”

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS Parties trade words over planned protest against Osun poll’s result

•Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee for the fourth anniversary of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu (right) and a committee member, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, during a briefing in Ado-Ekiti...at the weekend.

Adekunle’s family calls for autopsy

HE family of the late Brig.-Gen. Benjamin Maja Adekunle has protested to the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Kenneth Minimah, over alleged plan by the military authorities to bury the Nigerian civil war hero without the involvement of the family and his older children. In the letter dated September 21 and signed by three of the surviving children, they are asking for an autopsy to be conducted on the corpse of their father before he is buried. They alleged that his wife, in whose care he died in Lagos, had denied all members of the family access to him. The widow, Folake Wakilat Folarin, according to them, was just one of their father’s partners in his strings of “long term relationships”. The letter, which was signed by Mrs. Busola Olagunju (née Adekunle, the General’s eldest daughter), Mr. Benjamin Adelaja Adekunle and Mrs. Adebisi New (née Adekunle), alleged that “in the five years before his death, most of the Brigadier’s children were actively denied regular and close access to our dear father by Folake Wakilat and have expressed grave concerns about the care of our father, which we took up with the extended family.” The petition to the Chief of

•Protest military’s plan to bury father without consultation By Olayinka Oyegbile

Army Staff by the children of the General’s first wife, who hails from Rivers State and who is old and now frail, told the Army chief: “You should be aware that we have not been notified by her of the cause of the death of our father, nor seen a copy of the death certificate. We shall be demanding for an autopsy to be carried out on our father, to determine and verify the cause of death, before any burial takes place.” The children called on the military to jettison the plan to bury their father in Lagos because, according to the family source, “He is the Asipa of Ogbomosoland, and as a titled chief and chief warrior of his town, he should not be buried in Lagos.” The petition called for the October 2 and 3 dates chosen by the military for the military honours for him in Lagos to “be abandoned and proper consultations made with the Brigadier’s eldest children and extended family.” The family source, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation that the family and his older children have been barred from going to see his corpse at the mortuary.

The source regretted that over a week since the death of their father, the older children have not been allowed access to his corpse and have been threatened with arrest if they dare move near the hospital where his body was deposited. The petition added that “as a matter of public record, the Brigadier entered into statutory marriage in 1962. The marriage produced five children, including a senior lawyer, architect and accountant, all of whom have totally rejected the rumored plans for burial. The Brigadier has other children from long term relationships, adopted, fostered and family children, a total of 31 offspring,” which they believe the military authorities should have consulted with and not Folake and her son, whom they said came into their father’s life in his old age. They said the family “welcomes the involvement of the Nigerian military in our father’s burial ceremonies given his contributions to national development. This involvement should be made following the right and appropriate channels incorporating all major stakeholders. “It is unheard of for any burial ceremonies to be made in

Tinubu’s return exposes PDP lies, says APC

HE grand return of former Lagos State governor and national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu after a three-week vacation in London has further exposed the Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a party of gossipers and false fabricators, who live on chasing the wind, the Lagos State APC has said. In a statement yesterday by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Joe Igbokwe, the APC said it is shameful that the PDP, which was “hallucinating” about taking over an educat-

By Seun Akioye

ed, enlightened and sophisticated state like Lagos should thrive on gossips and lies about the health status of Asiwaju Tinubu. Igbokwe said the PDP tried to con Lagosians by manufacturing lies and gossip about the health status of Tinubu. “How good it is to debunk lies, how wonderful it is to counter mischief? How sweet it is to disprove rumour and false fabrication than the arrival of a hale, agile and spotless Asiwaju to Lagos the very day Lagos PDP released their

usual nauseous gossip insinuating that Asiwaju is ill? It goes to expose their minds as that of hollow and clueless gossip and vendors of lies,” Igbokwe said. He also described as satanic the allegations by the PDP as published in some national newspapers that Lagosians were paying the medical bills of Asiwaju. “The party manufactured an illness for Tinubu when there was none and went further to con stories of Lagos tax-payers paying illusory bills for a concocted hospital bill paid by imaginary tax-payers.”

Lagos schools to resume October 8

UBLIC and private schools in Lagos State are now to resume on October 8, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) announced yesterday. Fashola spoke after meeting with hundreds of teachers and their union leaders at the LTV Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja. He said this was to ensure that the schools in the state were safe for the teachers and the student. “On this issue of resumption, we are on the same side. We are all concerned about safety in the schools. “Some states that would be commencing their academic session tomorrow did not have Ebola outbreak. The index case (Mr. Patrick Sawyer) landed in Lagos and not in these states. And I know

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro and Adegunle Olugbamila

that the teachers are afraid likewise me. And my biggest fear is that nothing must happen to any resident of Lagos. I am not shy to say I am afraid. But I have not allowed the fear to overpower me. “My proposal is that the teachers, headmasters and principals should go to their various school tomorrow (today) and sort out whatever is missing in the prescribed Ebola preventive facilities. So we use from tomorrow (today) through the week to get the schools ready for the students. However, the National Association of Private School Proprietors (NAPPS) Lagos State chapter has asked all private schools to resume today.

the absence of a man’s eldest children and we protest vehemently and reject absolutely, current plans to bury our father in the first week of October in Lagos, without consultation with us and contrary to our plans.” The children affirmed that as the biological and eldest children of the deceased, they should be involved in the planning, how and when their father should be buried, most especially since his legally married wife and children are still alive. “We urge the Army to verify the true position from our father’s personal Army Records, and others such as Chief Sunday Adewusi , a former Inspector General of Police and Maj-Gen. Oladayo Popoola (rtd), both of who are from Gen Adekunle’s hometown and his close confidants. A copy of the petition was sent to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Maj.-Gen. T.I. Dibi, General Officer Commanding 81 Division, who had paid a condolence visit to Folake at the Surulere residence of the deceased. Others who have copies of the petition are Chief Adewusi and Gen. Popoola.

HE ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State and the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), traded words yesterday over a plot by the latter to sponsor a mass protest to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to denounce the result of August 9, governorship poll won by Governor Rauf Aregbesola. APC also alleged that the PDP had concluded arrangements to carry out a sustained mayhem in Osun to make the state ungovernable. Its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, who revealed the plan in a statement yesterday, said the state’s “PDP leadership is already arranging for hundreds of youths to be transported to Abuja to protest the victory of Aregbesola in the August 9 governorship election.” The party insisted that the PDP had “fashioned an elaborate plan to create mayhem in the state and give the impression of popular displeasure at the outcome of the election. “The first phase of this plan is to hire 10 buses that will convey young men and women to Abuja to protest Aregbesola’s victory. The youths are allegedly being motivated with N10 million to partici-

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

pate. “This protest will be based on the yet-to-be- substantiated allegation by the PDP that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with the governor and the APC to rig the August 9 election. The underlying theme of the Abuja protest by the PDP will be that INEC gave the election to the APC to prevent President Goodluck Jonathan from winning the 2015 presidential election. So, the protest will be effectively against the INEC and the APC.” But the PDP described the allegation as ridiculous. The party Publicity Secretary, Prince Bola Ajao, in a statement yesterday, said the allegation should not be taken seriously. “It is unfortunate that they are coming up with this cock and bull story. As a matter of fact, we are civilised people who are always in tandem with due process and rule of law. We are at the election petition tribunal and we are sure that with all the unassailable and incontrovertible evidences on ground, we would retrieve the mandate given to our candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, by the people.”

Rep Ojo to inaugurate projects

HE member representing Ijero, Aramoko and Ekiti West in the House of Representatives, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, will today inaugurate some of his multimillion naira constituency projects located in several towns and villages. Among the projects to be commissioned in phases are a fully equipped 20 bed-ward built at the Aramoko General Hospital in Aramoko-Ekiti, Town Hall in Ipole-Ekiti, five motorised water projects at Ijero-Ekiti and Iwaji, under Efon Alaaye Local Government Areas. Ojo, who is the Chairman of House Committee on Communications, said: “These projects, among others to be commissioned before end of this year and early part of next year (2015), is in fulfillment of his personal commitment at contributing to the living standards and development of his constituency, both socially and economically” Ojo, in an occasion chaired by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, in May 2012 on the occasion of his one year anniversary, distributed cash gifts, cars, motorcycles and other materials running into millions of naira to several beneficiaries of his empowerment programme, which he says “is a continuous agenda of my personal commitments to my people”. Expected at the occasion are royal fathers and politicians.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS

APC files 600 witnesses against Omisore’s petition

SUN State All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed written statements of 600 witnesses against the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on the August 9 governorship election. The statements were filed with the reply of the APC, which is the second respondent in the petition yesterday. Omisore is challenging the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, claiming that the election was marred by fraud. The lead counsel to the APC, Kunle Adegoke, who filed the reply, said the respondent was asking the tribunal to dismiss the petition of the PDP and its candidate because it was baseless, frivolous and contentious. He said the reply contained about 257 pages in which explanations were offered on the happenings in the local governments being challenged by the PDP. “We started filing the reply on Saturday. We have about 600 witnesses that we have prepared their witness state-

‘PDP candidate must stop propagating falsehood’

HE All Progressives Congress has appealed to the media to be careful about the falsehood by the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Iyiola Omisore, to allegedly manipulate information to distort facts about Osun politics and the August 9 governorship election. Its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement yesterday, said that it was disturbed by the repetitive falsehood of Omisore in the last three years over Rufus Akeju. The APC said Omisore had been lying against Akeju and the APC that the former ambassador was a protégé of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and had bias for Tinubu’s political affiliation; first for the ACN and now for the APC. The party said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to accept Omisore’s allegations against Akeju, except Omisore can subments to counter the allegations of the petitioners. “Our reply is to the effect that the allegations raised by the petitioner are completely frivolous, baseless, vexatious

Makinde for Oyo governor

N engineer, Mr. Seyi Makinde, will on Thursday make a public declaration of his bid for Oyo State Government House in Ibadan. The event is billed for the Polo ground in Eleyele. According to a statement by his media aide, Alhaji Akeem Azeez, events have been lined up for the declaration. The event is expected to attract national and zonal leaders of the party. Makinde will also host a special prayer session for 13 pilgrims he is sponsoring to this year’s Hajj at his Omititun House Campaign office, Ibadan. The prayer will be led by the Chief Imam, Omi-titun Mosque, Ibadan, Sheik Mojeed Lanase, who is also a beneficiary of the Hajj scheme.

stantiate them with incontrovertible evidence in the court of law. “For three years now, Omisore has avoided the court, yet he keeps propagating falsehood in the media, believing that Nigerians generally, and Osun people in particular were so unintelligent that they can hardly distinguished truth from falsehood. “The insult on the intelligence of Nigerians has to stop. And only the media can stop it.” It stated this yesterday while reacting to Omisore’s allegation that Prof. Attahiru Jega has redeployed Akeju to Osun to frustrate PDP’s petition at the tribunal. Omisore was reported to have addressed reporters in Osogbo last Saturday, alleging that the purpose Akeju was returned to Osun by Jega was to ‘stultify, scuttle, frustrate and hinder the process of inspecting the electoral materials used for the August poll by installing

and constitute an abuse of court process. “We are saying they don’t have any business being here, they are only here to waste the

obstacles to slow or hinder the PDP’s efforts to inspect the materials. But the party said Omisore tried to further play on the intelligence of everybody by rehearsing a dead event when he referred to a so-called Federal High Court injunction, preventing Akeju from parading himself as Osun REC. The INEC immediately appealed that ruling. “But the PDP, in a strange move, went back to the court to withdraw the case. That move by the PDP surprised the judge who had adjourned the matter sine die since 2010 till date “In effect Akeju stands vindicated until proved guilty of allegation against his integrity by Omisore and the PDP. The APC therefore challenged Omisore to show Nigerians and the world through the media what contrary judgment he had to show that Akeju was compromised.

precious time of the tribunal and our own precious time too. “In addition, we are saying cost should be awarded against the petitioners for

wasting the court’s and our time too.” Adegoke noted that the tribunal was informed in the reply that if not for the vigi-

•Aregbesola

lance, resoluteness and the preparedness of the electorate, which stood firm against rigging, the election would have been rigged by PDP and its candidate. The APC counsel then noted that if the petitioners were serious and desirous of driving the petition the way it should be done, the petition would be concluded within the stipulated 180 days. He noted that steps the petitioners took so far did not show them as serious people.

I’ll expose corrupt monarchs after 2015 election, Akiolu insists

HE Oba of Lagos and the Chairman, the state Council of Obas, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has reiterated his promise to reveal the names of alleged corrupt traditional leaders in Yorubaland after the 2015 general elections. He said some of the traditional rulers were close friends of the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, adding that was why they were unable to promote

From Jeremiah Oke, Abeokuta

Yoruba’s agenda. Oba Rilwan, who was among the entourage of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, to the palace of Awujale of Ijebuland yesterday, insisted that some traditional rulers collected money from the former head of state. He exempted the Awujale from the alleged corrupt monarchs, saying some of the former military officers described him as no-nonsense Oba who would not collect bribes. The Lagos oba said as a commissioner of police during the regime of the late Abacha, he was among the delegates who gave money

to the monarchs. He said: “There are some qualities I appreciate in Awujale, which include his frankness, courage and straight-forward-to -he point. Even if you are a thief, Awujale will tell it to your face. Because of time, I don’t want to bore you with different occasions he had demonstrated that. “Few months ago, I made a statement that after 2015 general elections, I am going to disclose many things and I still mean it. I was a serving police officer for 32 years and I was privileged to be at a meeting where some contacts were made with some people. “Those I was referring to were friends to the late Gen. Sani Abacha. I was an obedient servant of Abacha because I was commissioner of police

as at that time. I was at a meeting where it was said that all these missions you are going to embark upon, leave the name of Awujale completely because he is anti-Abacha. “The person, who now said myself and Awujale are friends, when the time comes, we shall reveal the amount he took. I, Rilwan Osuolale Akiolu, by the special grace of God, myself and my people gave the money to him and he took it. When the time comes, I will open-up and I am serious about it. “I am not afraid of anybody but I respect people. I have no regret of my friendship with Awujale.” Oba Akiolu, who encouraged the Emir of Kano to emulate the late emir, said Sanusi became a monarch as a result of efficacy of prayers, urging him to contribute to the development of his environment.

Fayemi’s fourth anniversary begins

HE fourth anniversary of the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi began at the weekend with the government rating itself high on many performance indicators. Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu, at a media briefing at the Governor’s Office, AdoEkiti, said the administration had out-performed preceding governments in welfare and incentives for civil and public servants as well as teachers in public primary and secondary schools. Adaramodu, who countered the allegation that Fayemi had been running anti-workers’ policies and programmes, noted: “As part of our efforts to encourage teachers, we distributed about 18,000 sets of computers to them to boost their knowledge of ICT, aside the 30,000 distributed to students. So, Fayemi is not an enemy to teachers.” The governor’s aide clarified that about 50 completed projects in the 35 councils of the state bore additional indication of the governor’s performance. Adaramodu, who is also the chairman, Media and Publicity of the anniversary which starts today with “a

•Govt rates self high on performance From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

thank you tour of 35 councils in the state,” said: “Fayemi gave core subjects and rural allowances to teachers and this had never happened in the state’s history.” He debunked the allegation that the Fayemi-led government was unserious towards creating jobs for youths, adding that the governor had done “exceedingly well in the area of empowerment and job creation for youths.” His words: “Apart from that we employ many of our youths into the civil service and teaching service commission, the governor also created other valves like the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency, the Youth in Commercial Agriculture initiative and the youth volunteer corps to create other avenues of employments for our youths.” Adaramodu stated that the government had been transparent and accountable, noting that the government also “embraced an open-door policy in instilling the values of honour, prudence, selfless service and integrity into governance in Ekiti in terms of financial dealings. “All that this administra-

tion has done in the last four years had been envisioned. They are all contained in the inaugural speech of Governor Fayemi during his inauguration on October 16, 2010. Within four years, our administration has been able, through self-denial, perseverance and prudent management of scarce resources, turned around a seemingly hopeless situation for better. “Ekiti today is now an investment haven, a tourist destination of choice, the toast of development partners and a reference-point in good and responsive governance because we have confronted headlong the critical questions of development and stagnation. “We therefore salute our people for their cooperation. It is also gratifying to note that the sacrifice of the early years has paid off as we all can boast of a better state where we have peace, progress and prosperity”. On completion of ongoing projects, Adaramodu noted that the administration had put in place structures to assure their sustainability when the new administration of Mr. Ayodele Fayose comes on board.

THE NATION SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS I’ll battle Jonathan for PDP ticket, says Balewa’s son

HE son of Nigeria’s First Republic Prime Minister, Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, has said he will contest the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Tafawa-Balewa condemned the plot by the national leadership of the party to demoralise other presidential aspirants by adopting President Goodluck Jonathan as PDP’s sole candidate. He was responding to the adoption of Dr Jonathan by the party’s National Executive Committee at its meeting in Abuja on Thursday. With the adoption, the party said it expected party members, including those nursing presidential ambition, to drop it and queue behind the President. But Tafawa-Balewa said he would not be intimidated with such decision. In a statement yesterday, the politician said the endorsement of Dr Jonathan was undemocratic. He said: “I’m not intimidated by the decision of the PDP governors and the party to support the second term aspiration of President Goodluck Jonathan. What type of democracy do we have?”

Ebonyi kidnapped doctor freed

F •Some of the internally displaced persons at the Kwubaru camp, Nasarawa State...at the weekend

Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa A BOUT 700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Gwoza, Chibok, Bama and its environs in Borno State have fled to Kwubaru village in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The IDPs, including men, women and children, are in three camps - Kwubaru, Angwar Jama’a and Takwa. They have been relocating to the village since March to escape the insurgency in the Northeast. But since they arrived, no government agency acknowledged their presence or sent materials. The IDPs, it was learnt,

From Grace Obike, Abuja

survive on the stipends from well-meaning Nigerians and from other forms of assistance from their host community. They alleged that soldiers came in trucks and Hilux vans to harass them and arrest the Chief of Kwubaru for harbouring them. In the Kwubaru camp, only women and children sleep in one of the nine mud houses and there could be as many as 12 people or more in one room. The men sleep on sacks and mats outside, whatever the weather.

These were among the allegations of members of the #BringBackOurGirls when they visited the camp to confirm the existence of IDPs near Abuja and to assist them with materials, including foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, mattresses, among others. Leader of the IDPs and former Headmaster of Ghwaa Primary School in Gwoza, Mallam Yohanna Wurawa, explained that he escaped from Gwoza with his family after his house and the school were razed. According to him, his fam-

ily and a few others were assisted by the Stephanus Foundation to Kwabaru. Murawa said: “My wife suggested that we relocated to Abuja because my wife had stayed with Maclindo, the director of the Stephanus Foundation, before. “I contacted him and explained our problem. He promised to come down with me to Abuja in search of help. We came to the Chief of Karu and asked for help because our people were suffering in Gwoza and other parts of the Northeast.”

APC chair: we won’t accept PDP failures

HE Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will not accept politicians the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected. The party noted that such politicians only want to embrace the opposition party as a last resort. It said: “Those who want to join us from the PDP should do that now, by registering officially. This is because there will be no room for those who would want to come at injury time, after being rejected by the PDP.” APC Chairman Dr. Ben

From Chris Oji, Enugu

Nwoye addressed reporters at the end of a meeting between the state Exco members, youths and zonal women leaders. The chairman said APC would not be a dumping ground for rejected PDP members. He urged PDP members proposing to use APC as their last resort in 2015 to look elsewhere or pitch tent with the opposition party now that there were available brooms at the party’s secretariat. Nwoye warned that it would no longer be business

as usual for those who lose primary elections and defect to the opposition to realise their political ambitions. The chairman said APC was doing well in the 17 local government areas and the three senatorial districts ahead of the 2015 general elections. The local government branches of the party, he said, had recorded a large turnout in the registration of new members who believe in APC’s ideology and agenda. Nwoye assured the people of Nsukka, where ACP has zoned its 2015 governorship

ticket to, that its candidate would emerge through a transparent process, “because our party has zero tolerance for imposition”. Also, the Southeast women leaders of the APC have passed a vote of confidence in the national leadership of the party and its zonal leader, Mrs. Helen Ojukwu. In a communique by the women’s leaders in the five states - Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia and Imo - the women hinted that their meetings would henceforth be in Enugu, being the central state of the Igbo.

Kumuyi urges voters to choose credible leaders in 2015

HE General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Folorunso Kumuyi, has urged voters to choose only credible leaders who will transform the country and make it great again. The cleric said voters need to vote “intelligently” in next year’s general elections to ensure that only credible people get their votes. Kumuyi spoke in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, when

By Joseph Jibueze

he visited Governor Rauf Aregbesola. The cleric noted that only credible leaders would make a difference in the lives of Nigerians. He also addressed reporters on the three-day “powerpacked crusade” with the theme: Explosion of Supernatural Miracles, which was held at the weekend. Kumuyi said: “When we are going to cast our votes,

we must vote intelligently. We know where we want to be as a country in various areas of development. The leaders who will get us to where we want are those we are going to cast our votes for at all levels. “We should also understand that many nations have their peculiar problems: some similar to ours, while some are different. But many of the countries have survived their challenges. I

want to say with prayers and hope in God, we will get out of our problems.” The cleric scored Aregbesola high in the transformation of Osun State. He said Aregbesola’s leadership style had translated to the vast development of the state. He said: “We thank God for the progress we have seen in this state. We have seen that a lot has taken place in terms of transformation under Ogbeni Aregbesola.”

REEDOM came at the weekend for Ebonyi State Dr Chester Onuora, four days after he was abducted in Abakaliki, the state capital, by four gunmen. Onuora was reportedly taken from his Holy Trinity Hospital in Abakaliki when he was rounding off for the day. A source close to his family said the abductors tied his

From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

hands and feet, blindfolded him and took him to an uncompleted building near neighbouring Enugu State. The source added: “When they brought him to the uncompleted building, he slumped. This caused panic among his abductors to the extent that they bought drugs and forcefully administered them on him.”

Utuama urges unity among Urhobo

ELTA State Deputy Governor Amos Utuama has urged the Urhobo to unite for the funeral of the late President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Maj-Gen. Patrick Aziza. He spoke at the weekend during a condolence visit to the family of the late Gen. Aziza and members of the UPU Executive Council at his country home in Ugolo Adagbrasa, Okpe Local Government Area. Utuama described the late Gen. Aziza as a courageous soldier and leader. The deputy governor noted that as the fifth largest ethnic group in the country, the Urhobo would gain a lot, if the were united. He said: “The late Gen. Aziza was a courageous soldier and leader. As an Urhobo leaderand President-General of UPU, he was committed to the cause and progress of the Urhobo nation. He worked very hard for the completion of the Urhobo Cultural Centre (UCC) at Uvwiamuge.”

THE NATION MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS JUSUN: our strike’ll continue

Police shoot two vigilance group members

THE Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), South South zone, has said its strike in Rivers State will continue until a resolution is reached by all parties. This position was contained in a communiqué by the National Vice President, Comrade Victor Ekpela and State Secretary Uyi Ogieriahi. “The zone supports the strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Rivers State and urges the workers to continue as the national secretariat has taken over the issue. “We’ll return when the workers are satisfied on who is the head of the state judiciary. “The zone condemns the attempt by some persons to stop the strike. “We will resist any such attempt and advise that measures are taken by stakeholders to see that all issues and the strike is resolved.”

WO members of a vigilance group have been rushed to the emergency unit of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, after they were shot by the police. It was learnt that the victims were pursuing some robbery suspects when policemen opened fire on them. The incident caused tension in the neighbourhood behind St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Yenagoa.

•’They’re robbery suspects’ From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

An eyewitness said residents alerted the group to a robbery. “They responded and started chasing the robbers. “But unknown to them, a neighbour had called the police. “When the police came and met the vigilance group members, two of the police officers shot them in the

stomach,” the eyewitness said. Sympathisers were said to have thronged the hospital to wish Emma Gabbuth, a refrigerator repairer, who hails from Emede in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State and a young man said to have come from Atissa, quick recovery. But police spokesman Alex Akhigbe insisted that the victims were robbery

suspects. He said the police received a distress call and on getting to the neighbourhood, they saw two men with cutlasses. “When the police asked the men to stop they refused and instead started running. Then the police shot at them. “They were disarmed and immediately taken to FMC for treatment. “As far as we are concerned, they are robbery suspects because we are not aware of a vigilance group in that area.”

Edo APC: don’t trade your cards •2,000 PDP members defect From Osagie Otabor, Benin

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State has urged its members not to trade their temporary voter cards for promises of non-existent jobs by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It said it was deceptive of the PDP to promise them jobs in exchange for their cards. The state Treasurer, Saliu Momoh, who spoke at a mini-rally, urged the people to protect their temporary cards. He said: “There is nothing the PDP cannot do to manipulate you to get your voter cards. “Do not be deceived by them. Don’t release your cards for any job promise. “Ask the PDP what it did in 10 years before you release your cards. Let it show you evidence of performance in the state and at the federal level.” The council Chairman, Jimoh Ijegbai said the country could not continue with the “inept PDP government at the federal level”. Ijegbai urged the people not to sell their cards but to collect the PVCs to effect a change in the country. Commissioner for Agriculture Abdul Oroh said the “PDP is an Ebola virus” to the country. Oroh said an APC-led Federal Government would restore peace and normalcy to the country. He said the $9.3million taken to South Africa for ‘arms purchase’ was stolen by the PDP. A party chieftain, Pally Iriase, urged the people to vote out corruption by voting out the PDP in 2015. He said President Goodluck Jonathan has failed in power supply and job creation. More than 2000 members of the PDP in the locality joined the APC at the rally.

• Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole flanked by President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mohammed Garba (right), and NUJ State Chairman Desmond Agbama when the NUJ’s National Executive Council visited the governor...at the weekend.

Amaechi calls for improved funding for education

IVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has called for improved funding for education. Amaechi spoke at the 18th – 20th convocation of the Rivers State Polytechnic in Bori. He said: “Nigeria must create the human capital needed for economic development. “There are serious concerns that our higher institutions are producing graduates not fit for purpose. “In other words, our chil-

dren are leaving school without the knowledge to sustain them or contribute to the development of the national economy.” “Early, in the life of this administration, we declared a state of emergency in the education sector to make Rivers the hub of education, not only in Nigeria, but also in sub-Sahara Africa. “Our commitment is to improve services and the qual-

ity of education and make it more relevant to productive activities, including value reorientation, employment and wealth creation. “We shall continue to pursue that dream vigorously and confront the challenges bedevilling the education sector. “Even as we strive to revitalise the sector, I am delighted to say that our efforts are bearing results.

“The naming of Port Harcourt as the World Book Capital 2014 and other achievements gave eloquent testimony to the recognition. “It is an unprecedented achievement as we put Rivers State and Nigeria on the global map. “We have made tremendous efforts to replace the guns that were in the hands of our misguided youths, thus, providing them with windows of opportunities and endless possibilities.”

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

Bayelsa monarch hails PDP NEC

HE Edo State government has threatened to sack striking workers of the state-owned tertiary institutions, if they failed to return to work today. The coalition of unions has vowed to go on a protest and directed all its members to ignore the threat, adding that government is not ready to address the issues. The affected institutions are College of Education, Ekiadolor; College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; Institute of Management Technology, Usen and College of Education, Igueben. A statement on behalf of the Acting Registrar of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, O. Osawemwenze, said: “I’m directed to inform all striking members of your union that they should resume duties today. “Interestingly, management has not defaulted in the payment of salaries. I’m, therefore, to add further that any worker who refuses to heed to this directive will be sacked forthwith.” The President of the coalition, Fred Omonuwa, said: “We want the public to understand that the strike involves both academic and non-academic workers of these institutions. “We have directed our members to ignore the government’s threat but should any worker be sacked, we don’t have any choice than to organise a mass protest to the Government House.”

President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. The monarch, in a statement at the weekend, described Epie as “President Jonathan’s second home”. He said he was happy with the transformation agenda of the President, saying that “it makes a lot of sense to recognise that fact”. “Let’s face it: Will it be too much to ask that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a minority, be given another four years? “Are we saying that what was good for the Southwest and other geo-political zones is not good for the minorities? “We are proud of Goodluck Jonathan not just because he is from a minority but equally because he has performed well given the circumstances of his tenure”.

Govt warns striking workers

•King Sasime

HE monarch of Epie Kingdom in Bayelsa State, King Malla Sasime, has praised the National Executive Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for endorsing

Oshiomhole praises mum at book launch

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has praised his mother, Hajia Aishetu Oshiomhole, saying she taught him the virtues of honesty and doggedness. Speaking at the launch of a biography, “Igovina Emosi” a biography of Alhaja Oshiomhole written by Imuzeze Ofen-Imu, the governor said he learnt early in life that resources belonging to the people must not be tampered with. He said: “My mom is a woman of virtue. She has a very kind heart and somehow she taught me the values of being straightforward, of courage. “My mom has been the unofficial treasurer of various community meetings where the books are not written and she kept the money under the carpet and yet when we are going to school and we need money, she would say there is no money. “I would say there is money under the carpet and she would say that the money belongs to the community. Those are some of the values we seem to have lost. “Even now at her age, I discourage her from getting involved in all sorts of things but she would remind me that she knows politics more than me. I once teased her that whatever she thinks she knows in politics, she was never elected not even as a councillor.” Former Minister of State (Works) Chris Ogiemwonyi, who chaired the occasion, praised Oshiomhole for developing the state. He said: “Today, we salute your courage for the Benin Airport Road. For a long time, Oshiomhole was the first to bring bulldozers to Benin. “You had the courage to give the Bini befitting roads and today they are happy for it.”

Delta warns tax defaulters From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

HE Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) has said it will punish individuals and corporate bodies who default in their tax payment. The Chairman, Thomas Joel-Onowakpo, said this after a three-day stakeholders’ meeting with workers, tax professionals, companies and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collecting banks. Joel-Onowakpo said the board would soon publish names of defaulting companies and banks that delay remittance of deposited taxes. “Now when we held meeting with our workers, the objective is to sensitise them on what we are about to do. “You remember in 2011, we embarked on a tax professional system. “Their duty is to liaise with the public to make sure that every kobo belonging to the board is returned to the government.”

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

CITYBEATS ‘Help save our baby’

CITYBEATS LINE: 08078425391

‘I can’t stand other men staring at my wife’

•Parents agonise over N1.6m bill for son’s surgery

HEY waited for two-years for their bundle of joy. After several miscarriages, the baby came on October 26, 2012. Rather than develop like a normal child, the growth of 23month old Isaac Eyitayo Pamilerin Timileyin Agbo is stunted. Reason: he has a congenital heart defect which requires surgery to correct. But there is a snag - his parents do not have the N1.6million required for the surgery. That was the amount as at March when a consultant paediatric cardiologist recommended him for surgery in India. His mother, Mrs Juliana Agbo (31), is seeking assistance from well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations to save her baby. Mrs Agbo started having complications three months into her pregnancy in March 2012. She almost lost the baby to constant bleeding and was rushed to hospital. “I was admitted for about two weeks, I was treated and discharged but when I got back home, the same issue started again. I was admitted again at another hospital. Luckily for me, the child escaped that process. After the scan, we were told the baby was alright. And although my job is not strenuous in any way, I was asked to stop work and anything that would put the baby at risk. I stopped working on Wednesday, April 4, 2012. “At that time and even later on, the doctors didn’t see anything wrong, I was told there was no problem. I went ahead to register at the General Hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos so that they can monitor me. I was delivered of a

By Evelyn Osagie

baby boy on October 26, 2012. Although the stress was too much when I wanted to deliver: they induced me to start the labour. I gave birth, and they didn’t see anything was wrong; even before then the scans did not show my baby had hole in the heart.” Three months after Eyitayo’s birth, he was diagnosed of having a hole-in-the-heart. Mrs Agbo said: “I was so happy when I had him that now at least, I have my own child. Before I had him, I had many miscarriages. So you can imagine how I feel when we discovered he has heart problem a week after his naming. Then, we noticed some irregularities in his breathing and was not comfortable with his breathing, which was very fast. We took him to the General Hospital at Ikorodu where he was diagnosed of Bronchiole Pneumonia and the doctors prescribed some drugs. But when we gave the child the drug, he couldn’t sleep. “We took him to a health centre close to our house where a doctor with Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) checked him and after asking us some questions, he told my husband that our baby has heart problem but he cannot say how the heart problem is. He then referred us to LASUTH at Ikeja.” At LASUTH, after series of tests, that Baby Eyitayo, who was three months old then, was diagnosed of having congenital heart disease. According to the doctor’s report, signed by the consultant paediatrician/paediatric cardiologist, Eyitayo has “large perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect partially covered by

RCC, double chambered RV, Tiny PDA with severe pulmonary Hypertension.” It added: “Patient requires surgical correction of the defect which will cost an estimated sum of N1.6million, including travels.” Mrs Agbo said: “Through the X-ray, it was discovered that infection was in his heart; he was given antibiotics. But we were asked to do an ECO Scan where the result showed that my baby has a hole in the heart and needs to undergo a corrective heart operation in India to save his life. When I was shown the hole on my baby’s chest on the computer, I almost fainted and felt great pain. He was merely three months old then, and had become so thin, weighing 2.8kg when he should be weighting above 6 or 7kg. We were told that it would cost us about N1.6 million for the trip, which would cover the travel expenses and medical bill. “My sister, since then we have been running everywhere to see if we can raise the money. My husband, who has been catering for us since, works at a fish farm; and I have stopped working to care for my child. The burden is already too much. We even wrote to Lagos State Ministry of Health through LASUTH for assistance. I am sure there must be a long queue of persons seeking help like us from government because since April last year that we wrote, we have not received

My wife is evil, wasteful, says man •‘I don’t know why he hates me’

62-YEAR-OLD property agent, Deji Odutola, aka Hadji White, has prayed the Customary Court in Alagbado, Lagos to dissolve his eightyear-old marriage to Sherifat. Oduntayo is accusing his wife of cruelty, covetousness and dishonesty. The marriage, which was sealed under Native and Customary Law in 2006, is blessed with a male child. “My wife is evil. Even before I married her, I had allocated all my property to my children here in Nigeria and abroad. I, however, added a caveat: that I could take everything back, if not properly managed. So, I gave my wife the house that my first daughter couldn’t maintain and we agreed she would be giving me some amounts of money annually. When she was due to make the first payment, she defaulted. Instead, she spent the money on her six children from her previous marriages. “This is the third year and my wife hasn’t given me a kobo from the house I built with my sweat. When I celebrated my birthday, my wife couldn’t make any financial contribution. She only bought a standing fan for me, which I returned because it was the least I expected from her. “I have been wearing white dresses for 37 years, so I don’t want my reputation tarnished in anyway; otherwise, I would have engaged some

By Basirat Braimah

hoodlums to throw her out of • my house. She keeps giving flimsy excuses, saying she doesn’t know how to pack her things. She even claims that the house is her son’s share of the property I allocated. But it is a blatant lie. “I think our marriage had crumbled before we got here because it’s over three years since I slept with her or even saw her. All I want is the money she collected for four years. I want her out of the house and out of my life, he said.” In her defence, 45-year-old Sherifat said:” I really can’t figure out when the problem started. This is because among his 10 wives, I have always been treated as a slave. I have always endured the insults and abuses because I am tired of sleeping under different roofs. “When I was expecting our child, he complained of sleeping beside an expectant mother, adding that it made him broke. Surprisingly, 41 days after I was delivered of the child, my husband asked me if the child was his or someone else’s. “My husband has moved me to three different houses for no genuine reasons. I change houses like clothes. Contrary to his claim, he didn’t allocate any house to my son. “I used the money I got from the tenants to renovate

the house because it was untidy. I wonder why he is asking for money now. Since we moved into the house, he has not sent money for our son’s upkeep. When I tried to see him, he ordered his workers to throw me out. He doesn’t respect me at all let alone his child. Our son was barely two years old when my husband complained that he didn’t greet him. So, he said he won’t sign any document in my son’s name. “I don’t know why he said he is just seeing me after three years. I remember we saw each other at a hotel recently and we even made love that day. “Recently, my husband’s friends rough-handled me, seized my items and took me to another house, as ordered by my ‘rich’ husband. I refused to stay there because it was deserted and it had ‘For sale’ boldly written on it. If he can allocate the house to my son, I will gladly live there; otherwise, I will go back to the house I renovated. “I don’t know why my husband hates me because he has allotted some property to some women he married after me and the children he had after my son. I don’t want a divorce.” The court President, Mr. Olubode Sekoni, invited the parties to a chamber discussion and ordered them to bring four relations each. The case was adjourned till September 29.

By Basirat Braimah

any response. But my baby’s case is getting worse. When help was not coming from any quarters, we resorted to prayers.” Mr and Mrs Agbo, who visited The Nation’s corporate office in Matori, Lagos, are praying Nigerians to help save their Eyitayo. “We prayed to God to give us a wonderful child and we did. Despite what we are passing through we are still happy having him. But we feel bad for the pain he is passing through. We need help to do so. That is why we have come to the public: please, help us save our son. We are telling people to look at us and help us,” the couple said. An account has been opened at FirstBank with number: 3086969070 under his name: Agbo Isaac Eyitayo .

MIDDLE-age man, Ayoola Elugbaju has asked the Alagbado Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve his 17-year-old marriage to Remi. He is alleging that she is troublesome and fetish. In tears, he said: “My wife acts like the ‘boss’ in our home. She disrespects me and disregards my opinion on all issues. She recently disgraced me in public. On that day, she came to meet me at a bar in our neighbourhood, broke some bottles and ordered me to go home. I was so sober and embarrassed that day because I was with my friends. “ She has a caustic tongue. She hurls abuses at my parents at will. She calls my mum pepeye and my father Baba gie gie. It is clear that she doesn’t see any wrong in what she does or says. I have always advised her to dress decently because I can’t stand any other man staring at her. But she prefers to expose her body like a whore. Whenever she returns home from any social event, she would happily pick her calls in my presence and tell the caller that she is home safely. Sadly, I can’t talk back. “I have now become the launderer in our home because of my wife’s arrogance. Even if I don’t matter to her, should our children suffer lack of motherly love and care when she is still alive?” Remi, however, said: “I admit that I harassed him in the public sometime ago, but it was just once. So, how can he say I am irresponsible? I don’t want our marriage dissolved and I don’t want our children with Ayoola either.” The marriage is blessed with five children. The court President, Mr. Olubode Sekoni, advised the parties to maintain peace and abide by the law. The matter was adjourned till October 2.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS Schools resume in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna

RIMARY and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja; Kano and Kaduna states resume today. The governments in the FCT, Kano and Kaduna said they had put measures in schools to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said they were willing to resume work as long as EVD-detecting equipment and preventive measures were in place.

Nda-Isaiah: my priority is to unite Nigeria

OUNDER of the LEADERSHIP Group and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah has said he is in the race to unite the country. Nda-Isaiah spoke in his Abuja home at the weekend while hosting members of a think-tank group, called the Broom Initiative. He said he played a leading role in uniting the parties that formed the APC because he believed Nigeria was better together, adding that only a strong united platform could dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) next year. Nda-Isaiah lamented the insecurity in the country and the government’s inability to curb it. He said: “The first thing I intend to do as president is to unite Nigeria because Nigeria is so divided that it is not yet a nation. We are still a country of disparity and a quarrelsome people, who quarrel over whether someone is a Christian or a Muslim. “Unfortunately, our country has come to this

state. I always ask my friends in the PDP: ‘Is this the Nigeria you want to leave behind for your children?’ Most of them just keep quiet. There are certain things that are beyond politics.” Nda-Isaiah urged the group to put all aspirants on the spot, adding that this was a time to be clear about the way forward. The leader of the delegation, Alhaji Saidu Malami, who stood in for the group’s Chairman, Yusuf Tuggar, said their visit was to interact with the aspirant Malami said the group was responsible for reconciliatory initiatives in the APC in order to foster unity among members. He said: “We have been consistent in policy contribution within the leadership of the party. This evening, you are third in our programme of visiting presidential aspirants. Our objective is very simple. It is to highlight the fact that for us to appreciate the precarious situation we are in, we have to understand that the bigger objective of rescuing Nigeria is bigger than all of us.”

PDP is undemocratic, says Kwankwaso

HE endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate for the 2015 presidential election showed that the PDP was undemocratic, Kano State Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso said at the weekend. Kwankwaso said: “Since five governors defected from the PDP to APC, I told Nigerians that PDP will become a weaker party, whose democratic value will erode. Now stakeholders of the party have come out to say that they have chosen President Jonathan as their party’s sole presidential candidate with-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

out going for a primary election.” The governor spoke at the Government House while receiving reports from committees sent to the 36 states for consultation on calls for him to contest the presidential election. He said it was sad that PDP leaders endorsed Jonathan’s candidacy without consulting members and the party’s supporters. Kwankwaso said: “I am assuring you that All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders are committed

to doing justice in the party’s forthcoming primaries, be it at the state and National assemblies, governorship and the presidential levels. The party will give everybody, especially delegates, the right to choose the best candidates.” The governor said when he and some of his colleagues were in the PDP, primary elections were held, adding that “even those who were offended in the party by the then President were consulted for reconciliation as part of a democratic process of building up the party”. He said PDP leaders had shown that they were not

democrats, adding that the party would lose the 2015 general election because of their “sheer incompetence and undemocratic attitude to governance”. Kwankwaso accused the Jonathan administration of inducing party leaders with money. Stressing that money would not give victory to the PDP, he said “money politicians” would never care about people’s well being. On the consultation reports, Kwankwaso said he would study them and make his decision public soon.

I will make my intention known, says Mark

ENATE President David Mark has said he would make his intention on the Benue South Senatorial election known soon. Mark represents the district in the Senate. Speaking yesterday through his media aide, Paul Mumeh, while addressing youth leaders in his Otukpo country home in Benue State, Mark urged his constituents to remain steadfast with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Youth leaders from Ado Local Government Area stormed Mark’s home, urging him to contest the election next year, but the Senate President said: “I appreciate your interest in me, but I have not declared my inter-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

est or intention to contest yet. I will make my intention known to you when the time comes. “I assure you that what ever decision I take will be in the interest of the Idoma people. I have nothing personal but any thing that will make our society better and ultimately promote the security and well-being of all will be my mission.” Mark said the agitation for Apa state was not foreclosed, adding: “God willing, I will pursue the creation of Apa state from the present Benue State to a logical conclusion.” He urged his constituents to remain united and law

abiding. The youth leader, Mr Ogenyi Ocheme, said Mark attracted development to the Idoma nation. Ocheme said: “It may not be your intention to contest the election, but the desire of every reasonable Idoma man and woman is that you return to the Senate in 2015. “Your remarkable performance in the Senate gives us a sense of pride and it is our desire that you return there to continue to bring honour and development to us. Your impressive efforts towards the creation of our dream state – Apa - is well appreciated. “We appreciate that in a democracy, unlike in a military government, no state can be created by fiat, but

•Mark

through a strenuous process; and so far, you have done very well. We have no other person to contest the election except you. This is our stand.”

PDP gives Adamawa council officials deadline to re-register

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State has given the 21 local government chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors till September 26 to re-register as members of the party or lose their seats. The deadline came after the council officials voted in the party’s September 6 governorship primary election, in which Acting Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was given the party’s mandate. It was gathered that the move was designed to secure the loyalty of the officials to Fintiri and ensure the PDP’s victory in the October 11 governorship poll. There is fear that the council chairmen, who are believed to be loyal to former Governor Murtala Nyako,

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

may work for the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was also learnt that the step was taken to frustrate a legal action against Fintiri’s emergence because the council officials were card-carrying APC members. Some party members faulted the participation of council officials because they were not given “re-admission” waiver by the PDP before voting at the primary. But the Mr Dimeji Bankoleled Electoral Committee was said to have turned a blind eye to it because of “pressure from above”. The directive was issued by the state PDP Chairman, Chief Joel Madaki, at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting

at the Government House in Yola. At the meeting were former Minister of Petroleum Resources Prof. Jibril Aminu; former PDP National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; Sir Wilberforce Juta; Air Commodore Dan Suleiman; Minister of Youth Development Boni Haruna and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Hajia Zainab Maina, among others. A source said: “The council chairmen and councillors are expected to re-register as PDP members from September 22. They have till September 26 to complete the process. If they fail to re-register, the councils stand to be dissolved by the acting governor. This became necessary because they are still believed to be

APC leaders. PDP and the acting governor are jittery that the council chairmen and councillors can sabotage Fintiri.” Another source said: “The deceit surrounding the September 6 primary election has started emerging because the panel from Abuja and a gang of PDP leaders allowed non-party members to vote as delegates to elect Fintiri. “The electorate is beginning to realise the danger of voting for PDP in the coming governorship poll because they fear that they can be shortchanged. If Fintiri secured the support of these people, why a deadline to council chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors to reregister as PDP members?”

I was misquoted on Ajaokuta firm, says Belgore

HAIRMAN of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) Kola Belgore has denied a statement credited to him on the status of the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State. He was quoted as saying the government was wasting N3.4 billion monthly on the salary of 6,000 workers “who were doing nothing at Ajaokuta Steel Company”. The comment attracted criticisms from stakeholders in the steel sector, organised labour and the company’s management, among others. Belgore’s denial was contained in a four-page letter to the management of the company.

From James Azania, Lokoja

In the letter, dated September 8 and addressed to the Sole Administrator of the company, Joseph Onobere, Belgore said: “I never said what was wrongly attributed to me by the media.” He admitted speaking at a luncheon in Ilorin, Kwara State, on the nation’s ailing economy, the steel sector and sundry issues, but said he did not give the figures credited to him. Belgore said: “I did not and will never disparage the company. As I do not work there, it is out of place for me to know and mention anything about the monthly wage bill, the number of ma-

chines installed and the number of workers in the company. “I reiterate that the press did not quote me correctly. I have always supported Ajaokuta Steel Company and will not say or do anything to bring it to disrepute or ridicule.” He urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to resuscitate the company, saying it remains a catalyst to industrial development. The management of the company, in a statement yesterday, said the firm has 2,930 workers with a monthly wage bill of N288 million, “which is being paid to the workers directly by the Office of the accountant-

general of the federation”. It said the government’s investment in the plant stands at N815 billion ($4.7 billion), adding: “The company has 185,000 tonnes of installed equipment; 226,000 tonnes of steel structures; 325,000 tonnes of pipes and insulators; 44,000 tonnes of refractory works; 1.9 million metre cube concrete works and 43 industrial plant units.” The management said reports of technical audit of the plants and equipment confirmed that they were in good condition and intact “due to the way and manner they have been preserved and maintained by the workers”.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

SHOWBIZ

Tunde Kelani deploys stage, film technique in Yeepa By Dupe AyinlaOlasunkanmi

CE filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, is charting a new path in film production in Nigeria with his ‘filmed play’, Yeepa, an adaptation of Prof. Femi Osofisan’s classic play, Yeepa Solarin Nbo. The award-winning cinematographer, who has just wrapped up his new feature film, Dazzling Mirage, due to be premiered on November 7, has revisited Yeepa Solarin Nbo as a ‘filmed play’, featuring a hybrid of traditional theatre artistes, trained actors and a handful of Nollywood stars. The ‘filmed drama’ de-

picts Isola (Bayo Bankole), a rascally and unreliable man who is mistaken for the formidable Public Complaints Commissioner, Solarin, by the corrupt officials of the Local Government Council. His presence causes anxiety and panic among the officials, and they make desperate efforts to out-do one another, so as to pacify the visitor. The flurry of activities to cover their misdeeds exposes the high level of corruption and rot prevalent in the local council. Isola is, therefore, generously bribed and accorded the reception that befits the status of a man of importance. The discovery of the mistaken identity coincides with the arrival of the real Public Complaints Commissioner. The new direction, Kelani said, would elicit interests and excitement in the Nigerian film industry. “The industry needs more exciting stories; that is, productions that are not only stimulating but good enough to elicit huge response from the audience and commercial success at the box office. We really need to swing away from that

era of stale or repetitive stories and explore the richness of our literary resources. That is why I always emphasise and remind young people that you can’t, for instance, be a good filmmaker, if you don’t read. This is because having acquired the skill to make films, your bank of imagination and fantasy has to come from somewhere. You cannot create something from nothing. “ In Yeepa, Kelani preserves the stage form and infuses film technique, deploying four cameras to shoot in Dream Studio, Ikeja, Lagos and on locations in Abeokuta. With award-winning film director, Niji Akanni, as the Artistic Director, Kelani recalled the intervention of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, when he was tinkering with the idea of filming Amos Tutuola’s Palmwine Drinkard. “Prof. Wole Soyinka reminded me that it would take a long time to achieve; so, he suggested I film it on stage. I think Yeepa is the guinea pig, an experiment preceding greater things because I’ve already started to think of other great plays that influenced me and clearly impressed me. I’m already moving beyond Yeepa

and thinking of something else. Kelani, who said Yeepa offers a peep into the current socio-political problems plaguing the country, further said: “As far as I’m concerned, the theme is like an extension of what I’ve always done; that is, looking for socially relevant contents. Yeepa certainly fits that description, as we prepare for the 2015 elections. Already, you can see the drama playing out and it’s just like a comedy. When you look at all the tension in the country now, Yeepa is just a comic relief. Let’s laugh at ourselves because we’re all corrupt.” Yeepa, according to him, will be screened at select cinemas, community halls and schools, in addition to some private and corporate screenings from October. It stars Ropo Ewenla, Bayo Bankole, Ayo Binta Mogaji, Ebun Oloyede (Olaiya), Toyin Osinaike, Joke Muyiwa, Kayode Olaiya, Monsuru Olajide, Samson Alli, Ibikunle Oladipo, Gboyega Olomodosi, Toyin James, Toyin Omotubora and Yemi Ogunyemi.

Lamboginny, Clay take campaign against Ebola to Lagos community

ENSATIONAL singer, Lamboginny and fastrising rap artiste, Clay, at the weekend, further gave vent to the theme of their recently released musical collaboration titled #Broken when they stormed the secluded rural community of Nanti village, popularly called the Snake Island, Lagos. In excitement, the villagers led by their Baale trooped out to receive the music stars who were joined by members of the Nigerian Red Cross as they enlightened them on the need for personal hygiene in order to live a healthy life. Apart from distributing free materials and kits to the inhabitants, medical experts were also on ground

to educate them about the dreaded Ebola Disease Virus (EVD). Meanwhile, the popular artistes have also offered to give full scholarship to two indigent ‘#Broken children’ to enable them realise their academic ambition. According to them, “If you know of any teenager or child who is of a secondary or primary school age living with no support, you can just put a smile on his/her face by sending the name, age, location, class (secondary or primary) and that # B r o k e n story -that is, the touching story about the child and why he/she should be given the scholarship ahead of others-to lamboginny84@gmail.com.”

MEGA: Organisers chart new path for gospel music in Nigeria

LTHOUGH this year’s edition of the annual interactive music workshop organised by the Music and Entertainment Gospel Awards (MEGA) has come and gone, its beautiful memory will continue to linger in the minds of the participants, particularly because of the salient discourses which were aimed at rewriting the story of the gospel music in Nigeria. At the event held last Wednesday, The Coordinator of the workshop, Femi AkintundeJohnson, aka FAJ, stated that gospel music in Nigeria is lacking in terms of adequate media representation. He, therefore, called on media professionals to rise to the occasion by pro-

By Ovwe Medeme

viding the needed coverage for gospel activities. Also, the CEO of Xclusive 2 Divinity(X2D) TV, Deji Irawo, urged Gospel music artistes in Nigeria to eschew conflict and embrace unity. According to him, “We claim to sing about the love of Jesus, which is the good news. But how can you give what you don’t have? If we are supposed to sing about love and we don’t have love among us, then, there is a bit of hypocrisy somewhere. We need to address those issues. I think this generation needs to rise and do something different.” The first session treated the topic, “Probing the Urgent Ques-

tion: Why Do We Create Music?”, while the second discussed “Providing the Cogent Answers: Why They Create Music”. Present at the workshop were top-rated gospel music artistes and industry practitioners, including multiple awardwinning producer and instrumentalist, Wole Oni; veteran broadcaster, Tokunbo Ojekunle and awardwinning songwriter and vocalist, L a r a George, among others.

Joke Silva, Amaka Chukwujekwu thrill in The Grave Dust

OPULAR Nollywood producer, Obi Madubogwu, is set to premiere his much-anticipated movie, The Grave Dust, in November. Already, it is generating heightened anticipations among Nollywood movie buffs and critics for the movie, particularly because of its thematic preoccupation and the fact that it features some A-list Nollywood stars, including Joke Silva, R a m s e y N o u a h , E m e k a Okoro, Joseph Benj a m i n a n d Amaka Chukwu jekwu. T h e psychothriller written by Ugezu Ugezu and Saint Joseph,

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

tells the story of a successful stockbroker, who suddenly hits the reverse gear on the lane of success due to reasons he cannot comprehend and how he is left in his own world in his mansion filled with tormenting elements. Madubogwu, who shot to the limelight with his role in Battle of Musanga, said: “The Grave Dust was conceived to take the industry to the next level. I have done several productions in Nollywood, having practised for over two decades now. The story of The Grave Dust is one of the most unique stories I have encountered. This is why I made sure that nothing was spared in making it a huge success. It is unique in the sense that it questions a lot of concepts that are easily over-looked in the African society. The film was made with Africans in mind, and that is where Nollywood is headed now. It allows the audience to make decisions from the unfolding drama and suspense. I think the highpoint lies in the fact that it has elements of all essentials that make a good film. “In terms of acting, it highlights the various star actors like Ramsey Nouah, Joke Silva Emeka Okoro and Joseph Benjamin at their best because this is one

film they shot with a lot of commitment owing to the unique story line. It will also unveil a new talent, Amaka Chukwujekwu, who played the lead role in the film.” Madubogwu further disclosed that The Grave Dust, which was directed by Ikechukwu Onyeka and supported by Crown Prince Productions, a frontline entertainment company in A f r i c a , would also be screened to audiences in the United Kingd o m , U.S., France, G e r many, Holland a n d South Africa.

Bovi, Toke Makinwa to host Headies 2014

E L E B R A T E D Nigerian comedian, Bovi Ugboma and popular on-air personality, Toke Makinwa, have been unveiled as the hosts for this year’s edition of The Headies billed to hold on Saturday, October 25. Put together by Smooth Promotions Limited, a media and entertainment company, The Headies, since inception in 2006, has recognised the achievements of artistes and entertainers in a number of categories, including Rap, RnB, Dancehall and Alternative. According to Ayo Animashaun, CEO of Smooth Promotions, “There is no better way to reward these deserving

By Dupe AyinlaOlasunkanmi

artistes where they are not only appreciated by their country, but also celebrated on a platform aligned with international brands. The honour of receiving this prestigious award in their country is one of the many things Smooth Promotions aims to achieve with this year’s organisation of The Headies.” Last year, the dynamic duo of singers Tiwa Savage and Dr. SID opened the awards ceremony to wide acclaim. Also, for the first time, The Headies introduced a new category, Best Alternative Song, which sheds light on new exciting contenders.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Sale of Enterprise Bank •We can only hope useful lessons have been learnt from past mistakes

T was a replay, somewhat, of the fabled phoenix mythology – a bird said to have arisen from the ashes of its predecessor. Thursday last week, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) announced the Heritage Bank-sponsored HISL Investment Services Limited as preferred bidder for Enterprise Bank, one of the three bridge banks created after the 2009 banking crisis. Heritage Bank is the regional bank which arose from the ashes of the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria after acquisition by IEI Plc from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2012. The statement by AMCON’s Head, Corporate Communications, Kayode Lambo, read: “The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria is pleased to announce HISL Investment Services Limited as preferred bidder and Fidelity Bank Plc as reserve bidder for the acquisition of the entire issued and fully paid up ordinary shares of Enterprise Bank Limited. This follows the receipt of the approval of the Board of Directors of AMCON. HISL is sponsored by Heritage Banking Company Limited.” The deal is however subject to its payment of its winning bid of N56 billion. Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA), HISL was expected to have paid 20 per cent or N11.2 billion of the bid price last Friday – September 21, after the execution of the agreement. The balance of 80 per cent or N44.8 bil-

lion is due by October 13. Seen in the context of AMCON’s attempt to bring closure to the 2009 sanitisation of the financial services sector, particularly the three bridge banks which it gave rise to, the development represents a milestone of sorts. Presently, AMCON is reportedly set to announce the preferred bidder for Mainstreet Bank on or before October 31; the sale of Keystone Bank is expected to commence later. More fundamental is the implication of the development to the winding down process of the child of necesity called AMCON. Only two weeks ago, the corporation also took another step in this regard when it sold its 12.5 percent stake in Ecobank to Qatar National Bank (QNB) for a princely $200 million. Having said that, Nigerians are obviously entitled to wonder if the arrangement is not another familiar corporateNigeria story of the small fish swallowing the big – the sort of changes that throw up far more complex questions than the solutions could hope to resolve. We hope, if only for the sake of the Nigerian banking public, that the process ends as expected. No doubt, it says a lot about the ambitions of the regional bank that it is taking over a behemoth with over 160 branches across major cities and commercial centres, and one with over 177 Automated Teller Machines, 57 cash centres and 2,000 Point of Sale terminals. (We saw this once when Access Bank acquired the ob-

viously bigger but now defunct, Intercontinental Bank). At this point, we can only hope that appropriate lessons have been learnt from the set of factors which birthed in the take-over. It is also our expectation that the regulator in particular and players will be up and doing to bring the process to a speedy conclusion. It should be realised however that a changing landscape of banking means nothing if it does not deliver on the ultimate objectives of financial inclusion and service delivery. Years of financial sector reforms seem to us as sufficient to deliver on those promises. Hopefully, the takeover of Enterprise Bank by Heritage should provide some fillip.

‘Nigerians are obviously entitled to wonder if the arrangement is not another familiar corporate-Nigeria story of the small fish swallowing the big – the sort of changes that throw up far more complex questions than the solutions could hope to resolve. We hope, if only for the sake of the Nigerian banking public, that the process ends as expected’

Another drain pipe •FG’s plan to set up devt bank seems another ploy to duplicate agencies

HE Federal Government’s decision to start a development bank with N10 billion is tantamount to following a lead to nowhere. Over the years, successive governments have always believed that the best way to spur development is to establish a new agency, institution or parastatal and throw money at challenges. And, because this is a lazy and jaded approach, such measures have always failed. There is no doubt that one challenge that Nigerians would want to disappear immediately is poverty. Nigerians want the pride of their country restored and realise that the only way to do this is to have a country listed among developed countries - one respected for its solid economy and fair political practice. At the moment, given government policies and the level of commitment of its officials,

‘One other measure that the governments of Nigeria have found attractive is the provision of intervention fund. In recent years, such dedicated funds have been made available to airlines, the textile and the entertainment industries. Yet, the effect has been negligible ... It is therefore surprising that the government is yet to learn from all these that merely throwing money at problems does not necessarily bring about changes’

this appears a dream. We find it difficult to understand why the Jonathan administration thinks the establishment of a development bank would perform the magic. Has the President and his advisers thought through why the Bank of Industry (BOI) is still struggling to come to terms with its mandate? At the moment, banks are dedicated to promoting agricultural development, renewal of infrastructure and there have been suggestions that it will serve the country well if a Construction Bank is established. Yet, we remember that the cornerstone of the banking sector reform by the Obasanjo administration was to have banks strong enough to play this role and even compete internationally. The banks have not changed. Interest rates still stand at the same cut-throat levels that cannot grow the critical sector. One other measure that the governments of Nigeria have found attractive is the provision of intervention fund. In recent years, such dedicated funds have been made available to airlines, the textile and the entertainment industries. Yet, the effect has been negligible. Home movies produced by Nollywood are still technically deficient. The thinking that goes into writing, acting, editing, directing, producing and packaging the movies fall far below regional and international standards. The Obasanjo government had thought that providing cheap funds for the aviation industry was enough to improve safety of passengers and rescue the

sector. It failed. Some of the companies that accessed the funds made available merely funnelled the money into other things that did not benefit the country. They still collapsed and, because they were sufficiently criminally minded to fund the ruling political party, the proprietors got away with the crime. It is therefore surprising that the government is yet to learn from all these that merely throwing money at problems does not necessarily bring about changes. What a leader is expected to do is study the situation and motivate the leaders of the industry to buy into workable plans. We are concerned that the new move to establish development bank is being made at a time that another general election is at hand. Experience suggests that our governments begin ingenious search for means of misappropriating public funds for selfish political gains when elections are around the corner. Duplication of agencies never helped the country in the past. Nothing suggests the result would be different this time. We therefore call on the National Assembly to patriotically rise to the defence of the country by blocking this move. It is another drain pipe. Besides, money is only one of the challenges of development in the country. We need power, which is crucial, yet, in spite of the huge funds sunk into the power sector, electricity supply remains as epileptic as ever. We have to be more serious about this as well as fix other infrastructure if we truly desire to achieve our developmental goals.

Curbing the menace of noise pollution

HEN I look at our dear country, the question that comes to my mind is, when shall we grow out of this present primordial stage? Anytime I wake up in the night to read, it is either one church is observing a vigil or another one is busy carrying out deliverance service on their members. In Port Harcourt where I live there are churches scattered all over and even the one mosque situated about three kilometers to my house is not exempted as early in the morning sounds emanate from the loud speakers calling their members to come for early morning prayers in the mosque. Along our streets, audio cassette sellers are busy dishing out their own sounds from their strategically located speakers while self-acclaimed doctors dealing in herbal mixtures use their loud speakers to dish out wrong medical information to unsuspecting members of the public. The police escorts to bullion vehicles as well as government officials also contribute theirs quota with sirens to the sound pool. Please,can’t we have noiseless zones in this country?.How do we intend to succeed in this part of the world when we are not given the right environment to develop our brains?At times different floors of a four storey building will be occupied by different churches and their services may clash such that the sounds emanating from their loud speakers can cause destructive interference (thanks to physicists). The annoying aspect of all this is that when one rises to fight this nuisance, the religious houses will dub one an agent of darkness. What a modern colonialism? I call on our governments, if they still exist, to enact laws that will regulate the noisy activities of these religious houses. The way we have industrial estates, that should be the way we will have religious estates. Residential areas must be strictly residential in the real sense of it. If one runs away to the hotels to avoid the noise pollution, some churches have taken over the main halls in many hotels. Our religious leaders should tell us how their experiences were like all the time they visited London and other saner climes for their holidays. Also, even in the Middle East where both Christianity and Islam originated, do they have the type of noise pollution we have in this country? The most annoying aspect of our present government is that if a moslem governor starts regulating this noise pollution, the opposition political party will attempt to score political point by telling the citizens that the governor is carrying out a religious agenda just as the reverse would be the case if a Christian governor wants to rid the state of this noise pollution. The type of opposition we have in Nigeria today is such that if a governor wants to deal with teachers that forged certificates and dates of birth to secure teaching jobs, the opposition will go and join forces with the teachers and their relatives/sympathisers to vote out the government from power. My only concern is the inability of our ministries of environment to rise up to the challenge. Socrates, it was that said that an unexamined life is not worth living. How then do we intend examining our life in the midst of our present noisy environment? Dr Paul John Port Harcourt,Rivers State.

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

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THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR; Over the weekend, I used three different samples of wire cables to conduct an experiment after the loss of my electric pressing iron and a socket. My electric socket (Royal Quest England) of 220-240V was used to connect my pressing iron of equal voltage, 220240V. Instantly, the cable blew and damaged the socket. I bought another socket of the same capacity but this time with electric iron of low capacity. This time, the cable rather than blow off simply melted like a candle which showed that the supposed 220-240V socket is not up to 120V. Apart from wiring cables, most electric bulbs in our market today are also fake. I live in an area where electricity supply is intermittent but I change my electric bulbs after every five weeks. While two of the six bulbs I bought seven months ago are still working, I have been changing the remaining four routinely. I bought them from the same place, at the same amount and the seller confirmed to me that they are the best bulbs I can get from the market now. Three days ago, a cousin of mine lost his home to inferno which emanated from an electric bulb socket.

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Nigeria now haven for fake products Such tragedies are not rampant in the country only because of irregular supply of electricity. Apart from wiring cables and bulbs, a good number of the stabilizers, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), air conditioner, switches, electric cooking stove, pressing iron and many other electrical materials being sold in the market today are fake. The same is no less true of auto spare parts in the Nigerian market and building materials. As for the tragic incident at the Synagogue Guest House where over 80 persons were reported killed, I would not put the tragic situation beyond the use of fake or substandard materials. It is estimated that Nigeria loses over N50 billion to fake and substandard products annually and out of this amount, N20 billion comes

from auto spare parts sector alone. Research has shown that 60% of these fake products come from the Peoples Republic of China but the Chinese in turn blame the situation on Nigerian entrepreneurs who go to China and ask the manufacturers to produce for them at reduced quality in order to shore up their profit margins. Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) whose job is to rid Nigeria of free of fake and adulterated products appear to have surrendered to the cartel of fake products importers, unfortunately for an agency that has been around for 42 years. SON, with only two laboratories in Lagos and Enugu where products could be subjected to laboratory analysis, has proven that they lack capacity to effectively check the menace. In many instances, product samples are said

My close shave with death

IR; I do not know whether to laugh or to be forlorn about how fear has become a citizen of our country, living daily with us. I am an undergraduate. Few days after the Nyanya car park bomb blast of April 14, I went to my dad’s place at Mararaba, Abuja to spend the weekend. He had told me there was a surprise for me, so I went in enthused anticipation. On the day I was to come back to school, he brought out a package from his room and handed it over to me. I looked at it, desperate and tensed. On the carton was an image of a laptop. I smiled from ear to ear, screaming for joy: “Daddy has fulfilled his promise at last!” A brand new laptop! After thanking him, I set out to school. I boarded an El- Rufai bus when I got to Mararaba junction. I spotted a vacant seat close to the front and plopped into it, dropping my heavy bag on the floor. The bus hadn’t moved yet because the driver intended the seats to be fully occupied,

with some passengers standing, if possible. I was famished, so I decided to go down to get a seven up or sprite my favorites. I left my bag where I sat, to secure the space and because it was heavy; my new lap top was in it. I was holding the drink and was just about collecting my balance from the vendor when I heard shouts from the bus. I turned abruptly and saw people jumping off the bus through the windows and doors. I saw fear on their faces, about three adults flying from one window at the same time. They ran as soon as their legs touched down. “Bomb! Bomb!” was all I heard. I snatched my money and raced into the bus. Quickly, I snatched my bag, jumped down and joined in the running. I had not run up to 20 metres when I noticed I was being chased and fingers were pointed at me. “Catch am! Stop that boy” they ranted. Confused, I stopped running. I received a heavy blow behind my neck that confused me the more. “Wetin dey dis bag!?”

I bent to open it for them to see for themselves but I was stopped. “Shegen yaro. You wan kill am with us ko? Dan banza” “It’s my clothes, school books and laptop” I said with a creaking voice. “Why you drop down from the bus?” I raised the can of Sprite I held in reply. “So you no be boko boy?” That was when I understood their hostility. “Open the bag. Where you dey school?” they asked, amidst murmurs, laughs and side talks. The crowd was enormous by now. I opened my bag and opened my wallet that has my I D card. “University of Abuja”. One read aloud, comparing the face on the card with the one in front of them. “Sorry o” one said finally. “Na condition make krafish bend” I forced a smile, realizing that never again will Nigerians feel secure; never again will we have the trust we had for each other. Never again. •Joseph Joshua Abuja

to be taken to Ghana for laboratory analysis. Apart from this technical incapacitation, SON lacks laboratory analysts and chemists as its workforce is dominated by clerical cadre. One recalls with nostalgia the days of National Agency for Food and drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) under the leadership of late Prof Dora Akunyili. The activities of the agency were practical, re-

sult-oriented and purposeful. These were the times when you saw hawkers run helter-skelter at the sight of NAFDAC officials. Today, NAFDAC activities are only showed on a paid TV advert and newspapers. No matter any indices used, an economy where more than 80% of products in circulation are fake cannot make progress. The situation is biting hard on ordinary Nigerians whose small incomes are spent on products that do not last beyond second use. One begin to wonder if Nigeria has become a permanent safe haven for counterfeit products as the activities of the manufacturers and dealers of fake products go unchecked. •Onogwu Isah Muhammed, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Reforming the prisons

IR; The Nigerian Prison Act 1972, spells out the goals and orientation of the Nigerian Prisons Service. They are charged with taking custody of those legally detained, identifying causes of their behaviour and retraining them to become useful citizens in the society. Prisons are essentially correctional and reformatory; they are not institutions for the dehumanisation of the confined. Also, a prison is not expected to be exactly a bed of roses as the inmates are there for penal purposes; neither is it supposed to be a bed of thorns and thistles meant to snuff life out of the inmates. For the 49,000 inmates in various Nigerian prisons, (29,000 of whom are awaiting trial, and the 856 on death row), hell cannot be worse. The sanitary situation is not only repulsive but frighteningly demeaning and exposes the inmates to health hazards as inmates are forced to excrete in buckets and stay with their excreta for days. Feeding is a luxury, bathing a rarity, recreation zilch, reformation non-existent and privacy a privilege. Hence, most inmates leave the reformatory frail, fragile and with one debilitating disease or the other. A terrible practice in Nigeria prison system is that our prisons cohabit those whose trials are still in progress and those whose trials have been decided, as a prison is for those whose judicial fate has been decided; in other words those who have been convicted while a jail is a transitional facility for those undergo-

ing legal proceedings i.e. those awaiting judgment on their trial. Of the 227 prisons in the country, four out of five were built before 1950. The infrastructure is old and decrepit. Buildings used as workshops are inadequate and some prisons non-existent. A report by Human Rights Practice Commission for prisoner’s dignity, estimated that at least one inmate dies per day in the Kirikiri prison in Lagos alone. Dead inmates are promptly buried in graves on the compound usually without their families being notified. It is sad that claims like these are not investigated. The government should please look into the present state of our prison system. Obviously, more prison cells should be built. The private sector can make a change to the system through contributions for medical checkups of inmates on a regular basis, feeding programmes and even jobs for those who have served their terms and are back in the society. Families should also endeavour not to neglect their wards in prison but check on them regularly because some prisoners have testimonies of their wards not coming to visit even after several years in prison even with such families knowing where they are; others have regretted their actions and vowed to change ways because of the pains they see in their loved ones eyes each time they are allowed to visit. •Ojo Adelayo, University of Ibadan

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

COMMENTS

LTHOUGH it sounded like incremental repetition, it added little to the state of things and ultimately proved to be effectively unuseful. If the ambition of Nobelist Wole Soyinka was to concretely reinforce the allegations by Australian Stephen Davis concerning certain perceived local pillars of the rampaging Islamist guerilla force Boko Haram, his intervention did not match his purpose. It was disappointing that the tigrish public intellectual apparently fell below his own standards as his lent his influential voice to the urgent project of unveiling those who nourish the terrorists. In his publicised statement on the characters named by Davis, titled “The wages of impunity,” Soyinka unbelievably chose the path of harmless assault. In particular, his mention of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State, merely followed the beaten track. Intriguingly, the literary champion failed to supply the missing letters that would have defined the identity of the unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) fingered by Davis. This lost opportunity to provide additional information of a radical nature, which the moment represented, may never be regained. It is apt to wonder whether similar reasons informed the conscious silence of the two men, and what those grounds could be. Between Davis, the foreign “negotiator”, and Soyinka, the native mediator, was a common ground of mystifying unspecificity. In the case of the famed writer, his pauses were especially perturbing because of his dramatised conviction. He said: “Finally, Stephen Davis also mentions a Boko Haram financier within the Nigerian Central Bank. Independently, we are able to give backing to that claim, even to the extent of naming the individual. In the process of our enquiries, we solicited the help of a foreign embassy whose government, we learnt, was actually on the same trail, thanks to its independent investigation into some money laundering that involved the Central Bank.” Having gone so far in building a base for his insight, Soyinka was expected to carry the architecture of truth to a logical conclusion. But he acted against his own construction. The same man said in the statement: “Truth – in all available

Naming the nameable detail – is in the interest, not only of Nigeria, the sub-region and the continent, but of the international community whose aid we so belatedly moved to seek.” Or perhaps it was a different mind that promoted unrestrained truthfulness in the context of the socially tormenting terror war. The truth is that an anti-climactic treatment of the idea of full disclosure, such as Soyinka demonstrated, cannot be in the country’s interest, both in local and international terms; and it is puzzling that the master of fiction, which is known as “the truthful lie”, did not pursue non-fictional truth to its fullest extent. In what was tantamount to ridiculous buck passing, Soyinka said: “That name, we confidently learnt, has also been passed on to President Jonathan. When he is ready to abandon his accommodating policy towards the implicated, even the criminalized, an attitude that owes so much to his reelection desperation, when he moves from a passive “letting

‘Naming the mysterious individual shouldn’t be such a big deal, unless there is perhaps something else Soyinka knows which makes him tongue-tied; the same reflection applies to Davis. If the individual is not nameless, and therefore nameable, what is the import of this performance of silence? To expect the presidency, and possibly the CBN, to react to nothingness, which the unspecificness represents, when they could be more stingingly pricked by a direct, detailed and explicit picture, amounts to a denial of personal responsibility, which is distinct from institutional responsibility; and it is also a ludicrous trivialisation of the confrontation with evil’

Y previous visit to Thailand was in 2008. During that visit, while I was attending a Gas Conference in Bangkok, I tried to see the country, not from a tourist’s perspective but, through the eyes of Bangkok’s daily newspaper, The Bangkok Post. After the visit, I wrote some notes, which focused on parallels between Thailand and Nigeria. During a recent visit, I was again drawn to read The Bangkok Post, during which I was motivated to update my observations during the earlier visit. Thailand’s 2013 GDP was $417 billion and international reserves were about $180 billion. The Thai military is now in power, having overthrown the civilian government in May this year. At the launch of the Anti-Corruption Day, held for the fourth consecutive year by the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), the new Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, promised that his government regards the fight against corruption as a national assignment and a key element of national reform. He said that the problem had been accumulating for a long time and was causing severe damage to the country’s economy and reputation. Rather than just condemn corruption, as our leaders do, Thai leaders presented practical suggestions on how corruption can be tackled. On this visit, we had the opportunity of seeing quite a bit of the countryside, outside the cities of Hua Hin and Bangkok. Much of the land in the rural areas was cultivated with fish farms and other crops, especially rice farms for which Thailand is famous. The rural areas were not lacking in potable water supply or electricity. There was solar power where the grid did not reach. Perhaps the most striking of Thailand’s rural development were the floating villages and The Floating Market, which is about 100 kilometres out of Bangkok. Our brothers from the Niger Delta can learn a lot from this floating “Town” with a labyrinth of waterways, shops and homes, served with electricity and potable water. No shanties were visible along these many kilometres of highways in the water. Despite the political crisis facing the economy, Thailand’s competiveness jumped six slots to 31st in the current World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Report. Nigeria is in the 127th place while South Africa and Saudi Arabia dipped to 56th and 24th respectively. Thailand’s economy appeared to be de-linked from whatever their politicians are doing. Bangkok, with a population of seven million, is both the capital city and the centre of commerce, industry and culture. The population of Thailand is about 62 million comprising 80% Thai, 10% Chinese and other minor ethnic groups making up the remaining 10%. It has the second largest economy in South East Asia after Indonesia. It hosted 13 million tourists in 2006 and earned revenue of $15 billion from tourism that year. Thailand’s biggest agro-industrial conglomerate plans to start producing palm oil over the next three years to capitalise on growing domestic demand for the commodity driven by its increased use in both cooking and bio-fuels. The com-

the law to take its course” to galvanizing the law to take its course, we shall gladly supply that name.” The theatre of war created by Boko Haram is so gravely threatening that the kind of dramatic suspense employed by Soyinka is not only dangerous and unacceptable; it raises the serious suspicion that the script may be a travesty of truth. If, truly, the pluralistic entity Soyinka credited with possession of the truth knows these things, why wait for Jonathan to act on the same information that has allegedly been passed on to him? Does Jonathan actually have this information? In a profound sense, by keeping his cards close to his chest on such a burning issue, Soyinka can be reasonably criticised for adopting an “accommodating” approach towards the inculpated, the same accusation he made against Jonathan. Evidently, this is a case in which illumination is accompanied by opacity; for it would appear that Soyinka does not see the concealment of identity as suggestive of subtle complicity. It is a tragic unawareness for a critic who reasoned that “The unleashing of a viperous cult like Boko Haram on peaceful citizens qualifies as a crime against humanity.” Armed with a claimed knowledge of the friends of terrorisers in high places, particularly those who fund terroristic activities, which is invaluable information that can assist in the resolution of the crisis, it is untenable to conveniently accuse someone else of alleged lethargy, or even an abandonment of responsibility. It may not be far-fetched to qualify such attitude as vicariously guilty of a crime against humanity. By supplying “that name”, it is possible to galvanize the law from the outside, without necessarily attributing such responsibility exclusively to Jonathan. Assuming that the information is available to Jonathan, what if he eventually ignored it for whatever reason? How long will others in possession of the same detail wait to reveal it? It mirrors a clear contradiction for Soyinka to express intense unease about the situation, yet indirectly contribute to its perpetuation by this deafening quiet. Should he be taken seriously then, and his observation, “we twiddle our thumbs, wondering when and how this nightmare will end, and time rapidly runs out”? Naming the mysterious individual shouldn’t be such a big deal, unless there is perhaps something else Soyinka knows which makes him tongue-tied; the same reflection applies to Davis. If the individual is not nameless, and therefore nameable, what is the import of this performance of silence? To expect the presidency, and possibly the CBN, to react to nothingness, which the unspecificness represents, when they could be more stingingly pricked by a direct, detailed and explicit picture, amounts to a denial of personal responsibility, which is distinct from institutional responsibility; and it is also a ludicrous trivialisation of the confrontation with evil. There is no doubt about Soyinka’s tigerishness and dazzling track record as a conscientious opposer of evil, but at 80 years of age it is probable that his claws are blunted and only an impotent rage is left. If a personality of his stature will not name names when it is socially redemptive to do so, then the society is in abysmal trouble.

Views from Thailand By Godswill Ihetu pany is to invest about $20 million and would start by planting its own land and expanding production through contract farming. The company would set up bio-diesel business units in three locations. Each unit would consist of a dumping yard, a crushing plant and a bio-diesel refiner and either a one-megawatt power plant or a gasifier. A gasifier is expected to require an investment of about $1.6 million, while a bio-diesel plant needs about $2.6 million. The bio-diesels would be sold to oil companies. Palm trees cultivation accounts for about three percent of all cultivated land in Thailand. As we all know, palm oil was a predominant export crop in the Eastern Region of Nigeria before the civil war. Nigeria was the world’s number one producer. The Thais are very serious about planting of trees. There is what is called the sugar palm tree. Very much like our own palm trees, they can grow quite tall but the leaves are different. Every part is useful - its leaves, trunk and particularly its fruit. Sugar is made from the sugar palm juice. Several household goods are made from sugar palm trees such as brooms, which are made from fibres. Wood from the trees is of high quality, durable and has a beautiful natural pattern. It is good for making furniture and other household items. However, the numbers of these trees have been declining. In one province, there were about 600,000 trees in 1995 but this declined to about 400,000 by 2003. By 2006 the provincial administration, local authorities and local people launched a project to plant one million sugar palm trees. Local people have been asked to take part in the project by planting only one tree each. More than 900,000 have now been planted and the remaining will be planted this year. Thaksin Shinawatra is a former Prime Minister ousted by the military a few years ago recently returned to Thailand. Since returning, he and his wife have been charged and granted bail on an abuse of power case relating to his wife’s purchase in 2003 of landed property valued at about $25 million. In another development, following the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) decision to press corruption charges against Bangkok Governor, the governor suspended himself from duty and handed over office to his deputy. He said that the job suspension would allow him time to answer the ASC’s allegations. The charges follow alleged irregularities in the award of procurement contract for 315 fire trucks and 30 boats valued at about $220 million which was approved in 2004. Although the Bangkok Governor elected to step aside, he is allowed to keep working until the case reaches the Supreme Court’s Criminal Section for Political Office Holders. Thefts of parts of electricity pylon or tower are common.

Thousands of kilograms of nuts and bolts anchoring pylons in place are stolen and sold as scrap metal. Those arrested face a maximum of 12 years in jail. Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at the Thailand Development Research Institution (TDRI), said that the pressing problem for Thailand is not poverty but the income gap. This, he says, is one of the worst in the world. He illustrates it with the number of people living under the poverty line, which is four percent of the population in the urban sector against 12% in the rural areas. He says the people should be worried about the inequality trend because this is the best “fodder” for unrest. Access to education is a major problem for low income families even if school is supposedly free. Only a small number of children are said to graduate from secondary school, not to mention university. A pension fund is a privilege for only a few. Many elderly people are mainly supported by their children working in factories and restaurants, who themselves are finding it hard to make ends meet. Medical education via tele-medical learning is gaining ground. Thai and Japanese medical students will now be able to study complicated medical procedures from leading professors of both countries, thanks to the tele-robotic surgery project developed by Japan. Makoto Hashizume of the Kyushu University’s Faculty of Medical Science said he planned to introduce tele-medical learning to other parts of the world to improve medical education. There are no fewer than 450 equities listed on the Thai Stock Exchange with average daily turnover for a recent week of $600 million. There are listings for Preference Shares and Warrants. Also listed are the Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX) and a Market for Alternative Investment. There is a Rubber futures market with daily rubber trading up to 120,000 kilograms. Current quoted price is about $2.82 per kilogram. As we may recall, rubber used to be one of Nigeria’s export crops before the oil boom of the 1970s. •Dr. Ihetu, former Managing Director of Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), is an Oil and Gas Consultant in Lagos.

‘Access to education is a major problem for low income families even if school is supposedly free. Only a small number of children are said to graduate from secondary school, not to mention university’

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

COMMENTS

HE newly promoted Assistant Inspector-General of police (AIG), Joseph Mbu seemed to have opened the Pandora’s box when last week, he made allusions to his tenure as Rivers State police commissioner. In a handover speech to the new commissioner of police for the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Wilson Inalegwu, he had sought to guide him with his own experiences so as to achieve better results. He spoke of the qualities which Inalegwu should embrace to make a success of his new assignment citing himself as the similitude of a lion who tamed the leopard. Hear him, “I advise you (CP) to carry the senior offices along in your administration. It is only a lion that can tame a leopard. I tamed the leopard in Port Harcourt; each time he remembers my face, he would remember how I tamed him”. Mbu’s statement had drawn a loud laughter from the audience as a clear affirmation that the subject of his allusion was clearly understood by those present. It was not in doubt that the allusion referred to Mbu’s controversial relationship with the Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi when he held sway as the police commissioner there. Expectedly, the Rivers State government has reacted to Mbu’s boasting. In a statement by the governor’s media aide, Amaechi scoffed Mbu’s claim to be a lion. “Indeed it is very sad, pathetic, however ironic that Mbu called himself a lion. Which lion? This character called Mbu Joseph Mbu completely lacks the courage, steel and strength of character of a lion”, the statement contended. It further asked: “how can a man who has no

‘Mbu definitely went beyond his mandate when he boasted he so tamed Amaechi that he should be frightened when he remembers his face. Such a statement mocks the police force which he represents and he should be made to retract it’

Emeka OMEIHE 08112662675 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Of lions and leopards strength of character to be a man and stand up to a woman, a man who willingly submits himself to serve as a puppet of a woman call himself a lion?” For them, Mbu epitomizes everything that is wrong with the Nigerian Police. Characteristically, the lion is renowned for its strength, power and ferocity. Its closest relatives are other species as the tiger, the jaguar and the leopard. Lions are capable of killing other predators such as leopards, cheetahs and hyenas. The lion is euphemistically referred to as the “king of the jungle”. The leopard on the other hand, owes its success in the wild in part, to its opportunistic hunting behaviour, ability to run at speeds approximating 58 kilometres per hour, unequalled ability to climb trees even when carrying heavy carcasses. It is an agile and notorious predator with dexterity for stealth. These characterizations have been brought in focus to aid understanding of the comparison which Mbu sought to draw when he referred to himself as a lion and Amaechi, the leopard. And since the two personages do not operate in the jungle as do the lion and the leopard, these character traits will help highlight the appropriateness or lack of it of the context in which the comparison was made. For one, neither Mbu nor Amaechi can be classified as a predator. They do not also operate in the wild. They are humans guided by rules of engagement. More so in a democratic setting that holds the rule of law very sacrosanct. So it is not to be expected that the comparison should be viewed from the prism of the atavism of the jungle. It is a metaphori-

N his article on Boko Haram and Stephen Davis on the back page of The Nation of September 11, Dapo Fafowora highlighted the shortcomings of the federal government in handling the insurgency. He pointed out that the central government appears confused and bewildered by the audacity of the insurgents. This submission is unauthenticated by conflicting reports making the rounds. What is certain is that some substantial patches of the north-eastern zone, especially some parts of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, are in the hands of insurgents. What is debatable in Fafowara’s piece is his apportioning blame. Despite recognising that ‘the insurgency is a direct consequence of persistently bad governance in the North, characterised by the long period of grinding poverty, lack of jobs, and rampant social injustice…’ sadly, he was swayed by the penchant to ‘demonise’ the North at the expense of the reality; which is that our national pride and our populace is being decimated. The longer this conflict goes on, the harder it will be to salvage this country from the precipice that decades of corruption and maladministration have pushed it to. Unfortunately, Fafowora appears to heap all these shortcomings on the North. In reality however, bad governance, poverty and unemployment are not the exclusive preserve of the North, they are all-pervasive. And the only redemption is a credible, caring and accountable leadership at all levels of governance. Much hope is being hinged on the 2015 elections but first, Nigeria and Nigerians have to survive up to 2015. The two major threats to this short term goal, and by extension to democratic governance, are the insurgency and the baseless, so-called American forecast that Nigeria would disintegrate by 2015. The most annoying aspect of the latter is the belief of some Nigerians that the prediction has to come true because some American day-dreamers had said so. Such people are working assiduously, by act of commission or omission, to realize such doomsday prophecy for Nigeria. There should be a conscious resolve to prove to all these insurgents and prophets of doom that they are a pack of liars and Nigeria shall grow in strength and grow into an exalted country among the comity of nations. But we cannot help but lament that if our leaders had listened and taken appropriate steps as proposed by various groups at the right time, we would have by now put this issue to rest. The embattled Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State drew the attention of the nation early enough to avert what we are in today, but the centre refused to listen. In fact he was threatened, maligned and humiliated. Now, the mewling little cub in the backyard has been allowed to grow into a formidable marauding monster that would spare

cal statement. However, the metaphor of the lion taming the leopard negates all that is embodied in the rules guiding the conduct of a democratic government. It at once, evokes the impression of arbitrariness, show of raw strength and brute force. Those are the images the comparison throws up. The lion can only tame the leopard by subduing it through brute force. It has nothing to do with fairness, justice or the strict application of the law. If that is what Mbu did while in Port Harcourt, then there is nothing to learn from him. It is a bad example of the pristine attributes of a modern police force Inalegwu should imbibe. He is entitled to his views no matter how absurd they may appear. He is also very free to deploy metaphors to drive his message home. But this is one allegory many will find difficult to swallow. For, it not only overrates the powers that should ordinarily be at the disposal of a state police commissioner, but casts him in the mould of a behemoth. If a state police commissioner can wield such powers that will enable him bully an elected chief executive of a state, then our democracy is greatly imperilled. This is more so when it is recognized that a police commissioner is only an integral part of the entire security architecture of a state. How do we then categorize the powers of the military commanding officer and other security outfits that don the states? If the issue is the deployment of superior force of power, then the military is in a bet-

ter stead to even tame the lion denoted by the outfit Mbu represents. That is the incongruity in such comparisons. But the issue is not just about force, power or the deployment of it. It is all about the subordination of all the coercive structures of the state to civil institutions and practices. It is this contradiction that reinforces the demand for state police. If Mbu was properly guided by this relationship, he would not have dabbled into ascribing such awesome powers to himself that have now given him away as one that handled his job in an unprofessional manner. The absurdity of the comparison is further underscored when it is realized that the powers of a police commissioner are highly circumscribed. Above him, are other senior police officers from whom he takes instructions. If he could tame a governor as he would make us to believe, then the president of this country could as well be at the mercy of the Inspector-General of Police. The situation would become more scaring when we thing of the awesome powers, temperament and disposition of the military. If the issue is all about the deployment of superior power, force and the coercive instruments of state, then we would have relapsed to the arbitrariness and despotism of military rule. Those were the years of the locust when very ambitious and adventurous soldiers took turn to sack democratically elected governments. But those days are gone for good as they have been consigned to the dust bin of history. The fad now is for the military and similar institutions to be subordinated to their statutory duties. Apparently, Mbu must have been lacking in the right choice of words to appropriately capture whatever challenges he faced in Port Harcourt to guide his successor. He was within his calling when he advised his successor to be firm and avoid soiling his name. He also raised an issue fundamental to the efficient running of the police institution when he advised against posting policemen to special duties at the detriment of their obligations to the public. Mbu definitely went beyond his mandate when he boasted he so tamed Amaechi that he should be frightened when he remembers his face. Such a statement mocks the police force which he represents and he should be made to retract it.

Nigeria in search of credible leadership By Hassan El-Badawy no one. It has now become clear that the insurgents are after territorial conquest as evidenced by their seizure of nine local governments, which cover at least one-third of Borno State, some parts of Adamawa and Yobe states, as of now. The recent deadly encounters in Konduga demonstrates that the insurgents are not only holding on to what they have, but have the ultimate objective of over-running Borno and Yobe, and possibly Adamawa as well. This must not happen. With nostalgia one reflects on how impossible such a scenario would have been under Obasanjo, for instance. I will explain why. In the ‘70s when I was a member of the Borno State Executive Council, there was an incident on a small fishing island on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad. For reasons best known to them, Chadian soldiers overran the little village and hoisted a Chadian flag. The information filtered into Maiduguri and the government alerted our security forces. Within 48 hours, the GOC of the Third Division routed the Chadian soldiers and re-hoisted the Nigerian flag. That is not all; within the same period of 48 hours, the then Head of State, General Obasanjo, in the company of the GOC and the Borno State Governor, flew into Ndjamena to meet President Malum of Chad to demand explanations. The Chadian leader was so rattled that he was visibly shaking like a rat facing a terrier. Since then, there hasn’t been any incursion into Nigerian territory by any force or government until now. Big chunks of our territory have been appropriated by insurgents who are hoisting flags and declaring the creation of new kingdoms. Our soldiers, who gallantly and successfully fought in many fronts in other parts of the world, are today being embarrassed in skirmishes in our backyard. We have had over 200 Chibok girls in captivity for the last 150 days! No one is certain of what is happening to them giving rise to speculations. Madam Due Process and now Mother of Chibok Girls (MCG), Dame Oby Ezekwesili has virtually shouted herself hoarse on this issue, but is anybody really listening? She too, like our troops, need to be encouraged, and reminded that one with God is majority. Her heroics, and those of our troops, should be lauded. There is a need to celebrate the heroes who have given their lives or shed their blood for this country and in this sense, names that have emerged, such as Lt. Col Adeboye Obasan-

jo, who was injured while leading troops to regain Michika, should be lauded alongside his team, who demonstrated courage under fire. This kind of pride for one’s country and readiness to die for it made the famous World War II British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, declare; ‘We shall fight on the land, we shall fight on the sea, we shall fight in the air! We shall never surrender.’ When confronted with logistics problems during the civil war, General Yakubu Gowon declared: “It is not the guns that fight wars, but the men behind the guns?” Such motivation for the troops is as vital as the weapons they take into war and for them to withstand intense enemy fire, they have to learn and be encouraged to believe the age-old military dictum that says dolce et decorum a votre pays moris – meaning ‘it is sweet to die for one’s country.’ The leadership of the military needs to find ways of making our fighting forces internalise such beliefs. Whatever needs to be done to fully motivate our troops and take care of them should not be compromised because no battle, let alone a war, is won with disgruntled and mutinous soldiery. Field commanders have to cultivate the confidence of their units and be able to confidently say to their men, ‘I will be proud to lead you guys to battle, anytime, anywhere!’ •Hon. Badawy, OFR, mni represents Bade/Jakusko constituency in the House of Representatives

‘Whatever needs to be done to fully motivate our troops and take care of them should not be compromised because no battle, let alone a war, is won with disgruntled and mutinous soldiery. Field commanders have to cultivate the confidence of their units and be able to confidently say to their men, ‘I will be proud to lead you guys to battle, anytime, anywhere!’

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

CEO

JOBS

‘Access to agric loan vital to achieving food security’ - P. 37

Jobs in a china shop

- P. 35

News Briefing NAMA mulls concession for hangar WORRIED by the huge funds spent in the calibration of navigational facilities yearly, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), is considering the concessioning of its Navigation Flight Calibration Unit (NAFIS), investigations reveal. –Page 26

Govt urged to raise farmers’ income THE government has been urged to focus on increasing farmers’ income and encouraging scientists to apply the result of their research in the field to help raise farmers’ productivity. –Page 26

Race for capital by banks hots up THE recent adjustment of the modalities for computing banks’ regulatory capital by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will bring about increased capitalraising for financial institutions.

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

N133.5b pension gap unsettles NNPC T HE Federal Government’s hammer may soon come down hard on the board and management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over their shoddy handling of its N133.56 billion pension liabilities. The Nation gathered that the industrial action embarked upon last week by petroleum industry workers caught the government unawares. The issue of NNPC’s pension liability, it was learnt, had been a recurring decimal in the last 14 years. At the peak of the privatisation during the Obasanjo government, The Nation learnt that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had raised serious concerns over NNPC’s pension gap. To solve this problem, a source in the Presidency disclosed that “during the early

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor), Abuja

years of privatisation, there was a meeting between NNPC and BPE where the issue of pension gap was discussed and it was agreed that some non-core assets should be sold”. The source, who is conversant with the issue, said: “Stallion House, Lagos and other non-core assets were sold to fund NNPC’s Pension deficit, yet nothing was done to fund the pension gap.” The source said the management of NNPC was warned then of the looming danger in not funding the pension assets of its workers. But NNPC officials gave the excuse that the corporation’s remittances to state coffers handicapped it from funding the pension gap. The Presidency official disclosed that a memo detailing

the genesis and the actions taken in the past to address NNPC’s massive pension gap had been forwarded to President Goodluck Jonathan. The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has revoked the licence granted to the NNPC Pension Fund over failure to meet its requirements. The letter conveying the revocation notice by PENCOM dated September 8, this year, addressed to the Group Managing Director, NNPC, and signed by the Acting Director-General, PENCOM, Chinelo AnohuAmazu, said the commission had come to the conclusion over the unwillingness of NNPC to comply with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 and the conditions attached to the approval granted it to continue with the scheme. In 2006, PENCOM gave

temporary nod for NNPC Pension Fund to operate as a Close Pension Fund Administrator (CPFA), pending compliance of guidelines by the commission and the provision of the PRA. But of the five provisions, NNPC could not meet any. PENCOM reminded NNPC that Section 50 (1) (g) of the PRA, 2014 and clause b) (i) of the approval conditions provides that the scheme should be funded and that any shortfall should be made up within 90 days. The letter said: “NNPC has breached this condition considering that the scheme has remained in deficit since inception in 2006. NNPC made an undertaking to transfer additional assets to address the deficit. Despite several commitments, NNPC has failed to provide the additional assets.”

The PENCOM letter stated that “as at December 31, 2012, the deficit in the scheme was N133.56 billion (inclusive of the N182.26 billion receivable from NNPC). The commission is concerned that eight years after the grant of approval to continue with the existing scheme, NNPC has failed to honour its promises to fund the deficit despite several commitments.” The PENCOM letter also stated: “Clause b) (ii) of the approval conditions provides that the funds and assets of the scheme shall be passed to licensed Pension Fund Administrator(s) of NNPC’s choice for management. But NNPC is in violation of this condition and section of the PRA 2014 by failing to transfer all funds and assets to licensed Pension Fund Administrators for management...’’

–Page 33

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil Cocoa

-$117.4/barrel -$2,686.35/metric ton

Coffee

- ¢132.70/pound

Cotton

- ¢95.17pound

Gold

-$1,396.9/troy

Sugar

-$163/lb RATES

Inflation

-8.2%

Treasury

Bills

10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending

-15.87%

Savings rate

-3%

91-day NTB

-15%

Time Deposit

-5.49%

MPR

-12%

Foreign Reserve

$39.6b

FOREX CFA

-0.2958

EUR

-206.9

-242.1

-156

-1.9179

SDR

-238

RIYAL

-40.472

• From left: Head of Technical, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Carl Aquino; Head, Customer Service (IBEDC), Mrs. Temitope Raji, Darlington and Leynes at the FirstAnniversary press conference of IBEDC at Agodi GRA, Ibadan.

IBEDC secures $160m to finance operations

HE Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has secured a $160miilion facility to finance its capital and operational expenditures, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fortunato Leynes, has said. Leynes, who spoke in Ibadan over the weekend, said the requirement for the drawdown of the loan, were being finalised, adding that the funds would be accessed once the processes are accomplished. He said the money would be distributed between IBEDC and Yola Electricity Distribu-

• Assures of improved power supply By Simeon Ebulu

tion Companies that were acquired by the same set of investors. The Deputy Managing Director, John Darlington, said though much resources would be required to drive the power sector, sourcing the finances, would not be a challenge. “There’s capital, there’s money and the resources are available,” he said, and that there‘s need to impress on those running the power sector to make

the industry viable. He said the same way that banks supported the telecoms industry because of its viability, the same way they would support the power sector because of its viability. “But the truth is, if our industry which is just evolving is not viable, nobody will put money in it. He said the challenge before the operators, was to make the industry viable so that investors would be enticed to invest in it.

Leynes said the company had placed orders for 24,000 meters that were awaiting delivery. He said once the company took possession, the metres would be made available to consumers, adding that the measure was taken to address consumers’ complaints of the cost of meters and the need to prevent tampering with features of existing ones. He said IBEDC had started buying electricity distribution materials, such as trans-

formers, poles and conductors that would improve its distribution capacity. “We are also buying metres so that our customers will be appropriately metered,” he noted. He added: “Right now, we have this metre application, which could be got through Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI) scheme in which customers would make initial deposit and the company would refund the deposit over a period of 36 months with corresponding interest and within 45 days.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

BUSINESS NEWS Glo’s subscriber base hits 27.3m

• From left: Showroom Manager, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ali Khrais; Managing Director, LG Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Deog Jun Kim; Country Sales Manager, First Choice Mobile Communication, Mr. Christian Elega; and General Manager, Mobile Communication division, LG Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Steve Seungeui Lee, during the launch of LG G3 Smartphone in Lagos. PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

NAMA mulls concession to revive aircraft calibration hangar W ORRIED by the huge funds spent in the calibration of navigational facilities yearly, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is considering the concessioning of its Navigation Flight Calibration Unit (NAFIS), investigations reveal. Part of the move to concession the aircraft flight calibration unit, a source hinted, is to reduce the burden on the airspace agency of the huge sums spent for the flight checking of its air navigation facilities to ensure their efficiency and reliability. In the new move, NAMA is considering the lease purchase of a new calibration aircraft which would put to rest the inconvenience associated with the use of the troubled Hawker Siddley 125 aircraft used for flight checking of navigation equipment.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Confirming this development, the Managing Director of NAMA, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, hinted that the agency will pursue the process of documenting the concession by filing relevant documents to the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission ( ICRC). The ICRC is the statutory agency of government saddled with the task of regulating the concession of public agencies. Abdulsalam hinted that the option of concession of the aircraft repair facility is the best option to keep the facility in functional state.

He said the process of achieving documentation and processing of the concession arrangement may take up to two years to ensure that the firm that wins the concession has met all the requirements. He said if the agency is in a hurry to package any concession of the facility, some aggrieved parties may pick holes in the process. He said there are plans to get a reputable firm to manage the facility and remit returns to the airspace agency. In the decision to lease an aircraft for the calibration of navigational facilities, Abdulsakam said it is economical when compared with the huge cost required to buy new engines for the faulty HS 125 aircraft parked at the NAFIS hangar at the domestic wing of the Lagos Airport.

Govt urged to raise farmers’ income

HE government has been urged to focus on increasing farmers’ income and encouraging scientists to apply the result of their research in the field to help raise farmers’ productivity. The Deputy Director-General, Administration, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr Ademola Adeyemo said there was a need to reduce food importation and that scientists should help the government to accomplish this task.

• May lease aircraft

He said: “The calibration aircraft has been lying fallow for over five years at the hangar. What is required to put it in track may not make economic sense. It requires new engines and other vital components. It may as well pay off to just buy a brand new aircraft, which could be cheaper. “The option to make it cheap is to explore the lease option. That way, the payment will stretch over a long time. We are also looking at how to put the hangar to the best and most economic use. We are looking at the option of concession, that way, the place could run efficiently. . “We are looking for competent firms that could handle that. But we have to go through due process by ensuring that the ICRC go through the whole process of documentation. That is where we are now on the facility.”

By Daniel Essiet

While the farmers have the capacity to produce food to feed the nation, he said this would not be possible if enough income is not generated for farmers. Adeyemo emphasised the need to take scientific technologies to the farm to boost farm production and meet growing food demand. Stating that agriculture has the potential to create millions of jobs in rural areas, he suggested a number of measures in this re-

gard, one of which is the need for government to adopt an enabling policy environment. He also said there is need to adopt modern technology and boost supply chain efficiency to address food inflation, encourage investment-led growth and ensure food security. He urged the government to ensure that its policy on agricultural focus on substantially improving agric infrastructure. Also, agric policies, he said, should encourage research and

development, encourage high value agriculture along with an enabling regulatory mechanism and also ensure food security for the nation. Policies should also focus on substantially enhancing competitiveness in agri-business. He suggested facilitating further investments in agriculture, including storage, logistics and distribution. He called on the government to strengthen farming systems and make them less vulnerable to avoidable challenges.

Group advocates non-cash ATM transactions

HE Committee of E-Banking Industry Heads (CeBIH) has called on the public to use the ATM for non-cash transactions. Its Chairman, Mr. Tunde Kuponiyi, made the call at a press conference in Lagos. “It is also pertinent to educate members of the public that the cards being issued by the banks are not only meant for ATM cash withdrawal but are activated for a wide range of services on ATM and other alternative channels. Such services include bills payment (DSTV, PHCN and others), Intra & Inter-bank transfers, airtime purchase, donations, embassy payments, dealer payments, utility bills and school fees, among others,” he said. Kuponi, who is also and Head of eBanking, Ecobank Nigeria, said most bank customers have been using the ATMs only for cash withdrawals, leading to sharp increase in cash withdrawals through ATMs. This huge increase, he noted, followed the removal of the N100 charge for interbank ATM transactions. This, he noted, negates the objective of the cashless policy, hence the decision to

By Alvin Afadama

introduce the N65 charges on interbank ATM cash withdrawals. He explained: “Immediately after the removal of the charges in December 2012, the banking industry witnessed a surge in the volume and value of ATM cash withdrawal transactions and this increase was traced to remote-on-us transactions. For instance, industry statistics show that inter-bank cash withdrawals rose from 33.4 million transactions with a

value of N91b in January 2013 to 66.8 million transactions with a value of N168billion in December 2013. During this period, it was discovered that members of the public engaged in uncontrolled use of their debit cards on other bank ATMs such that customers engaged in as many as 160 transactions in a month. “The removal of the transaction charges encouraged access to cash and reduced the rate of adoption of alternate payment channels such as the POS, online payments,

internet banking, mobile money applications, electronic money transfers etc. This behavioral pattern clearly negates the aims and objectives of the Central Bank of Nigeria in introducing the cashless policy which has been introduced in all the states.” In addressing the negative impacts of the removal of the charges, the CBN in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the industry reviewed the impacts of the removal and reintroduced the ATM withdrawal fee.

Price of rice soars as Yuletide approaches

HE price of rice has gone up astronomically, following the fast approaching Eid l Kabir festival, investigation has revealed. It was gathered that duty on rice across the West Coast of Africa still remains at 10 per cent. When The Nation visited some markets in Lagos, last week, a 50kg bag of Mama Gold, Royal Umbrella, Carp Rice, Tomato, Royal Stallion, Oriba, Indian parboiled, Special Rice, and Royal Crown sold for between N9,500 and N12, 000, depending on the mar-

By Oluwakemi Dauda

ket and the brand. The markets include Daleko, Oshodi, Agege, Iyana-Ipaja, Igando, Iyana-Iba, Sura at Adeniji and Alaba Rago market. Most of the marketers who spoke with The Nation said the fast-approaching Muslim festival has serious implications for Muslims and other Nigerians whose major food is rice. A trader at Daleko Market, Mrs Medinah Abiodun blamed the government for

the increase in the coast of rice. Before the increase on the import duty last year, Mrs Abiodun said a 50kg bag of rice sold for between N7, 200 and N8,000. “As part of Federal Government’s effort to encourage local production and investment in rice value chain through backward integration and the quest to discourage smuggling of rice, President Goodluck Jonathan approved the 2014-2017 Fiscal Policy Measure on Rice with effect from May 26, this year.”

By Lucas Ajanaku

HE telecoms industry has become more competitive as operators jostle to outplay rivals by winning more customers and enlarging their subscriber base. National carrier, Globacom, has stepped up its game by overtaking Airtel as the second largest mobile service provider, a position the latter occupied previously. Glo added 2.8million new subscribers in just four months between February and June this year, upping its subscriber base to 27,327,646 and translating to 21 per cent share of the telecoms market to place second behind MTN, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) said in its figures for the second quarter. Airtel, which briefly occupied the second position early this year, falls to the third place with 25,302,160 subscribers and 20 per cent market share. Etisalat retains the fourth position with 19,390,285 customers which represents 15 per cent share of the market. While Glo and Etisalat made gains between the last time NCC released subscriber figures in February, and now, MTN and Airtel recorded losses. The figures for the operators as at the end of February were 57,183,745 for MTN, 26,194,336 for Airtel, 24,490,650 for Glo and 18,119,397 for Etisalat. In effect, between end of February and June end, Glo added 2,836,996 new subscribers to its network, while Etisalat recorded 1,270,888 new customers. On the other hand, MTN lost 666,986 subscribers, while Airtel also lost 892,176 customers, the highest loss within the period. Glo also retained its position as the network with the second largest internet subscription in the country with 14.3million active subscriptions. MTN is in the first place with 34m, while Airtel and Etislat have 12million and 6.8million active internet subscriptions respectively. Industry sources believe that the massive network upgrade recently embarked upon by Glo and its bouquet of new service offerings may have given it the edge over other operators.

Firm introduces rugs

UCKY Fibres, makers of Nobel Carpets & Rugs, has intro duced a new premium range of centre rugs known as AAFREEN into the market. The General Manager, Lucky Fibres, Kunal Malhotra, said AAFREEN is rich in texture and is produced in unique, trendy, modern and vibrant colours to meet the growing demands of consumers in every socio economic class. According to him, “As the leading manufacturer of rugs and carpets in Nigeria, the introduction of AAFREEN becomes imperative in order to meet the growing needs and changing tastes of consumers. We have produced this as a valuable addition to the range of centre rugs that already exist in the market. We will continually ensure each of our rug designs remain a beautiful and unique artwork, a matchless piece of craftsmanship. Further guaranteeing to provide consumers a beautiful and rich experience they have always clamoured for in a ruG.” The rugs are in four sizes - 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 6x9 - to suit various areas of home - bedroom, or sitting area. They can be used for both residences and commercial properties. Lucky Fibres is the foremost manufacturer of carpets and rugs. It offers consumers a wide variety of quality carpets ranging from the conventional wall to wall carpets to centre rugs available in many various designs and colours.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 , 2014

BUSINESS NEWS Mansard, Microsoft partner on Nokia Lumia 930

ANSARD Insurance Plc has partnered leading technology brands in the world, Microsoft to deliver to outstanding experience with the new Nokia Lumia 930 The Nokia Lumia 930 was introduced to the Nigerian market at a media launch in Lagos. Speaking at the event, Mansard’s Director, Retail Business, Mr. Yomi Onifade said the partnership with Microsoft on the Nokia Lumia 930 is one the risk-bearing firm is proud of as it is the coming together of two forward thinking and innovative companies, aimed at delivering an experience that is the first of its kind to the customers. Mr. Onifade said every new Lumia 930 comes with free insurance which covers two screen damages and one liquid damage. The insurance is in place for a period of one year and everyone one that purchases the new device from any of the authorised outlets in Nigeria is automatically covered. He further said buyers should be

on the lookout for the Mansard Insurance sticker on the device. On how to make a claim in the event it is arises, he stated that all that has to be done is for the phone owner to report at any Nokia Care outlet or authorised point, adding that the phone would be examined to know if its is still under warranty. He said if it is, the Nokia team will send the customers information to Mansard while the phone will be repaired and Mansard will pay Nokia Care for the repair. Managing Director, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services, West and Central Africa, Mr. Nick Imudia, said: “The Lumia 930 is beautifully designed and a testament to our design heritage. “Its premium metal edges are sand blasted and precision machined to finely crafted details; to produce a strong, slim and striking smartphone that’s just simply beautiful to look at, with the best of Microsoft built in.”

OECD sees global economy held back by slow eurozone

ONFLICT in the Ukraine is among the factors holding back global growth, A slow recovery among nations using the euro is holding back the global economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said. The market economy group downgraded its growth forecast for most big economies. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and the referendum on an independent Scotland are areas of risk and uncertainty, it said. Its 2014 estimate is a 0.8per

cent increase in the eurozone economy for 2014, compared with a forecast of 1.2 per cent made in May. The UK’s forecast was cut by 0.1 percentage points to 3.1 per cent. US economic expansion for the year was cut to 2.1per cent from 2.6per cent. Japan’s forecast was cut to 0.9per cent from 1.2per cent. The OECD did not provide an update to its forecast for global growth for 2014, which it forecast at 3.4per cent in May. “Continued slow growth in the euro area is the most worrying feature of the projections,” the OECD

said. Among countries which are not OECD members, China’s forecast was unchanged at 7.4per cent. The OECD said China “has so far managed to achieve an orderly growth slowdown to more sustainable rates”. India was the only economy to be judged by the organisation as likely to grow quicker, with its forecast upgraded to 5.7per cent from 4.9per cent after voting in a new government that said it would pursue growth-oriented reforms and progress in containing inflation.

200 register as Glo Xchange agents in Abeokuta

VER 200 Nigerians at the weekend thronged the Town Hall meeting and training organised for prospective sales agents for Nigeria’s first super mobile money network, the Glo Xchange at the Spices Event Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Addressing participants, Globacom’s Mobile Money Expert, Mr. Tim Mukata, described the Glo Xchange agentship as a veritable avenue for business minded Nigerians to make money on every transaction without losing their initial deposits. “Being a Glo Xchange agent is a win-win situation for agents as the floating capital remains the same at any point in time. The agents will get commissions on every transaction, attract clients to purchase other merchandising items in their shops and carry out transfer of money anytime of the day, seven days a week. It is very safe and easy and I implore Nigerians from all parts of the country to join the train,” Mr. Mukata said. He informed the participants that a Glo Xchange agent can make up to a monthly profit of fifty thousand naira initially and increase it as more people transfer money through the platform. He said the agent can graduate to the level of recruiting agents, sub dealers and dealers. Mr Mukata who said Globacom was facilitating the network in partnership with Ecobank, Stanbic IBTC, Firstmonie and Zenith Bank, noted

that the Glo Xchange network would form the foundation for agency banking in Nigeria in the nearest future. Since Glo Xchange was launched three weeks ago, thousands of Nigerians have registered as agents of the country’s first super mobile money agent network. Commenting on the training, the representative of the Ogun State League of Cooperative Thrift and Credit Societies which has over one hundred thousand branches, Mr. Kunle Akingbogun commended the initiative and urged Globacom to extend the partnership to Skye Bank for their members to benefit from the scheme. In a related development, a prospective sales agent Prince Jaiye Adeleke who recently retired from Union Bank said the agentship would be a continuation of his relationship with people in the last thirty years of his banking experience. He praised the Management of Globacom for always coming up with innovative products and services, describing the Glo Xchange platform as a means of empowering people and combating the unemployment scourge in the country. He said he had always been a Globacom customer and would always be a Glo subscriber.

IFC delivers support for private sector

FC, a member of the World Bank Group, have provided billions of dollars of new financing and investment mobilisation and delivered wide-ranging advisory services in sub-Saharan Africa during its most recent fiscal year. IFC’s activities impacted 1.1 million farmers, provided $17 billion of financing to entrepreneurs, delivered health services to a million patients and improved quality of education for 117,000 students. In coordination with other World Bank Group institutions, IFC’s work in sub Saharan Africa supported agriculture and power, job creation, health, education and capital markets. IFC made new investments in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa during its 2014 fiscal year, totaling $4.6 billion. In partnership with MIGA, IFC mobilised an additional $343 million of financing for the private sector. IFC provided more than $4.0 million in new investments in the continent’s lowest income econo-

mies. New IFC commitments provide $800 million to countries affected by recent conflicts, including Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali. Drawing on support from the World Bank Group, African governments enacted over 70 reforms to improve business regulation. Examples of t The impact of these reforms includes private sector cost savings of $25.5m in Ethiopia, thanks to more efficient imports and exports clearing procedures, an additional $106million in investment by new businesses in Rwanda generating 29 000 jobs, and levelled taxation between men and women in Cote d’Ivoire. The World Bank Group also supported the modernisation of the Uniform Act on Companies, which led to more than 20 reforms of the investment climate among the 17 member- countries of the Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA).

• From left: CEO Asseco Nigeria & West African Representative, Simon Melchior, representative of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mrs. Emilomo Ogunboye, Managing Director of Asseco Nigeria, Adefolu Majekodunmi, and Communications Manager, Akinwande Oluwatobi after a press conference on solutions to the power sector in PHOTO: LUCAS AJANAKU Lagos.

Workers urge CBN to sanction banks over ‘fraud’

HE Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) to probe the activities of four banks (nams withheld) for allegedly mismanaging its accounts. Its President- General, Bede Opara, said two of the banks are first generation banks, while the other two are second generation. Opara said the development became necessary, following fraudulent transactions discovered in the accounts of the union. He said some senior officials of the association, had in 2003 opened account in their names in one of the banks, instead of the union’s name to warehouse the two per cent deduction from the

By Akinola Ajibade

severance package of the workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). He said the development made the union to suspend the affected workers, adding that the association was later informed of the incident through a letter from the bank. He said: ‘’Immediately we received the letter, the secretary-general of the union and I went to the bank to open another account to negate the one opened by the suspended worker. The National Executive Council (NEC) at its meeting on February 21, this year constituted an AdHoc Disciplinary Committee to

probe allegation of financial misconducts of the workers. But before the committee could take off, the workers have gone to court to stop the investigation and further prevent the banks from cancelling the transaction.” He said the National Industrial Court sitting in Lagos had on July 9, this year dismissed the suit filed by the aggrieved members. Opara said the banks, in spite of the ruling, have neither effected changes on the accounts or honour transactions made by the association. According to him, the development informed the union’s decision to call on CBN to investigate the banks and sanction those that are culpable of the offence.

•Facilitator, Christopher Ope (2nd left sitting) and Jude Ndu (right sitting), Manager Training, BusinessDay and others at a workshop on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for business and finance journalists in Ikeja, Lagos.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Alibaba shares surge in NY stock market debut

LIBABA’s shares opened significantly above their initial price on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday, a sign of the excitement surrounding the Chinese internet giant. Shares in the company made their debut in the US at $92.70 (£57), after being priced at $68 late on Thursday. More than 100 million shares were traded in the minutes after the stock was launched more than Twitter. Earlier in the morning, founder and chairman Jack Ma rang the opening bell. The NYSE was festooned with the orange and white logos of the company to herald its arrival on public markets. The company raised nearly $21.8billion in

GlaxoSmithKline fined $490m for bribery

its share sale, indicating strong investor appetite for China’s e-commerce giant. In opening at $92.70 per share, Alibaba is now valued at $227billion - making it significantly larger than Amazon and Facebook. US, Chinese and Alibaba flags outside NYSE Investors are eager to get a piece of China’s e-commerce market, which is expected to grow significantly If Alibaba’s bankers decide to take up an option in which they can purchase 48 million shares themselves, then Alibaba’s launch will have raised nearly $25billion breaking the previous $22.1billion record set by China’s Agricultural Bank in 2010. Alibaba operates a series of online marketplaces in China and elsewhere, handling

more transactions than Amazon and eBay combined. Alibaba’s share sale is being viewed as a way to invest in e-commerce growth in China. Already, the country is home to the largest population of internet users on the planet - and most estimates say that only half of China’s 1.3 billion residents have signed online. That is why investors have been angling for some time to get a piece of Alibaba - long the market leader in e-commerce in China. However, investors are not buying shares directly in Alibaba’s companies operating in China, but rather in a holding company in Cayman Islands which has a profits contract with

Alibaba. That has made some wary, and it is one reason why Alibaba did not list on Hong Kong’s stock exchange. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd founder Jack Ma (2nd L) poses as he arrives at the New York Stock Exchange for his company”s initial public offering (IPO) under the ticker “BABA” in New York at the weekend. Like other giant technology share sales of late, Alibaba’s is expected to mint several new millionaires Either way, the sale is expected to make millionaires out of a large number of the company’s managers, software engineers and other staff. Alibaba’s single largest shareholder is Japan’s Softbank, which holds a 32 per cent stake.

HINA has fined United Kingdom pharmaceuticals firm GlaxoSmithKline $490milion (£297million) after a court found it guilty of bribery. The record penalty follows allegations the drug giant paid out bribes to doctors and hospitals to have their products promoted. The court gave GSK’s former head of Chinese operations, Mark Reilly, a suspended three-year prison sentence and he is set to be deported. Other GSK executives have also been given suspended jail sentences. The guilty verdict was delivered after a oneday trial at a court in Changsha, according to the Xinhua news agency. Chinese authorities first announced they were investigating GSK in July last year, in what has become the biggest corruption scandal to hit a foreign firm in years. The company was accused of having made an estimated $150million in illegal profits GSK said it had “published a statement of apology to the Chinese government and its people”. “Reaching a conclusion in the investigation of our Chinese business is important, but this has been a deeply disappointing matter for GSK,” said chief executive Sir Andrew Witty in a statement. “We have and will continue to learn from this. GSK has been in China for close to a hundred years and we remain fully committed to the country and its people,” he said. “We will also continue to invest directly in the country to support the government’s health care reform agenda and long-term plans for economic growth.” Mick Cooper, analyst at Edison Investment Research in London, said: “GlaxoSmithKline will hope that this will draw a line under events in China, but it will take time for its Chinese commercial operations to recover.”

Microsoft cuts 2,100 jobs

ICROSOFT has confirmed another 2,100 redundancies as part of a plan to cut 18,000 jobs, 14 per cent of its workforce. The software giant said 747 jobs will go in the Seattle area, with the rest spread across its global operations. Microsoft had already cut 13,000 jobs, with the bulk at the Nokia phone division bought by the US company. In July, chief executive Satya Nadella announced radical plans to move Microsoft away from software to online services, apps and devices. Microsoft, which has about 127,000 people on its payroll, will take a charge of between $1.1billion (£672million) and $1.6bn for costs related to the cuts. Microsoft said in a statement that the latest cuts “are spread across many different business units, and many different countries”. In an email to staff in July, Mr Nadella said the “difficult but necessary”cuts are part of a plan to bring a new direction to the technology firm. “The first step to building the right organisation for our ambitions is to realign our workforce,” he said. Microsoft completed its takeover of Nokia’s phone division in April in a move that strengthened its position in mobile devices. The cost was around $7.5billion.

•Etihad Airways’ Head of Social Media, Elizabeth Selby (2nd left), and Senior Manager Social Media, Marvin Burton (centre), receiving the Best Emerging Airline on Social MediaAward from SimpliFlying’s CEO, Shashank Nigam (1st left), at the SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media.

1,000 Emiratis join Etihad new revenue centre

TIHAD Airways has announced plans to establish a dedicated Revenue Accounting Centre of Excellencein Al Ain, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and create job opportunities for more than 1,000 Emiratis over the next three years. The centre will be a global leader in revenue accounting, offeringa range of competitively priced servicesthat will bring cost savings and operational efficiencies to airlines, including Etihad Airways. It will also create long-term economic value for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. More than 500 Emiratis will be hired during the project’s first year of operation. Total employee numbers are forecast to exceed 800 by the end of 2016, and more than 1,000 by the end of 2017, depending on the level of demand from participating airlines around the world. In addition to serving Etihad Airways, the centre will be equally available to a number of its network partners and other airlines around the world. Customers will be provided withaccess to global best practices, proven techniques and the latest airline developments in order to optimise results, redirect valuable internal resources, and focus their best people on core business.

President/Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, James Hogan, said: “Revenue accounting is an expensive and time consuming aspect of the global airline business. However, through the establishment of a worldclass centre of excellence, Etihad Airways and other airlines can achieveboth financial and operational success. A range of outsourced support services will be offered by the centre, with a focus on optimising processes and platforms to boost efficiency, and combining back office functions to attain economies of scale. “This project is also aligned with a longterm commitment to grow our Emirati workforce. It isEtihad Airways’most ambitious Emiratisation project to date and follows the success of existing programs for cadet pilots, engineers and graduate managers, together with our Al Ain Contact Centre. By the end of 2017, the newcentreof excellence will provide opportunities for more than 1,000 Emiratis to progress their careers in revenue accounting and other areas of finance, or move into other areas of the airline business and develop into future industry experts.” Almost 100 Emiratis have already been hired as part of the ambitious project, following a successful recruitment campaign in Al Ain,

held in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council (ADTC). To continue the momentum, a nationwide newspaper campaign to promote recruitment opportunities will soon commence in leading publications across the UAE. The first group of employees has also received globally recognised certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as part of a comprehensive six-week training program. They will join the Revenue Accounting Centre of Excellence from October 1,working to integratewith the major functions of each airline, such as revenue management, network planning, alliances, commercial strategy, financial accounting, and reporting. The centre will initially be based at the Al Ain campus of Abu Dhabi University (ADU), in proximity to Etihad Airways’ award-winning contact centre, the first phase of which is staffed and managed by a team of 170 UAE national women, while a second phase opened last month with an additional 70 agents providing bilingual Arabic and English assistance. A permanent base is being finalised in Al Ain to support the project’s long-term development.

Phase3 Telecom upgrades Adam Smith’s’ communications facility

HASE3 Telecom, West Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecommunications services provider, has upgraded communications solutions offering to Adam Smith West Africa operations,which includes high-speed internet protocol (IP) and other telecommunications services to connect their several operations. This enhanced agreement expands the scope of the relationship between the firms as Phase3 continues to serve as Adam Smith’s telecommunications services provider in the sub-region. Adam Smith as a premier professional services company will take greater advantage of Phase3’s robust infrastructure, network capacity, resilient service and coverage to enhance communications on projects that support economic growth and government reform in the region. With the services provided by Phase3, Adam Smith West Africa Operations will

rely on Phase3’s capacity to interconnect its operations with their other sites over a dedicated link as Phase3 offers its services in several locations in the country. Speaking on the development, Phase3 Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Jegede: “We are honoured to be the choice brand for Adam Smith West Africa Operations, to provide IP and telecommunications services for their several offices; we will continue to ensure they enjoy quality of service and exceptional customer experience. Phase3 is committed to ensuring dedicated network reach and the delivery of winning solutions and performances that will boost Adam Smith’s and Phase3’s huge client base business objectives and goals in the region.” Phase3 is uncompromising in its aim of ensuring existent and potential clients across West Africa, leverage the investments it has made in its aerial fibre network to make them more successful in their business operations.

Jegede

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

ISSUES

•Experts

The unbriddled influx of expatriate workers into the country is increasingly becoming worrisome. While it deprives qualified Nigerians opportunities to be gainfully employed, it also promotes capital flight. TOBA AGBOOLA reports that all stakeholders must close rank and address the issue.

Tackling expatriate quota abuse menace

HE Federal Government, in an effort to ensure that the country keeps pace with the growing global competition in technology and economic development, had made provision for companies to hire expatriates to undertake jobs and responsibilities in areas where Nigerians lack the requisite skills and capacities, while making sure that Nigerians take up jobs they have competencies in. However, foreign companies have taken advantage of the weak policing and monitoring of this policy to bring as many of their nationals as possible under the guise that they will do the jobs Nigerians lack capacity. The issue of expatriate quota abuse has become a major challenge to the government over the years. Some of the foreigners are alleged to have come into the country illegally having not gone through immigration processes. With this problem, experts have said Federal Government’s effort to tackle unemployment may not yield the expected result if a major step is not taken to stop the abuse. Jobs and career experts said although there is advantage in allowing expatriates to handle some jobs in Nigeria but the undue abuse of that practice is now taking a toll on job seekers. According to them, foreigners now remain the preferred applicants in the labour market, with many of them now successfully claiming jobs that skilled and unskilled Nigerians should be doing. They pointed out that expatriate quota abuse is most noticeable in the manufacturing, oil and gas, and other sectors.

They lamented that it has crept into other sectors of the nation’s economy, thereby compounding her unemployment woes. Some of the foreigners take advantage of Nigeria’s porous borders to make their way into the country, while others use official entry points under the guise of being expatriates with skills not available in Nigeria. The 1963 enabling Act of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) made provision for the employment of foreigners in areas where Nigerians are lacking the required skills. The NIS is empowered to issue business permit and expatriate quota and to monitor the quota granted in order to ensure effective transfer of technology to Ni-

‘

We call on the necessary organs of government to review the process of granting expatriate permit through proper synchronisation as well as ensuring that expatriate quota are not abused.

’

gerians and eventually indigenise the position occupied by the expatriates. But since 1963 when the law was made, there has been no monitoring and there has been no technology transferred to Nigeria in whatever form. In fact, the law has been abused as foreigners can now be seen at construction sites, factories, auto-sale outlets, telecommunications and maritime companies doing semi-skilled and even menial jobs that should have been reserved for Nigerians in order to reduce unemployment in the country. Asians are more in this category of foreigners with questionable entry into the country and abuse of the expatriate quota regime. Many of them can be found in sales outlets as attendants. Decrying expatriate quota abuse and blaming it largely for the unemployment crisis ravaging the country, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said it is concerned about the influx of foreigners and the unemployment challenges it produces. Its Director-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said the abuse is worse in the state where foreign workers have taken over jobs Nigerians have adequate competencies to do. He said the government needed to check the trend because many of the expatriates lacked the requisite qualifications to work in the country, adding it was even worse the foreign workers get higher wages. The LCCI boss lamented that government efforts at creating jobs would be in • Continued on page 30

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

ISSUES

•Wogu

•Yusuf

•Asugwuni

•Oshinowo

•President, PENGASSAN, Comrade Franscis Johnson

Tackling expatriate quota abuse menace •Continued from page 29

vain if the trend is allowed to continue unchecked. President, National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) Comrade Amechi Asugwuni, said many foreigners, especially Asians and Chinese are in the country under the guise of being experts on the jobs that can be performed by Nigerians, which is against the Nigerian Content Development (NCD) Act. He said the implementation of the quota is not in tandem with the Nigerian Content Development Act, which states that Nigerians should be considered first in any employment before foreigners or expatriates. He said the union on several occasions, had urged the NIS and the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to establsih that there is actually the need for expatriates in any company before granting work permit to any foreigner, and that the government should step up efforts to check the influx of expatriates into the country. He explained that the Nigeria expatriate quota law be respected, while many of the companies should comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Development Act, as employment generation is one of the greatest problems facing the country. He said: “We call on the necessary organs of government to review the process of granting expatriate permit through proper synchronization as well as ensuring that expatriate quota are not abused. “We also demand for a properly reconstituted inter-ministerial department and agency committee that will co-opt labour unions in recommending and approving expatriate registration. The Executive Director, Human Resources, 7up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Femi Mokikan, gave reasons for the increasing number of expatriates in the country. He said: “I do not think there is any economy in the world that can say it does not use other nationalities. So, that one is not what anybody is talking about. I think the question people usually ask is; why should expatriates be taking on jobs that Nigerians can do? I think our educational system in this country has not helped us too.

“I am speaking as a Nigerian; I am also speaking as an employer of labour that is operating in an environment that is extremely competitive, an environment where technology changes as you blink your eyes. That is why such areas where we used to pride ourselves as being capable as Nigerians, we now have to ask ourselves, how well can Nigerians do this? “When investors bring in their money, they expect maximum returns. Even though it would cost a bit more, they would rather get an expatriate than a Nigerian who will give minimum returns. I think that is what is happening in the area of expatriates’ employment generally.” Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, warned against the abuse of expatriate quota by employers, stating that it has become a source of concern for the government. Wogu who spoke at a forum organised by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), warned that the rights of Nigerian workers must be protected by their employers. He said: “The right of Nigerian workers to rise to any position in the workplace should be guaranteed and encouraged by all and sundry. This should minimise or alleviate the incessant grievances and conflicts in the workplace and should therefore curb the issue of impunity and abuse of rights by the expatriates.” The minister noted the importance of maintaining industrial harmony in the country curbing the menace of impunity and abuse of rights, adding that most protracted disputes and conflicts in the workplace stem from lack of mutual trust and understand-

ing of shared interest. To tackle the challenge of expatriate quota abuse, technology transfer and sustainable indigenous skills and capacity development especially in the oil and gas industry, the Federal Government established the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), led by Engr. Ernest Nwapa. Two months into the establishment of the Board, Nwapa summoned a meeting of chief executive officers and managers of international oil companies (IOCs) to deliberate on how to streamline the guidelines for expatriate quota applications and deployment in the oil and gas industry. The meeting was a platform where the managers of oil firms were made to understand the guidelines for expatriate quota application and ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act. The meeting highlighted a section of the Act which gives the operator/project promoter room to retain a maximum of five percent of management positions, as may be approved by the Board, as expatriate positions to take care of investors’ interests. Nwapa also told them that the position of the government was that the guidelines were applicable to international operating companies and their service counterparts and warned that the Board would not take it lightly with any company that continued to use suppliers and contactors who flout these laws by bringing in expatriates without due approvals. The guidelines issued by NCDMB required that all companies applying for expatriate quotas must provide proof that the positions applied for have been advertised in at least four major Nigerian newspapers and

‘

two international newspapers, to establish that there is no qualified Nigerian that can do the job. Besides, those oil companies were also required to notify the NCDMB of the receipt of applications, planned interview dates, and results of the interviews for each vacancy advertised, as well as proof that no qualified Nigerian had been found fit to occupy the positions. Similar requirements are applicable on the extension of existing expatriate quotas operating companies in the industry with a warning that the Board would hold operators responsible for the failure or otherwise of their contractors to comply, and would not prequalify erring contractors and suppliers to continue providing services in the industry. Four years after the establishment of NCDMB, the Board through effective implementation of the Nigerian Content Act, has made many Nigerians become owners of midsized exploration and production companies, service companies, and crude marketing firms, with upstream assets outside Nigeria and competing effectively internationally. In IOCs, Nigerians are taking up challenging positions and responsibilities, which previously reserved for expatriates. Nigerians are handling fabrication and construction projects that were in the past five decades, were awarded to foreign firms and carried out overseas. To show how worrisome the issue of expatriate influx and their takeover of jobs that Nigerians can competently handle, the members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, had about two years ago, directed that all its branches engage their managements over the unprec-

The right of Nigerian workers to rise to any position in the workplace should be guaranteed and encouraged by all and sundry. This should minimise or alleviate the incessant grievances and conflicts in the workplace and should therefore curb the issue of impunity and abuse of rights by the expatriates.

’

edented engagement of expatriates under various guises. The directive was given based on PENGASSAN’s discovery that oil companies have been undermining the Nigeria Content Act, where the number of expatriates working in Nigerian oil and gas sector was increasing by the day instead of decreasing. It said a report issued in October 2010, showed that expatriates constituted a third of the workforce in the oil and gas sector, which it said had increased by 2012. PENGASSAN lamented: “When a foreigner comes to a developing country such as Nigeria, he is called an expatriate irrespective of his professional standing, but when a Nigerian goes to Europe and America or a more developed country, he is called an immigrant. Immigrants are poorly paid. But expatriates enjoy unimaginable pay and dreamland privileges, which is very high even by the standard of their home country.” A report by the NCDMB showed that between January and March this year, out of 2,567 expatriate quota applications, only 1,032 were granted, while 1,113 were rejected. To determine the exact number of expatriates working in the country, the government is conducting a biometric data capture of all the foreigners working in the country and as at the last count, 1,716 foreign workers have been captured. The Nigerian Petroleum Exchange Joint Qualification System live database, according to the report, currently has 20,587 individual records; 17 operator portal accounts (with only four active operators); and 5,480 service company portal accounts (with 888 active service companies). NCDMB said expatriates that work in the nation’s oil and gas industry are now required to undertake biometric registration. This is a requirement for obtaining expatriate quota approvals from the Board. The scheme started in July last year. In the power sector also, especially in the assets acquired or managed by Chinese, jobs such as tractor-driving, chefs and some menial jobs are done by the Chinese. For example, in Omotosho and Olorunsogo power plants, Chinese outnumber Nigerians and some of them carry out jobs that don’t require formal education and skills.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

MONEYLINK

AMCON, Heritage sign initial pact on Enterprise Bank

HE Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and Heritage Bank Limited at the weekend signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) that will enable the latter acquire the entire issued and fully paid up ordinary shares of Enterprise Bank Limited. Confirming the agreement, a reliable industry source told The Nation that details of the agreement showed that Heritage Bank is expected to make full payment for the lender by October ending. Heritage, the source said, has already paid the 20 per cent or N11.2 billion of the N56 billion bid price before the SPA was signed last Friday in Abuja. AMCON had in a statement en-

•’Acquisition ‘ll deepen competition’ Stories by Collins Nweze

dorsed by its Head, Corporate Communication, Kayode Lambo announced HBCL Investment Services Limited (HISL), sponsored by Heritage Banking Company Limited (Heritage Bank), as preferred bidder while Fidelity Bank Plc was named reserve bidder for the acquisition of the bridged lender. The AMCON spokesman said the bid process started with interest shown by 24 parties cutting across local and international boundaries. The emergence of HISL and Fidelity Bank as preferred and reserve bidders respectively, he said, resulted from a rigorous and competitive bid-

Transcorp Hotels board approves IPO

HE Board of Directors of Transcorp Hotels Plc (THP) held its Completion Board Meeting at the weekend, approving the company’s plans to conduct an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and list its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The THP will offer 800 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N10 per share for subscription. The proceeds of the offer will be used to part-finance its expansion projects specifically the construction of two new flagship hotels in Ikoyi, Lagos and Port Harcourt, as part of its broader expansion plans. The offer for subscription will open on September 24th and close on September 30. THP is the hospitality subsidiary of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc which owns and operates the Transcorp Hilton Abuja and the

Transcorp Hotels Calabar. Managing Director and CEO of THP, Valentine Ozigbo said Nigeria’s hospitality industry is experiencing significant growth, with major demand for expanded capacity and enhanced quality and service. He said THP is ideally positioned, as the existing owner of the largest number of hotel rooms in Nigeria, and partnered with one of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands, Hilton Worldwide, to leverage this demand. The proceeds of this offer will be used to fund the development of two new Transcorp Hilton hotels, one in Ikoyi, Lagos, and the second in Port Harcourt, with both due for completion in 2017. We are delighted to be able to offer the Nigerian public the opportunity to participate in our future success. This offer reiterates our commitment to creating sustainable value for all stakeholders. “

ding process, which was coordinated for AMCON by Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Vetiva Capital Management Limited (Financial Advisers) and G. Elias & Co. (Legal Advisers). Enterprise Bank commenced operation in August, 2011, as a fullservice commercial bank with a national banking license. The bank operates via a sizeable distribution network of over 160 branches spread across major markets and commercial centres in Nigeria, and with over 177 automated teller machines (ATMs), 57 Cash Centres and 2,000 point of sales (PoS) terminals. Meanwhile, Managing Director,

CRC Credit Bureau, Tunde Popoola said the acquisition, when completed, would improve competition in the banking sector. He explained that in acquisition of this nature, there are different things that are involved including the winner’s ability to pay. He expressed optimism that Heritage will be able to muster the required fund and pay before the deadline expires. “Don’t forget that they bided on their own. They provided the value of the bid. Where you are bidding and you are providing amount you want to pay, it then means you have a way of sourcing for that fund. Otherwise, it does not make sense to bid for an amount you will not be able to pay,” he said. Popoola said the process has been transparent and winners know the

Social Lender gives Sterling ICT Banking Product Award

•Sterling Bank CEO Yemi Adeola

HE introduction of Social Lender, a banking solution that grants users access to quick cash via Twitter and Facebook, and its wide acceptance by the target audience has been ascribed as one of the success fac-

tors for the conferment of the Award for the Innovative ICT Banking Product Award on Sterling Bank Plc. The lender bagged the award for the Innovative ICT Banking Product of the Year at the Nigerian Telecoms Awards held in Lagos over the weekend. The organisers said that the award was given to the bank based on the overwhelming industry recommendation of very competent officers, coupled with the independent research and assessment of the sector. The award is coming barely two months after the lender was awarded the “Most Innovative Bank” at the BusinessDay Awards in recognition of the introduction of Kia-Kia product by the bank. Secretary General of Nigerian

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W. A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGE FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND

168.40 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.39 1,679.48 1,127.93 120.65 121.16 1,117.51 1.2526 1.2909 0.8897 1.0796

• UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

Bid Price 168.06 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.68 1.33 1,679.48 1,127.25 119.82 120.30 1,116.70 1.2439 1.2909 0.8725 1.0796

SYMBOL

RETAIL DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM (RDAS) Transaction Dates 15/09/2014 10/09/2014 08/09/2014 ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Inflation: August

8.5%

Monetary Policy Rate

12.0%

CHANGE

Foreign Reserves Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

GAINERS AS AT 18-09-14

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

IKEJAHOTEL

1.96

2.15

9.69

AIICO

0.81

0.85

4.94

FIDSON

3.37

3.52

4.45

VONO

1.38

1.44

4.35

Credit to private Sector (CPS) Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

CAVERTON NESTLE CCNN RTBRISCOE INTBREW REDSTAREX

4.70

4.90

4.26

1,010.65

1,050.00

3.89

14.00

14.45

3.21

0.94

0.97

3.19

28.13

29.00

3.09

4.40

4.53

2.95

LOSERS AS AT 17-09-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

ROADS

8.46

6.29

-25.65

NPFMCRFBK

1.00

0.95

-5.00

DANGFLOUR

7.25

6.89

-4.97

TOURIST

3.88

3.69

-4.90

Money Supply (M2)

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

$39.6b

US Dollar

154.75

155.75

$97.9

Pounds Sterling

250.7724

252.3929

Euro

200.3394

201.634

Swiss Franc

165.7385

166.8095

Yen

1.445

1.4544

CFA

0.286

0.306

231.3531

232.8481

25.1773

25.3409

N16.42 trillion. N17.2 trillion 16.5%

12-09-14 Rate (%) Rate (%) 15-09-14

Yuan/Renminbi

11.083

11.958

Riyal

41.259

41.5256

12.013

12.345

SDR

232.156

233.6562

12.844

13.308

13.808

14.280

FOREX RATES

5.34

5.08

-4.87

1.38

1.32

-4.35

R-DAS ($/N)

157.29

UAC-PROP

15.18

14.55

-4.15

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

1.01

0.97

-3.96

180.00

174.00

-3.33

Parallel ($/N)

167.50

3.20

3.10

-3.13

AFRIPRUD

WAUA

Overnight (O/N)

AGLEVENT

MOBIL

Amount Sold in ($) 349.8m 299.9m 299.9m

Currency

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

Tenor

Amount Offered in ($) 350m 300m 300m

CBN EXCHANGE RATES September 19, 2014

PORTPAINT

COSTAIN

Telecom Awards, Biodun Ajiboye explained how award recipients were selected: “The race for the 2014 awards began in August with performance monitoring of the various possible nominees. About 750 professionals were contacted to handle the nominations after which consultants were saddled with the arduous task of perusing the nominations viz-a-viz the competence of the nominees”. The bank’s Executive Director, Strategy & Finance, Abubakar Suleiman described the award as a reward for innovation stating the position of the Bank on supporting creative solutions and ideas. “At Sterling Bank we continue to look for ways to make banking easy for all Nigerians by introducing simple but innovative products and services to meet their needs.

DATA BANK

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

timeline they will be given to pay. He however said the bank must pay without depleting its capital adequacy. “And as a banking institution, they must have the required money without impairing their capital adequacy. If they do not have the means to pay, and the time expires, there is already a reserved bidder,” he said. He said should Heritage fail to pay, the right to acquire Enterprise Bank will then go automatically to Fidelity Bank. “If they fail to pay, that goes back to the second bidder who will then pay its bid price. Whichever way it goes, I believe Enterprise Bank will be better for it and the economy will also be better for it because you will see a bank that will run fully with all the potentials,” he said.

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

Sept.15, 2014

Rates

T-bills - 91

10.10

T-bills - 182

10.15

T-bills - 364

10.25

Bond - 3yrs

11.41

Bond - 5yrs

11.63

Bond - 7yrs

11.13

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-09-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 19-09-14

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

EQUITIES

Race for capital by banks hots up

HE recent adjustment of the modalities for computing banks’ regulatory capital by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will bring about increased capitalraising for financial institutions. The Managing Director/Head, Africa Research, Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, who stated this in a note recently, pointed out that tier-2 debt issuance had already increased, with an increasing number of banks that raised dollar. The Nation can authoritatively report that five banks - Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Diamond Bank, First Bank and Ecobank Nigeria - have so far raised a total of $1.750 billion from the dollar denominated debt market this year. The CBN had announced the ex-

Stories by Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

clusion of non-distributable regulatory reserve and other reserves in the computation of regulatory capital of banks and discount houses. According to the latest policy, ‘regulatory risk reserves’ would be excluded from any assessment of capital adequacy, while tier-2 capital would be limited to 33.3 per cent of tier-1 capital. Also, impaired loans and receivables would be deducted from capital. In addition to these announced measures, the capital adequacy ratio for systemically important banks has increased. “More forex-denominated issuance is still anticipated. Moreover,

NSE boss urges stockbrokers on service delivery

the cap on tier-2 capital will mean, potentially, more equity capital raising, encouraging more longterm, ‘stickier’ inflows. “The overall effect of the new regulation will be to increase the capital-raising of banks. Tier-2 debt issuance has already increased, with an increasing number of banks able to raise their US dollar funding,” Khan argued. However, she noted that the supportive role of increased inflows may need to be balanced against other factors. Furthermore, she stated that the easy liquidity conditions domestically will need to be monitored carefully, especially as the election cycle (and party primaries) gets underway. “Global risk appetite and any adverse market reaction to Fed guid-

ance on policy normalisation pose an additional risk. For now however, we see higher inflows and some reduction in domestic forex demand as key factors supporting the naira,” she added. Nigeria’s trade report for the first quarter 2014 revealed a 14.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter rise in exports, and an 8.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter fall in imports. As a result, the trade surplus increased in the first quarter of 2014, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data. Also, CBN data for the first quarter of 2014 had shown some recovery in crude exports over the fourth quarter of 2013 levels, although the price of Bonny Light softened over this time. Despite the increase in Nigeria’s

trade surplus, the naira was largely pressured in the first quarter of 2014, reflecting sentiment-driven outflows. But, forex reserves have recorded some accretion in the past two months. “While officials suggest that the rise in forex reserves is because of continued recovery in crude exports, we believe that improved sentiment towards Nigeria, some recovery in risk appetite, and increased inflows have played a key role. “The reduction in BDC activity given the increased capital requirement for this sector and consequent reduction in local forex demand has also helped the recovery in forex reserves,” Khan maintained.

•As experts express worry over diminishing stock portfolio

APITAL market operators have been advised to consider mergers and acquisitions in order to meet the new minimum capital requirement for market operators and to be globally competitive. The Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema, gave the advice in Lagos recently at a seminar organised by the Association of Issuing Houses of Nigerian and the Association of Stockbroking Housing of Nigeria. Onyema, in his keynote address on ‘Benefits of a consolidated stockbroking industry,’ explained that most dealing member firms currently had a business model that was not sustainable, which prevented them from being as competitive globally. “A high number of very small members renders the broker business model economically non-viable for most players,” he said, adding that the situation was responsible for “several issues regarding professionalisation of the market.” An example of the problems caused by the development, according to him, is that the market is unattractive for global players’ market entry due to lack of potential partner. Others are limited investor reach due to long tail of small fringe play-

•From left: Chairman, Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA), Mr. Uche Val Obi, Group Managing Director/CEO, Nestoil Plc, Dr. Azudialu, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema and Chief Executive Officer, Yinka Folawiyo Group, Mr. Tunde Folawiyo at the 2014 Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA) Annual Business Luncheon held in Lagos.

ers without adequate investor coverage; underdeveloped broker capabilities/capacities due to lack of scale; high costs of surveillance due to granular structure of the market with multiple small instances of fraudulent behaviour that needs to be prosecuted and low economic viability due to lack of scale effects and low pricing power. On the where the Exchange’s goal, Onyema said, “We want to be fully demutualised, for-profit, listed with a global and local shareholder base. We want strong partnerships and co-operation with leading global exchange operators, operationally efficient, competitive, with robust infrastructure and systems. We also want to see frequent product innovation including new asset classes and data services.”

In terms of issuers, he said the goal was to be the first choice for access to growth capital for Nigerian companies, the exchange of choice for African oil, gas and power sectors and a brand name stock market where issuers list on to enhance their international reputation and ratings. He added, “We want to have a competitive broker market with large players providing value added services (e.g. analysis, coverage, road shows) as the NSE’s distribution channel locally and internationally, cross membership agreements with other exchanges allowing trade on NSE.” The NSE CEO said the Exchange expected to have a diversified investor base with local and international institutional and retail investors.

He also said the Exchange wanted to see local PFAs “approaching cap allocation in corporate equities and bond markets”, investments from leading international fund managers, strong presence on international indices and high-frequency trading supported with full breadth of trading technology. Although the Chairman, AIHN, Mr. Victor Ogiemwonyi, admitted that a fragmented industry would harm the market, he said the remedy was beyond increasing the capital requirement. Ogiemwonyi said, “Nobody benefits from a fragmented industry, but just raising capital alone is not enough in this market. We must find a way of stimulating growth in the industry. We cannot have a market without operators.

“Too few operators will cripple the market. The decisions we take must reflect the reality of the environment we are. M&A is one of the options as operators begin to look at ways of meeting the minimum capital base.” The President, ASHON, Mr. Emeka Madubuike, confirmed that operators were indeed considering mergers and acquisitions. “We are looking at M&A option because we have to meet the expectations of the Securities and Exchange Commission in what I call a regulatory-induced capital requirement. We should also be open in looking at the risks of M&A,” he said. Madubuike, however, stressed that “the level of capital we operate today is not too low when we talk about being competitive in the global arena.”

FirstBank: Inovating, modernising business

IRST Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is Nigeria’s premier banking institution and has been at the vanguard of banking innovation, modernisation and business advancement for the past 120 years. Established in 1894, the bank has consistently grown through ground breaking and historical events, maintaining its commitment to the growth and economic development of the Nigerian People and the nation at large. The bank has spread its tentacles all over Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa and in the international business climate to ensure a synergy that would foster development in all its business communities. First listed on The Nigeria Stock Exchange in 1971, Nigerians were allowed to buy into its huge financial potential and has since remained the people’s bank driving its interactions with a high level of corporate governance and responsiveness to

stakeholders. FirstBank has since won the NSE's Annual President's Merit Award for the best financial report in the banking industry thirteen times as well as the Best Financial Reporting Company Award by The Africa Investor in 2011. It has been named “The Best Bank Brand in Nigeria” three times in a row – 2011, 2012, 2013 – by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group, the “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards for three consecutive years, 2012, 2013 and 2014, “Best Bank in Nigeria 2014” by the US-based Global Finance magazine for the 10th consecutive time, and the "Best Bank in Nigeria" by the EMEA Finance magazine for four years . Since 2009, when the present GMD/CEO, Mr. Bisi Onasanya took over the leadership of FirstBank, the bank has retained its position as the number 1 Bank in total gross earn-

ings, total assets, total loans and total deposits in Nigeria's financial services industry while maintaining unparalled reputation for leadership, strength, and stability. Onasanya has established a solid reputation for solid performance and sound judgment in FirstBank and is committed to driving the Bank’s ongoing transformation, growth and modernisation plans. He has championed several initiatives to position FirstBank as a leading financial services group in SubSaharan Africa whilst promoting the growth of the African financial services industry as a whole. Mr. Onasanya’s giant strides in the bank have earned him and the institution several awards, and he was recently recognised in the BusinessDay Banking Awards 2014, as the Bank CEO of the Year for the second consecutive time. At the BusinessDay Awards 2014, FirstBank also won the Best Bank in Retail Banking and Best Bank in Pri-

vate Banking Awards. For two consecutive years, 2011 and 2012, he won the Ai SRI 50 CEO of the Year by African Investor Capital Markets Index Series Awards. He was the 2011 Pearl Outstanding CEO of the Year in the Pearl Awards, CEO of the year in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2012 and the Nigeria Elite Business Awards 2013. Under Mr. Onasanya’s leadership, FirstBank became the first organisation to implement and obtain certification in September 2010 and recertification on the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 standard in May 2013. The bank is also the first organisation to implement and obtain certification on Business Continuity Management in BS 25999 standards. According to the Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, the bank’s several awards and accolades are fitting recognition and testimony to its con-

tinuous efforts to drive financial services excellence in alignment with the promise to always deliver the gold standard of value and excellence to stakeholders. “Our awards belong to our customers and we would not rest on our laurels, but would work to always deliver absolute customer experience and excellence in our financial services solutions” she said. It will be recalled that FirstBank celebrated its 120 years anniversary recently and fittingly marked the milestone celebration with the refresh of its brand identity. Speaking at the unveiling of the new identity, FBN Holdings Group Chairman, Mr. Bello Maccido said “The refreshed corporate identity is designed to reflect the progress that we have made so far. Our refreshed visual identity is more than just a logo. We believe that it captures the essence of our direction as a business. It is the renewal of an enduring promise to deliver value and excellence to all”.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES, KURU, PMB 2024, BUKURU, JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA. www.nipsskuru.org.ng

PUBLIC ANNOUCEMENT GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE (GPN) 2014 FOR LOT 1, LOT 2, LOT 3, LOT 4, LOT 5 AND LOT 6 1.0 1.1.

INTRODUCTION The National Institute hereby issues this General Procurement Notice to notify prospective contractors/ suppliers and the general public that the Institute would undertake the procurement of the following goods in the 2014 financial year. 2.0 SCOPE OF WORK 2.1 The Scope of work is divided into Lots 1-6 as follows: 2.1.1 LOT 1: COLD STORAGE/HOLDING EQUIPMENT NO REQUIRED MAKE/MODEL CAPACITY DESCRIPTION S/N EQUIPMENT 1 Electrolux 30 cu. Meters/3 compartments Pick-up sized walk in cold room-3 door 1 (3 compartments) (adjustable calibration) 3 Electrolux 3 doors-300 litres SS standing freezer 2 6 Scanfrost 300 litres SS chest freezer 3 6 Scanfrost 200 litres SS refrigerator 4 2 Scanfrost 200 litres with glass top SS Cold disk/Hors douvre holder 5 4 Scanfrost 150 litres SS blast Chiller 6 2 Scanfrost 150 litres Dviulx chillers 7 1 Electrolux 50 litres Ice-cube machine 8

2.1.2 LOT 2: HEAVY DUTY (HOT) S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

EQUIPMENT Stainless steel electric boiling pan SS boiling pan (SS Gas Boiling Pan) SS electric Range SS Gas range Industrial stock pot stove Steam oven (pressure) Convection oven–Electric Ind. Microwave oven Ind. Grill on stand Pressure fryer Ind. Spray prover Ind. Toaster Sterilizing sink Dish washer Glass washer Bains-marie Hot cupboard (gas) (Electric) Mobile hot cupboard

NO REQUIRED 4 4 4 4 6 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 4 2 1 3 3 2

MAKE/MODEL Barlette Corrindle Lotus Lotus Thermo set Lotus Electrolux West point Barrtette Lotus Grandpanni Grandpanni barlette Corrindle Corrindle Grandpanni Granpanni Barlette

CAPACITY DESCRIPTION 100 litres 6 plates with oven 6 plates with oven 6 burners with oven 1 burner 6 cubic m-deck 6 trays 6 cubic m-Deck 6 trays 75 litres 2 steps 40 litres 150 litres 2 deck 100 litres double bowl 100 litres 75 litres With top rock and sneeze ward With to rock sneeze ward 6 bowl

2.1.3 LOT 3: HEAVY DUTY ELECTRO - MECHANICAL S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

NO REQUIRED EQUIPMENT 1 Potato peeler 1 Dough mixer 1 Bread slicer 2 HD juice extractor (Ind. automation) 2 HD Cetrus processor 2 Ind. Blender 1 Meat mincer 2 Yam pounder 1 Grinding machine 1 Grinding machine 1 Corn mill (20 Litters hopper & Accessories) 3 Coffee machine (Double Dispensers)

MAKE/MODEL Hobart Hobart Postrolux Electrix Electrix Philips Hobart Local Local Robot Local Robot Lister Barveira

CAPACITY DESCRIPTION 60 litres 25 litres 70kg 10 litres 10 litres 10 litres 10 litres 25 litres Electric R.23 Petrol R.502 Electric

NO REQUIRED 4 sets 2 sets 5 5 6 20 100 6 sets 12 6 6 12 6 6 12 3 15 15 10 10

MAKE/MODEL Alupress Berek Berek Berek Alupress Alupress SS Salad master SS SS galvanized SS SS galvanized SS 1600x500mm 1000x500mm Large -

CAPACITY DESCRIPTION 4mm gauge 4mm

NO REQUIRED 2 2 4 3 2 2 2

MAKE/MODEL Big Big Big Big Small 700x500x500 1000x850x800 Avery Avery -

CAPACITY DESCRIPTION Standing Rabble 3 tier 2 tier Seasoned Brossed 110kg 5 kg Digital precision

2.1.4 LOT 4: KITCHEN UTENSILS S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

EQUIPMENT Ind. A1 stock pots ind. SS pots (Pressure) SS cooling box SS Ice box SS ladle Roasting pans Baking pans Bone knife Meat knife Vegetable knife Fruit knife Sauce pans Colanders SS mixing bowls Knife files Mandolin sets Chopping board Chopping board Meat hammer Fish scissor

Shallow 250x650mm 400x200mm Precision Precision Precision Precision 42cm 50cm 10 Litres 17 pieces Seasoned wood Synthetic Stainless steel Stainless steel

2.1.5 LOT 5: VESSELS AND INSTRUMENTS S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

EQUIPMENT Plate rack Plate rack SS plate form trolley SS trolley Plate, cup and tray stack trolley Plate, cup and tray stack trolley Gastronorm container trolley Chopping block SS work top table Food weighing scale Food weighing scale Meat scale

5 2 1 2

2.1.6 LOT 6: SERVICE UTENSILS, CO0KERY, CUTLERY/FLATWARE TO BE LABELED WITH NIPSS LOGO S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

EQUIPMENT lnd. food flasks (20 Litres with compartment) Service trays Service dishes Service spoons Service forks Cruet sets Flower vases Joint plates Side plates Soup plates Desert/breakfast plates Sweet bowls Sweet cups Egg cups Tea cups Coffee cups Chocolate cups Snack trays Wine glasses Fruit juice glasses Joint forks Joint knives Soup spoons Dessert spoons Dessert forks Butter knives Fish knives Fish forks

NO REQUIRED 20 20 20 50 50 50 50 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 600 400 200 1000 50 Dozens 40 Dozens 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400

MAKE/MODEL American SS Churchill Eng. American SS American SS Churchill Eng Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. Churchill Eng. American SS American SS American SS American SS American SS American SS American SS American SS

CAPACITY DESCRIPTION Stainless SS 8 Litres 25ml 50 Litres 5 Litres

250 ml 150ml 20ml 250ml 80ml 300ml 10x20cm 200 L 250 L Long span Long span Long span Long span Long span Long span Long span Long span

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES, KURU, PMB 2024, BUKURU, JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA. www.nipsskuru.org.ng PUBLIC ANNOUCEMENT

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 2014 YEARBOOK

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.2

In view of the above, the Institute hereby invites competent and interested contractors with good track records, relevant experience and good financial standing to submit both Technical and Financial bids for the production of 500 copies of NIPSS 2014 Year Book specified as follows: THE SCOPE OF WORK: The Scope of Work entails: The production of 500 copies of NIPSS Year Book (with 200 expected pages). Digital Imaging Print Format (in full processed colours all through) 135 grams paper (in different shades of colours to enhance aesthetic value) Hard cover (with an additional paper-flip outer covering on the cover will be quite satisfactory). A4 landscape presentation with fine finishing and perfect binding. Each copy to come with customized packaging materials to facilitate postage and use as gift item. The Contractor is expected to source for relevant photographic content relating to the publication. The designing and formatting of the Year Book is expected to be of the highest artistic standards. The Contractor is also expected to submit three electronic copies of the work in a DVD when completed.

1.1

2.0 2.1 2.1.1 a. b. c. d. e. 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 3.0 3.1 a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. 4.0 4.1

The National Institute by this Notice wishes to commence the process for the production of its 2014 NIPSS Year Book.

ELIGIBILITYCRITERIA The minimum qualification the bidder must meet are as follows: A comprehensive Company Profile; Evidence of registration with Corporate Affairs Commission; Certificate of Registration/compliance with the Pension Reform Act, 2004. Three (3) years Tax Clearance Certificates (2011, 2012, 2013). Evidence of compliance with Industrial Training Fund. Verifiable documentary evidence of similar jobs successful executed in the last three years including letters of award of contracts, job completion certificates or interim payment certificates (where such jobs are still in progress) as well as turnover figures as evident in the supporting Tax Clearance Certificates. Verifiable evidence of technical capacity; Names and Addresses of Banks and reference letters from such banks. Evidence of financial capability/banking support to handle the project. A sworn affidavit in any magistrate/high court to confirm authenticity of the above documents. COLLECTION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS Interested contractors are to collect tender documents on the presentation of receipts of payment of N10,000.00 nonrefundable tender fees (payable at the Institute Bursary) and collect tender documents at the: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TENDERS BOARD, NIPSS, KURU, BUKURU, JOS SOUTH, PLATEAU STATE.

3.0 Interested eligible contractors/suppliers who wish to participate in the above bidding process for the above mentioned projects are advised to watch out for subsequent notices/advertisements. 4.0 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 4.1 Interested contractors who wish to transact business with the National Institute should note that this notice is not an invitation to tender and contractors are required to update their documents in the underlisted areas preparatory to the release of the above procurement notices/advertisements: i. A comprehensive Company Profile; ii. Evidence of registration with Corporate Affairs Commission; iii. Certificate of Registration/compliance with the Pension Reform Act, 2004. iv. Three (3) years Tax Clearance Certificates. v. Evidence of compliance with Industrial Training Fund. vi. Verifiable documentary evidence of similar jobs successful executed in the last three years including letters of award of contracts, job completion certificates or interim payment certificates (where such jobs are still in progress) as well as turnover figures as evident in the supporting Tax Clearance Certificates. vii. Verifiable evidence of technical capacity; viii. Names and Addresses of Banks and reference letters from such banks. ix. Evidence of financial capability/banking support to handle the project. x. A sworn affidavit in any magistrate/high court to confirm authenticity of the above documents. 4.2 The National Institute Kuru, reserves the right to verify claims made by any contractor. 5.0 OTHER INFORMATION: 5.1 The Procurement notices for the various projects mentioned above shall be placed in National Dailies, Federal Tenders Journal, NIPSS Notice Boardsand Website as soon as the relevant solicitation/bidding documents are finalised. 5.2 For all enquiries, please call: 0803-373-4429

5.0 SUBMISSION OF BIDS The Technical and Financial documents must be prepared separately in sealed envelopesand clearly marked as: “Financial” or “Technical” bids as appropriate and put together in a single bigger envelope which should contain: Contractors’ Names and Addresses and addressed to The Director General NIPSS Kuru, PMB 2014, Bukuru, Jos on or before 12:00 noon of Thursday 6th November, 2014 and dropped in the Tenders Box in the same office.

SIGNED:

SECRETARY (TENDERS BOARD) FOR: DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES, KURU

6.0 6.1 6.2

OPENING OF TENDERS The technical bids will be opened immediately after the closing time indicated above. Representatives of the bidding companies and members of the public, especially Civil Rights Organizations are invited to witness the opening of the tenders the same day by 12:00 noon prompt.

7.0 DISCLAIMER 7.1 This advertisement should not be construed as a commitment nor shall it entitle any company to make any claim whatsoever and/or seek any indemnity from the National Institute by virtue of such company having responded to this advertisement. All expenses incurred in preparing Tender documents and all expenses associated with bids responses shall be borne solely by the companies concerned. 8.0 8.1 a. b. c. d. e.

OTHER INFORMATION Other information are as follows: NIPSS, Kuru reserves the right to take final decision on any of the documents received. NIPSS Kuru reserves the right to annul the selection process at any time without incurring any liabilities and assigning any reason thereof. NIPSS, Kuru, reserves the right to verify claims made by any Contractor. Only firms whose technical bids fulfill the minimum requirement would have their financial bids considered. For allenquiries, please call:0803-373-4429 SECRETARY (TENDERS BOARD) FOR: DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES, KURU

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS JOBS

•Ceramics products

Local and foreign investors are looking towards the ceramics industry where Nigeria’s abundant raw materials guarantee returns on investment. With increased investment, experts believe the sector can create an estimated 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs, reports OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE.

Jobs in a china shop

ONTRARY to what many believe, the challenge facing Nigeria’s once vibrant ceramics industry is not the lack of government’s patronage, but rather, lack of requisite skill and manpower. “There is a lack of significant number of professionals with appropriate skills and expertise in the ceramics manufacturing business in Nigeria,” Professor of Ceramics Engineering and Chief Executive Officer, Epina Technologies Limited, Patrick Eguakhide Oaikhinan, said. He told The Nation that there is also absence of avenues for people interested in ceramics manufacturing business to pursue their ambitions, as no university or

higher institution offers training in ceramics science/engineering/technology in Nigeria. He pointed out that the gap in the requisit skills is a big blow to the captive industry, saying that our local ceramics manufacturing businesses are struggling to process their own raw materials. He attributed the scenario to lack of knowledge of the chemical and mineralogical compositions, as well as the physical and mechanical properties of these raw materials. Bad as Oaikhinan’s picture of the nation’s ceramics industry may be, it is also an eye opener to the tremendous employment opportunities that exist in the sec-

tor, particularly now that local and foreign investors are said to be turning attention to the sector with a view to exploiting the investment opportunities therein. Already, experts project that given the size of investment expected to come into the industry, the sector looks good to provide the stimulus for the actualisation of the current administration’s transformation agenda, as it has the capacity to create an estimated 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs. Oaikhinan explains: “We have vari•Continued on page 36

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

JOBS

Jobs in a china shop •Continued from page 35

ous departments that can create these jobs. There is the raw materials unit, as well as the processing unit across the industry. We have the body forming unit, the drying and firing unit, the glazing unit, inspection and packaging unit and laboratory and quality control unit. He said the glazing unit is an industry on its own. Assuming that we have 40 sanitary wares manufacturers which can engage 500 Nigerians directly, in total, 20,000 people would have been engaged. In ceramics we have over 15 strong areas, such as floor and roof tiles, table wares, pipes, technical ceramics and porcelain, among others that can engage 500,000 Nigerians, he stated. Oaikhinan said the indirect jobs capacity of the nation’s ceramics industry are quite huge. “People will work as distributors, marketers, carpenters, brick layers, interior decorators, among others. The icing of the cake perhaps, is the Professor’s disclosure that a research he and his team carried out showed that over 51 per cent of the estimated 1.2 million jobs creation capacity of the industry are comprise mainly of women. He also said his company is now training young school leavers who don’t have prior skill in ceramic engineering to encourage them to establish modular refineries. He noted that a standard room size can be used to run a functional ceramics industry. He said the need for Nigerians to have skills in various aspects of the ceramics industry had become necessary because globally, the ceramics sector had become a lucrative industry with market size projected to reach about $408

billion by 2018. He said if policy makers tap into the industry fully, the nation’s non oil sector would be revamped. He said approaches have been made to the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to discuss the possibility of establishing Departments of Ceramics in the universities and polytechnics. He said he is awaiting their response . Meanwhile, in India, for instance, about 5.5 million people are directly and indirectly employed by the tile industry, which is a sub-industry of ceramics, according to Managing Director, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), India, Rajesh Nath. The thinking is that India’s success could be replicated in Nigeria, considering the fact that Nigeria’s abundant solid mineral resources can support local manufacture of ceramic products. If fully tapped, the nation would change from its position as the nineth world’s consumer and net importer of an estimated $600 million of ceramics to an exporter thereby creating millions of jobs. The former Director-General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. John Isemede,

• Oaikhinan

said Nigeria as a nation, has to look inwards and develop the raw materials that are abundant in the country, adding that, the type of things imported into the country are not things that should be imported into the country in this 21st century.

• Isemede

“What people are going to the far East to import, we have the raw materials here in Nigeria, why we are having problems in Nigeria is because the private sector is not working with the universities and vice-versa. What this professor (Oaikhinan)

‘People will work as distributors, marketers, carpenters, brick layers, interior decorators, among others. The icing of the cake perhaps is that a research carried out showed that over 51 per cent of the estimated 1.2 million jobs creation capacity of the industry comprise mainly of women’

CAREER MANAGEMENT

MPLOYMENT experts agree that skill identification is essential to a successful job search. Employers want to know what it is you can do for them-not just what you’ve done for someone else. Knowledge of your unique skills is needed to successfully complete an application, write a resume or answer interview questions. Skills Identification is a key initial step towards new employment. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines a skill as “a great ability or proficiency, expertness that comes from training, practice, etc.” A simple definition is that a skill is anything you can do right now. Everyone has skills, hundreds of skills, many of which employers are looking for in an employee. Yet most people can only identify a few skills and are generally unable to describe them to an employer. Employers need to hear what you can do. If you’re looking at purchasing a product that will cost you thousands of naira a year for many years, you also would want to know that it can do. The more skills you have identified, the easier it is to convince a potential employer that you have what it takes to do the job. SKILLS CATEGORIES Job skills job skills are those skills specific to a job or occupation. An administrative assistant is skilled in typing,

How identify your skills By Olu Oyeniran

word processing, answering telephones, company correspondence and filing. An accountant would list accounts receivable, performing accounts payable, payroll, figuring taxes, using a 10 keys adding machine and computer accounting programs. A salesperson would include customer service, record keeping, order processing, inventory management, billing and product displays. Job skills are important to employers for obvious reasons. These are the specific skills they look for in a candidate to accomplish the duties of the job. Job skills do not always come from employment. Along with the skills you used in previous jobs, you may have developed job skills through education, hobbies, community activities and life experiences. Common activities such as shopping, managing finances, balancing a bank account, hosting a party and teaching a child all contain potential job skills. Self-management skills Sometimes called “personality traits,” these self-management skills are skills you use day-to-day to get along with others and to survive. They’re the skills that you unique. Sincerity, reliability, tactfulness, pa-

tience, flexibility, timeliness and tolerance are examples of self-management skills. Employers look for these skills in candidates as evidence of how they will fit into the organisation. How a person will fit in is an important consideration to employers. Transferable skills These are skills that can transfer from one job or occupation to another. They may be either self-management or job content skills, and may or may not have been developed through pervious employment. For most jobseekers it’s very unlikely that they’ll find a job that is identical to their opportunities. It’s also important to look for ways to express this transferability to a prospective employer. Duties Many people have trouble distinguishing between their skills and duties. Duties are the basic functions of an activity. Skills are tools to accomplish those functions. Duties or functions are a part of any organised activity, whether it’s employment, volunteer work or hobbies. A simple example is the management of a lemonade stand. The basic duties of a lemonade stand owner might be to manage lemonade operations including

product, marketing, distribution and finances. These are many skills needed to accomplish these functions including: mixing, measuring, planning, sales, customer service, writing, cash handling, record keeping, maintenance, timeliness, dependability, accuracy and motivation. A complete list of skills would be very long. Writing out the duties or functions of an activity first can be useful way to begin identifying skills. When presenting your skills to an employer, it’s best to tie them to specific activities in which they were used. It’s not enough to tell the employer your skills: you need to be prepared to tell where, when and how you used those skills. Writing your skills Identifying, listing and describing your skills isn’t an easy task. However, it’s critical to job search success and you should plan to invest the time needed. Listed below is an outline for skills identification that has been successfully used by many jobseekers. •Oyeniran is Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Associates. He can be reached on Jobsearchhow.com.ng Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

wants to do is to give to Nigerians what will create jobs and help the economy grow,” he noted. Currently, most of the ceramics needs of the country are met by imports from Asia and Europe, as several local companies which delved into the industry in the past fizzled out as a result of policy somersault, smuggling, influx of substandard products, absence of skilled personnel and lack of processing firms. Experts, however, say that with utilisation of the nation’s abundant solid mineral resources in the local manufacture of ceramic products, riding on the back of renewed interest by investors, the move will not only constitute a strategic effort at diversifying the economy, but also create jobs and new wealth.

Flour Mills gets new chairman

HE Board of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC (FMN) has announced the appointment of Mr. John George Coumantaros as its new Chairman. This follows the retirement of Mr. George Stavros Coumantaros, as Chairman of the Board of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, after the conclusion of the company’s 54th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 10. Born in 1961, Coumantaros, who graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History in 1984, is an experienced and successful entrepreneur on the board of several international firms. He began joined Flour Mills of Nigeria in 1984 and was appointed to its Board as a non-Executive Director (ED) six years later. He served as non-Executive Vice Chairman since 2012 before his appointment. He is Chairman, United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited, Calabar, Cross River State. He also on the Board of Oxbow Carbon LLC, a leading international energy company, and a director of ELBISCO, a fast-moving consumer food business in Athens, Greece. Coumantaros was conferred with the title of Founder/Chairman Emeritus and remains on the Board as a non-ED for Life.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

THE CEO A major constraint to the agricultural sector’s growth is access to loans. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Dr. Mohammed Santuraki, says the bank has been repositioned to address this challenge. BoA’s warehouse receipt initiative, he says, will also assist farmers to overcome the challenge of storage facility, which forces them to sell produce at less profitable prices. He speaks on the need to recapitalise the bank, its loans recovery efforts and other major issues, in this interview with FRANK IKPEFAN.

HAT have you done since you became the bank’s chief? When we took over the then Nigeria Agricultural and Cooperative Bank (NACB), as it was then called, the institution was in comatose. It was more or less like a dying institution largely because the bank did not have sufficient lending resources and it had a lot of non-performing loans. We can also say that risk management was very weak. Most of all, staff morale was very low because as you know, the NACB was the result of a merger of three institutions: Peoples Bank, the then NACB and then part of the FEAP. So that was the situation when we came. The government was actually not paying too much attention to the bank. When we came, some of my friends did not know that the bank was still in operation. What we did was to put in place things that would turn around the fortunes of the bank. After nearly four years, we are very happy that the bank has been fully repositioned, of course, with the help and support of the stakeholders. Since we arrived four years ago, we have been able to bring in additional resources totaling N28 billion to the bank because of some of the efforts we have done. We have rebranded the institution from the Nigeria Agricultural Corporative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB) to the Bank of Agriculture (BoA). New corporate colour, new branding. It is not just the colour, what we want to do is work on the mind of the people to present ourselves as a new institution. When we came, the operations of the bank were largely manual and we have computerised the bank. We have various IT projects going on; about 13 of them, some of them have been completed. Some of them we are still working on. We are rolling out the computerisation initiative branch by branch. We are taking on branches as we progress. Just to summarise, our transformational change was based on four points; the first point is modernisation. For modernisation, we meant rebranding and the issue of bringing in new technologies, we have substantially done that. We also did institutional refocusing mainly to refocus the institution on its core mandate, which is providing loans to farmers; small, medium and large, and along the whole value chains that are for production, processing, marketing. So we will focus on the institution, improve the credit risk management framework, which is very important for any lending institution because if your risk management framework is not solid, you will create substandard assets which leads to non performing loans. The third one is work force enhancement. This is bringing our people up to speed in terms of training in the areas of strategic support, core competences such as lending, deposit administration and technical issues lsuch as IT. We have seriously enhanced the level of the skills of our people. We also did operating model review. But that has been a bit interrupted because of the planned partial privatisation which is obviously going to lead to a major review of the way the bank runs. How has modernisation affected the programme? The modernisation, which I told you earlier, has two focuses: the rebranding and bringing in of new technologies, which also involved the retooling of our offices. First, I think the rebranding has had a tremendous effect because we have come out as a new institution. The NACRDB brand is very strong, no doubt about that, especially in the rural areas and so on. What we have done is to refresh and we are a much more visible institution. We are now preferred partners for a lot of stakeholders in the agricultural domain. For example, as part of the increased visibility we have been able to get, we currently have 16 ongoing partnerships with governments and other ministries departments and agencies (MDAs) that are involved in agricultural production. What we do with this collaboration is that we create funds with the government and other interested parties. They put money, we put money and then we lend the money to their farm-

‘Access to agric loan vital to achieving food security’

• Santuraki

ers. As far as this is concerned, we have about 16 of such going on and we have attracted about N11 billion with respect to that – fresh funds that came in from our partners to pursue this programme. On the issue of technology, this has eased a lot of things. We are adopting the 21st Century approach to doing business and our branches are being computerised. Our communications are also very up to date. In our head office, we have a desk of breed data centre which we set up with facilities where all the data in the bank is housed and where all the technology is distributed to the branches. We are now piloting our mobile money services and BoA Green Cash. We are doing it with a technology partner called Cellulant. Very soon, we are going to roll out that scheme. This is going to be the standard for rural and agricultural payment system and we are going to leverage the farmers’ registration activities of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. We are going to leverage the customer base

we have there in order to push this card. Incidentally, the consultant that worked on the farmers’ registration is the same we are using. So there is a lot of interface as far as that is concerned. Technology is also reducing the cost of delivery and increasing penetration and financial inclusion which form part of the bank’s major objectives. How have you been able to achieve the bank’s mandate of providing loans? Well, in the last three years, we have been able to mobilise additional funding to the bank. Over the last three and half years that we have been in the management, we have disbursed over N18 billion in loans to about 471,000 beneficiaries, and we believe that we have been able to create 2.4 million jobs. That is the impact we have created and we think that this is great and with the continued availability of additional resources, we are going to do more. Can farmers access some of these loans without any collateral? Right now, we have a focus on small scale farmers. Like you know, the bulk of food

production in this country, may be between 80 and 90 per cent, are done by small scale farmers. The tendency is that you are going to get more requests from the small scale farmers in terms of the aggregate request and so on. We have three categories of loans in terms of values. We have the micro loans, which are up to N250,000. Then we have the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) loan, which can vary from N250,000 to maybe, up to N50 million. Then we have agribusiness loan which is actually for the large scale farmers. It is anything above N50 million. For the small scale farmers, there are micro loans N250,000 like I said. Usually, we disburse these loans through cooperatives and farmers’ groups. For those categories of loans, you do not require any collateral. What you do require is somebody to guarantee you and that person can also be a part of the group. What we rely on is some kind of cross guarantee. For the medium scale loans, yes, usually we require collateral, but there are all •Continued on page 38

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

THE CEO

‘Access to agric loan vital to achieving food security’ •Continued from page 37

kinds of new schemes now. There is a Nigeria Incentive Risk Base Agricultural Lending, which is a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiative providing some guarantee for agricultural loans. What it does is that the system guarantees part of the loans and reduces the level of collateral required for the loan. So, that is possible. And we also have creative arrangement where agricultural loans can be secured on the basis of the contract from your off takers. So what we are trying to do is improve the link between production and the industrial sector, which has actually been lacking, and that has been one of the reasons agriculture has moved the way it shouldn’t have. I mean if we have large scale processors who are really buying commodities in bulk, what it will do is to push up production and therefore, farmers will be encouraged to produce. And access to us is very easy. We have about 136 outlets throughout the country. We have six zonal offices; an office in each geopolitical zone. So, we are present, especially, in the rural areas. In some of the rural areas that we are situated, our bank is the only institution in some of those areas. What you find is that one part of us is doing agriculture financing and the other is doing non-agric lending. We also render the normal banking services. Some local governments and rural enterprises pay salaries to their staff through our banks and so on. Apart from the agricultural micro loans, we also do non-agric micro loans. Anything up to N250,000 for micro activities, artisans, tailors and those kinds of small levels. We also do

that in addition to our agriculture and rural mandate and of course, that part of our mandate was inherited from Peoples Bank. So we do all those things that the Peoples Bank used to do. I mean some of these things are just a misconception. People think it is difficult to get loans from banks generally and then conclude that it would be difficult to get agricultural loan. What you need to do is ensure that you have the farm or business that you want to finance because ours is a supervised scheme, which means we have people who will come to your farm to take measurement to see what you are doing. We give you the first disbursement and then when you have done that correctly, we give you the second to ensure that you are really an agricultural entrepreneur or a small scale farmer. Which aspects of the agricultural value chain is the bank not active in? I think I must give credit to the current Minister of Agriculture because what he has done since he came has redefined agriculture to include everything throughout the value chains: production, processing, storage and marketing. Before we came, NACRDB had suspended storage and marketing loans because they believed those were not part of agriculture. But you know, quite arguably, they are very important part of agriculture because the challenge of agriculture is that when a particular crop does well in a season, everybody moves into that crop and then you have a bloat, and then the prices crash. The following season they leave it and then there is scarcity, then prices go up,

‘Now, what we are trying to do with that is to improve access to finance because if we have a proper warehousing system, the farmers can bring crops to store, get a receipt and use that receipt to go to a bank to collect a loan while these crops act as security. The irony of agriculture is that prices are lowest during harvest because of the supply and then farmers are usually compelled to sell at harvest because they don’t have money’

• Santuraki

then farmers come back again the following year. This happens because of lack of adequate storage and proper value chains. If you have marketing accumulators as we call them, who will actually buy these things in bulk, then the farmer is better and able to manage his production. So, we have reintroduced the marketing loans, which we believe is very important. We now have loans for storage, marketing and part of what we are doing because of the efforts that we are putting in that area is that recently, I led the working group for the establishment of the electronic warehouse receipt system, which we launched under the Nigeria Commodity Exchange. Now, what we are trying to do with that is to improve access to finance because if we have a proper warehousing system, the farmers can bring crops to store, get a receipt and use that receipt to go to a bank to collect a loan while these crops act as security. The irony of agriculture is that prices are lowest during harvest because of the supply and then farmers are usually compelled to sell at harvest because they don’t have money. So, if they have the facilities where we have a warehouse receipt system then they will be able to store their crops and wait until the prices go up to be able to sell. That is one of the schemes we have just launched and we are committed to the project. Right now, we are financing receipts that are issued by the recognised warehouses. Another thing that it does is to improve volumes because commodity grain trade depends on a lot of volumes. If you have volumes and consistency then the trade will be very vibrant. With the proper warehouse receipt system we are piloting in this country, once we mainstream it and the adoption becomes nationwide, you are going to have better links with the agricultural sector and the industrial sector. If you look at the countries where their agriculture is very vibrant and even back to the 60s when we had the marketing board, they performed a very important role. Their role is to accumulate; they buy from the farmers. So farmers have a market, they sell and then the market (board) accumulates and either sell to the export market or sell to the industrial users. Now with the scrapping of the marketing board, no institution has actually come out to take their place. So, the farmers are left on their own as there is no link with production and marketing. That is where we think the aspects of marketing, storage and processing are very important. Another area we have revived the bank’s participation is in the area of processing. In the past, the bank was looking at processing as a different business. But it is all part of agricultural business. We now have facilities for processing; storage and marketing. Initially, the concentration of our portfolio was on the production and in the beginning of the value chain, but now increasingly, we are shifting the bank to participate in the downstream of the value chain. Can we have a percentage distribution of your total lending? I don’t have that right now. What are your programmes and their targets? We have two new products: one that targets youths, which is Youths in Agriculture Revolution in Nigeria (YARN) and the other which is Grow and Earn More (GERM). You can see the word YARN as a youth word. What we are trying to do is to come up with acronyms that fit the occasion we are trying to tar-

• Santuraki

‘These things are just a misconception. People think it is difficult to get loans from banks generally and then conclude that it would be difficult to get agricultural loan. What you need to do is ensure that you have the farm or business that you want to finance because ours is a supervised scheme, which means we have people who will come to your farm to take measurement to see what you are doing’ get. For this, we are targeting the youths especially, very educated youths and the loan limit for that scheme is enhanced up to N1million. This is for youths who have been trained. We are working with Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and other enterprise development centres. What they do is that once the youths have experience and may have undergone the training, we now come in with the intervention. Similarly, we have for women, the Grow and Earn More. For women, we found out that women are good borrowers. They usually pay back because of family concern and then the impact you create when you give loans to women is usually very significant because it impacts the family and so on. So, we have those schemes that we are running. For the youths, what we do is that during service orientation for corps members, people invite us to come and give talk to youths so that we can ignite their interests in agriculture. Those are the two programmes we have. How many youths do you target for this scheme? Our initial budget because of limitation of resources is N1billion funds for youths and N1billion for women. We are looking at an average of may be 750,000. We are more particular about the quality rather than the numbers. We want economic activities that are reasonable and sizeable so that you can have youths employing may be five to 10 people. So, that is what we are doing. Initially for N1billion, we are targeting about 1,500 for each. What we want to do is come up with a system that works, that can be replicated. Looking into the future, what do you have to offer? In the future, we want to expand the level of our activities. We are pursuing the recapitalisation of the bank; we are still not there yet. Some of our stakeholders are yet to pay up some of the committed resources and then of course, as you are aware, the government is par-

tially privatising the bank, the two banks actually; the BoA and the Bank of Industry (BoI). They are all slated for partial privatisation so we are at the moment working with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in order to achieve that. That is one. On the issue of the current programmes that we are doing, we still have a lot in the pipeline. For example, we still have additional collaboration agreement that we are pursuing with our partners, so we are still going to drive that. We have the issue of ongoing computerisation programme. For us, those are the key areas we are trying to strengthen. How far have you gone with the issues of non-performing loans and recovery? We have done significantly well because we set up a new independent loan recovery unit and I can tell you that the unit has done very well. I can say that in the last four years, we have recovered about N22 billion because of the efforts of the new loan recovery unit. Apart from the loan recovery unit, we have also set up the risk management unit. Our loan process now is much more rigorous. In addition, we have also set up internal control department to complement the efforts of audit department. What changes did you bring to your risk management framework? In line with the new emphasis on risk management framework from the CBN, what we did was to come up with risk management framework. We got JPMG professional services to come up with a risk management framework for us. We now have a full fledge risk management which looks at every risk from liquidity risk to market risk and of course, credit risk. As part of our credit processing, before a credit is approved, it has to go through risk management. The bank did not have that before. So, the people, who are in risk management, don’t usually have interactions with the customers. They are more neutral and are able to exercise their opinions better without creating bottlenecks for the process.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

BUSINESS MOTORING

New Ford F-150 offers protection against fading, sun glare

•Ford

The new 2015 Ford F-150 has been tested to ensure resistance against fading and damage from harsh sunlight. The interior is designed with brims and brows to minimise glare and shield gauges in the instrument panel while adding lighting for easier viewing of recessed areas, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO.

HEN the all-new 2015 Ford F150 has its day in the sun, it will be better prepared than ever for damaging rays both inside and out. Advanced computer modelling and testing in Ford labs has helped to ensure sunlight reflecting off interior surfaces of the vehicle will not wash out gauge and screen displays Much of the glare and fade testing was performed in the company’s Central Lab where Ford engineers focused on making individual parts stronger and more durable. A device known as a Therhj matron simulates damaging UV sunrays, and can be used over long periods of time on prototype parts to help identify the best design for production. The antiglare testing took place in the Visual Performance Evaluation Lab, also known as the Ford lighting lab. The facil-

ity can replicate almost any sunlight conditions from dawn to dusk, as well as change to natural light caused by weather conditions. Materials Engineer in the Central Lab, Cindy McComb, said: “We like to think our work on this truck has given it the kind of sun protection Built Ford Tough trucks require to look as good after five years of exposure to sun, wind and rain as they do when they leave the showroom floor.” Also, in Ford Central Lab facilities located in Florida, United States, engineers place individual exterior and interior parts on outside racks for six months at a time to look for fading and other signs of degradation. The parts are examined under special xenon light to reveal damage invisible to the human eye. Parts are approved for production only when they meet rigorous fade-resistance standards. Direct sunlight does more than fade vehicle parts over time. It can also make it hard to

see information displayed on gauges and screens used for navigation and entertainment systems. Ford engineers used advanced computer-aided design software to identify the least reflective materials to use, and incorporated shaded gauges on the instrument panel of the all-new truck designed to minimise glare. In some cases, gauges and instruments shaded from glare are enhanced with supplemental lighting throughout the Ford F-150 interior to make them readable in their recessed positions. Indirect glare from general daylight brightness can wash out navigation and entertainment screen displays. Engineers tested various colours for the new F-150, ultimately choosing those that are easy to see under bright conditions. On his part, Ford human factors Engineer, Cary Diehl, says “In addition to testing

gauges and screens under these conditions, we looked at the amount of light given off by LEDs in window and steering wheel control switches to ensure they would not be distracting to the driver when lit.” During antiglare evaluations in the Ford lighting lab, which boasts 6, 000 watts of light and a planetarium-like dome, Ford tested prototype F-150s under a variety of simulated lighting conditions. Because many F-150 customers use their trucks for work at job sites, they don’t have the time or the patience to deal with hard-to-read gauges or controls inside the truck. Also speaking on this, Ford Lighting Technical Specialist, Mahendra Dassanayake said: “Our work in the lighting lab ensures that despite almost any weather outside, customers will find it easy to read controls inside the truck today and years down the road”.

Peugeot chooses Nigeria over South Africa

RANCE’S PSA Peugeot Citroen has not abandoned plans to make the Peugeot 301 in South Africa, but shelved them for now. However, PSA Peugeot Citroën has started semi-knocked down (SKD) production of the Peugeot 301 in Nigeria with the aim of eventually moving to completely knocked down (CKD) manufacturing in that country. South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has assisted the Nigerian government with the initiation of its automotive development programme, with former Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin, a consultant to the Nigerian government on the project. Managing Director of Peugeot Citroën South Africa, Francis Harnie, said last week that the Peugeot 301 produced in Nigeria would not be imported to South Africa, stressing it was only produced as a left-hand drive

model and was only for the Nigerian market. Harnie said the expected sales volumes in South Africa and right-hand drive neighbouring countries were insufficient for the Peugeot 301 on its own to qualify for the incentives available in terms of the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) but the project had “not been buried”. He said the Peugeot 301 remained a very interesting model for South Africa and its neighbouring countries but there would be market demand for only between 5, 000 and 6, 000 in South Africa and about 4, 000 in neighbouring countries. The APDP has an annual production threshold of 50, 000 units to qualify for incentives. Harnie was hopeful the review of the APDP that was currently taking place would result in some changes, such as a reduction in the

annual production threshold, which would assist PSA Peugeot Citroën to start producing vehicles in South Africa. “I’m not involved in the (APDP review) discussions but know there is a demand from local manufacturers to reduce the volumes because I don’t think the 50, 000 (unit annual threshold) is working. “We are busy working on a lot of projects and also expecting some changes in the APDP that will help get us to the minimum volumes to get into the programme,” he said. Harnie said the APDP had not brought any new vehicle manufacturing investors into the country in the about two years since it was introduced and the local industry was also not producing more vehicles. “Some manufacturers are struggling. In my opinion from looking at the figures, what the government tried to do with the new rules of

the APDP, I don’t think it’s working,” he said. Harnie said PSA Peugeot Citroën could still start building cars in South Africa from 2016 but it was too early to talk about other models it could possibly produce in the country, together with or separately from the Peugeot 301. He stressed the French car maker would not produce cars locally by making an investment in its own plant but through a contract manufacturing agreement with a local partner. Harnie confirmed it had been involved in discussions with more than one possible local partner but they had not yet reached any agreement. He added that the first possibly temporary step towards local production could be SKD production but admitted SKD production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles did not qualify for APDP benefits, which made this unviable.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

MOTORING

Abuja Motor Fair holds in October

HE annual Abuja International Motor Fair will hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja in October. A statement by the Chairman, organising committee Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, said the event is targeted at boosting investments in the sector which is seriously assuming its rightful place in the Nigerian economy. Agwu said this year’s edition has been packaged to increase the attention of the various tiers of government to the importance of developing the sector so as to enhance the nation’s socio-economic development. He added that every effort have been deployed to ensure the sector receives the needed support from

Stories by Tajudeen Adebanjo

both the government and the private sector to enhance its’ rapid development. “We are packaging a show that will showcase all the existing and potential investment opportunities that abound in the Nigerian automobile industry, which we believe are very attractive to existing and prospective investors,” he said. According to him, hosting auto shows will go a long way in placing Nigeria in the map of World automotive business and will equally fast track the making of the nation the hub of automotive business on the continent. Agwu said adequate security

measures will be in place to secure the exhibitors; exhibits and visitors to the event. “Towards this we have concluded arrangements with relevant security agencies to provide personnel, gadgets and arms for increased surveillance and monitoring of movements into, within and around the venue. All these are in place notwithstanding that Eagle Square as well the surrounding Central Business Area are highly secured by the government. We will not leave any room for any breach of the security or threat to the lives and property of all those who will be at the event. Extra measures will be taken to ensure a smooth and free event for all and sundry,” he said.

UBARU is going absolutely gangbusters so far in 2014, with growing year-over-year sales every month, this year adding to the streak of 33 consecutive months. The prognosis is so positive that the Japanese brand is revising its 2014 forecast to 500,000 vehicles or more, from a previous estimated 460,000. If it reaches the goal, it would be the first time that the automaker hit the half-million mark here. Subaru has been growing steadily in the United States for a while now. Annual sales have increased for the past five consecutive years with 2014 not indicating for that to change. For August alone, the company moved 50,246 vehicles, up 22.37 percent year-over-year, and the business proclaimed it as the best month in

Subaru ups US sales projections its history. According to Subaru, it believes that the growth for the last two years has been fueled by the latest Forester and XV Crosstrek last year and the new Legacy and Outback this year. “The market is telling us that we are delivering products that consumers want at the right prices,” said Thomas Doll, president and chief operating officer at Subaru of America.

Chinese tycoon orders 30 Rolls Royces

HE luxury hotel entrepreneur, who owns the Louis XIII hotel in Macau, Stephen Hung has ordered a fleet of 30 Rolls-Royce Phantoms, the largest single order ever for the luxury car, according to the company. Hung will use his 30 Bespoke Extended-Wheelbase Phantoms to chauffeur guests of the hotel back and forth to their destinations. Neither company would give the price for the order, but Bespoke Extended-Wheelbase Phantoms typically start at around $475,000. However, the order also includes the two most expensive Rolls-Royce Phantoms ever commissioned, complete with gold-plated accents on the inside and out. The other cars include several custom elements and “bespoke clocks designed and created by Graff Luxury Watches,” according to Rolls-Royce. “The Louis XIII fleet of Phantoms promises to be one of most impressive sights ever seen in Macau when they arrive at the Louis XIII hotel in 2016,” said Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Hung need not worry about parking spaces as Rolls-Royce helped design the parking and driveways to house the cars, and will provide training for the chauffeurs and valets.

•Rolls Royce

Weststar offers incentive for Jeep clientele

ESTSTAR Associates Limited, the Authorised General Distributor of Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge and Ram in Nigeria, now offers its customers a chance to be part of a very rewarding loyalty programme - the Jeep Plus Programme. These customers include either purchasers of Jeep vehicles from Weststar or any of its dealers, or owners of Jeep vehicles who patronise the out-

standing and detailed after-sales services offered. To make the Jeep Plus Programme truly rewarding, Weststar Associates has partnered with Starwood Hotels Nigeria - parent company of the Sheraton, Le Meridien and Four Points by Sheraton hotels in Nigeria. Signs of the unique partnership were already indicated in the SPG Golf tournament which took place at Le Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf

Resort in June, where Weststar sponsored the event by offering a Jeep Grand Cherokee as the prize for the hole-in-one shot winner. Now Jeep customers get to enjoy preferential treatment with exciting rewards as the promising partnership earns the Jeep customers a complimentary registration into the Starwood group of hotels’ Preferred Guests loyalty programme (SPG) worldwide.

safer for riders and pedestrians by a factor of 10. Musk said the biggest challenge to tech development is fine-tuning “machine vision”—a computer’s ability to quickly recognise objects. If only part of an object is visible by camera or radar, computers still

have trouble figuring out what the entire object might be, making it difficult to determine the correct course of action for the vehicle. “It is kind of scary: what is going to become of us humans,” he joked. The Palo Alto, California-based electric car manufacturer is devel-

oping its own autonomous driving technology for its electric vehicles. Musk noted, though, that even once the technology is available, it may take several more years to sort out all the necessary regulations.

Autonomous car ready in six years, says Tesla CEO

HE technology needed to create a fully autonomous car will be ready in five or six years, Tesla Motors Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told The Wall Street Journal. Compared to a driver behind the wheel, Musk expects autonomous driving to be

Enrolment into the Jeep Plus SPG Programme comes with a Jeep Plus Card as evidence of membership. Numerous benefits include discounts on Jeep: accessories, maintenance parts and labour, over-thecounter spare parts, among others. The partnership with Starwood Hotels Nigeria also ensures that the Jeep customers enjoy benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Programme (SPG) which comes with its own rewards and much more. They will enjoy certain discounts on hotel rates, restaurants and bars rates, Spa and Gym facilities, etc. According to a Management staff at Weststar, the programme is geared towards rewarding its Jeep customers for their loyalty and patronage because Weststar and its dealers hold them in very high esteem.

SAFE DRIVING

Road accidents will remain high if…(3) •Continue from lastweek

• Government (Federal and States) must adequately fund their road and traffic management agencies to ensure the availability of all the infrastructure and equipment needed to facilitate safety and security on all roads in Nigeria both in the day and in the night. How long will it take us to be among the countries with good roads, safety cameras on highways, Breathalyzer or Alcolizers for detecting drunk or drugged Drivers, Middle and Side road markings, adequate and appropriate road traffic signs among others? • Regular Transport and Safety

Conference – There is a need for an annual conference of all Stakeholders by the Federal Ministry of Transport where all issues touching road safety will be regularly addressed for input into the Federal, states and local government programmes to further enhance safety and security on Nigeria roads. I am very confident that if the above and allied issues are looked into without bias by the Federal and state governments and other agencies, there will be drastic reduction in the rate of road traffic crashes and fatalities thereby improving the global rating of Nigeria. • Inattention to other road users As at today in Nigeria, there has been no serious focus on the train-

ing and re – raining of motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (KeKe NAPEP) riders. Without doubt, these categories of the mode of transportation carry the highest volume of passengers in some parts of every state in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory. They also have the highest rate of accidents and fatalities. Why then are the governments not taking proactive actions to prevent these loses? The ban of okada from the cities and their replacement with tricycles are mere policy decorations or rhetorics which is far from solving the problems. • Imagine a situation where officers of Federal Road Safety Commission, Vehicle Inspection Depart-

ments (VIOs), Nigeria Police Force, Traffic Police Officers (Yellow Fever), Highway Patrol Officers, State Traffic Management Officers (LASTMA in Lagos State, TRACE in Ogun State, etc), Military Officers, Joint Task Force, and the state/local government revenue collectors do stop vehicles to check all the particulars and drivers licence with the main goal of extorting money from the drivers and in some cases from the passengers who are traders transporting their goods. Ask some commercial and private drivers on plying intra and inter – state roads how many points they are stopped, checked by the officers of these agencies and drained of

Jide Owatunmise Registrar / Chief Executive, Professional Driving and Safety Academy

money, oftentimes within an interval of less than one kilometer. • To be continued

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

MONDAY SEPTEM BER 22, 2014

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

OGUN POLITICS Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is searching for a credible governorship candidate to run against Governor Ibikunle Amosun in next year’s election. A section of the party has endorsed former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole for the governorship. But, another section is kicking against the endorsement. Can Bankole get the ticket? Correspondent ERNEST NWOKOLO examines the politics of endorsement and the former legislator’s chances at the primaries.

Ogun 2015: What is Bankole up to? F

ORMER Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole has an ambition. In next year’s election, he wants to contest against Governor Ibikunle Amosun. A section of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed his aspiration. But, many stakeholders are also kicking against it. The question is: can he get the ticket? Bankole has been nursing the ambition before the death of President Umaru Yar’ Adua. He was very close to the former leader. But, when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him, there were new calculations. In 2011, his tenure as the Speaker ended. The people of Abeokuta South Constituency voted for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, a relatively known Segun Williams. . Thus, the man who succeeded former Speaker Patricia Etteh failed in his third term bid for the House. The defeat was particularly shocking and humiliating. Bankole had hoped to keep his seat and continue as the Speaker in the Lower Chamber. Unlike his Senate counterpart, Gen. David Mark, who made it, Bankole returned home to a divided party battling with crises. Since then, he has been scheming to bounce back. On returning to Abeokuta, the state capital, he could not unify the divided party. Neither could he avert the defections to the APC and the Labour Party (LP). The factional leaders have not sheathed their swords. Although Bankole has been preaching unity, his advice has fallen on deaf ears. Shortly after leaving the position of the Speaker, Bankole was being hunted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC). He was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja. Before he left office, there was an allegation that he was involved in N9bn contract scam. The EFCC had claimed that the ex Speaker had a hand in the fraudulent purchase of two Range Rover bullet-proof vehicles, two Range Rover vehicles, three Mercedes Benz S-600 cars, 400 television sets, 400 units of DSTV systems, 800 units of desktop computers, and 100 units of Sharp Digital Copier. But, in February, respite came his way as the court discharged and acquitted him, following the inability of the anti-graft body to prove the allegation. For Bankole, the trial was a bitter side of politics. Having survived it, he believed that the coast was clear for him to move forward. He renewed his bid for the governorship. Bankole strated to hold consultations with stakeholders. Now, his aspiration has become a divisive issue in Ogun PDP. Few months ago, he met secretly with public relations experts in Lagos to assist in laundering his image.Roles were assigned to these foot soldiers. According to sources, they were to storm over 4,500 villages and communities to prepare the ground for his ambition. Their assignment also include door-to-door mobilisation and political

•Daniel

•Obasanjo

sensitisation. However, Bankole is in a dilemma. While some people have advised him to contest the governorship, others said that he should try his luck at the senatorial election. Sources said that prominent PDP leaders have yet to give him their assurance that they would back him for the number one seat. The President, a source said, is not also thinking about him. There is also a division among Egba leaders. Majority of them are supporting Amosun for a second term. The ex - Speaker is a Muslim. He is an Egba indigene from the Ogun Central Senatorial District. Amosun is also a Muslim and an Egba from Owu in the Central District. To analysts, if Bankole picks the governorship ticket, he would have to scramble for votes from the Central District with the governor, who enjoys incumbency power. Besides, Amosun is perceived as a performer, who has changed the face of the state capital. The governor is also popular in Ogun East(Ijebuland and Remo) and Ogun West(Yewaland) because he has turned them into a huge construction site. Therefore, it may be difficult for Bankole to campaign against him across the three

• Dayo

districts. Bankole also faces other challenges. Will the people of Yewaland cast their vote for Bankole, another Egba man? The thinking is that, if he gets there in 2015, he will like to go for a second term. That means that the ambition of governorship contenders from the highly marginalised Yewa/Awori ethnic group would be in jeopardy. The fear of defeat at the poll appeared to have also seized Bankole in recent times. Sources said that he is worried about the likely effect of electoral defeat for the second term at home. Should he be defeated, he would become an electoral liability in need of rehabilitation. Another challenge is that Ogun PDP is now a weak platform. The factions are waxing stronger in crisis to the detriment of the platform. Things have continued to fall apart and the centre cannot hold. Reconciliation has failed and warring leaders are working at cross-purposes. In this atmosphere of disunity, the PDP’s calculations for 2015 are affected. The PDP went for the 2011 general elections as a divided house. Failing to put its house in order, it lost its deposit at the polls as over

•Bankole

•Kashamu

95 per cent the elective seats were swept by the APC. The Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), which was a faction of the PDP, also could not make a headway. Up to now, the followers of former Governor Gbenga Daniel and the PDP executive committee led by Chief Bayo Dayo are still at loggerheads. The crisis, mistrust and division that heralded the party’s woeful defeat have not abated. Although majority of PDP leaders in Ogun claim to be working for the second term ambition of President Jonathan, they have not closed ranks at home. Few months ago, a chieftain, Prince Buruji Kashamu, dismissed Bankole’s consultation with stakeholders as a joke. The PDP Southwest mobiliser and financier said his aspiration does not enjoy the support of party followers. Since 2011, Bankole appeared to have been aloof to local politics. Thus, his sudden re-appearance was a surprise to many people. After losing his seat, he was left in the cold. Federal appointments eluded him and he was never perceived as one of the national leaders of the party. Kashamu gave reason for dis-

‘Bankole also faces other challenges. Will the people of Yewaland cast their vote for Bankole, another Egba man? The thinking is that, if he gets there in 2015, he will like to go for a second term. That means that the ambition of governorship contenders from the highly marginalised Yewa/Awori ethnic group would be in jeopardy’

missing Bankole’s ambition as a ruse. He said: “Like most people, I also heard of Dimeji Bankole’s ambition through the media. Every true member of the party, who has an ambition, is free to declare it. In fact, we expect more of such declarations to be made in the days ahead. However, such ambitions should be done with respect for constituted authority. “Anyone who says because he has an ambition, things must be done his own way, is definitely not serious. Anyone who says, for him to realise his ambition, the authentic and legally recognised state executive put in place by party members should be broken, is definitely a joker.” Also, earlier during his numerous row with the then Governor, Gbenga Daniel, while serving as Speaker, Bankole was reported to have said that he was too busy with national assignments of making life better for Nigerians towards initiating and supervising quality laws and rarely have time for the “Ogun local politics.” Also, many have said in Egbaland that Bankole is in the race to fulfill the long time dream of his father to rule the state. But, the old man has since forgotten that dream. In fact, a source said that the elderly Bankole, an astute politician, had advised his son to vie for either the Senate of the House of Representatives, based on the reality on ground. To him, parliamentary elections are not as tedious as the governorship. The former Speaker may have heeded the advise by shelving his public declaration last week. But, some of his associates said that he has not given up hope. When he visited the party’s office, the ex - Speaker told party leaders and his supporters that he had not come to make any declaration, but to preach a message of unity. He said Ogun PDP needed harmony to move forward. Bankole said: “There is no word about aspiration or any other sort in the letter I sent to you and I want that established. If I ever decide to aspire, I will come and tell you. This is not the purpose of the visit. “We mend the fences of our members, aggrieved people inside and outside this party, to make sure that we give the opposition party a good run for their money in 2015. That is the purpose of my visit. That has been the purpose of the three senatorial districts that I have done and I will continue to do so. It is precisely what I’ve done in the three senatorial districts since I came back from the United States a few months ago, which is the purpose of unifying our great party. “ I’ve come to report my own findings to you all and appeal to the wisdom of this state executive on what needs to be done in averting a mistake, precisely after a proper diagnosis of what happened to us in 2011.” However, a source said that Bankole may declare his ambition in few weeks. According to the source, the former Speaker is waiting for the blessing of Aso Villa. Although there are hurdles on the way, he is hopeful. For Bankole, hope is the elixir of life.

THE NATION MONDAY SEPTEM BER 22, 2014

POLITICS In Abia State, many Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains are agitating for power shift. But, others are also insisting that zoning should not displace merit and competence. EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

Since 2003, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has been eyeing the governorship in Abia State. He is a top contender in the race for next year’s election. Can he get the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket? EMMANUEL OLADESU examines his chances at the primaries.

Can Abaribe get PDP ticket in Abia?

•Orji

•Mrs Nwaogu

• Nwosu

Abia 2015: Between zoning and merit

BIA State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is warming up for governorship primaries. Aspirants have returned to the drawing board. There are many permutations and intrigues. Contenders are intensifying consultations with stakeholders. However, only an aspirant will get the ticket. There are ethnic sentiments. The contest is not only among aspirants, it is also among ethnic blocs. At the centre of the drama are the old Bende Zone and Aba Division, which has not enjoyed the slot since 1999. Many stakeholders ahave argued that Governor Theodore Orji’s successor should come from Aba Zone, which is also known as the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc, line with the Abia Charter of Equity (ACE). The ACE was agreed upon to assuage the fear of domination by any section. Its major element is the rotational principle. The idea is that power should rotate among the three zones.

Old blocs Three zones-Afikpo Division, Bende Division and Aba Division- were relevant at the beginning. Based on the agreement, the governor has said that he would hand over power to Ukwa/Ngwa next year. The governor said the ACE,

which prescribed power sharing, is sacrosanct, adding that bits implementation will foster peace and equity. Orji said he would not like to take any decision that would plunge the state into political crisis. Hence, the decision to respect the charter. Criticisms have trailed the decision. Now, there is a debate on which part of Ukwa/ Ngwa Zone would produce the governor. The Ukwa/Ngwa Zone comprises of nine councils. Obingwa, Aba South, Aba North, Ugwunagor, Ukwa West and Ukwa East are under Abia South Senatorial Zone. Osisioma Ngwa, Isiala Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South councils are in the Abia Central Zone. This is the Umuahia/ Ikwuano bloc.

Agitations Ukwa-Ngwa people are found in three local government areas in Abia Central. Political heavy weights, including Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, Acho Nwakanma, Chief A.C.B Agbazuere, and Chris Akomas are of Ukwa/Ngwa origin. But, they are from the Central Zone. That is why some people have argued that power sharing is a matter between the old Bende bloc and Aba bloc. More Ngwa people are found in Abia Central Senatorial District. However, despite the agitation

for zoning, some stakeholders believe that zoning should not displace merit and competence. To these people, the best aspirant should succeed the governor.

Merit and competence The governor’s support for power shift to Ukwa/Ngwa is not in doubt. But, this is not enough. Aspirants are flaunting their credentials. In the race are Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Friday Nwosu, a lawyer, and Senator Nkechi Nwaogu from the Central District. Some people have said that the female aspirant would be the choice of Ukwa/Ngwa people A two-time senator and a former House of Representatives member, she has experience. She has said that gender is not a disadvantage, but an asset. “If my party will support me, I will run for the post of governorship. It is my aspiration, my desire. I have the qualification and experience to pilot the affairs of Abia State, if given the mandate to govern Abia,’’ she said. But, Nwosu, also said that he is fit for the job because he has pedigree. Also, Abaribe has said that he is the most qualified aspirant, having served as the deputy governor and senator. The aspirants are determined. But, at the primaries, the wheat will be seperated from the chaff.

N the last two months, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has been shuttling between Abuja and Abia State. He has been holding consultations with stakeholders on his governorship ambition. Among aspirants itching to succeed Governor Theodore Orji in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he appears to be the most popular, judging by his pedigree. But, it is left for PDP delegates to either select him as the flag bearer or reject him at the shadow poll. Many factors will shape the primaries and the general election in the Southeast state. These include zoning, pedigree of aspirants, their popularity among delegates, financial muscle and the influence of the governor. Apart from Abaribe, other contenders are the Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Oti, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, Mr. Uche Oga, Mr. Okey Emutchay, Mr. Friday Nwosu, Hon. Acho Nwakanma and Chief Mark Wabara. Sources said some aspirants are in the race to bargain for other positions. But, all of them are warming up for the shadow poll. The slot has been zoned to Abia South District. This may put the ambitions of some contenders in jeopardy. Oga is from Abia North and Senator Nwaogu is from Abia Central. Many party chieftains have described Abaribe as the main issue in Abia in 2015. In the course of his consultations, he has received warm receptions across the local governments. The senator is a curious survivalist. He is the former deputy governor whose career was once liquidated by his former boss, Chief Orji Kalu. Instead of deserting the battle, he headed for another party. But, he could not make much impact. His structure has been a vital asset to him. When the coast was clear, he retraced his steps back to the PDP, bouncing back as a senator. In the Upper Chamber, where he represents Abia South, he is not a bench warmer. Abaribe as the Senate’s spokesman has endowed his seat with visibility. Today, many see him as the most experienced and qualified to succeed Orji. However, he is a victim of elite conspiracy. Abaribe is principled. He is perceived as man man endowed with a heart of steel and stone. Thus, some cabals believe that, if he becomes the governor, it may be difficult to control or cage him. But, the senator has a grassroots followership that is so passionate and committed to his cause. However, Abaribe’s popularity has also sent jitters down the spine of his opponents. His campaign organisation has alleged that certain aspirants have resorted to blackmail and sponsorship of false publications to portray him in bad light and reduce his chance. So far, the Senate’s spokesman has visited 10 local government areas. They are Ukwa East, Ukwa West, Obingwa, Isiala Ngwa North, Umunneochi, Isikwuato, Bende, Ikwuano, Aba North and Aba South. When his campaign train rolled into Isikwuato local government area, Abaribe was overwhelmed by the large turnout. He praised the people for their dedication. Reflecting on zoning, he said, although he is favoured by this consideration, he would not be governor of any zone, but the governor of Abia State. “I have a commitment to serve the state and bring to bear on governance my integrity, honesty and transparency,” he said. However, there are hurdles to cross. Although the governor has not openly anointed a candidate, there are insinuations that he may later throw his weight behind a candidate he is grooming. However, Orji has debunked the claim, saying that he would provide a level playing ground for aspirants. The governor emphasised that he would not impose any aspirant on the chapter. •Abaribe

Chairman joins Plateau governorship race By Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

• Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Emeka Ihedioha; Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Adamu Mu’azu after the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

HE Chairman of Mikang Local Government Area of Plateau State, Hon. Daniel Kungmi, has joined the governorship race. His entry into the race has increased the number of aspirants from the Southern Senatorial Zone to 12. Kungmi was elected as the Chairman in February for three years. Sources said that the state government has frowned against his bid. The campaign posters of Kungmi are visible in Jos, the state capital, and Mikang, his local government headquarters. Although the council boss has not made a formal declaration, his political associates said he had the plan to contest for the number one position before the council election. One of his political associates, Mr. John Maigari, said: “Kungmi is a very popular politician in the state. His people want him to serve them in higher capacity at the state and I think he has taken the right decision to accept the call by his followers to serve.” He added: “Kungmi will get massive support of people at the grassroots.” Kungmi is yet to speak on his posters flooding the streets of Jos.

THE NATION MONDAY SEPTEM BER 22, 2014

POLITICS Bamisile Oseni Oscar is a chieftain of the Labour Party(LP) in Ondo State.In this interview with DAMISI OJO,he says the defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko to the PDP will add a value to the party.

‘We are merging with the PDP. We are collapsing the structure of the LP, which is the third largest political party in Nigeria into the largest political party’

‘Mimiko ‘ll add value to PDP’ H

OW would you react to the defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko from the Labour Party(LP) to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)? As a politician and as a leader of the LP, I see it as a positive omen for the politics of the state. In all normal climes, we have only two major political parties. I consider the defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko to the PDP as a wise political move. It is imperative now for members of the Labour Party to join PDP because of the 2015 general elections. As been speculated all around, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will definitely seek reelection in 2015. We all need to support him so that he can realise his dream of a great Nigeria. The PDP and the LP are siblings. We share a lot of things together. You can recall that the LP under Governor Mimiko supported President Jonathan in 2011. We were directed to vote for the President. So, the planned defection is in the interest of this state and the country. Many people have said that Mimiko is returning to the PDP to avoid an imminent defeat for the LP in next year’s elections because he is not popular again.. It is the opinion of the people that don’t understand what is on ground politically in Ondo State. Not quite long ago, a bye election

was conducted in Ilaje/ESe-Odo Federal Constituency. Despite that the constituency is a stronghold of the PDP, the LP candidate won the bye election. The result showed that the LP candidate won. We are still wondering why the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Ondo State came out with the idea that the bye election was inconclusive. Some people must have orchestrated that stalemate to salvage their already dwindled political relevance in the politics of the state. They only wanted to give a wrong impression of their political influence to Abuja so that the people there can reckon with them. We have been winning elections in the state since the LP government came on board. Therefore, it is wrong for anybody to have ascribed the defection of Governor Mimiko to the fear of imminent defeat. As far as I am concerned, joining the PDP is a sacrifice for the political development of the country. As at today, we are the third largest political party in the country. We have spread beyond Ondo state. We have a senator in Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye; we have state assembly members from Anambra, from Bayeilsa, from Adamawa. In Ondo State, we have seven House of Representatives members out of eight, but we lost one, Nomiye, to the cold hands of death. We have

• Oscar

25 House of Assembly members. All the three senators from Ondo State were elected on the platform of the LP. Are all LP members also defecting to the PDP along with the governor? What I know is that, if not all, about 90 percent of us will go with him. This is because Governor Mimiko is a leader of men. I don’t think there is a serious politician without a leader, and in Ondo State, he is our leader. He has consulted widely; he has consulted party leaders, the artisans, the market women, the students, the traditional, religious and labour leaders. The outcome of the consultation is that we should move to the PDP. I am pretty sure that 90 per cent of our followers in Ondo State will follow him to the PDP. Will the defection not create crisis for the PDP? That cannot be ruled that out because society itself is a product of

crisis. But then, I don’t see any reason why our joining the PDP should cause any serious and damaging crisis, if we all allow fairness in the choice of party executive members and candidates. We don’t impose people in the Labour Party and that is the attitude we are taking to the PDP. We also know that there is nothing like imposition in the PDP. There is no godfather somewhere that will be dictating to us on who will be party executive members and candidates. In fact, you will see democracy in action in the new PDP. It has been alleged that Governor Mimiko is insisting on having 60 percent of the structure of the PDP? What is your opinion? I don’t know, but that’s normal. Since we started this democracy in 1999, we have seen the defection of governors from one political party to another. Of recent, we saw some PDP governors decamping to the APC. Any governor that is coming to another party with peo-

ple like House of Assembly members, House of Reps members, senators will definitely get 60 or 70 per cent. If it is true that Governor Mimiko is insisting on having 60 per cent of the party’s structure, I think he is magnanimous enough. It is even wrong to say that we are decamping. No, we are merging with the PDP. We are collapsing the structure of the LP, which is the third largest political party in Nigeria into the largest political party. I don’t know how that will cause a problem because that’s what governors who defect to the PDP have been getting. Our people should go and check history. They will be well educated if they do. Will the defection not affect the aspirations of some people? That is the beauty of democracy, and that was why we clamoured for it. The system is not about your wealth or your might. It is about what the people want. There is a process of electing or selecting candidates for election. As I said earlier on, the two parties share a lot of things in common. It is the delegates that will elect the party flag bearers. In as much as there is fairness in the process, I don’t think there will be any cry by anybody. So, what is important is fairness, justice and openness in the process of selecting our candidates. We will all support those that emerge through fair and transparent primaries, since we are now members of the same family. What’s your advice to members of both parties, now that you are coming together? This merger now is a fait accompli. The governor has consulted us. We have endorsed the idea of merging with the PDP. We are now waiting for the day that the party flag and leadership will be handed over to the Governor Mimiko. So, my advice is that we should all be focused; let us be patient and let the opposition APC see genuine democracy in our party. There is nothing we cannot do together amicably. What should be paramount to us is how to sustain this democracy.

House of Representatives aspirant in Akoko Southeast/Southwest Constituency Hon. Temidayo Adejuwon is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He told DELE ANOFI that the party will bounce back in Ondo State in next year’s elections.

‘PDP can not intimidate APC in Ondo’

HY did you join the APC, instead of the LP, despite the fact that the LP is the ruling party in Ondo State? If we are to examine governance in this country and, if we are not going to deceive ourselves, it is not difficult to see that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not impacted positively on the majority of Nigeria. As for Ondo State, the LP that has now turned to the PDP that has been in government since 2007 can not also boast of succeeding in turning round the fortunes of this state or empowering the teeming masses of this state. In view of this and in the context of Nigerian politics, it is easy to align with the bandwagon and go with the ruling party, but, if politics is about service, then, the most sensible thing is to go with the progressives where such dreams can be realised. Yes, I am involved in active politics and in 2015, I am contesting for the Federal House of Representatives seat for Akoko Southeast and Akoko Southwest Constituency of Ondo State under the All Progressives Congress (APC). I choose House of Representatives because I believe that, if right laws are made and the nation’s constitutions are written well in a way to move the nation forward, then, the executive has no option but to

abide and conform within the ambience of the laws. So, I have chosen to be part of a group of people that will reason and write a formidable and good constitutions and legislate excellent laws that can help take Nigeria to the promised land and, with my leaders backing me and the electorate from my Constituency backing me, I know, I will be there to contribute my own quota of moving Nigeria forward. Besides, if my constituency has seen the kind of development we were hoping for, there would have been no need for me to contest but support the incumbent lawmaker. Unfortunately, we are not getting the requisite quality representation we were hoping for. I am not intimidated. I believe the people know what is good for them and that is why I am going into this. Are you saying that politicians are responsible for under-developing this country? On the issue that politicians are under developing the nation, I don’t subscribe to that. Though it is a fact that some politicians are

bad and corrupt, but some politicians are good too. I think it is about individual differences and my candid advise is that politicians should choose to be trail blazers and achievers, whose impact will always be found and visibly seen on the sand of time. After all, the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s legacies are still here with us even though he has been dead for decades now. Politicians can be good and politicians can develop the nation. You are a youth. What value have the youths added to politics in this country? No doubt, the youths of this country constitute a large number of the electorate. To the best of my knowledge, youths have been casting their votes well, but I will rather advise the youths to change their voting pattern now. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government has been in power since the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 no. Nigeria has not witnessed any fundamental growth,

either with respect to economic growth, educational growth or improvement in the lives of the citizens. Instead, it has been case of hunger and increment in crime rate because the youths are jobless and unemployed. So, I will rather advise the youth who are the larger part of the electorate to change their voting pattern by not voting for the ruling PDP in the 2015 election. The youths should vote for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) so that we can have a change and Nigerians can have a clean breath and a fresh government that can usher in peace, progress and advancement for the country. How can the youths be properly mobilised for political action? The youth of this country can get it right in the political arena when we have a holistic and complete change of orientation. Ordinarily, each generation has peculiarities and this generation that I belong to, the most chal-

‘The youths should vote for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) so that we can have a change and Nigerians can have a clean breath and a fresh government that can usher in peace, progress and advancement for the country’

• Adejuwon

lenging task we have is the task of rebuilding Nigeria. We need to cultivate the Idea and believe that we belong to a Nehemiah generation. In the Bible, Nehemiah was the man that allowed himself to be used by God to rebuild the broken and fallen wall of Jerusalem. Things are so bad in Nigeria today that the countrymen have lost hope. But, amidst all of these, a new era will come up in Nigeria and we will witness economy buoyancy and crime and insecurity will end. Virtually all our government schools both tertiary and secondary school are now shadows of their past. Our health institutions are in shambles. Boko Haram and other national menace can become history, if we rebuild Nigeria because that is the only option we are left with.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 during the administration of Chief Horace Oko Jumbo, against our Constitution and Regulations, 1971: a. In 2011/ 2012 the administration of Chief Horace Oko. Jumbo allocated and sold a portion of Jumbo Major House Land to the St. Raphael Catholic Church, Bonny, without the consent and involvement of majority of the Chiefs, Elders and Principal Members of the Jumbo Major House at a total cost of N17,500,000.00 (Seventeen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only, which amount was converted to personal use. b. In 2013, the administration of Chief Horace allocated and sold a portion of Jumbo Major House Land to Hon. Aye A. Pepple without the consent of the majority of the Chiefs, Elders and Principal Members of the House and the sum of N6,000,000.00 (Six Million Naira) was made from the deal, which was also diverted to personal use.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nigeria Police Force Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District, Garki, Abuja. RE: MR HORACE F. H. OKO JUMBO'S FALSE ALLEGATION OF POLICE HARASSMENT, BRUTALITY AND INVOLVEMENT / COMPLICITY IN THE TRADITIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE JUMBO MAJOR HOUSE OF BONNY IN OKOLOAMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE IN RE: HIS ACTIONS CAPABLE OF CAUSING COMMUNITY CRISIS The above subject matter refers to a petition to your office dated 04-09-2014 by one Mr. Horace Ferdinand Herbert Oko Jumbo now deposed as the Chief / Head of the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny Kingdom on Saturday, 6th day of September 2014 in a Mass / General Meeting of the House, in line with the provisions of the 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the House. Copies of the said petition and 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny Kingdom are hereto attached as Annexures A and B. A cursory look at the said petition will not only reveal how spurious and lacking in its entirety all elements of basic / common truth and moral rectitude but its satanic intent to disparage, vilify and / or cast ignominious aspersion on our good selves, your subordinates and other security agents whom we are not by any intent herein holding brief for. It is important to underscore the fact that our position as the leadership and good people of the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny Kingdom in the Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, is not to join issues with the said Mr. Horace F. H. Oko Jumbo, but to put in proper perspective his cocktail of lies, misrepresentation of facts, diversion of issues, deceit and sinister allegations. Contrary to his assertion, there does not exist any Local Government Area in Rivers State, known to law (1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended) as Okoloama Local Government Area. As obviously stated by the said Horace Jumbo in his petition under review, and in due reference to the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of our House, the Jumbo Major House of Bonny in the Bonny LGA of Rivers State, is made up to family sub units referred to as "WARISUU" and "BURUSU", which are domiciled in the communities/villages, and fishing ports / settlements compounds owned by the Jumbo Major House in the Bonny Kingdom. It is trite that under Ibani (Bonny) Custom and Tradition a Burusus is headed and administered by a House Elder referred to as WARISENIBO and a Warisuu administered by a House Chief known as WARI-ALABO and that the Head Chief of any of the Ibani (Bonny) Houses, administers same jointly with and in reference to these Elders and House Chiefs and not as SOLE ADMINISTRATOR. JUMBO MAJOR HOUSE 1971 CONSTITUTIONAL ENACTMENTS TO NOTE: a. ARTICLE 3(2) paragraph 2 stipulates that the Chief shall summon meetings of the Upper Council of Elders quarterly and a mass meeting of the House yearly which meetings then Se-Alabo (Chief) H. F. Jumbo had refused to convene since 30th June 2010 when he received Court of Appeal Judgement to serve as our Head Chief and even from year 2002 till date. b. ARTICLE 6(a) paragraph 2 stipulates that the House Finance Committee / Board of Trustees (with the Chief as Chairman), must render account to the members of the House yearly in a Mass or General Meeting, which account then Se Alabo (Chief) H. F. Jumbo had refused to render since 30th June 2010, even from year 2002 till date. c. ARTICLE 3(1) stipulates the formation of the Cabinet of the House by the selection of six (6) Elders in a Mass Meeting to constitute the Lower Council of Elders for the day-to-day operation of the activities of the House with the Head Chief, which Mass Meetings then Se-Alabo (Chief) H. F. Jumbo had refused to convene since 30th June, 2010; even from year 2002 till date, with the despotic, oppressive and disinheriting implication that there is no Administrative Cabinet of the House, ever since and he had, despotically operated as a Sole Administrator in a House comprising 20 Villages and 18 Fishing Posts / Settlements of different ancestral lineages, to the chagrin of almost everyone. d. ARTICLE 15 of the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of our House further stipulates that the Power to allocate (administer) Jumbo's land in Bonny Town is vested in the Chief and Elders of the House only and Article 15(a) states that such a land should not be allocated to nonmembers of Jumbo House, which land the former Se-Alabo (Chief) H. F. Jumbo had serially and unilaterally allocated / administered and / or sold in exclusion of the Elders and in breach of the said Constitution and Regulations. e. ARTICLE 4 paragraph 2 of the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the Jumbo Major House States thus:"The real power or authority of any Chief today is therefore judged and gauged by the degree of cooperation and backing given to him at any one time by the people who appointed and installed him. In short, the power or authority of the Chief is that of his people who made him a Chief" It is a well known and incontrovertible fact that the Jumbo Major House at present has in existence and operations 39 of such Burusu (Family Subunits), headed by House Elders and Fifteen (15) Warisuu (Sub House Units) in particular headed by House Chiefs. There are also other titled House Chiefs and Principal members who collectively make up the Jumbo Major House Chief and Elders Council, to co-manage and administer collectively with the (Head Chief), the affairs of the House, in line with the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of our House as supported by the Ibani (Bonny) Custom and Tradition. Worthy of mention is the fact that the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the House through which the petitioner obtained judgements in courts and emerged as our Head Chief was brought into existence and operation as the only veritable instrument and / or reference in the administration of the Jumbo Major House by the signatures of the Warisuu and Burusu Heads in a Mass Meeting and that the said Mr. Horace F. H. Jumbo is a member of one of the Burusus referred to as Fa'wari Burusu. Against all well known Ibani (Bonny) tradition, norms, practices, custom and his contemptible disregard to the said 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the Jumbo Major House, the said Mr. Horace F. H. Jumbo chose to lord over us all as Goliath and Sole Administrator and operator of our common wealth and funds. FUNDS UNACCOUNTED FOR: the following funds were received on behalf of the Jumbo Major House but unaccounted for during the administration of Mr. Horace F. H. Jumbo a. The sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) from the Bonny Chiefs Council in 2011 as the sum due the Jumbo Major House from the 505,000,000.00 (Five Hundred and Five Million Naira) paid by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Ltd for the Bonny Terminal Integrated projects (BTIP). b. The sum of N12,500,000.00 (Twelve Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) from the Bonny Chief Council in 2011 being accumulated sundry dues of the Jumbo House, from payments made by companies c. The Sum of N1,150,000.00 (One Million, One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) from the Bonny Environmental Consultants Committee (BECC) as the payment due the Jumbo Major House with respect to the 10'KC Onshore Tie-in Manifold Spill of about 10th - 18th April, 2007 at BaggJumbo Community d. A total sum of N36,416,419.87 (Thirty Six Million, Four Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Nineteen Naira and Eighty Seven Kobo) from the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Ltd. On 24th March, 2014. e. The sum of N1,231,658,650.94 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty One Million, Six hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Naira and Ninety Four Kobi) from the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria Ltd. On 9th May, 2014 as payment for the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal Land rent lease unilaterally collected . LAND UNILATERALLY ALLOCATED AND UNACCOUNTED FOR: Furthermore, the following are some instances of illegal allocation/ sales of Jumbo House Land

THE RAISON DETRE FOR MR HORACE OKO JUMBO’s DEPOSITION In view of all the foregoing serial breaches and violations of laws and our Human Right inclusive of the 1971 Constitution and Regulations of the Jumbo Major House with brazen impunity by the administration of Se-Alabo (Chief) Horace Ferdinand Herbert Oko Jumbo, which has also refused to show any sign of remorse and in consideration of a catalogue of allegations of maladministration, financial impropriety, institution of touting and terrorism and the serial breaching of our said Constitution which were leveled by our House members against that administration in which Mr. Horace Jumbo served as the Paramount Chief, the Elders, House Chiefs, Principal members, Titled citizens, village Heads and Secretaries, Women leaders, Youth Leaders and other weighted stakeholders in a meeting held on the 9th day of August, 2014 made a resolution to invite the petitioner (Mr. Horace) to meet with same on 16th August 2014 and with a further humble request for him to also convene a Mass / General Meeting of the House - either on the 23rd or 30th of August 2014, which said meeting he had severally refused to convene. Copies of the letter of invitation to him dated 11th August 2014 and copied to the Security Agencies and also the delivery waybills of the courier service of Red Star Express are hereto attached as Annexures C to C5 The said Mr. Horace, rather than honouring the humble invitation and/or convening the constitutional Mass Meeting as requested, decided in his usual habit of organizing chaos, stoking controversies and confusion in our House to convene a meeting of members totally alien and unknown to our said 1971 Constitution and Regulations under the guise of meeting of village heads and secretaries. Moreover, intelligence reports reached the Elders that he used an ally of his to import external people from Delta and Edo States for the said meeting. He was promptly stopped by the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command and the State Director, Directorate of State Security Service upon our letters of Protest dated 28th August, 2014 to forestall a breakdown of law and order. Copy of the said letter is hereto attached for Annexure D. In the same vein, sequel to the refusal of the said Mr. Horace F.H. Jumbo to comply with the humble request as conveyed to him by the said letter of 11th August 2014 and to answer to the serial breaching of the House Constitution, a petition dated 25th August 2014 was forwarded to your office (The Inspector General of Police) and to the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, the Director State Security Service and to the said Mr. Horace, coincidentally within the same period he was to hold his said meeting above, that elicited the dual and joint actions of the police and the other Security operatives. Copy of the said Petition is hereto attached as Annexure E. Upon the refusal of the said Mr. Horace F.H. Jumbo to convene the quarterly meeting of the Council of Elders, and / or a general / mass meeting of the Jumbo Major House as the then Paramount Chief (Head Chief), for about 14 years since he was proclaimed a Chief and also from 30th June 2010 till date after obtaining Judgement at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, the vast majority of the House through the forum of Warialapu, Wariseniapu, Principal & Titled members of the Jumbo Major House, in line with official regulations, made an application to your Office (Inspector General of Police) ''RE REQUEST FOR MEETING PERMIT / POLICE COVER'' which was graciously approved and same complied with by the Rivers Deputy State Commissioner and the Bonny and Finima Divisions of the Nigeria Police Force as directed. Copies of the said Approvals are hereto attached as Annexures F and G. What is presently baffling, is the repulsive and utterly despicable complaint of Mr. Horace F.H. Jumbo against the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Security especially the Rivers State Commissioner of Police Monitoring and Special Investigation Unit, Bonny Division and the Bonny LGA Security Office, which he had used on several occasions to forestall peaceful meetings of the generality of the Jumbos, knowing his complaint to be completely false and only intended to ensure the survival of his unwholesome practices. JUMBO OPUWARI - A COMMUNITY HERITAGE AND SYMBOL OF AUTHORITY / UNITY The Jumbo Opuwari (Jumbo Community Play Ground and Square), is not Mr. Horace's personal property. It was not vested on him alone constitutionally and having been deposed by the masses in a General Meeting, in line with relevant Sections of our Constitution, he lacks the locus both traditionally and constitutionally, to stop either the youth, community Heads and / or Chiefs and Elders of our House to meet there. He should be so enlightened, please, because this issue is key to subsequent peace in the House and Kingdom. An Undertaking restraining his further interference, may lead to community peace, please. Further, worthy of note is the fact that his fellow Judgement Creditors, (namely, Wari Alabo Adolphus William Jumbo, Wari Alabo Kalada Jene and Fidelis Jumbo, Jesse Jumbo, Darlington Dagogo Jumbo, and Progress Jumbo), who are also well Known House Chiefs and Elders in our Jumbo Major House were the champions and lead campaigners against his erstwhile administration as the Head Chief of our House. Some of the matters the said petitioner promptly referred to are as follows: Suits Nos: a. PHC/1061/2001 Chief H. F. Jumbo & 5 Others Vs Warialabo Victor Ibimina Jumbo & 6 others b. PHC/1098/2006 Chief H. F. Jumbo & 4 Others Vs Chief R. F. P. Hart & Another c. PHC/1164/2006 Chief H. F. Jumbo & 4 Others Vs Elder Butler Jumbo & Anotherd. d. Appeal No. CA/PH/464/2009 Wari Alabo Victor Ibimina Jumbo & 6 others Vs Chief H. F. Jumbo & 5 others Mr. Horace’s petition and recent rebuttal, in all ramifications are an embodiment of mischief and misrepresentation of facts of the matter. Jumbo Major House is guided by its 1971 constitution and Ibani tradition and culture. A vast majority of our stakeholders therefore frown at Mr. Horace’s misguided publications and totally vehemently dissociate themselves from the malicious and character assassination publications from Mr. Horace Oko Jumbo and his few co-travelers. Mr. Horace Ferdinand Herbert Oko Jumbo has been duly and incontrovertibly deposed by the vast majority of the Jumbo Major House, and have been communicated appropriately through a letter dated 8th September 2014 and his deposition, also severally and specially announced over the radio especially Radio Rivers 99.10 MHz FM stereo between 10th - 12th of September 2014. His deposition and the list of the new all-embracing Caretaker Committee members duly elected by the Jumbo Masses on that auspicious Saturday, September 6, 2014 were as a Special Announcement published in the Nation Newspaper, page 66 of Thursday 11th September 2014. Copies of the said letter, Special Announcement and Nation Newspaper are hereto attached as Annexure H, I and J. Equally of mention is the fact that prior to his summary deposition by the Jumbo Major House, the said Mr. Horace Ferdinand Herbert Oko Jumbo was also suspended indefinitely by the Bonny Chiefs' Council vide letter ref BCC/OAB/85/VOL.IV/27 dated 14th July 2014, as a result of acts of treachery and unwholesome practices against the Council and the entire Bonny Kingdom. Copy of the said Bonny Chiefs Council letter of suspension of Mr. Horace F. H. Oko Jumbo is hereto attached as Annexure K. From the foregoing, it is rather very disappointing and unfortunate that Mr. Horace Jumbo has refused to shed his taste for spreading falsehood and attacks on individuals as his means of achieving control and dominion over the Jumbo Major House, in spite of wise counsels from well meaning people of the Jumbo House and the Bonny Kingdom, to accept his selfinflicted misfortune of deposition by our Jumbo Major House of Bonny. The Chairman of our Caretaker Committee Prof. Jasper Jumbo J.P. is a tried and tested Public Administrator of unimpeachable integrity. His pedigree as one of the foremost pioneers of the Niger Delta struggle and his enviable role in the formation of Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), NDDC and the enhancement of the Oil Terminal Dues stand him out as a selfless and patriotic nationalist who will best protect our interests. No degree of name calling and blackmail of his person will detract us from the implicit confidence we have in him. CONCLUSION/ PRAYERS In view of all the foregoing, we pray that you use your good offices to i. Re-iterate that tradition due process as well as constitutional and governmental protocols were respected and patiently followed by the Chiefs, Elders and Jumbo masses in deposing Mr.Horace F. K. Oko Jumbo. ii. Accept our humble invitation to you, the Federal and State Governments as well as other concerned law enforcement agencies, to graciously look deep into this matter, and help us inform Mr. Horace Ferdinand Herbert Oko Jumbo pointedly, that the owners of the House (masses) have in a General Meeting by unanimous majority of over 2/3 of our members, deposed him and declared their liberty, in line with Section 13 of our 1971 Constitution and Regulations.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 iii. Allow the investigations to go on unimpeded. If he would interfere in the investigations we advise that the authorities consider moving the matter under the direct, dispassionate and close watch of the IGP himself considering the amount involved and the sensitive Federal Government investments on Jumbo land in Bonny or instruct the CP's Monitoring and Special Investigation Unit (Rivers) to intensify action and recover all related documents, cheque stubs/books Land Registers, Vouchers etc (House Property) as Exhibits to be released to the New Caretaker Committee after. iv. Embargo the Jumbo Major House Accounts opened. Depending on preliminary findings, the relevant authorities are prayed to have any one in connection with the said account arraigned at any Federal High Court for appropriate offenses, before he or she runs there, trickily opting for immunity, through Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement. v. Let him and his few cohorts who now constitute a measly minority know that a vast majority of Stakeholders in Jumbo Major House and Bonny are happy and satisfied with the mass involvement, decision and development in Jumbo Major House. These moves will fully usher in peace and justice in the Jumbo Major House. Our people have really suffered from the marginalization, anarchy, fetishness and maltreatment from this modern-day Herod; called Mr. Horace F. H. Oko Jumbo. Now that we have resolved to experience the breath of fresh air in our communities, we thank God Almighty for the new development in our Jumbo Major House. iv. Cause the Nigerian Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to dispassionately do their work, recover the recoverables including houses and vehicles bought with our House money and release same to the mass-elected Caretaker Committee, which had since swung into action, in line with Section 16 of the Jumbo Major House Constitution (1971) which states inter alia: ''Any property, heirloom, lands, personal effects, farms, furniture, landed property acquired with House money, become the property of the House vii. Most importantly Sir, information reaching us is that once again, this Mr. Horace F. H. Oko Jumbo is planning to cause bloodshed and mayhem in Bonny. Having been deposed, he is planning to go through the back door to bring in and single-handedly appoint ordinary members and some of his militant youths in the House as Chiefs (Wari Alapus) and House Elders (Wari Seniapus) and Community Heads, in order to use them to replace the real owners and Elders of the House who have abandoned him because of all the above-mentioned nefarious acts of his administration. This will surely cause "war" in Jumbo Major House and possibly, Bonny Kingdom, if not speedily checkmated through getting him to sign an undertaking of Good Conduct and "No Harm" to the real Trustees, Elders, Chiefs, Principal Members and other members of the mass-elected 31-man Caretaker Committee of our House. Finally, we wish to again warn members of the public that any person, group of persons or organizations that continue to deal with the said Mr. Horace F.H. Oko Jumbo on behalf of the Jumbo Major House of Bonny in Okoloama L.G.A, Rivers State does/do so at his/her/ their own risk. The said Mr. Horace F.H. Oko Jumbo has since the 4th day of September, 2014 been deposed as Chief/Head of the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny and he stands so deposed. We thank you for your time, Sir and humbly invite you to note that Mr. Horace F.H. Oko Jumbo is a well known petition writer per excellence, whose petitions are always laced with lies, unfounded allegations and fabrications and that his petition under review, is no exception and should be totally ignored as he will always write.

Cc: His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi The Executive Governor of Rivers State of Nigeria The Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs The Director-General, Department of State Security, Abuja. The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja. The Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Abuja. The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zonal Headquarters, Calabar, Cross River State. Hon. Worgu Boms, Esq. Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Rivers State The Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command The Rivers State Director of Security Department of State Security (DSS) Officer-in-Charge (SP Abduladir Yahaha) CP Monitoring / Special Investigation Unit, Port Harcourt. Mr. Hyacinth Edozie - Head Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Port Harcourt. Hon. Adonye Wilcox Bonny Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Bonny. His Majesty, King Edward Asimini Dappa William Pepple III, JP, OON Perekule XI, The Brown House of Finima, Bonny C/O The Secretary, Brown House Opuwari Finima, Bonny LGA Messrs Lucius E. Nwosu & Partners (Lead Counsel - Bonny Oil Terminal Land Matter) The Divisional Police Officer, Nigeria Police Force, Bonny The Divisional Police Officer, Nigeria Police Force, Finima The LGA Security Chief Department of State Security, Bonny Mr Horace F. H. Oko Jumbo Road 15, Flat 4B Federal Housing Estate (Agip Estate) Rumueme, Port Harcourt.

For your information and necessary action, please.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY Council endorsed the useful phone numbers submitted by the security agents in case of any emergency on the metropolitan Roads. Accordingly, the public may easily contact KAROTA for: Breakdown of Vehicle(s), Traffic Congestion, Accidents, and Illegal/Wrong Parking on – 08091626747. Similarly, the State Police Command could be contacted on – 08032419754, 08123821575. In addition, the State Fire Service can also be contacted on – 07051246833, 08191778888.

167TH KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

PREPARED BY COUNCIL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, KANO.

he Administration of His Excellency Governor Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE since inception has advocated and ensured the Institutionalization of principle of "Good Governance" as advocated by His Philosophy to drive the State in an efficient way to enhance the economic,

political and administrative structures to manage the affairs of the State Affairs at all levels in a manner that is Participatory, transparent, honest, responsive, efficient and accountable, by declaring a zero tolerance for corruption and other corrupt practices. It has also been able to plush out all leakages at the budget Implementation stage i.e. reduction of overhead costs given to MDAs which has helped by saving about N500Million monthly which is subsequently channeled towards the socio - economic development of the State. In addition the Executive Governor has upon all the current security challenges facing the country especially northern part, abolished Security Vote. Furthermore and in keeping with the tenet of accountability and transparency in governance, 98% of the State financial transactions were tabled at the weekly Council Meetings and are thoroughly debated as well as published in national dailies. the administration also initiated measures that jerked up the State internally generated revenue (IGR) from N400Million to over N2Billion monthly. In Furtherance to the noble objectives of the present administration, the Kano State Executive Council held its 167th Sitting on Wednesday 17th September '2014. During the Sitting, Twelve (12) MDAs Submitted Forty Eight (48) memoranda out of which Twenty two (22) were Approved in the sum of N1,095,459,733.87 .Thus: 1. DEPUTY GOVERNOR/HON. COMMISSIONER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. Report from the Ad - Hoc Task ForceCommittee on Visitation of 5KM Road Projects for Inspection Across the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State:It is pertinent to recall that, since the inception of the present administration effort were continuously made for the construction of 5KM Road Projects across the 44 Local Government Areas. The content of this memorandum is from the Committee set - up to monitor the progress and challenges on the ongoing 5KM projects in the Local Government Areas, as a result of committees work certain observations were made and submitted to Council for consideration as follows; i. That, initial 30% mobilization payment was made to all Contractors and additional payment was also released to many of them. ii. That, the first category of Contractors nearing completion of works deserves additional payment. iii. That, the payment of compensation prior to the Constitution of the Committee at Bichi, Bebeji, Rano and Warawa was made on 22M carriage way width which attracted substantial amount. iv. That, the new guideline for compensation assessment and payment on 16M carriage way on corridors has yielded saving of about 60% of the total cost. Council acknowledged the presentation of the report with appreciation. 2. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT a) Request for Funds for Renting a 7 Bedroom Duplex with 3 Room Boys Quarters at No. 6 Alu Avenue, Nassarawa G. R. A. to serve as Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company Ltd(KHEDCO) for Three (3) Years:Following the desire and commitment of the present administration for the setting-up of a two (2) State Independent Power Stations, at Tiga and Challawa Gorge Dams coupled with the Implementation Committee effort towards take - off of the projects, led for the establishment of Kano Hydro and EnergyDevelopment Company (KHEDCO) Ltd. The Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted a request to Council for the renting of house to be rented which will serve as a convenient office complex to (KHEDCO) for an initial period of three (2) years to facilitate for proper monitoring on activities that would lead to the successful take - off of the power stations. Accordingly, Council considered and approved the release of the sum of N5,750,000.00 as three (2) years rent (including taxes and agency fees) for the commitment. b) Presentation of Update Report on Eighty Nine (89) Pilots Currently Receiving Training at the Mid - East Aviation Academy Jordan (MAA):You may recall that, the present administration had sponsored eighty nine (100) State students to study Pilots at the Mid - East Aviation Academy Jordan for eighteen (18) months which are expected to graduate on 14thand 30th October, 2014 respectively. In this regards, the SSG's office submitted a request to Council to effect payment of increased allowances to the students and settlement of the Examinations fees of 50% of the students who are to repeat the mandatory English Proficiency Test at the rate of $9,938.00. Council acknowledged the report with appreciation and directed the deduction in the sum of $9,540.00 from the savings currently with the Mid - East Aviation Academy Jordan (MAA). c) Request for Funds for the Procurement of Office Equipment from Ministry of Land and Physical Planning:The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government submitted a request to Council for the procurement of Computers, Printers, Photocopier Machines and Fire Proof Safe in effort to upgrade its three (3) selected Departments (Lands, Deeds and Cadastral) at the sum of N6,179,000.00. Council noted, considered and approved as requested. d) Presentation of Quarterly Progress Report (1st and 2nd) for 2014 and Request for Eight (8) Months Operational Funds from Standing Committee on Ensuring Employment of State indigene by All Organization Operating in the State:The content of this memorandum is from State Standing Committee on Ensuring Employment of State Indigenes by all organization operating through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government

submitted its quarterly progress report as highlighted below; i. That the Committee secured employment opportunities to sixty two (62) State Indigenes from some private Schools, Game Store of Ado Bayero Mall, Omega Security Company and Seven Up Bottling Company Plc. ii. That the Committee held meeting with operators of Hydra Guards Kano who requested for posting of 200 Graduates of Kano Corporate Security Training Institute for employment. Furthermore, the committee request for eight (8) months operational funds in the sum of N1,200,000.00.

Rabi’u Musa Kwankawaso

Council acknowledged the report with appreciation and approved the release of the sum of N1,200,000.00 as (January - August, 2014) operational funds. e) Memorandum on the Final Reminder from the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Requesting for Land to Build Resettlement Hostels for Internally Displaced Persons in the State:The content of this memorandum arose as a result of reminder letter received by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government from the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation constituted by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in October, 2012 aimed at rehabilitating those affected by the 2012 flood disaster requesting for a piece of land to build resettlement hostels for the internally displaced persons. Furthermore, the memorandum reminded the Council that the issue was tabled before it sometimes on 13th August, 2014 where a directives was given to Hon. Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning to request the Presidential Committee for details on the issue and a piece of land to be allocated to them. In this regard, the Office of the Secretary to the State Government endorsed this request to Council with the following recommendations. The Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to provide the following to the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation in order to enable them construct the aforementioned hostels as follows; i. A piece of land (1.2 - 1.5 hectares) along with survey map where the two (2) block of hostels will be built and ii. Location where new boreholes, water treatment plant will be constructed. Accordingly, Council noted, considered approved and directed Ministry of Land and Physical Planning to keep in contact with Presidential Committee up to the end of the project as well as update the Council on any development. 3. HEAD OF SERVICE Request for Funds for the Payment of 107 Contract Gratuity Staff Second (2nd) Batch:The Office of the Head of Civil Service having observed the usual efforts contributed by the Contractual Staff in the development of the State public sector submitted a request to Council for the payment of 107No. Contract Gratuity Staff second (2nd) Batch in the sum of N27,439,797.73. Accordingly, Council noted, considered and approved as requested for the purpose. 4. MINISTRY OF LAND AND PHYSICAL PLANNING a) Request for Funds for the Revalidation of Contract for the Asphalt Overlay of 21KM Kansakali - Watari - Dansudu Gwarzo Link Road:In an effort aimed at reviewing and revalidating inherited projects in the State, Government through Fact - Finding Committee has identified the Asphalt Overlay of 21KM Kansakali - Watari - Dansudu Road project for completion. The road project was initially awarded to Messrs. SKY Technical and Construction Co. Ltd. by the Ministry of Rural and Community Development on 30th September, 2009 at the cost of N884,366,610.05. Records indicated that the Contractor has reached 40% of the permanent works based on previous Contract Scope, the Contractor was given advance payment in the sum of N442,183,305.05. Furthermore, interim valuation certificate No. 2 to the tune of N110,213,223.26 was raised in favour of the Contractor, however, payment was not effected. Base on this desire to improve the condition of the road, the scope of the project has been reviewed by introducing new items of works, the revised Contract sum was N689,931,619.36. Hence, the value of the work for completion was earmarked at the sum of N339,591,606.61. In this respect the Committee recommended for the revalidation of the Contract upon which the Contractor would be directed to re - mobilize to site for continuation of the project. Accordingly, Council considered and approved the revalidation of the contract at the sum of N689,931,619.36 with completion cost at the sum of N339,591,606.61 and the release of the sum of N238,989,814.01 to the Contractor. b) Request for the Revalidation of Contract for the Construction of 2 Coat Surface Dressing of Kansakali - Watari - Dansudu - Gwarzo Road (21KM):In line with the Government commitment towards completing all inherited projects in earnest, Government through Fact - Finding Committee has identified the construction of 2 Coat Surface Dress of Kansakali - Watari - Dansudu - Gwarzo road. The road covered the total length of 21KM and 7.3M width single carriage way. The Contract was awarded to Messrs. SKY Tech and Construction Co. Ltd. by the Ministry of Rural and Community Development on at cost of N884,366,610.05. records indicated that the Contractor

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 has reached 40% with advance payment of N442,183,305.03. In pursuant to the Government desire to improve the condition of the road, the scope of the project has been reviewed down ward to the sum of N490,740,382.92as a result of the removal of the second Coat Surface Dressing. Council considered and approved the revalidation of the contract at the sum of N490,740,382.92 and completion cost at the sum of N146,949,501.47 and the release sum of N39,962,305.90 to the contractor. c) Request for Funds for the Construction of Drainage to Avert Occurrence of Flooding at New Hospital Road through School of Nursing and Midwifery:On the basis of the earlier Council decision for the construction of drainage to control the occurrence of flooding at New Hospital Road through School of Nursing and Midwifery presented by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning. In this respect, having noted the revisitation of the project site by the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning a reportwas submittedto Council requesting for the construction of outfall drainage at New Hospital Road through Collage of Nursing & Midwifery at the sum of N14,685,000.00 on contract basis to be supervised by the Ministry. Accordingly, Council considered and approved as requested for the project. 5. MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND BUDGET Memorandum on the Visitation on Study and Technical Assistance to Support the European Union Delegation in Addressing Malnutrition, Poor Health and Household:The Ministry of Planning and Budget received a communication letter from the National Planning Commission on official working visit to the State following the proposed study visit by European Union (EU) Delegation for Identification of Projects under the "Support to Health, Nutrition and Resilience in Northern Nigeria" to be funded under the 11thEuropean Development Fund Window, submitted to Council to note that the team will visit the State from Sunday 21st - Tuesday 23rd September, 2014 for the assessment and therefore soliciting Government Support for the success of the mission. Accordingly, Council noted the presentation of the report with appreciation. 6. MINISTRY OF WORKS, HOUSING AND TRANSPORT a) Request for Funds for the Construction/Furnishing of New Office Complex for Speaker/Deputy Speaker and General Renovation of Principal Officer's and Other Hon. Members Offices at the State House of Assembly Complex:Having noted the usual commitment of the State House of Assembly Members towards initiating laws that are aimed at improving the socio-economic well being of the State citizenry, the State Assembly requested for the construction of New Office Complex for Speaker/Deputy Speaker as well as General renovation of Principal Officers and other Hon. Members with a view to improving thecondition ofworking environment forwarded the request through the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport. In this respect, the Ministry having assessed the estimated cost for the construction and furnishing of the new Office Complex of the Hon. Members submitted a request to Council in the sum of N161,556,732.08. Council considered and approved as requested for the commitment. b) Request for Funds for the Rehabilitation of Kanwa - Kwankwaso Road:Considering the importance of road construction and rehabilitation in the State,the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport assessed Kwankwaso junction - Kanwa road with a view to coming up with a proposal for its rehabilitation. The road is characterized by numerous potholes and has an average width of 600M which has completely failed, while, an existing failed and cited drain was also observed at Kanwa Town. The Ministry of Works assessed the works to be done at the sum of N43,497,970.66 on contract basis. Council considered and approved as requested.. c) Request for Funds to Enable Payment for Diesel (AGO) Supplied to the Taskforce on Installation/ Repairs/Reactivation of Street and Traffic Control Lights:The Taskforce Committee on the Installation / Repairs / Reactivation of Street and Traffic Control Lights submitted a request through the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport for the payment of diesel supplied to the committee for the month of July, 2014. Based on the authenticity of the request, Council approved the release of the requested sum of N101,288,880.00 to the supplier of the stated quantity of diesel supplied to the Taskforce Committee. d) Memorandum on Revised Estimated Total Cost (RETC) for the Construction of Sabuwar Kofa City Gate:The content of this memorandum reminded members of the Council on its earlier approval granted for the reconstruction of Sabuwar Kofa City Gate at the sum of N14,379,169.36. The project has successfully been completed and in the course of execution of the project at beginning there was a road Dualization project which necessitated for the change of design with a view to accommodating the width of the dualised road, therefore the Gate was redesigned and a bill of quantities to the tune of N21,430,255.86 was prepared against the initial sum of N14,379,169.36. It is against this background, the Ministry of Works recommends the Revised Estimated Total Cost to the tune of N7,051,08.86 for Council consideration. Accordingly, Council noted, considered and approved as requested. 7. MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES Presentation of Report on the Completion of Garun Malam Water Supply Projects:The Ministry of Water Resources submitted to Council a detail report on the completion of Garun Malam Water Supply Project as part of the measures by the present administration aimed at alleviating the acute shortage of water in the State. Council acknowledged the presentation of the report with appreciation and directed the relevant organization to organize for the commissioning of the project. 8. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES Request for Financial Assistance to the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria for the Conduct of 2014 National Agricultural Show at Karu LGA, Nassarawa State:The content of this memorandum is from the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources where it received an invitation from the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria to attend this year's Agricultural Show which will hold from 13thto 16th October, 2014 at the Permanent National Agricultural Show ground at KM 28 Abuja - Keffi Road, Tudun Wada in Karu LGA of Nassarawa State. Accordingly, Council noted the annual performance of the State's participants at the previous National Agricultural Show and approved for the release of the sum of N6,000,000.00 for the purpose. While the sum of N6,000,000.00 was also approved as Government financial assistance to the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria the organizers of Agricultural show. 9. MINISTRY OF HEALTH Request for Government Assistance on Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Offer for Treat-

51 ment/Surgery (Open Heart) by Two (2) Organizations from USA and India:The content of this memorandum is from the Ministry of Health submitting a request to Council for the treatment of six (6) patients from Kano State with congenital heart diseases by a group of Cardiothoracic Surgeons from USA who will visit Nigeria in September, 2014. Accordingly, Council considered and approved for the release of the sum of N4,980,000.00 for the commitment.

10. MINISTRY OF RURAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Request for Funds to Undertake the Relocation and Replacement of Electricity Poles Along Miller Road in Nassarawa LG:As a result of ongoing construction/rehabilitation exercise that cut across metropolitan Local Government Areas especially rehabilitation of Miller road in Bompai of Nassarawa LG the Contractor has commenced works on the site. However, in the course of constructionactivities some electrical poles belonging to the Kano Electricity Distribution Company were affected which need to be removed and relocated as a result of road expansion. Based on this, the Rural Electricity Board submitted a bill of engineering measurement and evaluation (BEME) to the tune of N7,301,230.00. Council noted, considered and approved the release of the stated amount. 11. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION Request for Funds for the Up Keep of Public and Voluntary Schools:The Ministry of Education in conjunction with its Parastatals submitted a request for the release of funds for the upkeep of Schools in the first term of 2014/2015 academic season as summarized below; SN Organization No. of School Enrolment Amount Per Head Cumulative Total i. SSSMB 891 504,377 300.00 151,313,100.00 ii. STSB 38 20,594 300.00 6,178,200.00 iii. S MoE HQ 2 2,120 300.00 636,000.00 iv. SUBEB 1 210 300.00 63,000.00 v. P Voluntary School 12 4,318 300.00 1,295,400.00 Total 944 531,619 300.00 159,485,700.00 Council appraised the request, considered and approved for the release of the sum of N159,485,700.00 for the commitment. 12. MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Request for Approval on the Empowerment of Graduates of Kano Reformatory Institute, Kiru (KRIK):Considering the approval granted by the State Executive Council for the smooth implementation of the empowerment of the 1st, 2ndand 3rdbatches of 129 Graduates of Kano Reformatory Institute Kiru, who have received additional training at ITF and KEDI D/Tofa that are clustered according to their respective skills, as well as the subsequent directives for the Ministry to submit additional cost to cover for renting of shops/office for the respective graduates - business/trades. Accordingly, the Ministry conducted survey of the rent payable in respect of the shop/offices and came up with the cost implication and in addition with other omitted incidental expenses including generator for welding, cluster, refreshment and transportation of empowerment material for Council consideration and approval which is in the sum of N2,970,000.00. Council considered and approved as requested. UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF THE 167TH SITTING 1. CONDUCT OF MATRICULATION EXERCISE AT KANO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WUDIL Council noted the conduct of the matriculation exercise of 129no. Post Graduate and 1800no. Undergraduate Students of Kano University of Science and technology, Wudil which was attended by His Excellency Governor Dr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE. During the occasion, the Governor appreciated the progress so far made in the University and promised to assist further in other areas of need. 2. COMMENCEMENT OF 2014 CLEAN- UP DRAINAGE EXERCISE Council noted the commencement of the 2014 clean- up drainage exercise which was held on Saturday 13th September'2014 at Gwale LGA, which took up in the presence of the Hon. Commissioner for Rural and Community Development and the Chairman Central Working Committee of Community Development Associations of the State. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF MODERN LIVE BIRD STALLS Council noted and acknowledged the distribution of Modern Live Bird trade stalls to 129 Beneficiaries (live bird traders) at Kurmi Market by His Excellency the Deputy Governor who ably represented His Excellency the Governor. 4. HOSTING OF DANDALIN SIYASA ONLINE FORUM The Executive Governor of Kano State Hosted the Dandalin Siyasa Online forum on 13th- 14th September, 2014 at Government House. This is a follow-up to the last year's event held in Zamfara State where the Kano State Government pledged to host this years' event. The Executive Governor of Kano State organized a dinner session at the Government House. Similarly, the Forum embarked on tour to some projects sites executed by the Kwankwasiyya administration i.e. three (3) new cities Kwankwasiyya, Bandirawo and Amana, the two multi million Naira flyovers at K/ Nassarawa and Radio Kano, Kofar Kabuga underpass/subway, Wuju - Wuju way, NEMA Site, Northwest University, Sports Institute Karfi etc. where they commended His Excellency Governor Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE for the milestone development and achievement in Kano. 5. GRADUATION OF PLUMBERS AND AUTO-MECHATRONICS TRAINEES During the week a total of 570 Auto-MECHATRONICS sponsored and trained by the state Government under the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) graduated where each was given an empowerment package to start his/ her business. Equally 429 male and 1 female graduated as plumbers under the same program. At the end they were grouped into clusters and given plumbers kits and start- up capital to establish their business. Of particular importance is that all were issued with cooperative certificates and opened an account with the 37 Micro- Finance Banks established by the state Government to assist them boost their business. Signed: Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports andCulture www.kn.gov.ng/new

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

L AGOS ST ATE GOVERNMENT STA MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT ATION TRANSPORTA PUBLIC NOTICE DISPOSAL OF ABANDONED/UNCLAIMED VEHICLES The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation hereby notifies the general public, especially owners of unclaimed/abandoned vehicles impounded by the Ministry's law enforcement agencies; vehicles involved in accidents, Police Exhibits of which no pending legal action and Court Cases (already concluded) that the affected vehicles listed hereunder will be auctioned, having exceeded the statutory period of one month in its custody. Accordingly, members of the public whose vehicles appear in this publication are hereby advised to claim them after payment of appropriate fines or fees from Monday, September 22, 2014 to Tuesday, October 21, 2014. Kindly note that in line with the provisions of Section 8, Subsections 5 & 6 and Sections 16 & 17 Road Traffic Law 2012 and Public Road, Setback (Social, Religious and Commercial Functions Prohibition) (Removal of Obstruction) Law 2008, the Ministry shall upon order of Court of competent jurisdiction and at the expiration of one (1) month of this publication dispose off by way of public auction any such vehicles that remained abandoned/unclaimed. In this regard, interested members of the public desirous of participating in the auctioning exercise can inspect unclaimed vehicles of their choice at any of the underlisted vehicle depots of the Ministry of Transportation from Monday, October 27, – Friday, October 31, 2014.

LIST OF VEHICLES EARMARKED FOR AUCTION/CRUSHING IN THE MINISTRY’S DEPOTS ABANDONED/UNCLAIMED VEHICLES IN LASTMA YARD S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92

REG. NO NO NUMBER MUS 22 XH KSF 608 XK XJ 626 FKJ XT 414 KSF XV 07 MUS ET 202 APP DX 504 GGE AGL 983 AY LSD 536 BC TC 691 KJA BZ 377 EKY DK 958 LND XN 943 KSF KRD 37 XD DE 448 MUS FKY 290 CG AGL 288 XC EPE 683 XD FST 494 XE XZ 659 JJJ QK 306 FST GGE 966 BG Y 265 LSR KRD 741 XD AKD 63 XF AZ 712 SMK CE 295 MUS CN 36 EKY XM 819 KSF EG 889 LND MUS 528 BF AZ 712 SMK CE 295 MUS NO NUMBER NO NUMBER AH 971 EPE CK 312 JJJ EJ 696 SMK FT 589 KJA CN 36 EKY XK 440 KTU CP 207 SMK AE 503 MHA XH 221 SMK MUS 528 BF XG 474 BDJ Q 974 SMK XQ 314 SMK XC 515 GDD AGL 341 XC XS 517 MUS NO NUMBER NO NUMBER XX 971 KJA XV 323 LND GP 934 AAA EJ 39 LND ABJ 876 XG XA 829 LND MUS 370 XD YE 479 AKD AP 883 TRN XN 740 JJJ DJ 986 LSR JA 668 KJA GP 93 AAA BB 701 BDG EH 600 LSD XM 819 KSF SMK 969 XG XS 87 FST XG 207 EPE XV 323 LND XZ 726 FST W 885 JDY BW 949 APP XL 984 LSD FST 576 XH LSD 116 XE XG 187 BDG ABC 628 XE KTU 730 XK LSD 116 XL XG 187 BDG APP 616 XA XV 914 MUS AKD 238 XD XM 948 LND CQ 618 GGE XV 254 SMK FKJ 371 XJ

VEHICLE MAKE/TYPE VOLVO V/WAGEN V/WAGEN V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS M/BENZ TANKER V/WAGEN GOLF NISSAN SUNNY MAZDA 323 V/WAGEN PASSAT SPACE BUS TOYOTA HILUX NISSAN SUNNY V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS FORD MITSUBISHI TOYOTA PREVIA TOYOTA BUS V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE NISSAN TRICYCLE NISSAN FORD V/WAGEN BEETLE V/WAGEN GOLF NISSAN CAR FOTO BUS KIA V/WAGEN V/WAGEN BEETLE V/WAGEN GOLF TRICYCLE LINCOLN V/WAGEN BEETLE SKODA SPACE BUS MAZDA SAINT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN GOLF PEUGEOT COASTER V/WAGEN BUS BUS TRICYCLE V/WAGEN BUS COASTER BUS TRUCK V/WAGEN LT INFINITY LINCON V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA M/BENZ DAF TRUCK NISSAN V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS HONDA V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA MAZDA TOYOTA NISSAN TOYOTA PICK UP FOTON PICK-UP MAZDA BUS V/WAGEN COASTER BUS V/WAGEN V/WAGEN ROVER HONDA M/BENZ V/WAGEN LT V/WAEN JETTA PICK-UP V/WAGEN PICK-UP TRANSIT BUS V/WAGEN JETTA PICK-UP V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN LT RAV 4 JEEP V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS

COLOUR GREEN LSCC GOLD LSCC WHITE/GREEN WHITE WHITE GREEN BLUE BLUE RED BLACK WHITE LSCC LSCC WINE GREEN WHITE WHITE LSCC LSCC YELLOW BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC RED WHITE ASH BLUE YELLOW BLUE RED WHITE BLUE SILVER ASH BLUE RED GREEN ASH LSCC BLUE GREEN LSCC BLACK LSCC YELLOW LSCC LSCC RED LSCC BLUE ASH LSCC LSCC BROWN BLACK BLUE WHITE/BLUE WHITE LSCC GREY LSCC BLUE GREY BROWN GREEN BLUE BLUE GREEN WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC BROWN GREY WHITE/BLUE LSCC WHITE BLUE CREAM ASH WHITE BLUE LSCC LSCC LEMON LSCC BLACK WHITE WHITE

LOCATION OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU OLOWU ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA ALAUSA IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2

93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185

BC 892 AAA BL 279 KRD XB 517 NSW DD 629 KTU T81 RMF KJA 284 XE XZ 227 FKJ XV 914 MUS BJK 02 XA XZ 941 FST RR 632 AAA BDG 721 XB FGG 574 XB XM 951 APP KJA 541 XD AA 483 FTD GGE 593 AW XP 517 FKJ XT 904 AGL BW 860 KTU XU 512 FKJ XP 898 KRD QZ 224 LSD QQ 270 LND XQ 396 AKD SMK 412 CJ FM 163 LSR XN 50 JJJ AGL 179 CC CU 274 KJA LND 338 XJ AKD 68 XD XK 830 AGL XD 652 KTU EKY 665 XE JJJ 910 XE YZ 52 AAA XQ 727 SMK XZ 129 AKD XA 446 UMD BV 763 KTU AA 316 KKF XM 965 KTU JK 853 AAA ES 986 AAA XU 989 LSR EL 553 LSR BL 766 ABC XF 231 NND EKY 125 AS BC 510 APP XC 994 WEN AGL 425 XD EP 83 AAA DE 268 SMK YD 213 KJA XU 659 SMK XF 479 APP NO NUMBER ES 924 LSR LSD 37 XC NO NUMBER NO NUMBER XJ 703 BEN DC 723 SMK XA 151 RNN EKY 254 QA AGL 894 BQ FKJ 304 XB QS 250 BDG XR 264 AGL KSF 789 XE BM 717 AKD GGE 15 XD XC 926 KRD XJ 347 LND NO NUMBER XT 475 FST QY 292 EKY AKM 79 XA EKY 450 QC LSR 671 QD XU 704 AKD QU 35 BDG QR 23 BDG XZ 547 AKD KJA 991 XA PW 846 KJA NO NUMBER JX 707 KJA DM 269 KJA JJJ 299 XD XR 359 SMK

TOYOTA CAMRY M/BENZ V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN GOLF HONDA ELEMENT ISUZU V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS FORD LEXUS SERENA BUS DAF TRAILER V/WAGEN BUS POLARSUN BUS PEUGEOT TOYOTA SIENNA M/BENZ BUS V/WAGEN BUS M/BENZ MAZDA V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE TRICYCLE NISSAN TOYOTA CARINA MAZDA 323 V/WAGEN V/WAGEN TOYOTA V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN GOLF M/BENZ V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA HONDA V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA NISSAN TOYOTA MITSUBISHI BUS HONDA M/BENZ V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS HONDA FORD V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE TRICYCLE V/WAGEN BUS M/BENZ MAZDA TRICYCLE PEUGEOT V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS MITSUBISHI V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE TRICYCLE V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE TRICYCLE V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS FORD BUS M/BENZ M/BENZ M/BENZ M/BENZ TRUCK V/WAGEN BUS

GOLD BLACK LSCC BLUE ORANGE WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC SILVER LSCC YELLOW WHITE BROWN RED BROWN LSCC LSCC GREEN LSCC LSCC YELLOW YELLOW LSCC GREEN BLUE LSCC WHITE BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC WINE BLACK LSCC ASH GREEN LSCC WHITE WHITE WHITE WINE BLUE GOLD LSCC LSCC LSCC BLUE BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC BLACK LSCC LSCC BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC WHITE LSCC WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC GREEN BLACK BLACK BROWN WHITE LSCC

MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA PEN-CINEMA EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD

186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278

BP 499 KTU GGE 279 XH FKJ 49 XB GA 147 KJA NO NUMBER DZ 845 LSD LND 309 XF AGL 905 XF KRD 162 BZ LSR 768 XG GGE 954 XF XV 16 SMK AR 09 MUS MUS 461 XD BV 743 APP AG 125 BGM DG 700 LSR BT 655 KTU BV 776 FKJ XJ 134 LSR BM 366 LSD XT 375 AGL XM 635 EPE SMK 621 XB DS 293 ABC AE 851 KAA EC 853 LSR DS 237 APP LK 215 AAA AQ 346 AGL MM 344 AAA XK 515 JJJ BG 826 APP SMK 431 AX AQ 960 FKJ EL 654 KRD BV 743 APP AGL 899 CJ BB 687 AGL DJ 271 LSR SZ 24 KJA AP 811 LSR BT 655 KTU LND 543 XC AJ 537 GGE XP 847 MUS AG 26 AJW AE 146 AKW XW 517 SMK XX 233 FST CG 502 KTU XV 714 KSF EZ 889 KRD GA 909 AAA TV 484 AAA MA 372 KJA LND 574 XC KRD 959 AQ CL 350 JJJ LSR 519 GC Y 275 AGL LSR 519 QC KJ 807 AKD XW 365 FST GGE 628 XE NO NUMBER LSD 404 AS EE 117 AAA AR 670 GWA YA 47 AAA SMK 569 CP EU 151 KJA EW 739 LSR CQ 542 LND EX 745 AAA EPE 569 BT QX 75 AGL GGE 610 AG LSR 862 CL MUS 736 XD DV 495 KJA AH 269 PHC XW 993 FST RC 45 EPE PD 295 KJA KRD 875 EPE AE 389 MGM XT 940 KRD YB 102 FKJ XB 318 AYE GH 728 LSR XA 617 BDG RG 963 KJA

PEUGEOT V/WAGEN LT GMC BUS OPEL NISSAN ROVER V/WAGEN LT SUZUKI BUS PEUGEOT RENAULT BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS PEUGEOT V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA BMW MAZDA BMW LEXUS FORD MITSUBISHI V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN PICK-UP TOYOTA MAZDA HYUNDAI V/WAGEN VOLVO TOYOTA MAZDA M/BENZ BMW BMW OPEL VANNET BUS MAZDA M/BENZ V/WAGEN GOLF MITSUBISHI GALLANT HONDA NISSAN BMW NISSAN V/WAGEN GOLF V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN GOLF TOYOTA CARINA V/WAGEN BUS TANKER TOYOTA V/WAGEN BUS HONDA CAR MITSUBISHI SPACE BUS KIA VOLVO V/WAGEN BUS M/BENZ NISSAN BUS TRICYCLE TRICYCLE TRICYCLE M/BENZ V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS BMW NISSAN TOYOTA OPEL V/WAGEN TOYOTA CAMRY TOYOTA V/WAGEN PEUGEOT TOYOTA CAMRY VOLVO TRICYCLE HONDA BMW MITSUBISHI BUS DAEWOO BMW V/WAGEN LT SUZUKI SPACE BUS VOLVO M/BENZ FORD V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN GOLF DAF TRAILER CHRYSTLER

RED LSCC LSCC RED BLACK GRENN WHITE WHITE BLUE WHITE WHITE LSCC GOLD WHITE ASH ASH RED BLACK BLACK LSCC ASH WHITE LSCC RED RED ASH BLUE GREEN BLACK ASH RED WHITE GREY WINE BLUE WHITE ASH BROWN BLUE GREEN BLACK RED BLACK LSCC RED LSCC RED GREY LSCC WHITE BLUE/WHITE LSCC BLUE GREEN BLUE BLACK BLUE WINE LSCC LSCC YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW ASH WINE ASH ASH LSCC BLACK ASH ASH BLACK ASH NAVY BLUE LSCC ASH GREEN WHITE BLACK ASH LSCC RED GREEN BLACK BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC RED BLUE ASH

PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD AJAH AJAH AJAH AJAH AJAH OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO OJO AJAH BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY BADAGRY OJODU-BERGER OJODU-BERGER OJODU-BERGER OJODU-BERGER OJODU-BERGER OJODU-BERGER OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO OKOTA-ISOLO MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA MASHA-AGUDA IKORODU IKORODU

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414

FP 697 KJA HX 292 EKY XT 781 LND AA 38 AKA XZ 553 AKD FKJ 364 QC DZ 661 AKD XV 403 KSF XV 212 AAA XW 822 AGL AL 21 FFA XX 344 EPE FJ 542 APP MUS 508 CB WDE 114 XA XL 343 KSF MUS 508 CB SA 77 EKY QX 759 BDG EA 77 RBC AH 638 SMK DH 340 RBC NO NUMBER XR 246 ABJ BL 675 KRD XW 790 AKD EKY 946 XJ XU 769 FKJ LSD 44 XG YA 213 EPE FST 46 XG LSD 825 XJ AGL 329 XG XP 734 KTU KTU 375 XF XR 537 AKD MUS 753 XG AT 751 EPE KRD 119 XG XT 261 LSD XQ 962 LSD JJJ 517 XE SMK 784 XA YA 540 AAA XU 254 GGE QV 408 AKD SMK 192 XD LT 365 KJA SY 227 KJA LSR 902 CL LSD 573 XE ABC 329 XE XV 254 GGE KSF 897 AE LND 608 BR AGL 976 CG GGE 765 AZ XN 484 MUS AKD 519 XF KTU 264 CG XB 533 TRE XY 689 EKY XQ 516 SMK AGL 828 XB LND 441 XD OG 205 A01 LND 441 XB YE 938 KJA XL 484 MUS EPE 68 XG AKD 150 XL XA 589 KAL XD 962 BDJ KRD 647 BL XS 863 KSF LND 969 XX KTU 634 XC MV 194 AAA XA 958 GMD XA 480 BZR BJ 229 LSR XT 397 MUS APP 632 XC XB 239 KEK BX 905 RSH JJJ 498 AH MUS 560 XC XQ 36 KTU GGE 14 XB FST 128 AU BDG 906 CM FM 886 KJA XC 594 BDG ET 69 LND XF 178 EPE HJ 265 KJA KRD 674 AU KTU 917 BS BP 819 BDG LSD 833 AH KRD 647 BL XX 895 AKD XM 210 LND XV 455 EPE XZ 401 AKD XS 229 LND CL 614 LSD XW 313 FKJ XT 261 LSD XW 554 EPE KY 371 KJA FJK 51 BB XA 481 EZA XL 958 KRD MU 107 KJA FKJ 29 XD FV 908 AAA NO NUMBER BK 07 APP LSD 777 XB BDG 925 XB AE 12 GWD XA 958 GMD MY 194 AAA XM 555 EKY GK 64 LSR YA 323 AAA SMK 668 XC DE 767 GGE XM 66 LSR FKJ 190 CP XA 559 WWR CZ 279 EKY BDG 513 CU XA 179 WEW XW 561 MU

TOYOTA COROLLA SUZUKI JEEP V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA ASHOK BUS TRICYCLE OPEL V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS MIDI BUS V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA HONDA SUV V/WAGEN BUS MACK TRUCK HONDA CRV HONDA TRICYCLE MAZDA TOYOTA M/BENZ OPEL NISSAN V/WAGEN V/WAGEN BUS BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS MACK TRUCK TATA BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS TRICYCLE FORD BUS MITSUBISHI MITSUBISHI M/BENZ V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS NISSAN V/WAGEN HONDA V/WAGEN GOLF V/WAGEN V/WAGEN BUS MITSUBISHI MAZDA V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS FORD BUS V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS SINO TRUCK MAZDA V/WAGEN GOLF V/WAGEN TRUCK FORD BUS MITSUBISHI TOYOTA V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA CARINA V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA HIACE LUXURIOUS BENZ TOYOTA SPACE STAR V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS TOYOTA PREVIA AUDI M/BENZ V/WAGEN LT V/WAGEN GOLF V/WAGEN BUS M/BENZ HONDA HYUNDAI FORD HONDA ACCORD V/WAGEN GOLF V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS HONDA ACCORD V/WAGEN BUS V/WAGEN BUS IVECO TRAILER NISSAN PICK-UP V/WAGEN GOLF FIAT TRAILER MACK TRAILER NISSAN MAXIMA V/WAGEN V/WAGEN BORA NISSAN JEEP BMW NISSAN V/WAGEN BUS MITSUBISHI TOYOTA HIACE KIA FORD BUS V/WAGEN BUS MAZDA BUS NISSAN NISSAN MAN DIESEL TOYOTA CARINA TRAILER FLAT BODY M/BENZ HONDA TRAILER LEYLAND V/WAGEN BUS

GREEN GREEN LSCC WHITE RED LSCC BLUE LSCC WHITE LSCC RED LSCC ASH SILVER LSCC WHITE ASH WINE LSCC RED GREEN GREY GREY WHITE GREEN LSCC WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC WHITE WHITE/BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC WHITE RED BLACK ASH LSCC LSCC LSCC WINE WHITE WINE BLACK LSCC LSCC GREEN WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC WHITE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC GREY/WHITE WHITE BLUE LSCC WHITE LSCC WHITE WHITE LSCC ASH LSCC WHITE BLUE BLUE GREY LSCC LSCC WHITE RED WHITE GREY WHITE ASH LSCC BROWN ASH BLACK BLUE BLUE BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC GREY LSCC LSCC RED WHITE BLUE BLUE BLUE GOLD LSCC ASH BLUE/WHITE METALLIC WHITE LSCC ASH WHITE WHITE LSCC GREEN WHITE BLUE ASH WHITE BLUE RED ASH GREEN WHITE LSCC

IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY ANTHONY OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI HQ OSHODI

53 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560

VEHICLE INSPECTION SERVICE (VIS) YARD

XV 246 FST EG 75 KJA XN 457 FKJ ER 319 KRD AM 964 KSF ES 462 AAA AJ 534 RBC AA 207 KSF CU 248 EKY DW 797 KJA EF 233 EKY AY 111 GGE XA 151 RNN MZ 249 AAA NO NUMBER DK 933 EKY MUS 169 BL QR 828 AKD XE 902 KRD DD 499 BEN DE 783 JJJ DD 36 LSR MA 727 EKY AM 303 FST QU 302 KRD AT 619 KJA LP 81 KJA EKY 703 XC DG 874 AAA XM 890 SMK AAA 460 AU JJJ 683 BB QP 509 AKD QW 397 FKJ TTN 433 QB Y 377 BDG QN 286 FKJ NO NUMBER AN 144 EA QZ 87 AGL BF 553 RSH XN 107 LSR FV 707 LSR CE 763 LSD JJ 471 KJA BD 811 AAA XH 953 KSF XA 772 KMR GH 464 LND XF 842 APP BD 687 FKJ DW 858 GGE AM 833 EKY NO NUMBER AW 222 BDG AU 853 YAB PJ 185 AAA AA 218 MUS FD 639 KRD BF 592 AGL PX 771 KJA FK 505 AAA GU 191 KJA EKY 342 AQ AM 549 SGM TF 784 AAA DX 801 LSR KS 964 AAA AE 721 KKY CX 977 SMK NO NUMBER QW 968 KSF XY 103 LSR KSF 578 AJ CY 784 LSD AJ 339 ABM TB 363 AAA XQ 900 SMK XX 673 GGE AX 81 FKJ KA 564 KJA ME 838 AAA FKJ 982 XF LAR 147 QA APP 675 AM LSR 789 QB PU 587 KJA QN 678 AAA BM 658 KSF BJ 926 RBC GE 779 EKY RX 777 AAA BZ 562 KTU BD 819 LND AL 644 JJJ XX 971 KJA XH 599 EPE XV 323 LND CE 295 MUS EG 889 LND EQ 46 ABJ GD 437 EKY BM 107 FKJ EW 260 LSR BV 168 ABJ NO NUMBER XR 62 KTU DL 424 APP EL 792 GGE BP 590 EKY MUS 466 AM QX 84 AKD EC 520 EKY AE 299 GBE XW 820 AKD XP 28 JJJ QT 618 AKD QT 636 JJJ QS 93 GGE XZ 457 EPE AH 807 KTP WWD 344 XA XR 936 LSD AH 807 EHR AGL 951 XB AA 128 KHE CD 472 EKY LSD 531 KA EM 205 BEN CV 566 LSD LSD 447 XL XN 387 KRD DD 683 AAA XF 237 UWN BE 205 EPE EX 738 KJA AX 650 FKJ AMK 35 LG Q 459 KSF QN 557 EKY DF 122 AAA EV 271 LSR BL 51 KRD BV 159 LSR TQ 421 AAA HH 667 KJA

LSCC AUDI NISSAN BLUEBIRD BLUE LSCC ISUZU BUS RED HONDA ACCORD ASH TOYOTA CREAM M/BENZ RED TOYOTA CARINA TOYOTA COROLLA ASH NISSAN PRIMERA ASH CREAM RENAULT ASH BMW BLUE KIA PRIDE LSCC TOYOTA BUS GREEN MITSUBISHI BUS LSCC V/WAGEN RED V/WAGEN BLUE NISSAN SUNNY YELLOW TRICYCLE LSCC V/WAGEN BUS ASH RENAULT BUS BLUE NISSAN SUNNY BLUE M/BENZ WHITE V/WAGEN BUS NISSAN BLUEBIRD GOLD YELLOW TRICYCLE RED TOYOTA WAGON RED NISSAN SUNNY LSCC V/WAGEN BUS BLUE VOLVO LSCC V/WAGEN BUS GREEN CHEVROLET GREEN NISSAN YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE BLACK VOLVO RED MITSUBISHI YELLOW TRICYCLE BLACK BMW LSCC IZUZU BLUE V/WAGEN WHITE M/BENZ BLACK M/BENZ BLACK FORD GREY V/WAGEN BUS LSCC V/WAGEN BUS ASH TOYOTA BLUE V/WAGEN BUS GREEN VOLVO WHITE FORD BUS GREEN DAEWOO ORANGE V/WAGEN BUS BLACK NISSAN SUNNY TOYOTA COROLLA GREEN MITSUBISHI GALLANTBLACK GREY M/BENZ WINE MAZDA 626 WINE HONDA ACCORD WINE V/WAGEN GOLF BLUE VOLVO GOLD HONDA ACCORD WINE MAZDA ASH VOLVO RED V/WAGEN GOLF MITSUBISHI GALLANTGOLD GREEN M/BENZ BLACK NISSAN SUNNY WINE HONDA ACCORD RED TRICYCLE RED TRICYCLE BLUE V/WAGEN BUS WINE NISSAN SUNNY BLUE TOYOTA CAMRY WINE FORD BLUE NISSAN WHITE FORD TRANSIT LSCC FORD BUS ASH NISSAN ASH V/WAGEN BUS LSCC MAZDA WHITE TOYOTA BUS YELLOW TRICYCLE GOLD HONDA ACCORD YELLOW TRICYCLE BLUE M/BENZ BLACK HONDA ASH MITSUBISHI WINE TOYOTA BLUE MAZDA 323 BLACK HONDA BLACK ISUZU PICK-UP BLUE M/BENZ LSCC CIVILIAN BUS V/WAGEN LT BUS LSCC LSCC AUDI V/WAGEN LT BUS LSCC WHITE V/WAGEN GOLF ASH KIA RED MITSUBISHI RED FORD ASH MITSUBISHI ASH MITSUBISHI RED BMW ASH V/WAGEN GOLF BLUE HIJET NISSAN PRIMERA BLUE RED CHRYSLER WHITE PEUGEOT BLUE MITSUBISHI YELLOW TRICYCLE BLUE NISSAN GREEN M/BENZ FORD BUS LSCC MAZDA BUS LSCC TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW V/WAGEN BUS LSCC MAZDA ASH V/WAGEN BLUE ISUZU BUS LSCC AUDI GREEN NISSAN BUS LSCC DAEWOO WHITE TOYOTA BUS GREY/WHITE TOYOTA BLUE NISSAN JEEP BLACK BMW BLACK V/WAGEN PICK-UP BLUE V/WAGEN LT LSCC NISSAN GREEN MAZDA LSCC TOYOTA BLACK NISSAN ASH NISSAN ASH TOYOTA YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW TRICYCLE YELLOW M/BENZ METALLIC MITSUBISHI WINE TOYOTA BLUE NISSAN ORANGE MAZDA GREY NISSAN BLUEBIRD WHITE

EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO EJIGBO OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA OKOTA IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE ADEKUNLE MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 MILE 2 PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD PWD IDIMU IDIMU IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN IKOTUN EGAN EGAN EGAN IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI IPONRI APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL/ MILE 2 APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL/ MILE 2 APAPA TRUCK TERMINAL/ MILE 2 CELE CELE EMPIRE OKO OBA OKO OBA OKO-OBA OKO-OBA OKO-OBA OKO-OBA OKO-AFO OKO-AFO OKO-AFO OKO-AFO OKO-AFO OKO-AFO OKO-AFO IYANA ERA IYANA ERA IYANA ERA IYANA ERA IYANA ERA IYANA ERA ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI ISHERI AYOBO AYOBO AYOBO AYOBO AYOBO AYOBO

561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627

GD 69 LND XD 726 KTU XV 573 FKJ BF 85 KTU ES 148 LND XM 398 LSR EM 556 KRD AX 700 GGE AG 502 WEN XB 316 AFN KTU 617 BJ BT 597 JJJ KSF 689 QA AYE 457 QB AY 632 GGE AAA 446 XD FQ 603 KJA DD 693 LSD PD 131 KJA CU 961 EKY KC 472 KJA GJ 917 EKY APP 17 XF CY 707 APP CX 813 GGE XE 957 BDJ TTW 352 QA Y 28 KRD KSF 656 XD LA 5455 KL GJ 348 AAA XC 209 BDR XY 597 APP XS 172 AAA NO NUMBER XC 959 FST BT 304 LND LSD 842 AH AGL 429 CC CM 529 AAA BV 370 LND GD 677 FFF QU 249 KRD NO NUMBER AJ 894 PHC EC 974 EKY LSR 698 XA CB 308 AKD CY 512 BEN XA 275 MAK XN 985 EPE XM 90 AKD BX 298 JJJ BW 827 KTU XM 883 KSF XN 917 GGE CV 892 KJA QY 569 AKD BD 748 SMK BW 3 6LND MUS 297 AQ FR 76 KJA DB 833 EKY DU 707 LND AP 254 GWA QX 122 SMK NO NUMBER

OPEL ASCONA MITSUBISHI V/WAGEN GOLF TOYOTA NISSAN NISSAN NISSAN DAEWOO V/WAGEN MAZDA NISSAN TOYOTA TRICYCLE TRICYCLE MAZDA MAZDA COROLLA VOLVO TM PICK-UP MAZDA M/BENZ MITSUBISHI LANCER TATA VOLVO NISSAN MAZDA TRICYCLE TRICYCLE PEUGEOT 806 PEUGEOT 404 TOYOTA CARINA V/W BUS V/W BUS V/W BUS MITSUBISHI V/W BUS VOLVO WAGEN M/BENZ HONDA DAEWOO TOYOTA BAJAJ BAJAJ NEW DAWN HYUNDAI OPEL SLC FIAT CHRYSLER VOYAGE M/BENZ TOYOTA BUS V/W BUS FORD BUS BMW TOYOTA V/W NISSAN BUS V/W BEATLE T/CYCLE V/W BEATLE NISSAN M/BENZ TOYOTA NISSAN TOYOTA PEUGEOT BAJAJ BAJAJ

GOLD YELLOW YELLOW WHITE BLACK WHITE ASH WINE WHITE BLUE ASH BROWN YELLOW YELLOW GOLD LSCC RED ASH WHITE LSCC BLACK GREEN RED ASH BLUE WHITE GREEN WHITE WHITE GREY GREY LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC BLUE RED GREEN BLUE CREAM LSCC LSCC LSCC BLUE RED BLUE BLUE WINE LSCC LSCC BLUE ASH ASH LSCC LSCC WHITE YELLOW WHITE RED GREY ASH WINE BLUE BLUE LSCC LSCC

AYOBO/LIASU AYOBO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO OKE-ODO IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU IKORODU NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA NCI GBAGADA OJOTA OJOTA OJOTA OJOTA OJOTA OJOTA EPE EPE AGBOWA AGBOWA EMPIRE EMPIRE EMPIRE EMPIRE ISHOLA ISHOLA ISHOLA ISHOLA ISHOLA ISHOLA ISHOLA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA IKOTA

COMMITTEE ON REMOVAL OF ABANDONED VEHICLES (AVC) YARD 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 685 696 697 698 699 700 701

JL 443 AAA CB 745 KJA AS 190 LSR NO NUMBER XM 697 KSF CH 802 SMK EY 71 AAA LSD 126 XD CU 198 MUS ON 131 FST UZ 603 KJA AGL 685 BE BB 359 KSF CZ 56 EKY DN 562 EKY BB 576 GGE BD 968 KJA KRD 76 XJ MU 169 LND BC 545 EPE BF 956 AGL BP 485 FST DB 358 KJA DB 352 LND UP 905 KJA NO NUMBER NO NUMBER FN 580 LND AE 815 EKY FL 330 AAA XP 972 KRD DL 581 KJA XZ 294 EKY AA 404 EKY AW 88 KJA LA 48 AOQ BK 823 EKY HG 675 KJA AQ 515 FKJ AE 264 TTN QL 136 AKD XG 978 AKD BR 16 MUS MUS 567 AQ BT 843 MUS AL 157 FST LK 675 AAA NO NUMBER BK 59 AKD NO NUMBER HV 272 BDG XS 546 MLU XT 583 LSR AU 245 YAB FV 637 AAA CA 289 KSF AL 619 AUC BR 800 JJJ CQ 901 EKY HM 345 GGE JJJ 10 XD AR 841 EKY BV 368 MUS KJA 597 BS QQ 35 KRD XH 898 FST NO NUMBER HS 671 EKY MS 957 KJA AE 774 APP XQ 222 AGL Q 42 SMK NO NUMBER NO NUMBER

BLUE RED VOLVO MITSUBISHI M/BENZ MINI TRUCK M/BENZ M/BENZ MAN TRUCK MERCURY KEKE NAPEP LAREDO JEEP JAGUAR HONDA M/BENZ MITSUBISHI BUS HONDA TOYOTA FIAT BUS RENAULT KIA RIO KIA RIO KIO RIO BMW MITSUBISHI PASSAT VILLAGER FORD JEEP FORD MAXIMA NISSAN MAZDA M/BENZ V/WAGEN LT DAEWOO MAZDA LITE ACE V/WAGEN V/WAGEN PASSAT VOLVO V/WAGEN PASSAT TRICYCLE TOYOTA BMW MITSIBISHI GALLANT BMW NISSAN BMW PEUGEOT HYUNDAI TOYOTA MITSUBISHI PEUGEOT TOYOTA M/BENZ NISSAN MAZDA CHEVROLET V/WAGEN BEETLE V/WAGEN BEETLE NISSAN FORD FORD V/WAGEN NISSAN FORD NISSAN MITSUBISHI M/BENZ V/WAGEN HONDA V/WAGEN TRICYCLE TRICYCLE TRICYCLE Signed:

TOYOTA TOYOTA STARLET BLUE BLACK YELLOW/WHITE SILVER ASH WHITE BLUE YELLOW BLACK BLACK GOLD ASH ASH BLUE SILVER WHITE ASH BROWN WHITE GREEN BLUE GREEN GREEN BLUE BLACK SILVER BLUE ASH LSCC BLUE LSCC BLACK GREEN BROWN WHITE BLUE BLUE BLUE LSCC WHITE BLUE RED BLACK RED ASH ASH BLUE GREEN ASH GREEN YELLOW ASH ASH ASH BLUE BLUE BLUE ASH LSCC LSCC BLUE WINE WHITE LSCC GREEN GREEN WHITE BLUE LSCC LSCC LSCC LSCC

J. O. COKER, mni Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation

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THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

NEWS Five Boko Haram insurgents surrender, says DHQ Continued from page 4

Konduga which the Nigerian troops have continued to foil. “The terrorists’ move was aimed at recovering the bodies of their prominent fighters who had died in the previous encounters in the area. “Also, the Nigerian troops have recovered more weapons

during the mop up operations while some of their (terrorists’) vehicles have been destroyed. In the last two weeks, troops killed over 150 Boko Haram insurgents in Konduga to halt their bold bid to march on Maiduguri. The latest development confirmed the alarm raised by the

Borno Elders Forum (BEF) Maiduguri is under threat. The BEF last Wednesday cried out that Boko Haram insurgents had surrounded Maiduguri. A statement by the Chairman of the Forum, Amb. Gaji Galtimari Usman, said about 50 per cent of the population of Borno State had relocated to Maiduguri.

APC warns against plan to postpone 2015 elections Continued from page 4

‘’We in the APC saw this coming, and we have said it at several fora: That the Jonathan Administration has deliberately allowed the insurgency in the North-east, an opposition stronghold, to fester so he can cash in on it to get re-elected. Simply put, the Administration has been playing dirty politics with Boko Haram, at the expense of the lives and property of the citizenry and the well-being of the nation. ‘’However, the Administration is being too clever by half to think that Nigerians will reward it for its failure in its main reason for existence, which is the protection of the welfare and security of the citizens. There is just no way this government will be allowed to profit from its inept-

ness and its conspiracy to prolong an insurgency that should have ended a long time ago,’’ the party said. It said the statement by INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, that the commission has started preparing for elections even in the North-east, represents a ray of hope, but warned the electoral body to remain steadfast and not to cave in to what will be massive pressure from the Jonathan Administration and its gong beaters to scuttle the 2015 elections. The APC said just like Jega has said, countries like Afghanistan and Iraq successfully held elections even though they are in a state of war, hence there is no reason why Nigeria cannot organize elections because of the insurgency in a part of the coun-

try. ‘’We know the Jonathan Administration is mortally afraid to face the electorate, having failed woefully to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. We know many elected officials are also aware that they will be punished by the electorate because they have failed them (the electorate). It is therefore easy for them to queue behind any plot to ensure the 2015 general elections do not hold as planned, so they can get tenure extension. ‘’However, we have got news for these saboteurs: Nigerians have seen through their game and will not allow them to succeed in endangering our democracy. 2015 elections must hold as scheduled. This is not negotiable,’’ the party warned.

PDP cedes power to pick running mate to Jonathan Continued from page 4

erroneously give credit to the opposition, which they eagerly accept. “Also, in states formerly controlled by the PDP, such as Edo, Rivers, Nasarawa, Kano, Sokoto, Kwara, among others, the opposition parties, now in control

are laying claims to our projects. “This tour will ‘recover’ our projects claimed by the opposition and return the credit to the PDP. “We therefore urge all Nigerians to be part of this laudable project as we catalogue our collective successes under the

PDP-led administration. “In this regard, we wish to state that as we embark on our performance tours, we will no longer focus on answering to diatribes of the opposition. “Our answer to such is that we meet at the polls in 2015. All members of the party are by this directed to comply accordingly”, Metuh said.

South Africa sends plane to fly back injured nationals Continued from page 4

Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS). The NATJOINTS is the operational structure of the JCPS Cabinet Cluster constituting of all JCPS member departments such as SAPS, SANDF, Justice and Correctional Services, NPA, Home Affairs, Social Development, Health, COGTA and State Security. The NATJOINTS has activated all its nine Provincial Operation Centres to directly liaise with

families. The assessment team is focussing on the following specific areas: body recovery and repatriation, victims listing and confirmation, post-mortems as well as assessing of injured persons to determine the medical condition and the required levels of care. Due to the nature and extent of the tragedy, the process of identifying the mortal remains requires meticulous attention to detail; and Government is confident that the team as-

signed to carry out this task has the necessary capacity and skill. Meanwhile, we call for patience on the publication of victims’ names while the due processes are followed. Family members have been contacted and arrangements have been put in place for them to participate in the identification process of the deceased. Only after this process has been completed can the names of the deceased be released to the families.

Important timeline of Chibok girls’ abduction Continued from page 4 on the Nigerian government to take action. Ibrahim M. Abdullahi, a lawyer in Abuja, sends the first tweet using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. April 30: The “Million-Woman March, held in Abuja, gathers about 500 people who were mostly women dressed in red. They marched to the National Assembly and delivered a letter, complaining that the government was not doing enough to ensure the release of the girls. May 2: President Goodluck Jonathan announces a “fact-finding committee” to help in the search of the girls. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Washington “will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice. That is our responsibility and the world’s responsibility.” May 5: In a video statement, Boko Haram leader acknowledges that his group was responsible for the kidnapping of the schoolgirls. He declares the students “will remain slaves with us”. The White House confirms that the United States is helping Nigeria in the quest to find and free the abducted schoolgirls. There is some speculation that the girls may have been moved into nearby countries. May 7: Boko Haram attacks the Nigerian village of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon. Over 300 people are killed in the attack. In Paris, French president François Hollande offers Nigeria a “special team” to look for the girls and Britain says it will send a team of experts to Nigeria to help with the crisis. China’s Premier Li Keqiang, on a visit to Abuja, promises that his country will make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria’s security agencies. May 12: In a new Boko Haram video, the leader of the group Abubakar Shekau claims to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls. The girls say they have converted to Islam and the terrorist group declares they will release the schoolgirls in exchange for all imprisoned militants.

May 17: United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, President Goodluck Jonathan and French President, François Hollande are among attendees of a summit in Paris on the growing threat of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. William Hague offered Nigeria assistance in the form of military advisors, but has insisted that the country must take its security responsibility seriously in the face of ongoing attacks from Boko Haram. May 21: Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US Professor Ade Adefuye responds to disparaging remarks made by Senator McCain at a meeting in Washington DC. He said the Nigerian government was doing everything possible to secure the safe release of the Girls and assured that #our girls will be back. May 27: The military says it knows where the girls abducted by Boko Haram are, but ruled out using force to rescue them. Nigeria’s president was sent a new video of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in which they plead with him to spare their lives through a prisoner swap. The Nigerian government has denied that any deal was on the table, and has so far neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the video. July 12: Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai visits Abuja and meets, first with five of the girls who escaped (July 13), and then with the President (July 14). July 15: Jonathan’s planned meeting fails to hold as the parents reportedly cancel it the very last moment. Goodluck Jonathan blames #BringBackOurGirls campaigners for whisking away the parents who were to visit him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. July 16: Parents explain that they did not shun the meeting with President intentionally, but were unaware of it saying they received the invitation already on the day of the visit scheduled by Jonathan. July 17: Presidency sends another letter to the girls’ parents and the event gets rescheduled to the next week. July 22: Jonathan meets with the parents of the Chibok girls at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS

•From left: United States’ Election Security Adviser Patrick Ouirk, ex-Governor Bisi Akande; U.S Consulate General in Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins; National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Political Economic Section Chief Thomas Hines; APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Elections Officer Caitlin Conaty when the American delegation visited Tinubu in Lagos.

Kenya marks anniversary of Westgate

ENYA is marking a year since the attack on a Nairobi shopping centre, in which at least 67 people were killed. A memorial plaque with names of the victims was unveiled ahead of a candle-lit vigil being held later on Sunday. The siege at Westgate lasted four days, with CCTV footage showing terrified shoppers fleeing the gunmen and cowering behind counters. Somali Islamist group alShabab said it carried out the attack in response to Kenya’s military operations in Somalia. Relatives of the victims laid wreaths at a garden in the forest where 67 trees were planted after the attack. Interfaith prayers were held at the site as a memorial plaque with names of the victims on was unveiled.

Amul Shah, who spoke at the event, said his life was “completely shattered” after his son Mitul died in the attack. Mr Shah said his 38-yearold son was looking after children taking part in a cooking competition on the shopping centre’s rooftop when the siege happened. “He helped several children escape from the attack, but he was not lucky himself. He was so selfless,” Mr Shah said.arge parts of the Westgate shopping centre were completely destroyed Ahead of the commemorations, Kenya was put on high alert amid fears of possible attacks Last year’s attack sparked a four-day siege in which large parts of the shopping centre were destroyed amid heavy fighting and a fire.

Afghan presidential contenders sign unity deal

EAL to form a government of national unity in Afghanistan has been signed at a ceremony in Kabul. The signing comes after months of wrangling following presidential elections in April and June. Under the deal, Ashraf Ghani becomes president while runner-up Abdullah Abdullah nominates a CEO with powers similar to those of prime minister. Later, the election commission declared Mr Ghani as winner of the bitterly fought poll. “The Independent Election Commission declares Ashraf Ghani as the president, and thus announces the end of election process,” commission chief Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani said without declaring the number of votes for each

candidate or the turnout figures. Both sides had accused the other of fraud following the election and the months of uncertainty have damaged the economy and worsened insecurity. Mr Ghani and Mr Abdullah signed the agreement at a televised ceremony inside the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. They then stood and embraced each other. Afghans watched the historic ceremony on live television Outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulated the two men, saying that the agreement was “for the progress and development of this country”. “On behalf of the Afghan nation, I am congratulating them on this understanding and agreement,” he said in

his speech. The US hailed the deal as an “important opportunity for unity”. “We support this agreement and stand ready to work with the next administration to ensure its success,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Nato, which operates the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan - said it hoped both leaders could

Pope Francis decries ‘perverted’ extremists on Albania visit

OPE Francis has denounced extremists around the world for “perverting” religion to justify violence during a visit to Albania. Tens of thousands of Albanians attended an open air Mass celebrated by the pontiff in the capital, Tirana. He praised the “peaceful coexistence” of religions in the country, where a Muslim majority lives alongside Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Security is tight for the visit amid rumours of a jihadist plot against him.

NEWS 2015: PDP sued over plan to field Jonathan, Sambo

NOTHER suit seeking to disqualify President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo from contesting the 2015 presidential election has been instituted before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suit filed last Friday seeks among others, to restrain the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from fielding Jonathan and Sambo as presidential and vice presidential candidates in the elections. The plaintiffs Mase Daphine Acho, Saeeq Umar Sarki and Murtala Abubakar are contending that Jonathan and Sambo were ineligible to stand for election as president and vice president again. Plaintiffs’ lawyers Mustapha Ibrahim, Abdul Mohammed and Aliyu Lemu argued that by virtue of the Supreme Court’s decision in Marwa V Nyako (2012) 6 NWLR (Part 1296) at 199, both Jonathan and Sambo were not qualified to be elected as President and Vice-President.

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

To the plaintiffs, Jonathan and Sambo are caught by the provisions of the Constitution which state that no person can stay in office of the president and vice president for a period beyond eight years. “The current holders of the offices of the president and the vice president, at the expiration of their current terms in office would have held their respective office for a period of five years,” they said. The plaintiffs stated that Jonathan and Sambo had held office for two terms recognised by the 1999 constitution to wit: (i) the first term was held to conclude the un-expired term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua between the 6th May 2010 to 29th May 2011; (ii) the second term is still being served from the 29th May 2011 to 29th May 2015. They are of the view that allowing Jonathan and Sambo to contest in the 2015 elections would amount to a breach of the 1999 constitution which Jonathan and Sambo swore to uphold.

The plaintiffs said the intervention of the court was required for an interpretation of the provisions of the 1999 constitution. They argued that it will amount to a colossal waste of resources to allow Jonathan and Sambo to run even when they were ineligible to contest. The plaintiffs asked the court to declare that Jonathan and Sambo do not have the capacity to serve as president and vice president respectively for another term of four years after the completion of their current terms in office in view of the combined effect of the provisions of sections 135(2) (a) and 137(b) of the constitution. They further asked the court to declare that Jonathan and Sambo having already spent five years in office as president and vice president are not eligible to contest for the office of president and vice president for another term of four years thereby amounting to a contravention of the combined provisions ofsections 135(2) (a) and 137(b) of the constitution.

The plaintiffs are equally praying the court for: •A declaration that the first oath of office subscribed to by Jonathan on May 6th, 2010, being the oath of office administered to him to occupy the office of president for the purpose of completion of the un-expired term of office of the late president Yar’adua must be taken into cognizance in computing the number of years that he has served and can serve as president, in determining the effect of the combined provisions of sections 135(2) (a) and 137(1)(b) of the constitution. •An order of the court restraining INEC from recognising Jonathan and Sambo as presidential and vice presidential candidates of the PDP or any other political party for the 2015 presidential elections. Defendants in the suit include Jonathan, Sambo, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC). The defendants are yet to respond to the suit.

move forward “in the spirit of genuine political partnership”. The power-sharing deal was finally reached after a comprehensive audit of all eight million votes, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry. BBC Afghanistan correspondent David Loyn, who has seen a copy of the agreement, says it averts potential violence by supporters of Mr Abdullah.

ABUAD rolls out 2014/2015 scholarship awards

ROSPECTIVE indigent but brilliant students with proof of their poor financial background will be given free scholarships, comprising tuition and accommodation at the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). Similarly, in line with ABUAD’s tradition since inception, undergraduates who lose parents or guardians while still studying in the university would automatically enjoy full scholarships. This was contained in a statement announcing the university’s scholarships for the 2014/2015 academic session. According to the Founder, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), the scholarships are designed to “promote quality, equity and relevance in education.” For the indigent students however, he or she must have had six distinctions (A1) in WAEC or NECO, in addition to being offered admission into his selected course. Other conditions for application are that the student must be well-behaved, not a drug addict or a member of any nefarious association. Undergraduates, who attain

By Adegunle Olugbamila

a Cumulate Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.0 and above will enjoy scholarships valued at N500.000 each. Their counterparts with between 4.75 and 4.99 CGPA would be accorded scholarship worth N200.000 each, while those with 4.74 get N100.000 each. Aside those in the above categories, merit award plus N100.000 cash will be presented to the ‘Most disciplined student’; ‘Best dressed student’; ‘Outstanding student leader’; ‘Sports man of the year’; ‘Sports woman of the year’; as well as the ‘Cleanest hostel user’ (male and female). Prospective students, who choose to study Agriculture, the university founder added, would enjoy 50 per cent reduction in tuition. Aside, work and study opportunity would be available for such students to earn extra cash for services rendered on ABUAD farm, cafeteria, library and hostel. Upon graduation, ABUAD also promises graduates financial assistance to facilitate self employment. The largess is also extended to parents and workers.

THE NATION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

TODAY IN THE NATION

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL 9 NO 2,979

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

HERE was no comedy of errors, even if it almost pillaged your ribs. On the surface, you thought it was a comedy. If it was, it amounted to a sour and dark drama. Never mind that the one whose name was sheriff was supposed to be the don. The real sheriff acted as though he was neither don nor sheriff. But then there were no errors. We had what might have been a great and historic mistake. If it was a mistake, it cost his country dear in terms of prestige and moral respect. So it was that the sheriff, the real commander of the troops and the custodian of safety in the land soared on his aircraft out of town and out of country. The land broiled in pious carnage. He meant to do something about it and traveled to his counterpart in a neighbouring land where a sort of solution might be brokered. He had been under the gun as a weak and bumbling sheriff. Recently a white man with a clergy’s bona fides had accused a certain man of stocky build and defiant visage. His name was sheriff and he was fingered as one of the dons behind the carnage of dubious believers. Of course the clergy accused one of the real sheriff’s own chiefs. His own former chief under the gun for gun running had denied as well as the man whose name was sheriff. Now, many have said he did not know how to run anything except sit idle in office, sign juicy contracts and enjoy the sweet languor of high office. Maybe he wanted to prove everyone wrong. But the story of his meeting turned more a drama than solution, if ever there was one. Picture did not lie. Not this time. The sheriff of safety sat with the man named sheriff who should be named don, according to accusations. Neither betrayed an air of discomfort at the other’s company. In between them sat the host. So, what happened? Was the sheriff supping with the enemy? That was the question. The media and the civil society quaked with questions. The answer was as puny as the logic of the picture. The sheriff of safety did not anticipate the presence of the sheriff who was don. They merely met at the airport lounge. The counterfeit sheriff did not take part in the real dialogue. If this was no comedy, if it was no error, the best it can be was a mistake. And what a mistake it was. But was it that the sheriff of safety and his team, after a normal full term in office, did not know the implication of a photo op with the enemy? As a writer once said, could he not have told the don not to appear with him, or even his host that this protocol presaged disaster back home?

RIPPLES

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchnation@gmail.com 08054501081(sms only) Twitter: @samomatseye

The sheriff meets the don

‘

So what can we make of this than that a man who is accused of burning the country is a friend of the man charged to defend it. The friend of our enemy is our leader. What paradox •President Goodluck Jonathan •Senator Ali Modu Sheriff

But speaking of protocol, did the sheriff of safety not have an advance party that certified the coast was clear, and the big boss would be safe in limb and name. Well, he was safe in limb. But more important than limb, his name was soiled. He visited because many of his subjects had lost limbs and name because the sheriff as don stood accused. Even while on the aircraft after landing, they could have told the host to ask the sheriff of accusation to leave. If that did not happen, what else could we believe? That both sheriff the real and sheriff the false were false together in the right to fight against terror? It is in tradition that sometimes a leader can work with an enemy as leverage to defeat the enemy. In crime, it is standard practice. Even that is not done in the incriminating flare of the public camera. It is brokered out of sight, like in a studio’s

Mbu the lion versus Amaechi the leopard

ECENTLY, the former police commissioner said he was a lion that caged a leopard. He was referring to his tour of duty in Rivers State where he made a travesty of the calling of a police officer. He referred to Governor Rotimi Amaechi as a leopard. It was good comedy, except the former CP just confessed he was the slave of Dame Jonathan and that as CP, he was playing politics. It is a pity that after that

HARDBALL

RIBADU NOW A LAUGHING STOCK –Kwankwaso

LAUGHING STOCK indeed. Anyway he should accept our SYMPATHY

’

dark room. After victory, the picture blooms to public gratitude. Even the sheriff and his team deny this. So what can we make of this than that a man who is accused of burning the country is a friend of the man charged to defend it. The friend of our enemy is our leader. What paradox. Why had the sheriff

OE alas! I have just wised up; no, I have just grown up! I had always wondered why Nigerians suddenly caught the bug of owning private jets (PJs). It must be a crazy man who would shell out between N450 to N500 million to buy one iron bird, I had conjectured in my naïve, child-like mind. Why, a man could build a new town in a corner of the country instead of buying a PJ, a wasting asset, but how plebian, how simple of mind can anyone be! From recent discovery, any Nigerian above the age of 18 who does not aspire to own a PJ in the next few months must be a moron. And here are reasons why. One, Nigeria is a supremely rich country and can well afford every Nigerian male a jet of his own. And don’t be a fool to wonder for a second where you will park your PJ, just tell yourself ‘I will park mine where others park theirs. Remember nobody brought parking space from his village. Another reason you must not be squirmy about seeking to own a jet of your own today is that it is extremely comfortable.

of safety not punished anyone for not alerting him? Does it not show that he was comfortable with this don as sheriff? The case is not helped by the story that the same sheriff was allowed to play don in his home town when about 200 troops guarded him from airport to his home. This was a few days after the so-called chance meeting. So who gave him the soldiers? Does it show that the man has been legitimated by sheriff the leader? No one gets so many troops on his command without authority, an authority as high as the former chief who was under the gun for gun running. So were people right then to say that the border blurs between the sheriff’s government and the carnage engine going on in the northeastern territory in the guise of a god. Are we witnessing a conspiracy of silence or a naivety of conspiracy? Somebody needs to explain to the people of the land. Anxiety chokes the residents as days dovetail into weeks with blood and death. In this war, residents are yet even to get an answer where an aircraft belonging to the head of clergies is caught with enough money to train a thousand poor kids into geniuses of true transformation. But the sheriff of safety is in league with the heavenly messenger. They say it was meant to get arms to tackle the carnage demons. What happened to e-finance championed by sheriff’s government? But some said the aircraft story was not a mammon against demons, as they claim. It was a case of demons stealing mammon in the name of God and country. The clergy who had heralded his entry into the aircraft league had announced it as a chariot of evangelism. Now, how did it become a carrier of filthy lucre? It might be that the sheriff of safety does not know much about how to keep his people safe, and that would be a grave allegation. But that will be a trifle charge compared to when we say he knows how to do the job, but he does not want to do it but undo it.

shameless effusion he gets nods instead of knocks from his bosses. But what concerns me is his abuse of the metaphor of the animal kingdom. The lion, as we know, guards its territory. Others scurry away when it marches, roars and bares its savage incisors. In Mbu’s violation, it is the lion that vacates the territory for the leopard. What kind of lion shrinks away from a leopard if not an empty and counterfeit one?

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Hardball needs a private jet! Those who revel in it are quick to regal you with stories about the hedonistic comforts of that toy. It is said that if you flew in it once, you will never wish to fly any other way. In fact they say you will simply come to the realisation that it is indeed a curse to have been flying in those air-molues. Further, if it happens to be the kind fitted with waterbed and Jacuzzi like some of our federal ministers fly, then you will realise that paradise is actually a Nigerian reality and not a celestial construct. A third reason you must do anything to own a PJ now (!) is that the rate the PJ cult is growing, in a couple of years, the DNA of the true Nigerian will be determined not just by the ownership of a PJ but by the number and type of your PJ. Then there will only be two classes of Nigerians – the PJ owners and the hoi polloi. And do not say I didn’t warn you dear reader, when that time comes, it would be easy to determine, or if you like, control the population of the country.

One innocuous way they – the jet-set, super-rich, super-class - can set about eliminating some of us dregs is to fly up midair above our heads in their PJs, they and their kinds and let off a napalm of farting that can exterminate half of us. That way even the UN would not accuse them of using chemical weapons; it would simply be termed accidental discharge from acute bowel disorder. And the case will be closed. Perhaps the most important reason you must die for a private jet is that once you own one, you will never be poor again. Opportunities will open to you as if you were an Arabian sheikh. There is nothing you cannot do with your PJ backed by federal might. You can haul currencies for the federal government, ship arms for the security community and carry human cargo and body part for the Baby Factory Group of the Manufacturers Association. Everything is legit with a PJ. Ah my boy, in all your getting, get yourself a PJ pronto!

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