September 29, 2015

Newspaper of the Year

Accountant, lawmaker among Hajj victims

Buhari to leaders: expose looters

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•President orders census of Nigerians

•President reaffirms anti-graft war •Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 10, NO. 3351 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

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President free to pick ministers, says APC •Fresh Bayelsa primary today

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is free to pick his ministers, his party said yesterday.

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the party trusts the President’s judgment.

Buhari is expected to send the names of his ministers to the Senate for confirmation latest tomorrow.

Speaking after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, Odigie-Oyegun said: ”We know that the President will do what he needs to do. What happened or did

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

not happen between us and the President is a matter for the party as a family. It is a family affair, but he will do what he needs to do, when he needs to do it. You can trust him on that.”

He also promised that the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) would soon be inaugurated. “You know that we have been pretty busy, but I want to assure you that it will soon be inaugurated.”

Odigie-Oyegun announced the decision to fix another Bayelsa State governorship primary for today in Yenagoa.

•Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right), with the Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade (2nd left), Diocesan Bishop of Lagos & Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd. Dr. Adebola Ademowo (left) and the Lord Bishop of Badagry, the Rt. Rev. Babatunde Adeyemi, during the 2015/2016 Legal Year Service at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina…yesterday.

Continued on page 6

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

•INSIDE: ONDO ‘TO PAY SALARIES TODAY’ P7 FAYOSE: EKITI HAS GOT N9.6B BAILOUT P7

Falae: abductors vowed to grab me again if I talk ‘I was let go day after ransom was collected’

We all slept on leaves. Unfortu‘nately, it rained in the night and I

By Our Reporter

A

FORMER Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, said yesterday that he paid ransom to his abductors before his release last week.

He provided shocking details of how he was starved, made to trek kilometres and forced to sleep on leaves while it rained.

The former presidential candidate said he was kidnapped on his birthday by six Fulani herdsmen last Monday at his Ilado farm on the outskirts of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Speaking to reporters at his home in Akure, Falae said the armed hoodlums threatened to kill him every 30 minutes, until they received information that the ransom had been paid. He did not state how much was paid to the abductors, who initially asked for N100 million, which they reduced to N90 million. A family WILL THE member said they could CHIBOK raise only N2 million.

GIRLS EVER Falae, 77, said: “There RETURN? Continued on page 6

?

•Chief Falae

was drenched. One of them brought a small umbrella to cover my head, but the rest of my body was not.They offered me bread, but I told them I could not eat it. I demanded for a bottle of coke, which was what I drank every day to have energy and to continue with the march, because we were always moving

’

•MARITIME P12 •E-BUSINESS P13 •SPORT P20 •POLITICS P41 •AVIATION P45 •FOREIGN P53

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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Saraki and •Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema flanked by Director, Human Resources, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Gbemiga Owolabi (left) and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya at the presentation of a gift to the NSE chief at the September edition of Airtel's Employee Knowledge at Airtel’s Headquarters, Banana Island, Lagos...yesterday.

The stage is set for the resumption of senators today after a six-week holiday. Opinions are divided as to the propriety or otherwise of their leader, Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), steering the affairs of the upper legislative chamber.

Assistant Editors GBADE OGUNWALE and ONYEDI OJIABOR report.

T •From left: Associate Director/Head, Financial Advisory, FBN Capital, Mr Afolabi Olorode; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Nicholaas Vervelde; Managing Director, Stanbic Capital, Yewande Sadiku; Finance Director, Nigerian Breweries, Mark Rutten and Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Nigerian Breweries, Uaboi Agbebaku, at the signing of N100 billion commercial paper at the company’s Iganmu Head Office, Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

•From left: Chief Executive Officer, Steel Business, Sanjay Kumar; Director-General, Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN), Remi Ogunmefun; Director, Inspectorate & Compliance, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bede Obayi; Group Director/ Advisor, African Industries, Richhpal Singh and Group Executive Director, African Industries, Uche Iwuamadi, at the media parley on the challenges facing iron manufacturing companies in Nigeria at Moore House, Ikoyi, Lagos.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL.

HE Senate reconvenes today after a six-week recess.

Expectedly, a number of issues will dominate procedures and discussions in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

No doubt, the ongoing trial of the Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) will take the centre stage. Saraki is standing trial for alleged false assets declaration while he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The trial has continued to generate controversy within and outside the Senate.

Some senators have identified with Saraki. They have vowed to stand by him through thick and thin. But, the trial has far-reaching implications on the turbulent tenure and indeed the political career of the Dr. Saraki. The development has further widened the gulf between the polarised senators, especially, on the appropriate steps to take on resumption.

The various camps have been holding secret meetings and coming up with various positions on the way forward. Some of them argue that as a matter honour, Saraki ought to step down as Senate President for the period his trial will last. Those bringing up this suggestion base their argument on morality and the need to save the image of the upper legislative body.

According to them, legislative proceedings and actions taken by the Senate under Saraki’s leadership may be adversely affected.

“The resolutions or decisions arising from proceedings on the floor of the Senate presided over by Saraki may not pass the credibility and integrity test,” one of them said.

Such resolutions or decisions, he went on, would not get the deserved acceptance and respect from members of the public and even the international community. “No doubt, the trial has to a large extent debased the National Assembly,” the senator said.

Apart from being the Senate President, Saraki doubles as the chairman of the National Assembly, a nomenclature invented for the office since the Sixth Senate. His trial cannot but rub off on the image of the entire legislative arm of government.

It’s Unity Forum versus Like Minds

•From left: National President, Young Women Christian Association, Lady Chikwe Ochiagha; President, Women Arise for Change Initiation, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin; Guest of Honour/Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and Principal Ojodu Junior Grammar School, Ikeja, Mrs. Adebola Kolawole, during the two-day sensitisation meeting on the implementation of the guideline on gender-based violence in Nigeria...yesterday.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

Hence, some senators, especially those in the Unity Forum group, are insisting that Saraki should do the needful to save the Senate and indeed the National Assembly the odious implication of harbouring a tainted

•.The National Assembly Complex

leader. Those championing the Saraki-must-resign cause reason that the weight of the moral burden of his trial has the inclination to impede legislative business.

They posit that since he who goes to equity must come with clean hands, Saraki’s image has been dented by his arraignment and ongoing corruption trail. To them, Saraki must step down honourably to give the Senate fresh breath to begin afresh.

Observers are of the view that the trial may halt the stream of government institutions and corporate bodies that have been paying courtesy visits on the President of the Senate.

There has been a plethora of visits and courtesy calls on the Senate President since the inauguration of the Eighth National Assembly on June 9. Many of such calls were said to have been at the instance of Saraki’s office.

But senators loyal to the Senate President, under the auspices of the Like Minds, insist that the is no bais for the call on Saraki to step aside.

According to them, the trial should not in any way stop Saraki from presiding over the affairs of the Senate.

Their argument is that the accused person is deemed innocent until proven otherwise by a competent court of law. They added that asking him to step down would be tantamount to pronouncing him guilty before trial.

Saraki may be lucky to weather through the storm either by some judicial wizardry by his counsel, or through a political solution that may entail a great deal of compromise on the part of the Saraki camp. However, losing the trial portends dire consequences for the tenure and political career of the Senate President. If he loses and bags a conviction, either in form of a jail term or fines, or both, he automatically loses his seat as President of the Senate and senator representing his Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Shopping for Saraki’s replacement In the event of the latter scenario playing out, the lawmakers would have to shop for a replacement amongst the body of senators.

Speculations are rife that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with its 49-member strength, is angling to cash in on the cracks within the ranks of the ruling All

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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the swinging pendulum ‘

The resolutions or decisions arising from proceedings on the floor of the Senate presided over by Saraki may not pass the credibility and integrity test. Such resolutions or decisions would not get the deserved acceptance and respect from members of the public and even the international community •Dr. Saraki

Progressives Congress (APC), which has a simple majority in the upper chamber, pick the plum job for one of its members. The APC has 59 members in the 109-member Senate.

Feelers from the PDP caucus indicate that the immediate past Senate President David Mark; his erstwhile deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and the incumbent Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, are being primed to succeed Saraki. But, the trio of Mark, Ekweremadu and Akpabio, have enough political battles on their hands. Mark is battling to save his political career at the Benue election petition tribunal, where he locked in a battle with Daniel Onjeh of the APC. Onjeh contested the Benue South senatorial seat with Mark at the March 28 National Assembly election.

The pendulum may swing in favour of either Mark or his opponent. Until that matter is dispensed with, the former Senate President may distance himself from another round of political struggle.

On the other hand, Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu, who is being projected as a possible replacement, is also facing a criminal case in court.

His alleged involvement in tinkering with the Senate Standing Rules, on the plank of which he emerged Saraki’s deputy may his albatross.

Like Saraki, if the court finds him culpable, he would be losing his posi-

tion as well as his Enugu West senatorial seat. Akpabio may not be the right choice for the job. In the first place, the immediate past Akwa Ibom State governor is a first-time senator and therefore not qualified to lead ranking senators. He may have pulled through as Minority Leader with his PDP, but, becoming the Senate President as anon-ranking member time member is a different kettle of fish. Besides, there are unconfirmed reports indicating that hard currency and arms were found in a section of the Akwa Ibom Government House recently raided by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). The former governor was said to be the tenant in section raided by the operatives. The last may not have been heard of the raids as more facts in the days ahead.

Ministerial screening There are also speculations that Saraki could get as many senators to stall the clearance of ministerial nominees. The list of the nominees from President Muhammadu Buhari will be forwarded any moment for the screening and approval of the Senate.

Political analysts argue that there are no indications whatsoever within or outside the Senate to suggest that the ministerial list will suffer any delay.

According to them, if anything, the Saraki camp may use the expeditious screening and approval of the nominees as a bargaining chip. This, they say, may be in the form of wooing the Presidency and other stakeholders in the APC. The pundits argue that the Saraki camp and the APC leadership may use the list to strike a balance that could be symbiotically beneficial to both parties.

It is however left to be seen how the parties would pull through such knotty compromise. Others insist that the Senate, as presently constituted, lacked the strength, character and moral force to hold down the President’s ministerial list. Going by the mood of the public and the eagerness on the part of the citizenry to see a federal cabinet in place, any attempt to delay the approval of the nominees may complicate matters for the lawmakers.

Already, there is high-level of political awareness across the land and the various constituents appear to be in a hurry to see the Buhari administration marching on with full complements of cabinet ministers. Any wrong move by the lawmakers may backfire and attract public uproar and resentment against the Senate.

A statement issued on Monday by the Chairman, Senate ad-hoc committee on media and publicity, Senator Dino Melaye appears to give an in-

sight into the mood of the lawmakers. Melaye, a die-hard supporter of Saraki, said the Senate is fully prepared and waiting to receive communications from Mr. President, including the ministerial list.

So, in the actual sense of it, there is no pound of flesh for the senators to extract from the Buhari Presidency. Many of the senators believe that in line with the change mantra sweeping across the country, the course of justice should not be blocked, no matter who is involved.

The likely inference from this is that, with or without Saraki’s trial, the Senate must be seen to be doing its job unhindered.

Opinions are sharply divided as to how long the embattled Senate President can continue to push on.

Some believe that with the weight of criminal charges against him, Saraki may not come out unscathed, morally and politically. They see his political future hanging precariously in the balance if the government decides to pursue the case to its logical conclusion.

Others, however, observed that in saner societies and civilised democracies, someone in Saraki’s position would have been asked by his colleagues to voluntarily resign or be impeached. It is believed that a good number of the lawmakers, mainly of the ruling APC, are working to-

‘

wards this option. But, it is unclear if they could get enough members to push through their position.

As the senators prepared for their resumption, it was gathered yesterday that the Unity Forum and the Like Minds are favourably disposed to finding a political solution to the logjam problem. They are said to have expressed optimism that the matter could be resolved amicably before the October 21 adjourned date for hearing in the case before the CCT. Senator Aliyu Wamako, who belongs to the Like Mind group, has predicted an early end to the string of crises rocking the Senate after today’s resumption.

He said at the weekend: “I see Mr. President, Saraki and senators holding a meeting very soon on how to salvage democracy, which certain elements have been trying to subvert.

They will find time to meet to stop our opponents from progressing with acts to sabotage our democracy.

“Once the President and the Senate leadership sit on a round-table with a resolve to re-oil the wheels of democracy for national progress, the cynics, the political rabble-rousers and those who never mean well for the APC government will go to sleep.”

N500m defamation claim: I have no case to answer, says Metuh

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IREWORKS were being thrown yesterday between the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Olisa Metuh.

Both spokesmen for the ruling and main opposition party are locked in a battle over an alleged defamatory and libelous statement credited to Metuh.

In a letter written by his counsel, Wahab Shittu on September 22, 2015, titled: “Demand for unreserved apology, retraction and N500 million compensation over defamation of character”, Lai Mohammed alleged that the PDP spokesperson defamed him in a press release issued on September 20. The APC chieftain said Metuh “willfully and maliciously made false, destructive and defamatory statements,” against him in the following words: “Nevertheless, as we restate our

By Seun Akioye

commitment in providing issue-based opposition as well as our support for the fight against corruption, our final word for the APC spokesman on this, is that being ethically challenged, includes embezzling funds meant for fencing of an airport in an APC-led Southwest states. It also includes when one fraudulently refuse to supply ambulances after collecting monies from another APC South West State.

“It is then a comedy of roles when Alhaji Lai Mohammed speaks on corruption, a topic he practices and has well learnt, being a personal aide to one of the most corrupt politicians to ever bestride the political landscape of the country.”

Mohammed said the statements as published

by Metuh are “utterly false and without merit, and they are defamation per se.” The APC chieftain also said by the publication, Metuh

has portrayed him as a fraudster, a man who must not be entrusted with money, a man of dubious character, corrupt and an economic saboteur.”

He denied that any of his companies had ever been involved in any alleged embezzlement of funds meant for the fencing of any airport or in contract for supplying ambulance for any state government including Southwest states.

In what could be described as bold demands, Mohammed asked Metuh for a retraction or public apology within seven days and to cease further defamation of his character and reputation. He also demanded for N500 million as damages for the “unquantifiable damage done to his reputation and integrity.”

But in a swift response through his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, (SAN), Metuh said he will not accede to any of the demands made by Mohammed as he never made reference to Mohammed in his press release nor insulted anybody insisting the statement was made in

national interest.

In a letter dated September 25, and signed

by Etiaba, Metuh also alleged that Mohammed in his response to the press statement had made “unprovoked vituperations” against him in the following words: “ The party said that for the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary himself, the persistent onslaught against the Buhari administration is neither altruistic nor informed by any belief in higher values, because the allegations of corruption hanging on his neck, from within his own party, is a clear indication that he is mortally afraid that the wind will soon blow hard enough to expose the fowl’s rump.

“May we therefore assure you that our client does not intend to accede to any of your demands”, Emeka wrote in the reply for his client.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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Rivers tribunal: Soldiers, policemen lied, say witnesses

Reps resume today From Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja

T

HE Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Sani Zorro has said the House resumes today contrary to speculations that it may not.

Zorro, in a phone chat yesterday, said “the September 29 date of resumption of the House of Representatives subsists.”

There has been confusion on the date of resumption, members were calling reporters to ascertain if the House had extended the break to cover the October 1st independence holiday.

The House is resuming from a six week long annual recess, which is the third break it has embarked on since the eighth Session commenced on June 9, 2015.

The first two breaks the House went on were forced by the leadership crisis that wracked the Green Chamber in its early days.

Buhari: we’ll resist corrupt elements From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

E

IGHT witnesses for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the Rivers Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja that the security men who testified for the All Progressives Congress (APC) lied on oath before the tribunal.

The witnesses also told the tribunal during their cross examination by counsel to the APC, Mr Akinlolu Olujimi that the security men were ignorant of the electoral processes at the polling unit.

Fifty-eight witnesses, among who were soldiers, policemen and officials of the Department of State Services were called by the APC to prove the allegations that the April 11 governorship election was marred by violence.

Some of the witnesses testified that there was no election. Others claimed that the election was disrupted by shooting and ballot snatching.

The witnesses insisted that the elections were peaceful, credible and that all legal procedures for the election were followed before the declaration of Governor Nyesom Wike as the winner.

The witnesses who were presiding officers in five local government areas, namely Degema, Gokana, Ogba /Egbema/Ndoni, Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro, added that card readers and manual accreditation were used during the election.

Mr Derekunor Richmond, the presiding officer at Ward 4 Unit 10, described the soldiers who testified earlier as liars who were not at the polling unit.

He said the governorship election was peaceful, credible and conducted in line with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

The witness also pointed out that he met other presiding officers, who participated in the collation at the ward collation centre where results were compiled.

Another presiding officer, Nwachukwu Chimezie, who conducted election at Unit 9, Ward 14 of Degema, noted that the election was peaceful and credible in his jurisdiction.

According to Chimezie, the soldiers and mobile policemen who testified be-

fore the tribunal lied on oath.

He said Degema Local Government Area was peaceful on election day, adding that he slept in the town on April 10 and there was no shooting or thuggery.

He added that all electoral procedures were followed before the results were declared in the presence of party agents.

Another INEC witness, Apoodari Dilo, the presiding officer for Unit 4 Ward 4 in Gokana, berated the soldiers, saying there was no violence during the election.

He stated that he slept at Gokana on the night preceding the election and that it was peaceful, with no shooting or violence.

Onyije Ifeanyi, the presiding officer in Ogba / Egbema / Ndoni confirmed that the election was peaceful, credible and conducted in line with the Electoral Act. He wondered why the soldiers and mobile policemen invited by the APC

would lie under oath when they never participated in the election.

According to Ifeanyi, if there were killings in the local government area he monitored, as the soldiers alleged, he would not have stayed there to complete the election process and collation of results in the presence of party agents.

The Presiding Officer for Unit 12 Ward 1 of Opobo / Nkoro local government where the Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Mr Dakuku Peterside hails from, Mohammed Yusuf, said contrary to claims by the soldiers and mobile policemen, nobody disrupted the voting.

Maxwell Loveday , the presiding officer of Unit 6 Ward 9 of Andoni Local Government Area, said there was no violence as the election was peaceful.

The presiding officer for Unit 8, Ward 1 of Degema Local Government Area, Tuboni McBala said that all electoral procedures were observed before he went to the ward collation centre where he met other presiding officers.

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration will resist the corrupt elements who are trying to fight back and halt the war against corruption.

He said the government will not wait until when all resources are available before waging a war against graft.

He said his administration would strengthen various anti-graft agencies in the country.

Buhari’s position was contained in an address at the opening ceremony of the maiden training programme of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA, at the EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja.

Represented by the Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation, Engr.

Babachir David Lawal, the President said the war against corruption will be fought to a conclusive end.

He said although corruption will always fight back, his administration cannot be deterred.

Buhari said: “The time to act against corruption is now, and we do not have to wait till when all the resources are in place. It is now.”

“They’ll fight back, indeed, they are already fighting back, but what they don’t know is that there is the will to ensure victory is achieved, because we have to reclaim our stolen wealth.

“We shall strengthen agencies in the country involved in the corruption war.

The EFCC and other antigraft agencies in the country have been charged to ramp up the corruption war, and save us from the scourge of corruption”.

In his paper titled: “West African Law Enforcement Agencies Must Cooperate to Win War on Corruption”, Lamorde said corrupt individuals have now taken their crimes beyond border.

He noted that the soldiers and mobile policemen merely lied at the tribunal as they were not part of the process.

Ogunkoya Adewale, who served as presiding officer at unit 5 Ward 4 in Degema Local Government Area said he had a successful voting and collation, adding that there were no soldiers at the polling unit.

He said he travelled to Bakana, a riverine community, a day before the election and slept there without any violence before and during the election.

The witness maintained that elections held and the legal procedures were used to get to the declaration of results.

He said card readers and manual accreditation were used for the governorship election in line with the training they received.

Adewale pointed out that they were never instructed to postpone the election on account of malfunctioning card readers.

Terrorism: military vows to continue assault From Jide Babalola, Abuja

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•All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun addressing reporters after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja...yesterday. With him are National Vice Chairman, South, Segun Oni (right), Deputy National Chairman, North, Senator Lawal Shuaibu (second left) and Vice Chairman, South South, Prince Hillaard Etta (left).

Peterside: why war on illegal refineries must go on

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HE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, yesterday said the war against illegal refineries must go on, if the economy must grow.

He hailed troops of the Operation Pulo Shield (OPS) in Port Harcourt and the Police for the seizure of eight boats and 2.3 million litres of stolen diesel from an illegal oil refining site in the state.

Peterside, in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Sylvester Asoya, praised the officers and men for their gallantry, describing their action as inspiring and an indication of more decisive steps ahead in the fight against illegal

bunkering and other economic crimes against Nigeria.

“Security is very important because everything hinges on it. Progress and development is not only dependent but also measured by how secure the people are. Therefore we commend this latest onslaught on criminal elements in our state.

“I must state unequivocally that this offensive has rekindled faith in our people. It also reinforces our belief in the fact that the huge security problem facing Rivers State is receiving the urgent attention it deserves.

“Like every Rivers person, I am incredibly worried about the rising wave of

crime in our dear state, especially kidnapping and armed robbery. The economy of Rivers State is on the verge of collapse because of insecurity. Every day, we make headlines for all the wrong reasons, we are not happy about this. Unfortunately the current occupants of Government house PH are more interested in other things other than the security and safety of Rivers people. I am, however, not surprised as a government midwifed by morallybankrupt people cannot muster the willpower and moral might to eradicate criminality as lions do not give birth to sheep.

“As a people, it will

•Peterside

amount to sheer foolhardiness if we say we do not need help.

As a matter of fact, we need every attention and support to rid Rivers State of these strange happenings.

“I, therefore, wish to use this medium to call on the Federal Government to intervene urgently by treating Rivers State security with special concern because of its strategic economic importance”.

HE Armed Forces have renewed their commitment to continue the coordinated assaults on Boko Haram in the Northeast.

To this end, it has resolved to intensify the assault on all existing pockets of insurgents’ resistance until the operation of the guerrillas were totally decimated.

The Acting Director of Defence Information , Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said the coordinated operation of the security forces in the Northeast is aimed towards effectively dismantling the preeminence and capabilities of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

In a statement, Colonel Abubakar said: “For optimum success in the counter-offensives, the recent deployment of the 7 Brigade of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin would ensure a total blockade of possible escape routes in the area to forestall further infiltration of terrorist elements into the country and its neighbours.

“The terrorists are hereby warned to stop their mindless acts of violence and embrace peace in order that they might become useful citizens contributing positively to the socioeconomic development of not just the Northeast but the country.

Colonel Abubakar emphasised that the armed forces’ operations against insurgents was being intensified in order to ensure that the remaining elements would not have any breathing space to regroup and re-strategise their campaign.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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435 policemen lost to fighting crimes in six months, says Arase

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HE Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, yesterday said the Police lost 435 men and officers to crime fighting across the country in six months.

He spoke at an event organised by the Osun State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) at the Leisure Spring Hotel, Osogbo.

Arase urged Nigerians to support the Police in combating crimes, saying since hoodlums live among the people, the police need information from them to curb crimes in the society.

He said: “I don’t believe mounting road blocks on our highways can prevent crimes. And I know that the public perception of road blocks gives bad impression of the police. Road blocks have not succeeded in curbing crime in the country rather it has been giving a bad impression of the police. The impression of the public on road blocks is that it is an avenue to extort money from them. ”This is the public we want to get information from. This is the public we want to help us, the same we are terrorising on the roads.

What do you think the pub-

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

lic will think of the police?

Will the public help us in combating crime when we terrorise them? ”But I must say that if I don’t want corruption among my men, the society must come in to help them. It is not a crime to give pure water to police on patrol on our roads to combat crime for eight hours. ”This is where we are soliciting the help of the state governors and chairmen of local councils across the country to help us out in boosting the morale of police in the country.”

The Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, urged the IGP to integrate the traditional rulers in fighting crimes in their various domains.

According to him, “the traditional rulers as custodian of their domains know what happens, families involved and the children involved in crimes but it is a pity that no function was ascribed to them.”

Also, the Chairman of Osun State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Comrade Amitolu Shittu, demanded the empowerment of the body to get rid

Fight against corruption legitimate, says Kumuyi GENERAL Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry Pastor William Kumuyi has urged Nigerians to support government anti-corruption war.

He said this was not the time to criticise, but support President Muhammadu Buhari re-organisation and fight against graft .

Kumuyi spoke at the end of the Lagos City-Wide Crusade at the National Stadium, Lagos.

The theme of the crusade: Supernatural Encounter with God of Wonders, attracted thousands of worshippers and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

He said: “This is not the time for criticism in the fight against corruption and reorganising things. It is the time for being patient and support what is being done. It is the time to cooperate and go along with the government.

“Corruption is bad; it is to the disadvantage of the poor

By Musa Odoshimokhe people and the whole country. The fight against corruption is legitimate and right.

We should do it without any witch-hunting. We should not be after anybody, but work towards stamping out corruption.

“Those of us fighting corruption must lay the example.

We must ensure that we are free from that corruption, so that others will follow suit,” he said.

The cleric maintained that crusade was divinely covered

by God. “It is the grace of God. We have been doing the crusade in the past 18 days, moving from place to place. We give the glory to God and thank the people for their cooperation.

“We have worked together in unity and strength, we have not only got the unity of Deeper Life members but the support of the media, CAN and everybody.”

Thursday is public holiday From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

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HE Federal Government has declared Thursday a pub lic holiday to mark Nigeria’s 55th Independence cele bration.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior Abubakar Magaji made the declaration yesterday on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press, Yusuf Isiaka.

Magaji, who congratulated all Nigerians both at home and abroad, also thanked them for their supports to President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts towards building a peaceful, united and virile nation.

He urged them to use the occasion of the celebration to pray for peace and unity across the country.

•Aregbesola (second right); his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Arase (third left); Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Kalafite Helen Adeyemi (second left) and Commissioner of Police (CP), Kola Sodipo at the Government House, Osogbo...yesterday.

of criminals in the state.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the challenge of insurgency and kidnapping could be overcome in Nigeria if there was an effective synergy between the Police and the Department of the State Security Service (DSS).

The governor spoke when Arase, visited him at the Government House in Osogbo before the PCRC event.

Aregbesola said: “The Police and the DSS must synergise. They must share intelligence because perpetrators of kidnapping and peo-

ple who carry out the act of insurgency are human beings. With adequate intelligence, it will be easier to penetrate their ranks and liquidate whatever evil plan they have before the carry it out.

“I am appealing to the two agencies which are today Federal Government agencies to realise the need for the two of them working together in the interest of effective maintenance of peace and order, particularly on the issue of kidnapping which is assuming a frightening dimension.

“If their acts have been nipped in the bud at their nascent stages, we would not have the monstrous expression of them as we see now. So please, I plead for the two civil security agents that are vital for the maturation of our democracy.”

The governor also called on the Inspector General of Police to provide additional six area commands in the Federal Constituency in the state to make nine Police area commands.

He said: “We are happy that our administration has brought better atmosphere of peace, we will improve on the ambience of peace and securi-

ty, we are working towards total eradication of crime in our state.

“The IGP can still help us in the discharge of responsibility of police by providing area commands in each of our Federal constituencies, just nine, we have three now, Osun needs nine, why am I requesting for nine when threat to peace are limited.”

Arase lauded Aregbesola for his appreciation of the police by providing them with equipment to discharge their duties effectively.

CJN cautions judges, magistrates on plea bargain adoption

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HE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed has cautioned judges and magistrates to be cautious in handling plea bargains brought before them.

He also advised judicial officers to accord human face to criminal justice proceedings by considering other alternatives to custodial sentences in view of the inadequacies of the nation’s prison system.

Justice Mohammed spoke in Kaduna yesterday while addressing a group of judges and magistrates, who are attending a sensitisation workshop on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), for judges and magistrates of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding by the European Union (EU).

The CJN, who was represented by Justice Ibrahim Tanko, noted that the ACJ Act is the culmination of the long held desire to improve upon the administration of criminal justice and to bring the rules of criminal procedures in Nigeria in line with global best practices and the need of the 21st Century.

He added that the objectives of the Act, as found in Section 1 of the law, are to promote efficient management of criminal justice institutions, provide of speedy dispensation of justice and

protect the society from crime, while defending the rights and interest of the defendant and the victim.

“These indicate a deliberate shift from punishment, as the main goal of criminal justice is restorative justice, which pays attention to the needs of the society, the victims, vulnerable persons and human dignity,” the CJN said.

“Another important innovation, which I shall only mention, is plea bargaining.

Suffice it to say that you must be very careful. And I repeat, you must be very careful in accepting a plea bargain agreement that is before you and ensure that its use is indeed judicious and not malicious.

“Similarly, I call on you all to be aware of the provision of other alternatives to custodial sentences, which will assist in ensuring that justice is done, with a human face and in consideration of the capacity of our prisons to cope with incarcerated persons,” he said.

The National Judicial Commission (NJC) in April 2013 suspended Justice Abubakar Mahmud Talba of the FCT High Court for one year on the grounds “that he did not exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously with regard to the sentences he passed on one of the accused persons, Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf in the Police Pension case of FRN vs Esai Dangabar and

‘I call on you all to be aware of the provision of other alternatives to custodial sentences, which will assist in ensuring that justice is done, with a human face and in consideration of the capacity of our prisons to cope with incarcerated persons’ five others.”

Justice Talba had, in his judgment in the case, awarded a fine of N750,000 as fine against Yusuf, who pleaded guilty to the theft of over N23billion. Justice Talba, who has since resumed duties, was listed, in the programme of event, as a discussant and participant at the workshop.

The Chief Judge of the High Court of the FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Moses Bello and the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Professor Adedeji Adekunle commended the various innovative provisions contained in the ACJA 2015.

They were confident that the law, when properly applied,

•Justice Mohammed

was capable of revolutionizing the nation’s criminal justice system and eliminate the delay associated with criminal trials.

The FCT High Court Chief Justice said the workshop was intended to help judges, magistrates and other players within the criminal justice system understand the ACJA with a view to ensuring the effective operations of the system.

The president of the Customary Court of Appeal, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant (Legal) Gabriel Maha, said the ACJA would help eliminate the lacuna that existed in the former criminal justice legislations, which constituted major challenges to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.

Representative of the UNODC, Mrs. Ugonna Ezekwem, who highlighted the various ways her organisation was working to ensure that the ACJA was well popularised, assured everyone that the UNODC will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of the ACJA.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

NEWS Falae: abductors vowed to grab me again if I talk Continued from page 1

•The medical team, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), attending to patients in Makkah, Saudi Arabia...yesterday.

PHOTO: ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE

President free to pick ministers, says APC Continued from page 1

He spoke to reporters after the meeting which was briefed by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the chair of the panel that organised last week’s primary, which was cancelled.

With Odigie-Oyegun at the briefing were Deputy Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, National Vice Chairman (Southsouth), Primce Hillaard Etta, National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed and National Women Leader Hajia Ramatu Tijanni Ali The chairman said: “The main issue that occupied us today at the NWC meeting has to do with the Bayelsa governorship primary. We want to make it very clear that as a party, the APC guides very jealously its record of free and fair primary.

“The NWC sees it as a duty

to provide a level playing ground for all those who aspire to offices in this party.

Unfortunately, in Bayelsa State, we had serious security challenges and so, the process could not meet the standard which this party has set for itself.

“So, we had no alternative than to stop the process by ensuring that the chairman of the panel is effectively moved out of the venue with the help of security agencies. We decided thereafter that there should be a proper fresh primary.

“So today, the party decided and we have written to INEC appropriately that the party has decided to conduct fresh primary for the Bayelsa governorship election, beginning tomorrow. So, the process for fresh primary will begin tomorrow.

“We are getting in touch with the Inspector General of Police and other security

agencies to please assist us by ensuring effective security.

“Let me make one thing clear. The issue of who is candidate or not is not the issue here. That is not what is in consideration because it can be any of the 19 aspirants that obtained the form to contest that election.

“But for the APC, the party of change, it is essential that in party processes, elections within the party are also seen to be free, fair, totally above board and without any form of force. That is what we hope to achieve beginning from tomorrow. The venue remains Yenagoa because by law, you cannot change the venue because that is part of the electoral Act.” On whether the party plan to discipline members who announced the result of the primary in disregard of the guideline, the chairman said.

“We sent people to do a job and it got to a situation where

they had reasons to fear for their safety - rightly or wrongly. Anything that anybody does in such a situation to keep body and soul in one piece is welcome.”

On the alleged plan by Timiprieye Silva to challenge the decision of the party in court and the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Odigie-Oyegun said: “That is what the courts are for. We will cross that bridge when we get there. The Saraki issue is in court and I will not want to say one word about it” Speaking on security for the fresh primary, the chairman said: “They say once bitten, twice shy. I am not a security man; I am not a security expert. But I am sure that the IGP is fully abreast with with what happened that day as well as what can be done and need to be done to avoid a repetition and we trust his judgement.”

Buhari to world leaders: expose looters

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged the international community to join his anti-corruption battle by ensuring no havens for proceeds of the crime.

Buhari spoke last night at the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in New York.

The President urged world

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

leaders to do more to return stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.

The late General Sani Abacha is believed to have stolen billions of dollars, stashed away in foreign accounts.

Some of the loot have been re-

covered.

Besides, so much is believed to have been lost in the oil industry, the cash stashed away in foreign accounts.

Buhari noted that corruption, cross-border financial crimes, cyber crimes and human trafficking are major challenges of the 21st century,

which the international community must work collectively to overcome.

Buhari reaffirmed his administration’s determination to confront the twin evils of corruption and illicit financial outflows.

He said: “Let me reaffirm the Continued on page 8

were six of them with three or four guns and every half an hour or so they will say, ‘Baba we are going to kill you, if you don’t give us money we are going to kill you.

“On Wednesday, one of them said we are leaving here on Thursday morning. Since we cannot leave you here alone, if we don’t get what we want we are going to kill you.

“And they said they gave me until 3pm. I thank God that at 21 minutes before 3pm, one of them came and said ‘the money don complete’.”

Reliving his ordeal, he said: “When the hoodlums came, they slashed me with their cutlasses, they said I was not cooperating. And they dragged me barefooted into the bush.

“After dragging me around for about two hours, they stopped somewhere for us to rest and there they asked me to phone my wife and tell her that I have been kidnapped and taken out of Ondo State, which was a lie.

“About 2.30pm on Monday, we started walking with very few stops until 2am the following morning. I guess I must have covered a minimum of 15 kilometers.

“That morning, I did not take anything. So all day, I had no

food, no water and I walked close to 15km. How I survived I cannot really remember. I had no food in my stomach, I had no shoes, my clothes were torn.

“At a point, one of them gave me a pair of slippers. Later, they called for a motorcycle.

The motorcyclist took me away. I had no clue where we were going. Finally, they dumped me somewhere, where I was, until I was released on Thursday.

“In that place, we all slept on leaves. Unfortunately, it rained in the night and I was drenched. One of them brought a small umbrella to cover my head, but the rest of my body was not.

“They offered me bread, but I told them I could not eat it. I demanded for a bottle of coke, which was what I drank every day to have energy and to continue with the march, because we were always moving.

“They were changing locations two to three times a day.

I suspect it was to prevent the police from tracing them.”

The ex-finance minister said although the confirmation of the payment of ransom was made on Wednesday afternoon, he was not allowed to go until Thursday morning.

“So the following morning, Continued on page 8

Akinrinade to govt: find solution to kidnapping

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ORMER Chief of Defence Staff Gen Alani Akinrinade has urged the Federal Government to find a solution to kidnapping.

Akinrinade said this when he visited the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Chief Olu Falae, at his Oba Ile home, in Akure, the Ondo State capi-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

tal.

He said the abduction was an insult to the Yoruba. The former defence chief said Falae’s four-day experience in the bush was shocking and traumatising.

He said: “This is a big insult to the Yoruba. Chief Olu Continued on page 8

Youths protest ex-SGF’s abduction

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VER 200 youths yesterday marched on the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital, to protest the abduction of former Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae.

The youth, who converged on the palace of the Deji of Akure at 8am, blocked major roads in the town.

The protest took the protesters to Oba Adesida Road,

Oyemekun Road and Oja Oba, among other places.

The protesters, under the aegis of Akure Youths Coalition (AYC), declared that they would resist all attempts by Fulani herdsmen to frustrate the people.

AYC President Oluwatuyi Adekambi said before Falae’s kidnap, three people have been allegedly hacked to death at Igoba and ObaIle by suspected herdsmen.

President: account for all Nigerians on Hajj in Saudi

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday ordered the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to urgently account for all Nigerian pilgrims in the aftermath of last Thursday’s disaster at Mina.

The presidential directive followed conflicting reports on the number of Nigerians who died or got injured in the catastrophe, which claimed 769 lives as at the last count.

The Hajj Commission on Sunday night said 54 Nigerians had been confirmed dead. But many others are still missing.

It emerged yesterday that more high profile persons died in the stampede, with the announcement that Niger State lost its Accountant General, Alhaji Shehu Kontagora.

A member of the Katsina

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Justina Asishana, Minna

State House of Assembly, Mr. Faisal Musa, also died.

A statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the president was very concerned that days after the unfortunate incident, some Nigerian families are still grappling with painful uncertainty over the fate of their relatives who travelled to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.

He expected the National Hajj Commission to work with the various state pilgrim boards, Islamic organisations and private travel agencies involved in hajj operations to speedily provide a confirmed and verifiable report on the status of every Nigerian pilgrim in Saudi Arabia.

The President also directed

the Hajj Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to assist Nigerians who are still receiving treatment for injuries suffered in Mina.

Katsina State Governor Bello Masari yesterday condoled with the family of Faisal Musa,the state lawmaker who died in the Makkah stampede. The deceased represented Jibia Constituency.

Masari, who visited the deceased’s family in Jibia in company of the Deputy Governor,, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, prayed Allah to forgive his sins and grant him eternal rest.

He also prayed for the family to have the fortitude to bear the loss.

The governor said that the government had directed the Pilgrims Welfare Board to get the exact number of Katsina

citizens who were affected by the incident.

Apart from the accountant general, the Niger State Deputy Amirul Hajj (leader of delegation), Mr. Abubakar Isa, also died in the tradedy.

The news was received from Mecca on Sunday evening.

When The Nation visited the Niger State Pilgrims Welfare Commission in Minna, an official said they were yet to ascertain the number of people missing. He said the figure was not less than 10.

Niger State Acting Governor Mohammed Ketso has also visited the families of the deceased to commiserate with them.

The fidau prayer (prayers offered for the repose of the departed by Muslims) was held for Isa in Bida town yesterday, with members of his

family, friends and relations in attendance.

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa has expressed shock on the death of two justices of the court in the stampede.

A statement signed by Mrs Sa’adatu Musa, Media and Publicity Officer, Court of Appeal, listed the dead justices as Abubakar Jega and M.H. Alkali of Abuja and Ilorin divisions.

It said the President described their sudden passage as “huge losses not only to the judiciary but to the entire country’’.

Justice Bulkachuwa said the two justices had never been found wanting in the discharge of their responsibilities, adding that they were highly principled on the bench.

“Justice Zainab on behalf of the justices and the entire

•Wabba

staff of the Court of Appeal prayed Almighty Allah to grant the souls of the departed jurists Aljannah Firdausi.

“She also prayed that God should grant their families the fortitude to bear the irrepContinued on page 8

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NEWS Ekiti has received N9.6b bailout cash, says Fayose

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KITI State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has clarified that the state only got N9.6 billion out of the over N29 billion it applied for in the Federal Government’s bail-out funds for states.

The governor, who spoke on Monday in Ikogosi-Ekiti during the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for commissioners, permanent secretaries and heads of agencies, also said out of the N5.6 billion applied for by the 16 local governments in the state, the FG only approved N991 million.

In a statement in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, the governor made the clarification following insinuations that the state government did not want to pay pensions arrears

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

and gratuities of retirees.

“You people know that I don’t hide anything from you when allocations come. We applied for N29 billion from the bail-out fund. It is to cover the August and September 2014 salary arrears left by the Fayemi government, leave bonus, pensions, gratuities and others. But for reasons we don’t know yet, the FG only approved N9.6 billion for salaries leaving other issues.

“The 16 local governments applied for N5.6 billion and we did all the necessary papers and presented them to the appropriate authorities, but only N991 million was approved. We were later told by the Central Bank of

Nigeria that about 14 states had similar problem with the small amount approved for local governments.

“I have since written to them to rectify the situation and I hope they will do that quickly. It is only the Federal Government that can explain why they only approved one item, salary, out of the many items we presented to them on the workers’ issue.

“We have nothing to hide and people should appeal to the FG to release the money in full. We know it is loan that we will repay with nine per cent interest,” he said.

The governor also explained that the state had experienced a sharp decline in monthly allocations in recent time.

“Last month we had a shortfall of N500 million and

this month we have a shortfall of N600 million. The economy is dwindling and in bad shape and the Federal Government must do something about it urgently,” he noted.

The governor also gave the assurance that there would be transparency in the disbursement of the CBN’s N2 billion loans to small and medium scale enterprises as soon as the state receives it.

He urged participants and civil servants to be loyal, committed and dedicated to their duties.

He promised a conducive atmosphere for them to work and motivation to deserving ones.

The Head of Service, Dr Gbenga Faseluka, expressed the determination of public servants to put in their best.

Aregbesola calls for synergy between police, DSS

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SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said insurgency and kidnapping could end, if there was synergy between the police and the Department of the State Services (DSS).

The governor said this when the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, visited

him at the Government House in Osogbo.

Aregbesola noted that the two security agencies must work symbiotically in the nation’s interest.

He added that the synergy needed by the agencies must be effective to penetrate the ranks of insurgents and kid-

nappers.

According to him, “The Police and the DSS must synergise, they must share intelligence because the perpetrators are human beings. With adequate intelligence, it will be easier to penetrate their ranks and liquidate whatever evil plan they have before the carry it out.

“I am appealing to the two agencies to realise the need for them to work together in the interest of effective maintenance of peace and order.

Arase praised the governor for transforming Osun, thanking him for providing them with equipment that will make them more effective.

Ondo workers to be paid today

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IVIL servants in Ondo State will receive their two-month salary arrears today, the government has said.

Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade, in a statement after the executive council meeting yesterday, said Governor Olusegun Mimiko

directed that the arrears be paid today as agreed by the council.

He said the governor was satisfied with the workers verification, especially the savings the government was able to make through identification of ghost workers.

The governor also mentioned that officials involved in manipulations will be punished.

Kidnap suspect escapes lynching From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

KIDNAP suspect, Samson Olajide, escaped lynching yesterday in Efon-Alaaye, headquarters of Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

It was gathered that he was “caught” while attempting to abduct a one-year-old boy.

The incident, which happened at Ita Imesi, saw youths mobilising themselves to attack the suspect, who was struggling to squeeze the little boy inside a sack.

Unknown to the suspect, he was being watched by a commercial motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist rushed to the scene and challenged the suspect, who was unable to explain his action.

The motorcyclist reportedly slapped Olajide and raised the alarm, which attracted passers-by.

Olajide was saved by some elders who advised that he should be taken to the palace of the Alaaye of Efon, Oba Emmanuel Adesanya Aladejare.

On arrival at the palace, the monarch pleaded with the youth to hand him over to the police, but they resisted.

A disagreement occurred between the police and the youth as they insisted they would not hand the suspect over to the police.

Oba Aladejare prevailed on them and the suspect was later handed over to the police.

The 23-year-old suspect from Ikere-Ekiti did not say anything about the incident.

Police spokesman Alberto Adeyemi could not be reached for comments.

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‘Reps to priortise education development’

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•From left: Prof. Akin Oyebode and wife, Morenike; the celebrator, Dr. Femi Orebe and wife, Atinuke; wife of former Ekiti PHOTO: ADEJO DAVID State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Bisi and Prince Juli Adelusi-Adeluyi at Orebe’s 70th birthday in Lagos.

PDP faults Buhari's role at UN meeting

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the 70th United Nations General Assembly at the New York meeting where the issue of humanitarian crisis arising from the insurgency in the Lake Chad

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

countries was discussed.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, at a news conference in Abuja yesterday said the meeting on humanitarian crisis was stated on the agenda.

The party said the Nigerian

delegation was billed to make presentation at the side meeting but that it failed to do so, thereby denying the country the opportunity to present its case the way it should.

Metuh said: "Further reports indicate that due to the importance of that meeting, it was broadcast on United

General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Williams Kumuyi ministering at a crusade at the National Statium, Lagos...at the weekend

Nations’ official online television and radio channels, while officials of world bodies have continued to register their disappointment.

Metuh blamed the lapse on what he described as the insensitivity of the Federal Government to the plight of those affected by insurgency.

EPUTY Speaker of the House of Representatives Yussuff Lasun has said the National Assembly will make the development of education a priority in the current Assembly.

He said the position of the House of Representatives on the issue was because no nation can develop without education.

According to him, the 8th Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives would do everything within its reach to improve quality of education in the country?.

The Deputy Speaker gave the assurance yesterday in his country home Ilobu, Osun State when he received a 15 member delegation of National Yourh Service Corp (NYSC) members serving in the community.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Wole Oladimeji, the Deputy Speaker tasked the coppers to impact quality education on the students in the area.

The Deputy was quoted as saying, "We do not have any other things to do than to give the younger ones in the areas sound and qualitative education.

"What would interest me most is that you corps mem-

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

bers serving here give your best and that should translate to good and qualitative education on the students in the community. " The only thing to do in our environment is to providing enabling environment for learning. It would be a thing of joy to see the students progressing".

He also urged them to be good ambassador?s while designing programmes that would be of immense value to the people of their areas of primary assignment.

He assured of given his support to the proposal brought forward by the serving corps members since the people of the areas would benefit from it.

Earlier, leader of the delegation, who was also NYSC liaison officer, Mr Mustapha Mohammed commended the efforts of the Deputy Speaker on his constituency projects in the community.

"With the gigantic project at Laroson Information Technology school and the equipments in the school is an eloquent testimony that the Deputy Speaker meant well for his people," Mohammed said.

Two arrested for dumping girl’s body

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WO persons, an uniden tified woman and man simply identified as Ade, have been arrested for allegedly dumping the body of a seven-year-old girl behind a building in Esa-Oke, Osun State.

The woman was said to be the girl’s grandmother. Ade was said to have driven the car.

It was gathered that the victim was living with her mother, who was separated from her father.

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

The woman lives in Ilesa with an Islamic preacher, identified as her new husband.

After the girl’s death, her mother, Funke, was said to have commissioned her mother, the driver, Ade, another man, Kassim, and her husband to dump the body behind her former husband’s house in Esa Oke. But some vigilant residents saw them and raised the alarm

which led to the arrest. Two of the accomplices escaped.

A resident, who preferred anonymity, said: “We saw the people and demanded to know their mission. And when they could not give any useful explanation, we raised the alarm.

“We checked the body and discovered that her private part had been removed. Her buttocks, knees and ankles were also mutilated. The grandmother and the driver were handed over to the police.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

NEWS Buhari: account for all Nigerians on Hajj in Saudi Continued from page 6

arable losses,’’ the statement said.

Also yesterday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) called for a thorough investigation into the two major incidents that led to fatalities during the 2015 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

NLC President Ayuba Wabba, commiserating with the families of the 767 Muslim faithful who died in a stampede on the way to Jamrat Complex (stoning site) in Mina, said: “In order for transparency and re-assurance, we urge that countries whose citizens perished in the two incidents be made members of the body of inquiry.

“But, most importantly, perhaps, time has come for the Saudi authorities to review their crowd control management techniques and administration of the Hajj generally.

“Our special condolences go to the families and loved ones of 54 Nigerians who were among the dead. We pray for the repose and admission of

their souls to heaven.

“As painful as this incident is, we believe it is predestined.

Accordingly, the victims should be seen as martyrs who gave up their lives in worship,” Wabba said in the statement.

He advised that the 805 injured among whom were 61 Nigerians, be given urgent and best medical attention.

He acknowledged that managing a mammoth crowd, sometimes in excess of two million people during every annual pilgrimage was no mean task, for which the Saudi authorities deserve commendation.

The NLC President, however, noted with over 1,200 deaths, including those who died in the crane collapse, the 2015 Hajj ranked among the most eventful in recorded history of Hajj.

“We are shocked and completely at a loss by the extent of the losses this year.

“That is why we are calling for a thorough investigation of the two major incidents that led to these deaths, ” Wabba added.

Akinrinade to govt: find solution to kidnapping Continued from page 6

Falae was manhandled and terrorised. This is a gentleman farmer, who is contended with his family.

“This is shocking and there is no reason for anyone to go to his house or farm and start being nasty or demanding for ransom.

The former defence chief described the incident as unfortunate and noted that the herdsmen’s activities were becoming worrisome.

Akinrinade blamed the nation’s security challenges on kidnapping and other crimes.

He said the fact that the Yoruba are hospitable should not be a reason to disrespect its leaders.

The general added that the Yoruba might be forced to protect themselves, if the Federal Government failed to compel security agencies to

provide adequate security.

“The Yoruba have to get together and review what is going within them.

“They really have to know who is living with them and know those who want the region’s progress.

“We can’t allow anyone to trample on our tradition. Our culture and tradition are paramount and they cannot change simply because some people are living with us,” he said.

The frontline Yoruba leader also faulted insinuations that unemployment is the root cause of crimes in the society.

“This is not an excuse for a hungry man to steal or live an indecent life.”

He urged all relevant security agencies to re-double their efforts at combating crimes.

•Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade (middle) welcoming Managing Director, Calvenco Investment Barcelona Spain, Natalia Tennis (second left) and members of her team to his office for an investment meeting in Calabar...yesterday. With them is Investment consultant, Mr. Afangide Idopise Robert (right).

Buhari to world leaders: expose looters Continued from page 6

Nigerian government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and illicit financial flows. By any consideration, corruption and cross border financial crimes are impediments to development, economic growth, and the realisation of the well-being of citizens across the globe.

“Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on a bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.

“In particular, I call upon the global community to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.”

The President also proposed the adoption of peace as a seventh essential element of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted last Friday by world leaders in New York.

He said: “The Secretary General has grouped the SDGs into what he calls six ‘essential elements’, namely: Dignity, Prosperity, Justice, Partnership, Planet and People.

“As a prerequisite to these

and as we look at history and remember the terrible events that gave rise to the birth of the United Nations in 1945, I would like to propose a seventh: PEACE. “Peace is close to the hearts of Nigerians, as we are in the front line in the war on terror.

Boko Haram’s war against the people of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon may not attract as much worldwide attention as the wars in the Middle East but the suffering is just as great and the human cost is equally high.

“This is a war between progress and chaos; between democracy and the rule of law.

Boko Haram celebrates violence against the weak and the innocent and, deplorably, they hide behind their perverted interpretation of Islam. Boko Haram is as far away from Islam as anyone can think of,” Buhari stated.

He also assured the international community that his administration was doing all within its powers to quickly overcome the challenge of terrorism and insecurity.

He said: “The new Nigerian Government which I have the honour to head, moved with dispatch to put in a bold and robust strategy to defeat Boko Haram. Nigeria and her neigh-

bours Cameroon, Chad and Niger plus Benin are working together to face this common threat within the regional framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

“We have established a multinational joint task force to confront, degrade and defeat Boko Haram. We have driven them away from many of their strongholds, killed or captured many of their operatives or commanders and freed several hundreds of hostages,” he told the General Assembly.

The President reassured the global community that rescuing the Chibok girls remained one of the major objectives of his administration.

“We are working round the clock to ensure their safety and eventual reunion with their families. The girls are constantly on our minds and in our plans,” he said.

President Buhari condemned the new and dangerous dimension which human trafficking has assumed.

He said: “We in Africa are grieved to see hundreds of our able bodied men and women dying in the desert or drowning in the Mediterranean.

“We condemn in the strongest terms these people traffickers and will support any measures to apprehend and

bring them to justice.”

Stressing that the world was witnessing a dreadful increase in conflicts fuelled by availability of small arms and light weapons, President Buhari called on the international community to work towards the effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to ensure that small arms and light weapons can only be legally transferred.

Pointing out that peaceful coexistence and self-determination are among the key principles that led to the establishment of the United Nations, President Buhari called for the urgent resolution of the question of self-determination for the people of Palestine and Western Sahara.

“The international community has come to pin its hopes on resolving the Palestinian issue through the two – states solution which recognises the legitimate right of each state to exist in peace and security.

“The world has no more excuses or reasons to delay the implementation of the long list of Security Council resolutions on this question. Neither do we have the moral right to deny any people their freedom or condemn them indefinitely to occupation and blockade,” Buhari said.

Falae: abductors vowed to grab me again if I talk Continued from page 6

they said I should go. One of them took ropes to stitch my buba, which was tattered.

“So when I came out of the bush, I found a motorcyclist, who gave me a lift to Owo. “The place was about 10km from Owo town. The place was between Owo and Ifon.

And I walked to that place. I

guess we must have trekked about 25km.

“Miraculously, I was not tired, I was not hungry and I was not afraid of them at all.

Each time they said, ‘Baba we will kill you,’ I will tell them, ‘no, insha Allah, you will not kill me’.

“I did not break down, but I want to tell you that when I got back home I became completely exhausted.

“But I am now 80 per cent fit and I know in the next few days I will be 100 per cent again.”

The 77-year-old warned that such attack should not be allowed to happen again as it could result to even graver consequences.

“It is not because of me. As for me, I am a very humble person, but by virtue of what God has made me and the status He has given me, it is an insult to our race that a man like me could be abducted by a bunch of hoodlums.”

He added: “By the way, one of them told me ‘Baba, if after you leave us you talk nonsense I will come and catch you again’. That is the kind of insult I received.”

Asked if the kidnappers were illiterates, Falae replied: “Only two of them could speak some English. They were between 25 and 35. They were Fulani but they spoke Hausa.”

Falae said it was likely his ordeal was closely connected to his conflict with Fulani herdsmen, who consistently grazed on his farm.

“The cattle rearers have been giving me a hard time for the past two or three years. Because I have a dam on the farm, so they like to bring their cattle there to drink water, then they eat my crops.

“This time they ate up my maize farm. We took pictures, and it was videoed, the police went there. They were asked to pay compensation, they begged and paid half and we accepted it.

“That was about two months ago. Whether it was one of them who went to bring his brothers to come and deal ‘with this wicked man’, I don’t know. It is plausible.

“My view is that this is my home. I have not gone to farm on anyone’s territory. This is my home where I was born. I have every right to farm here

and live in peace here. So, this is totally unacceptable.

“I once told the commissioner of police that if he cannot protect us and protect my farm, then I will protect myself. There will be self-help, if government fails to protect its citizens.

“It would have been unfortunate if that were to happen. The IG met me and assured me that they will give us protection.

“I hope that we in Ondo State and in Yoruba land would consult to ensure that we enhance our protection. We cannot be slaves in our own territory.”

The former SGF said he was not surprised that the police could not trace and arrest the kidnappers because of the manner of their movement and operation.

“These fellows were permanently on the move. Day and night they were walking.

Through farm lands, through water, through swamps…they were scared, they knew they could be traced with GPS, that was why they were running around all the time.

“I was not surprised at all that the police could not trace them before they decided to let me go.”

9

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

NEWS PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI IN NEW YORK

•President Muhammadu Buhari (right) and President Park Geun-hye of South Korea, during a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York ...at the weekend.

•From left: Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, CBN Governor Mr Godwin Emefiele, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Solomon Enang and Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Hon Kawu Abdulrahman when Buhari arrived at the Millennium Hotel in New York for UNGA70 Session.

•From left: Former member, House of Representatives, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Prof. Joy Ogwu; Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello; his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal; Dr Fayemi; President Buhari and others, at a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York.

PHOTOS: NAN

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

10

NEWS H.I.D. AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

•The deceased’s daughter, Mrs. Tola Oyediran, addressing members of the World Day of Prayer Christian Women Association of Nigeria when they visited the Awolowos’ home in Ikenne...yesterday.

Aladura churches mourn HID

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HE United Aladura Churches (UAC) has described the death of Mrs. HID Awolowo as a loss to Nigeria and the body of Christ.

In a statement by UAC’s Director of National Issues, Mother Captain Yetunde Ukiri-Esho, the UAC described the late Mama Awolowo as a lover of God, a great worker in His vineyard, a true jewel, a unifying factor in Yoruba land and a mother.

“We commiserate with the

Awolowo family, the people and government of Ogun State and all Nigerians on the passing on of a matriarch, an astute businesswoman, a trustworthy and disciplined woman and a true nationalist.

“The body of Christ will, no doubt, miss her untiring contributions and wise counsel.

We, however, take solace in the fact that she lived a good life and she is resting with her Maker,” the statement said.

NJC queries Ondo CJ From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

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HE National Judicial Council (NJC) has given the Ondo State Chief Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, a 14-day ultimatum to reply to a petition by an Akure lawyer, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori.

Emodamori, on September 4, alleged that Justice Kumuyi administered the oath of office on Deputy Governor Lasisi Oluboyo.

The lawyer said the process was illegal. Justice Kumuyi was said to have directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede, to administer the oath of office on Oluboyo.

Oluboyo was sworn in in April, following the impeachment of Ali Olanusi.

NJC said: “Re: Complaint of issuance of false public certificate, abuse of office and bringing the Office of the Chief Judge into disrepute against Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, the Chief Judge of Ondo State.

“I forward herewith a petition dated September 4 against you

by Femi Emmanuel on the above subject matter. The petition speaks for itself. I shall be glad to have your comments within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter, please.”

APC monitoring Ondo’s N14.6b bailout fund HE All Progressives

T

Congress (APC) in Ondo State yesterday said it was monitoring the N14.6billion bailout loan approved for the state.

In a statement in Akure, the state capital, its Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, said the party was also monitoring Governor Olusegun Mimiko on how he would disburse the fund.

APC said the governor should explain to the people the rationale behind the delay in payment of salary arrears, despite the

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

President’s good gesture.

The statement reads:”The party has decided to closely monitor Governor Olusegun Mimiko on how effectively and promptly he will disburse the bailout fund approved for the state.

“But to our dismay, the plea and plight of workers and pensioners alike do not make sense to the governor, almost a month after receiving the bailout fund.”

Amosun’s wife rescues victim From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

O

GUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s wife Olufunso yesterday rescued a commercial motorcyclist, who was knocked down by a hit-andrun vehicle at the NNPC Junction, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The victim was taken to the state hospital, Ijaiye.

Mrs. Amosun instructed her convoy to stop at the accident scene to help the victim, simply identified as James.

The governor’s wife advised motorists to stop speeding and be conscious of other road users.

An eyewitness said: “The accident occurred suddenly and all our efforts to track down the motorist were fruitless.

“But for the intervention of the governor’s wife, he would have died because nobody was willing to take him to the hospital.”

•The deceased’s daughter, Mrs. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu and the Serving Overseer, Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare...yesterday PHOTOS: JOHN EBHOTA

Ambode: I’m committed to judicial reforms

L

AGOS State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said his administration was committed to judicial reforms.

Speaking during a church service to mark the new legal year, he said economic growth depended on a virile judiciary.

Two religious services were held to mark the new legal season, one at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, and the other at the Central Mosque, Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, Lagos Island.

The governor, who was at the church service for the first time, said his administration would partner with the judiciary to develop the state.

“I consider it a duty to be here. I believe strongly that this is a new beginning.

“I just want to reiterate my commitment to support the judiciary. I want to say that we’re both partners in the security and judicial sectors reforms.

•Lagos begins new legal year

By Joseph Jibueze and Robert Egbe

“You (the judiciary) remain the most veritable instrument for the growth of the economy of Lagos.

“I believe strongly that everything that we have prayed for here, this will be a very fruitful and productive year for all of us.

“With the support of God and the prayers of the church, I believe strongly that we’ll all succeed in our chosen duties.

“I thank the Bishop for his sermon. I really do have a lot of work to do.”

The Bishop of Badagry, Rev. Joseph Adeyemi, in the sermon, urged the judges to “maintain justice and do what is right...”

“The judiciary as the third arm of government has a great role to play in the fight

against corruption in this country and to fight corruption, judges must be incorruptible.

“You are the chosen vessel to liberate this country from vices, including corruption and you have a choice between serving God and yourselves,” Adeyemi said.

He enjoined the judges not to misuse their powers but to be fearless in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“You are not who you are by accident. It is by God’s design and for a purpose which is to do the will of God and not your own will.

“The purpose of your existence is to glorify God by making the world a better place through service to humanity,” the cleric added.

Judges, magistrates, Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and other lawyers, all robed, sang hymns as their chorus re-

verberated around the large cathedral.

After the church service, the Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Funmilayo Atilade inspected a guard of honour mounted by the police at the High Court, Igbosere.

She led the court’s 56 judges, who were dressed in their red ceremonial gowns, to salute the guard who thrilled the large gathering of lawyers and judicial workers with their synchronised marching steps.

At the Central Mosque on Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, thanked the judiciary for its contribution to good governance in the state.

“We appreciate your contributions towards good governance in Lagos,” she said.

“We recognise the judiciary’s role in ensuring that we have a perfect law in place by engaging in judicial review of the law, and we know you do that very well in the state. We appreciate that.

NMA shouldn’t hijack LUTH, says CMD

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HE management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) yesterday appealed to the Lagos branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) not to run the hospital aground.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Chris Bode, at a briefing in Lagos, said the

By Oyeyemi GbengaMustapha and Wale Adepoju

groups were meddling in the hospital’s affairs.

But the NMA and resident doctors alleged that the CMD used security agents to harass workers; that the management refused to pay the arrears of emoluments of doctors, such as examination fee, update course fee and

Ewi of Ado-Ekiti loses dad-in-law

inimical to the hospital’s progress.

The CMD said resident doctors need a change of attitude as “no doctor would be paid for job not done”.

The Lagos NMA chairman, Dr Tope Ojo, advised the CMD to vacate his position because he has attained the mandatory age of retirement.

Lagos warns against illegal drug stores HE Lagos State government has warned residents against patronising drug hawkers, illegal and unlicensed patent medicine and pharmaceutical stores.

The government also warned property owners against allowing their premises to be used as stores by unregistered drug sellers.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. ‘Modele Osunkiyesi, said the government was reviewing reports of the activities of the illegal operators.

According to her, the wrong prescription and administration of drugs might lead to serious health complications, such as kidney damage and even death.

Her words: “The attention of the Lagos State government has been drawn to the nefarious activities of these drug hawkers and illegal pharmaceutical premises dotting the state; such that their operations have called for serious public health concern.

“The government is therefore poised to rid the state of fake drugs and operators of illegal pharmaceutical outlets by enforcing compliance with pharmacy law and regulations.

“The Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods have been mandated to enforce government’s stipulated regulation on drug production, importation, manufacture, sales or display for sales, hawking, distribution, adulteration, and possession of drugs by illegal operators.

T

P

A Rufus Adeleye Oguntoyinbo, the father-in-law of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, is dead.

The late Oguntoyinbo, popularly known as Baba Teacher, was the father of Olori Abosede Adejugbe, the Eyesorun of Ado-Ekiti.

A statement by the monarch said Pa Oguntoyinbo would be buried on Saturday after a mass at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Oye-Ekiti, headquarters of Oye Local Government Area.

A commendation mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Ado Ekiti tomorrow.

On Thursday, a service of songs will hold at Oke-Oniyo Street in Ado-Ekiti.

promotion arrears, among others.

They alleged that the hospital stopped the deducted union dues payable to doctors’ association by their members (ARD LUTH).

But Bode debunked the allegations, saying some NMA and ARD members had personal scores to settle.

He warned doctors to shun strikes and other activities

•The late Oguntoyinbo

There will also be a wake at his home on Ayegun Street in Oye-Ekiti on Friday.

Pa Oguntoyinbo, a renowned teacher and community leader, died at 93.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

For so many years, Nigerians have yearned to see Nigeria establish itself as a leader in Africa in concrete terms. We have all been frustrated when the country was unable to rise up. But you will agree with me that in the last few years with the political changes and with the economic advancement of Dangote in African countries and its strong presence, any Nigerian anywhere, can stand up to be counted.

- The Special Adviser to President/Chief Executive, Dangote Group, Joseph Makoju

New electricity tariff becomes effective in October

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HE Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commis sion (NERC) is targeting 100 per cent revenue collection when the new tariff is effected in October.

Speaking with The Nation in a telephone conversation yesterday, its Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi said the Distribution Electricity Companies (Discos) which are looking forward to tariff and revenue increase are yet to ramp up their payment.

According to him, the power distribution firms are however paying gradually.

He said: “The Discos are paying and we are expecting revenue increase. We are working on a new tariff . But the Discos are yet to ramp up payment. They are paying gradually.

“We are expecting more improvement in tariff and revenue collection. We expect them to do 100 per cent as we are going when the new tariff becomes effective

• NERC targets 100% revenue collection • Eko Disco to abolish fixed charge From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

in October.”

Meanwhile, the management of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) yesteray said it plans to abolish monthly fixed charges on its consumers.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Oladele Amuda who spoke at a stakeholders forum in Lagos, said the company would present the proposal to NERC for approval.

“The company is proposing to abolish fixed monthly tariff charge from their bills but this has to be approved by NERC. “I can assure you that if NERC approves the abolition of fixed charge by October, we will start to implement it immediately,” he said.

The chief executive officer urged consumers within the

zone to embrace cost reflective tariff to enable the company serve them better.

Amuda lamented that the company is constrained by the present tariff regime which was not cost-reflective.

He said the new proposed tariff was N25 per kilowatt instead of the N17 per kilowatt that was being used to charge now.

Amuda said with the new tariff, the company would have sufficient money to change many transformers and conductors.

He said the company has engaged two Nigerian meter manufacturers to supply 50,000 prepaid meters outside Credit Advancement Payment Metering Installation (CAPMI) scheme.

He said these would be given to consumers with faulty meters and to replace all old me-

ters.

Amuda assured that all consumers would be metered but advised consumers that could not wait to apply under CAPMI scheme.

He said the company had installed 34,565 prepaid meters to consumers in the zone under the scheme.

In a related development, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has sent out 4,008.53 Megawatts (Mw) to Discos, according to the Power Statistics of the Federal Ministry of Power.

Following the statistics which the ministry posted on its website yesterday, energy supply only dipped by 4.86Mw from the 4,013.39Mw sent out on September 16.

The TCN however recorded a spinning reserve or stranded power of 89.78Mw that it could

not wheel out of the 4 098.31Mw produced by the electricity generation companies (Gencos) .

Energy generated that was 4,099.72Mw on September 16 however dipped slightly to 4,098.31Mw on Sunday, indicating a relatively steady average power generation in the electricity market in 10 days.

The market however dropped from the 4,735Mw peak energy generation of September 16 to 4,405.3Mw last Sunday, resulting in gap of 329.7Mw. In NESI, the highest power power generated is still the 4,810.7 Mw of August 25.

On the power generation, the chairman said there was fire outbreak in Kainji last week, adding were it not for this, power generation would have exceeded the aforementioned result.

Amadi added that power generation is also expected to increase very soon when the Calabar Power Plant comes on stream.

Comply with court order, group urges NPA

By Joseph Jibueze

A

RIGHTS group, Access to Justice (A2J), has urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to obey a Federal High Court judgment which directed it to reinstate and redeploy its dismissed workers.

Justice Okon Abang, on May 22 last year held that the NPA should deploy to their departments, several of its trainees/employees from its technical centre who had successfully completed their technical training in 2007.

The court held that by their conditions of service, they were established staff, and that NPA’s continued refusal to deploy them and pay their salaries for over 10 years was unlawful, wrongful and illegal.

The court ordered that the trainees/employees be deployed and paid their salaries forthwith.

Despite the judgment, NPA is yet reinstate or pay the workers who have waited 11 years for justice to be done.

A2J, in a statement by its Director Joseph Otteh, said: “The lives of these trainees/ employees have been broken and have remained so over a long, endless period now. Many of them are now destitute, and live from hand to mouth, and then only from the charity of friends and relatives.

“Among them are many whose families have disintegrated due to privations and hardships, and those whose children have long been out of school because of the circumstances of their parents.

“The extent and ramifications of what these trainees have endured is hard to imagine. It is extremely inequitable, unjust and unfair to make these Nigerians wait a day longer before the injustices against them are remedied.

• From left: Sales and Marketing, Grand Petroleum and Chemicals Limited, Ebosele Oiku; Ike Eneremadu (Representative of Danberton International Co. Ltd), Chief Operating Officer, Grand Petroleum and Chemicals Ltd, Joseph Oboko and Group Executive Director (Corporate Services), Nosak Group, Osagie Ogunbor during a press briefing on Hi-Speed Range of LubriPHOTO: BIODUN ADEYEWA cants “Loyalty Promo” at the company’s premises in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos...yesterday.

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Fed Govt’s MDAs owe distribution companies N32b

HE Federal Govern ment’s ministries, de partments and agencies (MDAs) and the military owe the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) across the country N32 billion, it was learnt.

The Executive Director, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan told The Nation that the Discos have challenges in collection and the worst customers are Federal Government’s MDAs. He said: “N32 billion is still outstanding as Federal Government’s MDAs debt. It has not been paid till now. That N32 billion means a lot to us.

If we have that money, we can buy meters and share to our customers.

“Before I started shouting in the mass media, we had serious issue with MDAs. The military especially felt it is their right not to pay for the power they consume forgetting that the current power

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

sector is under the private sector. In the budget, they actually have allowances for utility bills’ payment. These military formations especially in Ikeja and Eko Electricity Distribution Companies, and even across the country are metered; therefore, it is not that they are on estimated billing or overbilled, and don’t have reasons not to pay.

“We had a meeting with the Federal Government presided over by Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and he listened to all sides (all the stakeholders) including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Market Operators (MO), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), generating, and distribution companies.

“We all tabled our problems and the government has started looking at those issues; he promised us that the MDAs will pay the debts. I can assure that this government seems to be very serious, determined and sincere to provide electricity.”

Oduntan said the commercial losses are very high citing a Disco that bought electricity worth of N3.2 billion and after preparing the billing, it got N2.6 billion leaving it with a deficit of N600 million. Out of the N2.6 billion bills it prepared, it would not be able to collect all of them due to non-payment as some customers aren’t willing to pay. This happens because some big men, welders and battery chargers, among others, bypass their meters. Out of the N2.6 million bills you prepare, you would not be able

to collect all of them due to non-payment as some customers aren’t will to pay, he added.

The Chief Executive Officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Dr. Oladele Amoda, also stated that his company will remove payment of fixed charges by customers in the network. Amoda told The Nation at EKEDC stakeholders’ meeting/consultation in Lagos that once the customers approve the company’s proposed new tariff and NERC endorses it; the management will remove the fixed charges paid by the customers.

The management of EKEDC has had several of such meetings where the customers agreed it should scale up the tariff but there must be commensurate power supply. The last meeting was to let the customers see and deliberate on the proposed tariff.

Egbin maintains 1000Mw generation

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HE Egbin Power Plc, Nigeria’s largest gen eration plant now generates above 1000megawatts (Mw) consistently into the national grid, its Chairman, Mr. Kola Adesina has said.

A statement from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) yesterday, explained that Adesina spoke while giving an update on the activities of the firm.

“This is the first time since inception of the power plant that it will achieve the feat because of the continuing investment and upgrade activities on the plant by the new investors- Sahara Power Group and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO),” Adesina was quoted as saying.

He recalled that eight years ago, the plant hit the 1000Mw mark for barely two hours and never attained it again until now, adding that prior to the privatisation and handover of the plant in November 2013, Egbin averaged generation of below 500Mw due to the dismal state of its six units which at its lowest point, only two of the six units were operational.

The Chairman said prior to the privatisation of the plant, most of the auxiliaries such as the demineralisation plant were not functional, spare parts necessary for plant operation and preventive maintenance were unavailable and that most of the equipment were obsolete.

He said since takeover, the new owners have embarked on total overhaul of units 4, 5 and 1, allowing the units to peak at 220 Mw each which is the installed capacity and that the plant “has never undergone any major overhaul in its 30 years of operation”.

Adesina said Unit 6 of the plant which has been unoperational for 10 years has been successfully restored while Turbine Vibration Monitoring Systems which assist in regulating the speed of the turbine in the event of vibration to avoid a catastrophic failure have been replaced.

According to him, with the successful restoration of Unit 6 and the overhauling of the units halfway complete, there was an increase of 50 per cent in generation and a drastic decrease in unscheduled shut-downs.

On the medium term investment plans, the Chairman said the major overhaul of Units 2, 3 & 6 next year will complete the overhaul plan scheduled until the next scheduled overhaul in 2019.

While noting that the feat signposts the unfolding success of the privatisation process and power sector reform in Nigeria, Adesina attributed the achievement partly to the direct intervention of the Federal Governments in its determination to resolve the power crisis which has resulted in recent improvement in gas supply.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

12

THE NATION

BUSINESS MARITIME

e-mail: maritime@thenationonlineng.net

Nigeria eyes Africa hub as huge ships berth at port

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HE Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may become the leading port in West and Central Africa, following the berthing of the huge vessel in Lagos, The Nation has learnt. The ships are bigger than the vessels which hitherto berth at the port.

NPA, it was gathered, has developed its Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities to meet ports operations demands.

With the automation of its operations, NPA is now monitoring shipping firms, the concessionaires and other port users to ensure compliance with rules and also track revenues.

NPA General Manager, Public Affairs, Capt Iheanacho Ebubeogu, said the authority has fashioned a roadmap to ensure it attains the leading port status by providing a safe, secure and world-class customer friendly environment for port users.

Top officials, he said, had embraced the new technology and innovation to realise NPA’s vision.

“Nothing happens by chance.

Somebody or group of people dreamt about what is happening in Dubai, Singapore and other major ports of the world some years back and that is why the Executive Directors, General Managers, Assistant General Managers, Port Managers and other staff are fol-

Terminal operators sack workers

S

Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda Maritime Correspondent

lowing the direction outlined in the NPA’s vision and mission so that we become the best and the leading port in Africa as championed by our Managing Director (MD), Mallam Habib Abdullahi,” he said.

NPA, in line with its monitoring and compliance function, Ebubeogu said, would ensure that all terminal operators improve on ICT infrastructure and acquisition of modern equipment for cargo handling.

He said NPA has operated the landlord model of port operation since 2006, after the terminals were concessioned to private operators.

To him, the introduction of the Electronic Payment System and the Electronic Ship Entry Notice (ESen) are a first step towards the automation of NPA’s processes.

A clearing agent, Mr Segun Ogunsanu, who spoke at the weekend, confirmed the development.

“NPA has improved tremendously, efficiency in port operations as well as giving value to operators and port users.

“The Revenue Invoicing Management System and Customer Portal introduced recently have started lowering operational costs and shorten the time for documenta-

•Abdullahi

tion. The platforms are fully integrate the electronic flow of information and are also fully integrated with all its existing solutions. ‘’The benefits accruing from the electronic platforms, according to Ogunsanu, include improved customer service delivery; easy access to customer accounts status; view of all transactions and status in respect of bills; electronic upload of manifest; e-invoice and e-receipt generation.’’

He continued: “The electronic platform is an excellent initiative.

There is no doubt that it will improve efficiency and save so much time and costs. We say kudos to NPA management.

“The introduction of the e-platforms by the management of NPA would boost their revenue base and make the agency contribute meaningfully to the Federal Government purse.’’

• Mrs. Itua receiving the seized drugs on behalf of the Director-General of NAFDAC from Dimka.

EAPORT Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) members are facing hard times - no thanks to the Federal Government’s auto policy.

Over 50 per cent of staff of one of the terminals at the Tin-Can Island port in Lagos has been sacked.

Investigation revealed that the promoters of the terminal are thinking of ways to diversify because of the low number of vehicles coming to their terminal.

Speaking with The Nation, the Chairman, Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Val Usifoh said there is a lull in some of the terminals because of the policy.

Usifoh,who is also the Chairman of the Port Industry Anti-Corruption Standing Committee (PIACSAC), said the policy has led to reduction in cargo volume at the port since the beginning of the year, adding that some policies of the government on importation have contributed to the low volume of cargo handled at the port.

Investigation revealed that over 70 per cent of fairly-used vehicles, popularly known as Tokunbo, being

Customs goes tough on smugglers

N

IGERIA Customs Service (NCS) has gone tough on smugglers as two zonal commands seized goods worth over N266 million.

Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ Ikeja seized N56,479,200 worth of goods; while its Zone ‘C’ Command in Owerri, the Imo State capital, impounded over N200 million worth of goods.

The goods are 4,480 cartons of foreign Eva soap, 714 cartons of fake drugs and others with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N219,375,479.

All the goods do not have NAFDAC registration numbers.

Its Area Controller, David Dimka told The Nation that the items included 1,920 cartons of banned mosquito coils with a Duty Paid Value of N38,400,000.

The driver and the vehicle conveying the fakle drugs, Dimka said, were arrested and may be prosecuted after investigation.

Contrary to the laws that all inscriptions on imported items must be written in English, investigation revealed that the leaflets were written in Chinese. The items also do not have country of origin, manufacture and expiry dates.

“We have more often than not warned on the dangers of using second-hand tyres because most of them, if not expired, are discarded by their country of origin and Nigerians import them and use same

Buhari urged to evolve world-class transportation

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to evolve a world-class transport system to position Nigeria as a hub in West and Central Africa.

Speaking with The Nation at the weekend, the Chairman, Haulage and Logistics, Mr Adebola Adeyemo, said the Federal Government should establish a safe, efficient, affordable and seamless intermodal transport system in line with global best practices.

He canvassed an enabling environment for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to thrive.

The system, he said, should connect all state capitals, seaports, airports and river ports with railway lines to complement the road infrastructure across the country.

The sector, he said, remains a key sector of the economy, adding that its enormous potential deserves continuous harnessing to meet the expectations of the government and the people.

“In the next few months, the Federal Government needs to carry out a number of reform measures that will enhance more operational ef-

ficiency at the various ports. For instance, the 48-hour cargo clearance must be achieved in the Lagos Ports where more than 60 per cent of our port activities take place.

“The government also needs to make efforts towards ensuring the development of deep seaports in the country. This is the ultimate solution to the port congestion in Lagos, as the cargo handling capacity is beyond their designed capacity.

“Although the Federal Government has approved the develop-

imported now come through the neighbouring Port of Cotonou, Benin Republic because of the policy.

Also, a senior official of one of the terminals in Lagos, who does not want to be named, said the volume of imported vehicles has reduced more than half since the introduction of the auto policy.

“The number of vehicles being discharged in all our ports has reduced by more than 60 per cent.

“So, the calculation is if the whole of Lagos was discharging 20,000 or 25,000 vehicles every month, it is like we are now doing 6,000 vehicles.

“We have noticed that the number of vehicles coming into Cotonou has increased dramatically; so we are losing business while Cotonou is gaining business.

Everyone can understand what this means.

“This policy is gradually affecting the port industry and this is affecting the overall population because the prices of vehicles are going up in the market and this is something we notice every day,” he added

ment of the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, expected to handle bigger vessels, and create employment. But the promoters of the port must be supported to bring the project to fruition,’’ he said.

He urged local and foreign investors to key into the government’s programmes by investing in the sector.

The potential of the sector, Adeyemo said, is enormous, calling for a synergy between the government and private investors to promote the sector and boost the economy.

to kill human beings without listening to the words of reason from the government not to kill their brothers and sisters with something that is bad. The FRSC is in a better position to tell us how many lives have been lost on the roads as a result of the use of second-hand tyres by motorists,” Dimka said He stressed the need for Nigerians to comply with the government’s regulations, and stop those sabotaging the economy.

Dimka said he was unhappy that some uncharitable people smuggle in fake drugs to kill their fellow human beings, adding that those involved in the business are helping his men in their investigation.

Mrs. Esther Itua, Dimka said, received the seized items on behalf of the Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii.

Findings also revealed that the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos seized goods worth N56,479,200.

The seized items included 1,887 bags of parboiled rice with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12,256,500; 4,854 cartons of smuggled poultry products with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N26,211,600 and two vehicles with DPV of N9,990,000.

Other items seized by the officers of the unit are new and used tyres, textile materials, vegetable oil, used shoes, fruit juice and spagetti worth over N8 million.

Its Area Controller, Amade Abdul, said his men are committed to the fight against smuggling.

“We will not just maintain standards, we will also ensure that we improve on the standard of discipline, decision making and level of compliance to rules and regulations; we will ensure due diligence and that things are not done haphazardlly, because if they are done haphazardly it will affect the revenue generation,” he said.

He warned smugglers to desist from their illicit act or be ready to face the law.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

13

e-Business THE NATION

Tel: 08023335695/08111813065/08099400179

ATCON to NCC: protect smaller players Page 43

lukajanaku02@gmail.com

Smile, Samsung mull LTE smartphone for Nigeria How to improve WiFi experience

Ways to sniff out fake viral online news

STORY ON PAGE 14

Page 44

Page 44

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

14

e-Business The rise of the internet has broken down fetters inhibiting access to information. Particularly, social media platforms have added a new fillip to this phenomenon. With just a click of a button on the mobile phone or a personal computer (PC), information goes viral. However, with this new development has come false news items and old pictures that are often presented as new that could make the unwary run berserk. Here are a few steps you could take to sieve the wheat from the chaff.

‘But news in the digital age spreads faster than ever, and so do lies and hoaxes.

Just like retractions and corrections in newspapers, online rebuttals often make rather less of a splash than the original misinformation’

“A

ND so it begins ... ISIS flag among refugees in Germany fighting the police,” blared the headline on the Conservative Post; “with this new leaked picture, everything seems confirmed”.

The image in question purported to show a group of Syrian refugees holding ISIS flags and attacking German police officers.

For those resistant to accepting refugees into Europe, this story was a godsend. The photo quickly spread across social media platforms, propelled by far-right groups such as the English Defence League and Pegida in United Kingdom (UK). At the time of writing, the page claims to have been shared over 300,000 times.

The problem is, the photo is three years old, and has precious little to do with the refugee crisis. In fact, it seems to be from a confrontation between members of the far-right Pro NRW party and Muslim counterprotesters, which took place in Bonn, back in 2012.

Some news outlets tried to highlight the hoax, including Vice, the Independent and the Mirror, as did numerous Twitter users.

But news in the digital age spreads faster than ever, and so do lies and hoaxes. Just like retractions and corrections in newspapers, online rebuttals often make rather less of a splash than the original misinformation.

As argued elsewhere, digital verification skills are essential for today’s journalists, and academic institutions are starting to provide the necessary training.

But ordinary people are also starting to take a more sophisticated approach to the content they view online. It’s no longer enough to read the news – now, we want to understand the processes behind it.

Fortunately, there are a few relatively effective verification techniques, which do not require specialist knowledge or costly software.

Outlined below are six free, simple tools that any curious news reader can use to verify digital media.

•Surfing the internet for news

Easy ways to sniff out fake viral online news

FotoForensics is a tool that uses error level analysis (ELA) to identify parts of an image that may have been modified or “photoshopped”.

This tool allows you to either upload, or enter the URL of a suspicious image and will then highlight areas where disparities in quality suggest alterations may have been made. It also provides a number of sharing options, which are useful for challenging the recirculation of inaccurate information, because they allow you to provide a direct link to your FotoForensics analysis page.

WolframAlpha is a “computational knowledge engine”, which allows you to check weather conditions in at a specific time and place. You can search it using criteria such as “weather in London at 2pm on July 16, 2014”.

So if, for example, a photo of a freak snowstorm has been shared to your timeline, and WolframAlpha reports that it was 27 degrees and clear when the photo was purportedly taken, then alarm bells ought to be ringing.

Not only is a reverse image search one of the simplest verification tools, it’s also the one that showed the “leaked” ISIS refugee photo was a fake. Both of the most popular services, Google Images and TinEye, found pages containing this image dating back to mid-2012. As the screenshot below shows, the “ISIS refugee” story could be debunked in less than a second.

When a link to the story was posted to Reddit, sceptical users swiftly took to Google to query it. Soon, one reported back: “Google Image Search says the photo is from 2012”.

When watching the latest viral video on YouTube, it’s important to be on the look-out for “scrapes”: a scrape is an old video, which has been downloaded from YouTube and re-uploaded by someone who fraudulently claims to be the original eyewitness, or asserts that the video depicts a new event.

Amnesty International has a simple but incredibly useful tool called YouTube DataViewer. Once you’ve entered the video’s URL, this tool will extract the clip’s upload time and all associated thumbnail images.

This information – which isn’t readily accessible via YouTube itself – enables you to launch a two-pronged verification search.

If multiple versions of the same video are hosted on YouTube, the date enables you to identify the earliest upload. This is most likely to

FotoForensics

WolframAlpha

Reverse image search

YouTube DataViewer

ful if you’re suspicious of the creator’s account of the content’s origins. In such situations, EXIF readers such as Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer allow you upload or enter the URL of an image and view its metadata.

Below is the EXIF data of a photograph I took of a bus crash in Poole in August 2014. It’s very comprehensive; had I claimed the photo was taken, say, last week in Swanage, it would be very simple to disprove.

It is worth noting that while Facebook, Instagram and Twitter remove EXIF data when content is uploaded to their servers, media shared via platforms such as Flickr and WhatsApp still contain it.

Online maps Jeffrey's Exif Viewer

Reverse image search

be the original.

The thumbnails can also be used in a reverse image search to find web pages containing the video, offering a quick and powerful method for identifying older versions or uses of

the same video.

Jeffrey's Exif Viewer Photos, videos and audio taken with digital cameras and

smartphones contain Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) information: this is vital metadata about the make of the camera used, and the date, time and location the media was created.

This information can be very use-

Identifying the location of a suspicious photo or video is a crucial part of the verification process. Google Street View, Google Earth (a source of historical satellite images) and Wikimapia (a crowd-sourced version of Google Maps, featuring additional information) are all excellent tools for undertaking this kind of detective work.

You should identify whether there are any reference points to compare, check whether distinctive landmarks match up and see if the landscape is the same.

These three criteria are frequently used to cross-reference videos or photos, in order to verify whether or not they were indeed shot in the location the uploader claims.

Google Earth, in particular, has been put to incredible use use by Elliot Higgins AKA Brown Moses, of Bellingcat – a site for investigative citizen journalism.

•Courtesy: The Conversation

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

15

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Saraki: The path of honour

Our beleaguered universities, again • No Nigerian institution makes world’s top 700

I

T must be cause for lament again that, as in previous surveys, no Nigerian university was found worthy of inclusion among world’s top 700 in the 2015/ 16 QS World University Rankings.

It is even more lamentable that no Nigerian university figures among the 18 that made the cut in Africa — nine from South Africa, five from Egypt, and one each from Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

And yet there was a time in recent memory when Nigeria’s first-generation universities – the University of Ibadan, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the University of Ife (since re-named Obafemi Awolowo University), the University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University enjoyed at least the same, if not a higher reputation, than the institutions in West and East Africa ranked in the latest QS Survey.

Nigeria’s premier tertiary institution, the University of Ibadan used to be a destination for recipients of the highly regarded Commonwealth Scholarship.

Academic and professional degrees granted by the first-generation universities were deemed equivalent to those granted by the best foreign universities, and those who went on to pursue advanced study with such degrees more than justified their acceptance.

Those who stayed at home to pursue careers went on to a good start and to flourishing careers, having been prepared adequately.

Not anymore.

Degrees from Nigerian medical schools are no longer registrable in most countries of the Western world. Even Master’s degrees from Nigerian universities are oftentimes not deemed sufficient preparation for advanced study abroad. As a result, holders of such degrees are often required to take tests of validation that

are often frustrating, if not demeaning.

There is more than a hint of condescension in this, academic imperialism even.

But even at home, senior government and university officials who cannot be dismissed as flippant, ignorant or unpatriotic, have stated occasion after occasion that the average product of the Nigerian university system today is so lacking in the basics that he or she is for all practical purposes unemployable.

That assertion may be overbroad. But it is undeniable that the standard of higher education in Nigeria, and indeed the standard of education in general – has fallen precipitously. It can no longer be assumed that education in any given field equips an individual with the knowledge or the skills set inscribed on those glittering certificates.

The reasons are plain.

There is a huge deficit in the educational infrastructure. Classrooms are cramped. Hostels are crowded. Laboratories are poorly equipped. Library collections are severely dated. The university environment is for the most part not conducive to learning and to the building and nurturing of character.

While there has been exponential growth in numbers of tertiary institutions, there has been no appreciable increase in the number of qualified faculty.

The result is two-fold. The available pool has been spread too thin to make the kind of impact that earns good notice in rankings. Faculty possessing less than the optimal qualification often do the bulk of the teaching, especially in the newer private universities, with a sprinkling of senior professors who left the older institutions on reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Pay and conditions for faculty, though much improved, still lag considerably behind standards elsewhere, with ad-

verse consequences for commitment and dedication. Funding hardly keeps pace with expenditure, and universities are taxed with generating revenues in an unpromising economic environment.

Despite much talk about autonomy, public universities are still treated as extensions of the public service rather than the special institutions they are.

Private universities, whether secular or faith-based, function largely as fiefs of their proprietors. Some of them are monuments to vanity, if not folly.

In such an atmosphere, it makes little sense to keep on establishing more and more universities that hardly fit the description. There will have to be at a point some rationalisation and consolidation so that available resources can be used more productively.

As a way of enhancing the revenuegeneration capacity of the universities, research that can translate into blueprints and patents should be funded by industry and government.

The alumni constitute a largely-untapped source of support for our universities. To be able to draw on this potentially vast resource, each university must cultivate and engage its alumni.

‘It must be cause for lament again that, as in previous surveys, no Nigerian university was found worthy of inclusion among world’s top 700 in the 2015/16 QS World University Rankings. It is even more lamentable that no Nigerian university figures among the 18 that made the cut in Africa’

Averting starvation

•Our prisoners should be entitled to healthy and adequate meals F truly a hungry man is an angry man, then trouble looms in our prisons. A non-governmental organisation, the Alliance for Good Governance and Democracy (AGGD), has revealed that the Nigerian Prisons Service is owing contractors supplying food to the prisons about N3billion in the last one year.

“There are about 56,000 inmates scattered in Nigerian prisons. A lot of prisoners would have been dying on a daily occurrence if not for the kind gesture of the contractors who have not relented in supplying foods to the inmates despite the huge indebtedness by NPS in the last one year,” a release signed by AGGD’s national coordinator and national secretary, Shadrack Nwokolo and Jimi Sanwo, respectively, claimed. The group said the finding was the result of a thorough investigation of the state of prisons across the nation.

I

‘The government must probe the circumstances that led to this huge debt on prisoners’ feeding if it has released funds for the purpose. Nigerians want to know those responsible for this ugly situation and would also appreciate if such people are arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrence to others’

This is surprising; especially coming barely months after the Federal Government increased the feeding allowance of prison inmates from N200 to N300 daily per inmate, excluding N150 allowance for gas per inmate a day, thus bringing the total provision for feeding of each inmate to N450 per day. Despite the socalled increase in the feeding allowance of our prisoners, the N450 per prisoner per day for feeding is still ridiculous. That the contractors are being owed adds salt to the injury.

Our prison authorities and the government have to realise that prisoners too have rights, and these include access to good food. Even in the best of times, our prisoners are not well fed; that is why many of them look so haggard and abandoned whenever they are brought to court. Moreover, almost all the prisons in the country are congested; making the possibility of contracting diseases very high among the inmates.

The prisoners provide many of their basic needs like tooth paste, soap, toilet rolls, etc. Indeed, life in the country’s prisons is worse than being in hell whereas prisons are supposed to be reformative centres. Here, unfortunately, they are punitive centres, irrespective of the status of the prisoners, whether they are convicts or awaiting trial.

Despite this appalling condition, some of the prisoners remain resolute about their dreams. Only a few weeks ago, we celebrated, on this page, the exploits of

some of the prisoners who braced all odds to study and even excel, in spite of everything. What this tells us is that being in prison is not the end of life. Indeed, ours is one of the few countries where prisoners are seen as outcasts and never-dowell, and are therefore treated scornfully; this should not be so. Matters are worsened by the fact that majority of the inmates in the country are awaiting trial, which means they could still be freed after trial in the courts of law. So, we ought not to let them pay for offences or crimes they never committed by treating them disdainfully, a thing we should not even extend to convicts serving prison terms in the first place.

The government must probe the circumstances that led to this huge debt on prisoners’ feeding if it has released funds for the purpose. Nigerians want to know those responsible for this ugly situation and would also appreciate if such people are arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrence to others. And if it is the government that is yet to release funds for the purpose, it should do so without further delay and also ensure that such a thing does not recur.

We have had many cases of jail breaks due often to neglect of prisoners. Prisoners are human beings and are therefore entitled to their daily bread. They can also become violent when starved because a hungry man has nothing to lose. We should not push them to the wall.

S

IR: After all the politics couched in posturing and legalisms, Dr. Bukola Saraki was finally docked at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on September 22, to take the plea on 13 counts of charges of wrongdoing.

That he was charged with wrongdoing is no big deal. Anybody could be charged for anything – whether true or trumped up. A mischievous prosecutor, seeking to settle scores on political or amorous jilts could bring charges on his nemesis. However, given the blind stance of Lady Justice, every charged person is innocent until proven guilty.

Senator Saraki may still prove his innocence in this matter. Thus to charge a person is not the end of the world. What really matters is the course of justice in charging a person, and fidelity of the avenues available to clear the name of any accused person The real issue that Nigerians must consider dispassionately is: Does Saraki’s ambition to retain the esteemed position of President of the Senate trump the sanctity and continuity of Nigeria’s democracy? I do not think so. As much as I encourage Saraki or any other Nigerian, to fight for his individual rights, the general good of Nigeria must remain supreme at all times.

Following the sensation of Saraki’s docking, the drums of Impeach Saraki are getting closer and louder. That would be the easy way out, and I do not subscribe to it because that would ultimately hurt our democracy. If the sentiments to impeach Saraki becomes dominant and eventually succeeds, an avalanche of impeachments would be unleashed on the land. The ensuing chaos in the polity is better imagined than experienced.

To deepen our democracy, Senator Bukola Saraki must resign, and voluntarily, from the Presidency of the 8th Senate. His voluntary resignation would hardly be new in the annals of democracy. Leaders of parliament in different democracies of the world have resigned their leadership and even left parliament over lesser charges and controversies.

APC rode to power on the mantra of change that includes fighting corruption. To give teeth and meaning to that fight, the right thing for Saraki to do for himself, the Senate, and for Nigeria, is to resign voluntarily. For him to continue to preside over the 8th Senate, carry on as chairman of the National Assembly, head of one arm of our three tier government, would be a “moral comma” on our democracy. Why would anyone want to carry about such moral dilemma in the discharge of their duties? Imagine the side talks, and the thoughts on the minds of his colleagues and the public, as he presides over the Senate; or whenever he addresses any audience, at home or abroad. At a time when Nigerian youths need moral guidance, and our economy is desperate for sustained foreign investments, Nigeria must make definitive statements punctuated with emphatic “Fullstops”. Not Commas.

His continuation as the President of the 8th Senate would stifle the work of the Senate by undermining the congenial collegiate culture of the institution; cause avoidable confusion in the polity; polarise the APC, endanger its chances at future elections, and most of all, hamper governance by reinforcing the wedge between the presidency and the legislature. Therefore, Senator Saraki must do the right thing, for the good of the country. He will be a hero for it.

• Chibuzor O. Obiakor Ogidi, Idemili North LGA, Anambra State

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THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

16

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: Last Monday September 21, Nigeria’s Supreme Court formally admitted another batch of lawyers into the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

But this was also probably the most little-celebrated SAN investiture in the history of the award, no small thanks to the umbrella body of lawyers in the country, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). Just a few days to the induction ceremony, the association announced it was forbidding advertisements in any medium of mass communication to congratulate the new SAN inductees. It specifically warned the new SANs to prevail on their friends, family members and acquaintances not to place any such advertisements in the media.

The NBA, in condemning the practice it said had “gone on for years”, added that it infringed on Rule 39 (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners in Nigeria, promulgated in 2007.

Rules of Professional Conduct are an important – and interesting – feature of legal practice in every jurisdiction, particularly those that have their origins in the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition such as the United Kingdom, the United States and the member-countries of the Commonwealth.

The rules are “interesting” because they reflect that unique character of most modern professions, especially law: the ability of practitioners to regulate their own conduct, including setting standards for those who practice the profession and disciplining erring members.

Rule 39 (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners in Nigeria is the Rule against “Improper Attraction of Business”; it is subsumed under Section E of the Rules, which governs advertising and client solicitation by Nigerian lawyers. Rule 39 (2) is further divided into five sub-sections (a-e), which inter-alia admonish a lawyer in Nigeria not to engage or be involved in any advertising or promotion that “…is inaccurate or likely to mislead; is likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession, or the administration of justice, or otherwise bring the

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Of new SANs and congratulatory Ads legal profession into disrepute; makes comparison with or criticizes other lawyers or other professions or professionals; includes any statement about the quality of the lawyer’s work, the size or success of his practice or his success rate; or is so frequent or obstructive as to cause annoyance to those to whom it is directed”.

While this multi-layered rule patently tries to fulfill its duty of regulating how Nigerian lawyers advertise their practice and solicit clients, the NBA (or, presumably and more

appropriately, the Body of Benchers in Nigeria) misses the point when it also deploys the same rule against friends, family, acquaintances and even clients of the new SANs. The legal profession enjoys selfregulation in most jurisdictions around the world precisely because its practitioners commit themselves to protecting the public from the excesses of lawyers or all others involved with the legal profession, or in the administration of justice (i.e. judges.) It stands to reason that in protecting the rights of members of the

public, lawyers – or those charged with regulating the profession –cannot then proceed to violate same. This is precisely the sad result the directive clearly achieved.

As one assumes the intent was to act in the true spirit and scope of the profession’s rules, those who regulate Nigeria’s legal profession should have directed all lawyers – and lawyers only – to refrain from taking paid spaces in the mass media to congratulate those being honoured.

Banning all adverts placed by nonlawyer members of the public to con-

gratulate new SANs affect the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of people who do not belong to the legal profession and have thus not impliedly agreed to abide by the rules that govern how lawyers practice their profession.

The NBA, Body of Benchers and all those charged with regulating the legal profession in Nigeria and enforcing the rules of professional conduct should rightly be concerned with ensuring practitioners uphold the rules and standards therein. However, legal regulatory bodies in Nigeria must come up with more creative, effective and constitutionallysanctioned ways of tackling the issue, rather than trample on the constitutional rights and privileges of those the rules are meant to protect in the first place.

• Akeem Soboyede Esq; akeem.soboyede@comcast.net

At 55, Nigeria remains a troubled entity

S

IR: Nigeria’s current economic woes and technological underdevelopment are not unconnected to past political maladministration and military dictatorships, which beset our country in the past. Our political leaders and the military brass hats and jackboots stalled our national development with their bumbling, inept, corrupt, visionless, and rudderless leaderships. While Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha enthroned corruption in Nigeria, and engaged in extra-judicial homicide, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan squandered the opportunities offered to them to better our lots and take Nigeria to unprecedented economic and technological heights. The latter emblematized inept political leadership, and condoned the acts of corruption perpetrated by cronies and side-kicks.

Now, APC has swept away the old corrupt political order. Our President, Muhammadu Buhari, is reputed to have a zero tolerance for

corruption. And he is a martinet for discipline. The ascetic Muslim teetotaler swept to power on the coat tail of his political antecedents and reputation. He is believed to be the messiah that will right the wrongs in our political polity, turn around our ailing economy, and take Nigeria to a great technological height. But, President Buhari’s tardiness and political missteps have caused some people to become skeptical and cynical regarding his electioneering promises.

Nigerians are patiently waiting for him to offer us purposeful and people-oriented leadership that will transform Nigeria. Our current unsatisfactory level of development is a consequence of bad successive political regimes that pillaged our economic resources. But it takes a detribalized political leader with probity and leadership qualities to re-make a country.

Singapore and Malaysia had leaders who transformed those countries. Singapore and Malaysia’s leadership models should be

adopted and emulated by our leaders. But no countries can grow above the visions and dreams of their leaders. Thankfully, our President is surrounded by egg-heads, technocrats and visionaries who can offer him advice and roadmaps regarding how to make Nigeria a great country.

President Buhari should set about his presidential duties with earnestness and fealty. It is high time the leadership diversified our monoeconomy based on oil revenue. For all its human and material resources, Nigeria imports simple household items. It is a proof that our educational system is dysfunctional.

Education is the bedrock of national development. No country with dysfunctional educational system can make progress. So, it is imperative for our political leaders to revamp our educational system in order that those who pass through our educational institutions are not found wanting in learning and character. Only skilled and knowledgeable citizens can drive the developmental initiatives in a country.

More so, people who are welleducated are imbued with positive morality. They are not vulnerable and susceptible to being indoctrinated with dangerous religious teachings. The Boko Haram insurgents waging war in Northern Nigeria, are with distorted Islamic knowledge. Not being educated, they’re brain-washed into engaging in acts of violence and murder. The government should tackle the menace which has the potentials of causing the dismemberment of Nigeria.

Lastly, no country in political stasis can achieve national development. National unity is an incentive for national development. I urge President Muhammadu Buhari to desist from acts that will deepen our ethnic and religious fissures, and make some people from a section of the country feel alienated.

• Chiedu Uche Okoye, Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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COMMENTS But Nigeria is less the uniT perhaps was there all along; but versal humanity symbolised with the criminal annulment of the by pathos, but more of its June 12, 1993 presidential election, abuse. It is a country a public CONtroversy made a brazen landing figure would deliberately in Nigeria’s political public space. challenge the law in a no-conIt is equal opportunity yarn: no test; yet when the law roars moral, no conscience, no ethos, no deTwitter: @Lordbeek1 back in its full majesty, his corum; just stiff, unconscionable bluff, community, that had played doubly assured that impunity, in-yourdumb during the rash chalOlakunle face impunity, rules the roost. lenge, would jerk awake to CONtroversy simply cons (or more lordbeek1@gmail.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola bawl “victimisation”! accurately, badgers) the opposite party The Bukola Saraki saga is — often, the wronged — into submisbefore a court of law. Needsion! less to say, controversy is at So, being such an amoral jungle, only play, for or against. Judgment the soulless bully, who presses into will come, one way or another. action the most outrageous of humbug But even as that plays out, a manoeuvre is already on — to Olusegun Obasanjo’s arranged choice to “appease” the South and most audacious of lies, not to mention the most heartfill the senate presidential seat, should Saraki finally fall.

West. less of media spins, prevails.

Obasanjo, after a failed attempt at an illegal third term, From newspaper reports, the opposition Peoples Democratic Again, back to June 12. An election was held, the cleanest returned the favour. He gifted the North his own choice of Party (PDP) is set to pounce on the Senate Presidency. and freest in Nigeria’s history. Somebody won: MKO Abiola Again, the rule is not decency, not morality, not fairness, northerner, in the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, despite the (God bless his soul!). Somebody lost: Bashir Tofa. not even basic reason; just crass real-politik — read unconscioopen secret of his illness.

But then some power criminals, under the military presiThe death of Yar’Adua, and the rise of Goodluck Jonathan nable audacity — for how would a minority party in parliadency of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, had other ideas. Their — despite the illicit stonewalling by the so-called Katsina ment plot to seize the natural right of the majority, and will fatal conceit? That they could erase, without breaking a cabal — left the North, yet again, trapped in the thick jungle kid itself everything would be well? sweat, the electoral will of the 14 million Nigerians that Meanwhile, the polity is near-funereally silent now, while of power wilderness! Not bad for a community that refused voted. this reckless stratagem goes on. It is the bliss of the reckless to call to order, a few wayward rascals, among its ranks!

After galloping from impunity to impunity, surely June But Muhammadu Buhari, hardly a hit with the northern dog, biting man. But when the irate man starts biting that 12 would be yet another impunity Nigerians must drink in dog, the place will explode with pitiable screams of power elite, would change all that.

— or chuck it?

So, for once, the northern power elite — indeed, the errant “victimisation”, “high-handedness” and allied epithets of Well, it turned a rather nasty pass, birthing the most fearNigerian ruling class — would rely on a personage they cheap pity! some intra-Nigeria war of attrition, that set the country’s Even the so-called “front runners”, in the alleged plot, are would rather not do business with, to salvage them from South West against the power hegemonists: hustlers who their own putative self-ruin. Really, in the closing months just a laugh: Ike Ekweremadu, controversial Senate deputy represented no one; but who nevertheless grandstand as of the Jonathan Presidency, this breed was getting endan- president, courtesy of Saraki’s brazen sell-out of his party “northern”, and their cells nationwide. for personal glory; Godswill Akpabio, even more controgered, for the polity was melting down!

After five years, when the dust cleared, the military which versial Senate minority leader and megalomaniacal former See where politics without ethos can land a people? had always usurped power and subverted government, had At the core of this morass is the queer idea of solo infrac- Akwa Ibom governor, and David Mark, former Senate presiitself thoroughly self-subverted, so much so that it barely dent, who may yet keep a date with history for his alleged tion but vicarious guilt. kept its integrity.

A politician steals solo. But when it’s time to do the time, great deeds (or misdeeds!) of scuttling June 12, despite reThat misadventure’s bitter after-taste lingered even longer: his action attains an ethnic or religious hue, making his pu- turning as one of the greatest beneficiaries of reinstated dein the military’s disgraceful show against Boko Haram under tative guilt vicarious, even if he represented only himself mocracy.

President Goodluck Jonathan, only mercifully rolled back, MKO’s ghost, after all, still hovers over the political space! when he did the alleged crime. since President Muhammadu Buhari’s take-over on May 31.

That explains the umpteenth lobby for a politician in dis- It took a whole of 16 years for PDP to self-destroy in its For the North, it was even more politically galling. For tress, by his local potentates or religious orders, reported politics of soulless opportunism. It should take even less for not declaiming a few power prodigals that — in the North’s tigers of that ancien regime to politically perish too, should with glee in the media, as if it was the divine thing to do. name, real or perceived — criminally abused their uniforms, Still, pathos is a universal emotion. The fall of the vilest of they continue in their old gbaju e (urban Yoruba street quip a region that assumed the conceit that power was its for the leaders unleashes some deep pity: the fall of Iraq’s Saddam for audacious) ways. asking, risked a cruel shut-out.

The Saraki saga, however it pans out, should teach everyHussein, hanged on Eid-el-Kabir Day, 30 December 2006, for That explained the political entente fundamental to forginstance. Or Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, felled by pursuing one braggadocio does not pay, especially if you have a ing the present 4th Republic, with former President mighty lot to hide. But then, that comes with the territory of rebels, in the streets.

Even in classical literature and Shakespeare, that tragic political impunity, which has assumed a sickening political ‘The Saraki saga, however it pans heroes die of their own follies didn’t dam societal pathos. culture. out, should teach everyone bragga- So, when Anthony in Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra President Buhari should leverage his personal integrity to away his share of the Roman empire, on the loins crush this monster, even if his presidency uses the skulls of docio does not pay, especially if you gambled of Eygpt’s Queen Cleopatra, he knew there would be ter- a few errant politicians to crack that evil coconut. have a mighty lot to hide’ Or Nigeria goes nowhere — for no country progresses rible consequences — and indeed, there was. without a moral core on which it anchors its national ethos.

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VEN the club of die-hards sworn to give the Buhari administration the benefit of the doubt in perpetuity must by now be exasperated at its apparent inability to articulate a clear, coherent direction for the economy exactly four months after taking charge. For while nearly everyone swears that the Buhari body language is working magic with proofs cited as the fight against corruption, the on-going process of streamlining and revamping the machineries/finances of government, the much improved electricity and fuel supply situation, and of course the renewed onslaught against the insurgents in the North-east, there is the temptation to luxuriate in the illusion that the future is somehow here and that we can afford to dither on important decisions that ought be made even NOW. I came to this conclusion after reading a report credited to new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ibe Kachikwu as published by The Cable – an online publication last week.

The meat of the report is that the refineries are currently working at 30 percent capacity as against the minimum 60 percent required to generate profit. That for me was a revelation. I have actually seen some people swear that the refineries are already working 100 percent – thanks to the Buhari effect!

The other part – just as interesting is what he said about the refineries: “Personally, I will have chosen to sell the refineries; but President Buhari has instructed that they should be fixed. After they are fixed, if they still operate below 60 percent, we will know what to do”!

By the way, the ultimatum given by President Muhammadu Buhari and re-echoed by Kachikwu to fix the refineries expires in December! Now, if his information is any correct, only the Port Harcourt refinery stands a reasonable chance of meeting the deadline!

Which goes to show that there some things the chant of “change” cannot simply decree into being!

To be sure, President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be faulted on the ground of good intentions. As one-time petroleum minister, the President should ordinarily be in good stead to proffer the way forward for the refineries.

More than that, only a cold-hearted leader can fail to be moved by the racket of fuel importation and the

CONtroversy

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

New wine in old wineskins irreparable damage it has done to the economy. Today, the economy continues to the bled by the twin rackets of huge import bills and its associated subsidy. But then, the greater problem is what the President has prescribed as solution - the magic placebo called the Buhari effect – the magic which cures all ailments!

Part of the current illusions is that there are no costs to pay for the choices we have made. Presently, if fuel importers are not complaining, it is not because they are not being owed huge subsidy bills. The NNPC is being asked to carry the burden of fuel importation apparently because it has a huge pool it can draw upon. Soon enough, the current whispers will transform to loud murmuring across the board; by then everyone will realise that all is not exactly well.

Secondly, that somehow the same individuals under whose watch the refineries went down would somehow supply the magic. Or that the nation’s work habits have transformed overnight. Pure illusions.

If you ask me – while I’ll not be so uncharitable as to describe the President as out of date – he seems to have stuck to the old manual written in the sixties and seventies – which sees the state as the ultimate provider of the public good! The real problem as I can see it that the President thinks that he can put his new wine in the old wineskins while expecting nothing to give.

To return to the refineries – the world has simply moved. Today, even at their optimal levels, the four refineries combined cannot deliver anything near the 40 million litres said to be our daily consumption of petrol.

The choice we face is therefore clear: to aggressively pursue the licensing of more refineries to boost capacity by getting more private sector players on board.

If the truth must be told – the four refineries are no hoppers! They are in terrible states owing to years of neglect of their Turn Around Maintenance. To the extent that every cycle of TAM has since turned out to be avenues to siphon scarce public revenue, Nigeria will do better to let them go. President Obasanjo knew enough to sell two of them to the Bluestar consortium for a record $700 million. Now, it is doubtful that anyone would offer anything near that tidy sum despite the billions sunk into them since. In the circumstance, what the nation can hope for is the prospect of enhanced performance in the event of a future sale. That should be the primary concern of the Buhari administration.

Here is what I think the President should do – and urgently: Let the refineries go. Good thing that the GMDNNPC thinks they should be let go. Next, take out whatever elements remain in the pricing template and let Nigerians bear the full cost of the fuel at the pump.

This is what the current wisdom dictates.

‘To the extent that every cycle of TAM has since turned out to be avenues to siphon scarce public revenue, Nigeria will do better to let them go. President Obasanjo knew enough to sell two of them to the Bluestar consortium for a record $700 million. Now, it is doubtful that anyone would offer anything near that tidy sum despite the billions sunk into them since’

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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COMMENTS

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HE Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has a clear strategic imperative to meet the socio-economic challenges associated with a mega metropolis such as Lagos State. A strategic imperative, a clear pathway is essential to determine the future direction of the machinery of government and its overall effectiveness.

This is why we must examine how well or otherwise the hardworking governor has been implanting its imprint on the affairs of Lagos State from inception. This is important for, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) bigger than many African countries Kenya included, Ambode has his work cut out. The state bears all the turbulence of a mega-metropolis including those relating to environmental issues; it also has a population issue with the demography growing in geometrical proportions, inducing a high ratio of youth unemployment.

With a debt burden of about N500 billion, Lagosians are extremely lucky to have an accomplished chartered accountant at the helm of affairs in Lagos. It is no fluke or a mere coincidence that Lagos is not among the states seeking a bailout from the Federal Government. Ambode surely knows his onions.

Very sensibly, Ambode’s economic thrust in response to the landmines is to attract and retain capital in hitherto unprecedented proportions. In order to turn a potential crisis from danger into opportunity, creating the atmosphere to exploit an opportunity means that Lagos has to be repositioned in the minds of investors. Lagos, in his words is the “future citadel of entrepreneurship in this country. The state has a population of 21.9 million, of which four million are actually middle class. Lagos is the fifth largest economy in Africa and our GDP has hit $131 billion” – more than the GDP’s of 42 African countries put together.

Within this context, Ambode will leverage on the prospects of a young demographic base and an aspirational middle class estimated at about four million and growing to attract foreign investment. Both the youth as well as the actual and potential middle class have become the key indices in the attraction of foreign investments in Africa. In this way, Lagos will be the ‘new frontier’.

This is all very sensible. However, good intentions have to be backed up with a clear roadmap in other to walk the talk. The need to do this has induced the creation of an office of Overseas Affairs and Investment, also

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HE Kogi State Governorship Election is scheduled for November 21. The polls may still be weeks away, but the scenario has reopened an old wound. It has thrown up two known gladiators who have had the privilege of governing the state at various times. These two gladiators are: the incumbent governor and Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Capt Idris Wada and Prince Abubakar Audu, two time governor of the state who is contesting for the fifth time on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. There are also other contestants like Philip Omeiza Salawu, immediate past Deputy Governor to Ex-Governor Ibrahim Idris who will be flying the flag of Labour Party, LP, Akwu Goodman, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Enesi Ozigi, of Peoples Progressive Party, PPA. While Audu and Wada are of the Igala Stock, Salawu and Enesi are from the Ebira speaking region of Kogi State.

Political analysts have however narrowed the contest to a two horse race, between Wada and his main challenger, Audu. The two men are not in unfamiliar territory.

They had earlier been the toasts of political pundits in 2011 when the state went to the polls to elect their governor. On that occasion, Audu suffered a bloodied nose from the then inexperienced Wada as it were.

The two major contenders have had the opportunity to govern the State so their leadership qualities are not new to the people.

Prince Audu was governor in 1991 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2003. Capt Wada is about completing his first term of four years.

An objective profiling of the two men while in public office is therefore not out of place. An eagle eye look at their achievements, temperament and other antecedents therefore affords the electorate the golden opportunity to make informed choice based on their performance and character traits.

Audu’s supporters largely present him as the father of Kogi. According to them his performance in office is yet to be surpassed by any other administration in the state.

They list the establishment of Kogi State University (KSU), Establishment of

Lagos economy, society and Ambode

By Ayo Badmus known as the Lagos Global initiative. A product of Ambode’s strategic thrust, the new office is now positioned as a beacon for global brands, indicating that a new market with varying degrees of opportunities has emerged on the west coast of Africa.

Endearingly, Ambode’s strategy echoes what a proper federating unit should do within the context of achieving sustainable development in a federation. Let us recall that in the First Republic, the three regional governments had established offices in London to coordinate their exports as well as marshal their investment drive. Modernizing this position, it is clear that Ambode is promoting what we may label as a “Ready for business Lagos State” model. A Lagos perceived as an easy and friendly place to do business in and with, is crucial in winning the globally competitive race for investments.

The new office is already making its mark as a one-stop shop which is what Ambode has in mind. The imperative here is the managerial co-ordination in a transparent manner (Ambode continuously places an emphasis on transparency and so do the potential and actual investors) providing a safe and secured environment against all the roadblocks, landmines and regulatory snags that might constitute both an impediment and a source of friction for the potential investor. In the words of Ambode – “For any company that wants to do business in Nigeria, Lagos is your best bet.”

The one-stop shop, business friendly Lagos strategy has started to bear fruits. The new magnet for example has already attracted and received kudos from the diplomatic circles.

If the embassies have nodded their approval, the real McCoy has been the expression of interest by the private sector, as in, “the taste of the pudding is in the eating.” Here, a lot of big-hitters operating in alignment with Ambode’s jobs-creation thrust have also trooped in ready for business mode. You can’t get them hitting bigger than Wal-Mart for example.

The President of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Ms.

Shelley Broader personally led a delegation unveiling the group’s strategic plan to expand its business in Nigeria using Lagos State as its launching pad. Those excited about the new investment coordination induced by Ambode include the Smart City Group who came in with a big investment plan, as well as the Knauf Group International, Germany’s leading manufacturing group which came with the insignia of the German government.

Although his policy thrust has led to a breakthrough into increasing the flow of direct foreign investments (FDI’s), the governor is critically concerned about the areas investors are injecting capital into. The governor clearly has his own areas of priority, especially and crucially in meeting the state’s food security requirements which in his opinion is crucial to attaining the goal of selfsufficiency.

To tie his economic thrust together, there are clear strategic imperatives to be undertaken. In the first place, there has to be a reordering of budget priorities foregoing handin-glove with the quest for investments.

There must be new initiatives on infrastructure and a brutal pairing down of recurrent expenditure which in Nigeria translates to duplication, waste and inefficiency.

This imperative came clear a week ago when the governor persuaded the Lagos State House of Assembly as to the need to re-order the year 2015 budget of the state government.

The house approved N19,743,164,323 capital expenditure and N5,697,089,009 for recurrent expenditure bringing the total approved sum to N25, 440, 253, 332.

Re-ordering the budget priorities means that the central thrust of Ambode’s economic strategy will be to invest in the infrastructural base of the state as part of the Lagos business friendly strategy. Businesses certainly need this to be attracted in the first place and to prosper. It is also critical to note that the infrastructural prioritization being undertaken by Ambode will cater for such critical business enhancing inputs such as the continuation of the construction of the blue light rail project, continuation of the construction of the Lekki-Epe Expressway and the

acquisition of heavy duty equipment (Cranes and Forklifts) and for the employment trust fund and wealth creation programmes.

Investment in infrastructure is incontrovertible to trigger off a multiplier effect on economic activities and investments and it is therefore clear that future Ambode budgets will be focused on placing infrastructure at the heart of sustainable economic development.

In this light, the need to attract sustainable development also has to be accompanied by governmental initiatives, ensuring security and in the medium to long term, reconstruction of social safety nets. This is because a metropolis operates its socio-economic activities on the basis of twenty-four hour cycles round the clock.

In a twenty-four hour economy, socio-economic activities do not grind to a halt at night. Major research from across the world recently has indicated that many cities over the past two decades have deliberately put in place measures to run a twenty-four hour economy. This makes sense, because the hospitality and entertainment industries, (so vital to the economy of a metropolis including that of Lagos) in particular, thrive better in a 24/7 economy.

Entertainment spots such as restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, cinemas, casinos, concert halls, theatres and licensed clubs make more business in this respect. And of course high flying business executives having worked hard during the day have to unwind at night.

In the next ten years it is expected that the state’s economy will be transformed away from the focus on younger people and entertainment. It is hoped that forty percent of the people taking advantage of the 24/7 economy will be aged over 40 and that 40% of operating businesses at this time will be chiefly anchored on formal businesses.

Undoubtedly, Ambode’s ongoing efforts at transforming the state’s economy would, in a significant manner, accelerate the scale of socio-economic development, enhance productivity and usher in prosperity for all in the state. The clear economic thrust of macroeconomic stability investment in both the social and fiscal infrastructure is obviously the way to achieve social and economic justice as well as the pathway to the sustainable development of what has already become one of the world’s major mega metropolises.

• Badmus, an economist wrote in from Lagos

Kogi 2015: From past to present

By Michael Abu Confluence Beach Hotel and Establishment of Diagnostic and Reference Hospital in Ayangba as his major achievements. Audu’s opponents are however quick to point out that most of the projects he lays claim to are phantom projects- that could not withstand the test of time. For example, the university Audu established apart from being named after himself was just a university in name as it lacked the basic facilities to offer any accredited course. It was successive governments that renamed the university to Kogi State University and ensured that facilities and resources were provided for the category A accreditation that the university’s courses enjoy today. Even APC stalwarts like Alex Kadiri pointed out in a recent interview that “Audu merely used the infrastructure already put on ground by the World Bank. Kogi State University is standing on the site of the World Bank Agricultural Project, where they had an airstrip. All the houses the lecturers are living were built with the loans collected from the World Bank. The state is still paying back and it is part of the debt every government must pay.

The loan may not be fully liquidated in the next eight to nine years”.

Apart from ensuring accreditation of all courses in KSU, Wada has gone ahead to establish the College of Medical Science and is constructing a world-class 250-bed teaching hospital. He has also established the Faculty of Education to improve the quality of teaching staff in the state.

Another major project credited to Audu is the Confluence Beach Hotel which played host to conferences during his administration. Apart from constituting a drainpipe on the state’s resources, the devastating floods experienced by the state in 2012 exposed the underbelly of that project as it was constructed without any environmental impact assessment study. Governor Wada on his part

set up the first modern environmental laboratory in the state to forestall such poorly planned projects in the future. He has also attracted investors that will take over the rehabilitation and management of the hotel.

One achievement that Audu’s supporters claim is the establishment of Dangote Cement factory at Obajana. Objective analysts in the state are at a loss how they come about that claim as no benefit in terms of dividend payment has come to Kogi State since the inception of the factory.

An area where Audu’s supporters cannot claim any achievement is in the area of agriculture. Wada’s focus on agriculture has resulted in the state becoming the number one cassava growing state in the nation. The feat has attracted the World Bank, the Federal Government and Cargill USA- a top manufacturing company ; now there is a move to partner with the state to establish the first staple crop processing zone in the nation at Alape, Kogi State. When completed, the income of the state will increase by about N14billion per annum.

Unlike Audu who operated under a period of economic boom, Wada is operating under an unprecedented period of sharply dwindling revenue. Today, he has achieved an unparalleled 200 percent increase in internally generated revenue throughout the creation of a single revenue account and ecollection of revenue accruable to the state.

Wada has tried to keep faith with the state’s workers by ensuring that their salaries are paid as at when due. He has also cleared all the 21 years arrears of pension backlogs that he met. It is a known fact that in spite of the economic boom during Audu’s era, he owed civil servants for upwards of six months and blatantly refused to pay pensioners because he referred to them as ‘dead woods’. Another area where Wada is given full credit is the respect of the citizen’s inalienable right to freedom of speech. People of different shades

express their opinions freely without fear of intimidation and victimization. The Wada administration is known for tolerance of opposing views even when they border on the absurd. During Prince Audu’s reign, this was not the case. The Prince reigned with iron hands and was generally intolerant of criticism and fostered tyranny on the people.

People have not forgotten that in those dark days, a journalist was bathed with acid on the streets of Lokoja. Today, journalists in the state can attest to the fact that they now operate in an environment where they operate without let or hindrance. Servants and the various labour unions also agitate for their rights without the fear of intimidation.

Traditional rulers can equally bear testimony to the fact that they no longer go through the excruciating pain of waiting by Jamata Bridge to welcome the governor whenever he travels to Abuja and his several trips abroad. The arrogance and flamboyance of the past has today been replaced by simplicity and humility in governance.

•Abu writes from Lokoja, Kogi State

‘Wada has tried to keep faith with the state’s workers by ensuring that their salaries are paid as at when due. He has also cleared all the 21 years arrears of pension backlogs that he met.

It is a known fact that in spite of the economic boom during Audu’s era, he owed civil servants for upwards of six months’

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

21 Gender equality means that men and women ’enjoy the same status. They both share the same opportunities for realising their human rights and potential to contribute and benefit from all spheres of society

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See page 33

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

It did not start today. But, the trend is becoming worse by the day. In the past few months, there have been many cases of policemen either killing their colleagues or innocent citizens in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yobe.

Nigerians are wondering whether policemen should undergo periodic psychiatric tests to determine their mental state. Beyond dismissing and prosecuting culprits, how else can the police make its officers to be less harmful to those they are meant to protect? JOSEPH JIBUEZE sought lawyers’ views.

When policemen go haywire I

NSPECTOR-General of Police (IGP) Solo mon Arase has his work cut out – he and his topmost officers must figure out how to tame trigger-happy men among the rank and file. The police, which are expected to protect citizens, seem to have become a danger to society. Their colleagues and the citizens are not safe from these trigger happy cops In 2008, global watchdog Amnesty International (AI) released a report titled: Nigeria Police kill at will, which documented cases of torture and shooting of suspects in custody.

The group said the police were notorious for shooting suspects, and torturing them to death.

AI said: “The Nigerian Police is responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings every year.

Police don’t only kill people by shooting them; they also torture them to death, often while they are in detention.

“The majority of the cases go uninvestigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. The families of the victims usually get no justice or redress. Most never even found out what happened to their loved ones.”

The situation seems to have worsened. Not only do the officers kill innocent citizens, they also shoot their colleagues.

Officers go crazy

INSIDE:

In the past few months, trigger-happy cops have gunned down people across the country. One of such incident occurred on September 17 when Corporal Musefun Aremu, of Isheri-Oshun Police Station shot a tricyclist and his wife, Comfort.

The tricyclist (Keke Marwa operator), Godwin Ekpo, is still battling for his life at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.

Ekpo was reportedly returning home from chuch with his wife and their four children when Aremu stopped them. He allegedly demanded for N200 from Ekpo for being on the road beyond the stipulated time. But Ekpo was said to have explained that he was returning from church and that the time was just 8pm.

As they attempted to drive off, Aremu shot at them with an AK 47 riffle. The bullet pierced through Comfort’s skull, killing her. The bullet was said to have hit the husband.

Aremu (28) has been arraigned. He reportedly claimed that he never meant to kill the woman, denying that he also demanded money from them.

He said: “We were stationed at Obalagbe when we saw the Keke Marwa coming at about 12 midnight, which was against the stipulated time for them to operate. When we stopped him, he refused. Rather, he hit our vehicle in an attempt to escape.

Mediation Centre resolves 20,000 disputes in one year -Page 24

“All I did was to aim at the tyres of the Keke Marwa. Unfortunately the bullet hit the woman from behind and also hit the man in the jaw. I never meant to kill anybody. It was just a mistake. If he had not run, I would not have fired,” he said.

Threat to other officers Trigger-happy policemen are not only a threat to innocent civilians, they are also a threat to themselves. Last Friday, a police Constable, Ibrahim Musa, of the Nangere Police Division reportedly shot dead two of his superior officers following a quarrel at Tarajim Village in Yobe State.

Musa was said to have angrily opened fire and shot Inspectors Mohammed Musa and Ishaku Elam with an AK47 rifle. After shooting his colleagues, he turned the gun on himself and attempted suicide. He was said to have died of injuries from the gunshot at the Potiskum General Hospital.

Shot for ‘love’ On April 30, a jealous policeman took his own life after killing his lover and a colleague for allegedly cheating on him. The lady, who sold GSM recharge cards, was said to be double-dating the two married policemen.

The incident took place at Karu, a satellite town in Abuja. The killer cop, a sergeant, was said to be the lady’s primary lover. However, his colleague working with him on the same patrol team, was also dating the lady without his knowledge. When the sergeant got wind of the development, he confronted his girlfriend.

As they were arguing, the jealous sergeant reportedly shot the lady twice in the chest. As onlookers tried to come to terms with the unfolding incident, the sergeant again shot his colleague, killing him. Onlookers fled, fearing the gun might turn on them. Having certified that the two were dead, the sergeant reportedly turned the gun on himself and fired a shot to die instantly.

•The late Comfort...whose head was pierced by bullet

Other acts of trigger-happiness In May, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, identified as Mohammed, allegedly shot dead a tricycle driver, Akeem Aranse, during an argument at Akowonjo area, on the outskirt of Lagos.

Mohammed was said to have boarded a commercial motorcycle (okada), which was hit by the tricyle operator on Karimu Laka Street in Egbeda.

The incident reportedly led to an argument which degenerated. It was reported that passersby had tried to settle the skirmish, but •Continued on page 22

Plateau gets bailout funds committee -Page 33

•ThankGod Legbara...whose father was allegedly gunned down by an officer

•Uwagbaokwu...a victim of police shooting

Rights Commission to resolve herdsmen, farmers dispute -Page 34

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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LAW COVER CONT’D

When policemen go haywire • Continued from page 21

ity which emphasised force, violence and brutality. Rather, officers should have a democratic mindset that emphasises service and partnership with the community they serve.

President, Women Arise for Change, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin, who is involved in Comfort’s case, said the police should subject its officers to periodic psychiatric tests, as extrajudicial killings were becoming unbearable.

She also wants the police to bear the cost of training children of victims sent to their early grave by the police.

the police officer remained adamant.

The officer was said to have eventually brought out his pistol and shot the tricycle driver.

Thirty-one-year-old Akeem, who was said to have been shot in the chest, reportedly died on the spot.

Extra-judicially killed?

On May 19, four police corporals Adeleke Adedeji, Abena John, Henry Shobowale and Oniyo Musa, who were reportedly investigating a case of armed robbery incident that took place in Agege, Lagos, went to Edo State as part of the investigation.

They were on the trail of those who robbed Alhaji Babangida Isa of his Toyota car, mobile phones and other valuables. In Edo, they narrowed their trail to Benson Obode, who was found at the Aduwawa area of Benin. In the cause of arresting the suspect, who was accused of receiving the stolen car, he was shot and killed.

Following a public protest by his family and some members of his community in Benin, a petition was written to the IGP, who ordered an investigation. The FCID consequently commenced investigation which led to the officers’ arrest.

‘Police killed our son’ The family of a polytechnic student killed in Umuahia, Abia State on September 10, Ikechukwu Uwagbaokwu, accused policemen from the state command of the murder. They petitioned the state Commissioner of Police Joshak Habila over the gruesome murder of the 21-year-old Imo State Polytechnic student.

The family alleged that on September 10, Uwagbaokwu, a Marketing student, went to bed at about 9:00pm but at about 10:50pm there were persistent banging on the door of their family house.

Ten fierce-looking, uniformed policemen had taken strategic positions around the house. They reportedly came in a Hilux pickup van and black Camry Saloon car. When they broke open the first room, they did not see Uwagbaokwu. But on sighting him after forcing open the wooden door to his room, the policemen allegedly shot him. He died on the spot.

The deceased’s father, Mr. Emmanuel Uwagbaokwu (54), said: “I am not suspecting, but those who killed my son were policemen from Ehimiri Police Station, Umuahia.

“Immediately I reported the matter to Ehimiri Police Station and the DPO there denied sending his men to duty to that area that night, he, however, ordered some police team to follow us to the scene of the incident. On the way, the team dodged us and did not reach our house.”

The state command have denied the killing and the family have urged the IGP to order an investigation into the incident.

‘Shot over N100 bribe’ On August 7, a commercial bus driver in Port Harcourt, David Legbara, was shot and killed for allegedly refusing to part with N100 bribe.

The policeman was said to be attached to Kala Station.

The deceased’s wife was delivered of a baby boy two months after the murder.

The baby, named ThankGod David Legbara, will grow up without a father, no thanks to a trigger-happy policeman.

Legbara’s death led to huge protests. Angry commercial drivers under the aegis of Rivers State Association of Road Transport Workers took to the streets. Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, in a statement, confirmed that a police officer on stop-andsearch duty shot the victim.

The widow, Gift, said: “That day I felt like dying. I said ‘God, where will I start from? I don’t have anybody. He was the only hope I had; he was the breadwinner of his family…

“As a commercial driver, he drove another man’s vehicle and rendered account daily. But later he got a vehicle to drive on hire purchase and he had completed the terms of agreement, meaning that the bus now belonged to him before he was killed.”

‘Killed with a gun’s butt’ It was reported on September 1 that police officers in Ondo State allegedly killed Aderonke Eze, a widow, who owns a beer parlor close to her residence in Akure. She was allegedly killed with a gun butt by police officers from the Ala unit of the Oda Divisional Police Station.

After her death, the policemen allegedly

Lawyers’ views

• Akeredolu

• Nwobike

dumped her remains at the General Hospital’s morgue in Akure. It was learnt that the killer police officers, seven in number, stormed the streets around 6:45pm in a Hilux van with plate number NPF 4236 B. Eyewitnesses said the policemen were in the habit of raiding the street and arresting young boys suspected to be marijuana, or “Indian hemp smokers.”

Any way out?

The above are just a few instances of how dangerous some police officers have become to the society. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Abuja, Arase said it was likely that some officers could be suffering from temporary insanity.

He said it was likely that an officer, who had been standing in the sun for over 12 hours could go temporarily crazy. He urged the public to show understanding and not argue with or provoke such officers.

Arase vowed to ensure that such officers are disciplined appropriately. But some analysts say more needs to be done beyond dismissing and prosecuting killer-cops.

National Coordinator, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) Okechukwu Nwanguma, recalled that in 2006, a female Divisional Police Officer in Onitsha, Anambra State, tried to compound felony by covering up a police corporal, Daniel Ayuba, who shot dead a lady, Nkechi Obidigwe, at a police checkpoint on Zik’s Avenue, Fegge, Onitsha.

It took an impartial investigation to indentify the killer police corporal, who confessed during an orderly room trial. The DPO had denied that her men were responsible and claimed that it was MASSOB members that shot the girl. The matter was later taken over by the State CID Awka following a petition by the family members and the public outrage it generated.

Three officers at the checkpoint were fished out, arrested and detained. Autopsy revealed that a police bullet AK47 killed the victim.

To rid the police of such excesses, Nwanguma believed there must be no cover-ups. He said: “It appears that the culture of cover up of crimes and stalling of prosecution is entrenched more within the Nigeria police than in other uniformed services.”

The Police Service Commission, he said, should also be prompt in disciplining erring officers.

He recalled that it took the PSC close to 15 months to discipline the DPO in charge of Pen Cinema, Agege, Olusegun Fabunmi, who allegedly shot Ademola Aderinto during the January 2012 fuel subsidy protests in Lagos.

“The performance of the commission was dismal. Police accountability under the past PSC was practically absent. And this failure by the PSC to discharge its constitutional mandate of enforcing discipline and accountability within the police accounts for the impunity, which protects perpetrators,” he said.

The NOPRIN chief said how decisive errant officers are dealt will help deter others. According to him, on September 20, 2012, a 36-year-old Ugochukwu Ozuah, an engineer, was allegedly shot and killed by a policeman five days after his wedding. The incident occurred on Gbagada Expressway, Lagos as the victim went to drop off a classmate. His killers are yet to be brought

• Ofuokwu

to book despite promises by the police hierarchy that they will be fished out and prosecuted.

“Failure to bring perpetrators of abuse to account sustains the climate of impunity that encourages others to commit abuse. There is the need to streamline the various internal disciplinary procedures in the Nigerian Police Force into a manageable framework that could easily be used by aggrieved citizens seeking redress for police misconduct, as well as using data emanating from such mechanisms in tracking police officials, who are subjects of unusually high numbers of citizens’ complaints.

“There is also the need to strengthen external oversight of the police. The PSC evinced under the Constitution and the PSC Act of 2001 is an independent and impartial institution. A body which is established with the constitutional mandate to recruit, promote and discipline all police personnel other than the IGP in an independent and impartial manner, is expected to be composed and headed by non partisan individuals of unquestionable integrity.

“What we need is a civilian-led PSC that has the courage to investigate all public complaints and cases of police abuse. Appointing a retired Inspector-General undermines and subverts this mission and renders the PSC ultimately into another department of the NPF. “This is not good for the Police; it is inconsistent with the structure and purpose of the Constitution and the PSC Act of 2001; and defeats the whole essence of the establishment of the PSC as a civilian oversight body on policing in Nigeria,” Nwanguma said.

He said it is wrong for the PSC to opt to refer all complaints of extrajudicial killing back to the police for investigation. He said there is also the need for the immediate review of Force Order 237 on the use of firearms.

Nwanguma said there is also the need to continue the process of changing officers’ mental-

A former NBA president Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) said the fact that other ranks in the police have become a threat is no news. According to him, their pastime has always been to turn their guns on tax payers they are paid to protect and whose monies are used to procure the ammunition. He said officers need re-orientation.

“A lot of work needs to be done to make officers and men of the NPF appreciate their role as the people’s police and not a police force. The word ‘force’ is certainly a misnomer in the present democratic dispensation.

“Periodic psychiatric test is only desirable for suspicious officers and men. But how well placed is the institution itself to detect derelicts among its rank? An important question. Officers and men who are at the brink of flipping to the other side sure need great assistance.

“Does the institution care for them? Are they well placed to do the needful in ensuring that they operate under minimum favorable conditions that will support stable mental disposition? These are posers to ponder on.

Akeredolu said where officers or other ranks run foul of the law, they should be properly indicted and tried. Their prosecution, he said, should not be left to the ordinary and usual police prosecutors, who are more likely to compromise.

“The Office of the Federal Attorney-General in collaboration with the Police Service Commission must set up a special prosecution unit to handle grave matters of this nature involving the police and the people. Proper prosecution and commensurate conviction would certainly deter future occurrence.

“Above all the Nigerian Police no doubt need full re-orientation from head to toe, starting from their recruitment criteria,” he added.

For Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), the reason for the incessant killing of civilians by armed policemen and, lately, of policemen by armed policemen is the direct consequence of impunity and the failure of professional value system within the police.

He said it was unfortunate that policemen, who by their training, ought to apply themselves and disposition towards the protection of lives and property now pose a risk and challenge to lives and property.

“In the light of the above, periodic mental or psychiatric evaluation of policemen, even where carried out properly, will not impact on the trend.

The reason is simple: there is no evidence that those policemen who unlawfully kill others suffer psychiatric ailments.

“The solution requires integrated reordering of the value system amongst policemen. This will involve training and retraining of police officers and men on a continuous basis with a view to building a responsive policing culture,” Dr Nwobike said.

Constitutional lawyer Mr Ike Ofuokwu described the conduct of trigger-happy policemen as a monumental national embarrassment, which has persisted for so many years because the victims, who are often innocent and helpless citizens, have taken it as a norm and crude way of life.

“The defective criminal justice system has not in any way helped the situation with its very slow apparatus of administering justice. The police force itself are always foot dragging and reluctant to release recalcitrant officers to justice save when there is overwhelming public outcry.

“Such policemen should be made to face trial speedily and maximum punishment inflicted whenever they are found guilty, in addition to making them pay compensation to the victims or their dependants.

“Their DPO’s or supervising officers should also be demoted or summarily dismissed. In addition, subjecting all policemen at the point of recruitment to psychiatric test should be a condition precedent to engaging them.

“Periodically all serving policemen and officers of the law, who carry arms, should be subjected to a yearly psychiatric evaluation. Finally, it is long overdue for a fundamental overhaul of the Nigerian Police so as to align them with best global practice. What we have today majorly are bandits in police uniform,” Ofuokwu said.

23

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

LAW & SOCIETY BEHOLD THE NEW SENIOR ADVOCATES OF NIGERIA

• From left: Mr. Benson Nwankwo (SAN), Mr. Sunday Bamigboye (SAN) and Mr. Edward Chika (SAN)

• From left: Mr. Emmanuel Aguma (SAN), Mr. Adeniyi Adegbamiro (SAN) and Mr. Aderibigbe Adedajo (SAN)

• From left: Dr. Tahir Mamman (SAN), Prof. Maxwell Gidado (SAN) and Mr. Patrick Okolo (SAN)

• From left: Mr. Uchechukwu Obi (SAN), Mr. Gordy Uche (SAN) and Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN)

• From left: Mr. Samuel Zibiri (SAN), Mr. Ibrahim Bawa (SAN) and Dr. Akinpelu Onigbinde (SAN)

• From left: Mrs Ibironke Akeredolu (SAN), Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN) and Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) PHOTOS: JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU

• From left: Dr. Oladapo Olanipekun (SAN), Prof. Paul Idornigie (SAN) and Mr. Kayode Eleja (SAN)

•Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) (third right); Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (fourth right); former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) (left); Dr Muiz Banire; his wife Olufunmilayo and others cutting a cake to celebrate the conferrment of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on Banire, in Lagos.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH

24

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

FROM THE COURT Mr Tope Alabi is a Lagos-based activist-lawyer. He is well known for his suit seeking the removal of controversial police chief Mbu Joseph Mbu. He also got a judgment against the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) banning imposition of fines on erring motorists, except by a mobile court.

Alabi tells JOSEPH JIBUEZE what drives him.

‘Day I spat fire in court’ W

HAT motivated you to sue Mbu Joseph Mbu? I am a social crusader. I studied law, not to make money per se, but to defend the cause of the poor masses. This is my calling. I sued Mbu Joseph Mbu because of the statement he made that for every policeman killed, the lives of 20 to 100 civilians would go in exchange. To say the least, it was an inciting statement that could have caused mass killings of civilians, including myself. To prevent such occurrence, I sued him. Actually, I was not asking for his head, but to checkmate him and other lawless police officers, who believe that with their uniform, they can do whatever they like as if they are above the law.

What about the FRSC? I sued FRSC for violating the provisions of the Constitution and ignorance of the provisions of the Federal Roads Safety Commission (Establishment Act) 2007 and the National Roads Traffic Regulation 2012. The law says driving with shattered windshield or without windscreen is illegal, but they arrested me because of a

cracked windscreen. Its men directed me to pay a fine without justification or court trial. I won the case at the Federal High Court Lagos. We are now on appeal.

What was your most memorable day in court?

That was when I appeared in the FRSC case and that of Mbu. The senior lawyers, who represented the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Assembly and FRSC will not forget how we spat fire at each other.

What was your worst day in court?

My worst day in court was the day judgment in the Mbu case was delivered without hearing notice, even when our motion to adduce further evidence was still pending. I was sad because judgment was delivered when the case was yet to be concluded and Mbu escaped punishment.

What kind of person do you think should be appointed Attorney-General of the Federation?

An AGF should not be for cash and carry. The position should be for someone with specified expertise and

demonstrable competence. It should also be for a person with clean record.

It should be for someone who has achieved credit in the legal profession. It should be someone, who can prosecute corrupt politicians without fear or favour, not someone who will embark on selective prosecution.

If you were to recommend, who would it be?

I will strongly recommend Femi Falana (SAN). I believe he is an honest man, who will not compromise.

He has contributed immensely to the legal profession. His appointment will add credibility to the government of the day. I am very sure he will sanitise the legal profession and the judiciary and help rid Nigeria of corruption.

Who are your role models in rights activism?

The late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Falana and my mentor Kunle Adegoke.

What challenges do you face as a young activist?

One problem is the issue of locus standi. When former House of Rep-

resentatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal was facing political challenges, I prepared a case to stop the police and the Federal Government from harassing him, but I could not go forward because I found it difficult to reach Tambuwal to sign the affidavit in support of the originating process. Besides that, I have several public interest cases I would like to litigate on, but I do not have sufficient financial capacity to pursue them. I am still a young lawyer.

Is that all?

I also face the challenge of my colleagues, who are aiding criminals to escape the axe of the law. For instance, a client was defrauded of millions of naira. The fraudster was ready to refund the money and directed his lawyer to negotiate with us. Instead of negotiating, the lawyer went to court to file for enforcement of right to stop the process.

What is your advice to other young lawyers?

They should be focused. They should pursue the knowledge first; money will come later. I got a good training

• Alabi

under Dr Muiz Banire (SAN). I also learnt from my mentors, such as Adegoke, Taiwo Kupolati, Falana, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) and Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who is a father to me.

If you were not a lawyer, what would you likely have been?

A teacher.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

I don’t like the bench. I don’t see myself being a judge. But I pray I become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) as well as a Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM).

Alleged N5b land fraud: Defendants fail to stall trial

J

USTICE Sendoten Ogunsanya of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, has refused to suspend hearing in a N5 billion alleged land fraud case brought against a former accountant at Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Michael Adenuga.

Adenuga and his company, Covenant Apartment Complex Ltd., were arraigned in last May by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge of stealing, forgery and use of false documents.

The defendant’s counsel, Miss A. Funmilayo, informed the court that her boss, Dr Muiz Banire (SAN), who would have conducted the case, was in Abuja while another senior counsel, Mr. Ehis Agbogu, was hospitalised. She sought an adjournment.

Ruling, Justice Ogunsanya upheld the prosecution’s argument that the defendant’s counsel announced her appearance when the case was called, only to inform the court when hear-

By Robert Egbe

ing resumed that she had just been briefed on the matter.

She said: “Counsel who appears in any case is presumed to have full knowledge of the case and have full authority of the defendant. The court directs that the prosecution should continue with the case.”

When hearing resumed last Tuesday, the two prosecution witnesses, Oye Oyeniran and Olubukola Adeyemi Oladiran, said Mr. Adenuga defrauded them and some other investors in a landed property worth about N5 billion.

Adenuga and his company were alleged to have fraudulently converted a 22.68 hectares of land located in the Lekki area of Lagos between February 2008 and September 2011, to their use.

According to EFCC, the property, situated at Ayetoro Ikota, in the Lekki area of Lagos, was owned by Covenant

Sugarland Property Development Ltd., and Messrs Sunday and Joseph Oyeniran and was proposed to be developed as a residential neighbourhood to be called Sugarland Town.

The defendants are also accused of forging a document titled: ”Contract of Sale between Covenant Apartment Ltd. and Kingview Realty Ltd., to facilitate the alleged theft, contrary to Section 363 and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

According to the EFCC, the said document was later presented by Adenuga to one of its officers, Mr. James Buzugbe, as genuine.

The commission said the offences contravened sections 278 (1) and 285 (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

Mr Oladiran, who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel Mr. Emmanuel Jackson, testified that he and other investors under his group signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with Adenuga’s group to buy the land and that each group would raise half of the cost.

Oladiran said after the land became fully owned by Covenant Sugarland Property Development Limited, Adenuga went behind them to obtain the signature of the original land owner, the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family on a “Deed of Assignment” made in his company’s name for 17.2 hectares of the land.

He further alleged that Adenuga proceeded to obtain the Governor’s consent on the fraudulent “Deed of Assignment” document with a forged Survey Plan and through the scheme denied the government huge sum of money in statutory fees.

“The said “Deed of Assignment” was registered as No 63 at Page 63 in Volume 2398 with the Lagos State Land Registry.

“Within days of registering the “Deed of Assignment”, he approached and used the fraudulent document to obtain

millions of Naira in financial facilities from Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited (formerly known as GTHomes Limited)”, the witness testified.

Three witnesses, Mr. Sunday Oyeniran, Engr. Oye Oyeniran and Olubukola Adeyemi Oladiran, have so far testified against Adenuga.

They told the court how various sums of money were raised through investors to develop the project.

The EFCC counsel also tendered through the last two witnesses some documents of draft payments made by the investors for the purchase of the property.

The documents tendered and eventually admitted as evidence by the court include letters authorising the payments and the statements made by the witnesses to the EFCC after they discovered and reported the fraudulent diversion of the property by Adenuga.

Justice Ogunsanya adjourned the matter to November 12.

Mediation Centre resolves 20,000 disputes in one year

By Robert Egbe

• Ambode

T

HE Citizens’ Mediation Cen tre (CMC) resolved about 20,000 of the about 28,000 disputes brought before it last year, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Funlola Odunlami, has said.

She spoke during a press briefing to kick-start the Walk for

Peace/Legal Clinic, organised by the CMC and the United Nations (UN) to commemorate this year’s International Day of Peace.

“I cannot give the statistics right now, but the Citizens’ Mediation Centre received about 28,000 disputes last year and successfully resolved at least 20,000 of this number,” she said.

Odunlami, who represented Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, disclosed plans to set up Citizens’ Mediation Centres in all the Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

“Currently, the centre has 14 units spread across the state with the head office at Motorways Centre, Alausa. Other sub-offices are located at Agege, Amukoko, Badagry, Bariga, Iba, Ibeju, Lekki, Ikorodu, Ikotun, Lagos Island, Alimosho, Ojo, Oshodi and Yaba.

“However, part of the policy thrust of this government is to ensure that a unit is established in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos

State in order to bring mediation services closer to the people.”

The CMC’s Core Pillars of Mediation, Odunlami said, include the preservation of existing and maintaining of the future relationship of disputing parties; confidentiality, neutrality and flexibility of process.

The governor also announced that the state had, through the CMC, adopted the United Nation’s (UN) International Day of Peace, which is observed on September 21, every year.

Participants at the event included Director, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Ronald Kayanja, who represented UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon; Coordinator, African Women Lawyers’ Association (AWLA) Mandy Asagba; Clara Ibirogba, Director of Citizens’ Rights and a member of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), Dafe Ivwurie, Head, Media Relations and Events, Keystone Bank, among others.

Governor Ambode noted that the theme of this year’s commemoration; “Partnership for Peace - Dig-

nity for All”, highlights the importance of all segments of society to work together for peace.

He said: “The UN has been able to achieve its laudable programmes through the thousands of partnerships each year with governments, civil society, the private sector, faith-based groups and other Non-Governmental Organisations.

“In 1999, the Lagos State Government established the CMC to provide access to justice to indigent residents of the state. It is an initiative under the Ministry of Justice to serve as a nonadversarial dispute resolution centre through the use of mediation mechanism in dispensing justice fairly, speedily and without discrimination, fear or favour.”

The governor added: “The Citizens’ Mediation Centre wishes to adopt this UN International Day of Peace as an annual event to propagate the ethos of peaceful co-existence among residents of Lagos State.”

UNIC Director, Mr. Kayanja, speaking in his personal capacity, commended the state for its free

mediation programmes through the CMC. He said the CMC’s intervention had resolved many disputes which could have led to a breach of the peace.

He added that the CMC’s mediation programme was similar to the UN’s Preventive or Quiet Diplomacy.

Mr. Kayanja said: “For Nigerians, the best example of that was when Prof Gambari was the country’s Special Envoy of the UN to Myanmar; that is the kind of work that the UN does, just like the CMC. “It does not so much capture headlines because we prevent conflicts and no one will ever know how many conflicts the UN has prevented, just like they won’t know how many the CMC has helped to prevent.”

The Walk for Peace and Legal Clinic rally kicked off around 8:30am at the Bagulda Kaltho Press Centre, Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, and terminated under the Ikeja Bridge.

It was followed by the provision of free legal services to Lagos residents by lawyers from the state’s Ministry of Justice.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON NORTHERN STATES

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Despite sufficient warning, low-lying areas in Kaduna State have been flooded, leaving residents in agony. TONY AKOWE reports

PAGE 25

INSIDE A parting shot in Kogi

PAGE 27

Kwara community rebuilds burnt market with N500m

PAGE 28 •One of the flooded areas in Kaduna

Floods: Forewarned, not T forearmed

HE authorities will hardly be blamed for the floods.

They sounded the alarm but few listened. In early September, the National Emergency Management agency warned of possible flooding in some states, especially in communities along the river bank and other floodprone areas in the country. The agency asked residents of those communities to evacuate.

While on an enlightenment visit to Ungwan Romi community in Kaduna State, the Northwest Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Musa Ilallah warned residents against dumping refuse in drainages, as well as building houses in areas vulnerable to flood in the state.

He said the agency embarked on flood-risk awareness to educate communities on the dangers of building houses on flood plain areas.

He said, "Every year your community is flooded, so we decided to come out here to educate you on the dangers of dumping of refuse inside drainages. Flood only occurs due to blocked drainage after heavy downpours. In fact, most floods are man-made.

People should also avoid setting up permanent structures such as houses in areas vulnerable to

‘Every year your community is flooded, so we decided to come out here to educate you on the dangers of dumping refuse in drainages. Flood only occurs due to blocked drainages after heavy downpours. In fact, most floods are man-made. People should also avoid setting up permanent structures such as houses in areas vulnerable to flood such as low-lying areas, dams and reservoirs.

Please also watch out for flood warning because people need to clear all blocked drainage systems or gutters near their residence’ flood such as low-lying areas, dams and reservoirs. Please also watch out for flood warning because people need to clear all blocked drainage systems or gutters near their residence".

In addition, the warning also came after the authorities were informed that the Cameroonian authorities planned to release water from one of their dams. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency also

warned of possible flood occasioned by heavy rainfall.

There was sufficient warning, but all of it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The flood came and many of them suffered the consequence, with their homes half-submerged after hours of heavy rain which reportedly started late in the night.

After about two hours of heavy rain at night, it was said to have resumed early in the morning, causing the kind of flood that residents of Kaduna had never witnessed.

Houses inside the Mamman Kontagora Estate as well as the Living Faith Church headquarters in Kaduna were submerged in the flood and residents of the estate were forced to flee.

The church, it was gathered, could not conduct service or other daily activities for two days, while authorities of the Kingdom Heritage Model School, owned by the church ordered their pupils to stay away from the school premises because of the flood.

An electronic short message from the school management read: "Heaven on earth greetings, all parents of KHMS Barnawa are please advised to keep their wards at home Continued on page 26

A frustrating fair

PAGE 29

Pruning independence celebrations budget

PAGE 32

26

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

THE NORTH REPORT

Floods: Forewarned, not forearmed Continued from page 25 until the school premises is free from flood water. You shall be duly informed accordingly.

Thanks, School Management."

The small bridge linking Barnawa to the city centre was completely covered and impassable for two days. The residents had to take alternative routes to work and back while the flood lasted.

Teseem Akende, a journalist with TVC99 who resides at Kigo Road, one of the areas affected by the flood, told The Nation that the speed at which the water was coming was surprising.

He said, "My house that you know was completely submerged. Thank God I left that house. My new house was inside the water, but I was not directly affected because I live upstairs, but the people downstairs were not lucky. I was lucky to have quickly moved my car away from the house and by the time I was returning to the house, the water was almost at my neck level.

Within 30 minutes, everywhere was completely flooded."

Another victim, Johnson Audu told The Nation that he was unable to save anything from his house.

He said, "I discovered I was trapped around 11:am when I dashed home to see what I could salvage from my house. Before I could get out, I discovered that the flood outside had reached close to my nostril level. I had no choice but to to climb upstairs where others had gathered. The boatmen came and started collecting N8,000 per head. Some of us refused to pay. But after an hour, with the situation getting worse, we started paying N20,000 per person. Even at that, there were not enough canoes to take everyone. Some people are still up there." James Aboki, a resident of Kigo road in Kaduna metropolis was quoted as saying that when the rain started, some residents of the area called on emergency workers but lamented that nobody showed up. We made desperate calls around 7am this morning when it was obvious that there was disaster coming but SEMA never even picked our calls. We tried to remove what we can, before the entire place became like a sea,'' he said.

John Femi Adi, a journalist with The News magazine was not so lucky. His house located in the

‘I have lived in Kaduna for over 40 years and I have never seen that magnitude of flood in my entire life.

When I left the house with my family that morning for the hospital there were signs if flood, but I thought it was the normal flood associated with normal rains.

We took my child to the hospital and after treatment I went to the NUJ to do my job. I got home at about 6pm only to discover that my house had been taken over by flood. The level of flood in the house was about 6ft and there was no way I could go inside the house to rescue anything. It is my personal house and everything I had worked for was lost in the flood Kudenda area of Kaduna metropolis was overtaken by water and he had to relocate with his family to his parents’ house where he spent about three days before returning

•A flooded part of Kaduna

•Another section of the flooded areas

home. Adi told The Nation that he left the house that morning not expecting a psych level of flood.

He said, "I have lived in Kaduna for over 40 years and I have never seen that magnitude of flood in my entire life. When I left the house with my family that morning for the hospital there were signs if flood, but I thought it was the normal flood associated with normal rains. We took my child to the hospital and after treatment, I went to the NUJ to do my job. I got home at about 6pm only to discover that my house had been taken over by flood. The level of flood in the house was about 6ft and there was no way I could go inside the house to rescue anything. It is my personal house and everything I had

•Flooded parts of Kaduna

worked for were lost in the flood.

We could not rescue anything from the house except the cloths we had on. Even the drugs my child was taking before we left the house as well as all the food and clothing were lost. The painful aspect is that we have not seen any government official coming to Kudenda to sympathise with us. I called some of the people I know in the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and they complained that they are handicap, but that they are taking stock. I have not seen anyone coming to Kudenda for such. It is unfortunate that we have a government that don't care about what happen to its people. Things like this cannot happen in other countries. It appears that these people

are only interested in what they will get out of government. It is a terrible experience and till today, about four days after the flood, we are yet to see anybody in government.

The Director-General of NEMA was almost lynched along Kigo road because the people were angry that they had battle by themselves for several hours without any help, only for the man who is also a Kaduna man to come two days after. Over 50 houses located along the river side were gone. It's quite unfortunate that we can not help it. We saw our houses taken over by water and we could not do anything".

Continued on page 28

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

27

THE NORTH REPORT Residents of once squalid police barracks in Kogi State will have fond memories of the state’s redeployed Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi who initiated the rehabilitation of the blocks.

JAMES AZANIA reports

A parting shot in Kogi Y OU could see their relief in the smile on their faces and the gratitude in their voices. Families of police officers from the ‘A’ Division of the Kogi State command were happy with the state government for listening to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusu, who advised that something be done to alleviate the suffering of the force’s rank and file in the state.

The barracks upgrade was the last major thing the CP did before he was redeployed.

One major concern of his upon taking office in February was the woeful accommodation of his officers and men. Another was insecurity in the state. But in his assessment, the CP saw that his officers and men were struggling with low morale, part of which traceable to their squalor.

The CP approached the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada. Two months after the story had changed for the better, and the smile returned to the faces of the occupants of Block F, A Division.

The joy of Mrs. Sarah Jibrin, Acting Chairperson, Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) in the state, was palpable as she went around congratulating the occupants of the once derided Block F. The renovation lasted two months, starting from June. Before the upgrade, barracks accommodation was horrible. For more than eight years, facilities, including windows, doors and lightings were absent in some of the quarters.

The governor who supported the renovation effort had expressed indignation over the state of police residential quarters in Lokoja and pledged that that state government will renovate them, beginning from ‘A Division barracks.

One of the occupants of ‘Block F’, Mrs Aisha Abdullahi praised the CP under whose tenure the renovation took place, saying that the fortunes of those residing there have been turned around.

She said, “Before, we were the butt of laughter because of the squalor in ‘Block F. One night, the zinc blew off and it was as if I was living out-

•The rehabilitated Block F and some residents

•Some occupants of Block F From James Azania, Lokoja

side. The breeze passed through the roof and we were all despondent, but we are now rejoicing. All the things that our self-efforts could not achieve have been made possible.

“This barracks has been there before the creation of the state, governors and CPs have come and gone but none did it. To my greatest surprise, the best CP so far, the best governor so far, they can do this. I have never seen this kind of CP and this kind of governor.”

The CP said, “I assumed office as CP in the state on February 11, 2015, when criminality was at its height in the state. But for your (the

governor’s) intervention I don’t know how the command could be run. What we are witnessing today is part of the measures that is too short we introduced to turn things around and I am happy to tell you that though five months is too short a time to measure success, but we have achieved a lot within the period.

“Through community efforts we were able to renovate the state police headquarters (N15 million). All the traffic wardens in the command were issued two uniforms each by the command, also through community efforts. I approached His Excellency for the repair of the barracks and without hesitation he did it. His

Excellency released a total of N17 million and within one and a half months we achieved it, and now, for the first time, there is water running.

“The effort was achieved through the input of professionals in the police, including architectural and redesign work”.

The CP called for a minute silence for the 19 police officers who died in service, fighting criminality, within the period of his tenure in the state.

He touched on the issue of corruption, saying the malaise was gradually finding its way out of the force.

Governor Wada said the sight of the ‘Block F’ had long assailed him and hence he did not waste time when the need for him to be of use

presented itself.

He said, “This building has confronted me every day over the years that I passed on the way to Government House. When the rain falls it is a big problem for them and so, when I was approached I did not hesitate in supporting the renovation and refurbishment of the barracks.

“Despite our lean resources we do our best. Our own part of the bargain has been completed, it is now left to the occupants to see to it that the place is well kept. When little things are damaged, they should attend to them so that little expense will not grow to big, in a situation where money is scarce”.

Muslim women caution against indigene factor

T

•General Manager (Audit and Compliance) Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Hajia Maryam Danna Mohammed (right) receiving Integrity in Service Award from President, Rotary Club of Apo, Abuja, Agatha Dengun Akase in recognition of her exemplary conduct in public service during a Rotary Award and Dinner at Savannah Suites, Garki, Abuja.

HE Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has urged government to de-emphasise the indigene concept, saying such reversal will help reduce, if not eradicate, mediocrity in the society.

FOMWAN at the end of its 30th annual national conference in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, called on government to create an enabling environment for businesses run by women to thrive, and also to empower women, especially widows.

In a communiqué signed by its National Amirah (President) Hajia Amina Omoti and National Secretary Dr Umaimat Momoh, the group lamented the low involvement of women in decision making and other aspects of national development FOMWAN urged women not to neglect their primary responsibilities of proper child upbringing and making an ideal Islamic home.

According to the FOMWAN, Muslim women should actively pursue

‘Parents and governments at all levels should respect the rights of youths and children by implementing the Child Rights Act which is in consonance with the principles of Islamic Human Rights except pegging the age of marriage’

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

learning and be involved in community development.

The communiqué reads: “FOMWAN recommends that parents and governments at all levels should respect the rights of youths and children by implementing the Child Rights Act which is in consonance with the principles of Islamic Human Rights except pegging the age of marriage.

“Government should ensure the rights of Muslim woman to dress in accordance with her religious tenets as provided for in section 38 of the

Nigeria Constitution be protected.

Likewise, the examination authorities in the country especially West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) to be mindful of religious obligations with regards to timing while setting examination timetables.”

The group bemoaned the high rate of insecurity especially in the North-East and commiserated with all the victims of the insurgency and their families.

Corruption, FOMWAN said, is an impediment to national development.

28

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

THE NORTH REPORT

R

ENOWNED for communal efforts, the people of Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State rebuilt the popular Owode Market in the ancient town after it was razed down by an early morning fire.

It cost them N500m to rebuild the 302-shop facility, it was learnt.

The inferno which was said to have started around 1:30am in May 2014 reportedly burnt down a larger part of the market.

The fire was said to have been caused by a power surge from an electric pole. Traders had earlier reportedly complained about the damaged pole to the electricity officials to rectify the problem.

The National Emergency Agency (NEMA) has also put smile in the faces of the over 648 victims of the incident.

Though, the community's indebtedness on the ongoing project is in the neighbourhood of N32 million, the community disclosed that it had expended about N500 million on reconstruction work.

Secretary General of the Offa Descendants Union (ODU), Mrs. Wasilat A. Mcarthy who conducted NEMA team round the market recently said the state government had redeemed its pledge of N10 million.

Mrs. Mcarthy said: "We feel highly elated and appreciative of NEMA for coming to give relief materials to the fire victims. We know that the federal government in his wisdom has put in this agency to bring succour and joy to disaster victims.

We have about 648 people who were victims of the inferno and who will benefit from the NEMA largess.

302 shops were burnt. Some of them share shops, that is why we have 648 victims.

"We lost close to N2 billion as a committee was put in place. Some of the victims even left money in their shops.

"My advice is that we should take proactive action to forestall future occurrence of that. We should insure our goods.

"The reconstruction of the market so far is strictly on community efforts. All sons and daughters of Offa even those that are not resident in Offa have been contributing money.

We always wake up to the cry of ourselves.

We have a listening government.

Continued from page 26 Investigations revealed that several houses were destroyed and many residents rendered homeless, while many farmlands were washed away. Even though the residence of former Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo was not affected by the flood, several of his neighbours who built their houses close to the Kaduna River bank were not so lucky. Residents struggled to savage their belongings from the

•Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Minna Operation Office, Mr. Slaku Lugard Bijimi (third left) with members of Offa Descendants Union and others during NEMA's presentation of relief materials to victims of Owode Market fire disaster in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State

Kwara community rebuilds burnt market with N500m

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed came immediately the fire occurred, he saw it and he was touched."

Speaking, Zonal Coordinator NEMA, Minna Operation Office, Mr. Slaku L. Bijimi said that the agency is worried by incessant fire out break across the country.

NEMA boss added that "it is advising that we take preventive measures so that we curb disasters. We do not like to come to assist people because of disasters because we do not take pleasure in the loss of lives, property of the people. No amount of material or money you give can bring back life. We want people to be safe than to be devastated by disasters."

Mr. Bijimi said: "A few months ago we came for an assessment here and we saw that a good part of the market was burnt and we promised to come back.

"We are impressed by the fact that work is almost completed and we are hoping that the small assistance we brought...will go a long way in speeding up the remaining work and the market will be commissioned.

"For the market we have cement, roofing sheets, nails, and for the affected victims, we have food and non-food items…What we came with is worth millions of naira."

‘A few months ago we came for an assessment here and we saw that a good part of the market was burnt and we promised to come back. We are impressed by the fact that work is almost completed and we are hoping that the small assistance we brought...will go a long way in speeding up the remaining work and the market will be commissioned’

Floods: Forewarned, not forearmed flood, while canoe operators made brisk business from the helpless residents. It was gathered that some of them charged as much as N20,000 per head.

The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA), Mr. Ezekiel BabaKarik was quoted as saying the disaster was the worst in the history of the state with about 10 local government areas of the state affected

by the flood caused by the heavy down pour of rain which started on Sunday to the early hours of monday. Areas affected by the flood within Kaduna metropolis include Barnawa, Tudun-wada, Kigo Road, Karatudu, Kabala Constain, Anguwan Rimi, Kudendan, Rafin Guza, Badiko, Hayin Mallam Mani and Gonin Gora, among several others.

Most of places affected are settle-

•Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong (right) congratulating Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (Retd) on his doctorate degree award at University of Jos. With them is Prof. Julius Okojie, representative of President Muhammadu Buhari

ments around the river bank.

The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi who came to visit the victims two days after the flood incurred their anger when he arrived Kigo road new extension, one of the worst affected area. The furious victims rained all sorts of abusive words on the NEMA Boss.

His attempt to address them at-

tracted more aggressive comments.

"You are only here to speak grammar; we have no place to lay our heads, and government doesn't care for us; open your mouth and speak out, you are saying nothing. It is local canoe owners that have been helping us to move some of our loads out of this flood, you have come here to mock, you came empty handed without bringing any relief materials for us".

•Officials of Nigeria Red-Cross carrying a lady who collapsed during the 40th anniversary of the 27-28 Convocation of University of Jos

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

Page 29

The exhibitors are few, patronage insignificant, items too costly. This year's Abuja International Trade Fair is leaving a sour taste in the mouth, reports GRACE OBIKE

•Not much life at the fair

‘This was not what I expected, to be honest. Last year's fair was better that this one. I have barely recovered my transport to Abuja, talk more of other things.

The few people that come price the products so low and complain that they are expensive but it is not our fault’

A frustrating fair I

T hurts to admit, but the 10th Abuja International Trade Fair is falling short in several respects. There is none of the trademark hustle and bustle. Nor that feast atmosphere. The sellers are few, and those who display their articles are grumbling about low patronage. Even the few buyers are just as frustrated, lamenting prices they consider out of reach.

People believe that new and uncommon products can be bought at cheaper rates at trade fairs. Indeed, that used to be the case in Abuja when patrons trooped to trade fairs especially those held at the old parade ground right in the middle of town.

Things seem to be changing.

Some residents of Abuja who visited this year's fair at the J. T. Useni International Trade Fair complex along Airport Road with the hopes of a fair that can be compared to others left disappointed.

The reason for this poor outing at the fair is not quite clear. Is it the poor economic situation in the country? Is it because the fair is being held during the Sallah celebrations or that the distance to the venue is far? What is beyond doubt is that fewer people visited the fair last week even though it was public holiday marking the Eid el-Kabir celebrations.

•Scanty crowd at the fair

Guests familiar with other trade fairs were mostly disappointed after they were forced to pay the compulsory N100 gate fee to enter the complex, with few stalls and

even fewer buyers showing up.

Although the few participants at the fair actually came from a few different countries like Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, etc, others came

from Lagos and other states.

The fair, which was opened on Friday September 18 and ends on October 2, has given many participants reason to worry as most of

them complained of low patronage and poor turnout of buyers.

Ghanaian jewel seller who gave his name as Mensah complained of lack of sales.

He said, "This was not what I expected, to be honest. Last year's fair was better that this one. I have barely recovered my transport to Abuja, talk more of other things. The few people that come price the products so low and complain that they are expensive but it is not our fault." ?

For some visitors, the fair was some sort of family excursion, with their active children turning the place into a playground, Continued on page 30

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

30

ABUJA REVIEW Kuje council chair canvasses support

A frustrating fair

From Gbenga Omokhunu

T

HE chairman of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Shaban Tete has appealed to residents to support the council during the economic meltdown.

Tete said that the economic issues in the country are not only causing hardship in other states but also in the FCT. He further gave the assurance of more and better developments on ground in the area council when allocations to the council’s improve because, according to him, no form of developmental intentions can be met without funds.

The council boss made this known through his special assistant Media and Publicity, Hon. Yusuf Dabo who divulged the issue to newsmen in Abuja.

“But, we are doing our best to affect the lives of our people positively.

But, people will not understand what is going on in the council, particularly Kuje area council that is sharing border with Nassarawa state. For instance, we are presently grading a ten kilometre road from gigbe in Kwali area council to Kwaku up to Takwa.

“We sunk boreholes in Kwaku, Pasu, Gadoro and Sabo villages and also rehabilated some broken down boreholes in Lanto village and in Kayada in Kuje town. We are building a health centre in Chibiri village and also provided rural electrification in Kango village.

“Since our administration, we have purchased six 33kva transformers that have been installed in various locations of the central ward, like Unguwan Gade, behind central mosque, Unguwan Gade Kassa, Kayada Primary School, Low cost housing Mentobal.

“All this have been achieved within the meager amount of money that is coming to the council coffers. We will definitely do more in future, all we need is for residents to support and always pray for our administration,” he said.

Continued from page 29

while the parents went from one shop to the other trying to bargain their way through the market.

"I am honestly not impressed," said a man who came with his wife and three children. "Will you believe they counted all of us in the car and made us pay for each person? It is crazy; usually, when you drive into trade fair grounds with your car, you are just required to pay for the car and not everyone else in it."?

Complaining further, he said, "We are in an electronic age and you will expect that there will be an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) mounted in the complex to make it easier to shop but none; the traders do not even have a Point of Sales (POS) machine to make shopping easier. One will have to leave the complex and go all the way to Area 1 to withdraw more money since Lugbe Federal Housing that happens to be the? area around here with a bank can only boast of one bank and there is no money in it with the Sallah break."

The theme of the fair is "Entrepreneurship as a panacea for economic growth".

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mr Abdulkadir Musa said that the trade fair seeks to lay a foundation for inclusive growth, wealth creation, food security and reduction of the cost of doing business in Nigeria.

He added that the fair was one of the best platforms for international and domestic exhibitors to create new product lines, access new markets, build new business relationships and showcase new products.?

•Scenes of the fair

Aspirant to donate half of salary to charity

T

HE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and aspirant of the forthcoming chairmanship election in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Abdulahi Candido has said he will donate 50 per cent of his monthly salary to charity if he wins election.

He also promised to establish a local AMAC radio station that would focus on tradition, cultural heritage, occupation and other vital aspect of the people in the territory, saying that the radio station would serve as a united force for the people of AMAC and Abuja at large.

“AMAC is a very large council and the radio stations around do not really speak directly to the people. So, as a local council that operates within the locality, our intention is to come out with a local radio station that can speak directly to the people in their mother tongues.

“Different languages ranging from Igbo, Yoruba, Gbagyi, Gwandara, Hausa and other languages, would be concentrated on the radio production. That is the idea of coming out with a local radio station that will speak directly to the people outside what we have now. When you bring a station that is grassroots oriented, it will affect the lives of the people directly,” he said Candido added that if elected his administration will establish skills acquisition and vocational centres in the 12 wards, where school leavers and unemployed graduates will be

‘AMAC is a very large council and the radio stations around do not really speak directly to the people. So, as a local council that operates within the locality, our intention is to come out with a local radio station that can speak directly to the people in their mother tongues’ From Grace Obike

trained free of charge in different kinds of trade.

“This is aimed at making the people self reliant and also job providers. A special unit will be charged with the responsibilities of finding jobs in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), companies will also be approached with a view to ensure that AMAC quota is not short-changed.

“While private companies that operate operates in our localities will be encouraged to provide their host communities with jobs. The council will enforce laws that will compel compliance, so that our younger ones are kept off the streets,” he said.

ALGON mourns HID Awolowo

T

HE Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has condoled with the family of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nigerians over the death of Mrs. Dideolu Awolowo, wife of the late sage.

President of ALGON Hon. Micah Jiba said he received the news of her passing with sadness, adding that Mrs Awolowo will be greatly missed.

“On behalf of the 774 local governments’ chairmen and residents of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), we sincerely commiserate with the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of their mother.

“She was a jewel of inestimable value to this great country. Nigerians will missed her, because of motherly role to many people who knew her and the role she played with her husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in ensuring the unity of this country, is something that can never be over emphasises.

“We join the family and millions of admirers of her late revered husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in mourning

By Igho Oyoyo

Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo who will be long remembered and celebrated as the famous spouse and pillar of strength of the late nationalist, political leader of our great country Nigeria,” he said.

Jiba, who is also the chairman of AMAC added that the history of the nation will forever remember that Mrs. Awolowo was a great woman of substance and has left an indelible impression and very significant legacy both in the country and the minds of her admirers.

“We prayed that God will comfort Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo’s family, relatives, friends, associates and admirers, and grant them the fortitude to bear the loss and uncommon vacuum she has left behind.

“We also pray that God will receive the soul of the late mother of the nation and grant her eternal rest from her long, earthly service to her renowned spouse, family, community and the entire country,” he stated.

Christian pilgrims board screens travellers

T

From Gbenga Omokhunu HE Christians Pilgrims Welfare Board (CPWB) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has started screening pilgrims intending to travel to Israel for the 2015 pil- ally and spiritually transformed they will fare better in their endeavours and impact positively grimage. on others and at the end of it all, we will have a Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christians Pilgrims better nation.”

The Director of FCT CPWB, Dabara Vingo said Commission (NCPC), Kennedy Okpara explained that the the screening is aimed at ascertaining the health screening exercise is necessary to ascertain if the pilgrims are Christians and understand the reason for the spiritual status of the pilgrims and to know the people with the tendency to abscond. journey.

Vingo also said that the board is fully prepared Okpara, who was represented by the Federal Commissioner representing North Central Zone, Mrs. Unekwu with the help of security, medical and other perUgboro, said the pilgrimage is a spiritual exercise and not sonnel to read the intent of the pilgrims, adding that the exercise started with 300 pilgrims, a numfor sightseeing or tourism.

“They are to be prepared spiritual and we pray that ber that increased to 1,200 due to additions from when they come back they would be changed people and the NCPC. He said pilgrimage is for those that are intendwhen they are changed they will be able change their ing to improve their holy life, “the Holy Land families, environment and nation positively,” he said.

He also added that pilgrimage is for moral and spiri- would make them read more about their faith tual transformation, “we believe that if people are mor- thereby transforming their moral lives.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

31

ABUJA REVIEW Centenary City: Indigenes seek inclusion in compensation

I

NDIGENOUS people of Gude, Sauka and Dakibiyu communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cried out against being left out when communities affected by the Centenary City project are compensated.

They have also called for the revaluation of their economic trees and crops.

Over 199 native people in the three communities affected lamented what they described as irregularities and deception in the assessment and valuation of their economic trees and crops, saying that they were unduly influenced and that the process lacked transparency.

The natives through their counsel, Mr. James Ndeye, a lawyer, are appealing to the federal government and the FCT administration to do a mop-up in the valuation or conduct another assessment and valuation.

Ndeye, who addressed journalists in Abuja on the presumed wrongful manner in which the natives were cheated during the valuation of the economic trees and crops, said that about 250 hectares of land was acquired for the project in the three communities.

He added during and after the assessment and valuation of economic trees and crops on their farmlands, only officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the Centenary City representative, the private consultant and the farm owners' committee chairman went round the entire 250 hectares of land without the participation of the individual farm owners.

"It was a fraudulent exercise since no amount was disclosed to farm owners before collection and signing of cheque as they were unduly influenced to collect cheque first before seeing the amount written on it," Ndeye said.

Mr. President…for the purpose of all-inclusiveness in your administration, equity, fairness and justice for the indigenous people of the FCT, Abuja who have a firm root in history, culture and tradition, I humbly hope and pray that you will…appoint an indigene of Abuja as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in your proposed cabinet

A

MEMBER of the House of Representatives, Hon. Zakari Angulu Dobi has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint an indigenous Abuja person as minister.

Hon. Dobi’s appeal was con-

‘Over 199 native people in the three communities affected lamented what they described as irregularities and deception in the assessment and valuation of their economic trees and crops, saying that they were unduly influenced and that the process lacked transparency’

•Members of Ebira Electoral Committee (EEC), Ibadan Branch and new leaders of the branch

From Grace Obike

While stressing the need for government authorities to revisit the valuation process, he said inadequate compensation will not only be a scourge to the natives, but a gradual extinction of their livelihood and their generation yet unborn.

He said all the affected farm owners were paid about N26 million, with the highest paid farm owner receiving N885, 000 for his 14 hectare while the least paid farm owner was N10, 000.

Ndeye said the aggrieved natives would have to seek redress by taking legal action in a competent court of jurisdiction to challenge the mode or manner of acquisition of farmlands by the authorities in charge of the Centenary City Project.

•Some patrons at Abuja trade fair

Lawmaker makes case for indigenous minister

By Gbenga Omokhunu

tained in a letter, part of which read, “Mr. President…for the purpose of all-inclusiveness in your administration, followership, equity, fairness and justice of the indigenous people of the FCT, Abuja who have a firm root in history, culture and tradition, I humbly hope and pray that you will…appoint an indigene of FCT, Abuja as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in your proposed cabinet.”

In the letter made available to The Nation, Dobi said the issue of having a minister who hailed from Abuja has been raging for a long time.

The letter read further: “Mr. President the mantra of our revered political party All Progressives Congress (APC) through which…you gained widespread and national acceptance is change. It is in this view that I am writing this piece with all passion to appeal to your humble self to consider appointing an indigene of the Federal capital territory, Abuja as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in your proposed cabinet.

•A scene of Abuja trade fair

•Flood in Benue State caused by excess water released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

32

ABUJA REVIEW

T

HE fiscal discipline machine is alive and revving. It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the purchase of new cars for his personal use when he took office.

He had insisted on using the cars left behind by former President Goodluck Jonathan. By that singular act, he saved the country N400 million. Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also cut their salaries by 50% at the beginning of their tenure.

While Buhari is still pursuing looters of the commonwealth of Nigerians, stolen from the national treasury under former President Jonathan, he has also remained focused on blocking or cutting down drastically any area of leakage or wastage under his watch.

One of his ways of blocking financial leakages was the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) for all non-exempted Federal Government’s revenue generating agencies to pay in their revenues, rather than using multiple accounts, which are susceptible to fraud.

Complying with the TSA directive was a sort of bitter pills to swallow for some of the civil servants as they hesitated and tried to dodge the Presidential order.

The latest area where President Buhari has cut down wastages, which is in the public domain, is the expenses to be incurred by Nigeria towards her 55th independence celebration billed for Thursday, October 1.

As he cut down the budget for the celebration to N70 million, Buhari harped on the need to avoid frivolity and the importance of channelling such resources to good use for the benefit of the man on the street.

To him, having a low-key independence celebration and using the money that would have been spent on elaborate celebration for tangible infrastructure and development is the way to go.

This N70 million budget is in contrast to most costs expended on past independence anniversary celebration in the country.

The costs of such annual celebrations under the immediate past administration had been in billion naira range.

The celebration, then often go with a lot of fanfare and drains on the treasury despite the fact that the country was suffering from many infrastructural decays and poverty in the land.

But announcing the low-key 2015 independence celebration last Tuesday, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, through the Permanent Secretary (Political) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (OSGF),

Pruning independence celebrations budget Ibukun Odusote said: “Let me emphasise that this year’s celebration is indeed low-key.

“This is because the present administration appreciates the economic hardship that Nigerians and indeed the nation is confronted with today.

“To address the situation, government has adopted a general policy to be very prudent in the management of our financial resources. This year’s celebration is therefore, in consonance with the cost saving policy direction of this administration.

“To ensure a successful commemoration, four sub-committees have been constituted to handle the preparations for each of the four

From the Villa

By Augustine Ehikioya

event. The events are: Jumat prayers, international thanksgiving service,

ceremonial change of guards and a children’s party.” He stated

Putting Boko Haram on world stage

O

NE of the cardinal targets of the President Buhari administration is to ensure the security of lives and properties of all Nigerians and other nationals residing in the country.

The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended also backed President Buhari in that direction.

That is why he is leaving no stone unturned in the efforts to defeat the terrorists, Boko Haram as soon as possible.

Boko Haram, which have claimed the lives of many Nigerians, in-

jured others and destroyed billions of naira worth of properties in the country in the past 5 years, have in recent times been carrying out their evil attacks in neighbouring countries.

Besides relocating the headquarter of Nigeria’s Armed Forces battle against Boko Haram from Abuja to the heart of the war, Borno State, Buhari also gave the new service chiefs mandate to crush the sect before December, 2015.

He did not hesitate to seek the support of neighboring countries

•Representative of the GOC, 3 Div., Brig.-Gen. Benson Akinroluyo (left) presenting some items donated by the Army to the Principal, Plateau State Rehabilitation Centre, Mr Bulus Kwjai, for physically challenged persons in Jos. With them is Executive Secretary, Plateau Disability Rights Commission, Mr Bitrus Hosea

under the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic to defeat terrorism in the sub-region.

The cooperation in the commission is mainly geared towards deployment of Multinational Joint Task Force against terror.

Apart from the immediate Nigerian neighbours, Buhari also took the campaign against terror to the world stage.

He visited Germany on the invitation of the G-7 leaders, where the world leaders opened a new chapter of diplomatic relationship with

•Entertainers at the 10th Abuja International Trade Fair

Nigeria as they promised technical and material support to quell Boko Haram and assist in rebuilding the Nigerian economy.

Buhari also visited the United States of America (USA) in July 2015 and did not fail to seek the support of the US against Boko Haram.

As a fallout of the visit, the United States pledged $5 million to the fight against Boko Haram, in addition to other material support.

Buhari’s newest campaign against Boko Haram at the world stage is at the ongoing 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States of America.

Terrorism is among the top issues he tabled at the session.

This campaign is directly to the right forum as the United Nations (UN) has the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.

Optimistic that the end of Boko Haram was really in sight, President Buhari in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians said: “Boko Haram’s reign of terror in parts of the country will be finally over very soon as the ongoing military onslaught against the terrorist sect will continue relentlessly until total victory is achieved.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

33

LAW & SOCIETY

Group seeks more rights for women

Taxation law expert Chukwuemeka Eze examines the legality of the directive by the Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose that all private schools should pay a mandatory tax of N150,000, and that anyone, who buys a cow for food must pay N 1,000.

By Joseph Jibueze

A

Illegality of Fayose’s flat tax directive T

HE print media was awash on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 with reports of Gov. Ayo Fayose’s threat that no private school in Ekiti State will be allowed to commence school activities this Session unless it pays a tax of N150,000 and that anybody who buys one cow to be slaughtered for any ceremony will pay N1,000. It was further reported that the Governor vowed to shut four banks for ‘tax evasion’. Of all these issues, I intend to anatomise the issue of payment of N150,000 by each private school before the school will be allowed to re-open.

For private schools with large population of employees, payment of N150,000 may even be a blessing in disguise, especially if the monthly personal income tax remittance is above the N150,000 mark. The opposite will, however, be the lot of small and medium schools with low staff population. Each of such schools is now being compelled to cough out N150,000 without regard to what the actual remittance should be or ought to be. The implication of the Governor’s Proclamation is that a private school with, for example, 10 members of staff, at salaries varying from N10,000 to N50,000 must pay the same N150,000 in the manner of another school with 30 members of staff with salaries ranging from N15,000 to N80,000.

Flat tax has been defined by Tejutax at page 794 of her book, Tejutax Reference Book, Vol. 1, as a tax applied at the same rate to all levels of income.

Flat tax means that everyone has to pay tax at just one and only one rate.

In such a system, in place of a complex set of income tax brackets, a State declares a threshold above which all parties pay a fixed rate on all their income.

As at today, the Federal Government of Nigeria and its federating States apply the progressive system of taxation and not the flat tax system. This is why the system is classified as PayAs-You-Earn (P.A.Y.E.). Paragraph 7 of Part II of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution provides that: In the exercise of its powers to impose any tax or duty on – (a) capital gains, incomes or profits of persons other than companies; and (b) documents or transactions by way of stamp duties the National Assembly may, subject to such conditions as it may prescribe, provide that the collection of any such tax or duty or the administration of the law imposing it shall be carried out by the Government of a State or other authority of a state.

It was pursuant to this provision that the National Assembly made the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2011 whose principal Act is the Personal Income Tax Act, Cap. P8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (otherwise called “PITA”). PITA was actually enacted in 1993 and it is an existing law pursuant to Section 315(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.

Of equal relevance is Paragraph 8 of Part II of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, which provides that: Where an Act of the National Assembly provides for the collection of tax or duty on capital gains, incomes or profits or the administration of any law by an authority of a state in ac-

cordance with paragraph 7 hereof, it shall regulate the liability of persons to such tax or duty in such manner as to ensure that such tax or duty is not levied on the same person by more than one state.

This provision makes it clear that the Act made by the National Assembly shall regulate the liability of the residents of a state to such tax in such a manner as to ensure that such tax is not levied on the same person by more than one state. This provision is intended to prevent multiplicity of taxes but much more than that.

Item 59, Part 1, Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, (which contains the Exclusive Legislative List) gives the National Assembly exclusive powers to legislate on taxation of incomes, profits and capital gains except as otherwise prescribed by this Constitution. The purport of these constitutional provisions is that the states are to enforce laws made by the National Assembly in relation to taxation of incomes, profits and capital gains.

A state is required to impose tax or levy with respect to any of the 25 taxes and levies contained in the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act (Amendment Order), 2015.

With respect to these 25 taxes and levies, Fayose’s proclamation is only related to income tax. Yours sincerely has shown that income tax cannot be charged arbitrarily; it can only be charged according to the relevant Act. I know as a fact that there is no law in Ekiti State, which makes it compulsory for each private school to pay N150,000 before resumption in a new session. Even if there is such a law, it will be unconstitutional because Section 1(3) of the 1999 Constitution provides that: If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution, this constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.

Taxes and levies cannot be charged by a rule of the thumb or by a Governor’s proclamation. There are guiding principles to taxation, which the State Governors and the Federal Government must imbibe if we want to have an equitable tax system. Let us consider the words of wisdom in the cases below: “It is the law that the language of a statute imposing a tax, duty or charge must receive a strict construction in the sense that there is no room for any intendment and regard must be had to the clear meaning of the words.

‘It is the law that the language of a statute imposing a tax, duty or charge must receive a strict construction in the sense that there is no room for any intendment and regard must be had to the clear meaning of the words’

• Eze If the state claims a tax under a statute it must show that the tax is imposed by clear and unambiguous words, and where the statute is in doubt it must be construed in favour of the subject, however much within the spirit of the law the case might otherwise be, but a fair and reasonable construction must be given to the language used without leaning to one side or the order” statement of law by Lord Atkinson in Ordmond Investment Co. v. Betts [1928] AC 143 at 162, adopted: per Ikpeazu J. in Aderawos Trading Co. Ltd. v. F.B.I.R. [1966] L.L.R. 196 at 200.”

“It is a general principle of fiscal legislation that to be liable to tax the subject must fall clearly within the words of the charge imposing the tax, otherwise he goes free. It is also for the State to establish that the charge prima facie extends to the subject matter sought to be charged: per Lord Halsbury L.C. in Tennant v. Smith (Surveyor of Taxes) [1892] A.C. 150 at 154, HL.” A good tax system, therefore, should be part of the so-called democracy dividends. Ade Ipaye has outlined the essentials of a good tax system, in his book, Nigerian Tax, Law & Administration: A Critical Review, to include equity, certainty, convenience and administrative efficiency. Certainly, Gov. Fayose’s imposition of a new tax regime specifically for some citizens is not only discriminatory but uncertain.

According to the National Tax Policy, governors are expected to play a similar role to that of the Presidency at state level. They would be responsible for the development of state Tax Policy which shall be complementary to the National Tax Policy. In addition, they are responsible for the enforcement of Federal and State tax laws in the States and carry out general oversight functions on tax and revenue authorities at the State and Local Government level. State Governors would be required to provide guidance and direction to the State Ministries of Finance, the State Boards of Internal Revenue Service and other relevant revenue generating agencies involved in tax administration in the States. They should also ensure adequate funding and autonomy is provided to these agencies in the discharge of their functions.

State Governors, as stakeholders in the Tax System, have roles and responsibilities, among which are: (a) adherence to Constitutional Federalism and the Rule of Law at all times; (b) strict adherence to Constitutional provisions relating to fiscal matters; (c) strict adherence to the provisions to tax legislation in the administration of taxes; (d) commitment to the enforcement of tax laws in a legal Constitutional manner; (e) commitment to the creation and sustainable development of a stable, secure and workable tax system for Nigeria.

The intendment of this piece is, therefore, not to encourage tax evasion or to avoid tax remittance, but to discourage State Governors from making tax laws – whether discriminatory or not – by executive fiat. This is my little contribution to tax law jurisprudence and I hope it will be useful to not only Ekiti people but to Nigerians as a whole.

CIVIL society group, Voices for Change (V4C), has condemned social discrimination against women.

It said women should be accorded the same rights their male counterparts enjoy.

At a seminar on gender equality for traditional rulers in Lagos, the group said the customs and traditions which relegate women to the background should be done away with.

According to V4C, the subjugation of women by traditional institutions, which for instance, makes it impossible for a woman to be appointed a monarch, must be outlawed.

The event’s facilitator, V4C’s Key Influencer Lead, Denis Onoise, said it was organised to explore the critical role men, such as the monarchs, can play in fostering gender equality.

The forum revealed deeply entrenched beliefs among traditionalists that women have limited rights. Asked if it were easier to be a man in Nigeria than a woman, the monarchs except one said it was easier to be a man. Asked if men needed more sex than women, all of them also agreed.

They all agreed that gender equality would come at a high cost to men because they will be unwilling to relinquish their privileges.

Asked if a woman can be on Oba in Lagos, for instance, majority of the monarchs said: “Impossible!” “Abomination”! They said the only time it happened was in Ijebuland during a war and because all the men were at the battlefront.

But asked if women make better parents than men, the monarchs all agreed, saying it was because women spent more time at home.

The monarchs, however, agreed that women should be given more rights rather than being shut out of opportunities.

Onoise said women should be carried along and allowed to make input when developmental decisions are made.

“Gender equality is not about women taking over. We’re not saying women should take over, but it’s for all to work together towards a more just society.

At the end of the day, women are the one suffering and that must end.

“Gender equality means that men and women enjoy the same status. They both share the same opportunities for realising their human rights and potential to contribute and benefit from all spheres of society – economic, political, social, cultural,” he said.

According to Onoise, cultural and religious values play a key role in determining discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. He recalled the Biblical story of an adulterous woman who was to be stoned to death while no punishment was prescribed for the man who committed the adultery with her.

He said there is the need to encourage gender equitable behaviors, such as men and women making joint decisions about their health, men respecting a woman’s right to demand for or say no to sex, men and women settling differences without violence, and men and women sharing responsibility for parenting and care for others.

“The roles of men and women are changing in our society. It has slowly become less difficult to step outside of the box. Still, it is hard for men and women to live outside of these boxes,” adding that jettisoning strongly held beliefs will make it easier for men and women “to live outside of the boxes.”

Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Community Affairs, Lagos State, Mr Gafar Sanuth, said the state remains one of the few that has had successive women deputy-governors.

“The issue of gender equality has been in practice for years in Lagos,” he said, urging the monarchs to accord women more recognition in their domains.

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Plateau gets bailout funds committee

LATEAU State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, has inaugurated a com mittee to oversee the use and implementation of the Federal Govern ment’s bailout funds.

A statement from the Director, Press and Public Affairs to the Governor, Mr. Samuel Emmanuel Nanle reads: “Consequent upon the approval of a N5.375 billion bailout Funds of the Federal Government for Plateau State for the payment of backlog of salaries, the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong, has approved the constitution of an Implementation Committee for the bailout funds under the chairmanship of the Head of Civil Service, Huldah Fwangchi.

“Other members of the Committee are the Accountant-General of the state, the Permanent Secretary Establishment and Pension Matters, the Permanent Secretary Local Government Service Commission, the state Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the Director General, Debt Management Office, the State Chairman Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the State Chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and Selfa Dashe who is to serve as Secretary. ”The Committee is to assiduously see to the application of the funds towards the payment of all outstanding salaries, pending when further funds would be secured under an ongoing intervention being negotiated by the state government to clear up whatever is left of the staff salaries, pension, gratuities and on-going critical contracts.”

In the light of the above the Executive Governor met on September 22, 2015 with the Members of Plateau State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council to update them on the state government’s Debt Restructuring and issues surrounding the total amount of bailout available to the State, and what is left to clear up all outstanding salaries of civil servants, gratuities and Pensions as well as funds needed for infrastructural Interventions which are being processed. ‘’The governor wishes to thank all civil servants serving and retired as well as the citizenry of the state for their patience, understanding and support. The governor further assures that he will not rest on his oars until all matters concerning salaries emoluments; on-going critical road projects as well as other matters of governance are fully ad• Gov. Lalong dressed,” Nanle stated.

34

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

LAW & SOCIETY

• Prof. Angwe (fifth right) recieving a delegation of heads of African Human Rights Institutions at the head office of the commission.

Rights Commission to resolve herdsmen, farmers dispute

T

HE Executive Secretary, Na tional Human Rights Commis sion (NHRC), Prof. Bem Angwe, has inaugurated a working committee to resolve the perennial clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

According to him, for the past decade, the incidence of clashes between pastoralists and farmers have become a recurring issue.

He said: “The central issue is the increasing scarcity of economic resources.

Desertification and massive devastation of vegetation and soil, particularly in the arid zones in the far north, as well as lack of access to adequate water supply have necessitated the southward movement of pastoralists with their cattle all the year round.

T

HE Orudu family of Ibeju-Lekki has asked the Lagos State House of Assembly to discountenance a protest recently staged on the premises of the assembly by some families over the ownership of some parcels of land in Ibeju-Lekki.

Writing through their counsel, Chief Yemi Ogundele, the family asked the speaker of the state assembly to, in the alternative, allow the law to take its course in the matter.

In their petition dated September 18, and addressed to the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Obasa, the Orudu family accused the protesters and their leaders of mounting a campaign of calumny against them.

They contended that the protest, which they claimed was led by parties in matters pending in the court, was contemptous of the court processes as issues raised by the protesters are subject matter in two suits pending before

By John Austin Unachukwu

“Presently, some states are worse hit. These include Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa. The conflict is also taking a more dangerous dimension as it is dividing the affected people along ethnic and religious lines even though the primary issue is economic.

“More recently, cattle rustling is fast becoming an organised crime in the affected areas while small arms proliferation has also become the order of the day with its attendant toll on the capacity of the state to provide its primary constitutional responsibilities of protecting life and property.

“The historical relationship among the different peoples of

northern Nigeria especially, has served to aggravate the matter as the political class, rather than providing lasting solution to this problem by engaging in massive environmental regeneration and development, continued to exploit this situation to serve their narrow political interest which in many instances reinforces the dividing lines among the affected people and communities.”

Prof. Bem Angwe said: “A number of enquiries and studies have been commissioned by governments - federal and states – at different times, but the nation is yet to develop a multi-perspective, pragmatic work plan aimed at achieving a holistic and integrated approach to solve the problem.

“The Commission, therefore, owes a statutory duty to address this issue because it substantially affects protection of right to life, property, environment, health as well as freedom from fear and murder, amongst others.

He mentioned the Committee’s terms of reference to include: “To undertake a desk review of all the existing reports on this matter and draw up a list of issues and stakeholders mapping to guide the current exercise; visit to some of the affected areas (including visits to relevant government officials and agencies); to interact with affected people in order to get their perspective on this matter; organisation of town hall meetings/ community dialogue in the affected states – particularly,

Kaduna, Nasawara, Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa. It also include holding a national conference in Abuja to bring together all the key stakeholders and representatives of the affected communities.

“The conference proceedings and other feedbacks generated from all the above engagements would be brought together to make a policy recommendation to the federal and relevant state governments.

The cnference will equally submit Draft Conference Report to the Executive Secretary on or before October 31, 2016.

“It is my hope you will justify the confidence reposed in you by ensuring a diligent discharge of this important national assignment,” Prof Angwe said.

Family petitions Lagos Assembly over land

By Adebisi Onanuga

two high courts in the state.

The family, which claimed to be the original and traditional owners of Orudu villages including Ayeteju, Ofiran, Oke Olokun, Igando Orudu and Alakun, said the land matter is the subject in Suit No LD/368LM/2015 between Alhaji Sikiru Yusuf and others versus Mr. Theophilius Oyafunke and 23 others before Justice Abisoye Bashua of High Court 2, Epe. They also said a chieftaincy matter in suit No ID/1928/2011 between Chief Waheed Arepo and 24 others and Onibeju of Ibeju, Oba Rafiu Salami and five others is still pending before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of Lagos.

Prior to the protest at the assembly complex, the protesters alleged that

the other parties in the suit before the court had earlier used the police to arrest them for armed robbery, including a 90-year-old matriach of the family, Alhaja (chief) Basiratu Balogun.

They claimed that the other party, using an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sola Akinyede, who wrongly briefed the Assitant Inspector General (AIG) Joseph Mbu on the true situation of the matter.

They said the charges brought against 22 members of the Orudu families were later struck out following the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as “no prima facie” case could be established against them for illegal possession of fire arms.

They stated that from time immemorial, the villages of Ayeteju, Ofiran, Oke

Olokun, Igando Orudu and Alakun were founded by their progenitor, Madam Orudu, a powerful slave trader and farmer about 300 years ago.

According to their account, Madam Orudu migrated from Epe towards Ibeju of the present day following salt scarcity in Epe. While migrating and because she was powerful, they claimed she put a slave in charge of her farms.

“The slave in-charge of Ayeteju was Oyafunke, Ilari-Ogun Ajia was the slave in-charge of Ofiran, while Alimi was in-charge of Oke-Olokun.

“It is now an irony that because the true owners of the land, the Orudu family, are legally protesting the indiscriminate sales of their land by impos-

tors and descendants of these slaves, they now decide to malign the character of the owners,” the petition stated.

To support their claim, they referred the Assembly to the ‘Intelligence Report in Ibeju Area in Epe District of the colony’ as reported in file no 29664-S3 and a report on the administrative reorganisation of the Ibeju clan in Epe district of the colony as reported by.

E.J. Gibbons.

“The pertinent question is, why are they afraid of the court actions if they are sure of their holdings? Why not wait for the court to decide?,” they asked.

The Orudu family contended however, that no amount of police intimidation or blackmail will make them surrender their heritage to impostors.

‘Save us from police harassment’

By Adebisi Onanuga

•IGP Arase

A

LAGOS lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Ogundele, has asked the In spector-General of Police, Solomon Arase to call to order some of his officers, who harass and terrorise

some community leaders in the Lekki Area of Lagos State over land disputes.

Ogundele, in a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter written on behalf of the community leaders, alleged that a certain Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Oyinlola Adeoye of the X Squad, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, always allow himself to be used in terrorising some principal members of the Dada Bakare Family of Abijo Town, Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The petition, which was jointly signed by the counsels to the family, Ogundele and Raimi Oluwaseyi Nojeen alleged that the DCP Adeoye has been using his officers to terrorise the community. They warned that his actions, if not checked, “are capable of causing a breach of the peace,

lawlessness or outright anarchy”.

The Dada Bakare family of Abijo claimed to be the traditional owners of a large parcel of land totalling 75,000 hectares at Abijo Village, which was officially Gazetted by the Lagos State Government with No. 55 Volume 40 of 2007 and which is the subject matter in suit number LD/2308/2011 before a Lagos High Court.

The family said it was surprised when a certain Alhaji Akeeb A. Adams, a native of Lamgbasa Village in the same Ibeju Lekki, allegedly invaded their property with some land grabbers to take over their land without the consent or authority of the family.

They alleged further that the said Alhaji Akeeb “engaged” the services of the DCP Adeoye, who they claimed has been giving security backing to the illegal and unconstitutional ac-

tions of the hoodlums hired by Alhaji Adams.

“DCP Adeoye personally led a police patrol team to take over the Dada Bakare family land at Abijo Town without a Court Order or Execution of Court Order despite the suit pending in court by the Dada Bakare family in LD/2308/2011 against Alhaji Akeeb Alarape Adams & Ors for the illegal trespass.

“Several members of the Dada Bakare Family including Mr. Raimi Oluwaseyi Nojeem, Mrs. Sikiratu Aduni Lawal, Chief Sadiku Noah, Mr. Kamoru Suleiman, Mr. Waheed Aluko and Mr. Sheriff Sulaimon were intimidated, harassed and arrested by the OC X Squad team without any justification.

“Coupled with this, the rights of the Dada Bakare Family members to human dignity, liberty and freedom of

movement as guaranteed by Section 34, 35 and 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as Article 4, 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter of Human and People’s Right Law of the Federation 2004, were curtailed and violated on several occasions.

“We forward a petition to the office of the Inspector-General of Police and our matter was assigned to the P.R.O Department of Force CID, Area 10, Abuja and the case file of X Squad, Force CID, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Zone 2, Onikan and Area J. Ajiwe Police Headquarters were all retrieved for discreet and God-fearing investigation,” the petition stated.

The family alleged that despite the intervention of the Inspector General of Police and transfer of the case file, DCP Adeoye still continues to harass and intimidate them at the alleged instigation of Alhaji Akeeb Alarape Adams.

THE

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

35

LEGAL OPINION

Lawyer hails Ayade on aptitude test for appointees A

N Abuja-based lawyer and ar bitrator, Dr. Dorn cKlaimz Enamhe, has praised Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade for introducing aptitude tests for appointees.

He said the decision to subject nominees of political appointment to mandatory integrity and aptitude tests before forwarding their names to the House of Assembly for confirmation was a welcome development.

In a chat with our correspondent, Enamhe said: “ It ought to be a thing of joy and relief, considering that for the first time, there will be a dispassionate way of assessing prospective commissioners, Special Assistants and other officers of the state with a view to identifying their peculiar strengths and weaknesses.

“It will also assist to identify the mental alertness of those who will assist the erudite governor to drive the vision and policies of his administration rather than merely juggling a list submitted by political leaders at ward, local government and state levels.

“Come to think of it, is this not what past governors did, howbeit, mentally and without a definite format? Isn’t it a plus that now there will be specific considerations known to all three members of the committee headed by a learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Paul Erokoro who should submit a report based on pure facts in addition to the fact that the nominees have been recommended?”

Commenting on President Muhammadu Buhari’s botched visit to Cross River State, Dr. Enamhe said:

• Prof. Ayade

By John Austin Unachukwu

“ There are many lessons to learn here, it’s great to know that a breach of procedure can be curbed by a lot of things in Nigeria like what just happened.

“The Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) is ongoing and should be completed without event. Certainly, there cannot be such an adverse impact that would warrant the project being stopped, especially as the road does not affect our forest reserves as many people would like to believe in order to further criticise Professor Ben Ayade.

“The governor is a Professor of En-

vironmental Law, whose programmes are environment and people-friendly. For instance, he recently provided for the recruitment of more than 500 people into the Green Police whose main responsibility is to guard our forests, our biodiversity, ecosystems and ensure sanitation in the state “The other day, he led others to clean up the capital city, Calabar and this he has done several times.

“Also he has been in the forefront of making sure civil servants come to work early. He has set a standard in the state by being there before the rest.

“He has also personally made sure that salaries that were owed were cleared and is in the process of clearing the remaining backlog of salaries.

He negotiated with the Judiciary workers and got them to call off their several months strike which paralysed the courts in the state like many other states of the Federation.”

On the challenge of child labour and prostitution in the state, Dr. Enamhe said: “The State Government has a programme tagged: “Operation Skolombo” to take care of them.

“The government recently cleared Calabar of the menace of street prostitution and other social vices, showing clearly his no-nonesence intolerance for social menace.

“It is more pertinent now than ever, so all hands must be on deck to give our governor the expected support.

He has kept his word, the materials for the garment industry have already hit the ground and, but for a few technical issues that are now being resolved, the Super Highway project would have gone very far.”

• From left: A. B. Mahmoud (SAN), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) at the Pan African Lawyers’ Union (PALU) conference in Abuja.

Benue proposes a bill for ranches

B

ENUE State Executive Council has proposed a bill for the establishment of ranches by cattle owners to reduce conflicts between farmers and herdsmen.

Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on Media and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Mr. Tahav Agerzua, in a statement, said the governor disclosed this when the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command of the Nigerian Airforce (NAF) Base, Makurdi, Air Vice Marshal R. A. Ojuawo paid him a visit.

Ortom was quoted to have stated that when passed into law, the ranches would forestall the incessant clashes between farmers and herders in the state.

“Governor Ortom said the initia-

tive would be a permanent solution to the age-long conflict, adding that the establishment of ranches remained the best practice for cattle owners across the world.

The governor, who expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Air Force for maintaining a cordial working relationship with the government and people of the state over the years, urged the officers and men of the command to help his administration to tackle the insecurity challenges confronting the State.

Governor Ortom stressed that his government has taken proactive measures, including the declaration of an amnesty programme to recover illegal arms in the state in order to create a conducive environment for investment to thrive.

Earlier, Air Marshal Ojuawo requested the governor to take proactive steps to sustain security in the state and explore the possibility of commencing flight operations from Abuja to Makurdi at least three times in a week.

He expressed the resolve of the NAF BASE in Makurdi to continue to discharge its responsibilities creditably and requested the governor to visit the Command to see things for himself.

Governor Ortom also hosted the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Yahaya Garba Ardo, the management of the University of Mkar, Graduate Internship Scheme of the Benue SURE-P, former staff of Taraku Oil Mills as well as the management of Jos Electricity Distribution Company.

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

with gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com For comments: 08033054939 (sms only)

Buhari and the burden of democracy (2)

P

ENULTIMATE Tuesday, this columnunder the above title, explored the constitutional imperative for a federal executive council, despite President MuhammaduBuhari’s reluctance, as expressed during a media interview, in France, recently. Last week, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele,warned that Nigeria was headed into a recession, by 2016, unless urgent measures are taken to remedy the national economic crisis, made more challenging, by the implementation of the TreasurySingle Account (TSA), as directed by PMB.Because the unviable directive by Mr President,apparently arose from his fidelity to the provisions of the 1999 constitution, I decided to do a part two, under the same title.

Section 80(1) of the 1999 constitution, provides, “All revenues or other moneys raised or received by the federation (not being revenues or other moneys payable under this constitution or any act of the national assembly into any other public fund of the federation established for a specific purpose) shall be paid into and form one consolidated revenue fund of the federation”. Again, section 162(1)of the constitution, provides: “The federation shall maintain a special account to be called “the federation account” into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the government of the federation, except the proceeds from the personal income tax of the personnelof the armed forces of the federation ….”

In ordering the TSA, which has obviously backfired, the President, was giving effect to the provisions of the 1999constitution, mentioned above.

As this column has severally argued in the past, the makers of the 1999 constitution, in their desperation to create a united Nigeria, over centralized the socio-economic and political powerof the country, in the hands of a central government. The result is the incongruity of creating a federal republic of Nigeria, with a substantially unitary constitution. This anomaly also accounts for the wretchedness of the federating units, and the resultant economic quagmire of our country.

Part of the challenge facing the government of PMB is to untangle the country, from all the unnecessary and over centralized laws, institutions, practises and beliefs, which impede our federal system, in other to release the social, economic, and political potentials of the federating units.To show that the makers of the constitution may not have fully comprehended the import of asking that all accruals, be paid into a single account, without allowing for the deduction of costs and incidentals, at source, by any of the federal agencies, which had collected the income, theywent ahead to compound the absurdity, when the constitution also charged in 162(3) that, “Any amount standing to the credit of the federation account shall be distributed among the federal and state governments and the local government council in each state on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the national assembly”.

As I have also previously argued on this page, only a spendthrift, would insist that all his income must be shared, without any savings. Yet, because the constitution has so provided, in section 162(3); the state governors have been in court to force the federal government to share the sovereign wealth fund, and the excess crude account, of course on the mantra that those savings are unconstitutional. While the state governments have a point, they however do not search the constitution for answers, as to why they operate as near never-do-wells, and as to why most of them with bowels in their hand, need to prostrate before the federal government, for so called bailouts, each time they face financial crises.

But the permanent solution also lies in the constitution.This would involve the expansion of the economic activities of the states, while reducing the redundant economic prerogatives of the federal government. On this, many commentators, including this writer, have argued in favour of the reduction of the items in the exclusive legislative list, to the benefit of the concurrent and residual legislative list; so that state governors would engage in economic activities, instead of seeking the friendship of the President and the national assembly, to allow them borrow more money, without worrying as to how the money would be paid for, by the future generation;more sonow with recessionstarring the country in the face.

Perhaps, it is now a matter of urgent national importance, for the President to raise his economic team, to meet thechallenges ahead. In making his choices, it is hoped that the President would seek out an economist, instead of an accountant, to lead the charge. For even though one is not an expert in this area, one can correctly guess, that what our nation needs is economic expansion, and the reflation of the economy strictly for productive purposes, even as the President pursues accountability in government.So, PMB must find a way to reflatethe economy, starve excessive liquidity squeeze, and deal with the constricting impact of the TSA,by raising a strong economic team.

In steering the nation away from this potential economic recession, the federal, state and local governments must be wake-up to the scary level of unemployment, which is partly responsibility for the increase in violent crimes across the country. One way out would be to resort to the use of direct labour, in the execution of public works. PMB would hopefully realise that his fight against corruption is disempowering a lot of economic vandals, and there is the need to create alternativeeconomic opportunities,to absorb those willing to work.While some of the provisions of the constitution may act as impediments to the immediate inauguration of virile economic activities, the President must seek ingenious ways, to stimulate and spread economic activities across the country

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

36

LAW REPORT

Jos poll: Why Appeal Court overuled tribunal F

OR failing to take into cognisance the sui generis nature of election petitions, which re quire strict compliance with the timings contained in the laws guiding election petition proceedings, the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau State has set aside a ruling of the Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

The appellate court granted an interlocutory application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the April 11 election, Simon Lalong.

Governor Lalong and his Deputy Prof Sonni Gwanle Tyoden defeated Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok (GNS) and his running mate, Yilji Gomwalk, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Aggrieved by the declaration, Pwajok, Gomwalk and the PDP filed a petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal of Plateau vide PETITION NO. EPT/PL/GOV/2/2015 on May 2. Governor Lalong, the APC and INEC are first, second and third respondents.

The respondents filed their respective replies to the petition, each raising a preliminary objection on the grounds that the petitioners’ pleadings challenging, inter alia, the “generic, vague, nebulous and general” paragraphs of the Petition in breach of paragraph 4(1)(d) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and Order 13 Rules 4(1), 5 and 6(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009 .

The provisions require parties to furnish sufficient particulars in their pleadings to avoid taking the other party by surprise.

The appellant also filed a substantive application on June 12, praying the tribunal to strike out the petition and/or the offending paragraphs.

However, at the pre-hearing session, by agreement of parties and in the light of the provisions of paragraph 12(5) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the implication of the provision of Section 285(6) of the Constitution (as amended), the ribunal in its pre-hearing session report directed that all preliminary objections be argued and/or adopted with the final written addresses of parties in the petition and one composite judgment delivered by the tribunal.

After the close of pre-hearing session, the petitioners on July 23 sought the tribunal’s leave

By John Austin Unachukwu

to call an additional witness and to file the witness’ statement on oath. Among their prayers was an order granting leave for the hearing of the application outside the pre-hearing session.

The pre-hearing session ended on June 29, while the application was filed on July 23.

Earlier in the course of proceedings, and while seeking for more time to obtain documents from the INEC at the lower tribunal, the petitioners, through their lead counsel, Robert Clarke (SAN), told the tribunal that the documents earlier given to them were fake.

After being granted leave to obtain fresh documents from INEC, the petitioners alleged that INEC refused to give them the documents they needed.

The first and second respondents opposed the motion and filed counter-affidavits. They contended that no authentic report or document could emanate from the fake documents used by the petitioners.

On August 1, the tribunal heard the application and delivered its ruling on August 5. Dissatisfied, the first respondent filed a Notice of Appeal on August 22.

In the interlocutory appeal, Pwajok, Yilji Gomwalk, PDP, APC and INEC became the first, second, third, fourth and fifth respondents. Governor Lalong filed his brief of argument. The fourth and fifth respondents did not file any respondent’s brief at the Court of Appeal. However, the first to third respondents filed their brief of argument. They also filed a preliminary objection contending that the appellant cannot appeal against an interlocutory ruling or decision delivered or made by the trial tribunal.

The appellant, through his lead counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), formulated these issues: “Whether the lower tribunal was not in error when it failed to appreciate the essence of the provision of paragraph 47(1) of the First Schedule to Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) by holding that the first to third petitioners /respondents did not need to seek and obtain the tribunal’s leave to get their July 23 application heard and determined outside pre-trial session; whether having regard to the sui generis nature of election petition, the provisions of section

•President Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa 285(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and paragraphs 4(1 )(d); 4(5)(a), (b) and (c); 4(6) and 14(2) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), the tribunal was not wrong to have granted the first to third petitioners/ respondents’ application filed on July 23, which thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice to the appellants”.

In its judgment delivered on September 22, the Court of Appeal Jos dismissed the objection of the first to third respondents. It allowed the appellant’s appeal and dismissed the application filed by the first to third respondents/petitioners.

The Appellate Court further held that the tribunal was wrong when it failed to take into cognizance the sui generis (specially classified time bound proceedings) nature of election petitions which require strict compliance with the timelines, which it held, must be adhered to.

Counsel for Lalong, Mr. Jonathan Mawiyau,

said: “I feel fulfilled because justice has been done according to law. We had vehemently opposed the application because we believed that the grant of the prayers will automatically alter the content, structure and spirit of the petitioners’ complaints against the result and declaration of INEC respecting the April 11 2015 Governorship Election in Plateau State. It would certainly give a weak petition undeserved strength. We also believed that granting the prayers in the July 23 application will significantly amend the petition itself, albeit, outside the time-frame allowed by law for any amendments to be made.

“There was ‘ingenuity’ in the tribunal’s decision that even before the application was filed, it had already, by virtue of its pre-hearing session report, granted leave to the petitioners to bring an application, making the application itself superfluous. That was a trap, which we had to escape, and to escape we had to appeal. Now that the Court of Appeal has fully agreed with our position and reasoning, we feel fulfilled.”

On the effect of the judgment on the substantive matter before the Tribunal, Mawiyau said: “My take is that we are now better positioned in our defence of the petition. Firstly, we have a Preliminary Objection before the lower Tribunal. Its ruling had in effect determined it even before it was argued. That was in spite of the fact that the same tribunal had, during the pre-hearing session, ruled that it would write a composite judgment touching the objection and the main petition. Now, there is an opportunity for the objection to be considered in the light of the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

“Secondly, the tribunal can only refer to the so called expert’s evidence or the ‘forensic report’ and all those fake documents in the light of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, and strictly thereto.

“If it is to be looked into at all, I am of the view that only the Supreme Court can do that since not even the Court of Appeal can look into it again, particularly having regard to the sui generis nature of election petitions, which makes it most unlikely to have the time to refer the matter to any of the lower Courts.

“I am more comfortable with that position since there, at the Supreme Court, the issues will be dealt with dispassionately.”

‘Some cases should terminate at Appeal Court’

By Mojisola Clement

• Justice Kekere-Ekun

A

SUPREME Court Judge, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has called for an amendment of the Constitution so that some cases can terminate at the Court of Appeal.

This, in addition to more deploy-

ment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), she said, will reduce the Supreme Court’s workload.

She spoke in a paper she delivered at the fifth annual lecture in honour of Prof Alfred Kasumu, which held at the University of Lagos.

Justice Kekere-Ekun backed suggestions that some cases terminate at the Court of Appeal, adding that a review of the constitutional provisions governing the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is necessary.

“I am in full support of certain classes of cases terminating at the Court of Appeal. In my humble view, the amendment of the 1999 Constitution has added to the burden of the Supreme Court.

“It made the Supreme Court the final court of appeal in respect of deci-

sions arising from Governorship election tribunals.

“Such appeals, by virtue of Section 285 (7) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) must be concluded within 60 days from the date of the delivery of the judgment of the Court of Appeal,” she said.

She said the provision has led to an influx of appeals and has also affected other cases pending before the court, which are already overdue for hearing, but which had to be set aside while election related appeals are heard and determined expediently.

She also called for the use of more technology in court processes.

“The global village is moving at a faster pace, the apex court of the most populous nation in Africa cannot be left behind. We must embrace information technology and take advantage of all that it offers along with alternative dispute resolution mecha-

nisms, where possible.

“A reduction of the inflow of cases and more efficient management of the court’s docket will allow the justices to devote more of their time and resources to research, study, reading, consultations among themselves for the advancement and administration of justice.”

In her paper entitled: the Nigerian Supreme Court: structural reforms for today’s dispensation of justice, Justice Kekere-Ekun said for the Supreme Court to discharge its role effectively, the adoption of Information technology will allow for easy sharing of information.

She said it will also help to create a database for decided cases by all the courts and which will also be accessible by judicial officers anywhere.

In addition, she said ICT will facilitate communication between the justices, the registry and other adminis-

trative staff. According to her, the project is capital intensive and requires political will, purposeful leadership, and the commitment of substantial resources.

“It also requires training for the justices and upgrading the knowledge and skills of courts staff to enable them effectively manage the facilities.

The present leadership of the court is fully committed to this transformation.

“The role of the Supreme Court today should primarily be that of development of legal policy and to discharge the role effectively, its current docket has to be greatly reduced,” she said.

A life bencher, Mrs Hairat Balogun, who chaired the event, said hiring more research assistants will help to reduce unemployment and ease the justices’ workload.

• Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano (fourth right); Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi (fourth left) and others at a service to mark the new legal year

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THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

40

SHOWBIZ

Accolades for Project Fame winner Jeffrey Akoh

A

FTER weeks of battling his housemates for the number one spot, it came as no surprise when Jeffrey Akoh emerged the winner of the 2015 edition of MTN Project Fame last Saturday.

Following his victory, the youngster has been receiving accolades from his fans on social media. The 18 year old beat five other finalists to emerge the winner of the 8th season of MTN Project Fame.

One of his followers posted: “Congrats @jeffary_akoh you are a born winner from day 1, through Naija Sings till now. I have always believed in you and my paddy Fred.

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

Congrats again.”

During his stay in the house, Jeffery, a Sound Engineering graduate from the SAE Institute, Cape Town, consistently wowed judges and the audience by going all the way in each of his performances.

At age 13, he took part in a competition with his brother, and although they didn’t win, he says that he learnt a lot and wants to consolidate on that in the Academy. He lists his musical influencers as Chris Brown, Lawrence Flowers, and Kim

• Jeffrey

Burrell.

As winner of the competition, Jeffery received the grand prize of N5 million, an SUV and a recording contract. The first runner up, Pearl Olanma Awa-Agwu received a car and N3 million while Anderson Emmanuel Amos, the second runner-up got a car and N1 million.

In 4th place was Adanoritsewo “Ada” Gold Tosanwumi who went home with a N1 million prize.

By emerging victorious, Jeffery joins the likes of Iyanya, Mike, Ayoola, Chidinma, Monica, Olawale and Geoffrey as a Project Fame superstar.

Kaffy defends racy photos

F

OR Nigerian dancer Kafayat Shafau-Ameh, there is more to life that just dancing. Simply known as Kaffy, the dancer, who years back made the Guinness Book of record with her dancing skills, says women should feel confident with their body, irrespective of status or career choice.

The mother of two made the remark in response to critics who came at her recently when she posted her photo shoots for her work out body class; clad in a tank top.

Defending the photos, which generated a lot of debate in the cyber world, she said; “unfortunately my art requires a wide range of clothing options and revealing is one of them. What if I was a runway model, wetin you go say? Because a lot of them are amazing mums, but their job requires to wear anything.

Try swimming in hijab and a full blown track suit.”

Kaffy who felt offended by some

A

• Head, Youth Segment, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Aderinokun; Regional Operations Director, Lagos Region, Airtel, Oladokun Oye, Brand Ambassador, Airtel, Tuface Idibia; One Mic winners, Jay Dreamz; Acetune with Airtel Trace Music Star winner, Jitey Peterz at the Airtel One Mic All-Stars album launch/Tuface’s 40th birthday party in Lagos recently

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

of the remarks which point to the fact that she can’t be seen in such outfit as a mother continued; “did I wear it to your house? Is this a fashion shoot for a clothing line? This is about body care and you are the judge of who is a perfect mum. This is my art, if you don’t like, unfollow.”

She also noted that women who wish to show their inner selves have been taunted by the hypocrisy of the society. “It is okay for men, but the women who actually bring stability and work hard to keep everything together are neglected. My life is set to inspire. Be a mum, be a career woman, be a wife… you can still be strong, sexy, sensual and a great achiever.”

By taking a stand, Kaffy joins a host of female showbiz personalities, who feel women should be given the chance to feel comfortable in whatever career they choose.

• Kaffy

All set for Naija @ 55 Corporate Ball

H

AVING hosted a successful first edition, organisers have said that all is set to hold the Naija@ 55 Classical Corporate Ball event.

Put together by Eigh822 Limited, and Young Ambassadors Chorale, the event will be hosting Corporate bodies, Chief Executive Officers/Managing Directors and lovers of classical music.

This year’s event is put together to further showcase the abundant talent and prowess of the Young Ambassadors Chorale. The event is slated for Wednesday, September 30 at the

Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos with Red Carpet/Cocktail starting by 5pm.

Special attraction at the event, according to the organisers, will be the Project 2016 Unveil which is aimed at empowering 200 Nigeria youths. The event will also feature guest performance by Mountain Top Chorale while The Art & Soul of music will be performed and unveiled by Theatremania Africa Festival group.

The Managing Director of Eigh822 Limited stated that it will be a gathering of the best of the corporate world

and lovers of classical/jazz music as they celebrate Nigeria, network and unwind under a convivial atmosphere.

The first edition of this event took place on September 30, 2010 at the Lagoon Restaurant, under the Chairmanship of the then Minister for Information, the late Prof. Dora Akunyili. Designed to hold every five years, organisers say that the event intends to create a convivial atmosphere to celebrate the Nigerian spirit and bring together busy corporate executives together under one roof.

World premiere of Fifty sells out in London

F

IFTY, a new film from the stable of Ebonylife Films, has sold out tickets for its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. This came just four days after ticket sales started.

Fifty, which has Mo Abudu as its Executive Producer, focuses on a week in the lives of four African women approaching the golden age, 50. The production is Mo Abudu’s quest to showcase African women coming of age, loaded with increasingly similar aspirations and dilemmas faced by their contemporaries everywhere, while yet navigating unresolved traditions and obligations.

“This is a moment for African Storytelling,” said Executive Producer, Mo Abudu while speaking about the event. “This is the objective for EbonyLife Films and we are overwhelmed by the reception for the film thus far.”

The feature film traverses four women, one week, four journeys and one city. Four top Nigerian actresses - Ireti Doyle, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Omoni Oboli and

By Joe Agbro Jr.

Nse Ikpe-Etim - playing lead roles in Fifty, tell a story of the contemporary African women. The actresses are also expected to attend both screenings.

While the opening screening takes place at the Vue 7 Cinema, Leicester Square on Saturday, October 17, there is an additional

screening at the Ritzy Cinema, South London on Sunday, October 18 are sold out.

The film has Biyi Bandele as director while Tope Oshin-Ogun is the producer.

Fifty will get a special grand Nigerian premiere this Christmas on December 13 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos and go on nationwide release on December 18.

• Eryca Freemantle,Nse Ikpe Etim and Mo Abudu

I want to help kids stay cancer free, HIRTEEN year-old saxosays TJ Sax

T

phonist, TJ Emore popularly known as TJ Sax, has said that one of his life’s desires is to help people stay alive. He recently brought this to bear when he led the Heart of Hope Walkathon event on Saturday September 19, 2015.

The walkathon which was arranged by the Children Living with Cancer Foundation started at about 8am from Dowen College, Lekki Phase 1 through Admiralty way covering approximately four kilometres before heading back to the popular Oniru market to sensitize the public of possible cancer symptoms in children, dangers of childhood cancer and how to manage, in case of occurrences.

On his support for kids living with cancer as well as his passion to kick cancer out of Nigeria, TJ said; “I am supporting these children because I am happy to be alive, and I want to help others stay alive and live cancer free. They are children like me and I think they deserve the best.”

The event ended with a captivating and entertaining performance

by TJ Sax himself while the market enjoyed the music and passersby couldn’t help but be awed by his marvelous performance.

As an instrumentalist, TJ Sax made his first public appearance on September 18, 2008 when he played

By Ovwe Medeme

the Nigerian National Anthem at a convocation ceremony. He has since then played at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, various churches, corporate events, and with significant music acts like Yemi Sax, the Legend Tuface Idibia, M.I, Sasha P, Dammy Krane, Solidstar etc.

He released a Christmas carol medley in December 2010 and followed it with a full album and video in December 2011 to mark his 10th birthday.

• TJ Sax leads the cancer awareness walk

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Governor Atiku Bagudu is on a rescue mission in Kebbi State. Since his assumption of office, he has been fighting the infrastructure battle. But, the state is handicapped by the cash crunch. In a bid to cut down cost, he has attempted to block the loopholes. He is also whipping unscrupulous civil servants to line. The governor has a plan to boost in internally generated revenue. He has also promised to embarked on agricultural revolution. Correspondent KHADIJAT SAIDU examines the activities of the governor in the last three months and the challenges ahead.

Bagudu: I’m on rescue mission in Kebbi O

N May 29, Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu inherited many challenges from his predecessor, Alhaji Usman Dakingari. The Northwest state has been hit by the cash crunch. Civil servants were not ready to accept any explanation for any slight delay in the payment of salaries.

Stakeholders who endorded the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the last election were expecting a turn around across the sectors. Towns and villages renewed their agitations for social amenities.

The governor was conscious of these challenges. During the campaigns, he had raised the people’s hope. On the podium, he said transformation of the state will be his priority. Thus, eyes were on him when he assumed the reinss In his first week in office, he embarked on the tour of the major towns in the four emirates. He visited major secondary schools for on the spot assessment. He was enraged by the decadence in these public schools. According to the previous administration, a huge amoung has been spent on the public school system. But, to Bagudu’s consternation, there is nothing to show for the investment.

The schools were an eyesore. There were no chairs and tables in the classrooms. The floors were ruptured. Students were compelled to sit on the floor. In the hostels, there were no beddings. Student spread their mats on the floor. Baguda was seized by grief. Lamenting the sordid situation, the governor said the future of youths was in jeopardy.

To stem the rot, the governor swung into action. He awarded contracts for the renovation of schools and hostels, charging the contractors not to compromise standard. He said the provision of facilities will make the learning environment conducive for the children.

Kebbi State has often suffered erratic electricity supply. It is ironical that despite the fact that regular electricity is enjoyed by the neighbouring Niger and Benin Republic, the state has continued to suffer power outage. Yet, the power sector is critical to economic development. Bagudu believes that regular power supply will spur the growth of small, medium and large scale businesses. Thus, the governor visited the Niger Delta Power Holden (NDPH) Headquarters in Abuja and Lagos. Since then, power has become relatively stable in the state.

Bagudu procurred two 11.7kva transformers and 50 units of 7.5kva sub-transformers that would transmit power from the 11.7kva to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital. The governor has also assured the people of Argungu, Yauri and Zuru that, before the end of October, they will enjoy stable electricity.

The governor was shocked by the lean purse of the state. The treasury was almost empty. Therefore, he set up a 25-man committee headed by his deputy, Sama’ila Dabai Yombe, to look into the finances of the state. Besides, he charged the committee to beam a searchlight on the Ahmadu Bello International Airport. He said he suspected a foul play. The report was shocking. According to the panel, the immediate past government left N100 million in the state’s coffer, contrary to the claim that N300 million was left in the account. Also, the air-

•Bagudu port project was shrouded in controversy. It was discovered that N 7.5 billion has been spent as against the N28.5, which the past government said was spent.

Kebbi is a civil servant state. It lacks industry and foreign investment. But, within two in office, Bagudu unfolded an agenda for industrialisation. He hosted a five-man Iranian Team of Industrialists, which was in the state to explore investment opportunities in manufacturing, mining, installations and agriculture. The investment mission was trailed by the visit of a team of rice milling experts led by a Central Bank official to ascertain the level of rice production for the purpose of improving the crop for better yield.

Also, the officials of the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc led by its Managing Director were in Kebbi to explore its agricultural potentials. The giant company came with the aim of establish-

ing a subsidiary in the state because of the abundant rice cultivation and production in 17 of the 21 local government areas.

The local government is not insulated from financial rot.

However, Bagudu has assured that all forms of corruption should give way. Thus, he set up a committee and sub-committee to verify the finances of the local government. He also ordered a staff audit, which was meant to halt the menace of ghost workers.

Before he got to office, there was public outcry against the level of filth in the state. Bagudu decried the indiscipline, saying that environmental sanitation should now be the watchword. He set up a committee to get rid of the mess. The governor also directed the appropriate agencies to clear the drainages and seaways to save the communities from erosion and flooding, which have been the bane of the metropolis. The recent flood, which submerge farm lands in Makera and Argungu, was devastating. Bagudu said to avoid future disaster, prevention is better than cure.

The governor, who sympathised with the victims, saidthe communities will be rehabilitated to enable them continue with their normal activities. He promised to give incentives and improved seeds to the affected farmers to enable them embark on massive dry season farming. Bagudu also assured that dry season rice and wheat farmers will benefit from high yielding seeds, fertilizers and linkages services.

This year’s Hajj operations took a different dimension. The governor set up a committee headed by Deputy Governor Yombe to review the operations and eliminate sharp practices by middle men, both at home and in the Saudi Arabia.The government was responsible for feeding pilgrims. He also directed that that on getting to Mecca, male pilgrims must be provided with free pears of harami cloths to perform theHajji.

He also gave pocket money to women pilgrims. The governor alsosaid that this month’s salary should be paid to workers on September 17 to enable them celebrate a hitch-free salah.

He also directed that leave grants should be paid to workers.

Besides, the governor gave sallah gifts to traditional rulers, ulamas, politicians, youths, women and the less privileged .

In Kebbi State, the menace of cattle rustling is rampant. The governor has been confronting the challenge. He solicited for the deployment of soldiers to the hot spot of rustlers in Bena and Danko/Wassagu Local Government Area. Now, their activities have been curtailed.

Baguda has also visited Benin Republic in his bid to halt the incessant boundary disputes and communal clashes between the citizens of Benin and Nigerians who live along boundary areas.

He has also advocated for strong economic ties between Kebbi and Benin Republic. To facilitate cordial economic relations, the Bagudo/Cotonuo road project has been flagged off.

Also, a dry port is to be established by his administration in Lolo Village, Bagudo Local Government, where agriculture produce and other consumable items can easily be transported freely between the two countries and other countries within the sub-region.

APC not a threat in Bayelsa, says Dickson

B

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a weak platform in Bayelsa State, adding that it is not a threat to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Dickson, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, urged the APC leaders to concentrate on building the party, instead of preparing for the governorship election. He said if the poll is free and fair, the APC will not make a headway.

The governor warned against rigging, stressing that it will lead to tension and chaos in the entire Niger Delta.

Dickson condemned the recent controversial governorship primary of the APC which ended in fiasco in Yenagoa, the state capital. He said its outcome has revealed the identity of those behind militancy, cultism and thuggery in the state.

Stressing that neither Chief Timi

Sylva nor Mr. Timi Alaibe can win power forthe APC in Bayelsa State, the governor said the two are scheming to ride to the State House by the grace of federal power.

He added: “APC governorship aspirants are gathering an army of militants and cultist, which the President is unaware of. They know they cannot win in a free and fair election. It is dangerous tobring back militants and criminals.”

Dickson said three factors will shape the governorship election, namely performance, connection with the masses and influence of the two main parties.

He said: “The two aspirants want to get to the State House by leaning on the power of incumbency at the centre. What will Sylva or Alaibe tell Bayelsans that they have done for the state? They have over-bloated ambition and ego. The two Timis do not

stay in Bayelsa. They want to create problem and run to Abuja or Lagos.

“I am grounded in Bayelsa. The support for us is overwhelming. I have the PDP and I have God. The major players are supporting my second term bid. Sylva, who could not fly as a senatorial candidate in the last election, wants to be governor again. He knows that he cannot win.”

Dickson urged the stakeholders to choose between genuine patriots and fake patriots on poll day.

He said the leaders of Bayelsa endorsed him for a second term because he has lived up to expectation.

The governor also condemned the gale of defection from the PDP, describing the defectors as opportunists.

He said many of them decided to join the APC, following the victory of the party in the presidential election.

The governor said their defection was motivated by the desire for fed-

eral appointments and other forms of leverages, which chieftains of the ruling party may enjoy.

Dickson noted the attacks on his administration by opponents, saying that they are in bad faith.

He said: “Despite the campaign of calumny against me, the opposition has not accused me of corruption.”

The governor explained that corruption became a thing of the past in Bayelsa State, following the introduction of transparency measures.

He added: “Today, good governance is on course in Bayelsa. Every month, we tell the state what comes into the coffers of the state and how it is going to be spent. The account is laid before the people. The people have input. They are also able to monitor the process.

“We are happy that we are not having industrial disputes. salaries are paid regularly. We are also try-

•Dickson ing to pay back the debt owed by the previous administration of Sylva. The people are with us. They will not desert us during the election. Bayelsa will remain the stronghold of the PDP.”

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e-Business

•From left: Chief Operation Officer, Eludire Oladapo; Chief Business Officer, Sulaiman; Chief Executive Officer, Fikayo Ogundipe and Chief Technology Officer, Seyi Ayeni, all of ToLet.com.ng at the unveiling of the firm’s upgraded website in Lagos.

ATCON to NCC: protect smaller players T

HE Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has stressed the need for regulatory intervention to safe smaller players in the telecoms space.

The group warned that if the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) fails to intervene, smaller players in the industry may go into extinction.

Its President, Lanre Ajayi however said caution must be taken in the course of doing this so that success is not punished.

He spoke with The Nation against the backdrop of calls for structural readjustment in the telecoms sector owing to the presence of dominant operatorship in the industry.

He said: “This is an area that has to be carefully addressed.

By Lucas Ajanaku

This is because you don’t want to punish success; you don’t want to punish someone that has invested. We are encouraging people to come and invest and they have invested and are getting big. You don’t want to start punishing them because they are getting big because in the first place, you pleaded with them to bring their money to come and invest in your environment and they have done that and they are expanding, that should make us happy right. We should not make deliberate efforts to start punishing them. “But on the other hand too, if care is not taken they will grow so big that they would not allow the smaller ones to grow. So there is also a need for a regulatory responsibility in that perspective that

•Ajayi

would ensure that you do not use your market size as a deterrent for smaller ones.”

On whether the NCC is doing enough, he said the regulator is doing something, adding that its best may not be good enough though.

“Well, I will say the NCC is

doing something but maybe not enough. Well because I know for a fact that NCC introduced an asynchronous interconnect billing which made the older company to pay more interconnect rate than the newer company. It’s a deliberate policy to encourage younger business to grow. So that’s a policy in that respect.

“I will not say the NCC is not doing anything about it; rather, the NCC is actually doing something. And again you will realise that at some point, the NCC regulated about having separate billings for off net and on net. At some point NCC made some regulation in that area; that is also to a sort of move to discourage market dominance and prevent roughshod ride over the smaller players. So with those examples you will agree with me that NCC is doing something but can they do more, maybe yes,” he said.

Our strategies for growth, by Slot chief

S

LOT Systems Limited has said it will continue to grow its business by offering high quality products and providing after sales service to its customers across the country.

Its Managing Director, Nnamdi Ezeigbo, the firm has come a long way from having just one outlet at inception to its current over 50 outlets across the country.

He said the firm would continue to invest in both human and material resources needed to grow the after-sales subsector of the telecoms in-

•D’banj brand appointed ambassador

By Olatunde Odebiyi

dustry.

Ezeigbo, who spoke during the unveiling of Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (popularly known as D'banj) as Slot's new brand ambassador, said: "This event is the celebration of partnership of two great brands, Slot and D'banj. Slot, is a household name for top quality phones and accessories. At Slot, we are committed to delivering quality products, services, after sales sup-

port and value to our customers and stakeholders'. One word you can take anywhere is this: If you buy a phone from Slot, you are sure of the source.

"Incorporated in 1998, from having just one outlet, when we started, we now have 50 top notch outlets scattered around the country, and as part of our vision to continue to be Nigeria's number one phone seller, we have decided to partner with a true Nigerian and African music icon,

D'banj, to be our brand Ambassador.

"As you all know D'banj is a singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and businessman. He has won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009; Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards.’’

Intel, NCWD to bridge IT gender divide

I

NTEL Corporation and the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) is set to train 25 women in Information Communication Technology (ICT) use to boosting their skills in business.

The Director-General of the NCWD Director-General, Onyeka Owenu, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, said other objectives of the training include increasing the utilisation of

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

digital services and e-services to advance women’s economic empowerment.

She explained that during the one week residential programme, the women would also be introduced to Web design and hosting, online marketing of products and services.

Speaking on the theme of the training which is “Promoting women and girls’ access to ICT and the Internet

to accelerate gender equality and women’s economic empowerment”, Onyeka said the Centre is expected to network internationally and complement other players within the Sustainable development terrain” known as Technology and Entrepreneurship training for women in Nigeria (TETWIN).

“We are making effort to strongly push for a wider narrative and vision of where African women issues should go

and we believe that when you empower a woman, you empower a nation “ I am happy to introduce this training today, because it is about skills and because it is about empowering the woman to make her more economically independent, in a world of huge opportunities and challenge where the fast moving ICT sector is the backbone of every business,” she added.

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Smile, Samsung mull LTE smartphone for Nigeria M

OBILE phone manufacturer, Samsung Electronics West Africa and Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, are partnering to launch the first long-term evolution (LTE) or 4G compliant smartphone in Nigeria.

Smile Communications Nigeria pioneered the deployment of the 4G LTE services in the country and would be the first to go into this deal with Samsung, a global technology giant.

Chief Marketing Officer, Smile Nigeria Alero Ladipo, and Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Emmanouil Revmatas, who spoke during the unveiling of the partnership at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos stressed the need for both firms to enhance the customer experience through their product propositions.

The firms underscored the noble pedigree and innovative streak of both companies which they are determined to harness in serving the best interest of their customers. The offer will be available at all Smile Stores and some selected Samsung

By Modupe Elegushi

stores.

On the partnership, Mrs. Ladipo said Smile Communications is focused on the importance of partnerships of this nature to deliver on the end-to-end needs of the customer.

"The customer experience at our shops should create a lasting impression with the customer. A customer must enjoy the simplicity of the service and leave ready-to-go.

Our partnership with Samsung gives the customer the opportunity to own the latest Samsung LTE compliant smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S6 edge with a Samsung complimentary clear cover), a 5GB bundle SmileOn plan for a fixed price," Ladipo added.

According to Revmatas, the Galaxy S6 edge has the world's firstever dual curved edge display, which distinguishes the device as the ultimate premium Smartphone.

This partnership with Smile on S6 edge is the first of its kind in Nige-

ria, offering consumers the opportunity to drive productivity with a unique smartphone coupled with the 4G experience that Smile LTE network offers.

"Our collaboration with Smile on the Galaxy S6 Edge LTE launch is a staunch affirmation of Samsung's drive for novelty in the smartphone market globally. Samsung is committed to continuously engaging in partnerships that highlight innovations that create an impact in the life of consumers. This partnership with Smile on S6 Edge will give Nigerians the opportunity to drive productivity with a unique smartphone coupled with the 4G experience that Smile LTE network offers," said Revmatas The 4G LTE mobile network will allow faster Internet on the S6 Edge which includes video calls, faster music, video streaming and conferencing, faster downloads and more pictures. "We are pleased that Nigerian consumers will have the opportunity to reach new and progressive frontiers with their Samsung Galaxy S6 edge device," Revmatas said.

Tecno Mobile launches Phantom 5

H

AVING sold 45 million units of its mobile devices in Africa last year, Tecno Mobile at the weekend launched the latest of its mobile phone device in the Phantom series, known as Phantom 5.

Unveiling the new mobile phone device in Lagos, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) said it designed the latest phone to make it attractive and irresistible to Nigerians and the rest of the African people.

Its Digital Marketing Manager, Jesse Oguntimehin, said: "Phantom 5 is fully optimised for work and leisure, with an embedded MediaTek TFA9890 Octa-core chipset.

"The Nigerian market is fast maturing. What we see is an increasingly segmented space where end users buy phones based on key features like music, camera and internet connectivity, which are all included in Phantom 5.

Tecno is positioned strategically to meet the mobile needs of each segment with quality music, camera and internet connectivity phones from our product line."

Its Media and Public Relations Manager, Miss Hanane Karroumi, said the accuracy and speed of the Phantom 5 touch sensor, remained unbeatable and fantastic, having a scanner that reads 360 degrees user fingerprint and in just about the same instant that the finger makes contact with the rear grove.

Tecno believes that its brand loyalists can now enjoy the long awaited touch

Tolulope Lawani

finger print identification from the leading mobile phone device manufacturer, as it unveils Phantom 5, which is TECNO's first fingerprint touch sensor that is mounted on the rear of the smartphone device.

Phantom 5 comes with a 13megapixel auto focus rear camera that takes bright pictures even in low light environment and it has become the first natural boom sound stereos with zero sound distortion.

Deputy General Manager, TECNO Mobile, Mr. Chidi Okonwo, said the device comes with the latest Android version, the Android 5.1, which allows easy use of different mobile applications on the smartphone.

He said a lot of research work was carried out before the phone was finally designed and released, putting into considerations, the needs of smartphone users in Nigeria and the African market. "Based on the research work, the Random Access Memory (RAM) of the Phantom 5 was improved and increased to three gigabyte. The internal memory is up to 32 gigabyte with expandable features, which allows customers to stream and download video and television contents and store them in an expandable memory, using up to 64 gigabyte external memory card," Okonkwo said.

AMPION, Microsoft support 200 SMEs

•Router

How to improve WiFi experience

M

OVING WiFi router around home or office with the aim of maximising signal coverage could be a challenge.

Wi-Fi signals emitted from a router can be blocked or weakened by a variety of factors – which can leave users with weak signal and, ultimately, a poor internet connection on their Wi-Fi-enabled device.

Wi-Fi signals are short radio waves, with a single Wi-Fi router generally having a range of around 50 metres.

The Wi-Fi signals get weaker as they travel away from the router, and are blocked and absorbed by walls and other barriers.

Experts have come out with solutions on how these limitations could be tackled. These are: •Place router in the open The first step to overcome this challenge is to position the router near the centre of the house or

office so that signal strength is evenly distributed throughout the building.

Make sure it is in the open, and not hidden behind walls or bookcases– use line of sight to determine the least-cluttered position for the router.

•Keep router off the ground Since most routers are designed to broadcast waves slightly downwards, placing routers on an elevated surface aids in signal distribution.

The signals Wi-Fi routers give off also can’t penetrate some of the materials that make up floors, like metal and concrete.

•Keep router away from other electronics Electronic devices may interfere with the router’s signal. Therefore, television sets, computers, microwaves, and devices with a motor inside all hinder signal reception. Routers should not be placed near one of these devices if

the best must come out of them.

•Point router antennas in different directions Most routers have two antennas – you may want to position one vertically and one horizontally.

Devices work best when their antennas are parallel with a router’s, and the vertical/horizontal antenna placement optimises the chance of this occurring.

Antennas inside laptops are usually horizontal, and antennas in a smartphone or a tablet can be either horizontal or vertical, depending on how you hold the device.

•Measure signal strength If there are problems connecting to the router, measure the Wi-Fi signal strength around your house/ office or the location where the router is being used.

There are a variety of apps available which can measure signal strength, and help to find weak spots.

Airtel, Liquid Telecom seal fibre deal

B

HARTI Airtel’s mobile broadband subscribers in Africa will soon enjoy faster Internet access speeds on its networks. This follows an announcement that Airtel will use Liquid Telecom’s terrestrial fibre network to connect its mobile base stations and enterprises.

The agreement enables Airtel operations to leverage Liquid Telecom’s existing 20,000km-long fibre network across East, Central and Southern Af-

rica, as well as enjoy new purposebuilt fibre infrastructure, to connect Airtel’s mobile base stations and enterprise customers with fibre.

According to Liquid Telecom, the agreement answers the need for mobile operators to increase the Internet speed delivered over their mobile broadband networks.

Liquid Telecom Group Chief Executive Officer CEO) Nic Rudnick said: “Mobile operators are relying on

Internet access and data services to grow their revenues.”

Airtel Africa CEO Christian de Faria, said the agreement is a milestone in providing fast broadband services to customers in a cost-effective way.

“Airtel has invested significantly in mobile broadband technology across its African footprint and this agreement will deliver end-to-end fibre connectivity to our 3G and 4G base stations,” he said.

OVER 200 entrepreneurs across Africa are to receive the resources, networking opportunities and mentorship needed to start their own businesses.

Microsoft 4Africa has collaborated with AMPION to provide financial, technical, and mentorship support for the Venture Bus, fellowship and accelerator programmes which will last for between six and nine months.

Microsoft is set to offer in-country and virtual mentorship through the MySkills4Africa volunteer programme using Microsoft cloud services, Skype for business and Yammer to stay connected, technical and business support and skill training , through BizSpark, and the Microsoft Virtual Academy programes, to help them refine and take their business solutions to market.

Director, Startup Engagement and Partnership, Microsoft4Afrika, Amrote Abdella, said Microsoft is keen on supporting an innovation ecosystem in Africa and is set to support entrepreneur create inno-

By Modupe Elegushi

vative solution for sustainable businesses on the continent.

Abdella said: ”Through our collaboration with AMPION, we look forward to giving young talent the tools and resources needed to succeed –laying the foundation for the creation on globally competitive businesses.”

He added that the AMPION Venture bus Africa 5 tour will focus on East Africa (e-wealth), West Africa (fin-tech), Southern Africa (hardware & agriculture) and Tunisia(female empowerment).

According to the Founder and Managing Director, AMPION Africa, Fabian – Carlos Guhl, the seven-day venture bus programme is designed to be intense, competitive and challenging –an ideal environment for innovation to thrive. He noted that the fellowship program is the designed to sharpen the entrepreneur s and business ideas with the highest potential.”

Firm unveils housing website

A

N online property platform, ToLet.com.ng, has launched its newly upgraded services and website to provide users with the up-to-date information, guidance and best real estate agent network to make Nigerians better informed about property decisions.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Fikayo Ogundipe, said the rental, which was formerly for property rentals now includes sale of properties, adding that the goal is to provide users with the best property search experience through its creation of a fast and smooth online search system.

He added that the aim is also to connect users with legitimate and verified real estate agents to ensure the offline aspect of the property search is equally seamless, noting that the platform is for property consumers to search for homes and the favoured online marketing partner to search for landlords, estate agents, letting agents and property developers.

Its Chief Technology Officer, Seyi Ayeni, added that the website has added advanced search filters and a cleaner user interaction, which are designed to provide user-friendly experience with im-

By Olatunde Odebiyi

proved navigation and functionality.

He said part of the upgraded services is 'post a property' tab on the home page of the website, which allows landlords to post their properties directly onto the website from the comfort of their homes.

"These added services will give landlords control over how their property is marketed," he said.

He said the company also added a new market place programme on the platform called, the ToLet Partner Agent Programme (TPA), which is designed for the use of all real estate agents and will allow property seekers to have access to Nigeria's largest collection of property that is verified, trustworthy and hard working property agents.

"The TPA asides improving service delivery to users is also geared towards empowering small and medium scale real estate agents in Lagos.’’

He said the TPA platform gives shortlisted agents an opportunity to leverage on the reach and expertise on the company to generate more leads, make more money and ultimately grow their real estate business.

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BUSINESS AVIATION

‘Why Nigeria can’t develop airport hubs’ E

XPERTS and operators in the industry have given reasons why Nigeria has been unable to develop airport hubs.

Mr Chris Aligbe, an aviation expert, said absence of strong indigenous carriers is one of the reasons.

He said though Nigeria is endowed with good geographical location, it is not enough to make her airports natural hubs as hub development goes beyond geography to strong carriers to distribute passengers.

He said other countries in Africa are using their carriers to develop their airports into strong hubs for the distribution of passengers on the airline network they belong to.

Aligbe, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konsult, said until government designs policies that will promote strong indigenous carriers, the ambition to develop some airports into a hub would remain a mirage.

In an interview, Aligbe said in some parts of the world, private carriers had assisted in developing their airports into strong hubs.

He said: “We cannot develop hubs in our country. Globally, private airlines have developed airports as hub in two countries.

“One is Hong Kong, developed

by Cathay Pacific. The airline was owned by a shipping magnate, but now it is a global airline. There is another airline that developed a hub in Brazil after the collapse of Varig Air. ‘’So, airlines have a role to play in developing airport hubs. Other hubs were developed by national carriers. In America, there are hubs, even

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

though most American carriers are privately owned.”

He further said putting in place strong carriers could assist to build strong airport hubs.

He said about five years ago, there was an arrangement with Lufthansa to help build a hub in Abuja, but that it did not see the light of the day. He said that would not happen because no foreign airlines will build hub for Nigeria.

KLM built a hub in Schipol, Air France built Paris Airport, British Airways built Heathrow not Virgin, he added.

“Nigeria is the best location in Africa to build a hub, yet we have not developed it,”Aligbe said.

He added: ”The kind of multipliers effect a hub has in economic development in any country is mammoth. If you go to hub and see what they have, go to Dubai, Heathrow, France, Atlanta, see what Delta Airlines has done, and see what hubs contribute to the development of the economy.

“We are not in position to develop that now, because we do not have a strong domestic carriers as flag carrier that can do this.”

The Executive Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison, said airlines have a huge role to play in developing airport hubs.

He cited the roles Ethiopian Airlines has played in making Addis Ababa a strong hub in the Horn of Africa region distributing passengers from all parts of the continent into its global routes network

‘Nigeria is endowed with good geographical location, it is not enough to make her airports natural hubs as hub development goes beyond geography to strong carriers to distribute passengers’ using its many global alliances.

He said Kenyan Airways has also assisted in developing Nairobi into a strong region- all hub for East Africa to distribute passengers around the continent.

Egypt Air, he said, has developed a hub around Cairo just as South African Airways has also developed a hub for Johannesburg to distribute passengers around the southern part of the continent He said any country would need more than mere geographical advantage to develop its drive for becoming a hub. He said: “But a country needs more than the advantage of geographical location before it could become a hub.

“Now, if you take advantages into account Nigeria ought to be

a hub, but then what really determines a hub is the quality and the capacity of a major carrier in that particular country.

“It is not the population; it is not even the strategic location as it were. KLM is from Netherlands.

How many people are in Netherlands? How many of the KLM passengers are going to Netherlands?

But because the country has a very big carrier that has wide network, the airline has made Amsterdam a hub.”

He said Nigeria could become a hub if it has strong airlines that could distribute passengers from Europe, Americas, Asia and other destination outside the continent to various parts of Africa when they arrive the airport that operates as hub.

“Nigeria can become a hub if it has two or three airlines that are very strong, even if one is not strong enough, but one that can feed the whole of Africa. People coming from America transiting through Lagos then can go to Accra, they go the Niger Republic, they go to South Africa; they go to Cairo; they go everywhere in the continent.

“Ethiopia is not strategically located as it were, but because they have a very strong carrier, Addis Ababa has become a hub. So it is the airline or the airlines that make a hub. For Lagos to become a hub, besides the facilities that will enable it to become one like good airport, modern transportation facilities, the airline must be big enough to have network of routes and feed other airlines.”

Dana Air seeks police support

T

HE Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, has assured the new Commissioner of Police Airport Command of Dana Air’s support to improve the welfare of its officers.

Mbanuzuo made this known during a courtesy visit by the Airport Police Command Commissioner, Mrs Victory Menta, at Dana Air’s Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 office in Lagos.

He said Dana Air is committed to the safety and security of its guests and would also appreciate the continued support of the Airport Police Command in prosecuting criminals, who act like genuine passengers by ensuring full investigation and eventual prosecution

‘’these days we have those who buy tickets just to steal from genuine passengers. We would appreciate if the command can continue to support us in ensuring full investigation into these cases and prosecution to serve as lesson to others’’.

Menta said the command is committed to tackling security issues within and around the airport. She noted that her visit was to familiarise herself with the airline to ensure a good working relationship. ‘’The reason for my visit is to familiarise with you to foster a good working relationship and urge you to continue to corporate with the Airport Police Command, he said.’’

Emirates celebrates 859,000 flights with Boeing 777

E

MIRATES, the world’s largest operator of the U.S. Boeing 777, has celebrated the fleet completion of 859,000 flights.

Emirates pilots globally have logged over 4,720,000 flight hours since the delivery of its first Boeing 777 in 1996.

Last week, the airline and Boeing marked the 150th Emirates 777 delivery milestone, with a triple delivery of two Boeing 777-300ERs and one Boeing 777 Freighter.

Emirates has an order book of 196 Boeing 777s valued at $93 billion at list prices.

“Emirates’ approach to global air travel has created substantial additional demand for U.S.-made aircraft and engines, and benefited millions of travellers,” said its President, Sir Tim Clark.

“The Boeing 777 makes up the majority of our fleet, and gives us the range and flexibility to provide non-stop services to almost any city within a 16-hour flying range of our hub in Dubai. Our orders for these efficient jets have come on the back of our steady growth in the U.S. and globally. We are proud to connect U.S. cities to tourism and trade opportunities in destinations across Asia, Africa and the Middle East which were previously underserved by direct air transport links.

“It’s clearly a win-win situation when our investments in U.S.-made technology together with our global operations help to support U.S. jobs and strengthen American prosperity,” he added.

EMBERS of Nigerian Aviation Professional Association(NAPA), a branch of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), have expressed disenchantment over the decision by the management of the authority to deduct money from their salaries for payment of subscription to Air Transport services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ( ATSSSAN).

NAPA members in NCAA said they have expressed their desire to pull out of ATSSSAN faulting the continued deductions from their salaries as subcription to such body.

They carried out a protest at the headquarters of the authority to renounce their membership of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria

(ATSSSAN).

NAPA Secretary-General, Comrade Razaq Saidu, during a rally accused the NCAA management of foot-dragging in giving response to all their previous correspondence concerning the continued illegal deductions of subscription fees of NAPA members to ATSSSAN. He accused the NCAA management of dabbling into intra-union issue that is beyond its purview.

It was later learnt that NAPA members has given the management two weeks ultimatum instead of seven days earlier offered by management to act on their complaints, and the September dues if deducted should not be paid to ATSSSAN any longer as the Trade Union Act allows staff to freely join any union of their choice or opt out.

‘Our problem with NCAA’

• From left: Mrs Victoria Menta, Commissioner, Airport Command; Accountable Manager, Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo and Dana Chief Pilot Captain Olukayode Ola during Menta’s visit to the Dana office in Lagos.

FAAN to partner Kwara on perishable cargo export T

HE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is to partner the Kwara State government to develop a perishable cargo in the state.

FAAN Director of Cargo Development Dr. Uchenna R. Ofulue disclosed this last week in Ilorin, when he visited Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

Ofulue noted that the initiative, when implemented, will stimulate the economy of the state.

He listed some of the benefits of the initiative as employment, improved standard of living for farm-

ers, reduced rural-urban migration, foreign exchange generation, investment opportunities in logistics services and reduced youth restiveness, amongst others.

Ofulue informed the governor that many incentives aimed at creating a conducive environment for the takeoff of the initiative had been put in place by the Federal Government to encourage investors.

He noted that FAAN has designated 14 airports as cargo terminals

to enhance the seamless movement of agricultural produce within and outside Nigeria.

Ahmed welcomed the FAAN team, lauded the initiative as one that was capable of adding value to the state and Nigeria.

He noted that the state is collaborating with farmers from Zimbabwe, Kenya and other agrarian countries to build capacity of farmers and improve their yield.

He assured the FAAN team that the state was ready to key into the initiative to make the programme a reality.

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BUSINESS TRANSPORTATION

E-mail: ynotaderibigbe@gmail.com

For Lagos motorists, only a few unpleasant things can surpass traffic gridlock. In the past few days, the state seems to have been locked in an unending traffic snarl that seems to have defied solution, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

Tackling perennial gridlock on Lagos roads O

N getting to Ibadan on Sallah day, the joke by his elder brother and his cousin was not lost on Andrew (not real name), a busy Lagos-based business executive.

He had on that day visited his brother in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Though he left Lagos at 7am, Andrew didn’t get to Ibadan until 7pm. On a normal day, he would have made the 98-kilometre trip in one-and-a-half hours.

After welcoming him, his young cousin said: “I will continue to pray for you.” His elder brother’s verdict was harsher. He said: “You must be ‘mad’ to continue to live in Lagos, the Centre of Excellence.”

His brother and cousin could not fathom why Andrew or anybody would “live” on the road for between five to 12 hours everyday.

For Andrew and other Lagos motorists, the past two weeks have been hell with gridlock across the state, which has become a major headache for Lagos. Many musicians have waxed songs on the stress commuters and motorists pass through in the city. But the gridlock of the past few months has been different; it has simply defied solution.

When Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang the song: “When go slow catch you for town... o le make e ni” (When you are caught up in ‘go slow’, you simply cannot make it, or meet your appointment), he put on vinyl the traffic situation of the 70s. But with Lagos population hitting 25 million, of which 80 per cent commute daily, traffic has simply become a monster; unnerving, irritating, annoying and heart-breaking.

Everywhere else has it Before now, the government’s position tends to support the fact that traffic congestion is an index of economic prosperity. The former Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, while in office, said this much at various fora. For him, the hectic traffic situation is not restricted Lagos; it is the hallmark of modern cities.

From New York to Washington, in the United States, Milan in Italy, Johannesburg in South Africa, Arusha in Tanzania, Accra in Ghana, Yamoussoukro in Cote d’Ivoire and Cotonou in Benin Republic, traffic congestion has taken on worrisome dimensions, exacting a heavy toll not only on the health of the public, but on the economy.

With an auto density of about six million, Lagos, two years ago, claimed it was losing about 23 billion man hours yearly to traffic congestion.

This is despite the government’s attempt to revive public transportation with the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit in 2008, which it (government claims carries about seven million passengers yearly), opening more roads to accommodate more vehicles and the tweaking of the designs of some others to reduce traffic and travel time.

Barely two weeks after he was sworn in, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode showed a capacity to tackle the traffic situation, when he visited some of the major flashpoints in the metropolis. He assured that his administration will provide solutions to the traffic snarl in the state.

He noted that the government was concerned about the gridlocks, saying: “You are going to start seeing solutions to the traffic challenges soon.”

rorist attacks than from the backlash of its restriction order.

“Our checks revealed that the delay at the ports were as a result of the precautions by security operatives. It would reduce once the overt precaution is relaxed,” the official said.

Hard nut

•Gridlock in Lagos

The situation in the last few weeks has, however, has made Lagosians to ask how soon the reprieve promised by the governor would come.

Same old problem Though many would have loved to leave Lagos, the state’s economy is simply irresistible. Lagos is the economy. So, rather than thinning, more people keep trooping in, compounding the economy and making more cumbersome the government’s transportation plan.

Successive governments have resolved the traffic situation with massive road construction and opening up of inner roads.

There was also the adoption of the odd and even numbers system some years back. Under the scheme, vehicles were given specific days to enter Lagos Island. The scheme was discarded with the coming on stream of the Third Mainland Bridge, which made connection with the Island easier.

But the staggering population growth and improved income of many Lagosians soon put paid to the reliefs. To resolve the traffic situation, the government began the remodelling of major roads and streets.

The stress is caused by commercial drivers who refuse to obey traffic rules and regulations. They do not only break the traffic light rule, they also drive against traffic, in what has come to be known in local parlance as “one way driving,” and it is worrisome that the drivers, especially Yellow Bus drivers, have been joined by private vehicle owners, who equally drive against traffic, a development which has made traffic control more cumbersome.

Though Lagos is the smallest land mass area in Nigeria, it is home to 117 federal roads, of 509, 97 kilometres, 3,028 state roads totalling 5, 816.71 kilometres, and 6, 451 local government roads totalling 3, 573.7kilometres. The Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) said the state, which is just 3, 577 square km is home to about 25 percent of the total number of vehicles and drivers in Nigeria.

While the national Vehicle per kilometre is about 16, Lagos caters for about 200 vehicles per kilometre.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

‘So, the vehicles you see lined up on the roads are those that were caught either loading at the ports or trying to enter the ports having been called to proceed to the loading point.

They were caught by the order and had to stay where they were to prevent arrest’ For experts, the quaking of the roads, which was noticeable in the state in the last few weeks, is a result of the delays at the Nigeria Port at Apapa, quays and the order restricting movement of articulated vehicles.

These are part of the externalities the World Bank said constitute about 54.5 percent of causes of traffic congestion in a city like Lagos.

In a seminal paper titled: Evaluating traffic congestion in developing nations, a case study of Nigeria, delivered at the African Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation (CILT) at Arusha, Tanzania, the Assistant Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kayode Olagunju, said the major causes of congestion include lane indiscipline, high traffic density, low road network carrying capacity and poor traffic management.

Other causative factors of congestion, according to him, are poor road support infrastructure, such as laybye, low response to removal of broken down and crashed vehicles and poor integration of urban transport planning, among others.

On the congestion in the state in recent times, the National Vice Chairman, Lagos Zone of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), Mr Solomon Kilanko, said his men were not to be blamed for the traffic crisis.

Unfortunate restriction Describing the traffic in the last two weeks as regrettable, Kilanko said, perhaps, the crisis would have been averted if the state government had taken stakeholders into confidence before announcing its restriction of articulated vehicles.

“The governor’s order presupposes that all our loadings would be done at night and we must also move out of the state same night. If containerised trailers and petroleum tankers load at night, can we all move out before 6am? The government ought to have fine-tuned the gray areas before issuing the directive,” he said.

Listing another challenge before the implementation of the order, Kilanko said the PTD had directed its men to stop moving at night, and monitoring agencies, such as the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the FRSC all monitor our members to ensure they do not flout the directive. All these are because in the past, FRSC usually recorded 90 percent of truck hijacks, between 7pm and 6am. ‘’If we are to go on the roads at night, is the government prepared to give all our members security back up or would they line all the routes with Police or the Army?” he asked.

But the state government last weekend denied culpability in the traffic stress encountered on the road by Lagosians. A source at the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) said the traffic snarl was caused by the strengthening of security precaution at the ports, following fears of bombing and ter-

Though the National President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, admitted that the traffic was caused in part by his men who were protesting the unworkable restriction and the slow activity at the ports at Apapa, he couldn’t say whether it was as a result of new security measures introduced at the ports.

Ogungbemi, however, said traffic jam has eased up considerably since Thursday, following the government rescinding the order, adding that it would be attenuated by yesterday.

He added that his members were caught in the middle of a law restricting them from moving at the day time and failure of all of them to get loaded before dawn to enable them set out of Apapa before the restriction. “So, the vehicles you see lined up on the roads are those that were caught either loading at the ports or trying to enter the port having been called to proceed to the loading point. but were caught by the order and had to stay where they are to prevent arrest.”

Ogungbemi listed some immediate panacea to the Apapa/Tin can gridlock, to include a more orderly movement of trucks into Apapa, which must force all the trucks on all access roads to relocate to their parks/ garages, while all independent operators without any garages could in the interim move to the Trade Fair Complex where a park is available.

This, according to him, is pending when work would be completed on the 51 acres park facility provided by the state government at Mile 2.

He added: “This would be in addition to the introduction of the electronic call-up system to permit trucks into the loading points as may be required.”

He tasked the Nigeria Shippers Council, (NDC), the state and the NPA to achieve this in the shortest possible time for the benefit of the motoring public.

Ogungbemi, who praised the government for relaxing the order, said if these could be complemented with a good road network, the fears in the corridors of power that “articulated vehicles are moving caskets” on the roads would be allayed and the state would have a safer road profile.

This would consolidate Olagunju’s recommendations at the Tanzania talkfest where he had, among others, recommended the integration of an enduring urban traffic planning and management strategies, such as effective mass transit, strict land use, effective traffic control and enforcement and the integration of traffic management institutions as well as mechanisms aimed at discouraging excessive car use on the roads.

Olagunju contended that since mobility is crucial to the functionality of the state and its socio-economic wellbeing, it must be adequately managed and be result-oriented, achieving in the long run less stress and travel time for road users, especially motorists.

Solving Lagos traffic is a hard nut Lagosians want Ambode to crack; he has less than 48 months to do so.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

47

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-09-15

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-09-15

SEC orders immediate implementation and company of investment inECURITIES and Ex change Commission has of e-dividend dicated by the investor on the physical e-dividend mandate directed registrars to

S

immediately begin the implementation of electronic dividend (e-dividend) as financial services regulators coordinate efforts to discontinue paper dividend.

In a circular to all registrars, the apex capital market regulator stated that the e-dividend mandate management system (e-DMMS) portal is ready for use by all registrars and banks.

The e-DMMS portal was launched July 29, 2015 by SEC, which subsequently coordinated trainings for officials of share registration companies.

According to SEC, it is now mandatory for every registrar to immediately commence the use of the e-DMMS portal as directives will soon be issued to banks to discontinue the verification of paper mandates presented to bank branches.

The apex capital regulator noted that for seamless integration and use of the portal, regis-

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

trars should contact Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) for the required integration requirements and access rights to the portal and any further clarifications required towards a smooth operation of the new system.

“Registrars shall exercise caution when validating names generated by the system for the clearing house number, shareholder account number and bank account number against the physical form to ensure there is a reasonable level of congruence before the document is accepted and saved on the portal,” SEC stated.

The Commission urged that investors should be educated to complete separate forms for each shareholder account number, as upload of e-dividend mandate forms shall be on the basis of individual shareholder number

form.

According to the Commission, the receiving bank may reject the mandate uploaded by presenting registrars if the signature on the mandate does not tally with the specimen signature of the account holder in the bank.

SEC outlined that in order to mitigate errors in the treatment of e-dividend mandate forms; registrars shall institute a marker-checker system that enables the verification and upload of e-dividend mandate forms by a registrar uploader subject to confirmation and approval by a registrar checker.

Under the e-DMMS, all registrars’ offices and accredited outlets shall be points of upload of completed e-dividend mandate forms by investors who may alternatively approach their banker to process their completed e-dividend mandate form.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-09-15

48

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

MONEYLINK

‘CBN axed CRR to stave off recession’

Oduoza bags CEO of the Year Award

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ROUP Managing Director and CEO, UBA Plc, Phillips Oduoza has emerged the 2015 Ai Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) 30 CEO of the year at this year’s 8th annual Ai CEO Investment Summit.

This is the second time he is winning the award after winning it first in 2013.

He was named the winner from a long shortlist that included Nassef Sawiris, CEO, Orascom Construction Company, Sifiso Dabengwa, CEO, MTN Group, SA, Guillaume Roux, CEO, Lafarge Africa, Segun Agbaje, CEO, GTBank, Graham Clark, GMD, Dangote Sugar and Ben Kruger/Sim Tshabalala, Co-CEOs, Standard Bank. The event took place in New York at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Africa investor (Ai), is a leading international investment and communications group based in South Africa. Every year it organises the institutional investment summit as a platform for public and private sector leaders in Africa to dialogue with global counterparts on ways to invest and grow businesses in Africa. As an integral part of the summit, Ai also hosts the investment and business leadership awards to reward exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across Africa, whilst recognising the institutions and individuals improving the continent’s investment climate.

At the summit and awards ceremony attended by over 250 of Africa’s most prominent and influential business, government and development finance leaders, as well as five African Heads of State, the UBA CEO won the Ai SRI CEO of the Year award in recognition of his exceptional achievements over the last year which according to the summit organisers, is an “inspiration for business and government leaders working to raise Africa’s investment profile”.

HE Central Bank Nigeria (CBN’s) decision to cut Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 31 per cent to 25 per cent was meant to inject more liquidity into banks, in a bid to stave off recession suffered as oil prices fell.

The apex bank kept its benchmark interest rate on hold at 13 per cent last week, but cut CRR, a move that should allow banks to lend more to factories and businesses. The CRR is a portion of banks’ deposits kept with the CBN as reserves.

The economy has been hit by a drop in oil revenues, the main source of funds for the state budget and imports of basic food items.

Many civil servants have not been paid for months, and Nigerian companies have struggled to get dollars to pay suppliers after the central bank imposed foreign

Stories by Collins Nweze

exchange restrictions.

“Having seen two consecutive quarters of slow growth, the committee recognised that the economy could slip into recession in 2016 if proactive steps were not taken to revive growth in key sectors of the economy,” CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele told Reuters in Abuja.

He said the bank would stick to foreign currency curbs to encourage local production of essential food items.

Liquidity on the interbank market has dried up since authorities fortnight ago forced commercial banks to move government revenue to a Treasury Single Account (TSA) at the CBN, part of a drive by President Muhammadu Buhari to fight graft.

Buhari has said he wants to diversify the economy but has faced

criticism for failing to name a cabinet since taking office on May 29, leaving the CBN to deal with foreign share and bond investors.

JP Morgan is kicking Nigeria out of a key bond index, citing a lack of liquidity and transparency in the currency market. “No organisation has been exempted from the TSA,” Emefiele said, denying reports about alleged exemptions to relieve the pain being felt by banks.

Emefiele said the banks were in good health despite the deposit removals, which volumes he declined to specify.

Analysts have estimated up to 1.2 trillion naira ($6.03 billion), or 10 per cent of banking deposits, may be sucked out of the financial system.

He said the bank had cut the reserve ratio to stimulate growth amid falling industry output and rising unemployment.

G

• Emefiele

Economic growth dropped to 2.35 per cent in the second quarter from 6.54 per cent a year earlier.

The vote to cut the cash reserve requirement from 31 per cent was by seven to three votes of the monetary policy committee, Emefiele said. The vote to leave its main rate unchanged was unanimous.

AfDB puts Africa’s development support at $47b yearly

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HE African Development Bank (AfDB) has said official development assistance to Africa stands at average of $47 billion yearly and is projected to remain low between now and 2018.

The lender said the focus should be on boosting and diversifying economies, mobilising domestic resources and new partners, unleashing the economic potential of women and fighting illicit financial flows.

It said achieving sustainable development will also be impossible unless African nations and communities are resilient, able to anticipate, shape and adapt to the many shocks and challenges they face, including climate-related disasters and health.

The bank said having made encouraging progress on the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs), African countries have the opportunity to use the newly launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to tackle the remaining challenges and achieve a development breakthrough.

The lender said leadership, innovation and targeted investments in a number of social sectors have led to transformative interventions and in many cases revolutionised people’s lives, according to an annual report produced jointly by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union (AU), AfDB and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), called “Assessing Progress in Africa Toward the Millennium Development Goals”.

It said Africa has seen an acceleration in economic growth, established

ambitious social safety nets and designed policies for boosting education and tackling HIV and other diseases. It has also introduced women’s quotas in parliament, leading the way internationally on gender equality, and increased gender parity in primary schools.

“Although overall poverty rates are still hovering around 48 per cent, according to the most recent estimates, most countries have made progress on at least one goal.

“For instance, The Gambia reduced poverty by 32 per cent between 1990 and 2010, while Ethiopia decreased its poverty rate by one third, focusing on agriculture and rural livelihoods,” it said.

It said some policies and initiatives have been groundbreaking. For ex-

ample, Niger’s School for Husbands has been successful in transforming men into allies in promoting women’s reproductive health, family planning and behavioural change towards gender equality. Cabo Verde increased its forest cover by more than six percentage points, with millions of trees planted in recent years.

“Much more work lies ahead to ensure living standards improve for all African women and men. While economic growth has been relatively strong, it has not been rapid or inclusive enough to create jobs. Similarly, many countries have managed to achieve access to primary schooling; however, considerable issues of quality and equity need to be addressed,” it said.

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS 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 FIDELITY NIG FUND • UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

126.04 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.63 1.39 1,744.73 1,104.77 112.34 121.16 1.67 1.2457 1.3572 0.7762 1.1739

125.82 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.62 1.33 1,744.73 1,104.00 111.75 120.30 1.62 1.2393 1.3572 0.7637 1.1739

O/PRICE

ETERNA 1.84 FIDSON 3.20 UACN 30.00 NESTLE 820.00 REDSTAREX 4.20 VONO 0.85` AVONCROWN 1.52 VITAFOAM 5.55 LIVESTOCK 1.80 NB 140.07

C/PRICE

CHANGE

1.94 3.36 31.50 859.70 4.40 0.89 1.59 5.80 1.88 146.04

0.10 0.16 1.50 39.70 0.20 0.04 0.07 0.25 0.08 5.97

LOSERS AS AT 27-09-15

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

JBERGER DANGFLOUR CUTIX EVANSMED CUSTODYINS ZENITHBANK AFRIPRUD DANGSUGAR ACCESS SEPLAT UNILEVER

44.08 2.81 1.67 0.79 4.25` 18.11 2.68 6.90 5.15 255.00 46.00

C/PRICE 41.88 2.10 1.59 0.76 4.09 17.52 2.60 6.70 5.03 249.90 45.13

Inflation:April

8.5%

Monetary Policy Rate

13.0%

Foreign Reserves

$28.2b

Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

$67.91

CHANGE -2.20 -0.14 -0.08 -0.03 -0.16 -0.59 -0.08 -0.20 -0.12 -5.10 -0.87

FOREX RATES (NairaVs Dollar) May 28, 2015 Interbank ($/N)

199.00

$1

Black Market ($/N)

215.00

$1

London Inter-bank Offered Rates (LIBOR)

Money Supply (M2)

GAINERS AS AT 28-09-15

SYMBOL

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

N16.42 trillion.

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Tenor

16.5%

12-02-15 Rate (%) Rate (%) 13-02-15

Overnight (O/N)

14.683

76.583

1M

15.033

15.977

3M

15.809

17.177

6M

16.493

17.908

Tenor 1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 6 Months 12 Months

May 27

May 28

Rate)%

Rate (%)

0.1735 0.2147 0.2615 0.3841 0.6709

0.1715 0.2108 0.2626 0.3857 0.6744

Nigerian Stock Market Indices 27 May Statistics 5 May All Share Index 34,649.3 29,383.93 Mkt Cap (NGN’bn) 11.8 9,804.36 Deals 3,385 3,714 Volume (mn) 564,28 377,75 Value (NGN’mn) 6,087.80 6,568.66 GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Transaction Dates 03/02/2015 3/12/2014 1/12/2014

Amount Offered in ($) 500m 400m 350m

Amount Sold in ($) 499.93m 399.97m 349.96m

Tenor

Feb. 13, 2015

Rates

T-bills - 91

12.44

T-bills - 182

13.85

T-bills - 364

13.92

Bond - 3yrs

15.92

Bond - 5yrs

17.22

Bond - 7yrs

16.59

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

49

NEWS

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NDLEA declares two officers wanted

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has ordered the stoppage of the salary of two officers said to have absconded since last month.

The officers, Superintendent of Narcotics (SN) Daniel Goska and Chief Narcotic Agent (CNA) Ndubuisi Ughor, have been declared wanted following their disappearance after a drug suspect was nabbed with 74.4kg of narcotics at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu.

•Salary stopped

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade, said NDLEA believed in the rule of law and would treat anybody indicted equally.

He said: “The agency has taken steps by stopping the salaries of the officers and declaring them wanted.

“Winning the war against illicit drugs demands that

while dislodging drug cartels, we must ensure that members of staff comply with best practice at all times.

Efforts are on to charge the officers in line with the rules of engagement. The agency is moving forward and will continue to purge itself of undesirable persons, who are deficient in discipline and integrity.”

Giade added that no act of indiscipline and misconduct would go unpunished, stressing that the agency had progressed in drug control

and respect for the rule of law and would resist attempts to reverse the wheel of success.

Preliminary investigation indicted the officers for conspiracy, aiding and abetting.

They absconded, following the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker, Dayson-Eddie Ifeanyi Chukwu and three others held for unlawful exportation of 74.4kg of narcotic drug.

The officers were last seen on August 7.

According to the NDLEA rules, absence from duty for 21 days was punishable by dismissal.

Reiterating its commitment to a drug-free country, the agency urged the public to supply information on their whereabouts to its nearest office.

22 Benue indigenes on death row in Jos prison

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WENTY-TWO Benue State indigenes condemned to death are awaiting execution in Jos Prison.

The Comptroller, Mr. Ape Penda, who spoke when the Benue Attorney-General

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

and Commissioner for Justice, Mike Gusah, led members of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy to visit him in Jos, said Benue had the highest

number of the 197 inmates awaiting execution and advised Governor Samuel Ortom to pardon the inmates or sign their warrants of execution.

He said such intervention would decongest the prison.

Gusah, the committee chairman, said they were in Jos prison on the orders of Governor Ortom to see what could be done for the condemned prisoners.

He has also visited Kaduna and Jos prisons.

Tinubu group visits 95-year-old woman in Kebbi •Donates cloths, money From Khadijat Saidu, Birnin Kebbi

•Tinubu

A

S part of its humanitarian services, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Supportive Group, otherwise called the ‘Asiwaju Change Movement’ (ACM), under the auspices of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday paid a getwell-soon visit to an APC mother in Kebbi State, Hajiya Fatimatu Mai Talle Tara Koko.

The 95-year old woman was said to have fallen ill af-

Scheme to provide jobs for youths, says Ahmed

K

WARA State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said the Next Entrepreneur Scheme introduced by his administration, which provides up to N10million micro-credit for each medium scale business, is to promote youth employment in the private sector.

The governor, who spoke at the weekend in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government, said the micro-credit window would provide funds for small business owners to grow their businesses.

He assured the people that the proposed independent power project and other projects would stimulate investment and economic activities.

Said Ahmed: “We intend to stimulate investment inflow through our projects, such as an independent power project and major infrastructure across the state.

“My administration remains committed to ensuring equitable distribution of projects. It is our expectation that these projects will stimulate economic activities and create jobs for youths.”

According to him, the provi-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

sion of qualitative education for the Kwara child remained important to his administration’s prosperity programme, as additional classrooms would be built as well as new campuses for the Kwara State University (KWASU).

His words: “The proposed projects include 2,000 blocks of new classrooms, new campuses for KWASU in Osi and

Ilesha Baruba and major projects.”

On road projects, the governor said Share-Oke-Ode, IpetuRore, Pategi-Kpada, dualisation of Michael Imoudu to Ganmo road in Ilorin, among others, would be completed.

He said peace and harmony must prevail to enable the realisation of the projects and programmes, adding that grievances and desire for remedies, when expedient, should be

through traditional, religious and legal platforms, rather than through self-help.

Governor Ahmed has approved the appointment of Dr. Muritala Awodun as the pioneer executive chairman of the state Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) and Dr. Isaac Gbenle as its new director of Field Operations, Processes and Research.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and

Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said the appointments were made following a rigorous selection and interview to ensure that only the best candidates were appointed in view of the strategic importance of the KWIRS. Until his appointment, the new executive chairman of the state revenue service, was the dean of the School of Business and Governance (SBG), Kwara State University, Malete.

•From left: Speaker, Plateau House of Assembly, Mr. Peter Azi; Deputy Governor, Prof.

Sonni Tyoden; Governor Simon Lalong and Emir of Wase, Alhaji Muhammad Sambo, during a Sallah homage to the governor at the Government House in Jos ... yesterday PHOTO: NAN

‘License religious preachers to end Boko Haram’

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ORMER Nigeria ambassador to Angola Layiwola Laseinde has urged the Federal Government to restrain free-for-all preaching by religious scholars, to end terrorism.

He said by licensing some of those who called themselves religious scholars from Christianity and Islam, a few militant preachers with fundamentalist views would not misinterpret their religions.

Laseinde said: “Documentation of strangers and licensing of preachers (both Muslims and Christians) will prevent a condition, which allows all sorts of people, without adequate knowledge, to take to preaching and converting people to lean towards anti-social behaviour.”

The ex-envoy, who spoke yesterday in Ilorin at the fourth biennial international conference organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin (Unilorin),

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

with the theme: ‘Rethinking strategic for national and regional security, peace and development’, advised West African countries to coordinate, consult and align on strategies, as many of them faced identical challenges, such as Boko Haram attacks.

Said he: “To deal with terrorism, there is need for the stick and carrot approach. The government must look at the vulnerable segment of the population (youths and the unem-

ployed) and take measures to reduce the attractiveness of terrorists organisations to such vulnerable groups.

“As long as the government allows free-for-all (unchecked) preaching by some of those who call themselves religious scholars, there will always be a tendency for a few militant preachers with fundamentalist views to interpret their religions in such a way as to create discord between the government and the people on the one hand and between religious groups on the other. Consequently, govern-

ment has to look at a soft approach of dealing with counterterrorism and extremism.

“Even when the soft approach has been provided, the government still has to take necessary and immediate measures to protect the life and property of the citizens, especially in a situation where insurgents and terrorists kill, maim, rape and destroy villages at will, attacking innocent people who have not opposed them or committed any crime other than to live their lives as law-abiding citizens.

“Consequently, there is need

for the use of proportional force to ensure that there is order, rule of law and respect for citizens’ privacy and human rights.”

Laseinde suggested that other African countries besides Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Chad and Niger, who were affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, should coordinate military operations.

The former diplomat said: “It is by working together and sharing intelligence, as well as coordinating military operations that insurgency and cross-border crimes can be curbed.”

Niger to mainstream gender issues into policy planning, budget

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IGER State Head of Service (HOS) Mohammed Maude Lapai has said the government is working towards mainstreaming gender and social issues into its policy planning and budget.

He said the state had 36 per cent of women in positions as

From Justina Asishana and James Ojo, Minna

permanent secretaries and directors, adding that the government was working to surpass the 35 per cent of women who would be given appointive positions.

Speaking at a training workshop on Gender Policy

Analysis and Training of Staff on Gender Mainstreaming in Minna, the HOS said there were nine women permanent secretaries of 25 permanent secretaries in the civil service, which showed that women possessed the professional and intellectual ability to perform

administrative duties.

Lapai, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Maimuna Abdullahi, said the essence of governance was to ensure the fundamental rights of every human being, urging governments to explore the MDGs goal of women empowerment.

ter returning from the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in May. The group’s National Coordinator, Mrs. Simisola Ayoade, said they came to show concern for Hajiya Koko, considering her contributions to APC’s victory in the general elections.

Mrs. Ayoade, who was accompanied by the Abuja Coordinator, Sambo Sadiq, said the Tinubu group in particular and the APC in general loved the nonagenarian and wished her quick recovery.

She, on behalf of the body, presented a gift of cloths as Sallah package and an undisclosed amount of money to the woman.

Responding on behalf of the family, her grandson, Abubakar Lawal, thanked the group for showing concern and care to the family and for its humanitarianism.

Hajiya Koko presented one million naira life savings to President Buhari during his campaign in Kebbi State. She was at the Aso Rock Villa during his inauguration.

Police recover 82 cattle •Three suspects nabbed From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

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HE Sokoto State Police Command has said it has recovered 82 cattle from rustlers.

It confirmed the arrest of two suspects, Alhaji Musa Isah and Alhaji Muhammad Mamman, for allegedly conspiring to commit the crime.

Police spokesman Sabo Kurawa, who addressed reporters yesterday in Sokoto, said Lawali GidanIgwai on September 18 reported at Tureta Police Division that on September 17, while rearing his cattle in the forest of Birisawa village in Tureta Local Government, Lawalli Umaru “criminally conspired” with two others and stole his cattle.

According to the police spokesman, Gidan-Igwai reported that Umaru conspired with Babuga and Alhaji Hassan, attacked him with a gun and stole 46 cows.

Kurawa said: “The police in conjunction with the vigilance group swung into action and arrested two suspects, Alhaji Musa Isa and Alhaji Mohammed Mamman, all of no fixed addresses.

“The police cordoned off the forest and recovered 34 of the 46 cows.”

While investigations were on, Kurawa said two of the three suspects were in the custody at the state CID and the other one at the Tureta Police Division.

The police command said it acted on information that some cattle were wandering in the forest of Zugu and moved to the forest with the vigilance group where they saw cows without a herdsman.

“The cattle may have been stolen and later abandoned by rustlers. Forty-six cows were recovered in the bush,” Kurawa said.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

50

NEWS Lawmaker denies defection plan From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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HE lawmaker representing Ikpoba-Okha/Egor in the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonnayima, has denied the rumour that he planned to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Agbonnayima said he would rather focus on bringing development to his constituents.

The lawmaker said the PDP had not done anything that could make him think of dumping the party.

Agbonnayima, who addressed reporters at the weekend in Benin, the Edo State capital, said his rumoured defection was meant to smear his name.

He said: “The problem of this country is not political parties; it is leadership problem. Anyone saying I want to defect to the APC is a joker. They want to smear my name. I am a member of the PDP and I remain a PDP member.

“My victory is on the platform of the PDP and the party has not done anything to make me think of defecting. People might be thinking about that because of my closeness to Mr. Speaker. People have been calling me that I wanted to defect.

They should rather talk about bringing dividends of democracy. This is nothing but a dis-

AIG kicks as gunmen abduct woman in Bayelsa From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

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HE Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police (AIG) for Zone 5, Musa Daura, has called for community cooperation to curtail kidnapping in Bayelsa State.

Daura spoke yesterday, following the abduction of Mrs. Adioyili Okorie Agidi.

The 55-year-old woman was reportedly snatched on Sunday by gunmen who operated in a speedboat.

It was gathered that the six gunmen stormed Mrs Agidi’s home at Opume in Ogbia Local Government Area and took her away.

The hoodlums were said to have shot severally into the air to scare Agidi’s neighbours before kidnapping her at 9am.

The Chairman of Ijaw Youths Congress (IYC) in Ogbia, Mr. Osaanya B. Osaanya, urged the abductors to release the woman immediately.

He appealed to security agencies to check incessant kidnappings in the area, saying Mrs Agidi’s abduction was one too many.

Osaanya said: “We are sending a strong message to community leaders, especially in Opume, to be vigilant. We have noticed that each time a prominent chief visits the community, there will be a kidnap case.

“Ijaw youths in the council under my leadership will assist security agencies to ensure that the woman is released.”

Daura, who is the AIG in charge of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states, said the police were taking measures to check kidnapping and other acts of criminality.

The AIG said since the police were not magicians, they relied on information from communities, especially the coastal settlements, to effectively tackle the menace.

He urged the public to contact the police whenever they noticed strange faces in their area.

•Members of the United Nations Informations (UNIC), Lagos and Citizen’s/mediation Centre, Lagos State Ministry of Justice at the 2015 walk for peace/legal clinic PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES ...yesterday.

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Umahi locks out deputy, SSG for lateness

BONYI State Deputy Governor Kelechi Igwe and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Bernard Odoh, were at the weekend, locked out of a meeting for lateness.

They were later allowed entry after about 15 minutes.

Governor Dave Umahi also suspended the October salaries

•Governor suspends officials’ salaries From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

of some government officials for lateness.

They include the 13 local government caretaker committee chairmen, the 64 Development center coordinators, and

some principal officers in the Governor’s Office.

Others are commissioners, personal assistants, senior special assistants, special advisers and other government functionaries.

Governor Umahi said those

affected would forfeit their September overhead.

The officials came late to the debate on government’s anticorruption crusade and its Internally Generated Revenue drive, held at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Center, Abakaliki.

Speaking after the debate, Umahi regretted the increase

Lawmakers, Obi ‘shun’ Obiano’s meeting

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HE three Anambra State senators and House of Representatives members may have boycotted the stakeholders’ meeting organised by Governor Willie Obiano at the weekend.

Senators Andy Uba, Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah, as well as former Governor Peter Obi, oil mogul Sir Emeka Offor, Dr. ABC Orjiakor, did not attend the meeting.

But other important personalities like former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Prince Arthur Eze, Senator Chris Ngige, and Senator Annie Okonkwo, were present.

It was gathered, however,

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

that the lawmakers, Obi and others absent at the meeting were allegedly not invited.

The Nation learnt that the Senators and other political big guns were not comfortable with Obiano’s leadership style because, according to them, he undermined Obi’s legacy.

The meeting, held at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, attracted the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) faithful, including its National Chairman, Victor Oye and former National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh.

Obiano praised his prede-

cessor, Peter Obi for his achievements. He said the strategic plan laid by Obi made him launch a war against crime with the inauguration of “Operation Kpochapu”, which was a joint taskforce to restore the dignity of Anambra.

His words: “Our onslaught was so clinical that in a short time, we wiped out their weapons supply lines, pulled down their command and control centres, and inflicted a psychological trauma on them by razing the warehouses where kidnappers kept their victims.

“This led to the arrest of Alphonsus Ngwu, the notorious arms dealer who supplied

most of the weapons used by the criminals and beyond, and Okechukwu Nnaegbo, a kidnap kingpin.”

The governor said all hands must be on deck to make the dream of lifting Anambra a reality.

He said the fifth pillar that focuses on Anambra becoming the logistics hub of Nigeria and West Africa was being developed.

“This pillar will leverage our natural advantage of being a gate way to the Southeast and Southsouth and our position as one of the most established trading centers in West Africa,” Obiano said.

• Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola(third right); former National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande (second right); Osun APC chair Gboyega Famodun(left); former Secretary to the State Government Sola Akinwunmi; Senator representing Osun East Babajide Omoworare and a member, House of Representatives(Ifelodun, Odo-Otin and Boripe Federal Constituency) Hon Adeyinka Ajayi, when the governor led the team to celebrate Eid-el Kabir with Chief Akande at his Ila Orangun home

Abductors free ex-DSS DG’s brother

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HIEF Asuquo Ekpenyong Ekpe, the brother of a former Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr Ita Ekpenyong, has been freed.

He was abducted by gunmen from his Creek town home in Odukpanki Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Police spokesman Hogan Bassey, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed this yesterday in Calabar, the state capital.

Family sources, last week, said the abductors had demanded N150 million ransom.

Bassey did not say when or how the man was rescued.

The police spokesman said some suspects had been arrested in connection with the

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

abduction.

Bassey said: “He (Ekpe) has regained his freedom.”

On whether or not a ransom was paid, he said: “I would not tell you that now. But it is

something we would let you know on a later date.

“The police, in collaboration with other security agencies, had made considerable breakthrough in some arrests. We have made commendable success.”

Lawmaker denies defection plan

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HE lawmaker representing Ikpoba-Okha/Egor in the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonnayima, has denied the rumour that he planned to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Agbonnayima said he would rather focus on bringing development to his constituents.

The lawmaker said the PDP had not done anything that could make him think of dumping the party.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Agbonnayima, who addressed reporters at the weekend in Benin, the Edo State capital, said his rumoured defection was meant to smear his name.

He said: “The problem of this country is not political parties; it is leadership problem. Anyone saying I want to defect to the APC is a joker.

They want to smear my name.

I am a member of the PDP and I remain a PDP member.

in exam miracle centers, calling for the arrest and prosecution of proprietors of such centers.

He directed that all miracle centers be shut by the Ministry of Education.

Director denies withholding workers’ pay From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

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HE Executive Director of the National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia State, Dr Julius Okonkwo, has denied withholding workers’ allowances. He said the allowances were consolidated, added to the basic salary and paid in lump sum as consolidated tertiary institutions salary.

Okonkwo said the leadership of the NRCRI NASU was misled into demanding an allowance already built into their basic salary.

He said: “No money is sent to NRCRI for payment of salaries and allowances. Salary is paid by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (IPPIS Dept) directly into workers’ bank accounts. The executive director does not determine what the Federal Government pays each worker.

“On August 24, the chairman of NASU, NRCRI Umudike branch, Mrs. Obi Nwakaego, and the executive members issued a ten-point ultimatum to the Institute’s management, requesting the management to address the issues before 14 days from the date of issue. The management sent a reply on August 25.”

Okonkwo said the points raised by the Mrs. Obi Nwakaego-led NASU have been treated but she has refused to meet with the management to

Firm delights distributors

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RIAN Munro Limited, manufacturers of Glucose-D, an energy boosting product, has rewarded its diligent distributors with delightful prizes including air conditioners, tricycles and a black Prado Jeep.

Macizco Nigeria Ltd won the jeep, Dazek Enterprises and Optimum Enterprises won air conditioners and Opebode Enterprise, a tricycle.

General Manager Mr. Shola Ajayi said the forum was not just to fulfill promises, but also to boost clients’ confidence in the brand and reassure customers of the willingness to cater for their welfare.

“The company has been known as a caring company. When we make a promise, we keep it and that is why we are rewarding the commitment shown by our dis-

Temitayo Ayetoto

tributors,” he said.

National Sales Manager Mr. Paul Omekwe thanked their distributors for the good patronage enjoyed so far, adding that the firm had wrought a network chain across the country to enhance its marketing.

“We have a large number of distributors and we seem to enjoy good patronage from them. We are happy and that is why we are having this event.

“That is also why we are having a leadership position that we want to maintain. We have spread across the country where the product can reach you at your door step.”

He added that the firm also plans to disburse huge giveaways to partners in Ibadan and Abia respectively.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

51

NEWS ‘Navy’ll deal with criminals in creeks’ From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

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HE Central Naval Command (CNC) has said it will deal decisively with militants in the creeks.

CNC’s Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman spoke yesterday during an inspection of facilities and platforms under the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, in Warri, Delta State.

The FOC said the command had zero tolerance for oil theft.

Suleiman, who was conducted round the facilities at the Warri Naval base, the platforms at the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA’s) jetty and other facilities in Warri area by NNS Delta’s commander, Commodore Aliyu Sule, said his visit was meant to acquaint himself with his new assignment.

Security sources hinted that intelligence reports indicated that ex-militants in the Niger Delta might be regrouping and amassing arms and ammunition.

But addressing reporters during the inspection of facilities, Suleiman warned those thinking of taking up arms against the state to jettison the thought or face dire consequences.

He said: “It will be very unfortunate if the ex-militants are regrouping. They had a channel through which the Amnesty was granted; this is expected to terminate by September. There is a Special Adviser on Amnesty. I expect that they should go through that process to air anything bothering them.”

Cross River, Spanish firm to set up poultry farm

Guns were fired at Bayelsa APC primary, says Oshiomhole

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DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary was marred by violence, as guns were fired at the Samson Siasia Stadium venue.

Oshiomhole addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja after submitting the report of his committee to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The governor said some people used AK-47 and pump action rifles with live ammunition during the primary.

On what happened during the primary, he said: “I was only a steward of the party.

Seven of us were empanelled by the party to conduct the primary. We have reported back and we have signed a report by five of us. I have presented that report formally to the party, detailing all the issues as we know them.

That is how far I can go.

“But the decision on what the party will do with the report belongs to the party. It is not for me, as a steward, to tell the master what to do with the report. But we have reported, giving them a signed document, which was signed by members of the committee.”

On his experience during the primary, Oshiomhole said: “I really don’t want to go back to those issues because these were not issues that transpired in the bedroom. I do think that one day we will get to the point where even the media must defend our democratic space. This thing happened in a stadium.

Mixed feelings as party holds fresh primary today

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HERE was tension yesterday among Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and members over todaqy’s rescheduled governorship primary.

The party, last Tuesday, conducted a primary, which was marred by violence.

The party’s national leadership cancelled the primary.

Many party leaders and aspirants waited for the final decision of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on the September 22 primary.

The decision that the primary was an aberration was received with mixed feelings last night in the state.

While many of the aspirants and delegates were said to have celebrated the development, the camp of former Governor Timipre Sylva was said to be unhappy.

Sylva had insisted that he won the primary, which ended in fiasco, after thugs and suspected ex-militants invaded the venue and unleashed mayhem on delegates.

The former governor, in various statements, insisted that he was elected the party’s candidate, adding that it would amount to an act of illegality for the party’s national leadership to annul his victory.

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

I have been anxious to see an independent report. Gunshots were fired; AK-47 rifles were recovered with pump action guns and live ammunition. These were not actions that transpired in a bedroom. “I am not the issue and I don’t want to be the issue.

There are issues that are important to me. I didn’t go there as a governor but as a party member who had been given a national assignment

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

His insistence on victory and verbal attacks on some key personalities in the party led to doubts about the possibility of the NWC upholding the earlier pronouncement of APC National Chairman Chief John OdigieOyegun that the primary had been cancelled.

Following the cancellation and rescheduling of the poll for today, Sylva was said to be in a fix.

It was gathered that while some people were mounting pressure on him to sue the party, others were said to have advised against taking his party to court.

Some of his loyalists were asking him to withdraw from the primary to protest against the party’s decision.

But other associates of the former governor said Sylva still stood a chance of winning the ticket since he is the party’s state leader.

The decision reportedly surprised the State Working Committee (SWC), led by Chief Tiwe Oruminighe.

The SWC leader was said to have summoned an emergency meeting to discuss the development.

But other aspirants urged delegates to vote for their consciences without fear of intimidation.

by the party. For me, that is a great honour. I have done that job along with my colleagues to the best of my ability. I have reported with the fear of God the truth as I know it. This has been signed by other members of the committee and I have forwarded the report. That is what is important at this stage. As far as I am concerned, this is still an internal affair of the APC.” On the comment by former Governor Timipre Sylva, the

Edo State governor said: “That is democracy. Are you surprised that my views are disputed by one aspirant? It should not surprise you.”

On the allegation that former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Timi Alaibe facilitated his transportation to Yenagoa on the day of the primary, Oshiomhole said: “Part of the challenge of leadership is that you have to have some capac-

Man arraigned for stealing N48m

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ROSS River State Governor Ben Ayade, in conjunction with a Spanish firm, Cavenco of Barcelona, will establish an integrated poultry farm in the state.

The farm, which will be sited in Ikom, is expected to begin with 6,000 per day bird production and increase to 100,000 birds per day within five years.

Ayade spoke yesterday in Calabar, the state capital, when he hosted officials of the Spanish firm.

The governor said the initiative was a public private partnership (PPP) meant to ensure sustainability and create jobs.

He said: “Nigeria spends billions of naira annually importing poultry products. It is obvious that we cannot continue with this primitive consumption style. For us to add value to our naira, we need to cut down on things that will reduce our dependence on foreign goods.”

Ayade described the investment as a golden opportunity that would impact positively on the state’s economy.

He added: “This is going to create almost 2,000 sustainable jobs, while also providing high quality meat to Nigerians and other neighbouring countries.

“It is an integrated farm that would span over 4,000 hectares of land and supported by a British consortium that will make it more efficient. This is why this government has instituted a structural and normative framework to drive the process.”

The governor said Ikom was strategic for the project because it was not only a border town, which would create access to international markets in Cameroun and Central Africa, but would also connect the surrounding markets.

ity to accommodate all kinds of things. But I leave that to you. If you think that I am so helpless that I needed the help of someone...

“Again, talking about the media, there are things that a vigorous media can deal with. If they had said Comrade Adams is a he-goat and you come to ask me: ‘Comrade, they said you are a he goat.’

“Incidentally, we have gone through some tension in the last few years. You know that there was a time that I was going to Ekiti State and my chopper was stopped at the Benin Airport; I was denied the right to fly because the powers that be at that time did not want me to go to Ekiti. So, if you find from your research that this was the first time I had to use a chopper, then you can draw your conclusion. But as an Igbo proverb says: ‘If you are bathing in a local bathroom and a mad man collects your cloth and starts running, you get out of the bathroom naked and start running after him; people would call both of you mad men.’

“If there is one mad man already running, don’t insist that I join him. If they say that I am so wretched that I need an applicant aspirant, that someone who wants to be a governor is the one who has to support a sitting governor, I leave that to their judgment.

I think there are more national issues for us to engage in...

But don’t forget: even at this point, Sylva is my brother and will remain my brother...”

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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From left: Gender and Food Security Officer, National Association of Professional Environments, Uganda, Mrs Shillar Kyomugisha; Regonal Director, Coalition of African Women in Extractive Industry’s secretariat, South Africa, Samantha Hargreaves; Head of Media, Kebetkache Nigeria, Constance Mgin; Coordinator, Gender Action, United States of America (U.S), Elaine Zuckerman and Coordinator, South Africa Green Revolutionary Council, Limpopo, South Africa, Francinah Nkosi, during a regional exchange meeting on: Fossil PHOTO:NAN Fuel and Climate Change, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State...yesterday

Wike berates APC for seeking probe of Rivers killings

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IVERS State Governor Nyesom Wike has said the call by the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to probe the killings during the last general election is laughable.

Wike spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sir, Opunabo Inko-Tariah.

The governor’s aide said APC and its leadership were frustrated.

He said the call for a probe into the killings was laughable because they occurred

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

when an APC government under former Governor Chibuike Amaechi was in power.

Inko-Tariah accused APC State Chairman Davies Ikanya of allegedly indicting Amaechi of maladministration and repudiating his constitutional responsibility of protecting life and property.

The governor’s aide urged the state’s APC leadership to give the public details of the killings during the last general elections since it claimed

to have the records.

He said: “I have just been briefed on the bombastic outburst by Davies Ikanya and his co-travellers in the Rivers State chapter of the APC, deprecating Governor Wike for not probing the killings in Rivers State during the elections.

“This is laughable and inane. Is it a case of selective amnesia? Since Dr Ikanya has details of the murders associated with the last general election, why not make them public? In fact, he should be the prime suspect in the alleged murders.

“This obviates the need for further proof that Ikanya and his cohorts are a bunch of flustered and rudderless characters who will relentlessly - although fruitlessly try to sully the reputation of the governor.

“You don’t need a probe panel to disclose the identities of the alleged murders and their victims. After all, the APC was in power and in control of the state’s machinery. Why then did it not set up a panel? The reason is simple: it shall indict itself.”

HE Edo State Police Command has arraigned a 32-year-old man, Doyin Abiodun, before an Egor Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing N48 million from a commercial bank.

Abiodun was arraigned on a seven-count charge of forgery and stealing.

He was alleged to have committed the offence in April 2013 at the Uselu branch of EcoBank Nigeria Plc. The accused allegedly conspired with others and forged an identity card belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) with the name “Oboite Jonathan Alele”.

The fake identity card was said to have been used to defraud and facilitate a credit loan of N32 million and N7 million from the bank.

A letterhead of the Edo Sports Council, Benin, was alleged to have been forged with the intent to defraud and facilitate a loan facility from the bank.

The N7 million and N9 million, being the property of the bank, was said to have been stolen by the accused.

The offences are punishable under sections 467 and 390 (5) (6) of the Criminal Code Cap 48 Vol. II, Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976, as applicable to Edo State.

Abiodun pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate William Aziegbemhin granted him bail for N3 million and a surety, who must be an employee of a recognised organisation, in like sum.

He adjourned the matter till October 5 for further hearing.

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

52

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 09091178827

Bed bugs protest at Unilag

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HE gates of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Akoka, Yaba were shut until about 10am yesterday, following a students’ protest.

The students, it was learnt, were protesting bed bug infestation of their halls of residence.

A student said the protest started from Mariere Hall and spread to other halls of residence, before day break.

He said the students embarked on the action when a colleague woke up screaming in the middle of the night because of “the bed bugs on his body at about 3am yesterday.”

Residents of other halls soon joined the protest, with residents of Sodeinde, Eni Njoku, Makama Bida, Madam Tinubu and Fagunwa Halls trooping out in that order.

The source claimed that the female residents were prevented from joining the protest; their gates were not opened.

He said the bed bugs had become resistant to their commonly used insecticide, ‘Sniper’, adding that the students wondered the effect of the last fumigation the institution embarked upon during the last holidays.

The Students Union President, Mr Abiodun Martins, gave the university authorities a seven-day ultimatum to replace all mattresses in the halls of residence, to avert crisis.

Martins made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to Martins, the students protested because the bugs and mosquitoes were making life unbearable for them. Many of them, he said, could hardly sleep after the day’s activities.

“We want this management to be proactive in responding to the demands of

•The infected bed... yesterday

•Students blocked the road with the old beds... yesterday

•The protesting students... yesterday

By Oluwatoyin Adeleye, Education Reporter

the students. The authorities must not always wait for a crisis or protest to erupt before they react,” he said.

He said the issue had been raised with the authorities before now, adding that nothing was done.

“There is a limit to what students can bear and I feel what they were protesting against is not out of place, because they paid for it,” he said.

According to him, the whole place was recently fumigated, but it seemed that the bugs have developed resistance to the chemical.

He said: “So, what we are asking for now is for the au-

‘

There is a limit to what students can bear and I feel what they were protesting against is not out of place, because they paid for it

’

thorities to look for a lasting solution to this challenge. We hereby give them a seven-day ultimatum, beginning from today, to replace all the old mattresses.

We want them to burn all the old mattresses, fumigate the hostels, do away with all the

‘

Are we supposed to be telling university students to wash their clothes and clean their rooms?

’

fittings, and then bring in new mattresses.”

The students’ leader said no matter the challenges facing the institution, students interests must always be given top priority.

Deputy Registrar (Information) of the institution

Mr Olagoke Oke said the bed bugs were the result of the unkept state of the hostels.

Speaking with The Nation in his office at the Senate Building, Oke said: “Are we supposed to be telling university students to wash their clothes and clean their rooms? We did not have this problem last year or two years ago, so why now? The students need to take care of themselves, otherwise, no amount of fumigation would eradicate the bed bugs.”

But, a worker at the university’s health centre said the mattresses in the hostels are in bad state and must be replaced.

“The mattresses in the hostels are in a very bad state, so of course they are a breeding ground for bed bugs.

Fumigation would not solve the problem, because if they fumigate, the bugs would be back in one month, if the beds are not changed,” she said.

In a statement yesterday, the university condemned what it called the unruly act of the students, despite management’s efforts to ensure peace and order in the institution.

It said: “It needs to be highlighted that plans are at advanced stage to replace the mattresses after fumigating the hostel at the end of the second semester examinations scheduled to commence in two weeks. It is, therefore, surprising that a group of students will embark on this unruly act (the protest).”

The university urged the students to engage in dialogue in the bid to resolve conflicts, adding that it would no longer condone such acts of unruly behaviour from its students.

“Management has always responded positively to issues affecting welfare of staff and students and would no longer tolerate any situation that will lead to break down of law and order. Management urges students to always engage in dialogue as it is the most fruitful means of conflict resolution,” it said.

Woman held for attempt to use Uche twins for fraud T HE police have arrested a woman for allegedly attempting to use the four-month old twins of Mrs Ruth Uche, whose husband fled after she gave birth to them, to defraud a retired police chief.

The woman was caught at College Road Estate, when she took the babies to the retired police officer’s house, claiming that they were his grandchildren.

It was learnt that the suspect, a mother of two, identified as Victoria, was introduced to the Uches by a neighbour.

She was said to have told the twins parents that she wanted the babies to appear in a film.

Although Mrs Uche’s husband, Emeka was said to have initially declined, he later conceded on the condition that his wife must go with the children.

Rather than taking them to location, she was said to have carried the babies to the house of the wealthy man, who was said to be happy to see his ‘grandchildren’.

But, the suspect could not say the sex and age of the babies

•’She told us she wanted to put them on a film’

By Precious Igbonwelundu

when she was asked.

The suspect, had earlier taken the twins’pictures and sent to the man, claiming that they were boys and two months old.

When the retired officer saw the babies, he realised that they were a boy and a girl, and looked much older than two months.

It was then Mrs Uche suspected something was amiss and told the man the age and sex of her babies.

“I did not understand what was going on. I do not even know the place we went to. She has been pleading with us that she wanted to use the twins (youngest set) in a film.

“My husband initially denied but later since she said it was to act film; I begged my husband and he agreed on the

condition that I go with the woman.

“So, around 11:30am on Sunday, we all left the house and came to Agege. She took us to one big man’s house, I do not know the place and she told me to sit down that it is she and the kids that will act the film.

“But when I sat down, I heard the man asking her whether my children are two boys and how old they are.

“She said two months and that they are boys but I told the man that they are a boy and a girl, and that they are four months old.

“The man asked whose children they were and I told him they are my children and that the woman said she wanted to act film with them.

“That was when the man started shouting and saying

that she told him that my children are his grandchildren. That she has sent their picture before and that she told him his son impregnated her before travelling abroad.

“The man now said that we were in it together and that I knew about it. I told him I do not know anything that the only thing she told us was that she wanted to act film with my babies.

“Before she did not want to talk, but when people threatened her, she now told them that I am innocent. That she wanted to get money from the man. That woman is a criminal,” Mrs Uche said.

The suspect said she wanted to use the twins to get money from the retired officer for her children’s school fees.

She claimed that she did not plan to sell them; nor was she planning to steal them from their parents.

“Please I am sorry, have mercy on me. I am a poor widow and I have two children. I begged their parents that I wanted to act film with the

•Mrs Uche with the twins... file copy

twins and the twins’ father told his wife to follow me.

“I wanted to use them to collect money from the man because I used to date his son after I lost my husband.

“Before he travelled abroad last year, I got pregnant for him but I aborted the baby. So, because I needed money, I decided to use the twins and show his father so that I can get money from him and pay my children’s school fees.

“I did not plan to sell them

and I did not know that things will turn out this way,” cried Victoria.

Contacted, the command spokesman, Joseph Offor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the woman’s arrest.

He said the twins’ mother would have been detained too but for the children.

Offor said investigations were ongoing to be sure the parents did not conspire with the suspect.

53

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS

Obama confronts Russia, China and Iran in UN speech

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RESIDENT Obama took on a confrontational tone in his speech yesterday to the United Nations General Assembly, specifically calling out Russia, China and Iran for destabilizing activities in various world conflicts.

Obama opened his speech directly decrying "strong states that seek to impose their will on weaker ones," then alluded to Russian support for Syrian President Bashar alAssad.

"On this basis, we see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law," Obama said. "We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism. In accordance with this logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar alAssad."

Earlier in the morning, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called for the first time for Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

Obama's remarks came just before a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two will also have their first sit-down in more than two years in the afternoon and are expected to discuss Russian involvement in the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

In an interview by the Kremlin, Putin explained Russia's recent

surge of support for Assad's government as a means to combat ISIS terrorists in the country.

Obama then called on Russia to ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine, explaining "the world cannot stand by" as Russia looks to assert its influence across sovereign borders.

Just days after hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a lavish

state visit, Obama used his remarks to call out Chinese land-building activities in the South China Sea. "The United States makes no claim on territory there," Obama said. "But like every nation gathered here, we have an interest in upholding the basic principles of freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce."

Despite the recent landmark

agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program, Obama called out the country for continuing to employ "violent proxies to advance its interests" in the Middle East.

"These efforts may appear to give Iran leverage in disputes with neighbors, but they fuel sectarian conflict that endangers the entire region," Obama said. "Iranian people have a proud history filled with extraordi-

• Obama

• Ki Moon

• Putin

Burkina Faso coup guards 'refuse to disarm'

A

unit of guards that carried out a coup in Burkina Faso before handing back power is refusing to disarm.

The chief of army staff accused presidential guards of intimidating people carrying out the disarmament.

Interim President Michel Kafando was formally reinstated on Wednesday after an intervention from the army and several West African leaders.

On Friday, his government ordered the presidential guards' unit that carried out the coup to be disbanded.

The presidential guards - known as the RSP - are a unit of 1,200 well-armed

and well-trained men loyal to Blaise Compaore, the country's long-time ruler who was ousted in a popular uprising which set alight the parliament building last year.

Members of the RSP stormed the cabinet room on 16 September taking prisoner the interim president, the prime minister and others.

Coup leader Gen Gilbert Diendere said he seized power because of plans to disband the RSP and exclude Mr Compaore allies from standing in upcoming presidential elections.

At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured in clashes during the take over.

A week later, when it became clear they did not enjoy popular support and after a threat from the regular army to step down or be ousted by force, the RSP withdrew.

Gen Diendere admitted the putsch had been "the biggest mistake". "We knew the people were not in favour of it," he said.

Subsequently Gen Gilbert Diendere's assets were frozen.

A source in the RSP told AFP news agency that the disarmament process was deadlocked because a pledge to ensure the safety of the people who carried out the coup was not being respected.

World leaders focus on Syria at UN

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HE Syrian conflict is at the centre of intense diplomatic activity in New York, where world leaders are attending the UN General Assembly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to hold rare talks with US President Barack Obama to outline his proposals.

The Russians are a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Western leaders have recently softened their stance towards him conceding that he might be able to stay on during a political transition.

In his opening remarks at the summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court, saying there can be no impunity for "atrocious crimes".

He said five countries - Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran were key to finding a political solution, but unless they could compromise it would be "futile" to expect change on the ground.

Earlier, Moscow suggested there were plans to form an international contact group including all the countries Mr Ban mentioned plus Egypt.

The morning session at the UN is hearing from both Mr Obama and Mr Putin, as well as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and French President Francois Hollande, whose country has just carried out its first air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.

His UN speech and meeting with President Obama will put President Putin centre stage: a return to the

international limelight for a leader shunned by the West over the conflict in Ukraine.

And if he convinces President Obama to put aside their differences and join together in the fight against Islamic State, Russia stands to gain on many levels: by retaining a degree of influence in Syria; by boosting Russian national security (Moscow acknowledges that IS constitutes a threat to Russia); and, crucially, by improving Russia's international image - rebranding her from pariah to partner and refocusing attention from the conflict in Ukraine.

If Vladimir Putin achieves that, it could be the first step towards easing Western sanctions.

First, though, he will need to convince the US to trust him. It may be a hard sell.

The threat of IS extremists and the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe has added urgency to the search for a deal to end the civil war.

Mr Putin has reiterated his support for President Assad, who Western countries and the Syrian opposition have said must go.

Mr Putin, who has strongly reinforced Russia's military presence in Syria, has called for a regional "coordinating structure" against IS, and said the Syrian president's troops were "the only legitimate conventional army there".

He said Russia would not participate in any troop operations in Syria.

Relations between Russia and the West have been strained over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's

Crimea peninsula last year and its support for separatist rebels in Ukraine's east.

Mr Putin will also meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Cuban President Raul Castro on the sidelines of the assembly, the Kremlin was quoted as saying by Reuters.

President Rouhani - a key regional ally of President Assad - says the government in Damascus "can't be weakened" if IS militants are to be defeated.

nary potential. But chanting 'Death to America' doesn't create jobs or make Iran more secure."

Obama also took time to acknowledge past U.S. mistakes in involvement in historical conflicts, pointing to both Iraq and Libya as lessons learned, while defending use of military action against ISIS. He then suggested an avenue of cooperation with Iran and Russia to bring peace to Syria, but only if the two countries support the removal of Assad from power.

"Assad and his allies cannot simply pacify the broad majority of a population who have been brutalized by chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing," Obama said. "Yes, realism dictates that compromise will be required and that fighting will ultimately stamp out ISIL. But realism also requires a managed transition away from Assad and to a new leader."

With Cuban President Raul Castro looking on, President Obama also hailed the warming of relations between the United States and Cuba, generating overwhelming applause from the audience as he expressed his belief that the embargo against the nation should be lifted.

"To move forward in this era," Obama said, "you have to be strong enough to acknowledge that what you're doing is not working."

India boat capsizes with many missing

A

crowded boat has capsized on a river in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, with many people missing and feared dead, officials say.

The motorised boat, which was carrying people to a boat race, sank on

the Kolohi river in Kamrup district.

It is not clear how many people were on board, with local reports varying from between 50 and 200.

Many people managed to swim to safety, but at least 20 remain missing, reports say.

Yemen : Deadly wedding attack claims 38 lives

A

T least 38 people are reported to have been killed in an air strike on a wedding party in south-western Yemen.

Medics said women and children were among those who died in Wahijah, a village near the Red Sea port of Mocha.

The Saudi-led coalition, which began an air campaign in March to defeat the Houthi rebel movement, denied it was responsible for the attack.

However, witnesses said warplanes targeted the celebration and Yemeni officials acknowledged a "mistake".

The UN says almost 4,900 people have been killed in the past six month, including 2,200 civilians.

A resident of Wahijah told the Reuters news agency that two tents where a wedding for a local man affiliated with the Houthis was being celebrated were targeted in the air strike.

Many of the victims were women

and children, the resident added.

Yemeni security sources told the Associated Press that the coalition had targeted the wedding, and the agency quoted a senior government official as saying the strike was "a mistake".

Image copyright AFP Image caption The Saudi-led coalition is supporting President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi "This is a new crime that is added to the massacres committed by the Saudi regime against the people of Yemen," said the rebel-controlled Saba news agency.

However, the coalition subsequently denied being behind the attack.

Spokesman Brig-Gen Ahmed alAsiri told Reuters: "There have been no air operations by the coalition in that area for three days. This is totally false news."

Coalition warplanes have previously bombed non-military sites, killing dozens of civilians.

Taliban seize Afghan's key city

H

UNDREDS of Taliban fighters have stormed the strategic northern Afghan city of Kunduz, seizing control of half of it, police say.

Militants have occupied some government buildings, including a prison, and heavy fighting is continuing.

Witnesses report the Taliban flag has been raised in the city centre.

If the city falls, it would be the first provincial capital to be taken by the Taliban since they lost power following the US-led invasion in 2001.

Kunduz is strategically important and acts as a transport hub for the north of the country.

It also has symbolic significance for the Taliban as it was their former northern stronghold before their government was overthrown 14 years ago.

The government admitted that it had lost control of parts of the city. It said at least 25 militants and two Afghan policemen had been killed and that reinforcements had been sent to the city.

Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husaini told the BBC's Mahfouz Zubaide that militants had captured the jail in Kunduz and freed about 500 prisoners, including members of the Taliban.

Many government officials are trying to flee via the city's heavily fortified airport.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Residents fled parts of the city as the fighting raged Kunduz province has seen a number of attacks since April, with the Taliban joining forces with other insurgents.

Reports said the Taliban attacked the city from three sides at about dawn. A witness told Reuters news agency that by mid-afternoon they had raised their white flag in the city's main square, about 200m (218 yards) from the governor's compound.

Battles were raging in two districts close to the compound, the witness said.

"The Taliban have taken over our

neighbourhood... I can see their fighters all around," an AFP news agency journalist inside the city reported.

This attack is one of the most serious security breaches since the start of the Taliban insurgency 14 years ago. But the Taliban's main challenge will now be to hold the city.

Kunduz has a huge strategic significance as it is considered a gateway to Afghanistan's northern provinces and shares a border with Tajikistan, Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbour.

The Taliban already control huge chunks of the province's rural areas, where the majority of the population live. The insurgents have intensified their fighting in the province over the past two years.

They are the dominant militant group in the province, with an estimated 2,000 fighters. But there are also reportedly hundreds of foreign fighters associated with al-Qaeda, so-called Islamic State and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

54

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

NATION SPORT

Platini’s hope for FIFA presidency fizzles U

Ronaldo: I miss playing with Rooney

C

RISTIANO Ronaldo says he misses playing alongside former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney.

Ronaldo moved to United as an 18-year-old from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, while Rooney left Everton for Old Trafford a year later.

The pair went on to win three Premier League titles, the Champions League and one FA Cup together, before the Portugal captain joined Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo admits it's a shame he

no longer shares the same dressing room as the man he refers to as "pitbull" and hopes they're reunited in the future.

"I miss playing with Rooney.

Maybe we can play again together some day," he said.

"He was the kid of England.

Everybody loved him. He was so powerful I was calling him pitbull. The power of Wayne Rooney is his mentality and strength and he never stops.

"He's a fantastic team player and he scores! He's a fantastic boy and he helped me a lot when he came to join us in Manchester."

Napoli refutes Higuain comments about Ronaldo

N

APOLI have released a statement denying striker Gonzalo Higuain made controversial comments about former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Quotes emerged on Sunday

of Higuain reportedly branding three-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo "over-rated" and egotistical in an apparent interview with Spanish magazine Don Balon.

However, Napoli have now insisted that the Argentina international never made such comments about the Portugal international.

"Napoli and Higuain categorically deny ever he has been granted an interview with 'Don Balon'," the statement read.

"Therefore the sentences attributed to Higuain are considered false and without any foundation."

Higuain, who played alongside Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu before moving to Napoli in 2013, made headlines when he was quoted as saying: "He [Ronaldo] has a lot of ego.

"If you don't say he's the best, he's not your friend. Cristiano thinks he's the best but he's over-rated.

"I've shared a dressing room with Messi and one is nothing like the other."

Higuain scored in Napoli's 2-1 victory over struggling Serie A champions Juventus on Saturday.

EFA president Michel Platini has played down payments he received from FIFA for consultancy work that led to him being questioned by authorities.

The former France star was employed by the world's governing body between 19982002, but only received two million Swiss Francs from the organisation in 2011, leading to many questioning the length of the delay.

But Platini - who plans to run to take over from Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in February - has denied he is guilty of any wrongdoing in a letter sent to UEFA Member Associations on Monday.

"I wish to clarify that for the period 1998 to 2002 I was employed by FIFA to work on a wide range of matters relating to football," it read.

"It was a full-time job and my functions were known by all. The remuneration was agreed at the time and after initial payments were made, the final outstanding amount of two million Swiss Francs was paid in February of 2011.

"This income has all been

fully declared by me to the authorities, in accordance with Swiss law.

"I was interviewed by the Swiss authorities about this matter last Friday, not as a

person accused of any wrongdoing, but simply in my capacity as a person providing information.

"Furthermore, I have, today, written to the Ethics

Committee of FIFA to request that I may come forward and provide whatever additional information may be needed in order to clear this matter up.

CL: Silva, Kompany, Hart to return against Monchengladbach M

ANCHESTER City are confident of a triple injury boost ahead of their Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday, with David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart all in line for a return to action.

City lost their European opener against Juventus a fortnight ago and travel to

Germany needing to pick up all three points if they are to keep in touch with the Italians and Sevilla, who sit joint top of Group D. Silva has missed the club's last three matches with a calf problem but is set to return for the game at Borussia Park having trained over the

weekend.

There could also be good news for Kompany and Hart, who both sat out Saturday's heavy defeat at Tottenham in the Premier League.

Kompany, who was forced out of the 2-1 defeat to Juventus with a calf in-

jury, had initially been named on the bench at White Hart Lane but was forced to pull out altogether.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said his captain was still struggling with his calf and that he would be assessed in the earlier part of the week, but Goal understands the club are now hopeful he will return to the starting line-up.

Kane: I've shut up doubters

T

OTTENHAM striker Harry Kane said he "shut up a few people" after returning to the scoresheet against Manchester City over the weekend.

Kane ended his 748-minute goal drought with a strike just past the hour mark as Tottenham stunned City 4-1 at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The England international had failed to score in Tottenham's eight competitive games this season prior to the weekend, having announced himself with 31 goals in all competitions last term.

Now the 22-year-old, who remained upbeat throughout his dry spell, feels he may have silenced the critics who had suggested he was a one-season wonder.

"Maybe I shut up a few people who have been talking over the last few weeks," Kane said.

"Only seven games and a few people said 'one-season wonder'. People can judge me at the end of the season and we will go from there. I have to stay focused but it is great to score.

"When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. You want to score again and it was a good feeling to score again.

55

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

SPORT EXTRA Ahead Rio Olympics: Emedolu, Nigerian ambition Obikwelu, others in search of talents halted Ajayi’s Europe • Alozie apologises for dumping Nigeria N dream - mentor N ATIONSPORT has exclusively learnt that playing for Dream Team VI in the African U- 23 Championship in Senegal was the deciding factor in former 3SC striker Junior Ajayi’s preference to play for CS Sfaxien of Tunisia instead of joining Standard Liege or Anderlecht Football clubs in Belgium.

The player’s mentor and guardian Alhaji Liameed Gafaar told NationSport as the situation is presently, it would be very difficult for Dream Team VI Coach Samson Siasia to secure the release of his regular players who have all joined European clubs, a reason why he urged Junior Ajayi to play for the Tunisian club for now.

“I doubt it very much if clubs like Liverpool will release Taiwo Awoniyi or KV Oostende of Belgium will release Godwin Saviour for the Dream Team VI’s African U- 23 Championship in Senegal because the period when the tournament would hold is not really enshrined in FIFA calendar. So Nigeria is at the mercy of these European clubs for the release of her players for the tournament.

“So when I realised this, I then urged Junior Ajayi to start from the African level for now and will soon move to Europe from there and that was why he signed for Tunisian outfit CS Sfaxien. I also ensured that it was included in the contract that he signed with the club that he would be release for all Dream Team

VI’s matches and most especially the African Championship in Senegal which will produce the four African countries for the 2016 Olympic in Brazil”, Gafaar also told NationSport.

This is a rare display of patriotism by the player and his Manager Alhaji Gafaar NationSport also learnt.

Gafaar who is the owner and Chairman of 36 Lion Football Club of Lagos said he witnessed Ajayi’s first match in Tunisia on Sunday where the former Shooting Stars FC forward scored CS

Sfaxien second goal in Gasfa FC’s 3-1 defeat on Sunday.

“Sfaxien Coach was initially reluctant to start Junior (Ajayi) in the match against Gasfa, claiming that he needed to train with the team more but I encourage him to play Junior and he would surprise him. The Coach then had to field Junior from the left wing (no.

11) and not his traditional forward (no. 9) but the player still managed to score the second goal for Sfaxien to help win the match”, Gafaar disclosed.

IGERIA-born athletes, Uchenna Emedolu, Francis Obikwelu Gloria Alozie and Deji Aliu are in search of athletes that would make the country proud at the 2016 Olympics slated for Rio, Brazil, as all roads lead to Teslim Balogun Stadium on Thursday for the selection of athletes across the country.

The quartet who expressed a strong desire to break the jinx of the country’s woeful performances at international competitions lately, were convinced by an athlete promoter, Bambo Akanni to impact their technical expertise into his pet project, which is set to revive athletics in the country.

In separate interviews with the NationSports, Emedolu and his compatriots were of the opinion that Nigerian athletes lacked encouragement in terms of moral and financial support. Obikwelu and Alozie who flew in from Portugal and Spain respectively also claimed they were indeed ready to dedicate their time and expertise to revive the fortunes of the sports.

In a chat with Nationsport, Akanni stated that there was an urgent need for an aggressive revival of athletics in the county. He said: “We made huge investments to make this happen, to make this possible.I started this project out of passion, and not to

By Stella Bamawo make money, and coming from a business background, I used to be an investment banker and a management consultant, I know that sports cannot thrive unless it is treated as a business because sports is big business.

“My goal is that can we make the investment in a way that we get sponsors paying for it. . The national trials happen and no one sees it. But with this talent hunts and athletics reality show coming on board, there should be a positive impact in athletics in the country.”

Meanwhile, at the Lagos finals slated for October 3, the oraganisers are expecting about four hundred athletes to participate, while each of the coaches would have twenty-five athletes from their team groomed to participate in the competition.

However, at the end of the competition, the organisers hope to preselect twenty to thirty athletes who will be a part of the finalists under the training of experienced coaches ahead of 2016. Meanwhile, the reality show is meant to be talent search vehicle to find the best talent at the end of the year, we also hope to have corporate sponsorship .In the same In the same vein, Nigerian-born Spanish track and field athlete, Gloria Alozie who went on to have a successful senior career in Spain had this to say on her changing nationality to run for Spain.

She said: “I am sorry because it offended a lot of people that I ran for Spain. I had to do it because of my career being sorry means I love my fans and country and I did not know it offended them and that is why I am back to make it up.

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Ikhana: Enyimba needs away win for league title

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NYIMBA coach Kadiri Ikhana has said his club need an away win to be crowned Nigerian champions for the seventh time.

Enyimba is top of the table with 58 points from 31 matches, five points clear of closest rivals Sunshine Stars.

Their remaining away games are at Sunshine Stars, Nasarawa United and derbies against Abia Warriors and Heartland.

“We need to win an away game and we will be champions,” said Ikhana after Sunday’s 2-0 home win over fellow title chasers Wikki Tourists.

“We have recorded five

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja

draws and won four for a total of 17 points on the road.

“We want to keep the pace and we are doing just that. Last week, we had a four-point gap and this week, five-point gap.

So, you can see the difference.”

However, Ikhana maintained the title race remains too close to call.

“Everybody is very far from trophy because we still have seven matches to play. The gap at the top is still close,” he said.

On Sunday in Aba, Ikhana deployed skipper Chinedu

Udoji from his familiar central defence position to defensive midfield and he scored the two goals that sunk Wikki.

“We had several chances, we should have been three goals up in the first half. In the second half, we came close too.

We created several chances, but did not utilise them,” the coach said.

“Maybe I should take some credit for Udoji’s goals because before now he has not scored playing under several other coaches.

“I am happy about that.”

Uzoenyi's high wages scare clubs

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A M E L O D I Sundowns ace Ejike Uzoenyi has attracted interests from within South Africa and beyond, but the major stumbling block has been the high wages the Nigeria forward commands at the PSL club.

Sources told AfricanFootball.com he is one of the highest earners at the PSL club, but refused to put a figure to this salary.

A top source informed AfricanFootball.com:”Ejike is on one of the highest wages at Sundowns and still has a number of years to run on his contract at the club.

“There have been a lot of interests on the player from clubs in South Africa and outside, but for most of them the big consideration is the player’s salary, it is one of the highest at Sundowns.”

Sundowns are yet to decide on Uzoenyi, who has not been registered for the PSL this season after a debut season which was hampered by a long-term injury.

The former Enugu Rangers star, who was the MVP at last year's CHAN in south Africa, is still training with ‘The Brazilians’ after two major injuries including a groin complaint that needed surgery.

•Uzoenyi

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TODAY IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.10 NO. 3352

‘The Saraki saga, however it pans out, should teach everyone braggadocio does not pay, especially if you have a mighty lot to hide’ OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

I

F there was a prize for the most robust, sustained and unsparing criticism of Ayo Fayose as governor of Ekiti, as aspirant to that office and as a castaway from it, this column would be the runaway winner.

It has excoriated him again and again over his ill-conceived Integrated Poultry Project that gulped more than a billion Naira – double that amount in today’s money – without delivering a single egg. It has knocked him for his morbidity of thought and expression, for disrobing, in a manner of speaking, his own mother in the public square just to score a cheap political point, for his scattershot approach to governance, for his verbal incontinence, and for a general disposition that borders on megalomania.

By my reckoning, only General Ibrahim Babangida, the former military president, has figured more often in this space than Fayose as an unedifying subject, if not as an outright villain.

Seeing that this is yet another piece on Fayose, those who have found my strictures on him most agreeable would sit back, confident that this is going to be another sandbagging for the so and so. Those who have always found the strictures tiresome and uncharitable, and have communicated their displeasure to me with the forthrightness that becomes Fayose so well,will most likely yawn, shake their heads and turn the page.

Today, I am not going to follow that beaten path, and it is not just out of a desire to exercise a columnist’s sovereign right not to be too predictable. I am going to disappoint Fayose’s implacable critics who count me as their patron, and I am going to surprise his teeming admirers who hold me in especial loathing.

I do so not cavalierly but with great deliberation, on a matter that admits of no equivocation and no prevarication. The merit of the matter at issue is so transparent that anyone who cannot fathom it and rejoice in it has got to be practically unconscious.

To come right out it, I am thinking of the international airport that Fayose is set to build in the State capital, Ado-Ekiti. Construction will start any moment from now, inside sources tell me.

In their commentary, the usual naysayers —with whom I must today respectfully part company — have exhausted all the entries in the Thesaurus for “undesirable,” but they are not done yet. These people, mind you, are the elite. They did not vote for Fayose. Instead, they slandered him relentlessly.

Now, having catered adequately to the stomach infrastructure of the adoring masses, Fayose is against his better judgment giving the misguided elite an airport, and instead of praising him for being magnanimous when he could have been vindictive, they are denouncing him.

Some of them are claiming that the project was in fact conceived by former Governor Segun Oni, and that Fayose merely appropriated it. Such pettiness! What really counts is

RIPPLES

POVERTY RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRUPTION –LADOJA

HERE’S ANOTHER ONE...GREED

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

Ekiti: Your own airport, coming soon

•Fayose

the person giving life and form to what was no more than a dream in Oni’s head. That person is Fayose. And he is doing so against all odds – plummeting oil revenues, unpaid salaries and pensions, educational levies and mounting unrest.

It is heartening that he is not in the least fazed by these pesky developments, nor by the base ingratitude of the elite, aforementioned. If the elite are too blinded by spite to see that the project is being undertaken in their best interest and that they stand to profit the most from it, well might Fayose say in pained resignation: So much for all their vaunted book learning.

The project will go ahead whether they like it or not.

I can now reveal that the facility will be officially known as Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan International Airport, Ado-Ekiti, with the telegraphic address GEJIA. This gesture is in

grateful appreciation of the former president’s role in ensuring Fayose’s return to power eight years after an ignominious exit, and subsequently keeping Ekiti off-limits to other political parties.

The airport is also being named in Dr Jonathan’s honour because he has promised to employ his new status as an acclaimed and much sought-after international statesman to help mobilise funds and resources that will make the airport second to none in the ECOWAS region if not in Africa.

Those who think this is going to be another monument to folly are mistaken. The potential is vast, and it is sure to translate into actuality once the project is completed. In fact, I can reveal that the aviation community, led by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, has already asked to be identified with it at every stage.

Consider just a few of the staggering gains that are guaranteed to flow from the project.

Now, there is no academic specialism so abstruse or recondite that you will not find several scholars of Ekiti extraction at its cutting edge. For lack of opportunities at home, these scholars are scattered all over the world.

A good many of them would like to give their homeland the benefit of their expertise through weekend seminars and boot camps.

But they have been deterred by the prospect of being mugged at Lagos airport or along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and at points in between, or being crushed by unlatched containers falling off rickety trucks.

A direct flight to Ado-Ekiti from London, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Moscow, New York, Boston, Bologna, Berlin, Vienna, Washington DC, Los Angeles and other centres of advanced learning where they reside is exactly what these scholars need to help consolidate Ekiti’s place as the Fountain of Knowledge.

HARDBALL

B

EFORE anything else, Hardball must enter this caveat. Muslims and their beliefs are inviolate. This year’s tragedy does nothing to negate the Islamic holy injunctions for the Hajj, for who can afford it, at least once in a life time. It is one of the five pillars of Islam; and the faith is not about abandoning one of its fundamental pillars because of human negligence.

The kingdom and people of Saudi Arabia no doubt feel blessed to yearly be home to millions of Muslim faithful worldwide. It is a grave spiritual privilege that must be matched with no less secular responsibility, in pilgrim safety and security.

Mecca, Medina, Mina and allied sacred cities are only among the privileged few, among the globe’s holiest religious destinations, to which pilgrims flock every year. Even if the whole of the pilgrim population were to perish, that calamity would still not dull these cities’ appeal.

Faith, after all, is a thing of the mind.

Besides, by Islamic belief, dying in Mecca during pilgrimage is religious bliss; for to the deceased would come additional blessings the living cannot boast, as (s)he enters Al-Jannah a privileged soul indeed.

But it was never conceived as being crushed by cranes or being squashed in stampedes.

With such a facility in place, the muchgarlanded poet and Distinguished Professor of English, Dr Niyi Osundare, could take off from New Orleans in the morning, fly direct to Ado-Ekiti for an evening of poetry reading and return the very next day to his base in time to conduct a post-doctoral seminar on the Poetics and Aesthetics of Chaucer, Aeschylus, Okigbo and Walcott, with nary a hint of stress.

For foreign-based Ekiti indigenes, a visit home would no longer be an endurance test, with long waits at connecting points. You just fly direct into Ado-Ekiti, and within an hour, you’ll be home tucking into a hot meal of original pounded yam, not the insipid, synthetic stuff they sell in supermarkets.

Intrigued by Governor Fayose’s ideology of stomach infrastructure, some of the world’s leading social scientists have been studying that phenomenon, as well as the role of okada riders as agents of political mobilisation and social enforcement, albeit from a distance.

With direct international flights to Ado- Ekiti, they can now converge on the entire state to conduct definitive fieldwork that will take these developments to the next level and place them in the proper epistemological context.

These scholars can sniff a paradigm shift or a theoretical breakthrough from the end of the earth, and they believe Ekiti is where it is happening. Hooray to the Fountain.

Consider also the boom that tourism will experience. I can already see jetliners from all over the world bringing tourists to the enchanting but under-patronised Ikogosi Springs and other wonders with which the Ekiti landscape is strewn, not forgetting the Idanre Hills close by in Ondo State.

Europeans and Americans seeking escape from the harsh Northern Hemisphere summer will flock to Ekiti to savour the equable clime of Efon Alaye and Iyin-Ekiti, less than an hour’s ride from the international airport.

The construction of JEGIA will create and sustain thousands of jobs, transform Ekiti’s economy from rural to global, boost trade and commerce and, in the process, generate so much revenue that the state will have to face the difficult task of figuring out what to do with such sudden affluence.

The foregoing is only a conspectus of what Ekiti State stands to gain by Fayose’s visionary plan to build an international airport in Ado-Ekiti. It is nothing less than a stroke of genius.

The usual critics can scoff to their hearts’ content. On this one, I am solidly behind him. Let the building commence. I can hardly wait to fly into the airport direct from Peoria, Illinois, confident that I would be home in Kabba within an hour of clearing my luggage.

•For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Deaths in the holy land Which is why the Saudi authorities must take the blame for these twin-tragedies; and must wake up to their responsibilities.

By Allah, Nigeria has paid dearly for these man-made errors, in lost lives and crushed limbs. From the stampede, no fewer than 56 Nigerians — and still counting — out of a casualty figure of 769 so far have perished, many of them the cream of their generation.

The morbid list: Justice Abdulkadir Jega, presiding judge, Court of Appeal, Abuja, and brother to Prof. Attahiru Jega, former INEC chairman, Justice Musa Hassan Alkali, another Court of Appeal judge, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim, the Panti Zing (traditional ruler of Zing, in Adamawa State) and Amirul Hajj (leader) of the Adamawa delegation, with two of his four wives, Prof. Tijani Abubakar El-Miskin, the famed Islamic scholar, Hajiya Bilikisu Yusuf, former editor of defunct Citizen magazine.

And to think of the fate of Alhaji Bello GidanHamma, former caretaker chairman of Illela Local Government of Sokoto State, with himself, mother, stepmother and two wives perishing in the stampede!

Pray, how can a nation lose such calibre

of people, on a pilgrimage, just because the host country is remiss in its safety responsibility?

To worsen matters, a Saudi prince’s convoy is claimed to have caused the stampede; with another Saudi prince reportedly making a racist statement, blaming the dead for their own death! That is reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

Which is why Nigeria must lodge the sternest of protests to the Saudi government. Nigeria cannot stop its Muslims from Hajj. But it certainly can expect the Saudi government to appreciate the enormous responsibilities in pilgrims’ safety.

We can’t just sit back and mop in agony, while our compatriots die avoidable deaths because they are on pilgrimage — and let no one mouth any pious fatalism about Allah wanting it that way!

Allah’s will is one thing. Human negligence is another. This is why the Saudis must sit up. Enough of these harvests of needless deaths!

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