Sun News - October 4, 2012

FG approves N1.5bn for Zik’s mausoleum Page 10

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012 VOL. 7 NO. 2466

How we escaped Mubi school massacre – Survivors

Pages 5 & 6

Students ride on trailers, open trucks to flee Mubi PHOTO: NAN

Pages 9 & 13

Flood: Traditional ruler drowns ...28 dead, 100,000 rendered homeless in Taraba

2015: Ohanaeze backs Igbo presidency Page 8

Setting out... Delta Sate Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan paddling his way at the beginning of his journey to visit flooded villages at Anwai-Asaba, yesterday

Andy Uba wins again Page 10

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Budget 2013

Jonathan, N’Assembly reach truce Page 7

Andy Uba wins again Page 10

Flood: Traditional ruler drowns

Ogun Obas exchange blows at police station THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012 VOL. 7 NO. 2466

Page 11

How we escaped

Page 9

Pages 5 & 6

– Survivors of Mubi school massacre I was with my male colleagues at Wuro Puteji, when the gunmen asked the female students to submit our cellphones to them and we were asked to go quietly, for they were not after us. The males were asked to lie down and were instantly shot. While we were crying and wailing, the gunmen went into another compound and we heard similar sounds of shots – Amina Usman, HND II

A number of student leaders, including the Chief of Igbos, Lucky, my friend, were among those killed. We had the students’ union government election on Monday, and it was peacefully conducted. It is unfair to say that the killing was generated by the election.

Government should arrest those that killed our colleagues – Sunday Akindeji, ND II

•I thought they’d come for us next – Lecturer who leaves close to the hostel

...Stampede as students flee Mubi, trek 15km to Mararaba By any means possible...

Students ride on trailers, open trucks to flee Mubi PHOTO: NAN

•Unmask killers – Jonathan

N150

Budget 2013

Jonathan, N’Assembly reach truce Page 7

Andy Uba wins again Page 10

Abacha’s stolen multimillion naira jewelry recovered Page 13

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012 VOL. 7 NO. 2466

– Survivors of Mubi school massacre

Pages 6 & 5

How we escaped

Obas in show of shame Page 11

•Exchange blows at police station

...Why I’m fighting Alaafin – Ex-SSG

Flood: Traditional ruler drowns in Delta

Page 9

FG approves N1.5bn for Zik’s mausoleum Page 10

Ondo guber •Group alleges plot to eliminate LP Page 12 members •’Mimiko haunted by fear of defeat ‘ L-R: Elder Tunde Adesida, retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, Health Commissioner, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and wife, Olukemi, shortly after a church service to mark the gov’s 58th birthday anniversary in Akure, Wednesday

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Thursday, October 4, 2012, DAILY SUN

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SUNG GIRL

Boko Haram killed 83 soldiers –CDS •Petirin: Sect can’t bomb us to submission From UBONG UKPONG, Abuja

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he Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, said yesterday in Abuja that 83 soldiers were killed by Boko Haram so far between January and July this year. In spite of the death toll, Petirin reiterated military’s resolve to get rid of bombers and all perpetrators of violence in the country, vowing that nobody can bomb or kill them into submission.

Petirin, who spoke yesterday while distributing cheques of undisclosed amounts to the next-of-kins of the 83 deceased military personnel, indicated that most of the soldiers died during the various attacks by Boko Haram in various parts of the north between January and July.

The CDS was supported by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Diko and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, except for the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, who was said to be away, preparing for the commissioning of the new Army Barracks at Kuje.

In his address, Petirin sued for the support and cooperation of all, stating that every Nigerian must show resoluteness to defeat these evil people that had continued to inflict pains, sorrow and sufferings on the people of the nation. “We must be resolute, not only we in the Armed Forces, our families, our children must be as resolute as we are. In any country, there are people who could get up and become a problem and nuisance, but with cooperation of all of us, we will surely get rid of all of them. It is a matter of time, but our co-operation will make the time shorter.

“Nobody will bomb us into submission or kill us into submission. If you want to rule people, you don’t rule them by killing them, you rule them by appealing to them, by forming your party, by winning elections. Not by saying, you will bomb us to make you to rule us, it will not happen, it will never happen”, the CDS vowed.

He commended the government for putting in place the life assurance policy to cover personnel, which he said was the motivating factor for them to put their lives on line to save the country. With such policy and other laudable policies of government geared towards the welfare of personnel, Petirin said the military surrendered absolute loyalty to government and was willing to do its best to support government and secure the country without looking back.

He said that the Armed Forces is a volunteer force and had chosen to fight and die in defence of the country, adding that they had no regrets in their colleagues dying in active service. The CDS said that the cheques given to the beneficiaries were just one of the numerous packages in place, including training of the children and periodic support to bereaved families to continue to give them the sense of belonging.

“If there is any problem, always come to us. The ones we can solve, we will solve, the ones we can’t solve, we will advise. You are still part of us, we can’t abandon you”, the CDS stated.

School massacre: Stampede as students, lecturers flee Mubi From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE and ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Abuja, DAVID MOLOMO,Yola and ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna

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here was stampede of students and lecturers from Mubi, Adamawa State yesterday following Indpendence Day’s massacre of 40 students by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram.

The higher institutions are Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State University and the School of Health Technology. About 26 students were killed at the Federal Polytechnic with the other two institutions accounting for 14 deaths. Authorities of the polytechnic closed the institution yesterday.

This is even as President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday ordered security agencies to arrest the culprits.

Also, Senate President David Mark called for the enforcement of capital punishment law.

Meanwhile, the students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi were said to have defied their ongoing semester examinations and packed their bags and luggages to use the free period preceding the curfew to flee. Those that were lucky boarded commercial vehicles while those not so lucky patronized trailers to leave the town. Those not fortunate enough to meet up the free time opted to trek over 15kilometres to Mararaba to board buses plying Maiduguri or Yola, depending on the destinations of the students.

Continued on page 5

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Thursday, October 4, 2012

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School massacre

EXODUS FROM MUBI Desperate students and lecturers trying to flee Mubi, Adamawa State, Wednesday following the massacre of 40 students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State University and the School of Health Technology on Independence Day

L-R: Minister of Lands and Urban Development, Ms. Ama Pepple, with her Agriculture counterpart, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, Wednesday.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, presenting in Abuja, Wednesday Group Life Assurance cheque to Ruth and Benedict, next-of-kins of Seaman Baba Birdling who was killed by Boko Haram.0

Photo: BAYO OBISESAN

COVER Shock, anger, condemnations trail Mubi massacre •Continued from Page 3 As at Press time, different death tolls were being bandied by students, the lecturers and security operatives.While the students told Daily Sun that the death toll was 40,the lecturers said it was over 50,but the Police Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent, said that 26 persons were killed.

The exodus of the students has generated tension in Mubi and its environs, as people feared that they could be attacked.

The Police declared that they could not rule out the involvement of the students in the last Monday’s killings because of the nature of the operations, which they said was selective as houses off campus were being pinpointed and students randomly killed.

However, students who witnessed the incident and preferred to remain anonymous, said that some of those killed were final year students who were preparing to defend their academic projects while others were starting their examinations to move to the next class.

In Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the killings which elicited condemnations from all members.

Presidential spokesman. Dr. Reuben Abati, said President Jonathan described the killings as tragic, sad, barbaric and shocking. “The President has directed securuty agencies to investigate the matter and get to the root because this kind of incident, where people were called out and shot, is really shocking.

“He directed that no stone should be left unturned in the bid by the law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of the mayhem are brought to book”. Abati said government regretted that the massacre occurred when considerable progress was being made in tackling the security challenges in some parts of the country.

The Commissioner of Police in Adamawa State, Godfrey Okeke, confirmed that 26 bodies had been deposited in the mortuary.

•Jonathan orders security agencies to arrest culprits Okeke said the killers came with a hit list from which they identified their targets before gunning them down.

Meanwhile, angry Senators yesterday demanded that the Presidency must fish out those behind the Mubi killings. The Senate urged President Jonathan to expeditiously apprehend the killers and prosecute them.

The Upper Legislative Chamber also observed one-minute silence in honour of the dead.

Mark called for the enforcement of capital punishment law as provided in the statut0es.

The Senators expressed sadness and anger over the massacre.

Senator Jubrilla Bindu representing Mubi, raised a motion while Chairman of the Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, urged the Senate to find out, through the National Intelligence and Security Committee and let them “interact with the security agencies to let us know what is happening.”

Senator Oluremi Tinubu said: “It’s high time we declare a vote of no confidence in this government.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu observed that the Mubi killings could be as a result of a glitch in the security system.

His words:”This is indeed a very sad day for us as a country. Let’s just for a moment imagine that we are the parents of these children killed in Mubi. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. I stand here to condemn it

and it’s evil...What happened in Mubi is a failure of the security system.”

The Senate President condemned the killings, calling on the executive to tackle insecurity in the country by applying capital punishment law for the perpetrators.

Mark said: “This is a very painful moment for us as a nation. The people who are dead could not be as a result of their own fault.

Every state government has the responsibility of providing security for those who live in that state...

“People are not killing in the United States of America because of unemployment or desertification or flooding. The security challenges before us in this country are grievous and we have to tackle them headlong.

“Even if it’s just attacking the symptoms now, those who are involved must be brought to book. I know that this is a democracy and with due respect to all of us, capital punishment is still in our statute books and this is the time to test it and use it as a deterrent to others and fast too,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate suspended a request from President Jonathan to borrow $7,905,690,000.00 for pipeline projects under the Medium Term (2012-2014) External Borrowing Plan.

Listed as the first order of the day on the Senate’s Order Paper, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba urged the chamber to tarry awhile before giving its approval.

“We need further clarification on this from the executive. I move that we stand it down

“The President has directed securuty agencies to investigate the matter and get to the root because this kind of incident, where people are called out and shot, is really shocking.”

•Jonathan till another legislative day. I so move.”

Deputy Minority Leader Ahmed Sani Yerima seconded the motion, which suspended legislative consideration of the presidential request.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony N. Z Sani, the ACF said news of the attacks and killings of some innocent students was very shocking to all lovers of peace, humanity and sanctity of life.

“The young students could not possibly be part of what might have caused any perceived grievances. The attacks are, therefore, condemable and barbaric for what they are.

“Towards this end, Arewa Consultative Forum appeals to the security agencies and to all Nigerians, especially those around Mubi Local Government,with patriotic courage to go as far as efforts can go and fish out the perpetrators of the abominable attacks and bring them to justice as a deterrence against any future occurrence”, it stressed.

6 DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

SCHOOL MASSACRE

I thought the killers would come for us next – Lecturer who witnessed Mubi massacre

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• Bodies of some students killed by gunmen.

•Another set of students killed.

•Some students packing out of their hostels after the deadly incident.

he unfortunate incident of Monday night in the second largest town in Adamawa State, Mubi was an experience you cannot wish even your worst enemy.

As a lecturer in one of the many educational institutions in Mubi, the previous three months in Mubi, which were marked with spontaneous shootings and bombings made life difficult. The situation got to the level that Christians and people of southern extraction started moving from places with more problems to those presumed to have more Christians and vice versa.

Wuro Puteji, with its high concentration of churches and many people from the minorities such as Higgi, Marghi, Fali etc, looked a reasonable alternative with its high population of students, making it look neutral and having a balanced mix. Yours truly moved into this set up which had hitherto history of a share in any of the casualities resulting from all the recent carnages being experienced in this economic nerve centre of Adamawa State.

Monday night, I drove back early with my family from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, where we spent the long weekend with the aim of beating the 3:00pm curfew imposed on the town (not knowing its being dropped to 6:00pm).

We got to Mubi on time and were surprised to note that there were no checkpoints, although Song, Gombi, Hong and Marraraba, these checkpoints were there days earlier when the JTF carried out its massive house to house checks resulting in arrests and discovery of weapons. Driving into town our confidence in the security of the town was reinforced with the sight of combatready mobile policemen and some soldiers. But we also noted a large contingent of military personnel being moved out of town.

Our horror experience –Lucky students Eke Ibian, HND II – Mubi General Hospital.

Amina Usman, HND II Engineering It was around 10pm on his is a very sad event in Monday, I was with my male my life; I came to this colleagues at Wuro Puteji, institution two years ago when some gunmen asked the and throughout I had not expe- female students to submit their rienced such a sad day in my cellphones to them and we life like the one of Monday, I were asked to go quietly into a was in my room, when I heard roon for they were not after us a sound of gunshots, and in the the female students but the background people being shot males. The males were asked screaming. I thought that the to lie down and were instantly security agents were going shot; while we were crying after those perpetrating securi- and wailing, the gunmen went into another compound and ty breaches in the town.

I did not come to know that we heard similar sounds of those shot by the gunmen shots by the gunmen.

Attempts by us to go out of were even students living in Wuro Putegi, a surburb of the the compound were resisted polytechnic. I came to know by the gunmen. It was a sad that those shot were students event in my academic career. I on Tuesday, in the morning managed to leave Wuro Puteji when I saw corpses of our col- through a friend who was leagues being conveyed to the mobile; after which I boarded

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a vehicle to Yola.

Aisha Hassan, HND II Business and Management You can see me trying to board a bus to the eastern part of the country. I am among the lucky students that were not killed but not without hardship. I hate to experience such again in my life.

Ibrahim Olawole, HND II Electrical What I can simply say is that the polytechnic authorities and the government should see to the situation on ground.

I am an undergraduate, who was to sit for last semester exams on Tuesday but for this ugly situation that cropped up.

Those of us that are in HND II were being referred to as corpers in the making because some of us have finished writing our projects. We don’t

know when the polytechnic authorities will call us back to start our exams.

Sunday Akindeji, ND II What I want to point out is that this is a bad development in the history of this school.

Secondly, a number of students leaders, including the Chief of Igbos, Lucky, my friend was among those killed.

We had the students’ union government election on Monday, and it was peacefully conducted, but it is unfair to say that the killing was generated by the election.

Government should arrest those that killed our colleagues and make sure that there is peace before we are called back to school.

•Reports and photos from DAVID MOLOMO, Yola

“By 7:00pm that evening, 1 decided to start the generator only to discover it wont start and needed servicing. We decided to listen to evening version of BBC Hausa news broadcast. I later slept off and woke up at some minutes past 10.00pm to use the bathroom.

I went back to bed at 10:34pm, noting that the neighbors had switched off their generators and in the background a male and female voice were singing on SS85 hymn in either Assemblies of God Church nearby or the Redeemed Church opposite the government secondary school across the road where most of the Federal Polytechnics, Mubi and School of Health students lives.

“In an instant the two voices rehearsing went quiet and within a space of a minute or two we heard the loud bang of gunshots Kpa! Kpa!! Kpa!!!

And the barking of the many dogs in the neighbourhood along with Sparky my dog.

My wife woke up noting how close the shots were. We sat up in bed thinking it was the usual shoot one, two and run away thing or soldiers registering their presence especially as there was curfew and no persons were to wander about whether on foot or in vehicles.

So, recalling that we heard two or three vehicles drive up on the main street nearby we, concluded it must be the soldiers. But alas! we were in for a long night. Next, the shooting started again this time just about three blocks from my house followed by screams, more shots and dead silence.

“Next two, three minutes later more shots, screams and then silence. I was in a dilemma. My wife moved from the bed to the carpet for fear of things coming through the window (the wall of my house is low.) Against her pleas, I moved to the backyard wondering what will happen next.

Across the wall to my right, I heard more shots and turned quickly to see gunfire flashes but nobody except the wailing of children and a woman whom I presume to be their mother. Next, I docked only to hear more shots in the same place and the solo wailing of the lady whom I presumed to be the mother of the children crying earlier. The next rounds of gunshots moved a bit down from my house and brought me only a moment of relief as I wondered where the security personnel on whom we were so much relying were.

“Suddenly, just in the compound next to me I heard people screaming (no gunshots) and instant dead silence. At this point I was sure my house will be the next. My wife and my little girl now joined me in the backyard. I hurried them back into the house and went into prayers. Surprisingly, even with the cling! cling!! cling!!! coming from my gate, the next sound of shooting

and wailing came from a compound two blocks to my left and away from me. The most horrifying aspect of this is looking at the time and noting it was just 11:36pm.

Nobody could come out, scream for help or do anything. It was an outright waiting only on God, knowing you are unarmed and defenceless.

“Meanwhile, clouds covered the bright moonlight signaling it was going to rain.

The sound of gunshots now moved towards the main road and were accompanied by distant and instant shrill of screams.

“We felt a bit relieved when this stopped at around 1:03am. We now heard the sound of reving and screeching tyres and about two or three vehicles moving likely towards the other side of town (outskirts) a village not affected by the curfew. My wife was now crying. Even my little girl. I observed her crying was not entirely for our situation but for the solo voice of the woman crying two blocks away. Her dirge was so moving I could have wept if not for the anxiety I was in.

Slowly, the clock in the bedroom indicated 3:30 a.m. By now, it had rained lightly as if to underscore the unusual nature of this night. I remained agitated and anxious until at about 5:19am.

When I woke up to discover I had slept off.

“As daylight came slowly, I heard the sounds of neighbors opening their doors, gates and more wailings. I came out to see my neighbors gathered in small circles discussing the incident of the night.

“Bodies were lined up in front of the house a block away. Some of the students with just shorts, boxers or vests on. My one prayer was that the lifting of the curfew the previous day should still be in place. I drove out of the compound with my family and got to the main road.

People and security operatives gathered round bodies lined up on the main road. I took a quick glance and with my wife drove quickly into the main road. I was looking ahead at the police patrol van in front of me trying to make sense of what it was carrying and why the policemen had to sit high up on the cabin. That was when my wife’s wailing became louder.

“I observed they were bodies. Bodies of students in Tshirts, jeans and shorts. I drove behind the van making sure blood dripping from its open tail board on to the main road remain between my wheels until it turned into the Mubi General Hospital.

Women and passersby could only stare and scream, not knowing what had happened in the Wuro Puteji part of town the night before.”

•The lecturer whose account was published above pleaded to be anonymous.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012, 7

NEWS

School principal, driver kidnapped From DOM EKPUNOBI, Onitsha

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he Principal of Agulu Boys Secondary School, Mr. Felix Maduka and his driver were yesterday kidnapped in Agulu, Aniaocha Local Governemnt Area of Anambra State.

Sources said the principal was kidnapped around 3:00p.m yesterday at the gate of St. Paul’s Parsonage when he was entering to attend a meeting he had at the Parsonage.

Daily Sun gathered that the school principal was moving in the bus provided for his school by the Anambra State Government when the incident occurred.

It was said that the kidnappers who were three in numbers were standing around the gate of the Church, waiting for their unsuspecting victim.

It was however, not clear whether they were just waiting for the principal or for anybody that would fall victim.

Our source said when Mr. Maduka arrived the gate, two of the three kidnappers immediately drew close to the gate and force the security man to step inside the compound while they quickly jumped into the vehicle and snatched the key from the driver before making their way to escape.

Okada robber bags 14 years imprisonment

By AKEEB ALARAPE

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Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja, yesterday sentenced a suspected Okada robber, Jamiu Rasaki, to 14 years imprisonment for robbery.

Rasaki was apprehended at Gowon Estate, Egbeda, while his two other colleagues were trying to rob one Sunday Vandi of his Bajaj motorcycle at 31 Road, House 3, of the estate on October 27, 2009.

While his colleagues in crime escaped arrest, Rasaki was not that lucky, as the people of the estate descended on him.

He was arraigned on June 6, 2011 on a two count-charge of conspiracy and armed robbery but pleaded not guilty to the offence.

Delivering his ruling yesterday, the trial judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru stated that suspected robber could not be found guilty of armed robbery charge because the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the metallic object, used as gun for the operation was an offensive weapon.

The court, however, found Rasaki guilty of two counts of conspiracy and robbery and sentenced him to 14 years on each of the count.

The sentences, the court said, are to run concurrently beginning from October 27, 2009 when the suspect was arrested.

N1.5m bribery scandal: Oil marketer, MD, others arraigned

By FAITH OMORUYI

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he police yesterday arraigned an oil-marketing firm and its Managing Director on a Tapa Magistrate’s Court over alleged N1.5 million bribes offered to members of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Verification.

Integrated Oil and Gas Limited; its Managing Director, Anthony Ihenacho; its Assistant General Manager Supply, Humphrey Okoh and; its Financial Controller, Akinwusi Julius were arraigned yesterday in a Tapa Magistrate’s Court over the alleged bribe.

Others arraigned with them are three members of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Verification. They include, Alalade Abioye, Buhari Ganiyu and Oni Oluwasola.

According to the three-count charge preferred against them, they were alleged to have on August, 30 2012 at Integrated Oil And Gas Ltd, 190 Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos conspired with others now at large to offer the sum of N1.5 million to members of the Presidential Committee for the performance of their duties.

The said offence is punishable under Sections 63(1)(a)(b), 64(1) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

According to Police Prosecutor, Superintendent Effiong Asuquo of the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, the alleged gratification was offered to members of the Presidential Committee namely Alalade Abioye (f), Buhari Ganiyu (m), Oni Oluwasola (m) and one Nneka Akabueze (F) so that they may act or refrain from acting in the exercise of their duties as members of the said committee When the charge was read to them, all the defendants pleaded not guilty and were granted bail by the trial Magistrate, Magistrate Martins Owumi in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties must be a civil servant, whose office and home addresses must be verified by the court.

The matter had been fixed for November 10 for trial

•L–R: Provost, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Professor Oluwole Atoyebi, Chairman, Court of Governors, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Chief Obafemi Olopade and Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, at the Golden Jubilee anniversary lecture of the college in Lagos yesterday. Photo: NAN.

2013 budget: Jonathan, N’Assembly reach truce •Presentation now holds next week From ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Abuja

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inally, the presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly have reached a truce on the 2013 budget.

Barring any change of

plans, President Goodluck Jonathan would present estimates of the 2103 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly next week.

Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba made the disclosure at Wednesday’s plenary.

Shortly before the plenary

was adjourned, Ndoma-Egba told senators that the scheduled budget presentation would no longer hold on Thursday, October 4.

His words: “The budget will not be laid on Thursday as contained in the president’s communication to us. “ The budget will be laid sometime next week. I thought

I should clarify that because some of our colleagues may think the budget is still coming tomorrow. When a date is communicated to us, it would be read on the floor for distinguished Senators.”

Ndoma-Egba did not say specifically when the new budget would be laid next week.

How Eloka couple betrayed us -Clarion Terminal boss

By AKEEB ALARAPE

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urther hearing in the case of stealing preferred against a couple, Innocent and Bernadine Eloka continued yesterday with the Chairman, Clarion Bonded Terminal Ltd, Jude Igbanugo, testifying.

The Elokas were arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru of a Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing of N239, 999, 349.23, belonging to Clarion Bonded Terminal Limited.

The Elokas were also directors of the terminal, which was established in 2008.

Led in evidence by EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, Igbanugo told the court how on several occasions the Elokas betrayed the trusts other directors of the company reposed in them.

According to him, the signatories to company’s account with the Spring Bank Plc were himself, his wife and the Elokas and with a mandate that once any of the Elokas signed, it covered the couple.

He, however, said that in June 2010, when he and his wife went on vacation, the Elokas were given permission to sign the cheque via a letter written to the bank ‘to make sure that the business did not stop.’

“But while on vacation, I got a note via e-mail from Innocent Eloka that they got a container load of wine and they needed N1.5million to clear the wine. After consulting with my wife on the mail, I approved that the money should be collected. But instead of N1.5million requested for, the Elokas withdrew N5million.

“Upon discovery of the withdrawal, I did nothing because, my Lord, I don’t know how to use the word; Mr. Eloka is or was a good friend.

So, for the sake of the relationship, I did nothing,” Igbanugo stated.

The chairman of Clarion Bonded Terminal Ltd also told the court how the Elokas withdrew N20 million from the company’s account while he and his wife were away to bury his father in December 2010.

He said learning from the experience of the past, he and his wife had signed 10 blank cheques for the Elokas to use in their absence to run the company only to come back and realized that the Elokas had withdrew N20 million to pay one Andrew Ajuku for a house the couple bought from him.

He stated that this was in contrary to the earlier decision of the company to buy a house for the couple, using a mortgage loan secured from Spring Bank and irrespective of the N9 million already given to the couple for the house they were

living in.

“So, I was really troubled when I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Eloka still signed cheques to pay Ajuku N20 million. So, when I came back to Lagos after the burial, I immediately wrote letter to all directors of the company about what the Elokas had done. Emeka Ezichukwu replied my letter.

Mr. Eloka replied, apologizing that he was under pressure,” Igbanugo added.

Earlier, he denied knowledge of the N48 million loan the accused coupled claimed to have contributed to the establishment of the company, saying, “as owner of 50 per cent shares of Clarion Shipping Limited and chairman of board of directors, I was never a privy to such loan or a party to such a resolution.”

He told the court that the problem of the company actually started in October 2010 when people responded and started patronizing the company and “what should have been a thing of joy started to be a problem for us.”

According to him, against the laid down rules of the company that all fees and charges payable to the terminal must be paid to Spring Bank, Mrs. Eloka (2nd defendant) and Francis Okocha (3rd defendant) started collecting cash on behalf of the company.

At the Tuesday proceedings of the court, Igbanugo told the court while being led in evi-

dence by Francis Hussain that he and Eloka became friends as students of Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu in 1979 and later met again in Lagos in the 90s.

According to him, he and Eloka had engaged in one business or the other before the setting up of Clarion Bonded Terminal, which had other shareholders.

Although, Igbanugo told the court that Eloka was made the chief operating officer of the company, he later resigned his appointment and joined Excel Management. But after his sack in 2008, Igbanugo said Eloka came back and suggested the idea of setting up the bonded terminal, which he initially opposed to.

He said Eloka later convinced him and other shareholders of Clarion Shipping with a visibility paper he brought and an assurance from another company, which promised to supply 2, 500 containers of goods on monthly basis if they set up the terminal.

He said the cost of building the terminal was given as N80 million, out of which N50 million was sourced from his company, Vjay Nigeria Ltd. Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned to October 11 and 12.

8 DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

NEWS Muslim youths mourn Adegbite

By FAITH OMORUYI

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he National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) Lagos State chapter, yesterday, expressed sorrow over the death of Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Lateef Adegbite.

In a statement issued yesterday, the group urged that though the loss could not be replaced in the Muslim community, the candidate for his former post should be chosen carefully.

“The National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) Lagos State chapter expresses with the deep sense of loss, the death of our beloved, a fatherly figure, a jihadist, a legal luminary Alhaji Abdul Lateef Adegbite the former secretary general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, whose glorious exit was announced on Friday September 28, 2012. We beseech almighty Allah to grant him paradise and strengthen the family and the entire Muslim community.

“In the same vein, the Council implores the Muslim community to be meticulous in the selection of another secretary general. As we take cognisance of the fact that the Muslim community is blessed with abundant intellectuals. This, coupled with uprightness in the religion should be the guiding principle for selection, as the community cannot settle for anything less than what Alhaji Adegbite has left behind.”

NACOMYO also urged the government and all Nigerians not stop in the search for Alhaji Abdulrazaq Gawat.

The council encouraged anyone with useful information on his whereabouts to please come forward with it.

It’s time for God’s intervention –Muoka

By WOLE BALOGUN

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eneral Overseer of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, Pastor Lazarus Muoka has said it is time for God to answer Nigerians’ prayers. Muoka stated this while addressing a press conference on his Church’s forthcoming crusade between October 6 and 7.

Muoka said, “God Almighty will release answers to all the prayers made by participants and their loved ones and this will bring abundance of blessing upon them and thus put laughter in their mouth. The crusade is part of the Lord’s Chosen Ministry’s continuous evangelical campaign to meet the 10 billion souls mandate before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also in pursuance of the Church’s threefold vision of grassroots revival all over the world. It is also revival of the Apostolic Christian experiences among the body of Christ and revival of heavenly consciousness among believers.

Thus, it is targeted at winning great souls for Christ and preparing the saints for the rapture.”

The crusade is expected to attract all classes of people as everybody, who is anxious to get answers to his or her prayers in order to triumph over challenges cannot afford to miss the great advantage, which the crusade would provide. He said, “I am expecting all offices, shops and markets to close so that people will avail themselves the opportunity to come and experience the touch of God and receive answers to their prayers and prove the efficacy of the power of God in answering prayers.”

Muoka said, “the crusade will be very unique as God has set aside the two days to intervene in the affairs of His people with miracles of all sorts, ranging from healing, deliverance, fruitfulness, breakthrough, salvation, sanctification and Holy Ghost baptism.”

Lipton tasks Nigerians on healthy, successful lifestyle

By BISI OLALEYE

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gainst the backdrop of stress, finance and career mismanagement, Lipton Yellow Label Tea launched its first Lipton Tea Party tagged: “Making Success a Habit,” to task Nigerians on how to live a healthy and successful lifestyle.

According to one of the key speakers, Mrs. Ifeuko Omoigui Okauru, erstwhile chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), making success a habit involved utilising the seven success tips.

She noted that the seven tips of success, which include finance, research, being knowledgeable, intelligence, ambition, were necessary for history to be written favourably for someone, noting that how these tips were adapted into one’s lifestyle would be the catalysts that would catapult the success.

But she pointed out that management of the tips to free one of stress was of paramount importance.

Also at the event, Unilever unveiled the Lipton Switch On and Win promotion, which would run from October 2 till December 21 and is Lipton’s way of showing its appreciation to consumers. Up for grabs through the promotion are two brand new cars, a paid trip to Dubai for 10 lucky people, 20 Apple ipads, 20 Samsung galaxy notes, 60 home theatre systems, 35 3D TVs, N100,000 cash prize for 50 people.

•L-R: Mrs. Kemisola Jiboye, director, programmes, Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Centre, Magodo; Mr. Ayodeji Ayopo, principal consultant, Shortlist Writing Academy; Mrs. Motolani Oshodi, director, HR/Admin, Lagos Public Service Development Centre and Mr. Akinwole Omole, manager, Client Service/Strategy, Shortlist Writing Academy at the Improving Writing Skills workshop at the Lagos Public Service Staff Development Training Centre.

Ohanaeze, Igbo leaders back Igbo presidency in 2015 From Enugu

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NNADI, Odumegwu Ojukwu on the handshake theory across the Niger.

Also speaking, Governor digbo who rose last weekend from the Peter Obi of Anambra State 2012 Igbo Day cele- and chairman of South-east bration in Asaba, Delta State, Governors’ Forum congrature-echoed their collective lated the President General of resolve to have a shot at the presidency after President Goodluck Jonathan.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Uwechue, who led other prominent Igbo sons and By FAITH OMORUYI daughters to the two-day event reiterated the commituspects in the murder of ment of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to social media killing, a Nigerian president of Igbo Cynthia Osokogu, have extraction after Jonathan. asked a Lagos Magistrate Uwechue also lamented as Court sitting in Yaba to comhe went down memory lane pel police to give them all on the chequered history of documents pertaining to the the Igbo in the Nigerian proj- case. ect.

Osokogu was allegedly He, therefore, called on killed after being drugged and Ndigbo to unite and pursue raped at Room No. C1, their goals in the country with Cosmilla Hotel, Lakeview candour and resilience.

Estate, Amuwo Odofin, He also urged the South- Festac Town, in Lagos on east and the South-south July 22. Okwumo Nwabufo zones to close ranks and (33); Ezike Olisaeloka (23); enlarge their geo-political and Orji Osita (32); Maduakor economic co-operations to Chukwunonso (25) and reap from their gains.

Gideon Okechukwu (39) had Uwechue pointed out that been arraigned on an eightit was as a result of the collab- count charge of conspiracy, oration between the two felony, rape, murder and zones that led to the massive armed robbery. In another Igbo votes for a southerner, charge relating to the case, Jonathan, in the 2011 presidential election.

Speaking, the Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who hosted the event described it as a historic one, saying he was happy that member of the it was the first time and durNigerian Senate, ing his regime that such event Gbenga Ashafa has was held in Delta State. urged Nigerian leaders to use The governor reiterated his the 52nd independence commitment to promote anniversary for sober reflecinter-ethnic harmony among tion and stock-taking of the all the ethnic groups in Delta journey so far.

State.

Ashafa, in a statement said: He also strengthened the “We must admit that we are view of the late Igbo leader, in a mess and not by making Dim Chukwuemeka

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Ohanaeze, Uwechue; the Chairman of the 2012 Igbo Day Planning Committee, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu and the National Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for organising the historic event.

Obi urged Ndigbo to unite and speak with one voice on national issues while strengthening the bond of fraternity with their nearest neighbours and brothers in the South-south.

Cynthia: Suspects seek proof of evidence, phone from police

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Ezike Nonso Ifechukwu (22) and Ezeaka Chinonso (27) were also arraigned for allegedly accepting stolen property.

During proceedings yesterday before Magistrate Olalekan Aka-Bashorun, all the defendants except the last two were absent in court. The absentees were not brought from prison custody.

The defense counsel asked the court to mandate the police to give them proof of evidence, proposed documentary evidence, statement of witnesses to be relied upon by the prosecution during the trial.

In addition, counsel to Chinonso, Jude Ngochile, urged the court to make an order compelling the police prosecution to release his client’s Blackberry Torch

Nigeria at 52: Senator urges sober reflection on state of the nation

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nostalgic and inspirational speeches on October 1st every year about the “labours of our heroes past,” pat each other on the back and congratulating one another on our independence.

I, therefore, agree with most Nigerians that there is nothing to celebrate. In the meantime, we need to keep hope alive.”

9800 and a bunch of receipts, which they were holding at the Festac Police Command.

In his response, prosecution counsel, SP Chukwu Agwu, urged the court to discountenance the defense applications on the ground that asking for proof of evidence “at this earliest stage is uncalled for, premature and wrong-headed.” He added that applications for the documents ought to be made before the appropriate court, which is the high court.

On the application for release of phone, he contended that police had the power to retain properties taken during an investigation especially as most of the items were stolen from the deceased and might be used as exhibits during the trial.

The magistrate advised that copies of the proof of evidence and other documents being applied for be given to the defendant.

“Everyone should be given the opportunity to be informed on why they are here and given fair hearing. I would advise that the defense is entitled to copies of proof of evidence whether in this court or the high court. We should not pre-empt the legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),” the court held.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012, 9

SOUTH SOUTH 2010 Independence Day bombings: Okah wants me dead, says suspect From GODWIN TSA, Abuja

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suspect in the 2010 Independence Day twin bomb blasts, Edmund Ewibare yesterday told a Federal High Court that former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Henry Okah threatened to kill him.

Meanwhile, a former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on the Niger Delta affairs, Timi Alaibe has denied knowledge of the blast.

In his testimony before the court, Alaibe disclosed that Ewibare was associated with a specific militant group in Delta State and was an advocate of zoning of the presidency to the North.

“Ewibare and others normally come to my office. I had cautioned him about his political position. I once saw him on the television discussing zoning and I warned him that it was a bitter politics, and the politics is bigger than him,” Alaibe said.

But, Ebiware who was accused of withholding information on the planned attack, told the court that he had never seen or met Henry Okah, but admitted several telephone conversations with the latter.

He also admitted that he campaigned for former military President Ibrahim Babangida for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries. But he said that the N4 million he received was to secure an office for the group as a property consultant.

He stated that his campaign for Babangida was prior to the September 18, 2010, the day President Goodluck Jonathan declared to run for presidency under the PDP. While undergoing cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, Alex Iziyon (SAN), Ewibare denied ever having knowledge of the blast.

Ewibare said that his telephone conversations with Okah included an attempt to combat pipeline vandalsization in the Niger Delta region, as demanded by the Minister of Petroleum, Allinson Dizeani Maduekwe.

“I spoke with Okah when the minister of petroleum asked that I should link her up with Okah over the pipeline vandalism issue. I don’t know how he got to know that I met with Mr. Seifa of the SSS. He said I was an informant to the government and that was why he threatened me,” he added.

He claimed that Henry Okah had expressed dissatisfaction about the Federal Government’s amnesty programme, and accused him (Ewibare) of being an informant to the government.

According to him, having reported occurrences of threat to my life to the State Security Service (SSS) and having informed the SSS about Okah’s dissatisfaction on the amnesty programme, Okah accused him of being an informant to the government. He also said that he had met Alaibe during his effort to disarm a militant group domiciled in Obotebe community in Delta State.

“I got to know about Okah during the proclamation of the Amnesty programme, I was excited with the declaration because the militants are Niger Deltans, I have experienced ugly experience, so I volunteered as a peace Ambassador,” he said. He stated further that he was going to the creeks to sensitize militants, in a bid to ensure that they embraced peace.

“This was how I got to know about Okah,” he stated.

Those standing trial over the incident are Edmund Ebiware, Charles Okah, Obi Nwabueze and Tiemkemfa Osuvwo who was said to have died in detention.

Bakassi: Ita-Giwa lauds Senate’s resolution

By ZIKA BOBBY

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ormer Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanyo and the late President Musa Yar’adua, Senator Florence Ita- Giwa has hailed the recent resolution of the Senate to the President, urging him to ensure the reclamation of the part of Bakassi ceded to the Cameroun via the ICJ verdict but appealed that the resettlement of her people in the INEC identified unceded areas like the Kwa Island and Dayspring one and two should be considered first, to ameliorate the people’s suffering.

In a statement made available to newsmen, Ita-Giwa submitted that the current requests and remarks on Bakassi were what she and her people have been clamouring for since the verdict but ignored by those in power.

The statement reads in part: “Recent resolution of the Senate to the President to appeal or seek to review the International Court of Justice verdict ceding Bakassi to Cameroon is welcome by us the long suffering indigenes of Bakassi. Let it never be said that we stood idly by while well meaning groups of Nigerians cried out against the unfortunate ceding of our homeland.

“All the arguments being raised now and positions being taken now have been raised and taken by us in the past and were all roundly ignored by the powers that be at the time, that they being re echoed now while welcomed is in our opinion belated and possesses little chance of success. We are however not ruling out the possibility of a miracle.”

•Wife of the Cross River State Governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke flanked by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Gloria Efiok Cobham (left) and Commissioner for Social Welfare, Endeley Inyang (right) addressing a cross section of elderly persons during 2012 International Day for the Elderly celebration in Calabar.

Traditional ruler drowns as flood traps 7,000 in Delta community From PAUL OSUYI, Asaba

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s flood continues to ravage communities across the country, a traditional ruler in Ndokwa area of Delta State has reportedly drowned during evacuation from his domain. His identity is still being withheld on traditional grounds.

The mornach was allegedly drowned when the boat he was being evacuated in capsized. His death brings to three persons that had drowned in the state since the flood started on September 17.

The tragic news came just as about 7,000 persons were yesterday discovered to have been trapped by the devastating flood in Ewulu community, Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state.

The victims are calling for government’s intervention in evacuating them to upland.

Daily Sun observed that the access road to the community had been completely submerged.

However, the people resorted to using locally made canoe to evacuate whatever they could salvage of their property to the upland.

It was gathered that the state Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama had visited the community and was said to have directed the Ministry of Transport to make vehicles available for the evacuation of victims.

But as at the time our correspondent visited yesterday, victims had resorted to self help due to the absence of government logistics.

Although, there was yet to be resettlement camp close to the community, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chike Ogeah who also visited the pathetic scene assured that necessary steps were being taken to provide relief materials and rescue the trapped victims.

Ogeah also re-echoed the call on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to provide alternate route to access the eastern part of the country as the flood is gradually encroaching on the busy Onitsha-Asaba-Benin expressway.

Many shops, hotels, motor parks, government offices, retail outlets, shacks and makeshift structures had been submerged by the flood.

Flood victims from displaced communities are in the meantime also taking temporary refuge along the expressway at the risk of being run over by heavy duty vehicles.

The victims, who seemed so attached to the left-over of the property, are obviously reluctant to register at the resettlement camp opened by the state government at the St. Patrick College, Asaba.

As a result of the flood, the

road evokes the image of a beleaguered island as it is surrounded by water on both sides, threatening to submerge the road.

Ogeah pleaded with the Federal Government to immediately put machinery in motion to arrest the trend, warning that the East would be cut off from other parts of the country as a result of the rising water level.

“The Federal Government should address the surging flood in Delta especially the Asaba-Onitsha Road which is in serious danger of being cut off. Should that happen, the Eastern part of the country will be severed from the Midwest,” he stated.

The commissioner also appealed to the Federal Government, donor agencies, NGOs and well-meaning individuals to come to the aid of the state government in pro-

viding succour to the victims.

Meanwhile, Governor Uduaghan has directed political appointees to return to their local government areas to assist in the evacuation and rehabilitation efforts. He said during a meeting with members of the flood disaster committee, political appointees and Heads of Personnel Management (HPM) of the affected local government areas, that those trapped in the flood must be evacuated within two days.

In particular, he said a comprehensive report of the flooding detailing every community affected, number of displaced persons, those trapped, casualties, rehabilitation camps; problems and challenges faced should be made ready within the same period.

Senate Committee forsees end to oil spillage in Rivers From CHRIS ANUCHA, Port Harcourt

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nvironmental degradation resulting from the activities of multi-national oil compromies might soon be over in the Niger Delta region.

This followed assurances by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki who led other members of the Committee on a twoday facts - finding mission to Rivers State yesterday.

A visibly angry Saraki, during the meeting in Ogoni, in Gokana Local Government Headquarters fumed: “Go home and sleep, the battle is no longer yours, the battle is for this government, the battle is for those of us, who are in position to make the difference. Go home and sleep, by the grace of God, we will fight for you.”

The Senator explained that the Committee would not only take their message to Abuja, but would try to convince the leadership of the Senate to come to the state and see things for themselves. “I can’t understand it, if we never came, and never saw it, we would have continued to live in Fools’ Paradise. You people will begin to see changes.

Even before coming down here, there is a bill that is in its second reading, that bill, if passed into law, would change a lot of malpractices by the oil companies.

“You go, cap in hand, begging, and the oil companies use the excuse of sabotage to deny you your rights. They don’t do anything! But in other parts of the world, sabotage or no sabotage, once there is a spill, you must clean up the environment and pay that community. Here, we see deception, where people use

soil to cover up pollution, to deceive people. In one of the places they covered up, I fell inside.”

The former Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of Governors’ Forum, commended the Ogonis and others, for their patience and regretted that oil companies that operate in the country paid less attention to protection of the environment, unlike what was tenable in other countries.

The Chairman stressed: “We have to make it economically viable and ecologically better to respect the environment, than to abuse the environment.

“In Nigeria, it is economically better for you to abuse the environment, than to respect it. In the laws we are going to put in place, there will be strict penalties for these kind of issues. We are not here to play games.”

10 DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

SOUTH EAST Group threatens court action over Anambra oil wells

By OYE OGUNWALE

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he Enugu Peoples Assembly has threatened to take the Federal Government and Orient Petroleum Plc to court over the Anambra River oil wells commissioned recently by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The group announced its decision in a statement jointly signed by its Coordinator and other executive members. Patrick Mba, Chief Sunday Orah and Igwe Ben Okeke and released in Lagos yesterday.

Following the discovery, President Jonathan, while commissioning the oil well, had declared that the Anambra State was admitted into the club of 10 oil-producing states in the country.

In the statement, the Enugu Peoples Assembly claimed that the oil wells being ascribed to Anambra State belongs to Enugu State and located at Ojjor, Asaba and Iggah communities of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The group said: After consultations with our people in Ojjor, Asaba and Iggah communities, we hereby reaffirmed that the bulk of the oil wells in contention within the Anambra/Amanbala River Basin are located within the domain of the aforementioned communities of Enugu State.

“The three communities via some press releases, have shown some incontrovertible evidence and we further refer the Federal Government to the Anambra Forest Reserve (Amendment) order of 1955 as contained in the annual volume of laws of Eastern Region of Nigeria pages B243 and B246 respectively, to buttress that the oil wells are located on Iggah community national fishing ponds: Iyi-Ebu, Ududu, Ari-Oko, Iyiachanu, Nwankita and Aji-Ogbe among others.

“All these forest enclaves where the oil wells are located are ancestral land of Iggah people of Enugu State. Suffice to say, not until 1991 when Enugu State was created, the two states (Enugu and Anambra) were one state. We equally want to inform the public that the oil wells are about eight kilometres away from Iggah community while the nearest Anambra State migrant settlement to the oil wells is about 50 kilometres.

Flood: Oko Poly closes Atani campus

By SAM OTTI

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he Federal Polytechnic Oko (OKOPOLY), Anambra State, has announced the indefinite closure of its Atani campus, following last week’s flooding that submerged the campus.

The management of the institution said the closure became the desirable option to avert possible health crisis that could arise from the unfortunate incident.

The polytechnic was assailed last week by heavy flood that overflowed the bank of River Niger into Atani community, wreaking havoc to facilities and other academic documents at the Administrative Block, classroom blocks and staff offices.

The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Obini Onuchukwu, told Daily Sun that three Coaster buses were dispatched from the main campus at Oko to rescue over 3000 students and 500 academic and non-academic staff trapped at the affected campus.

Speaking on the closure of the institution, the Rector, Prof.

Godwin Onu, said the management was constrained to close down the campus as a result of threat to life and property posed by the flood. He also expressed concerns that the closure would adversely affect the academic calendar of the polytechnic, with its examination coming up in two weeks time.

Poly to introduce computer studies in primary, secondary schools From VAL OKARA, Owerri

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anagement of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State has announced plans to set up computer programmes for both students and pupils of primary and post primary schools run by the institution.

The Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Mrs. Celestina Ugochi Njoku who disclosed this while commissioning the Nursery and primary schools blocks established by the institution, said the measure had become necessary for early promotion of computer literacy among the kids which inwardly would strengthen and position them for the challenges of the technological world.

Dr. Njoku said although, the proposal to establish a post primary school was still on the drawing board, the management would expedite action to bring it to fruition to reduce the hazards facing parents and guidance in taking their children and wards to secondary schools outside the vicinity of the polytechnics.

She commended the contractor in charge of the project for completing on time and according to specifications, adding that the management had gone extra miles to engage qualified teachers to handle the pupils.

•L–R: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, yesterday.

FG approves N1.5bn for Zik’s mausoleum From JULIANA TAIWOOBALONYE, Abuja

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ederal Government at its Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday approved the sum of N1.496 billion, for the building of a mausoleum in honour of Nigeria’s first president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

The mausoleum, located in Onitsha, Anambra State is expected to be completed in the space of 13 months.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Dr. Rueben Abati, who stood in for the Information Minister, Labaran Maku who was away on the good governance tour, alongside the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Ama Pepple, and the Minister of Mines and Steel, Mohammed Sada, said the mausoleum had been an issue

since 2006 and that the president during his visit to Anambra State had given his word that the issue would be revisited.

According to Abati: “The president during his visit to Anambra State had given his word that the issue will be revisited and that was done today because the country owes it to posterity and the memory of the great Zik to ensure that the mausoleum is built and there is concrete assurance by the Ministry of Lands and Housing that this

time around the mausoleum will be completed.

Ama Pepple, the Minister of Land and Housing Development said: “Federal Executive Council approved the contract for the completion of Zik’s Mausoleum in memory of Nigeria’s first president.

It was contracted out for a sum of N1,496,531,483 with a completion period of 13 months. This contract was originally under the Presidency but it was stalled and had to be cancelled three

Anambra re-run: Tribunal affirms Andy Uba’s victory From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha

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he National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Awka, Anambra state has dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) candidate for

Anambra South senatorial election, Mr. Chuma Nzeribe, challenging the re-election of Andy Uba. The three-man tribunal headed by Justice G.K. Kaigama dismissed Nzeribe’s petition, describing it as lacking merit.

The tribunal held that the

30 arrested for impersonating lawyers in Anambra Chukwuemeka From DAVID ONWUCHEK- that criminals in order to beat Dim police checkpoints try to Odumegwu Ojukwu has WA, Nnewi

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n a bid to rid Nnewi industrial community of fake lawyers and impersonators, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nnewi branch has set up a task force headed by Mr. G.G. Eneghalu, working in conjunction with the police to arrest non lawyers who use the NBA stickers.

According to chairman of the association in Nnewi, Mr. O.J. Okeke over thirty offenders have been arrested at various points in Nnewi within one week the drive started.

Okeke said the offenders were still being investigated and would be arraigned for prosecution as soon as police were through with their investigation.

“It is a common knowledge

times, but in 2010 it was transferred to the Ministry of Lands and Housing Development,” she said, adding that this time they were confident that the contractors would complete the contract in 13 months.

Pepple who said the Mausoleum, which was a national project that had to be completed before the country’s centenary celebration in 2014 also said the funds for the project had been incorporated into the 2012 and 2013 budget.

impersonate lawyers by using the NBA stickers to cross such checkpoints. So it is a serious issue that needed to be tackled before it gets out of hand.

“There is need to protect the legal profession. The drive has been on for the past one week and it is a continuous process,” the lawyer said. He noted that it was wrong for any lawyer to buy the NBA sticker and give to a non lawyer no matter the relationship.

The suspects, according to him, if found guilty would be liable for three years imprisonment.

In a related development, United Drivers Welfare Association, Nnewi branch which was sacked from the motor park at Nkwo Nnewi Triangle during the funeral of

began a war against touts in Nnewi as they cried to Governor Peter Obi to provide them with a permanent site instead of being scattered in the industrial city with no place as their motor park after the displacement.

This was disclosed to Daily Sun after an election by the association to usher in a new executive. According to the new President of the association, Mr Ikemefuna Ngonadi who won the election to run for second tenure, the union would not entertain anything in the name of touts that would drag the image of the association to the mud, saying that there would be elements of civility and decorum in their operations.

petitioner failed to prove his claim that the conduct of the re-run election in the zone was marred by electoral irregularities.

The tribunal further awarded N50,000 cost against the petitioner, who alleged irregularities in some communities within Anambra South senatorial zone and approached the tribunal to declare him winner.

Uba who spoke from his Uga village in Aguata council area of Anambra state in preparatory for the burial of his mother described the judgment as affirmation of the wishes of the people and victory for democracy.

Uba further reaffirmed his total commitment to the welfare of the people of Anambra South senatorial zone and the entire people of the state and thanked them for re-electing him to represent them at the Senate.

However, Mr. Chuma Nzeribe the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA said he would study the judgment and file appeal against it.

The Appeal Court sitting in Enugu had nullified the election of Senator Andy Uba and ordered a re-run in Anambra South senatorial zone, which he won.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012, 11

SOUTH WEST Nigeria not serious about fighting corruption –Falae ...Calls for national conference≤

By NDUBUISI ORJI ormer secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and former presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, has dismissed efforts by Federal Government to fight corruption, saying the government is not ready to fight graft in the country.

Falae stated this yesterday while speaking at the 2012 annual lecture of the Faculty of Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

Speaking on the topic, “Nigeria and the Contemporary Challenges of Nation Building,” the former SGF said the tragedy is that not only is the country unwilling to confront the endemic corruption in the society but that the malaise is growing by the day.”

According to him, “the situation now is that, not only are we unwilling and unable to deal with the monster of corruption but also that each passing week, we witness new revelations of monumental fraud and stealing of public funds. One wonders whether government and the law enforcement agencies can ever develop the commitment and capacity to deal with it.

“The country is not serious about stopping or even containing corruption. We are merely going through the motions in order to be perceived by the international community as being part of the global rejection of corruption as a way of life.”

He stated that when President Goodluck Jonathan assumed office, a number of former governors and other public officers were standing trial in various courts for official corruption. The former presidential candidate said up till now none of those cases had been concluded.

Falae said it was regrettable that while foreigners indicted in the Halliburton, Wilbros and Siemens bribery scandals, had been tried and jailed in their home countries, the Nigerian government had been unable to give their highly-placed Nigerian accomplices the same treatment.

He said corruption had continued to grow strong in the country because the government had refused to tackle it decisively like other countries that were once confronted with the problem had done.

Falae recalled that official corruption in Indonesia in the preSuharto era was probably worse than anything that had been so far experienced in Nigeria. According to him, at a point in time, “the Indonesian Customs Service was a government within a government. Any importer who was unwilling to give bribes would simply have his goods confiscated, and if he tried to use his influence in government to get his goods released, the hit squad of the Customs Service would pursue the importer and if he still refused to pay up, he would simply be eliminated and there would be no consequence!

“When Suharto took office he went after the centers of corruption in Indonesia and took firm and sustained action to end corruption, often by trying and executing corrupt officials, who were numbered in thousands.” He said while he did advocate for such bloodletting in the country, it was instructive to note that after that purge, Indonesia had been making tremendous progress.

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Ajimobi begins construction of health centres

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pecial Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mr. Taiwo Fawole, has disclosed that the state government will construct 66 health centres in all the 33 local government areas of the state.

Fawole, in a statement in Ibadan revealed that the health centres would be part of the state government’s commitment to the provision of sound healthcare for the people.

He maintained that contracts for the construction of the health centres had been awarded to reputable firms adding that the rural areas would also benefit from the gesture.

Fawole also disclosed that the state government, because of its resolve to alleviate poverty, would provide housing facilities for the downtrodden.

“The Senator Ajimobi-led administration would continue to meet the need and yearnings of the populace. It is our contract with the people,” he insisted.

The special adviser pointed out that the low cost housing scheme would cater for the poor and low-income earners stressing that the government would soon come out with the details of the scheme.

Fawole averred that the people should continue to support and cooperate with the state government in its determination to improve the wellbeing of the citizenry.

He urged contractors undertaking the projects not to compromise standard, asserting that the state government would not negotiate standard.

“My simple advice to the contractors is to work according to schedule and specifications. The Senator Ajimobi-led administration would not back down on quality and standard,” he warned.

•Vice Chairman, Obafemi Owode Local Govt, Hon Akintola Akintonde representing the chairman (2nd right) laying the foundation stone for the LASTMA Cooperatives Housing Estate Project at Ikana, Owode-Egba, Ogun State to the delight of HRH Olu of Owode, Egba, Oba Aremu Kolawole Sowemimo (3rd right) and others recently.

Ogun traditional rulers exchange blows From MOSHOOD ADE- destroyed.

While the injured had been BAYO, Abeokuta taken to a hospital in he Nigeria Police Abeokuta for treatment, Daily Division in Itori, Ewekoro Sun also learnt that a number Local Government Area of arrests had been made and of Ogun State was turned into the suspects were being quesa boxing arena on Tuesday tioned at the Itori Police when two traditional rulers engaged each other in fisticuffs over disagreement on a cultural festival.

The two traditional rulers From TOYESE OLADEJO, involved in what many have Ibadan described as desecration of the Yoruba culture and tradiormer secretary to the tion were Olu of Itori, Oba state government (SSG), Akorede Akamo and Baale Oyo State, during the Lapeleke, Chief Adisa administration of Otunba Akinremi.

Adebayo Alao-Akala, Chief Daily Sun reliably gathered Layiwola Olakojo, has disthat Akinremi had gone to the closed that he is fighting the police station to lodge com- Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi plaints against Oba Akamo and the police invited the lat- Olayiwola Adeyemi, because the monarch took him to ter to defend himself.

Akinremi was said to have court over a landed property complained about the alleged he claimed to have legally disruption of a cultural cere- acquired from the state govmony being staged by natives ernment.

Olakojo who gave insight of a neighbouring village the night previous. Daily Sun into the crisis between him learnt that it was while and the first class monarch, Akamo was trying to defend however, disclosed that he himself that he got angry and had no reason to quarrel with allegedly slapped Akinremi, him if not for the overbearing who retaliated as well as went posture of Oba Adeyemi on ahead to beat the attacker up the land issue.

The former state scribe to the extent that he (Akamo) who is also a native of Oyo scampered for safety.

The Owu people in town, said he bought the land Lapeleke camp township, a from the state government suburb town of Itori in the but the Alaafin went to court. local government area were at He said, “Alaafin is my the height of celebrating the father, my royal father and I annual Owu Cultural and have a lot of respect for him Heritage Renaissance but I cannot sleep on my Festival. The Owu festival right.” had earlier been flagged off at Olakojo chastised former the palace of the Olowu of senate leader, Teslim Folarin, Owu in Abeokuta on Monday. for the present crisis in the Akamo was alleged to have party, adding that all the led a group of people believed efforts to bring former goverto be thugs, armed with guns nor Rashidi Ladoja back to and cutlasses and shot sporad- the Peoples Democratic Party ically leading to the disruption (PDP) were frustrated by selfof the ceremony. ish politicians.

Several people were According to him, former injured in the melee and prop- president Olusegun Obasanjo erty yet to be estimated were

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Station. The two traditional rulers were also said to have made statements to the police, while the matter had been transferred to the state police headquarters for further investigations.

Although the state Police

Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached for comments, a senior police officer in the command who spoke with Daily Sun on condition of anonymity confirmed the incident.

Why I’m fighting Alaafin –Olakojo, Oyo ex-SSG

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saw the need to reconcile aggrived members of the party so that the party would win in the coming elections.

His words: “Ladoja has a lot of followers. He is loved by people and if not for Accord Party (AP), PDP would have won the last election. We appreciate all that and since Accord is an offshoot of PDP, why can’t we fuse together in the PDP. Some people who were having selfish political ambition thwarted our genuine inten-

tion.”

The former SSG also lambasted former deputy governor Taofiki Arapaja for quarreling with his boss, Alao-Akala, saying he committed a grievious mistake by condemning the government he served.

Olakojo further said, “all the decisions we took at the executive council meetings were collective decisions.

Nobody should crucify Akala for that. It is a collective decision.”

Nigeria needs help from above –Cleric

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cleric, Prophet Folorunso Talabi, has said that what Nigeria needs is “help from above.”

Talabi made the statement while delivering his sermon during the eighth anniversary and thanksgiving of Parrot Xtra Magazine/PM Parrot Evening Newspaper. The event took place at God’s Vineyard Church, Felele, Ibadan.

According to the cleric, no nation could hope to achieve any level of success if those in positions of authority did not seek help from God whether as Christians or Muslims.

He said, “Nigerian leaders are religious but they do not respect God. That is why they rely mainly on their own wisdom. They do not pause to consider God when they go about implementing policies.

That is why some people can hide somewhere and jack up fuel prices, they can introduce N5000 notes; they can do all sorts of things without thinking of the common masses. The voice of the people does not matter to them. And the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

While congratulating the management and staff of Parrot Xtra Magazine, Talabi admonished them to always rely on power from above and not on mere mortals.

“Your magazine, Parrot Xtra, has achieved so much in the past eight years. You can do more if you rely on help from above. There is no way God will reject you if you rely on Him.”

12 DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

ONDO GUBER POLL COUNTDOWN PDP accuses Osun gov of sponsoring Akeredolu with state’s funds From BAMIGBOLA GBOLAGUNTE, Osogbo

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sun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola of spending N4 billion of the state resources to finance the campaign of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ahead of the October 20 governorship election in the state.

The Director, Media and Strategy of the PDP in the state, Mr. Diran Odeyemi alleged that: “We have it on good authority that each ACN controlled governors have been ordered to donate N2 billion towards Ondo State governorship election but our concern is that our own governor is donating N4 billion.”

However, the ACN Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in the state, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, described the allegation as a figment of the imagination of the PDP, saying PDP in the state was always in the habit of concocting frivolous figures when it comes to issue of money.

Oyatomi queried where the PDP expected Aregbesdola’s administration to cough out N4 billion to finance an election in another state, when there are lots of projects in Osun State begging for attention.

Odeyemi in a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday alleged that: “Three bullion vans were driven to Osun State Government House yesterday morning under heavy police guards, after off loading the contents and within 30 minutes, a helicopter landed in the Government House to take the money said to be in Naira and foreign currencies to Ondo State.”

Why ACN wants to take over Ondo -Aregbesola From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure

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sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has said that ACN is determined to take over Ondo State from Governor Olusegun Mimiko because he is the only non-progressive governor in Yoruba speaking states Aregbesola stated that the ACN wants all states in the South West region to be on the same political platform to strengthen and protect the unity of Yorubas.

He said the party’s move would foster development in the region through economic integration.

Aregbesola went down memory lane that the progressive party originated from Owo in Ondo State through the Action Group (AG), stressing that they would never allow a non-progressive to rule the state.

Aregbesola said: “This is not the time we Yorubas should be separated because the unity of this country is under threat. We appealed to Mimiko, we gave him the necessary support to be a successful man, we stood behind him during his struggle by allowing him to have access to all our machinery, but in return, he betrayed us.

“He claimed that he preferred to be walking alone, someone who walking alone, will die alone. When you know you can do it alone why did you run to us? He betrayed our leaders, particularly Asiwaju Tinubu. He is a traitor; a responsible Yoruba man will never betray people. The late Baba Ajasin, Abraham Adesanya, Bola Ige never betrayed the late Awolowo. They stood by him and were also loyal and accepted him as their leader.

Mimiko haunted by fear of defeat, says ACN

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has debunked allegation by the Mimiko Campaign Organization (MCO) that Ado-Ekiti is being used as a base to import thugs and dangerous weapons into Ondo State ahead of the October 20 governorship election.

The ACN Ekiti State chapter, in a statement by its Chairman, Chief Jide Awe said while the party would have loved to ignore this latest allegation coming from a Labour Party (LP) ragtag government that was daily sinking into an abyss of infamy, the reaction became expedient because the discerning members of the public could mistake this blatant falsehood for truth.

The allegation of the campaign arm of the Ondo LP was not only wicked, but malicious, baseless, unfounded, illogical, hallucinatory, self-defeatist, frivolous, hollow, pedestrian and lacking any iota of credibility.

The LP candidate, Olusegun Mimiko and his party were already drowning in the sea of non-performance and rejection by the Ondo electorate and were desperately looking for any straw to hold in a bid to survive. Mimiko and LP were being haunted by their fear of an imminent defeat at the Ondo governorship election.

In the first place, the ACN as a party that has its foundation of democracy, justice and rule of law believed in using legitimate avenues to articulate its policies, manifesto and beliefs for the purpose of winning election to better the lives of the people.

These include door-to-door campaign, open-air campaign, public enlightenment programmes through the use of the mass media within the ambits of the law.

•Crowd at the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) rally in Ondo town, Ondo State yesterday.

Thugs attack ACN loyalists in Ondo H ell was let lose yesterday in Ondo Town, as supporters of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and some people suspected to be loyal to another political party clashed at Akure-motor Park after ACN rally No fewer than ten people were reportedly wounded in the fracas that lasted for over 30 minutes It was gathered that suspected political thugs blocked the major Akure Ondo Expressroad near the motor park after the ACN rally and they were said to be singing anti-ACN songs It was learnt that the suspected thugs on sighting ACN supporters started throwing stones at the ACN buses and the ACN members were annoyed by the development.

Daily Sun gathered that trouble started when ACN loyalists who had been avoid-

ing their attackers alighted from the buses and replied them with pebbles and stones It was gathered that the development later took a twist as gunshots rent the air from both side The clash led to stampede, as people were running for safety and the whole area was

deserted by residents to avoid being hit by stray bullets The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Henry Fadairo who confirmed the report said the combined team of police and army personnel that responded to a distress call promptly took over the

Mimiko not a true Oduduwa son –Tinubu From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure

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he campaign train of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stormed Ondo town, the home base of incumbent governor of the state Dr Olusegun Mimiko yesterday calling on the people of the town to disown Mimiko described not a true Yoruba son.

The ACN national leader Tinubu who described Mimiko’s attitudes as ingrati-

tude said Ondo town benefited much from his administration when he was the governor of Lagos State and also in the present administration of Fashola because of the key and sensitive position given to the natives of Ondo town in the cabinet of lagos state.

He stressed that Mimiko’s attitude towards the political development of South West region showed that he was a black leg despite all the assistance he enjoyed when he was in the trenches.

Tinubu said contrary to the

MCO alleges plans by opposition to eliminate members

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he Mimiko Campaign Organisation (MCO) has cried out over series of attacks by the opposition parties of the supporters and members of the Labour Party (LP) in Owo town, saying plan were on to eliminate its leaders.

The MCO raised this alarm in Akure yesterday following fresh attacks on its members in the ancient city on Tuesday night. A similar attack occurred in the city in which several LP supporters were shot, injured with cutlasses and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. The group noted that the latest development had vindicated its numerous cries in the recent past that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were out to foment trouble with a view to stampede the electorate.

whole area and brought the situation under control.

Fadairo said that some people were arrested in connection with the mayhem, while sizable numbers of arms and ammunition were recovered from some of the people involved in the violence.

Indeed, four of those arrested by the security apparatus in Owo over similar attacks on the LP members were still being remanded at the Olokuta Prison.

A member of the House of Representatives representing Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, Mr. Eni Omosule, the Chairman of the State Environmental Task Force, Mr. Gbenga Atiba and a Senior Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Direct Labour Agency, Mrs. Mobolaji Suara on Tuesday evening cheated death by whiskers when they were attacked by a combined team of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) thugs and those of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at Uka Area of Owo with guns, axes, cutlasses and clubs.

Indeed, Mrs. Suara was shot in the arm while Mr.

Atiba was clubbed on the head after several bullets fired at him missed their targets. The member of the House of Representatives was however lucky as he escaped from his assailants who chased him into a bush having damaged his car.

Mr. Atiba who spoke on his hospital bed at a private hospital in Akure described the incident as sad and a pointer to the fact that the oppositions in the state were hell bent on killing and provoking violence to win the October election at all cost.

He described the two attacks from both the ACN and the PDP as unprovoked and well coordinated to stampede the ruling LP into irrational reprisal to give room for them to be able to use their arsenal given the number of sophisticated guns he saw with the thugs during the attack.

view of some people that he was trying to build up his political empire in the South West states, his political philosophy was to develop the south-west states ahead of other geo-political regions as Awolowo did in his time.

He disclosed that he assisted Mimiko with aim of teaming up with ACN to fight the common interest of Yoruba race but he betrayed the trust reposed on him.

Tinubu called the Ondo people to vote for ACN in the forthcoming election in the state. He added that if ACN was voted into power, the state would witness rapid and unprecedented developments in the next one year. He pointed out that other states in the Southwest region have been witnessing tremendous developments since ACN had took over the mantle in the states .

He said the ACN candidate would not disappoint the people of the state in terms of providing laudable projects.

Also at the rally, former governor of Ogun state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba urged the people of Ondo town to vote en mass for ACN, promising that within a spate of time, the state would witness transformational developments that would surpass any past governments in the state.

Osoba also urged the people of the state to vote for ACN and be vigilant after voting for any prank that the opposition might want to play during and after the election.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012, 13

AREWA Abacha’s stolen multi-million jewellery recovered From DESMOND MGBOH, Kano

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ulti-million naira worth of gold jewellery belonging to a member of the family of the late General Sani Abacha in Kano have been recovered by the Nigeria Police .

Briefing newsmen in Kano, yesterday, Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, confirmed that the items were recovered from one of the receivers of stolen goods following investigations, while adding that the recovered jewellery were worth about N20 million in all.

He recalled that, “at about 10.00pm on December 8, 2011, one Lawan Mohammed a.k.a Bisi and four others conspired, while armed with dangerous weapons and firearms, to rob a residence along Hospital Road, Nasarawa Quarters in the state capital.

The police boss confirmed that during that incident, the gang robbed their victim of various valuables worth a total of N30 milion and shot one of the residents .

He stated that some of the suspects had been arrested by the police and would soon be charged to court on completion of investigations.

Daily Sun investigation revealed that the jewellery, which were closely guarded by the officer in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) included six pieces of gold apparels, 42 pieces of gold earrings, five pieces of gold rings, five pieces of gold penchant and five sets of gold necklaces.

A credible security source told Daily Sun that the jewellery were the ones stolen by robbers from the home of the daughter of the former head of state, Hajia Zainab Abacha .

“It was in that same robbery incident where one of the sons of the former head of state, Alhaji Al-Mustapha Abacha was shot in the stomach by a robbery gang, before escaping as a result of the ensuing gun battle,” he stated.

The source further disclosed that some of suspects were arrested and detained somewhere around Farm Centre but were among those released in the wake of the January 20 attack on the state by the members of Boko Haram, in which several suspects were freed from police cells in the state.

Cases of stolen jewellery, according to Daily Sun investigation, were not novel to the family of the late General Sani Abacha as such ornaments appeared an attractive target in the home.

A Kano Chief Magistrate Court (1) presided by Chief Magistrate Khadijah Mustapha is currently hearing a case of house breaking and theft of the jewellery of the former first lady, Hajia Maryam Abacha, which was allegedly stolen in 2007 by a telephone operator, Alhaji Abdullahi Ali, from the family home at Gidado Road, Nasarawa, Kano.

The telephone operator, the receiver, including two other

suspects appeared before the court recently, where the key suspect denied the charge of theft and housebreaking.

The suspect told the court that he acted out the order of one of the sons of Hajia Maryam Abacha, who had asked him to sell the jewellery and use the proceeds to buy him cocaine.

Gunmen kill cop, as police parade 29 robbery suspects in Kaduna From NOAH EBIJE, Kaduna

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unmen suspected to be members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram yesterday killed a police man in the Zaria area of Kaduna State.

The incident, which was believed to be an explosion happened at about 7:30 a.m. in Kwangila area of Zaria metropolis.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) of the Kaduna State Command, DSP Aminu Lawan told journalists that, “contrary to what people are saying, let me clarify that it was not an explosion but gunshot by people on a motor bike.”

Lawan added that the gunmen accosted the police Corporal on duty and shot him, stressing that, “as I am talking to you we are on the trail of the attackers and an investigation is ongoing.”

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Command has paraded 29 suspected armed robbers, including two terrorist suspects arrested in different locations within the metropolis.

But the PPRO Aminu Lawan specifically told journalists that the two suspected terrorist were arrested in Tundun Wada area of the metropolis.

Parading the suspects, the police spokesman revealed that exhibits recovered from the suspects include guns and automatic rifles, laptops, cables and chemicals for making Improvised Explosive Device, (IED), dynamites and knives.

Others include 23 rounds of military AK ammunitions and ipads.

Police said some of the suspects were involved in armed robbery, car thefts, adding that operation was still ongoing to apprehend more suspects.

•L-R: Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Prof. Moses Adamu; Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Administration), Prof. Naiya Sada and Executive Director, North West, Unity Bank, Alhaji Ismail Galadanchi, during the presentation of N3million cheque donated to the institution for its golden jubilee in Kaduna, yesterday.

28 killed, thousands displaced

by Taraba flood From PAUL Taraba

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ORUDE,

o fewer than 28 people including a threeyear-old boy died in the flood that ravaged six local governments areas of Taraba State.

The Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society in the state, Mr Manja Martins disclosed this to Daily Sun yesterday in Jalingo.

Martins, who described the flood as worst of its kind, said the situation was pathetic with over a 100, 000 people now rendered homeless and farmlands, livestock swept away.

The affected local government areas include Ardo Lola, Gassol, KLarin Lamido, Lau, and Wukari.

So devasting was the flood in the state that land stretching across almost 300 kilometres from Karim Lamido to Wukari and Lau to Karin Lamido have been covered by water.

Martins said: “It is pathetic because early warnings came but the people thought it was one of those warnings that never happened. We have never seen this kind of flood in Taraba before.

“It took many people unaware in such magnitude that they did not remove their property and their crops were washed away, nothing to eat.”

With over 20, 000 Internally Displaced Persons across the local government areas, Martins said the major concern of the displaced persons was food, beddings, medication and water.

Some of the displaced persons who spoke to Daily Sun in Lau and Karin Lamido where the victims were seen roaming about, lamented that they had been neglected by government.

Yakub Danladi from Madaga village in Lau Local Government Area whose three years old son, Fikia drowned in the water, said all efforts to get assistance when the flood started failed.

His words: “The water came unexpectedly as we were sleeping around 8 in the night. We tried to carry our belongings and take them to the trees on top of the hill.

Around 2a.m. in the morningsome canoes came to carry us. They started with the women and children. It was in the process of carrying my wife, son and four others that the canoe capsized and my

son fell inside the water.

“The driver of the boat was carrying my son when the boat capsized and we fell inside the flood. The water was so deep and flowing fast that they could not rescue him. If not by divine grace my wife would have died too.”

Danjuma Kanake, the village head of Bachama Nyema Dobeli, said some of the displaced persons including a 90-year-old retired soldier from Bandawavivian village which was completely submerged by flood are staying in his house.

His word: “My wife

packed out. She thought I invited them. The situation is terrible. The major problem is hunger. There is no food.

Government should please help us, we are dying of hunger.”

According to SEMA, 10 people died in Karin Lamido where over 30, 000 people were affected, seven in Lau and two in Gassol local governments respectively.

Figures obtained at the SEMA office in Jalingo, showed that no fewer than 280 villages and at least 1, 500 houses were submerged by the flood which started in August.

Nigeria in great danger of more floodings –NEMA From EMMANUEL ADEYE- otherwise known as black MI, Lokoja flood and warned communities yet to relocate along the he National Emergency riverrine areas to move now Management Agency for their own safety.

(NEMA) has disclosed The zonal co-ordinator furthat over 400 communities in ther described as very alarmKogi State have so far been ing, the level of devastation submerged by the ravaging by the flood in Kogi State, floods. saying Ibaji Local NEMA warned that the Government was worst hit country was in great danger among the nine local governas the flooding might spread ment areas affected by the to other parts of the nation natural disaster. even as the Federal The member representing Government had been urged Omala Constituency, Alli to complete the Bagana-Guto Akuh, who urged the Federal Bridge to reduce hardship of Government to look into the motorists on the Abuja- completion of Bagana- Guto Lokoja Highway.

Road to create alternative The Zonal Co-ordinator of way to the ever-busy Abuja the agency, Mr. Ishaya Lokoja Highway said the Chinoko, who disclosed this contract had been abandoned in an interview with news- since two years. men in Lokoja yesterday, Akuh, while addressing noted that what the nation newsmen recently said the was currently experiencing road, if completed, would was white flood arising from serve as the easiest link excessive rainfall in the coun- between the South-east and try. the federal capital.

He added that more waters Meanwhile, NEMA boss would come from Cameroon said the prompt intervention and Guinea, the two sources of the agency in camp manof Rivers Niger and Benue, agement, supply of relief

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materials, search and rescue mission as well as supply of drugs had gone a long way in assisting the state government in confronting the challenges.

Chinoko further revealed that because of the magnitude of the disaster, the agency had already alerted other international organisations like the Red Cross and Red Crescent for support, disclosing that there were about 40 relief camps set up across the state to assist the victims.

He equally commended the Kogi State government for rising up to the occasion, as well as other federal agencies that assisted NEMA in evacuating some of the victims. He called on other wellmeaning individuals and organisations to assist the government in overcoming the problem.

He, however, expressed delight that so far, no life had been lost in the area as a result of the disater, stressing the need for more enlightenment with a view to avoiding any calamity due to ignorance on the part of the people.

14,

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

Foreign Affairs 2 million workers strike in Indonesia

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ore than 2 million factory workers went on a oneday strike across Indonesia on Wednesday to demand better benefits and protest the hiring of contract workers, union officials said.

Hundreds of thousands of laborers from more than 700 companies in 80 industrial estates also took to the streets to demonstrate, national police spokesman Col. Agus Rianto said.

About 200,000 workers marched in the industrial city of Bekasi, just outside Jakarta, while waving flags and chanting “Workers unite! We can’t be defeated!”

The workers want an increase in the minimum wage, health insurance and social security for all employees and a revision of government policies that allow companies to hire temporary workers without benefits, said Yoris Raweyai, chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers’ Union.

“We warn the government that we can do worse to the country’s economy if they continue ignoring our three main demands,” said Said Iqbal, a protest organizer from the Indonesian Workers’Assembly.

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled in January that hiring contract laborers is unconstitutional and violates workers’ rights.

The government is still drafting a revision of the labor law following the ruling, which may be finished by the end of the year, said Suhartono, spokesman for the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

He said he believes the number of strikers was lower than union estimates, but did not provide a figure.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called the strike unfortunate because it could discourage foreign investment, his spokesman Julian Pasha said.

Factory workers in Indonesia earn an average basic salary of just over $120 a month. The economy grew 6.5 percent last year, the fastest pace since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, and the cost of living has been increasing, making it harder for workers to pay for food and basic necessities.

Police, protesters clash in Iran over currency

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iot police in Iran have clashed with protesters in the capital over sharp falls in the currency, the rial.

Tear gas was used to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom were setting fire to tyres and rubbish bins. There were many arrests, reports say.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that scores of people gathered outside the central bank, calling for the governor to stand down, chanting anti-government slogans.

The rial has plummeted to record lows against the US dollar in recent days.

It is not every day that you see anti-government protests in Iran, let alone by those who have, on the whole, done very well under President Ahmadinejad and the Islamic regime.

What has led them to frustration is the continuing free fall of the value of the Iranian rial - in recent days by 15 per cent per day. This speed of devaluation has made it very difficult for them to buy and sell as prices change on hourly basis.

Worse still, they find President Ahmadinejad, who seems to have little idea about how to arrest the downward spiral of the currency, blaming them for the crisis.

It is clear that Mr Ahmadinejad’s many enemies in various centres of power have begun a push to remove him before his term ends in June 2013. He may be the first big casualty of the sanctions against Iran. But Mr Ahmadinejad is a fighter and his removal may not be that easy.

Money dealers were joined by traders from the nearby central bazaar, reports say.

Amateur video footage posted online appeared to show hundreds of people marching towards Iran’s central bank.

Eyewitnesses told reporters that riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Reports say many shops in the central Grand Bazaar have brought down their shutters in sympathy with the demonstrators.

Traders are angry at the lack of direction from the government in the crisis, which they say has led to more instability in prices and made trading almost impossible, according to commentators.

Viewers of BBC Persian television in Iran reported that authorities began jamming the channel’s signals on two satellites after the London-based Persian-language channel reported the Tehran protests.

• Factory workers protesting in Cikarang, West Java, Indonesia, yesteday. (AP Photo)

Suicide bombers strike Aleppo, kill 48

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hree suicide car bombs and a mortar barrage ripped through a government-controlled district of central Aleppo housing a military officers’ club on Wednesday, killing 48 people according to activists.

The coordinated attacks hit just days after rebels launched an offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria’s biggest city, leading to heavy fighting and a fire which gutted a large part of its medieval covered market.

The state news agency SANA said suicide bombers detonated two explosiveladen cars in the main square, Saadallah al-Jabiri, which is lined on its eastern flank by the military club, two hotels and a telecoms office.

The explosions reduced at least one building to a flattened wreck of twisted concrete and metal, and were followed by a volley of mortar bombs into the square and attempted suicide bombings by three rebels carrying explosives, it said.

Another bomb blew up a few hundred meters (yards) away on the edge of the Old City, where rebels have been battling Assad’s forces.

State television showed three dead men disguised as soldiers in army fatigues who it said were shot by security forces before they could detonate explosive-packed belts they were wearing. One appeared to have a trigger device strapped to his wrist.

Another pro-Assad station, al-Ikhbariya TV, broadcast

footage of four dead men, including one dust-covered body being pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building and loaded onto the back of a pickup truck.

The facades of many buildings overlooking the square were ripped off and a deep crater was gouged in the road.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 48 people were killed, mostly from the security forces, while SANA put the death toll at 31.

Wednesday’s attacks in Aleppo followed last week’s bombing of the military staff headquarters in Damascus, another strike by Assad’s out-

gunned opponents against bulwarks of his power.

In July, rebels killed four of Assad’s senior security officials including Assad’s brother-in-law, the defense minister and a general in a Damascus bombing which coincided with a rebel offensive in the capital.

…As Russia warns NATO to stay away from Syria

R

ussia told NATO and world powers on Tuesday they should not seek ways to intervene in Syria’s civil war or set up buffer zones between rebels and government forces.

Moscow further called for restraint between NATOmember Turkey and Syria, where violence along their shared border has strained relations between the former allies.

Tensions have flared since a mortar round fired from inside Syria struck the territory of Turkey. Ankara has threatened to respond if the strike were repeated.

When asked by Interfax if Moscow worried whether the tense border situation could prompt NATO to intervene to defend Turkey, its easternmost member, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov warned against any such step.

“In our contacts with partners in NATO and in the region, we are calling on them not to seek pretexts for

carrying out a military sce- tives such as humanitarian nario or to introduce initia- corridors or buffer zones.”

Libya PM submits govt line-up for approval

L

ibyan Prime Ministerelect Mustafa Abushagur presented his nominations for his government lineup on Wednesday to the ruling national congress for its approval.

Abushagur, in a televised session, nominated Mabrouk Issa Abu Harroura as the North African country’s new oil minister. He said the post of foreign minister had yet to be filled, and he would act as foreign minister for now.

The congress will vote on the cabinet list name by name on Thursday and the appointees could still change.

Many of the names submitted are unknown. Harroura is said to have previously worked for Libya’s Zueitina Oil Company.

Abushagur picked three deputy prime ministers - one from the western town of

Zintan, one from the south and the third from the east, in a move which could seen to placate regional rivalries.

Abushagur nominated Omar al-Aswad as interior minister while Abdelsalam Jadallah al-Obeidi was named as defense minister.

From Benghazi, a former military officer, Obeidi defected early in last year’s uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.

Abushagur named Abdallah Shamia, a former prisoner under Gaddafi when he was part of the then underground Muslim Brotherhood movement in Libya, as finance minister. Shamia has taught economics at Benghazi university.

Faisal al-Krekshi, who was secretary general of the National Forces Alliance (NFA), was nominated as health minister.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012,

15

Foreign Affairs Colombia President survives cancer operations

D

octors said Wednesday two or three days.

Santos earlier said doctors that cancer operation on Colombian told him he has a 97 percent President Juan Manuel chance of being cured.

Santos has gone off successfully.

Dr. Adolfo Llinas is the medical director of the Fundacio Santa Fe Hospital in the Colombian capital and he says there were no complications during the 2 ? hour operation, which was carried out under local anesthetic.

The lead surgeon on the prostate operation was Felipe Gomez and he says the president should be back home in • President Juan Manuel Santos

Hugo Chavez vows stronger socialist drive

V

• Obama

• Romney

Obama and Romney match wits ...As presidential debate kicks off

A

fter months of talking about each other and their policies, the world finally gets to see Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney go toe-to-toe on the same stage in a series of three televised debates ahead of the United States election.

Unlike other countries, such as the United Kingdom, where the prime minister must defend his policies under televised duress from the opposition nearly every week, face-to-face showdowns between the two men fighting for the White House only happen every four years.

And while debates rarely swing the outcome of an election, a gaffe — or a silvertongued swipe at the opposition — under the bright lights can alter the perception of the two contenders, for better or worse.

Presidential debates are a relatively recent phenomenon. The first televised debate was between Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy, on blackand-white TV in 1960.

Many people listening on the radio to that first of four Nixon-Kennedy debates thought Nixon had won - but on live TV, a tan and youthful-looking Kennedy trounced a sweaty, haggard Nixon (who’d recently suffered a staph infection) in the appearance department.

While Nixon improved in later debates, Kennedy went on to win the election.

There were no debates again until Jimmy Carter took on Gerald Ford in 1976.

Since then, the Republican

and Democratic hopefuls have matched wits in a series of (usually three) debates every election year - and twice, in 1980 and 1992, an independent candidate has joined the duo onstage.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter refused to take part in the first debate with Ronald Reagan because John Anderson, an independent candidate, had been invited to take part. Carter’s boycott led to a dramatic decline in the anticipated viewershiip for that depate. The second was cancelled, and Anderson was wiped off the program for the third round several weeks later.

In recent election cycles, the three debates have consisted of a domestic policy debate, a foreign policy debate, and a general debate in a town hall format, where members of the audience also offer up questions. Vice presidential candidates also face off in a single debate in the run-up to the election.

Generally speaking, candidates are asked questions by a moderator, who in recent years has come from one of America’s major broadcast news networks. Candidates then have a set period of time for responses and rebuttals.

A coin-flip determines the order of answers at debates.

Tonight Obama will answer first, but Romney will have the final word.

The dates and sites for the debates, which typically take place at universities across America, are chosen from a list of applicants by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

While the debates offer Romney and Obama a chance to expand on their views and rebut each other’s plans directly, experts say that the vast majority of Americans have already decided who they’re voting for along party lines.

But although debates aren’t typically seen as deciding an election’s outcome, there have been a few exceptions over time.

Kennedy’s telegenic dominance of Nixon during the first televised debate helped swing momentum in the Democrat’s direction in 1960.

In a 1980 debate, facing a barrage of assertions and accusations from incumbent Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan coolly replied with a smile: “There you go again.”

His famous retort momentarily took the wind out of Carter’s sails. After entering

debate season behind in opinion polls, eventual winner Reagan left the podium with the advantage over Carter.

Sometimes it’s not the debate that hurts a candidate it’s the post-game review. In 2000, cameras caught a visibly annoyed Al Gore sighing and shaking his head when George W. Bush spoke.

The clip was played over and over again and lampooned on television, to the point that “people began to project onto Gore a personality trait of just annoyance and irritation of people in general,” according to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. A clear favorite before the debates, Gore lost his lead during the debate season. He eventually lost the controversial election after the Supreme Court ruled in Bush’s favor.

enezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged to redouble his efforts to create a socialist system if re-elected in Sunday’s election, saying the next six-year term would bring bigger changes.

Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has increased the government’s role in the economy and has nationalized private businesses including cement plants, banks and retail stores. He has also used the country’s oil wealth to bankroll social programs including cash benefits for poor families and staterun grocery stores.

“We’ve laid the foundations of 21st century socialism and today we launch, well, the second cycle,”

•Hugo Chavez

Chavez said. “We’ll launch the second socialist cycle, from 2013 to 2019, with much more strength.”

Chavez spoke while rallying a crowd in his native town of Sabaneta in the country’s rural western plains. He nostalgically recalled selling sweets in the town plaza as a boy, and he broke into song while addressing supporters.

He waved to supporters from an open jeep on the way to another town.

Rival candidate Henrique Capriles has ridiculed Chavez for claiming to pursue socialist policies, saying the government has failed to solve basic problems such as a soaring murder rate, sporadic blackouts and poorly equipped hospitals.

Chavez has recently acknowledged that some may have complaints about his government, such as waiting for public housing or coping with sporadic power outages in some areas. But he’s warned that the country’s independence is at stake, describing Capriles’ proposals as pro-wealthy, “neoliberal,” and in line with U.S. interests.

Capriles rejects those labels, saying he would maintain social programs for the poor while welcoming private investment.

...Michelle rallies supporters

F

irst lady Michelle Obama rallied supporters to back her husband as early voting began on Tuesday in the key electoral swing state of Ohio where the Democrats hope to take advantage of a lead in opinion polls.

“Are we going to just sit back and watch everything we worked for and fought for just slip away?” she asked a boisterous crowd of 6,800 in downtown Cincinnati.

With President Barack Obama focused on Wednesday’s debate against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the first lady led the Democrats’ charge in Ohio, directing supporters to march

to a local election office and cast ballots 35 days before the main voting day of November 6.

“All of our hard work, all the progress that we made, it is all on the line this November,” she said. “Here in Ohio, it is already Election Day.” Urging voters to cast their ballots early in person or through mailed-in absentee forms has become a major part of the Obama campaign’s strategy in Ohio and other swing states.

People who vote early tend to rally friends and relatives among groups that are less frequent voters such as the young, low-income people and ethnic minorities. Those

groups are generally more likely to vote Democrat.

The Obama campaign is peppering less enthusiastic supporters with phone calls, home visits, and direct mail pleas.

In 2008, roughly 30 percent of all ballots cast were early. Of those, nearly 60 percent favored Obama.

The Obama campaign seeks to persuade at least half of likely supporters to cast early ballots in Ohio and elsewhere, a campaign official said.

Voters backing both campaigns streamed into polling locations on Tuesday across 88 counties and requested more than 920,000 absentee ballots, election officials said.

After months essentially tied with Romney in Ohio, Obama is now leading by roughly 5 percentage points in Ohio, according to aggregator RealClearPolitics.

Some 7.8 million Ohioans are registered to vote in the state, compared with 8.2 million at this point in 2008, according to an election official.

Daunte Thomas, 18, walked with fellow students from Cleveland State University to cast their first votes for Obama.

“I didn’t know today was the first day to vote before but we got (campaign) emails and there were people ... this week on campus and they told us,” Thomas said.

16

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

NewsPlus Husband of woman killed in Bauchi blast laments

How will I tell my son that they killed his mum?

From PAUL ORUDE, Bauchi

S

he was one of the victims of the suicide bombing at the St John Catholic Church in Wunti, Bauchi, on Sunday, September 23.

The mother of one was among the three killed in the explosion that also injured 46 others.

For family and friends of Mrs. Glory Paul, her death in the unfortunate bomb explosion was a huge shock. Glory’s death evokes sadness, pain and regret to the people close to her.

The deceased’s husband, Mr. Paul Onwe from Ohukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was a shadow of himself as he narrated how his wife died to our correspondent. Tear flowed freely down his cheeks as he recounted how his wife of almost 10 years was dispatched to the great beyond by wicked men.

Paul, an auto spare parts dealer, said his wife planned to go for visitation with another member, Mrs. Veronica Osi, after the first mass on the fateful day.

He said: “We came to church together about 6am. After the mass, I left with our son, Emmanuel. My wife was waiting to board a commercial tricycle (Keke NAPEP), with Mrs. Osi in front of the church when the bomb exploded and killed them.”

Paul said as he was trekking with his son to their house in Bayan Gari, he heard the loud bang.

He said: “I had taken the Stadium Road and was negotiating the road to our house when I heard the blast. It was like no sound I had heard before.

I quickly took my son home and came back to the church and started looking for my wife.

“I called her number but the phone kept ringing. There was no answer. I was worried. I went to the hospital to look for her. Later, I went to the mortuary and saw her corpse.”

Paul said the discovery left him almost senseless. It was difficult to imagine, he said.

According to him “I was rooted to the spot on seeing her. I can’t describe what I saw. It was painful. I felt the pain seriously when I saw her lying there, dead.”

“I left her just a few minutes earlier but now I was seeing her corpse. It was a most wicked and brutal thing for a human being to do to his fellow human being.”

The sorrow was written all over Paul as he received sympathisers, who came to his house to console him over the death of his wife.

Glory’s death sent shock waves to her acquaintances and friends, most of whom will hardly forget her charm, kindness and friendliness. It was clear to the sympathisers, who came to Paul’s house at the Bayan

Justina, the late Glory’s sister

•The late Glory Paul

•Paul

•The late Vero Osi Gari area of Bauchi metropolis, that not only had he lost someone of invaluable worth, the vacuum created by her death was evident.

Paul said that words were not adequate to describe the magnitude of the loss of his wife and the sadness that has enveloped his life since the suicide bomber dispatched his lovely wife to the great beyond.

He said: “Glory was fond of our son, Emmanuel who is six years old.

They were very close and he will

miss his mother so much. How will I tell him that his mum is dead? My wife was hardworking and a kind person. She started learning about foreign exchange and was thinking of investing before her death. She was a friend.”

Paul is so saddened by the brutal death of his wife that he has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to take drastic step to address the insecurity in the north.

He said: “Even the President and

the governors are not with the common man. They have lost control of the situation and they cannot help us the common people. They don’t care because their children are not affected. Their children are abroad.

Let them resign if they cannot address the problem. Even if it is the military that can address this problem, let them come. We are tired.”

Glory’s sister, Justina Elendu said she was in church at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Bayan Gari when she heard the loud blast.

Justina recalled: “The pastor asked us all to come inside the church.

Later, one of our choir members, Hart started crying that her brother was affected. I called my sister but the phone kept ringing and no one was answering. I went to the hospital.

I was afraid. I started crying that maybe my sister had died. I wanted to go to the mortuary before some men stopped me.”

She said the innocent blood of her sister and those killed would be on the head of the wicked people unless they repented from their evil ways.

When our correspondent went to

the family house of the Osis at Bakin Kura in Bauchi Metropolis, the entire family was gripped with sorrow.

Mr. Osi was shedding tears and was still in shock. He said it was cruel to hurt someone as hardworking and peaceful as his wife, not to talk of killing her.

Veronica, Daily Sun learnt, was a food vendor on the Bakin Kuar Street and was a strong pillar of the family due to her entrepreneural spirit.

The mother of seven children and two grandchildren was waiting with Glory when the bomb-strapped Opel car rammed into the barricade of St John Church. Glory died instantly while Mrs. Osi died later that Sunday.

A family friend told our correspondent that Veronica’s last child, Chimobi, was among the 46 hospitalised after the blast.

“He was seriously affected on his left leg. We are praying for his survival,” he said Strategically located at the heart of town near the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi, St. John Catholic Church, perhaps the largest church building in Bauchi, had been a target for attacks by terrorists.

Our correspondent had reported that a woman was arrested there last year after a foiled bid to set the church ablaze. But for the eagle-eyed security men and some members of the church praying at the time, the woman would have succeeded.

She later claimed that she was under the spell of some ‘spirits’ who were controlling her. She said the ‘spirits’ sent her to burn the church.

Bishop of the Bauchi Catholic Diocese, John Malachi Golten described the suicide attack on the church as ungodly.

Golten spoke when the state deputy governor, Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh came to commiserate with the church members over the unfortunate attack. He expressed appreciation for the concern shown by the state government and people of the state since the incident.

He prayed that God Almighty would prevent a recurrence of such ugly incident, even as he called on the Catholic faithful as well as all Christians and Muslims to continue praying to God to give the leaders wisdom to curtail the insecurity in the state and the nation in general.

Saleh said the state government was seriously touched by the ugly act and commiserated with the victims, especially those who lost their friends and family members in the attack.

He expressed government’s sadness over the attack and assured that the state government would continue to do its best to protect lives of people and their property, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

DAILY SUN

17

NewsPlus

Knocks for the commodore • Lagos agency, lawyers, others pummel naval officer, who sacked tenant with armed soldiers

By SEYE OJO

T

he naval officer that unlawfully flung the belongings of one of his tenants out in the street at Ajangbadi, a Lagos suburb, might find himself in trouble pretty soon.

Commodore Hamis Osemwota Okunbor had, with the assistance of five fully armed soldiers, invaded the apartment of Mr. Fortune Kenechukwu at No 28, Igbede New Site, Ajangbadi, on September 3, when Kenechukwu’s tenancy had not expired. He then threw out the belongings of the young Alaba trader in the street, boasting that nothing would come out of his action. Even when the Divisional Police Officer tried to caution him, the soldiers illegally brought by the naval officer allegedly threatened to shoot the cop.

A receipt presented by the tenant and signed by the landlord showed that his rent would expire by September 30.

But soon after Kenechukwu’s story was published in Daily Sun on Thursday, September 20, the Lagos State Government, lawyers and human rights activists vowed to ensure that the injustice done to the young man by the naval officer was redressed.

The Nigerian Navy has said Commodore Okunbor was on his own. Spokesman of the force, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, said in a message to our reporter that since Commodore Okunbor did not eject

his tenant on behalf of the Nigerian Navy and since he was never mandated to do so by the Navy, the officer, who serves as DirectorCoordination with the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos, acted in his personal capacity.

The Lagos State Government has also shown interest in the case.

Kenechukwu was invited to the Public Advice Centre (PAC) in Alausa on Thursday last week. The centre has also assured him of the services of a free lawyer through the Public Defence Agency for litigation against the landlord.

Mr. Bamidele Aturu, a lawyer and human rights activist, said the action of the landlord was improper. Said Aturu: “It is illegal for any landlord to eject any tenant from his property by force of arms. It is only the court of law that has such power through the tenancy law.”

“Any landlord, who has done that should be dealt with according to the law. Since a naval officer is involved, the naval authorities should do something about it. I will advise the tenant to sue the landlord for damages.”

A Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegoruwa, also said the landlord did not follow due process. He said the tenancy law of Lagos State stipulated that anybody in possession of any land can only be ejected through a valid order of the court after due hearing.

“It is not correct to eject a tenant without a due process. Nigeria is not

•The victim, Kenechukwu, with his property

a jungle. We must follow due process. I totally condemn it. I totally come against it. I believe it is not supposed to be done in a democratic society, which we are now.

“The tenancy law of Lagos State demands that anybody who is in possession of any land can only be ejected through a valid order of the court after due hearing, even if the person is a trespasser.

“The action of the landlord should be condemned by all peace loving people. The tenant has two options.

One, he should approach the court to seek damages and an order to restate him into the premises. Second, he can complain to the police. Since he said he had reported the case to the police, then the court will be the next remedy.”

A public affairs commentator, Mr. Gbenga Ogunleye, told this reporter that it was highly disappointing that a commodore in the Nigerian Navy could take the law into his hand.

“The naval authorities should do something about it. The Chief of Naval Staff or the Minister of Defence should organise a training session for naval officers and ratings on how to relate with members of the public. The cases of assault on members of the public by naval officers are becoming worrisome. The court is the remedy. While I am not pre-empting the court judgment, I think the landlord should be compelled to pay heavy compensation to the tenant.”

A trader at Maza-Maza, Mrs. Janet Nwankwo, also condemned

•Commodore Okunbor the action of the landlord and urged the civil societies to take up the case.

The trouble started for Fortune Kenechukwu on August 8 when he allegedly received a text message from the caretaker of the house, informing him that his rent had been increased from N100, 000 to N150, 000. But on Thursday, August 30, his landlord reportedly called him at about 11:00p.m and told him if he wanted to pack out of the house, he was giving him till August 31 to move out.

“At 12noon on Monday, the caretaker called me. I was at MazaMaza. He said I should come home immediately, that the landlord came with four soldiers, broke my door and threw my things away. I said that was impossible since my rent had not expired. He said the landlord told him it had expired. I said he should have told the landlord that it would expire by September 30 since he had the duplicate copy of the receipt. He said he had no time for my rubbish and that I should come and pack my things from the street.

“When I got home, I found out that all my things were outside as he said. I rushed to Ajangbadi Police Station and made a report. They gave me some policemen, who came with me, took photographs and ordered me to break the new key with which the landlord locked the apartment door. They said I should pack my things inside, which I did.

“That same night, about 11:00p.m, the landlord came again, this time with five soldiers. One was in uniform and the others were in mufti but they were all armed. The caretaker was also there with them.

They came in two cars. They came straight to my apartment, pushed my sister and two brothers away, and started throwing my things far away into the street.

“The landlord was threatening me. He said I should use all my power. So, I called the police again.

When they came, the landlord intimidated them with the soldiers but the IPO, Sergeant Kayode, called the

DPO, who spoke with my landlord on phone. The DPO was asking him if he actually threw my things outside again. He said yes. The DPO said he should have got a court order, that he couldn’t do something like that. He then asked all of us to come to his office the next day so that he could settle the matter.”

Kenechukwu said he went to the DPO’s office the following day but his landlord did not turn up. He alleged that the soldiers destroyed his chairs, the LCD TV in his bedroom and some other things.

But the landlord, Navy Commodore Okunbor, told our reporter that his action followed Kenechukwu’s refusal to pay his rent. He said Kenechukwu’s first rent was from September 1, 2010 to August 1, 2011 at N120, 000 per annum. He added that the second rent ended August 1, 2012. Instead of paying the actual rent, he said, Kenechukwu bargained to pay N100, 000 in order to pay N150, 000 for the next rent. He regretted that Kenechukwu failed to honour that gentleman’s agreement. He dismissed the claim that his soldiers stole Kenechukwu’s property, saying his men were too big to steal.

The Divisional Police Officer, Ajangbadi, Mr. Mohammed Kamaru, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) said he was surprised that a naval officer could eject a tenant without following the due process.

“The law is there for us. If he thinks the boy owes him, let him go to court. I sent my men there but what they saw was unbelievable.

This man came with soldiers fully armed with rifles. They were threatening to fight my men but I didn’t want the situation to become a fight between soldiers and policemen.

Even when I spoke with the man on phone, he was so proud of his action.

Anyway, I have told the boy to sue him to court and claim damages. We invited him and his caretaker but none of them showed up,” the DPO said.

18

DAILY SUN Thursday October 4, 2012

Oil companies’ N1.3tn tax debt

T

he disclosure by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) that oil producing companies operating in the country owe the Federal Government a hefty N1.3 trillion in taxes is scandalous. This is highlevel economic sabotage. Chairman of NEITI and human rights activist, Mr. Ledum Mitee, revealed the startling tax default at a recent stakeholders forum on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in Abuja. The disclosure is the outcome of an audit report on the operations of the oil companies and what they ought to have paid to the coffers of government as tax.

According to the audit report, the huge revenue loss consists of underpayment and outright nonpayment of taxes. Beyond that, NEITI said the oil companies got away with such infractions because of lack of effective supervision by government institutions entrusted with monitoring their operations and ensuring that they pay the required taxes on their operations.

Among these government institutions are the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

We commend NEITI for being diligent in its work. The Act which established the agency empowers it to check all forms of corrupt practices. It is also mandated to ensure that all revenue accruing to the Federal Government in form of taxes, royalties, dividends, bonuses, penalties and levies are duly paid. This is not the first time that NEITI has uncovered large-scale under-payment of taxes.

Last year, the agency revealed that between 1999 and 2008, Nigeria lost over N38 trillion to non-payment and underpayment of taxes by the oil companies. This clearly underscores the appalling lack of accountability and transparency in the oil sector as well as lapses in our public accounts and enforcement system.

Such sharp practices hamper economic development of the country. Undoubtedly, the amount of debt involved is enough to balance the deficit in

the current Federal budget and even write off our huge domestic debt, which is almost spiraling out of control. In these times of financial squeeze amid huge infrastructural needs, government can deploy the money to address pressing national problems such as power supply, road infrastructure and insecurity.

It is regrettable that these oil companies fleece the country of such huge revenue and get away with it. Government’s response towards recovery of these debts must be swift and effective. The loopholes that make it possible for such abuses to thrive should be plugged immediately. We suggest alignment of the Acts creating NEITI and the proposed PIB so that they will not run in conflict with one other, especially in the areas of computing, assessing and ensuring payment of royalties, fees and other charges for petroleum upstream operations as stipulated in the petroleum bill.

Government should, therefore, see the report

by NEITI as an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to checking all sources of revenue leakage and ensuring that due payments are made by oil producing companies in the country. As a mere whistle-blower that can only bark and not bite, NEITI has done its bit. It is left for appropriate government agencies to recover the debts.

All in all, the revelation by NEITI does not paint a good image of Nigeria and the way the oil companies are conducting their operations in the country. It will not just be enough to recover the debts, the delinquent oil firms should be appropriately sanctioned. What they have done amounts to economic impunity that should attract more than a slap on the wrist. It serves no useful purpose to saddle NEITI with such oversight functions and do nothing with its findings that are in the overall national interest. This huge tax liability may further soil Nigeria’s poor corruption profile if immediate drastic measures are not taken to recover the debts. The public and all stakeholders in the oil sector will be very keen to see how firmly and thoroughly the Federal Government goes about the recovery of the huge unpaid taxes.

COMMENT

LETTER

Okorocha’s free education

WHEN Owelle Rochas Okorocha was campaigning for the 2011 governorship election in Imo State, he regaled his audience with promises based on well grounded reforms which he would carry out if elected into office. One of such policies which was very foreign to Imo voters and indeed the entire Igbo nation was free education. Not just free education but free education up to university level!

Armed with oratory and a superbly articulated manifesto, Okorocha won the hearts of Imo electorate leading to his victory at the governorship election. Since the creation of Imo State in 1976, the people have never enjoyed free education by government in the state. They therefore received with joy and celebration the pledge by Okorocha that his administration would usher in a new policy of free education at all levels in the state.

Okorocha is about 17 months old as the

Imo State governor. He has been carrying to the letter his campaign promise of free education in the state. School children in the public school no longer pay frivolous fees as was the case before Okorocha came into power. Beginning from this academic session, Imo students at the Imo State University (IMSU) will no longer pay school fees. What is more, the state will equally pay bursary allowances to them just as it has been paying to the pupils at the primary and post primary institutions.

The point to note is that parents and guardians who have their wards at IMSU will now channel the resources to other uses other than school fees. I am quite aware that so many of our bright children are usually denied university education due to the fact that their parents or guardians cannot afford to pay their school fees. At the beginning of every academic session, poor parents and guardians normally rush to handy individu-

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als with a piece of property to be sold so that they can source money for the university education of their wards. With the introduction of free education by Governor Okorocha administration, no Imo student at IMSU will be termed as indigent any longer. This is so because the amiable and ever smiling governor has reduced the parents and guardians burdens by 90 per cent. A situation where a student expects a bursary allowance in every session, such a student only needs to get down and study! Gone are the days when parents and guardians were having sleepless nights each time the mention of school fees is heard. Besides parents and guardians, the students too who hitherto were restless as they went for night duty to source money for their school fees and then rush to school in the morning for lectures will now concentrate on their studies as the Okorocha administration has taken care of their major concern.

It must also be stated that the free education policy of the Imo State government is all encompassing. It stretches its tentacles towards the rehabilitation, renovation and reconstruction of all the public schools in the state. Before now, schools in Imo State had

completely decayed and collapsed. In some instances, the roofs were blown off while in other occasions the windows and doors were in total disrepair. It was pathetic seeing such schools. But now, the opposite is the case.

All public schools in the state are receiving adequate attention. We are very much aware that reconstruction has not really gone round the schools but sooner or later the rehabilitation wave will certainly touch all public schools in all the councils. The story of what used to be the Township School Owerri is a testimony that all schools in the state will surely get adequate attention. A visit to the former Township School Owerri will reveal the governor’s vision and mission on how to rescue education in the state. The challenge is for Okorocha to sustain the good work he has started and sustain it.

No matter how you look at it, you will be convinced that Okorocha is all out to restore the dignity of education in Imo State and so far he has been doing well. He may not have pleased everybody but the majority appreciate the fact that he indeed is working for them.

IYK Okeigboananwa, Owerri, Imo State.

CMYK

DAILY SUN

Thursday October 4, 2012

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Give Lamorde a chance

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It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.” Charles de Montesquieu The above quote aptly illustrates the perennial danger a country faces when corruption permeates its society. It is therefore widely held that the most dreadful instrument that has the potential of eclipsing any meaningful policies geared toward sustainable economic and social development of a country is corruption. Corruption stunts pertinent variables necessary for socio-economic development, including multiplier effects, by rendering impotent the very structures, institutions, and human resources that are designed to facilitate growth. One cannot begin to imagine the dreadful impact of corruption on a nation until one begins to put human faces to its consequence in the form of people lost due to bad roads, poor healthcare system and poverty; generation lost because of poor educational system and dilapidated infrastructure.

Sad still, corruption is negatively impacting every sector of the society, particularly in Nigeria.

Its abysmal impact is felt more in the following areas: roads, education, healthcare, infrastructure development, job creation, environment, foreign investment, economy, youth population, and much more. The dreadful consequent necessitated the establishment of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with the following mission: “The EFCC will curb the menace of the corruption that constitutes the cog in the wheel of progress; protect national and foreign investments in the country; imbue the spirit of hard work in the citizenry and discourage ill-gotten wealth; identify illegally acquired wealth and confiscate it; build an upright workforce in both public and private sectors of the economy and; contribute to the global war against financial crimes.”

Equally, corruption is not only a threat to democracy and an impediment to generational augmentation, but also a danger to economic growth of the nation. Economic development cannot thrive in a corrupt environment. Since the nation is globally known for corruption, it is therefore imperative to cleanse the system of vermin called corruption so that meaningful and sustainable economic development could abound, especially in the light of lofty ambition of making

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Acho Orabuchi a_orabuchi@yahoo.com Nigeria one of the 20 largest economies in the world. In the same vein, meaningful foreign investment and sustainable economic development would be a mirage if anti-corruption contraption is not greatly hoisted urgently.

Again, the impact of graft to the society is enormous. The residual effects of corruption on people could better be imagined than described.

Though we can estimate the monetary cost of decades of corruption, including vestiges of sleaze, in our country, but we may never know the exact human cost of this enigma. To fundamentally reduce the cost of corruption, we have a choice to transform our culture—a culture that would spurn all levels and types of corruption. The alternative would be continuation of hopeless conundrum.

The foregoing makes it urgently important for Nigerians to not only demand the expansion of the scope of investigations of graft among public officials and contractors, but also to rid the country of selfish public servants. This would be a way to change people’s attitude to public service.

Public service is not about people enriching themselves; it is about implementing policies and programs effectively and constantly monitoring them to ensure that they are achieving their intended objectives. Public service is about transparency and accountability.

As a result, Nigerians, particularly those in the Diaspora welcome the spate of recent activities of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Indeed, the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde in November 2011 as the chairman of EFCC by President Goodluck Jonathan signaled seriousness in using EFCC to fight corruption in the country, as well as giving most Nigerians a

glimmer of hope that the federal government is taking bold actions to curb graft. Many helpless Nigerians had been yearning for this period—a time to check the recklessness and impunity with which people in the corridors of power deny the masses their share of dividends of democracy.

When corrupt public officials live in affluence while the masses seethe in agony and penury, the masses become more restive. Also, the corrupt few receive no sympathy from the majority of Nigerians when they are facing the pangs of the law—in this case, EFCC. The allegation leveled by Chief Edwin Clark against Ibrahim Lamorde concerning his involvement in the $15 million bribe in connection with James Ibori’s case as reported by the Daily Post Online lacks material evidence. This is apparently a distraction at a time the EFCC should be focusing more on fighting graft. If there was an iota of evidence implicating Lamorde in the bribery scandal, he would not have been appointed to lead the EFCC. I strongly believe that the presidency must have thoroughly vetted Lamorde before appointing him the boss of EFCC. With a thorough vetting process, anything that would have disqualified Lamorde would have been revealed prior to his appointment.

Thus, Nigeria needs a strong EFCC boss and any distractions will be inimical to his enormous responsibilities.

Ibrahim Lamorde has an impressive dossier, particularly in fighting against economic crimes.

He is more suited for the job than any other person at this time. Therefore, Lamorde should be allowed to work diligently to recover as much looted funds as possible and return them to the programs, states, local government areas for

which they were intended. The public should know when and where the funds were recovered; how much money was recovered from each culprit should be a public record. In addition to recovering the funds, the looters should serve a reasonable jail term. This may probably deter others from engaging in corrupt practices.

EFCC should remember that it is representing the helpless masses who are victims of corruption. Their mood suggests overwhelming support for the activities of the EFCC. This mood would be sustained as long as Lamorde continues to scrutinize the activities of the 774 local government bosses, state governors, and federal agencies and program to ensure probity.

As Lamorde continues to clean up the corrupt system with the help of well-meaning Nigerians, the EFCC must ensure that each and everyone, including, ministers, including other government officials, is investigated for corrupt practices. This process would serve as a means to exonerate those who are serving their country selflessly and implicate those who are culpable.

Also Lamorde should imbibe the attitude of objectivity to assure Nigerians that no one is above or below the law as the commission continues to enjoy the support of majority of Nigerians. However, there should be a speedy trial of the suspects to avoid undue detention of people without trial. EFCC should ensure fair and open trial based on rule of law whereby the public will continue to have solid confidence in EFCC, judiciary and the federal government.

Public officials should be accountable from the moment they are entrusted with public interest— the very moment they took the oath of office.

Nigerians expect them to discharge their responsibilities with utmost diligence and honesty.

While we praise those who serve the country well, the public despises those who have staggering contempt for the rule of law.

With the undeterred mode with which the EFCC under Lamorde is operating to stem out corruption, an environment conducive for sustainable economic development would be created sooner than later. This would have heightened global implications in form of good image and massive foreign investment.

Whither Nigeria?

BY VALENTINE OBIENYEM he wise one says that education comes onefourth from others, one-fourth from experience, one-fourth from travel and one-fourth from the classrooms. Should we agree with him, it means that any time we travel is an opportunity to broaden our knowledge about the world and its peoples. If we are critical, it also offers us the opportunity to compare our country with others in terms of progress and development. This experience is many times magnified when we venture into alien states/countries that do not share the same culture with us.

I have had the opportunity to travel to over 20 countries. I must confess that apart from Haiti , I have always felt dejected and a certain sense of regret on coming back to Nigeria from any of these trips. I cannot here talk about Arab countries. The last Arab country I visited was Bahrain and the common observation is that these people are busy deploying their oil money in building their countries. Even Bangladesh , with poverty written all over her, is much more organized than we are.

Though lacking in natural resources, countries like Ethiopia and Kenya are busy building and perfecting those little things that generate income for them. All over Kenya , one sees flowers that are exported to Europe . These countries National Carriers: Kenyan and Ethiopian Airlines are study in patriotism even when we could not sustain ours.

But whatever one observes about Nigeria is a call for all of us to sit up and contribute our quotas to make it work in a positive, healthy manner for it remains our country. A certain Moroccan traveler, on returning from a visit to Europe , exclaimed: “What a comfort to be getting back to civilisation.”

The man, like us, had no other country and is affected by provincialism.

If we want to be truthful to ourselves, many things are wrong in Nigeria . I am one of those who regret the timing of our independence. Events of today have shown that we were not psychologically prepared for that momentous event in history.

Many of our nationalists evidently did not even understand what independence means. What was supposed to be an epochal liberation of Nigerians from shackles of slavery ended up enslaving us all the more! Let us face it, what have we achieved since independence? Colonialists, without oil

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money, succeeded in providing some basics things of life for our people in the spirit of the times. Look at the railway, for example, rather than build on their legacy, we succeeded in killing that institution. One can go on and on.

When one travels out, the inadequacies of our country stares one on the face. The moment we arrived Atlanta Hartsfield Airport for immigration formalities, I said to my colleague, that if any of our airports were to handle 1% of the traffic this airport handled, that it would be catastrophic for the country. One noticed over 50 immigration clearance cubicles that are professionally handled.

On the contrary, on entering the Murtala Mohammed airport, one is confronted by faulty mechanized staircases, acute shortage of spaces, air conditioners that are not working and annoying cathartic reaction to situations. One notices about three or at most four cubicles handling immigration matters amidst a host of immigration officers busy prancing all over the place looking for those they will support to breach the rules for pittances.

In other climes, on arrival at baggage claiming points, the luggage are already at those points, but in our own case, one is compelled to wait for hours!

I have even forgotten to start from check-in formalities at the point of travel. I have not witnessed any country where today, one sees combined forces of Immigration, Customs, NDLEA and many other unidentifiable bodies, gloves in hands, searching one’s luggage menacingly. Does it mean our screening machines do not work like those of other countries?

We must at this juncture commend the present Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Odua. In her, one could see the efforts of one who was equally disenchanted with the state of our airports. If other past ministers individually or collectively did 20% of what she is doing now, that sector would have not been a problem today.

We also commend the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar for showing signs of preparedness to reform one of the most problematic institutions in Nigeria , the Police Force. The abolishing of road blocks is one necessary step he has taken that he will for a long time be remembered for. It signaled to observers, the first step towards the return of professionalism to the Police, which Nigerians perennially yearn for.

Nigerians do not know that all those AK 47 that Nigerian Police carry are meant for war. In many countries of the world, the presence of such weapon on the street will only signify a state of war. The IG should strengthen the intelligence arm of the force since crime is better fought through intelligence than display of raw force. If not for intelligence deployed in the arrest of Ofe Akwu, at whose compound military ammunition were found, that contingent of Police that arrested him would have been over powered by the array of ammunition in Ofe Akwu’s superior amoury One of the problems of fighting crime in our country is that our security personnel talk too much. The Americans prepared for the storming of Bin Laden’s abode for almost a year and yet nobody heard of it. What are the gains of telling us that the confession of Ofe Akwu led to the arrest of another armed robber at Ihiala? If there are other armed robbers connected to him and they hear this, would they not run for dear life always believing that he may have also confessed about them as well? The police would achieve more results if they even told us that the man became deaf and dumb the moment he was arrested, while secretly making use of information they got from him.

As I fiddled with my computer, light did not go off and all amenities seem to work. But vis-à-vis our country, one is bound to be angry with the system. The energy we should by now be deploying in other areas is now deployed to those things that we ought to have taken for granted. What is painful is that when quantified, you will see that Nigeria had actually sunk in more money into those areas than the countries where they are working ever did. Our critics, rather than consistently point this out, forget criticisms once a carrot is dangled before them.

One of our greatest problems is lack of genuine critics in the country. In Anambra for example, we have many armchair critics some of who have not visited the State in 6 years and analyse events only by synthesis. The more the State has a Governor ready to do the right things the more the criticisms are mounting. Those people do not devote a moment’s reflection on the future of the State.

They are ready to bring down the roof on everybody once they are not benefiting, directly or indirectly. Today, rather than point out the infrastruc-

tural deficit to those that govern states, we have some who want us to believe they are critics labouring in vain and amusingly to stop the President from visiting Anambra State to lend support to obvious efforts to emancipate the State. I think that all in all, they do not actually know what they are doing and deserve our sympathy.

From a State where bedlam, rape and rapine reigned, Obi has returned it to civilization through tortuous efforts that almost consumed him as he had to fight against principalities and powers.

Today, rather than a subject for dinner jollity, Anambra has become a changed state used as an example when one intends to discuss good and focused leadership, but the opposition he gets is from the home front. This is tragic!

Today, we also have a President who is truthful to the country and to himself. You can only appreciate him if you have followed his policies.

Sometimes, he treads carefully because the monster that has been created in Nigeria needs a Hercules to deal with it. Take the issue of petroleum subsidy and you will shudder at how a clique steal our common patrimony and are infinitely ready to deploy it to fight any person that challenges them. So far, the President is doing well, we only ask that he does not relent nor give in to the pressure from these buccaneers.

I laugh when some people associate timidity or naivety with our President. I was in France when he met with the President of that country. I remember that answering one question posed to him, he spoke about Nigeria in a manner that made me to be proud of him. He talked about Nigeria , including her different vegetations, from Sahel through Guinea/Savannah to tropical rainforest in a manner that made us proud of him. His comments about Nigeria are devoid of pretences. We have a President that acknowledges that Nigeria has problems created over the years and is genuinely committed to our getting it right.

We cannot solve Anambra or Nigeria ’s problems through protecting our narrow interests as most Nigerians do. If you have followed development in Anambra, you will agree with me that what we need is genuine critics who should be ready at all times to criticise and commend, as well as offer ideas without looking at their cash values for they are priceless.

Obienyem writes from Awka.

CMYK

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DAILY SUN

Thursday October 4, 2012

The amnesty programme

BY MICHAEL JEGEDE

W

hen the Federal Government under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua made the proclamation of amnesty for Niger Delta militants on June 25, 2009, not many believed it was going to make any meaningful impact in the activities of the agitators in the region.

In fact, many had doubted whether the government was truly going to fulfil its side of the deal, which has to do with the pledge to institute programmes to assist the disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and provision of integration support, after the militants must have declared their willingness and readiness to surrender their arms, unreservedly forsake militancy and sign an undertaking to that effect.

In his proclamation speech, after accepting the recommendations of the Presidential Panel constituted to set out the terms, procedures and processes of granting of an amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, the late President pointed out in very clear terms that, “the offer of amnesty is predicated on the willingness and readiness of the militants to give up all illegal arms in their possession, completely renounce militancy in all its ramifications unconditionally, and depose to an undertaking to this effect. It is my fervent hope that all militants in the Niger Delta will take advantage of this amnesty and come out to join in the quest for the transformation of our dear nation.”

Today, it may not be wrong to say that the amnesty programme ably and adeptly coordinated by Hon. Kingsley Kuku, has made significant impact in the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta, a region that was hitherto known to be the seal of violence and massive destruction with the doings of the militants. This, irrefutably, may be

the reason why Yar’Adua despite his death has continued to receive accolades from most Nigerians for considering the option of amnesty in the long search for peace in the area. Goodluck Jonathan the then Vice President and now President, has equally received commendation and applause for deeming it fit to ensure the sustenance of the programme.

It is the belief of many that the amnesty declaration remains the most genuine, valiant and profound effort made by any federal government since the country’s Independence to tackle the agitation for fairness, equity and development in the oil-rich Niger Delta. It is seen to have been the most effective tool employed by any government in addressing critical national issue.

When asked recently in an interview to give his impression about the amnesty programme, the Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman has this to say: “My take on the amnesty programme is that the amnesty was the much needed intervention. We don’t need to look far to see why it was needed and why it was a necessary intervention. We were as a country in a basket case. As at the time it was thought out the country was in a basket case. Thank God the then President, late Umaru Musa Yar’adua had the wisdom, foresight and understanding to recognise the need to make the amnesty offer to the Niger Delta militants at that time. If he hadn’t at that material time, only God knows what it would have been today. That programme has not just been successful; it has saved us a lot.”

Refuting the claim in some quarters that the programme has been a total failure, the Senator said: “I don’t know the indices used in scoring the amnesty programme low. By the indices we have, before the amnesty programme the production

output of the country was abysmal and was in the region of just about one million barrels a day.

With the amnesty programme we raised it to 2.4 million barrels a day. Such indices will naturally tell you that amnesty is the reason why things are looking stable and back to normal in the Niger Delta. It may not be a huge success per se. But also it is not such an abysmal failure. By and large, we can say that they have done well. Can they do better? Yes, we can do a lot better and we will do a lot better with me as Vice Chairman of this committee in conjunction with others.”

However, there had been one form of threat or the other by different groups of ex-militants to return to the creeks. Some of them have been complaining of the non-payment of certain allowances due to them after their rehabilitation.

Some feel that the programme is moving at a very slow pace, wondering how long they will wait for them to be sent out for training. There are also complaints about the outright exclusion of some youths from the programme.

On August 7, 2012, for instance, hundreds of ex-militants invaded the Secretariat of the Nigerian Union Journalists (NUJ) in Warri, Delta State, threatening to burn down the building. The former Niger Delta agitators were said to have brandished different kinds of weapons and went with gallons of petrol to burn down the NUJ office, because, according to them, journalists were not on hand to hear their grievance over their unpaid monthly stipends. Few days after, another group of ex-militants reportedly converged on Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital to issue a one-week ultimatum to the presidency threatening total disorder if their demands were not responded to.

The threat of the former Niger Delta agitators, said to be numbering 6, 166 was contained in a communiqué signed by twelve ex-militant

Generals. They disclosed in the communiqué that, “the Transition Safety Allowances (AST) which has long been paid to some leaders have not been paid to these six thousand one hundred and sixty-six members which was agreed during the time of laying down our arms for the sake of peace and rapid development of the region.” The Federal Government, having seen the way peace and stability have come to stay in the Niger Delta region should not hesitate to take drastic steps, in addressing whatever challenges facing the amnesty programme. I do not think that any amount will be too much to run a programme that has paved way for the advancement of the country’s economy due to increased level of oil production resulting from the introduction of amnesty. At a press conference in Abuja to mark the third year anniversary of the amnesty pact in June this year, Kuku, the Presidential Adviser in charge of the Amnesty Office, had revealed that the programme has saved the nation about N6 trillion in production gain since its inception. It is on this premise that I agree with the amnesty chief that the 2012 budget for the office standing at about 70 billion naira is comparatively small, looking at the overall national benefits accruing from the entrenchment of peace and stability, occasioned by the amnesty arrangement embraced by the ex-militants. Therefore, there is the need for more funds to be injected into the programme to ensure its smooth running, so that the amnesty office can meet up its financial obligation to the ex-militants and peace continues to reign supreme across the Niger Delta states. With the ceaseless onslaught of the Boko Haram sects in the country, the return of militancy in any form in the Niger Delta region will be diametrically cataclysmic and ruinous for Nigeria as a nation.

Jegede writes from Abuja

More awards for Akpabio O

BY ANIETIE EKONG n Saturday, September 17, 2011, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio along with four other prominent Nigerians was conferred with an honourary degree of Doctor of Management Science of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna during the 22nd convocation ceremony of the institution.

The Institution in a letter to the Governor signed by the Commandant, Major General Emeka Onwuamaegbu, listed the other honourees as the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad111, former Minister and Senator, Professor Jibril Muhammad Aminu, Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, and the National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi (rtd).

Past awardees of this prestigious award included Alhaji Yayale Ahmed (former Secretary to the Government of the Federation), Lt General TY Danjuma (former Defence Minister), and Professor SC Ukpabi (pioneer NDA Provost) were conferred with the honours in 2009. Similarly, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (former President), Dr Alex Ekweme (former Vice President) and Lt General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (former National Security Adviser) were honoured in 2010.

For Chief Akpabio, honours for the uncommon transformation in Akwa Ibom State have come in torrents from the media and academic institutions. He had earlier bagged honourary doctorate degrees from the University of Calabar, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, University of Uyo and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State. He is also a fellow of Federal Polytechnic Kazaure and College of Education, Bichi.

Indeed there is a general consensus even among his political opponents that Governor Akpabio cannot be faulted on performance because he has exceeded the expectations of even the worst pessimist. Before now, the rest of the country used to wonder why so much money was given to states in the Niger Delta region and yet there was not much to show for it. But Chief Akpabio has put a lie to that notion and now people are studying the Governor’s economic wizardry that has seen a large chunk of the budget of the state being spent on capital projects. Since he mounted the saddle in 2007, the Governor has turned Akwa Ibom State into one huge construction site. For the Akwa Ibom State helmsman, anyone who is in doubt is

invited to “come and see.”

If one accepts this invitation and travels by air into Akwa Ibom State, he will be landing at the new Ibom International Airport, whose first phase had been completed by the Akpabio administration in his first term. Reputed to have one of the longest runways in Nigeria, international flights had already commenced from the airport. But as a man of vision, Governor Akpabio has moved on to complete the second phase which would have the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities to serve the West African subregion.

What cannot escape the notice of any visitor to Akwa Ibom State is that the State has one of the best road networks in Nigeria courtesy of the administration of Chief Akpabio. Before he assumed office, major roads in the state were in very deplorable state while others were completely impassable, thereby cutting off residents of those areas from activities of the state. However, on assumption of office, Governor Akpabio wasted no time in bringing his vision of a state that human and vehicular traffic could move from one point to another without hindrance to bear. Four years on, he has delivered about 211 new roads and three new concentric flyovers. Now, even the most remote part of the state could be accessed in the shortest possible time.

If the visitor who accepts the invitation to “come and see” chooses to unwind, then the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, a flagship project to boost tourism in the state, whose first phase comprising of Cineplex has already been commissioned, is the place to go.

With work going on in a dizzying pace, the Centre which promises to be a world class entertainment destination in the West African subregion, comprises a 15-storey of about 250 bedrooms, a five star hotel, a 10,000 sitting capacity dome, a shopping mall, a theme park and a multi-storey car park. This brand new facility complements the completed Le Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort to position the state as a destination of choice.

Another flagship project that has attracted many visitors also is the first-in-Africa underground flood control project using the pipe jacking technology to check the problem of perennial flooding of the state capital. Before now, residents in some parts of the state capital have lived in perpetual fear of their houses being submerged by flood. But with the project, water is channelled into well lubricated huge pipelines buried 40 metres underground and taken to the discharged point. During a visit to the state, President Goodluck

Jonathan was so amazed at the project that he said: “One of the projects that is quite interesting to me is the drainage system. I think this is the first time I have seen that kind of drainage system and I believe it must be one of the firsts in the whole continent of Africa,” he said.

Peradventure, the visitor has a health challenge, then there would be no cause for alarm as Akwa Ibom state courtesy of the administration of Chief Akpabio the state has built and commissioned five brand new general hospitals and is almost completing an International Specialist Hospital and Referral Centre. In her unique health programme, Akwa Ibom State offers free healthcare services to children, the aged and pregnant women.

But perhaps the programme which may prove to have the biggest impact in Akwa Ibom State is the free and compulsory education policy of the administration of Chief Akpabio and the massive investment in the future of Akwa Ibom children. Many people consider the free and compulsory education policy as his greatest achievement because long after the infrastructure would have withered, the human capital that the Governor has developed would have assumed positions of authority in the country and beyond because someone gave them the opportunity through the free and compulsory education policy which has seen to the tripling of school enrolment in the last three years. This is complimented by the building of over 500 new classroom blocks and renovation of about 2,000 others and the first ever e-library. In Akwa Ibom, a visitor may mistake a public school to be private schools as the line between them have become blurred.

What the visitor would also notice is that the projects in Akwa Ibom State are not limited to the state capital or the urban centres alone. The administration of Chief Akpabio has transformed the rural areas with the execution of over 3,000 people’s oriented projects in the rural areas. It has pursued a comprehensive rural electrification scheme which has linked over 1,400 communities to the national grid, thereby making the state to achieve 85 percent electricity coverage. Governor Akpabio has promised that at the end of his second term, no community in the state would be in darkness.

Having addressed the infrastructural need of the state, for his second term Governor Akpabio has turned his focus on aggressive industrialization.

Ekong is the Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Akpabio.

Mimiko, Ondo and the passion within

BY GBENGA OGUNREMI ike recurring decimals, a common feature of the run-up to the October 20 Governorship election in Ondo State is the roaring cheers, thunderous applause and near fanatic chants of IROKO! IROKO! rending the air whenever his convoy passes through the streets, at rallies and at projects commissioning.

One could see the passion of love flowing from within on the excited faces of the appreciative citizens and non-indigenes, a passion produced by nature, not artificial or synthetic, yearning for continuity, an unusual tide of support born of hunger for good governance and exemplary leadership long denied Ondo people but now being provided on a platter of gold by Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

This naturalness could not have been bought or induced, it can only be worked for and earned.

Mimiko worked for it and earned it, he was able to reignite the passion felt by the electorates in 2007 when he first contested for the governorship and at his inauguration as governor in 2009, through his

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robust performance in office in the last three and a half years.

Long before he finally declared his intention to run for a second term in office at a mega rally overwhelmingly attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters and witnessed by eminent personalities including the leadership of the authentic and untainted Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political group, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) , several groups, socio-cultural organizations, societies and communities had clamored ceaselessly and intensely for Mimiko’ s second term in office, endorsing him through public declarations, rallies and solidarity visits.

The artisans, market women, farmers, timber merchants, youths, rural dwellers, road transport workers, car dealers, pensioners, teachers, students, as well as other groups too numerous to mention here, whose lives have been touched positively in one way or the other through various life changing government interventions on their behalf in all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state,

have since constituted themselves into major campaigners for the governor’s second term bid.

There is indeed a consensus, a broad unanimity by all and sundry that Mimiko deserved a second term so that his popular initiatives that have ensured good governance, great transformation and laudable achievements could be fully entrenched as lasting legacies with follow up measures in the next four years.

Perhaps, the most significant of these endorsement rallies was the one organized by the entire Ondo State workforce in Akure, the state capital, something that has never happened anywhere in Nigeria before. Spearheaded by the leadership of the NLC and TUC in the state, workers trouped out in their thousands to boldly and publicly endorse the governor for a second term in office.

At the solidarity rally, the state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Bosede Daramola who described the governor as a labour-friendly governor who has not denied them their rights since the inception of his administration, said the rally was motivated by the various unprecedented achieve-

ments of the governor in the last three and a half years in office.

Besides these endorsement and solidarity rallies by various groups across the state, prominent citizens have been quite outspoken, coming out boldly in support of Mimiko’s second term bid. The likes of the well respected retired Bishop of the Akure Anglican Diocese, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, Prof. Oladipo Akinkugbe, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Ibadan, the OPC founder, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun and so many others including eminent non indigenes, have all unequivocally applauded the good governance and structured development permeating the 18 local government areas of Ondo state.

On a daily basis, support swells for Mimiko ahead of the October gubernatorial race.

Ogunremi writes via ogunremigbenga@yahoo.co.uk

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

Memories

Philip Nwosu 08176449110

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R YOU S U SEND HOTOS P OLD wosu@yahoo.co.uk phillipn e-mail:

Today in History

US soldiers killed in Somali gun battle At least five US soldiers were on this day in October 1993 killed and two Blackhawk helicopters shot down in a heavy firefight in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu.

Pentagon sources said the helicopters were carrying elite US Army Ranger units on a mission to capture a local warlord in the east African state.

One US soldier was believed to have been taken hostage. In an earlier incident, three marines were wounded and a Somali killed when a remote-controlled mine exploded under their vehicle.

The deaths brought to 16 the number of Americans killed in combat in Somalia since the United States intervened in December the previous year.

President Clinton released a statement expressing his sympathy over the deaths of “brave Americans engaged in a vital humanitarian mission”.

The helicopters were shot down at around 1545 local time yesterday (1245 GMT) at the start of an operation to take into UN custody members of a faction led by General Muhammad Aideed.

The Pentagon said about 20 members were arrested after an assault on a heavily armed compound, including a senior ranking associate of the militia leader.

US forces then came under unexpected and sustained fire throughout the capital from armed militias.

Heavy fighting is reported to have continued through the night and into the early hours of this

1993

Orlu traditional rulers assemble to welcome Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II, the Oba of Lagos, to the 50th birthday anniversary celebration of Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe

Tribunal quashes petition, declares Brisibe winner 2003 The National Assembly/Governorship and Legislative House Election Tribunal sitting in Delta State on this day in October 2003 dismissed the petition filed by Emibra Efiriaendi Agbeotu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), challenging the election of Tam Brisibe to represent the Burutu Federal Constituency.

Dismissing the petitioner’s claims

for want of evidence, the Tribunal held that the petitioner failed to present evidence to establish that votes scored by him and his opponent at the polling booths were manipulated, adding that, “it is not enough to merely say that votes were allotted arbitrarily.”

The Tribunal also held that the petitioner did not produce any evidence whatsoever to enable it declare any vote cast in the election invalid.

According to the tribunal, “the petitioner has not proved that he scored the highest

number of lawful votes cast at the election, and is therefore not entitled to be declared as having done so.”

The Tribunal concluded that the petition fails in all aspects of the prayers sought and is hereby dismissed.

The allegations levelled against Brisibe include poor educational background, tax evasion and electoral malpractice among others.

El Al jumbo crashes in Amsterdam An Israeli Boeing 747 1993 cargo plane on this day in October 1992 crashed in the outskirts of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, setting two blocks of flats on fire and killing dozens of people.

The El Al jumbo jet came down shortly after take-off, at 1830 local time, spilling burning fuel over a wide area in the suburb of Bijlmermeer, to the south of the city.

Amsterdam city officials say 50 flats in the nine-storey blocks were hit directly by the falling plane. Nearly 40 bodies have been recovered so far.

The pilot sent an emergency distress signal ten minutes after taking off for Tel Aviv in Israel. He reported two of the plane’s four engines had failed.

It looks as though he had turned back to attempt an emergency landing when the plane came down.

Police fear up to 200 people may have been killed on the ground.

The plane was carrying 114 tons of cargo on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv via Amsterdam, which burst into flames when it hit the ground.

Hundreds of ambulances headed to the scene of the burning buildings.

Helicopters helped fly some of the injured to a burns unit at Beverwijk, 25 miles (40km) to the west.

A former soldier who lived nearby said he heard a big bang and ran outside to see the building torn apart.

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1,000 women to receive free breast cancer care in October

By ONYEKACHI JET

A

bout one 1,000 women are expected to benefit from free breast and cancer screen-

ing and support care this October. The gesture is part of activities lined up

by Sebeccly Cancer Care and Support Centre (SCCSC) to mark the

World Breast and Cervical cancer month.

Sebeccly is a non-governmental, non-profit-making organization which provides support care services to people affected by breast and cervical cancer, as well as provide breast cancer awareness and reduction in Nigeria.

According to the President and founder of the organisation, Dr. Omolola Salako those to benefit are people with incidences of new cancer cases who would be picked up during the free breast cancer screening and would be referred to appropriate health care provider.

Also, Senior Programme Officer, Oluwatosin Oyekanmi said that to ensure that Nigerians are adequately enlightened on the risks of breast cancer, Sebeccly has made available, breast cancer help lines , 0810-205-6467, 0810-3258756, 0817-579-8815 and email, info@sebecclycancercare.org to which members of the public can direct their questions and receive information.

In addition, Oyekanmi said three SEBECCLY has selected 3 trained information specialists with counseling skills and in depth knowledge on breast health and cancer issues to avail interested persons with information on the disease.

Christians no longer value righteousness – Rev Ladeji

By CHISOM OGUBUNKA

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hristians have been advised to have a purpose and to fulfill it in this life. This advise was given to Christians who converged at the Renewed Christian Assembly during the 2012 convention at the church headquarters, Egan, Igando, Lagos.

In his sermon, the general overseer of the church Rev Dr. Julius Ladeji, stressed that

God’s intention for man is a good o n e . “ G o d ’s intention for man is •Ladeji a good one that was why He created man in His image and after His likeness.” He explained that it was that good intention that made Him give man a good accommodation and dominion over all things.” According to him, God’s intention for man was in two ways which are prohibition and partnership. “When you have a purpose, you will have an expectation. Therefore two basic things for man to focus on are redemption and restoration. Man sinned when he was in a perfect state; as a result, he has to be restored to total perfection. And for redemption to be complete, man must hate sin”.

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Yobe: Can the young grow in crisis?

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he license-plate slogan that Yobe State cherished about itself when it was created 21 years ago was: “The Young Shall Grow.”

This simple yet pithy catchphrase captures the deep, incipient thirst for growth and development that informed the agitation for Yobe State’s creation from old the Borno State in August 1991. But with what seems like the persistence of Boko Haram violence in northeastern Nigeria, can the young Yobe State really grow? Is the social soil of Yobe still fertile for growth?

The answer, oddly, is yes. I will explain why shortly. But, first, Yobe State’s desire for development, beautifully encapsulated in its former number-plate catchword, which has now been changed to ‘Pride of the Sahel’, isn’t mere sloganeering; it was rooted in the painful reality that, for many years, the part of Nigeria that constitutes Yobe State had been stuck in the infancy of development amidst huge potential.Few states in Nigeria come even close to Yobe State in terms of natural resource endowment. To give just a few examples, the state is blessed with enormous landmass, large quantities of gypsum, kaolin, limestone, diatomite, granites, silica, potassium, soda ash, rice, wheat, maize, beans, cotton, corn, groundnut, gum Arabic, and livestock.

That means smart investors can exploit these untapped resources to build money-spinning industrial outposts that dealin adhesive and pharmaceutical products, in cement, glass, Plaster of Paris, soap, flour and feed mills, textiles, leather and meat processing. The conventional wisdom among watchers of Yobe State politics is that, although Governor Ibrahim Gaidam is working harder than any of his predecessors to lay the grounds to attract local and foreign investors in the state, his efforts appear undermined by the Boko Haram crisis in the state. But conventional wisdom isn’t always right. Yobe could—in fact, will— still live up to its dreams to grow beyond the imagination of its founding fathers.

It may seem counterintuitive, even cruel, to make claims that any society can develop under conditions of violence and crisis. Any crisis that results in the loss of lives is certainly condemnable, and my intention is never to minimize or celebrate crisis. However, given my disciplinary background

in development studies and my intimate familiarity with Yobe State and its people, I am compelled to share some thoughts on development especially as it relates to societal chaos.

Ironically, the history of the progress of societies shows that sometimes growth picks up and peaks under conditions of crisis.ProfessorGary Gerstle, in his well-received book titled, “American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century,”makes this point very well using the American context. He argues that terrible as crisis, violence, and tension are, they can also be regenerative in a perverse way. In the dislocation that crisis creates, limits are set, bonds are deepened among frightened citizens, and paradoxically, development can set in. America, he pointed out, solidified its nationalism—and growth—during its Civil War and during the Vietnam War. Naomi Klein’s influential book titled “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” also makes the persuasive argument that in the last 30 years, developmental expansion (of course, in the interest of capitalism) in many countries took place while citizens in those countries were struggling to respond to crisis and communal upheavals.

For instance, Argentina rapidly industrialized in 1982 during the Falklands War between it and the United Kingdom. And Margaret Thatcher’s government used the period of the war to push through many economic policies. The war also created patriotic sentiments in both countries in much the same way that the Boko Haram crisis is causing many citizens of Yobe State—whether upper class or lower-class— to set aside their differences and bond together to loathe, detest and fight a common, bloodthirsty enemy: Boko Haram.

Chile, Bolivia, Poland, the Asian Tigers, and many other economies too numerous to mention developed under conditions of crisis. Now, let me be clear: the point of giving international examples of societies that recorded unprecedented growth under conditions of crisis is NOT to celebrate violence or crisis, but to point out a pattern in other

GUEST COLUMNIST Ahmad Abdulkarim

The menace of flooding I

n an unprecedented manner floods of fury ravaged parts of the country in recent times, especially last week, causing untold hardship, loss of lives and property. Abuja-Lokoja High way became blocked for four days, resulting in human distress and near pandemonium on the road. It was said to be a direct outcome of River Niger’s overflow.

Also, River Kaduna is said to have overflowed just as the National Emergency Management Agency has predicted a possible collapse of Lake Nyos in northern Cameroon with possible consequences on frontline states. Taraba, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra and other states in the Niger Delta region might be affected. Several communities in some of the afore-mentioned states have virtually been swept away by the rampaging flood. In Delta, no less than 400 persons have been displaced while an unspecified number have lost their lives. The state government has set up a refugee camp at St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, to accommodate the displaced persons.

Governor Emmanual Uduahgan, who cut short his overseas trip, returned to the state to assess the flooded areas in a helicopter. The Nigerian Immigration Service office in Asaba and most residential houses along the River Niger have either been submerged or washed away by the flood.

Other camps were to be set at Tuomo in Burutu, Bomadi, Okawbe and Patani.

Floods also swooped on Bayelsa, destroying the country home of the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, in Tor-Orua. The house and those of several others in the community have been deserted.

Also submerged were the palaces of two prominent traditional rulers in the state, Ekadi Aziza of Sagbama and Ebidowei of Kabowei kingdom, Hope Torruo.

In Benue, the massive flooding has caused Governor Gabriel Suswam to ask for the dredging of River Benue to boost economic activities as well as control the menace of flooding in the state.

Several other places have been affected.

parts of the world and to make the point that Yobe State’s desire for growth (and the Governor’s effort in that direction) in spite of what has become its fate in the past months isn’t misplaced.

For one, Boko Haram’s menace isn’t permanent. It would fizzle out at some point— the same way the Maitatsine crisis fizzled out in Kano, etc. As the old wisdom goes, the only permanent thing in life is change. Second, media reports of the crisis in Yobe State, as people who live there can readily testify, are grossly exaggerated. Yes, there are episodic eruptions of crisis in the state; it would be escapist to deny that.But the intensity and casualty figures are often “sexed up” for any number of reasons ranging from plain oldmedia sensationalism, the politically motivated editorial choices of some newspapers, and the machinations of political opponents of the current governor who think they stand to benefit from pushing the idea that the state is enveloped in perpetual turmoil.

•Gov Ibrahim Gaidam

Alvan Ewuzie

• Dr. Abdulkarim, a development studies scholar, lives in Abuja.

SNAP Shots

In Anambra, some members of the state alvanatsun@yahoo.com whose constituencies 07082020392 were affected by the flood have criticised the Federal have said those living in the plains of Rivers Niger Government for what they described as poor han- and Kaduna should expect more flooding until dling of the situation. They said such magnitude of February 2013. They say what is being experienced floods could lead to insecurity and starvation. They is the white flood while the black flood is yet to urged Governor Peter Obi to set up an emergency commence. It comes with more destruction. trust fund from where money for tackling such Lake Nyos in Western Cameroon may collapse. emergency could be drawn.

The lake, which is located adjacent to Nigeria, covFloods from Rivers Niger and Kaduna have dis- ers an area of 1.5 kilometres and a depth of two placed over 70 communities in Pategi Local hundred metres. It has a water volume of about 132 Government Area of Kwara State. 4,700 people million cubic metres. According to the Director of were made homeless in Edu Local Government Administration of National Emergency Relief Area of the state.

Agency, the wall of the dam might fall as a result of Precarious as the situation is nation-wide, experts gradual erosion from rain, wind and lake waters or have warned that the worst might yet come. They

•A flooded school

But, most importantly, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam appears singularly committed to not only neutralizing and containingthe Boko Haram menace; he is alsocommitted to putting in place projects that will make Yobe State the pride of its people and a haven for investors in spite of the state’s current challenges. For instance, the Governor is building a multi-million-naira Yobe Investment House in Abuja’s business district to serve as a hub for local and foreign investors seeking to take advantage of the state’s vast natural resources.

Abuja is the window through which the rest of the world takes a peep at Nigeria. So what better place to build an investment house than at Abuja’s business centre?

Additionally, most of the state’s urban centers and many rural areas now have access to good roads. And, as an official policy, the current administration has eased the process of land acquisition for industrial and commercial purposes.

Applications for land meant for commercial and industrial investment get priority attention. The government has also initiated a policy of granting a five-year tax holiday to first-time investors in the state, among many other investment-friendly policies.

As I stated earlier, the point of this essay is not to suggest that there is virtue in crisis or violent communal upheavals. Anybody who has lost a loved one to senseless violence will tell you that.Nor am I in any way saying that development takes place only under conditions of crisis. My whole point is that a simplistic attitude to crisis can blind people to untapped potential, such as currently exist in Yobe State. People who are leaving— or planning on leaving— the state or who are staying away from the state either because of the current strains the state is going through or because of unflattering, often factually inaccurate, media portrayals of the state of security inYobe may be losing out. And that point will come out in bold relief in the not too distant future. Yobe State’s current self-description as the “pride of the Sahel” isn’t vain; it’s anchored not only on the solidity of the state’s present but also in the realness of the possibilities of its future.

as a result of violent volcanic eruptions, earthquake or tremor.

“Continuous erosion of the wall in the lake has put the dam at the point of potential collapse as predicted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).”

According to him, the eventual failure of the damn would result in the discharge of about 55 million cubic metres of water, which would result in flooding downstream. It is estimated that between Cameroonian border and River Benue, 50 settlements, including Katsina-Ala, Kashimbilla, Waya, Manga, Gamovo, Andie, Terwegh and over 15,000 hectres of land would be flooded.

The picture is grim, which is why the warnings should not be ignored. Some state governments, especially Lagos, have not rested on their oars in clearing drainages and ensuring that waterways are not blocked to keep floods at bay. But it would appear some of the predictions have come a little late or the authorities have not heeded to them.

There were no strident and well-publicised warnings about possible impending overflow of River Niger and others. Perhaps, enough caution would have been taken by those who live in the affected zones.

The situation has brought to the fore use of ecological funds. The funds may not have been put to proper use, given that the disaster might have been nipped in the bud had the right steps been taken.

In the light of the latest developments, current warnings should not be taken for granted to avoid continued rampaging flood, resulting in loss of lives and property. Prevention remains better than cure. Scores of people have lost their lives and property and such losses should be avoided where possible. For now, attention has rightly been shifted to victims. It is right to rehabilitate them but the steps ought to be taken to prevent a repeat where possible.

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er.7 : 7- 9 says, “The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. 8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth” Last week we served serious warning to all mankind on the danger of impending destruction of the world by the Creator. We arrived at this conclusion after taking into consideration of the unprecedented degree of abomination being committed by this generation. This generation has provoked God by their sinful ways more than any generation ever created on this earth.

It has come to the point of begging God’s anger and judgment upon them by their evil ways.

Brethren are you enjoying sin and assuring yourself that God cannot destroy humanity again? Have you not heard or read what He did in the Bible days, in the days of Lot, Noah, etc? It was their iniquities that provoked God to destroy them. He drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and punished them when they

Thursday, October 4, 2012

God will destroy humanity again (II) sinned. When Satan as the angel Lucifer became so proud, God judged him and drove him and other disobedient angels from heaven and prepared hell for their punishment for eternity. Yet, God has not changed. Our days of grace are about to expire and if there is no repentance, God will destroy humanity again.

Zeph. 1: 14 says, “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly” Beloved, this warning of approaching destruction is enough to make the sinners tremble. The great day of the Lord is coming, the day in which He will manifest Himself by taking vengeance on careless sinners. That day, which is a day of God’s wrath, wrath to the utmost is very near. It is a day of trouble and distress to stubborn sinners who have lain asleep by the patience of God. But what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul?

And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? I warn you reading this text to flee from the wrath to come, and choose the good part that shall never be taken from you; then be prepared for every event.

For I am sure God will not forsake His people who obey His commandment.

If you have departed from

CHOSEN WAY

By PASTOR LAZARUS MOUKA heavenatlast2003@yahoo.com

righteousness, God is angry with you. He wants you to be holy. Repent therefore and give your life to Christ to avoid the punishment and destruction of humanity again.

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” It may seem right for you to initiate or

support the legalization of abortion, adultery, homosexualism and prostitution.

Nevertheless, you should understand that the end of that path is destruction. Amend your ways for tomorrow may be too late.

God is the owner of this world and will decide as it

pleases Him what He wants in the world and from His creatures. He is not a respecter of person. If you repent of your sins, God will forgive and welcome you to His kingdom. But if you choose to remain adamant, then prepare to incur the ferocious wrath of your Maker.

I don’t know the kind of life you are living now whether in secret or open; neither do I know if you have resolved to remain unrepentant and resolved to continue in that evil. What I know is that the Scripture says in Hebrews 10: 31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God.” Brethren, to fall into the hands of God are to fall under His

displeasure; and He who lives forever can punish forever.

You can imagine how dreadful it would be for one to have the displeasure of an eternal, Almighty Being to rest on his soul forever! All the apostates, persecutors of God’s people and enemies of God’s cause, should assuredly expect the heaviest judgments of an incensed God and not for a time, but through eternity.

Beloved, God is a consuming fire, although very merciful and loving, but does not overlook willful disobedience, and will destroy those who despise His commandments.

We should endeavour to avert His wrath by having a genuine repentance.

Ways of overcoming the things that defile Christians

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t is very imperative for us to have the understanding of the things that defile Christians and know the ways of overcoming them so as not to be eternally condemned in hell fire. Lack of the knowledge of such things will make people to continue in them and allow same to dominate them. If you do not know that the thoughts of adultery, stealing, fornication, murder, malice are the things that defile Christians then you do not know where your problem lies. This is because if you allow these

things to remain in you, they will lead you into damnation. But if they come and you resist them, they will flee.

James 4: 7-8 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded”.

As a Christian in order to avoid defilement, you must continue to bow to all the decisions and dispensations of God. You must submit as a good soldier puts himself in

complete subjection to his captain. The devil cannot conquer you if you continue to resist. Strong as he is, God never permits him to conquer the man who continues to resist him. He who opposes the devil in the name of Jesus is sure to have a speedy and glorious conquest.

If you leave the word of God you are hearing in the church and temptation rears its head before you know it you will fall; therefore you must learn how to stand on the undiluted word of God by which you are converted. If any man eventually ends up in hell it

would be due to that individual’s wish and not God’s will because His grace is sufficient for you to please Him and not commit sin. Remember no one defiled enters heaven.

Rev. 21:27 says, “27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. God is holy and He demands holiness from all. Defilement prevents one from entering into God’s kingdom and hence we must all do well not to allow it.

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POLITICS...&Polity Former Edo State Governor, Prof.

Oserheimen Osunbor, in this interview with Daily Sun, says the leadership in Nigeria has to raise the bar of governance to help the citizens make meaning of the nation’s independence. He spoke on several other issues.

IHEANACHO NWOSU met with him and presents the excerpts.

Many people feel that the 52nd anniversary of Nigeria is not worth celebrating.

What is your take on this, considering the deteriorating standard of living of Nigerians? ell, there are many people, who believe that it is not worth celebrating while others feel that it is good to always reflect. I personally believe that October 1 deserves to be marked. The next question from there is how elaborate should an event be marked? You can either celebrate an event on a large scale or in a low keyed manner.

Sometimes, you mark 40th, 50th, 60th or 70th but if you are celebrating birthdays like 43rd, 26th or 66th, there is nothing to really celebrate.

At this point in time, are we celebrating it on a big scale? We did that when we attained golden jubilee some two years ago on a big scale and this could be celebrated on a small scale of course. That is my personal view.

But a situation where there is unemployment, insecurity, terrorism, corruption in high places is there any point celebrating it?

Again, people surprise me when they say government is not doing anything. For example, when government started an intervention scheme to save the lives of pregnant women to reduce maternal deaths, people started saying government should have looked at other areas like malaria. The question is should government shut its eyes on other sectors when there are a variety of things that should be done? You have to consider how much resources that should be deployed into different sectors because governance is all embracing. What is important is if you consider the number of pregnant women dying which is alarming when compared to other places, and people still argue that it is a displaced programme. On the issue of national security, I agree with you that government should do something. But let me go back to your fist question where you mentioned that the situation of Nigerians was worst than the previous years. Nigerians now have more access to communications via the telephone. There is greater access to education than the previous years particularly in the last 12 years of democratic governance in the country. I equally understand that electricity generation is on the increase. I understand that government is building more plants nationwide. Some of these infrastructure were left to die in the 30 years of military rule and the infrastructure became dilapidated. There is government interventions in all spheres so when I hear people say we are worse off, I think we are better off. I know we earned so much from oil which is the mainstay of our economy, and would have invested more. But more of the resources went into private pockets. This is because we have not gotten the kind of leadership some countries are blessed with.

Such countries have gone far ahead of Nigeria. We suffered a lot of retardation due to military incursion into civil administration.

We cannot keep the pace, especially with the Asian countries but we are making progress.

Now people are talking about corruption.

During the military rule, can you dare talk about corruption?

People are talking about the implementation of the 2012 budget can you talk about budget implementation during the military era? You just cast your mind back to the military era. So when people are talking about corruption now, it is because you can now scrutinize things unlike the military era. You remember that during the military era, adul-

W

The military put Nigeria behind – Osunbor terated fuel was imported into the country nobody voiced out anything but now under democracy people can ask questions .

But it is being argued in some quarters that state Governors do not obey court orders thereby making the jobs of judges more difficult. What was your experience like when you were Governor?

As a lawyer I respect the rule of law a great deal and as a Governor I never disobeyed any court order. I told you my contributions in the Senate and during my time I obeyed all court orders. Again, we should not generalize, some Governors do obey court orders. Again there are Governors who benefited from the judiciary who do not respect court orders. So it is true that there are many Governors who do not respect court orders.

What is your take on the current insecurity in the country where Boko Haram and other criminal activities have led to killings and destruction of property in the last 18 months?

I quite agree with the heightened level of insecurity in the country in the past two years precisely 2010. It is a matter of serious concern because no country can develop where there is no peace and there is constant fear.

Now, people are even scared to go to the market and even churches, the mosques are not exempted too. You can’t be sure that you will go to the market, and come back with your limbs or life complete. We must not ignore it.

At the Federal level we must not ignore it and at the states and Local Government levels, the same thing applies.

We are at the path of winning the war and as you are aware, you cannot attain 100 per cent security and the policy of liberty is eternal vigilance. I am an optimist and very optimistic about the future of Nigeria. On whether Nigeria will be able to survive, we have always survived right from the time of wetie in the Western Region. Even at the peak of the civil strife people had thought Nigeria will disintegrate but we survived it. During the reign of Abacha, people had thought we may not survive but we survived it, and even at times in the Senate we thought along that line but somehow Nigeria has managed to survive its tribulations. We have always pulled through. We had always survived as we had done in the past and find lasting solutions to these destabilising factors and remained one indivisible entity. Education will go a long way to help us solve these problems, education is central to what we are doing once we have sufficient education nationwide we will surmount the insurmountable.

What is your take on the creation of state police?

In my personal opinion, there is need for devolution of power, the Federal should

•Osunbor devolve some powers to the states, that is the principle I will support not state police we are not ripe for that now. If you look at Federal institutions and compare them with state institutions there is no doubt that the Federal institutions far better. The Nigeria Police is a Federal institution, I do not think any state can set up police that will be comparable to Federal police both in standard and quality.

The National Assembly at the Federal level fare better than the state legislature . At the state level, the legislators dare not ask the kind of questions the Federal legislators ask the President. Here at the Federal level, the members elect their principal officers internally but at the state level it is the Governors who decide not the members. Look at the educational sectors, unity schools are better than state owned schools, look at the Federal Polytechnic they are better than state owned polytechnics and the Federal universities are better than state owned universities. Also I do not think anybody can compare state electoral commissions to INEC. Take a look at elections conducted by INEC in terms of credibility, fairness and transparency when compared to elections conducted by state electoral com-

“We suffered a lot of retardation due to military incursion into civil administration. We cannot keep the pace, especially with the Asian countries but we are making progress.”

missions. The relationship between the Federal Government and the states is far better than the relationship between the states and Local Governments. The Federal Government releases funds directly to the states but monies that comes to the local governments are pocketed and expended as the Governor pleases and many other areas.

Another disturbing area is that if you decide to float a state police in the 36 states of the federation, and all are importing arms and ammunition into the country for their police force is that the kind of thing we want to encourage.

Look t this scenario, supposing a group of states within a part of the country have police force and they had procured ammunition and the Governors are in opposition and there is a clash between those police controlled by those states can you imagine what it will snowball into and what is the jurisdiction of the state will it be co-terminus to others.

So these are constitutional issues that needed to be addressed. People are looking at Governors intervention but I am looking at how to overcome it. If a local police makes an arrest can the offender be tried in a Federal High Court.

The problems are not insurmountable but they will require a lot of efforts at amending our constitution and expending our time and resources on such details at this point in time.

I believe that if the constitution and the rule if law is allowed to work properly there will be no need for it.

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POLITICS...&Polity Anambra 2014: ‘Obi’s vision must be retained’

By OLA AGBAJE A Lagos businessman, Chief Chris Ofoegbu, has warned the people of Anambra State not to deviate from the path of growth Governor Peter Obi has launched the state.

Ofoegbu, who spoke to Daily Sun in Lagos, said Obi’s era witnessed a rapid industrialisation of the state and peace, which could be traced to his style of governance.Consequently, he warned the people against returning the state to the years of locust witnessed under the past administration.

Excerpt: What is your view about Governor Obi’s performance? onestly, as a businessman, who is based outside the state and not a politician, whatever I say must be informed by what I see on the ground anytime I travel home. Having witnessed the political situation in the state from 1999 till date, it is not difficult to say Obi has surpassed all the past administrations in all spheres.

Industrialisation Take for example the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to Anambra State last week, which was the second, the level of industrialisation and job creation in Anambra is second to none in the entire South-east. Don’t forget, the visit of Mr. President was not connected to any political jamboree but to commission industries that showcased Anambra to the entire worlds.

To crown it all, Anambra has joined the league of oil producing states in the country which means more wealth for the state.

This giants stride in industrialisation was made possible through the vision and wide exposure of Governor Peter Obi. In some of the industries, foreign technical partners were involved, with a lot of synergy between the public and private sectors in the state, which has further lifted he state in terms of social, economic and infrastructural development.

How would you describe the level of stability in the state?

Well, I’m sure you witnessed the political turmoil in the state before Obi came on board. In fact, the state has a reputation for being the most difficult state in the country during the activities of political hatchet men who often hold the governor hostage.

You could easily recall that during the Mbadinuju era, for a whole session, Anambra children could not go to school because of the government’s inability to pay teachers. It was an unprecedented ugly development. Don’t forget that at a stage, a whole governor who was the chief security officer of the state was kidnapped. It was the first and till date, the last of its kind in Nigeria.

Political godfatherism, which had been the bane of the state suddenly, fizzled out.

To say that Anambra has shelved the toga of difficult state is to state the obvious. This is simply due to the style of Obi’s administration.

Today Anambra State has attracted and continues to attract investment both public and private. A visit to Onitsha and Nnewi will vindicate these assertions.

There is no area where the man has not directed his development compass. It took the state about 16 years and the coming of Obi administration to have a secretariat, education and health sector have witnessed appreciable growth under Obi’s administration. Public schools now enjoy good facil-

H

“The hawks to hijack our state again. Obi’s legacies must not only be sustained but also taken to the next level.”

ities including computer. Judiciary, security and environment were not left out in the developmental agenda of the state government.

Why is it that he receives a lot of criticism at home but respected outside?

You’re very correct about that. You see that is why I found it difficult to understand the kind of spirit that rules the heart of politicians. Looking at the history of the state since 1999, it is obvious that in virtually all areas of human endeavour, we have never had it so good. I toured most part of state when I travelled home recently. I was marvelled with what I saw. But when I asked our people these same questions, I was told that the politicians accuse Obi of being stingy or tight-fisted with money.

They said, he was not sharing money to the politicians who would be playing the role of godfathers to him. If Obi has insisted that Anambra money should be spent on the people of the state as I discovered, tell me how could that be a sin to any reasonable person.

From the on set, Obi made it clear that he would only serve the people with the resources of the state, and that he would not be pampering political godfathers while the

people suffer. And truly he has followed that path of his social contract with the people. Honestly, that deserves our applause and not condemnation as political opponents have been carrying on. Politics necessarily attracts criticism in civilised world but such criticism must necessarily be constructive. It is not condemnation for the sake of it. Political opponents also have moral responsibility to applaud when they see good things happening in Anambra.

The President during his visit, although, from an opposition party in the state praised Obi for his visionary and transformational leadership which has catapulted the state to rank among leading and viable states in the country.

It is quite ironical that as Obi’s reputation continue to soar outside the state, the political opponents out of frustration has raised the tempo of their criticism probably hoping to confuse the people against the next election in the state.

My warning to our people Our people have tasted the two sides of politics since the return to civil rule in 1999.

I mean we have tasted the ugly side under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It is farewell to Babylon.

•Ofoegbu The people should look back, they should remember the years of locust, they should not forget those terrible period when pour children could not go to school for years simply because the government could not pay the salary of teachers. When a governor was kidnapped at the peak of insecurity.

Therefore we must look for a man who shared Obi’s vision and his sense of mission towards the complete transformation of the state. The level of industrialisation in the state is second to none in the Southeast and we must sustain the tempo. We should not allow the hawks to hijack our state again. Obi’s legacies must not only be sustained but also taken to the next level.

How I lost the Edo guber contest by Edebiri After two unsuccessful attempts to govern Edo State, Solomon Edebiri, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate in the last governorship election, says the struggle continues. NDUBUISI ORJI writes.

I

n the run up to the last governorship election in Edo State, all eyes were on Edebiri.

Though he started the race as the underdog, his image and popularity soon soared shortly before the election. He left no one in doubt about his ability to administer the state effectively if elected as governor of the state.

Few days to the July 14 contest, observers and political analysts saw him as the dark horse in the fierce contest for Osadebay Avenue, as the Edo State Government House is called. The reason for this optimism was not far-fetched. In the run up to the governor-

ship contest, Edebiri gave a good account of himself; particularly in the governorship debate, preceding the election, the ANPP candidate shone like a million stars in a dark night. Besides, the fact that he had not been associated with the politics of the past, made many more people crave for him.

Surprisingly, after the election, he came a distant third. The ANPP candidate polled a paltry 3, 642 votes against 477, 478 votes and 144, 235 votes scored by the Edo State governor and candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and General Charles Airhaivbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) respectively.

That was not the first time he lost out in his bid to govern the state. In 2007, he contested for the governorship seat on the platform of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and lost.

In the days after the election, the questions on the lips of most persons was exactly what went wrong. But Edebiri in a recent encounter with Daily Sun says “a lot of things worked against us.” According to him, the contest was a battle of naira. He said it was so bad even agents of his party, sent to the polling centres

“In the days after the election, the question on the lips of most persons was exactly what went wrong. But Edebiri in a recent encounter

•Edebiri

with Daily Sun says “a lot of things worked against us.” According to him, the contest was a battle of naira. He said it was so bad even agents of his party, sent to the polling centres across the state, tore their cards and turned their backs against the party.”

across the state, tore their cards and turned their backs against the party.

“I will say that mine is a mixed reaction.

Mixed reaction in the sense that the preparation by INEC was good. The security preparation was very good. The election was virtually free and fair. But this time around, the mega party has taken another route to manipulating the conscience of the people. This time around, 90 per cent of the votes were purchased. It became the highest bidder. PDP was paying for votes. ACN was paying for votes,” he explains.

Edebiri added that “Even our agents sold out, because we were paying N1000; when they got to location, they choose to pick the N20,000 from the ACN or the N25,000 from the PDP rather than stick to their party. Most of our agents tore our agents cards and put that of the ACN or PDP on.”

“So, a lot of things worked against us. The whole process was a huge disaster. And because of that, those of us who hadn’t got the resources were smoked out. For me in this country, that is the problem, genuine minded persons face all the time”.

“I didn’t go to court, because you need money to go to court. It is even more expensive to go through the court than even the election itself. In a corrupt society that we are, I don’t intend to go court. We will fight it, and by the grace of God we will get somewhere. I took it in the spirit of sportsmanship.”

However, the outcome of his two previous attempts to govern Edo State notwithstanding, the former ANPP governorship hopeful says he is not done with politics. For him, it is yet morning on creation day.

He tells Daily Sun that “This is just the beginning. My intention is genuine. I am not just here because if it is not now it is never.

My intention is genuine. So, it is not the end.

It is just the beginning. The battle starts now and not tomorrow.”

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Dankwambo’s pragmatic youth empowerment

By M. L. ISMAIL

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t is as certain as daylight that the youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow.

But how individuals fit into this maxim is a function of upbringing and the environment in which they are raised as managed by the government of the day, most especially.

The 2006 population census figures reveal that youths constitutes the largest chunk of the country’s population. Thus a failure in proper governance spells doom for the society. It is in view of this that successive administrations across the country have made frantic efforts to better the socioeconomic wellbeing of the youths.

But the strides so far taken by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo in that direction over the last 15 months in office stands out and stands tall. Guided by his campaign resolve to govern youths that will be celebrated by their parents and society, the Governor since taking over the reins of power has never looked back in rolling out different youths development programmes to the joy of the populace.

Speaking with newsmen during one of his triumphant entries into Gombe in the electioneering period, precisely the day he visited the state to obtain his ticket for the race, Alhaji Dankwambo, then the Accountant General of the Federation recalled with bitterness how a certain young man in celebration of that homecoming ran side-by-side with his car all the way from Gombe Airport to the state capital (about 35 kilometres).

It was there and then he vowed to give his best towards brightening the future of youths in the state. “How would it sound that after four years I did not do anything that will give people like that young man a hope for tomorrow? I am whom I am today because someone gave me a chance by providing the necessary atmosphere.” Said the Governor.

Therefore, in consonance with the recommendations of the committee he constituted to look into the issue of Youth Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation earlier, Governor Dankwambo immediately set up four vocational training centres across the three senatorial districts of the state where 320 youths were enrolled into seven different trades.

They have since graduated and were resettled with the tools of their trades and an interest-free loan of N200,000 to enable them stand on their own. In the same vein, government has planned to scale up the programme so that it can train520 beneficiaries on 13 trades.

Similarly, as part of the efforts to boost agriculture in Gombe state as well as key into the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) on food sufficiency, the state government has designed a programme for the training of 1,100 youths on various agricultural activities. Government under the programme plans to source 1,100 hectres of arable land to facilitate the venture, especially as it affects crop production.

“Grandaunts would be resettled with implements and a soft loan to enable them take-off on their own with a strong monitoring team to ensure that the purpose is not defeated,” said the state Commissioner of Youth Affairs and poverty Alleviation, Mijinyawa Sani Labaran.

Recently, 110 tertiary institution graduate went through intensive training on renewable energy. The intension is to resettle them with tools of the trade after training with a proposal for take-off grant loan of N200,000 in the pipeline.

And before the present general security situation in the country and the installation of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo’s administration was the yan kalare horror, a form of security challenge known to Gombe state alone. The hitherto dastardly and bloodthirstiness this group knew no bounds. But their reign of terror was brought to an abrupt end with a proscription by the present admin-

•Dankwambo

“Similarly, as part of the efforts to boost agriculture in Gombe state as well as key into the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) on food sufficiency, the state government has designed a programme for the training of 1,100 youths on various agricultural activities.

Government under the programme plans to source 1,100 hectres of arable land to facilitate the venture, especially as it affects crop production.” istration.

But with the realization of the need to meaningfully engage them comes big and ground breaking programme tagged ‘Talba Youths Reorientation and Rehabilitation Programme’. Under the programme, 1,200 youths were camped at the NYSC Orientation Camp for a three weeks rehabilitation and reorientation.

There they were grouped into Ward Marshals, Traffic Marshals and Environmental Marshals, put on salary and have been working appropriately. Their responsibility is to complement the efforts of the existing structures in the areas of security, crowd/traffic management and sanitary issues among other things.

But as a precursor to the take-off of the programme was the dreaded Kalare boys response to government call for submission of weapons and repentance. However, the 1,200 rehabilitated youths was actually a

training in Plateau state.

Interestingly, the Talba youths empower programme is not only directly geared towards enhancing the wellbeing of those without formal education, but all-encompassing. In this regard, this piece will be incomplete without the mention of the collaboration with University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to mop-up the teeming youths whose academic pursuit are at the verge of being truncated by their inability to obtain the required number of credit pass for tertiary education or the inability to scored the required cut-off mark in Joint Matriculation Examination (JME).

Under this arrangement, candidates are admitted into the University system but take remedial lectures at Education Resource Centre in Gombe under the guidance of UNIMAID staff and electronically take the same entrance examination as their colleagues on campus.

Candidates who pass their entrance and JME examinations would automatically be admitted into course of their choice. Those who pass the remedial examination but fail to meet the UME cut-off point of 180 will rewrite the JME while the entrance results are maintained. UNIMAID on the other hand has undertaken to introduce diploma and other certificate courses to absorb those that fail both the remedial and JME entrance examinations.

One thousand candidtes have written the UNIMAID remedial examinations and forms have been sold for another set. “It is one of the youths programmes that we have introduced and will sustain till anytime when the pressure of solving the problem of this category of youths is reduced,” said Governor Dankwambo while responding to question of the sustainability of the programme.

To further strengthen the remediation process, Gombe State University’s School of Basic and Remedial Studies has been expanded and split into two campuses located at Kumo and Dukku towns in Akko and Dukku local government areas. Akko campus has already taken-off in earnest and it is designed to cater for 4,500 in three years, that is 1,500 per session.

The school has now been repackaged to remediate Senior Secondary School graduate in preparation for a tertiary education as well remediate the Junior Secondary School graduates and then do a full remedial for them in readiness for entry into a university or polytechnic.

The School of Basic and Remedial Studies has also been designed in such a way that students who may not want to proceed with education will proceed to undergo training on trade, a business, a profession or a vocation in the school. In the same vein, sporting facilities are also provided in the institution so that students who are not inclined to academics or trade can go into sports.

In furtherance of the Talba Youth Empowerment Programme through education, the Governor in his usual good judgment has begun the process of establishing a state owned College of Education at Billiri in Billiri local government area of Gombe state with the ultimate aim of breeding qualified teachers and putting eternal end to the perennial dearth of qualified teachers in the state once and for all.

Like in every other sector, Governor Dankwambo’s activities in the area of education are innumerable, desirable and commendable. But the joy of it all is that he still keeps them coming in. Yet “it is still like we have not started,” said the Governor while performing a public function; he has also proven that “it is not the amount of money a state gets that matters, but how well it is managed and used for the betterment of the people and state”

blend of the targeted kalare group and decent but unemployed youths who saw the scheme as a window of employment.

“This administration shall continue with this programme, skills acquisition training and many more that will come into operation until we are able to reduce restiveness, unemployment and poverty in our midst. Our commitment shall not waver because we are aware that human development is the foundation of all development,” said Governor Dankwambo while answering the question these programmes would be continuous or window dressing as obtained in the past.

Speaking of the rehabilitation programme, Alhaji Sani Labaran Mijinyawa, the Commissioner of Youths Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation declared that Marshals would henceforth form the pool for selection into the army, and other security agencies from the state. He added that over three hun- M. L. Ismail writes from Bolari Quarters in dred of them have been sent for leadership Gombe metropolis.

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ArewaReport Everything has gone awry in Nigeria –Justice Mustapha Akanbi

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ustice Mustapha Akanbi, pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission (ICPC), and former President of the Court of Appeal, in this interview with LAYI OLANREWAJU, x-rays the nation’s criminal justice administration and other issues of national importance. He concludes that everything has gone awry in the country.

Excerpts: What is wrong with Nigeria’s criminal justice administration?

The problem with Nigeria is multidimensional. In fact, the whole country has gone down and everything has gone awry. When I was the chairman of ICPC, I said courts do not appear to appreciate the under pinning philosophy of the crime of corruption or the fight against corruption. Corruption which is a crime is not committed in the open is always shrouded in secrecy. Then you need investigators who are competent, efficient and who themselves are above corruption. More importantly, we need prosecutors who are above corruption, who have the ability and capacity to prosecute effectively and committed to their work.

The indication now is that, either we don’t have competent investigators or competent persecutors. Only recently people were advocating that the office of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice be split into two. In the old Northern Nigeria, Justice Muhammed Nasiru was the Minister of Justice and one expatriate, Iyan Lous, who later became justice of our Supreme Court was the Attorney-General. All of us in the Prosecution Department were directly under the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General and we are purely professionals. We did not allow anybody to interfere with our work. We only took directives from the Attorney-General and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Today, you have the two offices combined with one man. The Attorney-General is wearing a double cap; he is wearing the cap of politician and the law officer. Giving that scenario, a lot can happen. When I was the chairman of ICPC, the late Chief Bola Ige was the AttorneyGeneral. He never for one day interfered with what I was doing. When Ige left that office, Agabi took over, he never for one day interfered.

When Agabi left we had Akin Olujimi, he never made any attempt to interfere with my work.

Under Section 13 of the Act, I was not subject to the control of any other authority. That gave me free hand to decide who to arrest, to prosecute and who not to prosecute. But there was a time when we got information that the ICPC should be subjected to the control of the

Attorney-General, that was the time they removed the oldest member of the ICPC we left behind, Angulu. They said he is not a lawyer, he cannot be the chairman. I know that there was an attempt to control Angulu because he told me.

So, there are many things going wrong in the judiciary. Everything has gone awry in this country.

Should the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice be separated?

From the way they are behaving, we can see that there is this political control, so I think they should split. The man who is Attorney-General is rarely not under the control of the executive as such he will be able to work well. But of course, no matter under whom you work, you must be a man of conscience and principle to be an effective Attorney-General and an effective DPP. To be an effective officer means that you must be committed to the nation.

Sometimes, we tend to confuse loyalty to the executive (the president) and loyalty to the nation. Loyalty to the nation should be paramount and a man who is holding this type of office should not hesitate to resign from his office if there is any undue interference in the conduct of his work.

Then the court must appreciate that it has a responsibility to be in the vanguard of fighting corruption. There were two cases which for me gave me a lot of course for concern. I remember when we wanted to arrest or we were investigating the former speaker and a former president of the Senate. The court ordered that we should stop investigating. The judge knew that he had no power to acquit because the power to investigate cannot be curtailed by any court. The ICPC has the same power as the police. You cannot stop police from investigating a case. In the case of the President and governors because they enjoy immunity, ICPC cannot prosecute them, but we can investigate. You can appeal to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to appoint a special investigator.

Then, I remember when I was leaving, I sent the file of 22 governors to be investigated and for a special investigator to be appointed, I don’t know what happened. Even the case we have investigated after I left ICPC, I do not know what happened to them. I do not want to appear ostracizing my successor in office.

The fight against corruption can not be fought

by Mr. President alone. It cannot be fought by the chairman of ICPC or the chairman of the EFCC. It is a war that must be fought by the entire Nigerian community; the Obas, the Obis, the executive, the judiciary and the legislature

will have to fight.

If you go back, to pass the law, the Act 2000, which former president Olusegun Obasanjo introduced, as he said, it took the legislature almost a year before they passed it, which shows an unwillingness to pass the law. Of the 36 states, only five states more or less supported the passing of the act. The states were not ready to support it. They even took us to court. The Ondo State Attorney-General took us to court.

We wasted close to three years before the Supreme Court decided that the law was constitutional and that our appointment was legitimate.

During those periods, we were unable to function effectively until we were cleared. It was the contention of the state governments that the Federal Government cannot legislate on corruption for them.

The effect of it is what we are seeing in the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

They introduced plea-bargaining which is not in our law. When you have plea-bargaining, at the end of the day, the man agrees on a small sum, maybe even the person negotiating with him has taken his own cut. He is given a short sentence, then he goes back and starts enjoying his loot.

The whole system is faulty, it has collapsed. We need God to save us.

Our own generation is a corrupt and crooked generation. Corruption is the mother of all crimes. All the other crimes are by-products of corruption. You want to smuggle, you go and bribe the Customs officer, you go and see the police officer, you give him bribe, you can bribe the judge and get your way through. You can bribe prosecutor. So, unless we fight corruption, I think corruption will kill us.

There is a decline in the number of courageous judges today, what is responsible for this?

There is a common saying, as you lay your bed so will you lie on it. In terms of the decline in courageous judges, we have to go to the root of the matter, how are judges appointed? The law is quite clear. Anybody who has done 10 years post-call can become a judge.

In the past, there was no question of lobbying.

You are invited to come to the event. I was invited by Justice Nigel RiIeed, who was the Chief Justice of Northern Nigeria, that is how we call them then. He spoke with justice Jones to talk to me, I tried to decline. I thought I was doing well in law practice, why should I go on the bench?

Justice Jones spoke to me that “Mustapha if I were you, I would accept the position, why should you kill yourself working?

“I am sure you will be an asset to the bench as you were in private practice.” And of course with the support of my father who also said I should become the judge, it is better for me than being in private practice, I had to go in.

But today, the judges are lobbying. They will be begging and using influences. Even politicians will be lobbying for them. Unless you go to the root and make sure you appoint right people, men of conscience, men of integrity and men of honour as judges, the problem will continue unabated.

The problem is this, if a judge is removed from office, he cannot go back to private practice. What I am doing now, how many judges will have the idea of setting up an NGO, a charity organization? Some judges when they retire, they are finished. The fear of the unknown.

Unfortunately, those who fear the unknown are those who do not believe in Allah. If you believe in God, He will take care of his own. If you are an upright judge, Allah will create an avenue for you to be able to make it in life. But you need the courage of your conviction, to be able to survive in a corrupt society.

The suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, is yet to return to office, where do we go from here?

I am a believer in Almighty Allah and I believe also in destiny. I also believe that Allah is there to judge all of us by what we do. I do not want to go into Salami’s case by talking too much. One, I was privy to the decision that he has committed no crime by a panel which comprised Justices Wani, Ayoola and myself.

We exonerated him and we condemned the undue interference by the CJN. They changed and appointed another panel and put people who are junior to Justice Salami to sit in judgment over him. They came with their own verdict later. The whole body of Bar association vindicated Salami. They recommended that he should be restored to his position.

Justice Aloma Mukhtar is now the CJN. She also recommended that Salami had not committed any transgression and he must be restored to his position. But under the pretext that there are cases in court, they have not restored him.

I have been accused of being Salami’s supporter, but I have always maintained that I support truth and justice. If the whole Bar association, panel of five justices, then a committee of 29 justices, lawyers, SANs was set up, of which I was a member and that committee also exonerated Salami, all I can say is that the matter is in the hand of God and the people.

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Arewa Report

Constitution review: Posterity ’ll judge us From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna

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eputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has said that the Senate has no hidden agenda concerning the on-going constitution amendment process. He spoke with Daily Sun on telephone from his Abuja base. Excerpts: The journey so far We have gone through the retreat which we held in Asaba, Delta State. It was primarily to draw a roadmap for our work, interface with stakeholders and experts, and of course to renew the social contract we have with Nigerians to fine-tune the constitution to address our present and foreseen challenges. It helped us to set the constitution review project on the front burner of public discourse and we have succeeded to a very great extent. Since after that retreat, there has been a plethora of debate on various thematic areas we unveiled at the retreat. The nation has been agog with debates ranging from state police to fiscal federalism, devolution of powers and so on. That is democracy. The people have moral claims to participating in the process of making laws under which they are to live.

We have been analysing the memos as they come in. We have been understudying other countries which systems we have a lot to learn from. We are preparing to embark on national and zonal public hearing to extract more inputs from Nigerians. The national public hearing will hold in Abuja, while the zonal public hearing will take place in the six geopolitical zones.

We would have been done with the project by June/July 2013 so it doesn’t get choked with the politics of 2015.

Public hearing In fact, all things being equal, the national public hearing will hold on October 11 to 13, while the zonal hearing comes up in the second week of November. We would have done the zonal hearing in the last week of October, but we realised that that will be Sallah period, and so were forced to shift it. Already, we have advertised the dates and other relevant information, to avail Nigerians the full information and opportunity to make inputs.

In fact, we are taking the issue of participation very seriously. Our lawmakers will go to their constituencies to mobilise and educate their people. We will hold phone-in radio programmes in most and possibly all the states where members will sit in the studio to engage the public in our indigenous languages.

No hidden agenda I have deliberately refused to join issues with Governor Musa Kwankwanso of Kano State.

We want to stay focused and not allow the Constitution review project to be lost in unnecessary rhetoric because our work will speak for us and posterity will give its own verdict. I want to believe the governor was referring to that part of my paper on Strategies for Evolving a People’s Constitution, where I enumerated many issues that have continued to fuel the quest for constitution amendment. I spoke based on information available to most Nigerians and the thrusts of the memoranda that have been sent to the National Assembly since 1999. Structural imbalances are just one of the many issues fuelling the agitation for constitution amendment which I highlighted.

In that paper, I had argued that agitations bothering on structural imbalances manifest in the forms of request for more states and local governments. And that there are 56 memoranda already submitted to the National Assembly all seeking the creation of new states. In fact, there are even requests emanating from Kano State seeking the creation of Tiga State and Ghari State.

But regarding Lagos and Kano States, both are the only states with populations above nine million according to the 2006 Census. As a matter of example, I said Lagos people have been complaining that they have only 20 LGs, while Kano with just about two hundred and something thousand people above the population of

–Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President

•Ekweremadu Lagos has 44 LGs. That is over 100percent above that of Lagos. This is a matter of statistics in public domain. I did not conduct the 2006 Census. Neither did I create the local governments.

Even importantly, I said that all these agitations and imbalances are due majorly to the nature of our federalism; these agitations would have been less if states and LGs were not dependent of Federation Accounts, and if they were not the bases for allocating revenues and other opportunities.

It is important to also make the clarification that agitations for more states and local governments have been fuelled by the fact that all the 36 states and 774 LGs draw funds directly from the Federation Account. So, the more LGs or states you have, the more money you get at the end of every month.

Consequently, I do not see what I said that was new. It is not about me making comparisons. It is about Ekweremadu highlighting the comparisons that have been there and will probably continue to be there in the public domain.

So let me emphasize that the Committee has no position and that the process will be totally people-driven. I have also severally appealed to political elite and indeed all Nigerians to put national interest above sectional or narrow group interests. So far, I think Nigerians agree that the National Assembly has lived above board. So neither I nor the committee has any hidden agenda regarding the constitution

amendment process. We will remain open to ideas and suggestions from the people of Nigeria, and we will only be guided by their popular positions on any matter, up for alteration.

Collaboration with the House of Representatives The public hearing I am talking about is that of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. The House Committee is also working according to its own programme, but we are all collaborating. I have never hidden my wish and that of the Committee for both chambers to go it together since such would save us some time, money and energy.

However, the important thing is that we are getting the job done. We will meet at some point to harmonise our work as we did in the 6th National Assembly. Incidentally, many senators and House members who played active part in the last constitution review project are also involved in the current process. It gives us advantage of experience which will lead to a neater job and of course speed.

Memoranda received We inherited so many memoranda from the Committee’s work in the 6th Senate. We carried them over because constitution review is a continuum. But we advertised widely again in the media to update what we had. We received 108 proposals spread across so many issues. As at last count, we have about 220 memoranda and we are expecting more suggestions or proposals as we embark on the public hearing. Note that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapha, had already submitted the judicial proposals before his retirement.

That document contains over 90 proposals for amendment. We are also expecting the executive’s inputs which I believe will be largely informed by the work of the Belgore Committee.

We have about 16 thematic areas we are working on. These were informed by the memoranda we received. They comprise devolution of powers, states creation, fiscal federalism, state police, local government, recognition of the six geopolitical zones in the constitution, rotation of executive offices, and removal of the Land Use Act, Code of Conduct and the NYSC from the Constitution.

Others include, the issue of indigene and residency, immunity clause and matters relating to the executive and the judiciary. We are also handling issues relating to whether or not tradi-

tional rulers should have constitutional roles and whether or not the Federal Capital Administration should enjoy a mayoral status.

Importantly, we are working on simplifying or straightening certain provisions on constitution amendment.

Creation of states So far, we have 56 demands for new states.

We do not have any position on the demands for new states or any other matter on the table for that matter. It is up to Nigerians to state what they want. The issue of state creation will be informed by the principles of equity, viability, and other constitutional requirements. Talking about constitutional requirements, you know the constitutional demands for state creation is not the same as others. It is a far more rigorous process, but we won’t shy away from doing the bidding of Nigerians. We need to do a lot of consultation and build consensus based on national interest, and give it a try. Maybe, we also have to simplify state creation process.

Senator Bola Tinubu’s call for the scrapping of the Senate (Long laugh) Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Nigerian and is entitled to his opinion.

Likewise every other Nigerian is entitled to his opinion. And on a lighter note, the Speaker was at the event where he made the statement. The Senate President was not. Who knows, if it was the other way round he would have called for the abolishment of the House of Representatives instead of the Senate.

Instructively, he too benefited from a bi-cameral legislature, serving the country as a senator.

He is entitled to his opinion, even if he was wide off the mark.

In any case, it seems he does not understand what informed our having a second chamber of parliament in Nigeria. The same reason also informed the presence of the second or upper chamber, the Senate, in the American system.

When you have a nation of wide diversities like Nigeria, it is usually necessary to create a chamber of equal representation unlike what you have in the lower chamber. This is why every state in Nigeria is entitled to three senators irrespective of its landmass, population or other indices. The same reason also informed bicameral legislature in Germany, India and Canada.

In fact, this equal representation is considered so fundamental by the founding fathers of the United States of America and indeed the framers of the US Constitution that Article 5 of their Constitution totally forbids any amendment that may affect equal representation of the states in the Senate without the consent of the affected state. It is that sacrosanct. It is a no-go area as far as the Americans are concerned.

NGO takes family planning campaign to Sokoto, trains 144 health workers From TUNDE OMOLEHIN, Sokoto

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omen seeking a better and wellplanned family planning mechanism in Sokoto State, now have cause to smile. This is because a heath and reproductive non-governmental organization is currently training 144 health workers, comprising nurses and midwives on how to administer family planning and tackle other reproductive health challenges.

The training is to help raise demand for and improve access to family planning services in all communities of the state and around each targeted health facility, with a view to reducing the maternal mortality rate. The team is also determined to institute a sustainable positive impact on the health system in both Bauchi and Sokoto states by implementing a high-impact project of human and institutional capacity building that would stand the test of time.

At the opening ceremony of a week intensive workshop organized for the first batch of 28 nurses and midwives selected from 22 health facilities across the state, the project manager of Marie Stopes, Mr. Bala Dada, explained that the training was in conjunction with Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP).

The training, specially designed to tackle

challenges arising from the choice of family channels within the state and local governplanning by rural women, would run till ment areas. And we will do our best to ensure March 2013. It would focus on how the par- we make positive intervention in this respect.” ticipants could effectively mobilize, sensitize Commissioner for Heath, Alhaji Ahmad and provide services to women especially, Aliyu Sokoto, represented by Director, those in the rural areas on family planning Medical Service and Primary Healthcare, Dr. methods.

Haliru Alhassan, said government was comAccording to Dada: “We are in the state to mitted to advancing women healthcare delivadvance health services and strengthen heath ery. He advised the participants to share the system to be more responsive especially in the knowledge gained amongst their colleagues. area of child spacing and maternal care. Not Some of the participants at the workshop only training alone, we are going to supervise said the training was another opportunity to and mobilize the health workers after the acquire highclass knowledge on reproductive training in order to let them transfer the system at a time that the maternal mortality knowledge gained to their colleagues as well rate in the state was alarming. as service their clients which are our primary goal.

It will help the clients to have the power to choose which contraceptive method (if any) best suits their needs.”

TSHIP senior adviser on Family Planning and Reproductive, Hajia Fatima Inuwa, said: ‘‘Reproductive Health and Family Planning are one critical health intervention that is linked with other services, activities and health sysHealth workers at the workshop tems through multiple

36

DAILY SUN

Thursday, October 4, 2012

How we rescued lady kidnapped on wedding day – Aisabor, Abia CP Stories by NGOZI UWUJARE

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he Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, has narrated how a lady kidnapped on her wedding day was rescued by his command.

He explained that on August 19, 2012, the anti-kidnap patrol team attached to the state CID, sighted a vehicle occupied by three men and one lady along Enugu/Port–Harcourt way.

“A lady, identified as Happiness John, cried out from the vehicle that she was kidnapped on her traditional wedding day. She said she took a vehicle from Port Harcourt and the vehicle broke down on the way. She said suddenly she saw a vehicle and thought that it was a taxi, going her route but that after picking her they kidnapped her before two policemen intercepted them. The police arrested three suspects and recovered arms and ammunition.

“On August 8, 2012, a pastor of a church phoned the state CID that they heard the cry of a little girl in the bush behind the church premises. When policemen combed the bush, they saw an 11-year-old girl with her mouth and two hands tied. The police rescued the girl and arrested two suspects and they are undergoing investigation.”

Aisabor stated that three priests from Presbytarian Church of Nigeria were rescued along Umuahia/Aba Road. He said they were returning from a conference in Ibadan when they ran into the armed robbers. But the police intercepted them and arrested three suspects and recovered locally made pistol and three machetes from them.

He said men of the state CID arrested eight student cultists of Abia State University, Uturu, in a bush at Aoha village where they were initiating students into cultism about 3.30pm.

The police boss also disclosed that one Leopard Oshigbo reported that his client was kidnapped at Benin on August 18, 2012.

He said he told the police that later, the kidnapper collected a ransom and that when they came to Umuahia for coordination assignment, he saw the car the kidnappers used for the operation and quickly alerted the police.

…As Rivers arrests 90 for kidnapping, robbery

Mohammed Indabawa He said that the policemen followed the victim and arrested the car dealer, who confessed that they used the car for kidnapping.

Aisabor explained that the policemen in the anti-robbery team in Umuahia got a distress call that armed robbers were operating on Kaduna Street, Umuahia. There was an exchange of gun fire and one of them was arrested. Another, who was injured, died on the way to the hospital.

He added that on August 9, 2012, there was another distress call around 10.00pm that armed robbers were operating in Unuagun village. One of the robbers was

shot on the leg and arrested: “I have warned all men and officers to steer clear of any corrupt practices in tune with the reform being carried out by the Inspector General. The image of the police has been restored and professionalism has been our watchword in this command.”

Meanwhile, the River State Police Command has arrested 90 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers. Mr Mohammed Indabawa, the state Commissioner of Police said: “Sometimes, we rescued victims when the kidnappers were negotiating with the

family of the victims. Immediately the case was reported to the police, I would order the anti-kidnappers squad to pursue the case.

“We would urge the family of the victims to play along with the kidnappers and through the process we would round them up. Sometimes we rescued the victims at the scene of the crime when the policemen would exchange gun fire with the kidnappers and at the end of the day we would overpower the kidnappers and rescued the victims.”

Indabawa said his joy is that the people always alert the police anytime there is an incident of kidnapping and through this information police always swing into action and rescue the victims before they take them outside the state.

He said the wife of a ship captain was kidnapped at Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone: “The victim was kidnapped right inside her house at Onne by fearless gunmen who took her away through a bush path to an unknown destination.”

He said the hoodlums were intercepted by the DPO, Onne Police Division, who went after the gunmen and arrested the four kidnappers. He explained that the kidnappers included three men and a woman and that one pump action gun, clothing items identified by the husband of the victim worn by one of the hoodlums were recovered.

He stated that the hoodlums abandoned the victim along Bori Road and the victim was rescued in good health. He also said the police patrol team arrested some suspects at Rakpoku Road, and a stolen vehicle.

Indabawa explained that there was an attempt to kidnapp one Aluu in Honda CRV Jeep with registration No AR 845 KMK red in colour. He said when his men were trying to arrest the suspect, he jumped out of the vehicle and he was fired and died in the process.

He stated that there was a case where hoodlums murdered a traditional ruler, Ben Nwaogu, of Nihi Etchei. There was also a case of kidnapping of five female youth corps members in Eberi Omuma and the kidnapping of 120-year-old Papa Nwosu.

65 suspected kidnappers, robbers nabbed in Anambra T he Anambra State Police Command has arrested 65 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers. Commissioner of Police, Ballah Nasarawa, told Daily Sun that he led the onsluaght with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Agyole Abbeh, and Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Jame Nwafor.

“In Nri community alone, we chased out over 35 kidnappers and took over the buildings they were using as hideouts. Recently, we also discovered another hideout of the kidnappers where we recovered arms and ammunition. I am sending signals to the remaining kidnappers in the state to leave the state for us.

“We are using these ‘ember’ months to tell the criminals to leave Anambra State and relocate to other places. We have strategised on how to tackle

kidnappers and armed robbers. I am assuring the citizens that the criminals will not take us unawares. We are fully prepared and ready to flush out the remaining kidnappers if they refuse to heed this call.

“We rounded up some criminals from Onitsha and Awka and we recovered from them arms and ammunition. I want to appreciate my officers with the way they rescued the victims of kidnapping.

This time, we are not taking any chance and we are prepared more than ever before to fight the criminals. Expressways such as Awka/Enugu will be constantly patrolled by the police. We have over 10 patrol vehicles that will be monitoring the expressway.”

He appreciated the support of the leaders and people of the state which according to him, have assisted the command to record success in the fight against criminals in the state.

Ballah Nasarawa

Thursday, October 4, 2012

DAILY SUN

37

WATCH

CRIME EDITED BY OLA AGBAJE E-mail: olapen4ever@yahoo.com

From NGOZI UWUJARE, Ibadan

I

t was shock and outrage recently, as police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) discovered kidnappers’ tunnel right inside a sitting room.

The startling discovery was made by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the command after series of complaints from the public.

The evil men were unmasked at the AMAC Housing Estate, Angwansawa Village when the SARS team stormed their hideouts following a tip-off after the abduction of a housewife and mother of triplets, Justina Uwakwe, by a four-man gang in front of her house.

Investigations revealed that Uwakwe was blindfolded with hands and legs tied and her mouth cellotaped as they drove her through the jungle to their den.

She was kept in the tunnel for six days and they demanded a ransom of N25million from her husband before she could be released.

Crimewatch gathered that some dignitaries who were kidnapped in Abuja were always kept inside the tunnel, a pit dugged inside the kidnappers’sitting room and usually covered with a slab and carpet.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) FCT Abuja, Mr Usman Alkali, told Crimewatch that the command had received several complaints about kidnapping of some people in the area and as well got information that some abductors had dug a pit at the AMAC Housing Estate where they usually keep their victims.

DCP Alkali said that following the series of petitions, he had ordered the Commander of SARS, Ibrahim Saidu, a Superintendent of Police (SP), who led his men to storm the village where they discovered the hide-outs of the kidnappers and engaged them in a shootout. Two of the kidnappers escaped while two were arrested. He said the SARS men also discovered the underground tunnel inside the house occupied by the kidnappers and that they used a slab to cover it before they put carpets. Their victims were usually kept in the tunnel.

“We were able to discover four houses including the gang leader’s residence where they built an underground tunnel and covered it with slab and rug right inside their sitting room”, he said.

Our reporter who visited Angwansawa village alongside many of the residents who went to see the underground tunnel. The villagers were shocked that they are living with kidnappers.

Most of the bigwigs that were kidnapped in Abuja have passed through hell in the hands of this notorious kidnappers as they were kept in the underground tunnel before they were released after the payment of ransom by their families.

Narrating her ordeals to Crimewatch, Mrs Justina Uwakwe said, “It was like a drama . I was driving my car into the compound when suddenly, I saw four men wearing masks around 7.30 pm. They told me to lie down and that I should co-operate with them. They jumped inside my car and took me away. They dragged me through the bush and told me that I should cooperate.

They covered my face and tied my legs and I noticed that they took me inside one room and thrown me inside a tunnel (pit) and covered it with a slab and rug. “ I spent six days inside the pit and was being guarded by two men. I was fed with Indomie and pure water at times once a day and at times, morning and night.

“They started demanding N25milion from my husband and telling him to pay the money on time. I told them that I am a mother of triplets. I started pleading with them. I

UNBELIEVABLE

Kidnappers’ tunnel inside sitting room •My six-day of ordeal in pit –Mother of triplets

•The tunnels and the suspects prayed for them and they told me that I was very nice. They told me they didn’t collect money from my husband. On the seventh day, they took me to the bush and told me to find my way to the house,” she said.

The victim’s husband, Mr Roland Uwakwe told Crimewatch that ,” I received a call from the kidnappers. They demanded N25million. I pleaded that I wanted to go round and look for money and raised N1.5m. I quickly went to report the incident at ACO- AMAC Estate Police

Post which later transferred the case to Iddo police station before the SARS took over the case,” he said. “ Someone came to me and said that he knows one of the kidnappers . I took him to the officers at SARS and immediately they swung into action and arrested two of the kidnappers in their house.

“I was shocked . I saw the pit where they kept my wife inside their sitting room and she spent six days with them until she was released on the

seventh day . Her release was the work of God. One of the suspects, Chibuzo Eze, told Crimewatch that they were four in the gang and that they built the pit in their room which, according to him, served as cell for their victims during the negotiation for ransom.

“It was through the kidnapping job that I built my house. We kidnapped the victim, Mrs Uwakwe and we covered her face and tied her legs and thrown her inside the pit and used a slab to cover it. She was there for six days before we released her on the seventh day,” he confessed.

Another suspect, Chibeze Ike, said that they all hail from Isu Local Government Area of Imo State . “We went into kidnapping when we didn’t have money. We told the victim to pray for us . She prayed for us and we didn’t succeed in collecting money from the husband. Our plan was that when we receive the money, we will give it to the leader of our gang who wanted to use it to travel to Ghana but we didn’t succeeded.”

Reacting to the incident, the community leader Chief Thomas Kubari, expressed shock, said: “We couldn’t believe what we saw this morning. I know Chibuzo Eze very well. We didn’t know that they were into kidnapping and that they keep their victims in this community before they were exposed by the men of SARS. “They have been living in this house without paying rent for sometime and I often saw the landlord running after them for rent. Our community thank the SARS and we don’t want them to return to this community. We are peaceful people and we don’t want criminals in our midst,” he said.

The officer-in-charge of SARS at the FCT Police Command, Ibrahim Saidu (SP), said that when they got information, they immediately engaged in a rescue operation and advised the victim’s husband not to pay money to the kidnappers but warned that he should play along with them.” We stormed their house and discovered a pit built inside their sitting room where they usually kept their victims. We learnt Mrs Uwakwe was there for six days before she was released on the seventh day.”

The landlord of the house where the kidnappers lived, Mr Kanayo Obi, said that “ I only gave their sister my house, suddenly, they came around and they refused to pay me one kobo since the beginning of 2012. They only paid me six months when they moved in since then, they have refused to pay me again. I didn’t build an underground tunnel inside my house . They went and built the illegal pit and covered it and started keeping their victims there.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

CRIME

WATCH

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ECONOMIC SABOTAGE Drug trafficking: Lawmakers want FG to fund NDLEA

It’s cheaper to buy fuel T from vandals –Suspected dealer

By CHRISTOPHER OJI he House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, narcotics and Financial Crime has asked the Federal Government to stop paying lips service on its claims that it was fighting the war on drugs.

The lawmakers urged the government to fund the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) if it was actually serious in the war against narcotics.

The chairman of the House Committee, Mr. Jagaba Adams Jagaba who spoke during the official visit by members of the committee to the NDLEA Headquarters, Ikoyi, Lagos said in 2012, the government budgeted N100 million for war on drugs but that out of the money, only N18 million was released.

Jagaba noted that with the sorry state of NDLEA, not much was expected from the agency yet, the agency is trying its best with almost nothing to work with.

He said it was disheartening to note that the agency lack operational vehicles, adding, “when the officers make arrest, they convey the suspects with commercial motorcycle (Okada).

He noted that it was shameful that the agency which covers four International Airports have only four sniffer dogs and that feeding dogs was a very big difficult task because of lack of fund.”

According to him, it would be very bad, if he should expose

the number of guns the agency was left to work with. “But what I can say is that there is no modern guns to confront the drug cabals, so the officer are exposed to danger.”

“I remember that in the past five years, about 20 officers of the NDLEA have been murdered in the cause of fighting drug war. This is because of lack of guns.”

He revealed that the newly recruited officers were still dressing in mufti as the government had not provided the agency the fund to take care of the officers welfare package and logistics.

According to Jagaba, the officers work with decay infrastructure. “This is wrong, we can no longer tolerate it. If the government want the agency to perform, it should release money for it to function well. The 2013 budget should include rubost package for the agency.

On his own, chairman, Chief executive officer of the agency, Ahmadu Giade said: “This agency has fought doggedly in promoting the image of our country through effective drug preventive measures, one of our cardinal functions that have been accorded appropriate priority attention. Between January and August 2012, the agency has prevented 26 Nigerians from what could have turned out to be a sad, embarrassing and premature death outside the shores of this country. This feat followed the arrest of 23 suspected drug traffickers going to Malaysia and 3others traveling to China.

TRAGIC •Suspects

By CHIOMA IGBOKWE

F

our suspected pipeline vandals have been arrested by operatives of the newly-constituted Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit, Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos.

The suspects, Christopher Abiodun, Azeez Taofeek , Shittu Abdulhakeem and Tunde Adekuetu, where arrested in IjebuOde, Ogun State with three tankers loaded with petrol. The policemen, impounded the three vehicles marked, XJ457LSR, XP888FST, AQ377NRK. Confirming the arrest, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the task force, Friday Ibadin, said there were reports that some vandals were transporting stolen fuel from Warri in Delta State to Ijebu-Ode, for their buyers .

Detectives accosted them in Ijebu-Ode, and arrested four suspects while the rest fled.

In his confession to the police, Taofeek, who owns one of the trucks, said that it was cheaper and more accessible to buy from vandals.

His words: “I am not a vandal, but a buyer of the product. On that day, I was escorting my tanker from Warri to Ijebu-Ode where I have a petrol station. I do not know how they got the product, all I knew was that as soon as my suppliers get the product, they would inform me and I will come for it with my tanker.

I am sorry, I know it is illegal, but for some of us who are managing in the oil business, we cannot afford to pay all the taxes they demand to get a supply of PMS (petrol).”

Adekuetu lamented that he is only a driver, adding: “I was recruited some months back and as a tanker driver, my duty is to wait for my boss at the Okada junction. He is to drive the tanker to that spot and I will take over from him and drive to Lagos or to the buyer. My duty is to drive, so, I do not bother to ask questions.”

On how they evaded arrest, he said: “We have documents, but I do not know whether they are fake. Most of the time, my boss would find out whether the road is clear, before we moved.

Normally, we moved at night. Ever since the IGP removed roadblocks and police from the highway, our job has become easier.”

Meanwhile, detectives also impounded two tankers loaded with adulterated fuel in Lagos. The drivers fled on spotting the police.

The impounded tankers are with registration numbers XZ19FEST and XB365AAA. Confirming the story, the Force Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Frank Mba, warned dubious vandals to be weary of sabotaging government effort in giving account of its natural resources. He reiterated governments’ decision to protect the pipelines, warning that anyone who is arrested, would face the full wrath of the law. The suspects, he said, would soon be arraigned.

...Man killed children for their mother From, OKEY SAMPSON, Aba

T

•IG Abubakar

ragedy befell two lovebirds recently in Onicha Ngwu Community, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

In what appears like scenes from classical Greek tragedy, the man, Okwonu Abanuwa having enjoyed long time sizzling relationship with Mgbechi Chikwe, his concubine, could not bear seeing her in amorous relationship with another man.

Driven with envy, at the loss of his heartthrob, Abanuwa allegedly bathed her with acid.

As the doctors were battling to save the widow’s life, her children in anger allegedly went to her lover’s house where a scuffle ensued during which the estranged lover allegedly died.

Investigation revealed that as a young widow, Chikwe needed a man who would keep her going in life and perhaps fill the vacuum in her life. The 58year-old Abanuwa was a perfect match for her desires.

The relationship which was known to the woman’s children blossomed and with time was no longer a secret among the villagers including Abanuwa’s widow.

However, the relationship became strained when Abanuwa’s widow piled pressure on Mrs. Chikwe to

CRIME

Thursday, October 4, 2012

39

WATCH

DAILY SUN

12 cultists docked for killing policeman cultists in Makurdi.

He said that the police, combed the area where the incident took place and apprehended all the suspects.

The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) told the court that in the course of investigations, the suspects confessed belonging to the cult groups and that they committed the crime.

When the case came up for mention, no plea was taken for want of jurisdiction, but the prosecutor asked the court for another date to allow investigations into the matter to be completed.

Meanwhile, defence counsel, Mr. Mohammed Abdulsalam, did not oppose the application for an adjournment, but promised to formally apply for bail of the accused.

Ruling on the case, the Chief Magistrate, Mr. Dan Ogoh directed that the accused persons be remanded at the Makurdi Federal Prison.

Ogoh, who also ordered that the first and third accused persons who were considered under-aged to be taken to the Gboko Remand Home, adjourned the case.

From ROSE EJEMBI, Makurdi

F

or their alleged role in the hacking a police constable to death, 12 suspected cultists have been arraigned before a Makurdi Chief Magistrate’s Court for criminal conspiracy and murder.

The accused persons who allegedly belong to the Black Skull and Red Skin cults, had allegedly cut down in his prime a Police Constable, Sunday Otokpa attached to the “E Division” Police Station in Makurdi, Benue State capital.

The body of Constable Otokpa was allegedly dumped inside River Benue. They were arrested by the police after a tip-off.

The remains of late corporal were also recovered from the river .

When the case came up for mention, the Prosecutor, Inspector George Ebonyi, in his First Information Report, (FIR), told the court that the senior brother of the deceased, Mr. Emmanuel Otokpa, had a few weeks ago reported to the Police that his younger brother had been murdered by

ROMANCE

by ex-lovers’ bathing

with acid leave her husband alone. The pressure got to a point that she decided to call it quits with her lovebird.

As soon as Chikwe left Abanuwa, she got a new lover from the same village and this did not go down well with his ex-lover, who had wanted the relationship to continue despite his widow’s objection.

After all entreaties to his ex-lover failed as the woman cited his widow’s objection to the relationship, Abanuwa simply got angry and frustrated even in public places and threatened to deal with her.

The ill-feelings Abanuwa had against his former lover’s decision to dump him increased steadily. So on August 25, this year, as the woman was returning from the house of her new lover, the man laid ambush for her in the village. As she approached, Abanuwa reportedly came out from hiding and allegedly bathed her with acid.

The acid bath was so severe that doctors battled to save the woman’s life in a hospital in Aba. There was fear in the community that the woman could go blind.

Not happy with what happened to their mother, Chikwe’s children set out to find out why their mother could be visited with such devilish act.

But what was believed to be a peaceful move to at least make Abanuwa show remorse over his action and perhaps help in the treatment of the woman, turned tragic.

Chikwe’s children were said to have met their mother’s ex-lover at home and demanded to know why he should treat their mother callously.

The visit, did not go down well with Abanuwa who threatened to deal with his ex-lover’s children if they did not leave his house. A fight ensued, resulting in the man’s death.

As the news of the death of Abanuwa spreads, the community was deserted for fear of possible arrest by the police.

Despite the fact that one of the children of Chikwe was arrested over the incident, police spokesman of the Abia State command, Ezekiel Onyeke, a Deputy Superintendent said he was not aware of the incident.

When told that one of Chikwe’ son was arrested, he said: “The case is not with the police, it seems soldiers are handling the matter as contacts from divisions showed that the incident was not reported to the police,” he claimed.

But when contacted also, the officer in charge of the Forward operation base of the Nigerian Army in Aba, Captain Chris Nwaogu, also denied knowledge of the incident.

As at press time, many residents of the village who fled were yet to return as the fear of mass arrest by the police hangs in the air.

•The victim

Wicked!

Eight-yr-old girl, mother arrested for bathing maid with hot water From GBENGA ADESUJI, Ibadan

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olicemen in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, have arrested an eight years old girl and her mother for allegedly bathing their housemaid with hot water.

The 14 years old maid, Mary Komule, who is still struggling for life, allegedly was poured hot water when she failed to prepare Indomie noodles for Ibilola (not real names) on her request.

Police operatives investigating the case told Crimewatch that the mother was not at home when the incident happened “But the housemaid told us that she succumbed to the little girl’s demand who was far below her age because, her mistress had instructed her to obey any instruction given by her daughter.

Narrating her ordeal, Komule said that on the fateful day, the girl had instructed her to cook some noodle for her “But as I was boiling hot water which I would use to prepare the noddle, I noticed that some oil had dropped on the floor, so, I started cleaning the floor. As I was cleaning the oil, she told me that I was delaying, I should kneel down. I obeyed her because, her mother had warned that I must always obey her. When I knelt down, she asked me to put my hands behind my back, which I did, and she tied my two hands.

“After tying my hands, she poured me some cold water but when she noticed that I did not feel any pains, she rushed to where I was cooking, picked the hot water and poured it on my body. I would have beaten her up but I was afraid of her mother.

“When her mother came back home, she did not take me to the hospital, rather she scolded me and asked me to face the wall,” she said sobbing.

However, some sympathisers on the street who noticed that the health of the maid was deteriorating, reported the matter to Child’s Protection Network which invited the police, who arrested the woman and her eight-year-old daughter.

The woman(names withheld) had told the police that she was not in the house when the incident occurred, claiming that when she returned from Lagos, she rushed the injured maid to a pharmacy store where she was treated.

The maid refuted the claim, saying that she was not taken to any pharmacy. “She only used some ointment to rub my injuries,” in her statement to the police, the girl said she wanted to eat noodles and had asked Komule to prepare it for her but Komule floated her order and started cleaning the floor.

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DAILY SUN

Thursday, October 4, 2012

ARTS Colours of total theatre at Ijanikin Voice of

peace

By JIMOH RASAKI and UGOCHI EZENNADI

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pon entering the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education campus recently, business was going on as usual, as students loitered around or were seen in their classrooms receiving lectures. But on getting to the Department of Theatre Arts, one noticed flurry of activities such as music and dance drama.

The second edition of the regeneration programme entitled Regeneration Act2, Scene saw a rare showcase of talents and unique skills by the students. The programme which serves as a platform for promoting arts and culture through edutainment (education and entertainment) was put together by the part time and full time students of the department. The event held in a partially covered building with the stage artistically painted in several colours depicting a Yoruba man under a palm fruit tree playing his flutes while some women dance to the tune.

Cardboards were used strategically to enhance the beauty of the stage. Just as mats were also used to create the entrance and departure gates.

The programme saw with a comic play in a classroom setting that showed the importance of Theatre Arts and the need to correct the erroneous belief that the theatre is a noisy environment without focus.

Also there was a drumming interlude that saw a musical gyration with drummers of the Whitestone Cultural Ambassador thrilling the audience with their African beat, that was done with dexterity backed up by female vocalist.

The drummers were dressed in building attire while the female vocalist dressed in casual jeans. The drummers started with a monotone beat to a slow local song after which they changed to a fast beat that saw the drummers go wild as they moved their bodies rhythmically.

The smiles on the faces of the performers signified the enjoyment of what they were doing. The audience were greatly overjoyed with the per-

ByTHERASAONWUGHALU

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n official of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mrs Bisi Opadeji has stressed the relevance of communication in traditional African societies. Opadeji in a recent seminar tagged Traditional Means of Communication in Yorubaland defined communication as having intrapersonal and interpersonal qualities. “ Intrapersonal communication is communication within us. This is, for example, a situation when our ancestors used their senses to help them understand their world and to develop perception and judgement. For instance, they learnt that on a hot or rainy day, they could take refuge to cool off and when it was cold, they could kindle a fire to warm up. It’s like the process of sunlight reflecting on the eye and communicating brightness to the central nervous system, the tactile sense organs communicating the feeling of cool air and the thought processing or deciding whether to remain inside or go outside.”

She described Interpersonal communication, on the other hand, as a communication in a face to face situation which involves the sender, the medium, the message, the receiver and feedback.

Every day we use interpersonal communication mostly. However, Bittner (1989) pointed out that the number of people we can reach with our ideas is limited if this were the only available means of communication. This is because of the limited number of people that could be reached through interpersonal communication and this led to the evolution of another process through which a large collection of people could be reached which is known as mass communication.

Opadeji hinted further that communication occurs among people regardless of their diverse ethnic backgrounds and languages wherever living beings are found. Focusing on her Yoruba culture, Opadeji recalled the Yoruba constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa.

ByUGOCHI EZENNADI The Poems of Peace in the Season of Bloodshed, by Shehu Sani. published by Labari Communication, 2012, ppg. 134

T •Whitestone Culture band formance as they also danced to the beats.

A sonorous presentation of the national anthem by the female vocalists accompanied by the local beats was very entertaining. This was done in a creative and enchanting manner; first stanza was done in slow pace beat while the second stanza was with a fast rhythm.

The Ijotayo performing troupe gave a mime, which captivated the audience with their slithery movement and their body language. The performers whose costumes of white singlet and black trousers ended their show in a synergy of movement.

This edition of the Regeneration encompassed a talk show tagged Artiste and his Props (Exploring the inner potentials). The talk show encouraged a free flow of ideas between students and their motivational teachers. The talk show was an indoor session which empower every participant and prospective actors for the challenges ahead.

The initiator of the Regeneration 2012, Oyinlola Olawale explained that the programme

aimed at bringing the various aspects of the theatre together not just for entertainment but also for education. He added that the event was not financed by any corporate body and this goes to show that the organisers are ready to go the extra miles even without financial support or government support. He further encouraged upcoming students to believe in themselves and try to make things happen even in the face of difficulties.

This edition featured every segment of the entertainment industry including Hip hop, RnB, Jazz, Fuji and a lot more. Meanwhile some of the artistes, dazzled the audience with their performances according to Ajimartins Micheal Olabode, the Managing Director of the band, Whitestone Culture Ambassador, a drum is a of symbol which gives different meanings based on rhythm and sound particularly in Yoruba land.

He also said that there are things human beings cannot say with the mouth especially when they do not feel to talk but the drums can express same through sound.

Symbols of communication in Yorubaland –Bisi Opadeji

•Oba Sijuade, Ooni of Ife Majority of them speak Yoruba language. The Yoruba constitute between 30 and 50 million population throughout West Africa and are found predominantly in the South West of Nigeria which covers Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun and Lagos States. The people are said to make up of around 21 percent of the population of Nigeria.

This is one of the major aspects of traditional African communication which always occurs in form of a very old traditional story from a particular ethnic group and originally passed on to people in a spoken form. In Yoruba land it is called “ALO.” The narrator would say Aloo, then the response from both old and young would be “Aalo.” This is usually done in the evening after

the day’s work and meal. They would gather themselves family by family and thrill themselves with all manners of folktales. This tradition has passed through several generations. But it is still very relevant in our community today because it is used to teach morals and check some abuses and other signs of juvenile delinquency. It is also used to shape people’s behaviours in conformity with the norms.

Poetry is another old means of traditional African communication. It is still very relevant to the people in the rural areas. Members of the community use poetry a lot, especially COGNOMEN, otherwise called Oriki. This is a kind of descriptive nickname through which one gains insight into what had happened in the past in each family. It is always used as a way of boosting one’s morale, like a praise name. For example, when a child does a worthwhile or remarkable thing, praise name is used as a means of positive reinforcement for a better performance.

One of the avenues of information dissemination in those days which is still relevant is market.

Markets exist in both rural and semi-rural areas.

It is always sited very close to the Oba’s palace.

Though a market is a place of buying and selling, it is also a veritable channel for news dissemination. Whenever there was any news or information the king needed to pass to his subjects, he would send the town crier to the market square to proclaim it. It is a good and the fastest avenue of information dissemination because virtually all families in the village would come to the market for shopping.

Other ways or tools of communication in Yorubaland include wooden gun, pepper, palm frond, Aroko (symbols) among many others.

his anthology comes at a moment when Nigeria is witnessing series of bloodshed that constitute a threat to the unity and peace of the nation, especially in the Northern part of the country.

The anthology serves as a mirror through which the society sees the evil of this violence and appeals to the mind and brings about a resolve for peace. This anthology is written with the aim of promoting peace, renouncing violence and terror being perpetuated in the guise of ethnicity, religion or politics.

Virtually all the poems written in simple English and can be easily understood by the reader. The poem makes use of repetition making his message very direct.

The Poem of Peace encourages people to stand up and speak up against violence and terror. The poet explains that violence and terror, do not lead to peace hence appeals all to vote for peace.

One of the poems the animal in us vividly describes the various qualities inherent in man.

For instance it said “there is a beast in everyman that pushes him to war, there is a dove in everyman that pulls him to peace, and there is a giraffe in ever man that lifts him to fly”. The poem makes us see human beings in a new light and what makes them to do certain things the way do.

Before you kill is another poem that draws to the knowledge of killers what they should have in mind before they take a life. According to the poet he says before you kill think of the orphans you will make, before you kill think of the hell you will be. The poems are one of contemplation; the poet makes use of good diction and punctuation. The poet makes use of figures of speech such aslike personification, simile etc.

Some of the poems were also dedicated to people who died in various crises and there are also poem for war thorn countries like Somalia as well as those dedicated to the Dana aircrash victims entitled last flight.

Some of the poems are narratives about the outcome of violence; the act, the carnage and the soullessness associated with it.

A couple of poems are directed to politicians whose actions provoke violent reactions and whose actions speak messages of evil, community and religious leaders will find some of the poems unsettling and unconformable as they mirror the roles of these religious leaders in fanning the embers of discord. The poems also admonish those on the path of violence to direct their minds to the path of peace and tolerance.

At the end of the poem are photos of crises that have rocked the nation, with pictures of victims in the hospital and ravaged buildings and cars.

Shehu Sani is a renowed civil right activist, an author, poet, and playwright. He has written extensively on political and religious conflicts in Nigeria and Africa in general. He is a dogged campaigner for peace against violence. During the military era in the 1990s he has many times been arrested and jailed for his agitations for democracy. Among his books are terrorism in Africa, prison anthology, religious violence in Northern Nigeria.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

DAILY SUN

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ARTS

Between marriage and wedding

By CHIMA JUPADIM

Marriage or Wedding: What is God’s Stand?

by Frank Ogechukwu Oputa. Published by Christ’s Ransomed Ministries, 2012, pp 54.

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his compact but very rich booklet expresses the author’s thoughts on the Holy Bible’s stand on marriage and wedding. As a relevant product of a marriage seminar, the booklet of 54 pages also raises other posers such as: When can a marriage be consummated? Can one marry and not wed, what does the Bible say? The author uses apt scriptural references to buttress his points on these issues.

In chapter one, he explains the dictionary meanings of marriage and wedding, distinguishing both terminologies and relating them to the scriptures with a view to establishing the superiority of marriage over wedding. Quoting copiously from the Bible, he tells the story of how Isaac married Rebecca (Genesis 24:3-67) and how Jacob married the two daughters of Laban, Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:1-30). He espouses how these marriages were consummated immediately after the traditional wedding without the couples, waiting for any priest to ‘wed’ them in the church before they were regarded as married couples. He also cites the marriage in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus Christ was a guest and argues that the Lord also sanctioned the marriage.

In chapter two, the author adds a notch to the subject, stating emphatically that God instituted marriage and not wedding. He also explains the importance of woman in a man’s life and why God instituted marriage from the outset and made the coming together of man and woman

as husband and wife. But he laments that man has brought complex procedures into God’s design, a factor that he claims remains the bane of mankind till today.

In chapter three, the author explains the possibility of successful marriage without church wedding but insists that church wedding can never be authenticated without traditional wedding. He, therefore, argues that church wedding emanated from man’s imagination and was not a part of God’s original programme for married couples. This, however, does not suggest that Pastor Oputa is against wedding or suggests that church wedding is unbiblical.

In chapter four, he instructs that when a society adopts marriage ceremonies in line with God’s plan, family formations will be divinely instituted and translate to national cohesion. On the contrary, chapter five highlights the usual calamities that trail couples when the foundation of their marriage is faulty. Making unnecessary expenses to foot wedding bills, for instance, which may lead to disenchantment among couples, lack of understanding, hatred, husband/wife battering, divorce and probably, remarriage etc., are some of the ugly trends the author says God never willed for His sons and daughters in marriage. He even talked specifically about divorce, noting that God hates it.

While accepting the fact that not everyone, who reads his book will toe his line of thought, the author enjoins those who are heaven-minded, including the high and mighty men and women of God, to drop worldly wisdom and embrace God’s perfect will for man because, though it may seem like an old fashion, that is just the way to a blissful marital life.

The book, which is aesthetically designed with attractive pictures at the beginning of

BY BAYO OGUNTUNASE

The Awesome Power of Thanksgiving by Dr. Alaba Olushuyi, Glorygate Ventures pp 66, 2012

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every chapter and dedicated to Pastor W. F. Kumuyi, the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, is, however, not free of errors. But the content is so rich that one of the commentators recommends thus: “I believe it is a well-thought out book that should be instructive to all believers.”

Marriage or Wedding - What is God’s Stand? which had its foreward written by Pastor Dimgba Igwe, former Deputy Managing Director of The Sun Publishing limited, will be presented to the public on September 30, at the Lagos State University (LASU) complex in Ojo, Lagos.

...Tips on marital bliss

By BAYO OGUNTUNASE.

What the Single and the Married Should Know About Marriage by Dr. Alaba Olushuyi, Glorygate Ventures, 2012, pp 99

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bliss. The book contains pieces of advice on how you can make your marriage a resounding success. Truly, most marriages have their ups and downs, yet you can keep your marriage happy and stable if you heed the biblical injunctions as solutions. Take it or leave it, even curse it, marriage is the first step to divorce.

However, it is better to divorce a bad marriage than to patch it up!

Furthermore, the book has 99 pages comprising ten chapters. Expectedly and characteristically, Dr. Olushuyi brought education, knowledge, experience as well as expertise, research and scholarship to bear on the writing

arriage (or family) is one of the five major social institutions necessary for a stable and productive society.

The others include economy, education, law or government and religion. Yet, it has been the target of major attacks in recent years – one in three marriages fails in the Western world. The reason for the failure is not far to seek – most couples don’t know the factors that make marriages succeed or last. Behind the statistics lies the tragedy of broken homes – hurt children, shattered dreams, betrayed trust, financial catastrophe and emotional illness.

The factors behind the current sexual chaos have also undermined the concept of marriage.

Some people have given up the idea and opted for just living together or trial marriage so long as the feeling lasts. Over half of those who do marry have preferred a registry’s wedding. For example, in 1980, thirty-five per cent of marriages were remarriages; the society is replacing lifelong monogamy with consecutive polygamy. Yet, most people still believe in the ideals of Christian marriage.

Dr. Alaba Olushuyi, the author of the book, had informed us that marriage is God’s idea, not people’s. He says further God created marriage to meet our inner need for fellowship.

Loneliness was something alien or strange to the God-head. Therefore, the Lord God acted to ensure that Adam was not lonely. So, love, then is the primary reason for marriage; reproduction is the fruit. Marriage is a recipe for marital •Dr. Olushuyi

Learning the art of gratitude

of the book. The first chapter enjoins us to seek God’s purpose to a life-long marital life to avoid; while the second chapter talks about marriage among your kindred. Chapter three analyses the consequences of unplanned marriage, the marriage contracted on the floor of disco, club or party can hardly endure; just as Chapter four advises the reader to: package appropriately so to distress or bitterness in his or her marriage; Chapter five is on Flesh and Blood, on Strengths and Weaknesses while Chapter six centers on Reality-No Phantasm of married life. Chapter seven enjoins couples to seek and secure commitment in the marriage through reliance on God always; Chapter eight gives Tips for marital blessings - and the Tips on how to build a successful and purposeful marriage continues in Chapters nine and ten.

Most importantly, Rev. Hubert Spalding, the Vicar of St. John’s Abbeydale, Sheffield, England, on February 6, 1975, said; “Husbands and Wives who are separated for a considerable time become very frustrated. As well as companionship, a man needs his wife for sex”.

Surely, blessed are the married couples who talk over their disagreement with mutual love and respect, for each other and laugh over their mistakes and failures. For bitterness shall find no place in their hearts and in the home. Asilent wife is a gift of the Lord and there is nothing so precious to her as an understanding husband.

Yes, “by all means marry. If you get a good wife, you will become happy. If you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher and that is good for every man” so advises Socrates. “what the single and the married should know about marriage” is not only a must-read but should also be supplementary to the Ten Commandments. It is a compelling book that is, at once, a celebration of marriage.

he reading culture and virtues of honesty were ingrained in us at a tender age in colonial Nigeria. As a bibliophile and a book addict, I believe in books; everything that ever happened to a man is in books.

Truly, “a room without books is like a body without a soul” so asserts Cicero, the Roman orator, who had an easy flowing style.

Coming back home, there is a need to emphasise the three golden words: thanks, please, pardon (or, sorry)! They are essential to good living. Dr. Alaba Olushuyi has just presented to the reading public a new book entitled “The Awesome Power of Thanksgiving”.

The central theme of the book is thanksgiving, which is as old as creation, as old as the hills, yes, as old as humanity. In the Holy Bible, thanks appears in 73 places while thanksgiving appears in 30 places, according to “the new Strong’s Consise Concordance of the bible”.

And to further stress the vital importance of thanksgiving, America, nation of nations, God’s own country, had long declared the fourth thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. This year, The “Thanksgiving Day” is November 22.

Dr. Olushuyi, the author of the book, has proved Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science, right: “Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.”

“The awesome power of thanksgiving” consists of five chapters; each chapter is infused with relevant biblical passages, case studies and lessons. Chapter one asks: What is Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is the ordinance of God; Chapter two tells the reasons that Thanks should be offered unto God always; Chapter three tells us about the Perils of Ingratitude or ungratefulness; Chapter four talks about the Effects of Thanksgiving; while Chapter five is on Exhortation; that we offer Thanks with respect and humility. The book is required reading by all humans, including Christians, Muslims and Animists in homes and offices.

The prose is racy, inspiring, energizing, vivid and vigorous. It is beautiful and a must read by all and sundry. The book should be a piece of our African tradition, custom and culture, because an ingrate is considered a potential thief.

William Shakespeare had said it all in Twelfth Night (or, what you will) that “ingratitude I hate in man more than drunkenness”. Dr. Olushuyi was really inspired to write this pithy book of wisdom to stress the essence of Thanksgiving.

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DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

Maurice Archibong 3-time winner, travel & tourism reporter of the year actsreview@yahoo.com 08056180050

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espite all the perceived social challenges, Nigerians should remain thankful to God because their country is still growing and waxing stronger; says President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s envoy to Ghana, Ambassador Ademola Oluwaseyi Onafowokan.

Speaking with Travels inside his Accra office, Amb. Onafowokan, who is Nigerian High Commissioner in the former Gold Coast, intoned that faith in our nation’s future, irrespective of the current challenges, was the reason Nigeria’s 52nd independence anniversary was celebrated there.

Activities marking Nigeria’s 52nd National Day in Ghana included a reception at Efua Sutherland Park for adults as well as a cocktail at the High Commissioner’s residence on October 1. The cocktail was a strictly formal affair at which captains of industry, political heavyweights and VIPs from sundry sectors clinked glasses and exchanged pleasanteries with top brasses of the diplomatic community from across the world.

Additionally, a Children’s Party was earlier held for minors on the Tennis Courts at the High Commissioner’s compound on Saturday, September 29; apart from two art exhibitions that were also thrown into the pack. In fact, the entire exercise actually kicked off on a colourful note with a one-day art exhibition at Nigerian High Commission.

Speaking with Travels on September 27, the day the observances kicked off, Amb Onafowokan remarked: “We are celebrating, albeit in a low-key way, because Nigeria is still growing. By God’s grace, Nigeria is waxing stronger. It is true that we are facing challenges, but every challenge is a passing phase and I believe Nigeria will eventually emerge stronger from our current challenges”.

Deja vu Sauntering into the premises of Nigerian High Commission, Accra; memories of yesteryear flooded one’s mind. After visiting Accra in March, 1997; to report on Ghana’s 40th independence anniversary for Sunday Times; we had returned to the old Gold Coast severally and in 2000 had to contact authorities of the local Nigerian mission regarding their efforts in arresting what seemed to be systemic hostility toward Nigeria by the local media.

It was in the course of this mission we got acquainted with Mr. Ama Kuetsea, a Tiv-born diplomat serving at this mission, those days. Sadly, a few years later, an obituary from the nation’s foreign ministry announced the transition of Mr. Kuetsea. This was one of the thoughts that engaged my mind as I walked toward the Reception within this outpost of Nigeria’s foreign service.

We have been inside Nigerian High Commission Accra several times, but; our latest stop was the third at the current location since the mission relocated to the Roman Ridge neighbourhood of town; from their former address situated near Josef Broz Tito Street, close to Danquah Circle on the fringes of Osu. Over the years, considering the number of times work had brought us this way; we had also met one or two envoys or charge d’Affairs at Nigerian High Commission, Accra. One of our most memorable encounters was with Mr. Sam Okechukwu, who served as Nigerian High Commissioner to

Travels Amb Ademola Oluwaseyi Onafowokan

Nigerian envoy to Ghana starts on colourful note

Durbar Procession by Osa Osagie Ghana during the first term of the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency.

Prior to his assumption of duty, Nigeria suffered frequent bashing by the Ghanaian media; but, Mr. Okechukwu, an Anambra-born pharmacist, was able to redress the situation. Interestingly, too; the last time we ate dinner at the Residence of the Nigerian high commissioner in Accra was in August 2011; while Amb Okechukwu held sway. However, on this particular begegnung, we were sitting inside the office of Nigerian High Commissioner in the Roman Ridge area of the Ghanaian capital.

The security situation across Ghana is not enough to make anyone jumpy, but; for the ambassador of a nation like Nigeria and representing his country’s president at a post as important as Accra; there is always work to do.

Interpretation: Time is therefore always at a premium. This was the thought that rankled in our mind as we settled into the seat offered us by His Excellency.

Clad in sokoto ati ewu made from ankara textile, Amb Onafowokan was relaxed. In some way, we found his mood infectious; for, well-appreciative of His Excellency’s tight schedule, his countenance helped to make things easier for us. Since the top-flight diplomat was busy with a phone call, we seized that break to unpack and prepare our accoutrement: tripod, camera, recorder, batteries and other tools; for work.

Through with his telephone call, Amb Onafowokan engaged us in a brief welcome and the characteristic joie de vivre; and, soon the tapes were rolling. Some 30 years ago, when he joined Nigeria’s Foreign Service; Ghana couldn’t have ranked high among his preferred posts as envoy. In deed, for more than 25 years after his appointment by Nigeria’s Ministry of External Affairs as the entity was then called; work had taken Onafowokan to numerous other African countries but never to Ghana.

Perhaps out of curiosity or desire to explore a fresh destination, Onafowokan brought his wife to

Ghana on holiday in 2008. That vacation was made the more remarkable because 2008 was an election year and there was no way of escaping the campaigns, which had practically saturated the local media.

By some coincidence, the next time Onafowokan would find himself coming to Ghana; it would be in 2012, another election year. As was the situation in 2008, the Ghanaian media is again suffuxed with campaigns. But, more importantly; Onafowokan is now in Ghana in a very different capacity. Unlike his virtual incognito status in 2008, when he came this way as a tourist to unwind; this time, Onafowokan is in the old Gold Coast to work; and, as High Commissioner of Nigeria to Ghana, his work; one could rightly say, seems all cut out for him.

Across the world, many officers of Nigeria’s Foreign Service find themselves overwhelmed by pleas for succour by distraught wayfarers from home. Most of these stranded sojourners are misinformed youth lured out of their country by ignorance, which human traffickers capitalise upon to take their victims from virtual fry-pan into practical fire.

Onafowokan is not a stranger to this scourge. Indeed, in the few weeks since he assumed duty here, this high commissioner has been inundated by requests for assistance. Hear him: “My brother, you’ll be shocked by the number of such appeals that we receive on daily basis. Because of lack of awareness and porous borders countless youths pour out of the country daily.

And, majority of them do not even bother to travel with relevant documents. So, when they run into trouble; we must first of all ascertain that they are Nigerians. Within the limit of our lean purse, we struggle and help those we have confirmed are Nigerians to begin to find their way home”.

In many countries we have visited, officials of local Nigerian missions seemed at sixes and sevens, when asked the figure of their compatriots in those foreign nations’ jails. But, Amb Onafowokan wasn’t shy about tack-

•Amb. Onafowokan ling this touchy issue. He rued: “There are too many of them (Nigerian youth) in prisons here”.

As to what his mission was doing about this, Onafowokan revealed he had since concluded arrangements to visit Nsawam, a town where dozens of Nigerians are doing time in the local jailhouse; on October 3. However, it could be recalled that the Director of Consular Service at headquarters of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja; had declared in May this year, that; “There was no vote in the 2012 Budget for Consular Service unit of our embassies. Therefore, there is not a dime kept anywhere to assist any Nigerian that is stranded abroad”.

Interestingly, virtually every Nigerian embassy chief has been grappling with how to reconcile paucity of funds with innate desire to cater to the needs of traumatised migrant Nigerians over the last two decades or more. However, Amb Onafowokan sounded nonetheless optimistic; when he declared: “After 30 years in my country’s foreign service, I believe I am equipped with enough experience to manage any situation. Of course, the challenges are there; but, we have been trained to address them. That is one of the reasons we are here”.

Some three years after his employment in Nigeria’s then Ministry of External Affairs, Onafowokan was posted to London, where he worked as Deputy Chief Protocol Officer at Nigerian High Commission. While there, he would be saddled with higher responsibilities, like Head of the Trade and Investments Promotions Desk. Aside London, Onafowokan’s other external postings included

Nigerian Embassies in Cuba (Havana), Moscow (Russian Federation) and Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago).

As two-time witness of presidential poll campaigns How do all the campaigns regarding Ghana’s forthcoming presidential election resonate with this Nigerian current high commissioner? Recall that on September 13, Onafowokan presented his letter of appointment to Ghana’s incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, who is flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7, 2012 presidential election. Interestingly, President Mahama’s strongest rival, Nana Akufo-addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is a former Foreign Affairs Minister of Ghana.

When asked, if for technocratic affiliation or propinquity, perhaps; Onafowokan was a closet sympathiser of the NPP flagbearer, this is what this high commissioner had to say: “I’m not a politician. I am a career diplomat and Director in Nigeria’s Foreign Service. So, personally, I have no interest at stake. As a Nigerian, I wish all the candidates well and hope that the party that would best serve the interest of the Ghanaian nation; wins”.

That the rapproachment seems forever smooth is not to say that NigeriaGhana relationship is entirely devoid of bumps. One of the sticking areas came to the fore recently, following the forceful closure of select enterprises owned by Nigerians across Ghana.

Observers believe that there are numerous other areas where both countries ought to cooperate more,

•Continued on Page 43

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

43

TRAVELS

NTDC AT 50: God, we thank you

Frank Halim, flanked by Mrs. Shola Ogundimu and Mrs. Yemisi Dawodu, during the one-day exhibition of paintings inside Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana

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In Ghana: Nigeria glows over Oct 1

By MAURICE ARCHIBONG, who was in Ghana (+2347030786447), mauricearchibongtravels@gmail.com igerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Ademola Oluwaseyi Onafowokan, has lined up a series of activities to mark Nigeria’s 52nd independence anniversary in the old Gold Coast. This is coming after presenting his Letters of Credence to Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on September 13, 2012.

Some of the events have already rolled past, while one or two are on-going. Among the concluded programmes was a one-day exhibition of paintings that took place on September 27, 2012; inside Nigerian High Commission in Accra.

Organised by Head Room Communications where Mr. Frank Halim is Principal; the exposition featured 20 works by two Nigerian artists, Zinno Orara and Osa Osagie. Ten paintings by each of the duo went on display. Orara’s works were mostly of the oil-on-canvas medium while those of Osagie were predominantly acrylic-on-paper.

Orara’s presentations included Showers of blessings, Nature’s Design, Standing Tall, Signs and Wonders, Sealed Lips and Divided Vision. Also, Durbar Procession, Truck Pusher, Goje Player and Knowledge of Sin were four of Osagie’s 10 paintings that went on view and, reading between the lines; you get a true picture of Nigeria, even from these titles alone.

With prices ranging from US$ 500 to US$ 1,400 (the equivalent of roughly N78,000 to N230,000), the artefacts could be considered a good bargain; given their quality and each of the exhibiting artists’ pedigree. Osagie, whose works are mostly naturalism - figures and landscapes - holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Painting from Auchi Polytechnic.

Born in 1961, Osagie graduated in the class of 1983 and his style depicts “the impressionistic manipulation of colour and light in a way that shows mastery of the specific mood of the various colours”, to echo Mr. Halim, the show’s

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curator.

Orara also took his HND from Osagie’s alma mater in 1988. Now 47 years old, Orara has been in full-time studio practice for over two decades. A painting and illustration major, Orara however made record not because he graduated with Distinction, but by sweeping every “available awards for the 1988 Class”, according to Halim.

Although we observed intrusive reflections and other lighting challenges in respect of display, the selection was intelligently done, for; the repertory ran the spectrum of living in Nigeria from the rural to the urban, as Halim sincerely put it.

To be candid, Halim wasn’t being patronising, when he described the collection as “Quite colourful and quite impactful”. And, in this wise; the presentation truly helped to portray Nigeria positively in neighbouring Ghana.

Interestingly, the one-day exposition was akin to a fore-taste of a week-long serving: another exhibition, also in commemoration of Nigeria’s 52nd independence, from October 1 to the 6th, at Ghana’s National Museum, Accra.

Halim described the week-long show as “basically collaboration between great masterartists from Nigeria and Ghana. Two from each country but all of them well-known names”.

The works of four artists: Sam Ovraiti and Osa Osagie (the two Nigerians) as well as an equal number of Ghanaian artists, Wiz Kudowor and Kofi Agossor, are still on view at Ghana National Museum, Barnes Road, Accra; until October 6.

During a chat with Travels, shortly before the curtains came down on the one-day display; University of Benin (UNIBEN)-trained Halim explained that the artists are “painters, who have been in their respective genres for a number of years and are in their mature cycle, right now”.

Wife of Mr. Dolapo Ogundimu, MD of Access Bank in Ghana, Mrs. Shola Ogundimu; was one of the distinguished personalities who toured the salon. In the same vein, Mrs. Yemisi Dawodu was also among other notable viewers that turned up to see the paintings by Orara and Osagie.

Nigerian envoy to Ghana starts on colourful note •Continued from Page 42 apart from trade.

However, the situation has not been helped by the fact, that; even though Nigeria and Ghana are former British colonies and by extrapolation anglophone, both countries have not signed a single Bilateral Agreement; in spite of being independent for over half a century, now.

How does one explain it: Two black neighbouring countries with ostensible and enviable cultural ties, both with staggering immigrants that have melted into each other’s nation; with colossal commercial transactions, albeit largely informal, taking place daily; not to talk of mutual security issues in the rising face of coalition among international terrorist groups as well as growing wave of small-arms proliferation?

Evidently, the prospective areas of cooperation span from energy, trade and investment

through cultural, educational, security and so on. So, why are the two giants of West Africa foot-dragging; when they have so much to gain from stronger bonding?

Onafowokan again: “We have done a lot on our own part. We have prepared all the papers and are waiting for responses from the Ghanaian authorities”.

With the Nigerian population accounting for roughly 50 percent of that of the entire ECOWAS region, one can understand the fear of certain states about being overwhelmed. Lang and Ling (languages and linguistics) students are familiar with steam-roller tongues: As with languages, so with nations and states.

Nonetheless, Onafowokan sounded more and more optimistic, when he observed: “Nigeria and Ghana are con-joined twins”. In other words, they are inseparable and their fortunes intertwined.

ecently, a top staff of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporate (NTDC), Lagos office, had put a call across to remind me that the federal tourism regulating agency had clocked fifty. This woman with immense passion and love for tourism, took me down memory lane and gave me lectures on how it all began.

The truth is that I should know but honestly I forgot. There are so much on our tourism plate and the least on my mind at such a time like this in Nigeria, had nothing to do with how old and how we had fared. But then, the revelation from this woman and staff of NTDC forced me to stand down on my thoughts on latest developments in tourism. Imagine a nation so blessed yet at cross-roads deliberately created by its own people.

Nigeria is a country that loves outsiders and hates its own people, a nation and people that pulls down its best and promotes mediocre. A nation of 150 million people with abundant and sufficient natural resources but with citizens, begging for jobs within and without. It guts me that we have a tourism minister that is dumb and deaf. He speaks to no one but to himself.

A Minister of Tourism that prefers to work with outsiders, particularly South Africans, instead of Nigerian tourism experts. A Nigerian tourism minister that has elevated ethnic jingoism to national past-time and gets away with it.

A chameleon and a masquerade, our tourism minister is a man of many colours, the ‘ejile and “egungun” of Calabar with a zero score card with the Nigerian tourism media.

If not for Segun Runsewe, I wonder where we would be today in the tourism world.

Runsewe had remained faithful and focused despite all odds. This great Nigerian ministers tourism with immense grace and vision to the benefit of all. He came to tourism to let the world know that Nigeria exists on world map and not to appropriate riches and honour to self.

In six out of our fifty years of tourism march, Runsewe took us away from the dream land of tourism to a realistic and practical pathway of survival and national transformation. He gave us hope again in an industry to which governments in the past only paid lip service to its growth.

An industry, which other climes paid dues and reaped financial and developmental strides but to us, a cross bar to which we hump up to our shame.

Today, a transformed NTDC has justified the need to celebrate, the need to refocus on tourism and the need for this administration to do more for tourism. At the height of our “bombed” 51st anniversary as a nation, it was NTDC that came to our national rescue to put together the best of our national freedom revival festivals in Lagos. That show-stopper took all the shame and sorrow of our nation away. It was an event of guts in the face of brazen challenges to our unity, peace and progress. Nigeria and Nigerians cannot afford to forget so suddenly.

Before the Cynthias of this world met their death in such gruesome circumstances, it was NTDC that had insisted that hospitality and hotel operators play by the rules. A nation without industry classification and grading cannot achieve growth and monitor development. Yet the enemies within, particularly some state government with eyes for zero sum game in all areas of national aspiration did became standing blocks.

We shall not fail to point out that the process

People & Tourism

Frank Meke mekefrank@yahoo.co.uk 08057511885 (sms only)

of transformation and development in tourism has also impacted on key national service delivery bench mark expectation. The process has called to question to how best to drive our aviation, rail, road, security, culture and other relevant – steam section of our economy to the benefit of our people.

As a bridge builder across various economic and social platforms, NTDC has maintained a deliberate ministration on the values and content of tourism in national developmental mandates located elsewhere, be it in security, aviation/airports, immigration, protected areas and conservation, media, water transportation, banking and local government administration.

At fifty and the only agency so gifted to position its mandate with forceful interest, an exclusive tourism radio station with full outside broadcast unit is indeed worthy to be celebrated.

Indeed, the achievement of NTDC under Runsewe calls for joy and gratitude from all of us. It was an occasion worthy to be celebrated and as wont with this great Nigerian tourism achiever, he did it with grace and honour to God and man.

Runsewe didn’t gather the ranks and files of “wasters” and palace praise singers, rather he sought to empower women and mothers of Nigeria who move across ethnic and religious frontiers of Nigeria, trading and creating meaningful economic activities that have become the nerve centre of our national integration.

It is also of great spiritual value that the event happened ast same time, the world celebrated “World Tourism Day”, a special day set aside to evaluate the contribution and expected role of tourism to global affairs. To this event again, Runsewe exhibited a sense of deep thought and focus, empowering cab operators at Abuja International Airport who more or less have first contact with visitors into Abuja.

Space would not permit to fully highlight the shame in Makurdi, Benue State where our hippopotamus of a minister and his palace Jesters gathered to drink and indulge the flesh in celebration of a day to which other nations rise to call attention to areas of weakness and strength. Anyway, this is an issue for another day to which we shall evaluate tourism records of many hollowways.

On this day, we recall the footsteps of some of our pathfinders in tourism, such as late Ignatius Atigbi, Mathew Ehajojie Da’silva, Kingsley Onuoha, and Pa Alamutu for their pioneering roles. For the living, we still have Alabo Mike Amachree, Alhaji Garba Gumel, Franklin Adejuwon, Alhaji Tukur Mani, now Nigeria ambassador to Iran, MK Beshir, Tereza Ezobi, Catharine Okon now also an ambassador and our media Icon, my Oga and tourism Journalism mentor, Ogbeni Tope Awe. I cannot but also rejoice today at the contributions of Association of Tourism Journalists and Travel writers of Nigeria (ANJET) to which am the least of all. To God and our Lord Jesus Christ, we give all the glory to where we are today and to the future benefit Wife of the Deputy Senate President, Mrs. Nwanneka Beatrice of tourism to our dear nation.

May the life and light of Jesus Ekweremadu, flanked by Haji Hasiya Ahmed, National Christ overshadow our nation Treasurer of NCWS Mrs. Margaret Utande DD Legal and Otunba Segun Runsewe, DG, NTDC, jointly presenting a token and guide Runsewe now and forever, Amen. to a beneficiary during the event.

44

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

Radiant Digest “...The letter killeth but the spirit gives life.” II Cor 3:6

www.radiantencounterfemiblogspot.com; radiantlife@yahoo.com;

E-mail: adorobaba@yahoo.com

21st Century English grammar and usage (62) Criticism riticism” is simply the act of expressing disapproval of somebody or something and opinions about their faults or bad qualities, or a statement showing disapproval.

And as Prof. J. Schwartz puts it, “you are growing when people criticize you.” Yes, you are progressing when you are criticized. After all, progress is the law law of God. However, people in public life or office must always be open to criticism. Besides, it has been said, and it is well-said, that those who hate the heat should not go to the kitchen! And to the professional and literary critics, J. Paul Getty reminds us all that “praise should always be given in public while criticism should always be delivered in private”. Praise is the opposite of criticism. Mr. President, three cheers to you!

In the continent or on the continent?

Ethiopia’s national airline, Ethiopa Air, became a leader “in” (on) the continent and Meles Zenawi’s country became an investor’s destination. THE GUARDIAN EDITORIAL, September 4, 2012. Note on usage: In Standard English, we correctly say or write: On the continent, on the island, on Lagos/Ikoyi Island, on the platform, on the road (but, in the street), on the way, on war path, etc. “in the continent”, like in Lagos Island”, is Nigerian vernacular English!

Practice or Practise?

When we “practice” (practise), we refer to the drudgery of routine, the application of energy in the activity of repetition, and by repetition, we pursue excellence and the ever elusive perfection.

Like Keats said or as Keats said?

The poet will call the disaster such as the recent Dana Airline crash a terrible beauty. But “like” (as) John Keats said, “beauty is truth, truth beauty” Imagine the appeal to the splendor in conjuring pictures if chatted flesh and the ugly majesty of a gigantic aircraft wrecked “on” (in) a street, and beside it is the picture of “area boys” (hoodlums/thugs/trouble-makers/hooligans/skinheads/molesters) lacking in the sorrowful intensity of the moment.

It dates back to or It dated back to?

But what is tabloid journalism? It is not a thing that started on our shores. It “dates: (dated) back “over” (to) over a century, and it has located itself in the middle of the modern world like any force.

A man on the street or the man in the street?

Mike Awoyinfa brought a variety of perspectives and talent into the mix (between Vintag people and Weekend Concord). He loved high art and he was at peace with “a” (the) man in the street. He is a daring professional.-THE NATION’S Midweek Magazine Page, August 29, 2012. Special notes on grammar and usage: It is settled in the grammatology or grammaticality of the English language that we practise journalism, law, medicine, advertising, public relations, engineering, nursing, etc (but we don’t somehow practise the media). However, we can correctly say or write: media professionals/experts/managers/specialists/executives, etc.

Another note: I repeat, the words like “practice”, “advice”, “device” and “licence” ending in “-ce” are nouns, and their corresponding verbs are “practise”, “advise”, “devise” and “license”.

In American English (AE) however, “practice” is used as noun and as verb!

“As” is followed by a verb. E.g. As I told you yesterday, he did it. “Like I told you yesterday, he did it” is a piece of Americanism.

“In the street” is Briticism while “on the street” is Americanism.

“Date back to”, like “date from”, “hark back to”, “stretch back to” and “go back to”, inflects in the past and in the past participle. E.g. “date back to” inflects “dates back to”, dating back to, dated back to,, has dated back to”, hark back to” inflects “harks back to”-harking back to-harked back tohas harked back to.

“The man in the street” meaning the ordinary or an average person”, is a formal (fixed/set) idiom that is almost a cliché, but it cannot be changed to “a man in the street”. E.g. Politicians should pay more attention to the man in the street in Nigeria.

I repeat, idioms that have become part and parcel of the language cannot be changed, rearranged or altered. Nobody has any special licence-poetic, journalistic, editorial, literary or

‘C

pastoral- to change a fixed idiom. Mark you: The English language has its rules, principles and conventions.

Remember also that “pre-date” and “antedate” behave or inflect like the above named verbs.

There is “a lot of” (much) practice in journalism all right.-ibid. Note well: According to the chief Priest of usage, H.W.Fowler, author of “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage”, “a lot”, “a lot of”, firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc will soon go out of the language, they are going gradually!

Besides, “a lot of” and “lots of” are colloquial, wordy and old-fashioned. In formal writing, use “much” for “a great amount” and “many” for “a great number”e.g. much money, much water and “many” for countable nouns, e.g. many men and women, many countries, many a man, many men, etc.

As a junk or as junk?

It is also on record that the same government shot itself “at” (in) the foot by dismissing the audit report as “a junk” (junk).-National Mirror, August 23, 2012. Notes on usage: “To shoot oneself in the foot”, meaning to make a mistake or do something stupid which causes problems for oneself or harms one’s chances of success”, is an informal idiom. E.g. Johnny shot himself in the foot when he stole money from his grandmother; she was going to leave him all her money but she changed her will before she died.

An uncountable noun does not admit “a” or “an”, “As a junk” is totally Un-English.

In 1960 March or in March 1960?

My first marriage to the late Mrs Mary Ojutomori Ojo took place in 1959 and we had our first child named Kofoworola in “1960 March” (March 1960).

Jonathan reassures “Igbos” (the Igbo/Ndigbo) on second Niger Bridge. “Igbos” (The Igbo/Ndigbo will reject vice president (VP/vee pee) slot in 2015.

A prominent Igbo leader and former governor of the old Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said the “Igbos” (Igbo/Ndigbo) will not settle for the vice president slot.

May Prof C.O.E. Onwuliri’s gentle and generous soul “Rest In Perfect Peace” (Rest In Peace/ RIP), even as we pray that out Almighty God will console his dear wife, family, friends and other well-wishers. From Daily SUN, June 20, 2012.

Special notes on grammar and usage: We correctly say or write: The Igbo/Ndigbo (not the Igbos); the Yoruna (not the Yorubas); the Hausa-Filani (not the Hausa-Fulaniis); the Ijaw (not the Ijaws); the Edo, etc.

RIP, meaning “Requiescat or Requiescant In Pace” (Rest In Peace) is Latinism. Note that it is “Rest In Peace/RIP) and not (Rest In Perfect Peace”. It needs no modification, qualification or amplification. It is a stock phrase/expression.

I repeat, in English, the day precedes the week, the week precedes the month and the month precedes the year. E.g. Nigeria became an independent nation on Saturday, 1st October, 1960.

Another note: “Retired” is abbreviated to “retd/ret” and not “rtd” or “Rtd”!

Demanding for a review or demanding a review?

This divide has led to a situation where the North is “demand for” (demanding) a review of the revenue allocation formula.

Even though the “likes” (like/ilk/kind) of Junaid Mohamed are insisting that the matter be revisited, the Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan does not appear disposed to doing that. Indeed we really have the head of a hydra in our hands.

The three high-placed suspects were all said to be childhood friends and own their personal houses “on” (in) the same street in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos.

Last week Saturday or on Saturday last week?

They tricked the late Mr Olufemi Ogunkorode, an indigene of Ilu Omoba-Ekiti, Ekiti State, to their home town “last week Saturday” (on Saturday, last week/ last Saturday or last Saturday week) on the pretext that Chief Babatunde Olumofe was going to bury his mother.

Confab or conference?

Editors “confab” (conference) holds in Uyo on September 12.

Children’s church leaders hold “confab” (conference).

Evang. Femi Olaoluwa 08022556887, 080561568736

Nigeria needs visionary leaders

F

or Nigeria to take her rightful position as the light of Africa, the founder/General Overseer of Pentecostal Canaanland Mission Incorporation, Pastor Nick Medo-Uwa, emphasises on the place of leaders with vision. He also revealed the role of the Church to make the nation great.

“My vision in ministry is global - to reach the world for Christ, to bring prosperity to the body of Christ and prepare the saints for rapture; they are all about raising great spiritual armies for the end time harvest.

Our nation Nigeria As I said before the 2011 elections, Nigerians should not be deceived by current pressure on them to look for credible men to vote for in next year’s elections. Nigerians must seek for people with vision to pilot the affairs of the nation in the next four years.

I still want to emphasise that Nigeria doesn’t need a good man to be president for Nigeria to move forward. We don’t only need a good man, we also need a man of vision; somebody that knows where Nigeria is and knows where he is taking Nigeria. And that is exactly what we are praying for. A visionary leader that understands Nigeria’s problems, and a Nigerian, who is willing and has the political will to take Nigeria to the next level.

I strongly believe that God is already taking Nigeria to another level; all we need do is to pray for the right leaders. We are trusting God that it’s going to continue like that every year. We are collaborating with some powerful Nigerians, who have contributed a lot to humanity and give them award by encouraging them to continue to do good things because as you know, good people are very scarce in this nation. However, we still believe strongly that there are qualitative men and women, who have distinguished themselves to do great things; impacting on the lives of the people and the society.

Nick Medo-uwa The Church and the nation God has been using the Church for the people are going to hear good news in their finances, marriages and other areas of their lives. It is now left for the people to begin to put their trust and hope in God, and rejoice and be happy, then face their troubles with joy and happiness because the Bible says; in everything, we should give thanks.

I want to admonish my fellow pastors to go back and preach the original gospel to the people to stem moral decadence in Christendom. We need to remember that apart from our spiritual and physical responsibilities to the churches in our care, we are also the watchers over the nation.

Attack that reproach before it kills you

T

his day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you?

Josh. 5:9.

It is imperative to understand that God is not the author of joblessness and stagnation. It is never God’s agenda for us (Matt.13: 28, 25) and that is why every believer in Christ has to be battle-ready to attack every form of reproach he/she is presently witnessing. I want to highlight five characteristics of reproach: long period of time (John 5:6). Man with 38 years of reproach. In most cases, it takes away the identity of their victim -Act 3:1-3 (Man lame from his mother’s womb - Matt. 9:20 (Woman with the issue of blood). In most cases, reproach cannot be hidden; it comes off and on and have maintained a duty post in victim’s life.

Beloved, if you notice any sign of reproach in your life (whether inherited or through

Mowo

affliction or attack), then you must be prepared to attack the reproach with godly weapon such as repentance from sin, daily dedication to holy living, word of God, prayer and fasting.

(Read: Prov.

28:13, Joshua 5:9).

Pray these prayer points: Let the source of the power of my enemies that bring reproach to my life dry up in Jesus’name.

O Lord, deliver me from every reproach (whether inherited or through affliction or attack) in Jesus’

name.

•For prayer, counselling and other spiritual assistance, call or sms Prophet Mowo Olabajo on 08035808564, 08075459921, 08080307605.He is the head pastor of Excellent Spirit Apostolic Church Int’l, Aboru, Iyana Ipaja,Lagos. Email:excelspirit@yahoo.com

Radiant Prayer-outreach support forum

W

e are really humbled by the impacts of the RADIANT columns in The Sun and the Radiant Life Outreach Ministries partnering with churches, mission agencies, and ministries in production, publication and distribution of Christian films\tracts, in villages\areas across the nation. There is hardly any day we don’t receive feedbacks either in form of phone calls, text messages or mail or direct contact

to commend, seek prayer requests or give testimonies of spiritual edification.

Now, God is leading us for the National Coordinator, Evang Femi Olaoluwa and other ministers of God to be ministering to people (on invitation) through media, outreach prayer and counselling support at our corporate office, Obadore, off LASUEgbeda Expressway, Lagos every Thursday (12 noon to 6pm).

•Call or send SMS to Evang Femi Olaoluwa (08056158736) for Christian films\tracts and information for on Radiant media-outreach & prayer support forum or publication of your Christian message in The Sun.

DAILY SUN

Thursday, October 4, 2012

45

MONEY

Entrepreneur, Property & Investment guide

By AMECHI OGBONNA

M

r Tunde Lemo is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Deputy Governor in charge of Operations and the arrowhead of the on-going cashless project. The project which is now awaiting a nationwide rollout from January 2013, aims at limiting the use of large sums of cash in economic transactions as well as enhancing the capacity of the Nigerian banking sector to serve the business community better.

Lemo, who was in Lagos to present a keynote address at the Payment Card Industry Data Security Ststem (PCIDSS) workshop gave account of progress so far recorded with payment system in Lagos, explaining what the apex bank was doing to achieve a seamless transition to modern payment systems that will put the nation at par with other countries of the world.

Excerpts: Biometric portal and single identification for bank customers The Bankers Committee has taken a decision that its sub- committee headed by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Zenith Bank, Mr Godwin Emefide should begin work on the biometric based unique identification portal that will be available to all the banks soon.

The idea is to ensure that we can have a data base that will be very ubiquitous and ensure there is a unique identity for all customers across the entire industry in the country. That committee has since started work and we have been monitoring the progress regularly to ensure its assignment is delivered as soon as possible.

State of partnership with NIMC The Central Bank of Nigeria issued a circular recently so that we want to get it right from the onset. I believe NIMC idea is very good one because it is something we can migrate to in future when all the structures are put in place. But at present, our plan is to hold hands on something that will drive banking transactions pending when we are ready to migrate to NIMC, which I believe is a scheme for the future. Today the need is very compelling that the banking industry need to have a means of identification that will be available and unique to all stakeholders and the later when NIMC matures, maybe we can then migrate some or all of that to NIMC portal or we have an idea whereby we can have complete integration with NIMC Portal. But at the moment, the banking industry will want to hit the ground running with something that is unique to it and that can be available to all the banks as soon as possible.

“Any individual who has the capacity to cash N150,000 cheque across a bank counter is significant to open a current account”

Identity fraud is big business – Lemo, CBN DG, Ops

• Lemo Our partnership with NIMC is critical to what we are doing because we are looking at having something we can all use in future, but until that is done, we have to have what the banks can use and then when NIMC is ready, we can all migrate to that. Right now we have a conflicting situation but we cannot jettison partnership that is possible with NIMC. Dealing with withdrawal limits Any individual who has the capacity to carry N150, 000 cheque across a bank counter is significant enough to open a current account. I say this because identity fraud is a big issue in the banking industry and we know that the Know Your Customer (KYC Principle) is very miniscum to protect customers and so we don’t expect anybody to lodge a cheque of N150, 000 or more in a savings account where the KYC requirement is very small. We expect however that such a customer should be painstaking enough to supply sufficient data to open a current account because it is in the best interest and for the protection of the customers. We are very much interested in the safety of customers’ deposits and that is why we want to provide them with global best practices and standards in line with current banking reforms.

N5billion recovery from banks We discovered that occasionally some cus-

tomers are charged what they are not supposed to be charged and when the situation is reported to the Central Bank, we investigate it and if found to be true, we compel the banks to pay back to such customers. We have done this over time and recovered about N5billion from the defaulting banks and we wish to continue doing this because of the interest we have in consumer protection and improved services to depositors. That activity alone has made us to recover over N5billon since the inception of the consumer protection department of the CBN. We will continue with those kinds of interventions until the banking system and customer service are fully sanitized..

January 1, 2013 nationwide cashless rollout plan We are looking at all options because we want to perfect what we have done in Lagos.

I won’t make any policy statement on that because no decision has been taken on the matter yet, but if need be for such extension crises, why not. All that we want to do is to get it right in Lagos because we believe that when we do that, we will also succeed to taking the project to other states of the federation.

Lagos is a miniature Nigeria where we have a cluster of very high value transactions.

All we want to do is to clear all the challenges so that when we rollout there won’t be prob-

lems along the way.

Policy on foreign subsidiaries of banks The Central Bank is indeed pleased with the progress that banks are making with respect to compliance with its policy on recapitalization of their offshore subsidiaries. W e believe the banks are complying and we don’t see any problem about that and so I can tell you we don’t have any problems about that for now. All the policies we have taken in this regard are in the interest of our financial system.

Input of telecommunications service providers In fairness to telcos, Nigeria is a peculiar country. In other parts of the world, telcos do not need to bother about power supply, security or vandalization and other challenges because they are all taken for granted. But here in Nigeria they have to contend with such because we are still burdened with their problems. Notwithstanding we will continue to engage the telecommunications service providers and whenever we see lapses in their operations we try to correct them until we are all able to get better results PCIDSS sensitization One major concern we had during the stakeholders’ engagement sessions on cashless Lagos was the fraud risk for the fact that the security of e-payments channels was a big issue. I am delighted to note that compliance with PCIDSS will help to mitigate risks associated with prevalent use of bank cards and payment channels.

We organized a workshop to sensitize practitioners and stakeholders in the banking industry of the relevance of PCIDSS, with a view to helping them to meet the CBN‘s deadline for compliance.

In launching the cash-less Lagos project, the Central Bank was aiming at promoting and entrenching electronic payments, as a major channel for payment and settlement, by all economic agents, away from the current dominance of cash based transactions.

The new cash-less policy was introduced for a number of key reasons including driving development and modernization of our payments system in line with Nigeria’s vision 2020 goal of being amongst the top 20 economies, by the year 2020. This is because we believe that an efficient and modern payments system is positively correlated with economic development, and is a key enabler for economic growth.

The Central Bank’s overriding objective to reduce the cost of banking services (including cost of credit) and to drive financial inclusion, by providing more efficient transaction options and attaining greater reach by the business community.

It was in our effort to improve effectiveness of monetary policy in managing inflation and driving economic growth that the CBN, in Continued on page 46

46

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

MONEY Entrepreneur

Producing and exporting vegetable oil

A

• Lemo

We’ve licensed payment terminal operators with NIBSS as aggregator Continued from page 45 collaboration with stakeholders, had put in place measures for making cash-less Lagos a success.

We flagged off a mass enlightenment programmes to sensitize the public in addition to massive deployment of POS terminals and the licensing of Mobile Payment Operators We have also licensed Payments Terminal Service Providers and appointed NIBSS as Payment Terminal Service Aggregator. The CBN followed up that measure with issuance of POS standards coupled with agreements with MTN and Glo for provision of dedicated links for POS high uptime in addition to inaugurating the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum. The CBN recognizes that innovations in payments system require institutional support and that explains why we have issued relevant rules and regulations to provide a level playing field for all stakeholders in the retail payments industry.

You could recall for instance that we have already released the Electronic banking guidelines, POS Standards, and ATM Standards to guide all our stakeholders in the economy.

But beyond that too, the CBN has also issued Regulatory Framework for Mobile Payments, the Guidelines on Transactions Switching and Guidelines on Stored Value Card and Prepaid Card Operations.

All these guidelines you would recall stipulate compliance with international standards, such as PCIDSS and I strongly believe that it is an achievable task to comply with within the set timeline and that only can be accomplished with our collective sense of commitment. Part of that commitment is for all stakeholders to make useful contributions that will support the drive towards compliance with PCIDSS. It is also on that basis too that as an organization, the CBN will continue to appreciate collaboration from stakeholders in public private sector agencies that have continued to partner us, whenever the need arises so that together we can deliver a world class payments system that future generations would be proud.

We have always worked hard to strengthen the security of our payments channels and boost public confidence towards massive adoption of electronic payments in Nigeria, which has been the CBN’s overriding consideration.

nation that wants to grow must look inwards so as to harness those areas where it has comparative advantage over other nations. When this is done, then efforts would be done to develop those areas to the advantage of the nation.

Apart from petroleum, Nigeria is blessed with other Agricultural products which when processed and exported can fetch up to 60 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Unfortunately, some of those natural resources endowed to the country are not fully utilized.

Could you imagine that until recently, before Federal Government announces the ban on importation of some items, that vegetable oil is being imported into this country? This does not tell well of a nation that wants to generate employment to teeming unemployed school leavers. It does not tell well of a nation that wants to generate more foreign exchange to correct imbalance of payments. It does not tell well of a nation that wants to develop rural areas. Therefore there is urgent need to think of how to make good use of what we have to get what we want.

In this write up we shall discuss on how to establish a project using abundant raw materials grown in abundant in Nigeria; vegetable oil is highly demanded in the international market as well as within the country. Vegetable oil includes palm oil, palm kernel oil, sesame seeds oil, and groundnut oil to mention but few.

Prospective investors will be educated on how to use either local technology or imported machines to set up internationally acceptable product.

Raw materials & sources The raw materials needed to set up this project are cottonseeds, melon seeds, groundnuts, palm nuts or palm kernel sesame seeds etc. All these are grown in all parts of Nigeria.

Therefore easy procurement of raw materials is assured.

Uses of the envisaged product Vegetable oil is a major ingredient in soap, cream, butter and margarine production. It is used at homes and fast food centres as cooking or frying oil. It acts as a substitute to a more expensive Olive oil, as salad oil. Vegetable oil is therefore used by cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food & beverages industries.

The cottonseed, sesame seeds, melon seed, groundnut and palm kernel cakes are rich in

UBA Godwin ubagodwin@yahoo.com 08034494437, 08023664368

protein and carbohydrate & fats and are necessary input in livestock feeds formulation.

Vegetable oil and cakes are therefore commercially and domestically valuables. As a result no waste is envisaged.

Marketing of the product The increase in the demand for soap, cream, butter, margarine and other industrial products, has made the demand for vegetable oil very high. The demand covers not only within Nigeria, but also across the globe. Some companies in Europe, America, Asia and even some part of Africa are readily available to purchase in bulk from those who may wish to exploit the opportunities in international market. Details of such foreign buyers will be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

Technology (plants & machinery) The plant and machinery required depends on the type of product the prospective investor may wish to produce and the raw material input.

From survey carried out the major raw material required include crusher, Toaster, Filter press, refining plant. Other equipment includes receiving tanks; weighing scale, project vehicles etc.

The advantage of the plant is that it has economic efficiency of processing cottonseed, melon seed, groundnut and palm nuts as well as palm kernel. What the promoters need is to have separate processing shaft for different vegetable oil seeds. The promoters have the option of using either locally made machines or imported ones. Details on how and where to procure and install, quality machines and equipment (both locally made and imported ones) will be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

Production capacity Technically, it implies that the processing plant would be worked to its optimal capacity and all the estimated projections would be achieved. Details would be given to prospective investors.

Quality control It is advisable to prospective investors to maintain high quality standard so as to attract wider acceptable of the product both internationally and locally. The refinery plant should be well equipping enough to refine an internally acceptable product. The quality control specified by Nigeria and International Standard Organization is therefore very essential. Moreover NAFDAC requirements are also very important. Prospective investors will be given details information on these vital issues.

Packaging Packaging is another important area to pay much attention to. There is internationally recommended method of packaging the vegetable oil. Locally, there may not be much worry about the packaging. In this case the promoters may opt for P.E.T bottles. In terms of international market, adequate care should be taken. Details will be given to prospective investors.

Financial implications The project cost for each of the projects depends on the type of raw material to be applied. It also depends on the proposed location and type of machines to be applied. The cost will be established after discussing with prospective investors on all these issues.

Funding There are financial institutions and special project funding organizations that would be recommended to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

Investment profit potentials The seeds contain 25 percent of yellow oil.

Adopting two processing machines for project take off at 5 tons per plant, and working for 300 days, 3,000 tons of vegetable oil would be produced in a year. Given 25 percent as oil content per ton, 750 tons of cake would be produced annually. Assuming a conservative price of N125, 000 per ton, an average of N93.75 million would be made in a year as annual turnover. Selling in the international market will yield more returns.

For further details on comprehensive & bankable feasibility studies & reports, procurement & installation of the machines & equipment (both local and foreign made) testrunning recruitment of quality manpower and training, funding arrangement, please contact the writer.

Cassava chips and pellets processing Edwin Agbaike krisedbrilliant@yahoo.com 08098525122, 08023381900

C

assava Chips and Pellets are used extensively for various chemicals manufacturing such as ethanol, animal feeds and other industrial raw materials. It is also used as cassava flavors for making cassava foods. Cassava as substitute resources in livestock feeds production is fashionable because of its relative cheapness compared with grains especially corn. This accounts for its high demand in Nigeria and the international market.

Cassava roots or tubes constitutes the main raw materials for chips and pellets production.

Cleaned roots are cut into smaller pieces and chipped before they are further processed into chips and pellets. Production plant entails the use of the following main machinery/equipment viz.

•Cassava Peeler Machine •Automatic Washing Machine •Automatic Chipping System Machine •Dryer •Weighing scale and other miscellaneous tools.

Cassava chips and pallets can be produced by very simple techniques in the household as well

as on large mechanized scale. The process of producing cassava chips and pallets are virtually the same. The products undergo the following stages.

The raw cassava tubers procured from local farmers and processed into the automatic peeler. The sharp blade usually cut off large chunks of the tubers, hence manual process is encouraged.

Peeled cassava are then washed thoroughly either with the aid of washing machine or manual.

Washed cassavas are then passed into the chipping machine for chips or pelleting machine for pellets.

The chips or pellets are then passed into the dryer, and the end product ready for packaging.

Packaging is done in 50kg jute bags.

The project is better located in the rural or semi-urban area where the land is arable and the inhabitants are agrarian, cultivating lot of cassava. This will produce the much-needed raw materials for continuous operation of the plant. An open spaced building housing the machineries in a fenced area of land will be ideal for factory site.

The cost of setting up a cassava chips and pellet plant depends on the scale. A small scale plant ranges from about N450,000 to N1.5 million, depending on expected outputs. The viability of this project is not in doubt. Moreover, the returns are high with very short payback period.

There is a substantial market for cassava chips and pellets in Nigeria, ECOWAS sub region, Europe and the Far East. The local demand and high export potential is due to its numerous uses as raw materials for industrial chemicals. In Nigeria, the recognized buyers are the pharmaceutical/chemical companies, livestock companies, etc. Distributors can be appointed as market outlets for the products.

Alternatively, the promoter could embark upon direct export marketing to earn hard currencies.

This project is highly recommended for entrepreneurs who have vast areas of arable land, and interested in cassava cultivation. This bring into operation-integrated project that will result in higher profit margin. This project is capable of offering employment to about 10 personnel, most of who will be unskilled and casual workers on a daily pay.

Since the raw materials is 100% locally sourced and easy to come by, this project stands a good chance of attracting finance from the banks, where individuals or corporate bodies are assisted with funds ranging from N500,000 to well over N50 million. A well-packaged feasibility report is a prerequisite to securing finance for the project.

For details on how to implement this project or any other, please contact us. We are willing to assist potential investors on any aspect of the project. Prospective investors may get in touch with us.

DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012

47

MONEY Entrepreneur

I

n 22 years of operation, Zenith Bank Plc. has grown to become one of the biggest and most profitable banks in Nigeria.

After going public on June 17, 2004, the bank was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on October 21, 2004 following a successful initial public offer (IPO) and currently has a shareholder base of over one million and shareholder funds of $2.55 billion as at the end of Q2 2012.

Zenith Bank has over 500 branches and business offices nationwide, with presence in all the state capitals, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and major towns in the country. In April 2007, Zenith became the first Nigerian bank in 25 years to be licensed by the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA), giving rise to Zenith Bank (UK) Limited. It also has presence in: Ghana, Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited; Sierra Leone, Zenith Bank (Sierra Leone) Limited; Gambia, Zenith Bank (Gambia) Limited and a representative office in Johannesburg, South Africa while another representative office is being opened in Beijing, China this year.

Headed by Godwin Emefiele, the Group Managing Director and CEO, who took over from the founding CEO, Jim Ovia, in August 2010, the bank’s operating results since it went public in 2004, indicate an impressive performance in all parameters. For instance, assets of the bank grew from $1.25 billion in

Why customer service is critical to our success – Emefiele, Zenith Bank GMD 2004 to $15.48 billion in Q2 2012, representing a growth of 1,138.4 per cent. Within the same period, total deposits went up by 1,174 per cent from $845 million to $10.77 billion, as at June 2012. The result is evidence of increasing market share for Zenith Bank and popular acceptance by the Nigerian banking public.

From inception, Zenith Bank clearly set out to distinguish itself in the banking industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices.

Today, it is easily associated with such attributes in the Nigerian banking industry: as Firstin-class customer experience and satisfaction; innovation; good financial performance; stable and dedicated management team among others The bank places high premium on the pivotal role of exceptional service delivery in its drive to consistently exceed customer expectations. Thus, Zenith bank has put in place a well articulated strategy to meet and surpass customer expectations and constantly ensures that plans and strategies are fine-tuned to

Emefiele address the changing taste and sophistication of the customer. The underlying philosophy is to remain at all times, a customer-focused institution with a clear understanding of its market and environment.

How infrastructure deficit hurts business in Delta State – Odeh From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

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is dream to transform Delta State hospitality industry, is currently being threatened by deplorable access road, leading to business outfits located along the ever-busy Refinery road in the oil city of Warri, Delta State. But Chief Moses Efe Odeh, proprietor of Five Star Hotel Excel, is very sad over the deplorable condition of roads where the hotel is situated.

In a chat with The Sun in Warri, the business mogul further lamented that the convulsive state of the road is killing a lot of businesses and pleaded with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to hasten reconstruction of the road without further delay.

Odeh, wondered why things are turning upside down, especially in Warri and Effurun, the hub of business activities in the number one oil producing state of the country EXCERTPS: Bad roads Words cannot express my feeling over the deplorable condition of roads in Warri and environs. For instance, a very popular road like Refinery Road, Effurun which hosts a lot of companies is now impassable. This road has continuously been in a bad state of disrepair with little or no effort on the part of Delta

• Odeh

State Government to fix the road over time.

As you may know, Refinery road is very strategic in the sense that many hotels and other business organisations are situated there, but the bad condition of the road has invariably grounded hospitality business to a halt.

The implication of this development is that if nothing is done urgently to fix the Refinery Road, most businesses will be forced to close shop. I have made several efforts to reach Gov Emmanual Uduaghan, on this issue but to no avail. It is a worrisome situation for all concerned. More worrisome is the fact that a world class Hotel Excel is strategically located along the same Refinery Road which is now impassable. Going by the present condition of the road, customers find it very difficult to do business with Hotel Excel because access routes are evidently in deplorable condition. Consequently, our customers are fast switching their patronage to other hotels in town. This has posed serious challenge to hospitality business in recent times. In the same vien, the drainage system on the Refinery road is not properly designed as rain water regularly clog the entire road causing heavy traffic congestion. In a nutshell, the present condition of roads in Warri and environs are begging for attention. Therefore, I am calling on the state government to expedite action by way of ensuring that the road project is completed without further delay and the task of repairing other roads throughout the city urgently undertaken.

By doing that, the governor would have created conducive environment for the hospitality industry to operate as other smaller businesses would certainly be sustained accordingly.

But in the event of the state government not taking a bold step towards completing the Refinery Road project, most hotels may be forced to close down.

Infrastucture in Delta State I will say that when the government says men are on ground, it pointedly depends on the integrity of the people assigned responsibilities. They can only get a result if their focus is to make the three

point agenda of Governor Uduaghan’s government workable. otherwise, they will achieve nothing. For instance, infrastructural development is one of the three point agenda of the government, but you can see that most of the roads in Warri and environs are seriously begging for attention. The bad state of Refinery Road is worrisome. I think Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan should endeavour to move around to see for himself what the situation on ground is at the moment. I do not know whether he gets the right information from the persons he had put at work.

However, it is obvious that the purported construction firms handling the road projects are not performing up to expectation or that something might have gone wrong somewhere. I am seriously in doubt if the governor who apparently knows the economic importance of Roads would be hesitant to get it properly done in a short space of time. If you got me clear, the present state of business for hotels operating along Warri is obviously terrible. It is pathetic to recall that on several occasions valuable visitors/customers to our facility got stock in their vehicles while trying to meander the bad spots on the road. Often times, these visitors would be surprised that Warri, an oil city does not have the best network of roads. I think the story must change if the governor should start asking questions and seeking the views of the common man in the street.

Business at Hotel Excel How would hospitality business thrive when Shell is leaving Warri, and other companies are going away from Warri… I grew up to meet Shell in full operation, but as it is now the company has relocated its base. We as individuals have tried by using our ingenuity to contribute immensely to the economic growth and development of Delta state and Nigeria at large. But the government seems to be less concerned about the present development. The government of Delta state should encourage investors by providing the enabling environment for business to thrive. In the same vein, the government should have intervened promptly when these companies were warming up to quit. The government should have known that the relocation of the oil companies from Warri and environs would impact negatively on the economy of the state as the internally generated revenue would shrink. Also, many people would lose their jobs because there is no more work available.

You may know that there is a place built in Ogun state by a past Nigerian leader where oil company employees are being trained.

The bank’s commitment to customer satisfaction has at various times led to assigning critical and pervasive roles to Total Quality Management (TQM), Customer Service Ambassadors, Operation Service Excellence Teams, among others. Thus, at all times, all structures and processes are fashioned to drive consistent improvement in the quality of service delivery.

Zenith Bank laid the foundation of its structures and processes on cutting-edge Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure which ensures that every transaction is carried out via a medium that makes for speed, flexibility, accuracy and convenience of the customer.

Meanwhile, all activities are anchored on the e-platform, ensuring service delivery through the electronic media to all customers irrespective of place, time and distance. This disposition puts Zenith Bank ahead and well prepared for the cashlite policy of the CBN which berthed in April, 2012 The bank has shown strong commitment at improving the quality of life of the underserved. This is why its business activities are carried out under the strictest observance of corporate ethics and respect for people and constituted authorities.

Its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives are driven by a clear understanding of Nigeria banking environment and a strong knowledge of the resource gaps and pressing needs of communities and people within and beyond its areas of operations. The primary reason is the willingness and desire to give back to the people and communities that have been an encouragement in pursuit of enterprise as well as a conviction that partnering with the public sector to address some areas of need is a healthy investment on our present and future.

In pursuit of global focus and scope its CSI policy will be fine-tuned and remodeled to reflect its status as a global brand. Our CSI policy therefore, reflects our commitment to global best practices, including Principles and Conventions of the United Nations on Sustainable Development, Environment, Human Rights, among others.

Management says it is committed to Workplace Principles and Professional Ethics of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other global institutions dedicated to the enhancement of the common good.

In January 2012, for instance Zenith Bank was recognized as one of the 30 outstanding global brands that are making sustainable impact on their operating environments in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. The recognition was a prelude to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Conference on Sustainable Development (‘Road to Rio’), held in Brazil in May 2012.

Zenith Bank was honoured along with 30 other global brands which included Airbus, France; ConocoPhillips, USA; Credit Suisse, Switzerland; KLM, Netherlands; South Korea; Olam International, Singapore; Unilever, Netherlands; Verizon, USA; Kia Motors, South Korea; among others.

Zenith Bank is committed to its resolve on CSI initiatives which is geared towards affecting people, positively impacting the environment and supporting government efforts at improving the wellbeing of the citizenry.

Zenith Bank has consistently recorded good ratings from both the international (Fitch Ratings, Standard & Poor’s) and local (Agusto & Co.) rating agencies. The ratings on Zenith Bank Plc are supported by its leading market position in all key performance indices.

In the years ahead Management has consistently put in place a robust system of corporate governance, bearing in mind the key elements of honesty, trust, integrity, openness and accountability as well as commitment to the organisation’s goals.

48

DAILY SUN

Thursday October 4, 2012

49 BUSINESS NEWS

DAILY SUN Monday, August 1, 2011

Daily Domestic Flight Schedule

ARIK AIR Lag-Abj: 07.15, 09.15, 10.20, 15.20, 16.20, 16.50, 18.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun).

Abj-Lag: 07:15, 09.40,10.20, 12.15, 15.15, 16.15, 17:10, (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun); 12.15, 15.15, 16.15 (Sun) Lag-PH: 07:15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.10, 17.15 (Mon-Fri) 07.30, 11.40, 15.50 (Sat) 11.50, 3.50, 17.05 (Sun) Abj-PH: 07.15, 11.20, 15.30 (Mon-Fri) 07.15, 16.00 (Sat) 13.10, 16.00 (Sun) PH-Abj: 08.45, 12.50, 17.00 (Mon-Fri) 08.45, 17.30 (Sat) 14.40, 17.30 (Sun) Abv-Beni:08.00, 12.10 (Mon-Fri/Sat) 08.56, 12.10(Sun) Benin-Abj:09.55,13.30, (Mon-Fri/Sat) 10.50, 13.30(Sun)

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (PMA)

NDIC to strengthen risk management in banks

TENOR

AMOUNT

RATES% ISSUE DATE

91 Day

37,489.76

12.00

19 Sep. 2012

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182 Day 63,730.99

12.60

19 Sep. 2012

1 Year

13.87

05 Sep. 2012

60,000.00

MAJOR EXCHANGE RATES – PARALLEL MKT (AIRPORT AS AT 25/09/12) CURRENCY

BUYING (N)

USD 158 POUND ST. 250 EURO 206 Source: FMDA

SELLING(N) 159.50 253 210

Los-Abv: 09.55, 13.30(Mon-Fri/Sat) 10.50, 13.30(Sun)

By BLAISE UDUNZE he Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has disclosed plans to further address risk management supervision in the nation’s banking industry.

Its Head, Communications and Public Affairs Unit, Mr. Hadi Bichi, NDIC would be organizing risk-based supervision (RBS) training programme for its examiners to enable them understand and examine the risk profile of banks and the various risk management models being deployed by banks.

Bichi explained in a statement that the RBS training is based on a supervisory framework that is adopted by both the NDIC and the CBN. “It also involves critical areas, such as overview of risk management, understanding the framework for risk-based supervision and risk mitigation techniques,” he stated.

The NDIC has recently concluded the third leg of the RBS for 54 participants, out of which five were from the CBN and 49 from Bank Examination Department (BED), Special Insured Institutions Department (SIID) and Zonal Offices of the Corporation. The training was held from

August 27 – September 7 in Lagos. The fourth leg of the RBS training programme is to be held early next year in Abuja for the CBN and NDIC examiners in the Head Office and Zonal Offices.

It will be recalled that the first run of the training programme was organized by the Corporation from June 6 – 15, 2010 in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, for 54 participants out of which 44 were NDIC examiners and 10 from the CBN. The second run of the training programme was held from November 22 - December 3, 2010 at the same venue for 64 participants, all NDIC examiners.

In a recent development, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, of NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim underscored the rationale behind the RBS for banks while declaring open the 12th Annual National Conference of Risk Managers Association of Nigeria in Lagos with the theme: “Financial Sector Stability and Macro-Prudential Risk Regulation: Way Forward for Emerging and Developing Economies”.

Ibrahim said that the NDIC collaborates with the apex bank in implementing RBS of banks, to enable them effectively evaluate risks inherent in activities and risk management functions of banks.

Lag-Enugu: 07.10, 13.45, 18.30(Mon-Fri) 07.10, 14.00(Sat) 10.20, 13.45, 18.30(Sun) Enugu-Lag: 08.30, 12.00, 18.25 (Mon-Fri) 08.30, 12.00, 15.40(Sat) 12,00, 18.25(Sun) Abj-Enugu: 08.30, 12.00, 18.25, (Mon-Fri) 08.30, 12.00, 15.40 (Sat)12.00, 18.25 (Sun) Abj-Enugu: 10.30, 17.05(Mon-Fri) 10.30(Sat) 17.05(Sun) Enugu-Abj: 08.50, 15.25 (Mon-Fri) 08.50 (Sat) 15.25(Sun) AERO CONTRACTORS Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (MonFri/Sat/Sun), 12.30(Sun) 16.45(Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/-Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (MonFri/Sat/Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat)

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (left), Deputy Governor Tunde Lemo (right) and the late Alhaji Lateef Adegbite’s son-in-law on a condolence visit to the Lagos residence of the late Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Lateef Adegbite, who passed on recently.

CHANCHANGI AIRLINES Los-Abj: 7.15, 10.00, 13.30, 15.30, 17.30

Mass retrenchment of workers desirable, says Sanusi, CBN Gov

Abj-Lag: 08.00, 11.45, 13.40, 15.30, 17.30

By IHEANACHO NWOSU and CHUKS AKUNNA, Abuja

Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (MonFri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)

Lag-Kad: 10.45 (on Fri), 17.00 (MonFri/Sat/Sun) Kad-Lag: 7.30 (Mon-Fri), 08.00 (Sat/Sun IRS AIRLINES Lag-Abj: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45 (Mon-Fri), 9.30, 12.45 (Sat & Sun) Lag-Kano: 6.15 (Mon-Fri), 16.30 Sat&Sun Kano-Lag: 07.30 (Mon-Fri), 10.30 (Sat & Sun) OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS LOS - ILR Mon - Fri 0715hrs LOS - MNA Mon, Wed & Fri 0715hrs LOS - IBA Mon - Fri 0715hrs

IBADAN IBA - ABV Mon - Fri IBA - LOS Mon - Fri

0800hrs 1700hrs

ILORIN ILR - ABV Mon - Fri 0900hrs ILR - LOS Mon - Fri 1630hrs ILR - MNA Mon, Wed & Fri 0900hrs MINNA MNA - ABV Mon, Wed & Fri MNA - ILR Mon, Wed & Fri MNA - LOS Mon, Wed & Fri ABUJA ABV - ILR Mon - Fri ABV - IBA Mon - Fri

0920hrs 1520hrs 1520hrs

1500hrs 1500hrs

C

ental Bank of Nigeria Governor (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi yesterday stopped short of labelling Nigeria a corrupt nation, saying there are large scale leakages in the system.

Though, he did not name those behind the leakages and how they are perpetrated, the CBN boss spoke when he appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Finance, Legislative Budget and Research, National Planning and Economic Development as well as Aids and Debt, Wednesday said there was need to block such leakages if Nigeria must grow.

The Director General of the Debt Management Office(DMO) had on Tuesday appeared before the committee disclosed that the Federal Government was planning to borrow $25billion between this

year and 2015.

Lamenting the huge leakages in the system, however, Sanusi said so much revenue was being are lost to either vandals or through other questionable means and kicked against proposals by members of the House of Representatives that the proposed crude oil benchmark of $75 dollars a barrel be reviewed upward in the 2013 budget.

Giving example of how bad the situation was Sanusi said “Does NNPC have a metering system? How do they know how much we produce? What access does the minister of finance have to validate the figures emanating from the primary source of revenue.”

He stressed “We have NEITTI, we need to strenghten it because all these arguments of benchmarks will disappear if we can know exactly how much we earn and we are sure that all revenues will go into government’s pockets.

The apex bank boss advised against the focusing on bench mark of oil prices recommending that instead the concentration should be “production of more oil which will bring more money into the Federation Account.”

“Benchmark does not bring money into our account but more production of oil, so the issue of benchmark is a non-issue,” Sanusi stated.

He urged the federal government to crackdown on owners of illegal refineries in the Niger Delta if the nation’s revenues must be improved.

On some of the things militating against the budget from the federal Civil Service, Sanusi noted that over 80 percent of the recurrent expenditure was going to payment of salaries by ministries and agencies.

He recommended mass retrenchment of workers but said that such was not feasible on account of political expediency.

FDI hits $1.5trn, says NEXIM boss From ISAAC ANUMIHE, ABUJA he Managing Director of Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Roberts Orya, has said that trade between the United States of America still remains one of the largest source. just as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rose to US$1,485 billion at the end of 2011.

But he noted that this represented a drop in recent years when compared with FDI of US$4.95 billion in 2008 to US$3.3 billion and US$1.2 billion in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Orya said this at the opening of the 3rd Nigeria Investment Summit, jointly organized by the Nigerian Mission to the UN and the African Business Roundtable, New York.

In a statement in Abuja, Orya stated that the commercial exchanges between Nigeria and the US have been quite encouraging with Nigeria being USA’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa,

T

the 50th largest importer of U.S. goods & services as well as the 14th largest exporter of goods to the United States of America.

According to Orya, NEXIM plays its role as an ECAmainly through the sourcing of concessional lines of credit, co-financing arrangements and facilitation of buyers’ / suppliers’ credit transactions to facilitate the adoption and acquisition of new technologies; encouraging joint ventures and technical partnerships with foreign companies, and providing support to exporters/importers desiring to acquire inputs that would facilitate production of value added goods for exports, among others.

He stated that to shore up its capital base and deepen the foreign capital flows to the real sector of the Nigerian economy, the bank is seeking additional commercial lines of credit at competitive at concessionary rates to support projects in

sectors with high growth rate, export and employment generation potentials especially in the MASS sectors of the economy namely, Manufacturing, Agro-processing, Solid Minerals and Services – Tourism; Transportation and Entertainment, hence the MASS Agenda of Nigeria Export-Import Bank.

Recognising the US as the leading country in green technology and renewable energy, Orya used the platform to invite partnerships in projects with Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) potentials towards facilitating sustainable development and also called for collaborations for the establishment of a dedicated regional transport/maritime corridor for timely and cost-effective haulage/shipment of cargoes in West and Central Africa regions which the bank is facilitating under the Sealink Initiative.

49 Monday, BUSINESS August 1, 2011 49 NEWS

DAILY SUN Thursday October 4, 2012 DAILY SUN NAME OF CURRENCY BUYING

CENTRAL

US DOLLAR 154.78 155.28 POUNDS STERLING 250.6353 251.4449 EURO 200.2079 200.8547 SWISS FRANC 165.3986 165.9329 CFA 0.2848 0.2948 WAUA 237.5652 238.3327 YEN 1.9933 1.9997 YUAN/RENMINBI 24.6264 24.7064 RIYAL 41.2725 41.4058 DANISH KRONA 26.8473 26.934 SDR 238.7017 239.4728 Official exchange rates as at 28/09/2012

SELLING 155.78 252.2546 201.5014 1664672 0.3048 239.1001 2.0062 24.7864 41.5391 27.0207 240.2439

NIBOR TENOR

RATE

CHANGE

DATE

Call 7 Day 30 Day 60 Day 90 Day Source: FMDA

10.6667 11.2083 12.9167 13.4167 13.8333

0.12 -0.04 -0.25 -0.29 -0.58

28 Sep, 2012 28 Sep, 2012 28 Sep, 2012 28 Sep, 2012 28 Sep, 2012

Union Bank forecasts N16bn full year profit

By CHINENYE ANUFORO

U

nion Bank of Nigeria Plc has projected a profit of N16billion for the group in its full year 2012 financial year end. According to the bank, the projection is close to the 100 per cent of the group forecast for the period.

Speaking during the presentation of the bank’s ‘Facts Behind the Figures,” on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, its Group Managing Director, Mrs Funke Osibodu, said, ”this is close to 100 per cent of what we planned. I believe that we will do pretty well with the way we are going, even if we did not do anything in the next six months.”

She said the various measures put in place within the three years period have achieved a reasonable success, as the management of the bank has succeeded in repositioning the bank to the path of profitability.

She added that the bank has succeeded in

reducing loan losses on a sustainable basis, even as it deployed a robust enterprise risk management framework into the business.

Osibodu explained that the management would continue to strengthen capacity, especially in the area of agriculture where the bank has continued to be on top in the industry.

“We would continue to strenghten our process, we have only scratched the surface, there is a lot to be done; we have only done 30 per cent, we would do a lot in the area of electronic business. We would go a long way to be the top five in the industry,” she said.

Part of measures embarked upon in the repositioning process, according to her, include aggressive, structured, and focused marketing and sales approach to a well segmented customer base; leveraging scale, technology, superior business and cost to drive down the cost to income ratio.

International Flight Schedule

CROSS RATES

Ethiopian Airlines Lagos-Addis Ababa (daily) Departure time: 12:15 pm, Arrival time: 1:15 pm Contact no: 014611869/029

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L-R: Media and Public Affairs Manager, Nigerian Brewiers, Mr Edem Vindah, member, Golden Pen Award Panel, Mrs. Nkechi Alli-Balogun, and CRS/SM Nigerian Brewiers, Mr. Vivian Ikem, at the press briefing heralding the 2012 Golding Pen Award in Lagos on Tuesday.

Photo: AYODELE OJO

N39bn projects: PTDF to sanction erring contractors From DENNIS MERNYI, Abuja

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he Executive Secretary Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), Engineer Mutaqqa Darma Rabe, has threatened to go after some of the contractors handling its various projects worth over N39 billion across the country who used various fake claims to win bid for contracts.

Some of the contractors according to Darma Rabe who spoke to newsmen in Abuja, Tuesday at the prompting of some stakeholders stated that some contractors had equally threatened to petition President Goodluck Jonathan on account that most of the firms awarded contracts to execute PTDF projects were cronies of the chief executive.

The fury is coming just as the PTDF had also disclosed that most the projects contracted by the fund were almost completed over 80

percent but regretted that other contractors were deliberately frustrating its target to complete all projects before the end of the year.

Some of the projects which according to him, include the Petroleum Training Institutes in Warri, Kaduna, the Polytechnic in Delta and Bonny in Rivers state among others would have been completed but for the attitudes of some of the incompetent contractors most of them were verified and recommended by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

Displaying documents purported to have emanated from the BPP headquarters in Abuja, Eng. Darma insisted that “the due process office imposed on a contractor for the project in Bonny is currently retarding completion of the project. As I talk to you now, the contractor has since delayed the completion of the project and the take -off of the school has been affected”, he stated.

“Most of the contractors recommended by the BPP were the ones that bided less and of course do not have the financial capacity to execute their projects within the stipulated period but rather resorted to frequent demand for the review of the contract agreement which we have turned down.

“A particular contractor has used fake address in Port Harcourt to bid for the project and was recommended for the contract”, he stated. The PTDF boss threatened that it would move against both the consultant and contractors to recover its money from them should they fail to complete their projects on time.

“Most of these contractors forged documents, tax clearance and other pre-qualification documents to be qualified for the projects” stating however, that the fund has written the Federal Inland Revenue Board (FIRS) to verify some of these claims but was yet to get any confirmation.

Sheraton privatization: Investors paid N391.7m tax From ISAAC ANUMIHE, Abuja

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igeria government’s inconsistent policy and tax regime came fore yesterday as the general manager of Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Mr. Robert Itawa revealed that the investors in the firms paid about N391.7 million in post privatization tax as against N33.5 million.

According to him, in the post privatization programmes, the investor had paid N391.7 million taxes to government as against the N33.5 million pre-privatization.

Itawa who called for consistency in government policies to move the hospitality business forward in the country, noted that multiplicity of taxes by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) remains a major challenge which can hinder the growth of the sector.

… As House seeks review of PAP Timelines Earlier, the Acting Director in charge of Post Privatization Monitoring (PPM), at the BPE, Mallam Sanusi Sule, had told the lawmakers that the compliance level of the investor to the PAP was poor.

He said the core investor had proposed its Post Acquisition Plan (PAP) in three phases on takeover in 2002 to commence from the third quarter of 2003 to June 2006.

Sule said though the five year lock-in period had lapsed, the Bureau would continue to monitor the enterprise to ensure complete implementation of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA).

Meanwhile, Chairperson, House Committee on Commercialization and Privatization, Hadjia Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim, has urged management of Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers to liaise

immediately with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) for a revised Post Acquisition Plan (PAP) with timelines, which would enable the hotel meet with its covenants.

Speaking when she led members of the committee on the second leg of enterprise visits in the country, Bukar-Ibrahim, noted that the review had become inevitable due to changes in government policies which have impeded the successful execution of the covenants by the investor.

To this end, she directed that the review should begin from 2010 to 2017 so that investor could restrategise to tackle the challenges in implementing the covenants, adding that the committee was not out to witch-hunt, but determined to accelerate economic growth in Nigeria through its oversight duties.

QATAR AIRWAYS Lagos-Doha Daily Departure time: 9:45 am, Arrival time: 7:55am Contact: 012798888/014633333 KENYA AIRWAYS Lagos-Nairobi (daily) Departure time: 11:05 am, Arrival time: 10:42am Contact: 012719433 CHINA SOUTHERN Lagos-Beijing via Dubai Tuesdays, Thursdays Departure time: 12:15pm, Arrival time: 10:30 am Tuesdays, Thursdays.

Contact: 01-4610777 or 01-2617959 EGYPT AIR Lagos-Cairo Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri & Sun Departure time: 2pm, Arrival time: 1pm KLM Lagos-Amsterdam (daily) Departure time: 11pm, Arrival time: 8:30pm Contact: 01-4610777, 01-2617959 VIRGIN ATLANTIC Lagos-London Heathrow (daily) Departure time: 10:20 am daily, Arrival time: 5:30 am Contact: 01-4612750, 01-4612747 ARIK AIR Lagos-London Heathrow (daily) Departure time: 10:05pm Arrival 7.00pm Lagos-New York Tuesdays and Thursdays Departure time: 11:20pm Arrival 6pm Lagos-Johannesburg (daily) Departure 11.15pm Arrival 4.15pm Lagos-West Coast (Freetown, Banjul & Dakar) Mon, Wed & Fri Departure 8:00am Arrival 6.45pm Lagos-Accra (daily) Departure 8.00am, 5pm 8.45pm, 5.45pm Contact: 01-2799999.

50

DAILY SUN

Thursday, October 4, 2012

BUSINESS NEWS

Vodacom, Rack Centre Africa to provide data facility in Nigeria

By ZIKA BOBBY

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odacom Business Nigeria, a leading provider of communication solutions affirmed its position as a leader in the Data Hosting and ICT industry by partnering with Rack Centre Africa, a data centre service provider, to provide a neutral data facility in the Nigerian market.

Rack Center Africa will provide Vodacom Business Nigeria with carrier neutral data center infrastructure enabling the first premium collocation facilities in Nigeria. The Tier3colocation data center will have a fully redundant system, provide 99.995 per cent uptime and 96 hours Power Outage Protection. Rack Centre Africa is a part of the Jagal Group, a leading Nigerian conglomerate with operations across a number of different industries.

According to Vodacom Business Nigeria, a neutral data center is integral in growing the Nigerian ICT industry.

The partnership, which will create a cost effective platform for network operators to interconnect in a neutral facil-

ity through collocation, will also encourage competition and diversity in the industry.

Vodacom will provide its premium Managed Hosting Services from this facility, which will benefit its enterprise customers.

Speaking on the partnership, the Managing Director of Vodacom Business Nigeria, Mr. Guy Clarke said, “As an organization, we continuously seek out innovations that will impact positively on the industry. By teaming up with Rack Centre Africa to build Nigeria’s first Carrier Neutral data centre we are recognizing the power of shared infrastructure which is key to supporting the growth of broadband and the adoption of cloud services in Nigeria.”

“This initiative will benefit multiple service providers and operators and I am excited about the advantages our customers in Nigeria and West Africa will experience as a result. Corporate organizations can now take advantage of the opportunity to warehouse their data in a premium facility that guarantees the highest levels of security and connectivity,” Guy said.

Mr. MaherJarmakani, Group Executive Director of Jagal Group, commenting on the partnership said, “Vodacom has been very instrumental in bringing this great innovation to the Nigerian market and we are pleased to have Vodacom as the anchor tenant in this facility.

He further added that “Rack Center Africa will continuously seek new avenues to enable its customers’ gain access to the most sophisticated ICT and data centre service tools for their businesses.

Maximum protection, cooling systems, power supply for mission critical systems and ensuring adherence to increasingly stringent policies regarding data protection and environmental impacts are only a few of the ways in which we can help grow our customers business”.

Vodacom Business Nigeria’s existing Managed Hosting Services, which includes, dedicated and virtual hosting services, will be migrated to the new Rack Centre Africa data center once fully commissioned in Q1 2013.

DAILY SUN

NEWS Thursday, October 4, 2012 51

SUN SPORTS FIFA’s elite referees course opens in Abuja

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he 2012 FIFA MA Course for elite referees, referee assessors and physical fitness instructors was officially declared open in Abuja on Wednesday by NFF’s President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.

A total of 30 elite referees, among them Peter Edibe (the only Nigerian referee involved in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying race), 36 referee assessors and 20 physical fitness instructors are taking part in the one-week programme, which maiden edition took place last year.

World football-governing body, FIFA, has sent three leading referee instructors to oversee the programme. They are retired FIFA referees, Sidi Bekaye Magassa (Mali), Felix Tangawarima (Zimbabwe) and Madembe Mbacke (Senegal).

In his address declaring open the course, at the FIFA Technical Centre, NFF’s President, Aminu Maigari, who was represented by Member of NFF Executive Committee and Chairman of the NFF Referees Committee, Alhaji Muazu Suleyman, thanked FIFA for continuous support of all programmes geared towards the development of the Nigerian referees.

Pepsi Academy U-15 Tourney begins in Ibadan

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iberty Stadium, Ibadan will provide a suitable pool to fish for the next generation of truly Nigerian Under-17 National team players as Pepsi Football Academy Under-15 National tournament begins tomorrow, October 5, 2012.

The competition, which is a part of the activities marking the 20th anniversary of the oldest and biggest football academy in sub-Sahara Africa will see Pepsi lads converge in the ancient city of Ibadan from the 14 training centres of the Pepsi Football Academy across Nigeria.

Director of the Pepsi Football Academy said the event was restricted to only youngsters from the academy as the competition would enable the coaches test the skills development levels of the players. “You cannot continue to train these young boys all year round without providing the opportunity for them to play in a competition, else there will be no motivation for them to train and work hard,’’ said Laloko.

Commenting on the tournament, consultant to Pepsi Football Academy, Mr. Iain Nelson said: “The Under-15 tournament provides the Pepsi Academy the opportunity to showcase the abundant talents in Nigeria which Pepsi, through the Pepsi Football Academy has been nurturing since the past 20 years and has recorded successes with a few of the youngsters over the years such as Mikel Obi, Osaze Odewingie, etc. who have gone ahead to make it big in professional football career.’’

NEWS

Avenge Falcons’ defeat, Mabo charges Flamingoes F

ormer Super Falcons’ chief coach, Ismaila Mabo, has charged Nigeria’s Under-17 women team, Flamingoes to avenge the 1–0 defeat Super Falcons suffered in the hands of the French national team at the Germany 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nigeria has been something of a revelation at Azerbaijan 2012 – confident, free-scoring and fast-paced, but when they face France tomorrow, Coach Peter Dedevbo has planned to present an even slicker team.

They racked up an impressive 15 goals over three games in Group A, but while the majority may have come in their 11–0 victory over the hosts, they were far from efficient with their chance-taking, an issue Dedevbo has addressed.

Mabo described the squad as a super sonic team capable of demolishing their opponents at any given time, adding that the icing on the cake would be for the Nigerian to punish and conquer Les Bleuettes as the French team is known.

He urged them to not to rest on their oars, intensify their efforts, remain focused on the French challenge by facing them with their killer instinct that has seen them scoring 15 goals in the group stage of the Azerbaijan World Cup. “This girls are incredible.

The manner in which they have approached their opponents in the competition so far is an indication that Nigeria has truly come of age in the Women game.

“We have arrived at the global level and we can confidently rub shoulders with the rest of the world.

“Victory against France, would be victory for the Super Falcons. I urge you to avenge for the Falcons the humiliation they suffered in the hands of the French team

•As Nigeria battles France for s-final ticket at the last World Cup. Meanwhile, Coach Peter Dedevbo would be aiming for a clinical conversion of chances that would help his girls not fall at the quarterfinal stage like they did in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010, when he was also in charge of the team.

Dedevbo has on his side, two of the tournament’s most prolific goal scorers in Chinwendu Ihezuo and Halimatu Ayinde, with the former playing a part in 11 of their goals so far.

“I’m happy with their performances, it’s great that they are both scoring and providing goals.

“One thing that I will want to take into the quarter-finals is to continue to improve our quality in front of goal. We don’t know how many chances we will make, but if we create five chances against France, we want to take four.”

Flamingoes celebrate victory in a recent match

Nigeria sinks deeper in FIFA’s rankings

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igeria has dropped five places to 63rd in the world in the latest FIFA Rankings made public yesterday by the world football governing body.

The country also dropped three places from 10th to 13th in the Africa ranking with Central Africa Republic making the highest leap of 15 places to 49th in the world and ninth in Africa.

Cote d’Ivoire still top the Africa ranking as they are 16th in the world, while Algeria moved up four places to occupy Africa’s second spots and 24th in the world.

Mali is third on the Africa ranking after climbing five places and now ranked 27th in the world.

Spain top the world ratings,

… Now 63rd in the world, 13th in Africa while Germany, Portugal Argentina and England complete the top five countries.

Former World Cup winners, Italy, France and Brazil occupy the 8th, 13th and 14th spots.

African rankings: 1. Cote d’Ivoire 2. Algeria 3. Mali 4. Ghana 5. Egypt 6. Zambia

7. Tunisia 8. Gabon 9. Central African Republic 10. Cape Verde 11. Libya 12. Guinea 13. Nigeria.

Lebanon joins Nigeria, Argentina for Copa Lagos 2012

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ebanon or the “The Cedars” as they are also known have been confirmed as the 3rd team to participate in the 2nd edition of Copa Lagos. Lebanon will make history by becoming the 1st Middle Eastern representatives at Copa Lagos on the 14th of December.

The Cedars are an up and com-

ing team in the world of Beach Soccer. They are famed for their exciting approach to the game and have featured in many thrilling encounters. They displayed their abilities most recently at the Asian Beach Games in June this year.

Lebanon eventually finished 4th narrowly missing out on the Bronze medal. Despite finishing 4th, Lebanon had the tournament

top scorer in their ranks, Haitham Fattal finished the tournament with 11 goals he took the tournament by storm with his deadly finishing. He is someone the Sand Eagles will need to keep quiet at this year’s Copa Lagos.

The tournament, which has FCMB as one of its sponsors is beginning to take shape with 3 out of 4 teams confirmed.

tional expulsion of Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel for crowd trouble.

Sunshine striker, Dele Olorundare said they respected Ahly, but were not afraid of the perennial Egyptian champions.

“We respect Al Ahly for their achievements, but we are not intimidated by their pedigree and so are ready to give our best to

beat them,” said Olorundare, who was also a part of the team who reached the semifinals of last year’s CAF Confederation Cup at their first attempt.

Sunshine will be counting on goals from Olorundare and Nigeria international, Izu Azuka, who will in December, join up with Esperance.

Sunshine Stars seek to upstage Ahly

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igeria’s Sunshine Stars have vowed to go for broke against record six-time champions, Al Ahly of Egypt when they clash in a first leg CAF Champions League semifinal in Ijebu-Ode on Saturday.

However, Sunshine Stars build-up to this epic clash was slowed down by a 10-day strike they embarked on to press for the payment of their contract fees for the past Nigeria Premier League, which ended in early September.

It was only resolved after the players were paid half of these fees last weekend.

Still, Sunshine Stars firstchoice goalkeeper, Moses Ocheje, has insisted that despite the pay strike, the Akure club are ready to rise to the expectations as they aim to become only the second Nigerian club after Enyimba to win Africa’s fore-

most club competition.

“The expectations are high from Nigerians and we know that. The strike won’t have any negative effects on our game.

That is in the past now and we are focused on the game,” said Ocheje.

He added: “The strike was a collective decision and that is over now. We are down to business now, though we ought to have got this money since the beginning of the season, but the part payment will boost our morale ahead of the game.

“We know how important this game is to our ambition as a team and career as footballers.

So we are going for total victory.”

On paper, Ahly will be the favourites to advance to the final of the Champions League going by their pedigree as six-time winners.

The Cairo Red Devils also

finished top of Group B with 11 points from six matches, a point ahead of TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

The Nigerian club are featuring in only their first Champions League campaign and finished behind defending champions, Esperance on six points from Group A following the sensa-

South Africa’s U-20 storms Nigeria today

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outh Africa Under-20 National team will arrive Nigeria tonight and fly out to Ilorin the following day for a 2013 AYC return leg qualifier against Nigeria on Sunday.

The first leg qualifier ended in a 1–1 draw in Nelspruit, South Africa, about a fortnight ago.

The Amajita delegation will be made up of 18 players and 11 officials to be led by Gerald Don.

South Africa dangerman, Keagan Dolly, will miss this decisive clash after his club, Ajax Cape Town refused to release him.

His fellow Ajax teammate, Abbubaker Mobara, has been ruled out of the Ilorin match as a result of a groin injury.

However, the diminutive Snethemba Ngidi, who shone at the recent Cape Town Invitational challenge, will return

to the team after he missed out on the first leg because he was sitting for some exams.

Four other new players have made the final cut for the trip to Nigeria. They are Brandon Joshua, Maselaelo Seanego, Kaylan More and Cebo Meyiwa.

Goal scorer from the first leg, Thabani Mthembu, and skipper Mbongeni Gumede also make the trip.

NEWS

52 Thursday, October 4, 2012 DAILY SUN

SUN SPORTS

NEWS

Invest more in powerlifting ...Technical director, Ekeoma, urges sports authorities

By CHUKS ONUOHA, Umuahia

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he recent London Paralympic Games has given much edge to Nigeria in powerlifting. In appreciation of the efforts of both the technical and participating crew, the President organised a reception for them, thanking them with honours in cash and kind.

Abia-born Technical Director of Nigeria Powerlifting Federation, Comrade Ekeoma Samuel, who saw the activities of the contingent from the grassroots, said that there was future in power lifting if the government could do the right thing.

Ekeoma, who spoke in Umuahia after the Abuja presidential reception, is not in doubt about the future of the specialised sports, which he said was a big opportunity for Nigeria to utilize.

The technical director, who is in charge of all the technicalities of Power lifting Federation said that preparation for the London Paralympic Games started two years ago.

“The federation got busy and ensured that the athletes were actually qualified and succeeded in qualifying 61athletes out of the number that were required by the International Paralympics Committee.

Subsequently, the National Sports Commission (NSC) invited us to come to camp for the championship, where the federation selected the 16 athletes as required by IPC to ensure a proper representation and full participation in the international Paralympic Committee Games , the London Paralympic Games just concluded.

We spent three weeks in Ibadan before we were moved to South Korea where we spent two months training. By my position, I am in charge of coaching and athletes performances, instructing the coaches and directing them on how to programme the athletes which we perfectly did at the federation. That brought us to a conqueror’s event which Nigeria is celebrating today at the London 2012.

The Paralympic Games marked thefirst Paralympic Games ever in the history of powerlifting. Out of the federations that went for the championship, only power lifting won the medals that Nigeria is celebrating today and this is an evidence of hard working. So, Nigeria power lifting team worked day and night at the federation level to ensure that we redeem the image of the country as our able-bodied counterparts failed in the same London 2012 Games. In the Paralympic championship, Nigeria won six gold, five silver and one bronze, all courtesy of Powerlifting Federation of Nigeria.What this shows is that there is hope for Nigerian sports, especially in power lifting .

The disabled will continue to excel in sports and this is a challenge to those of them who are disabled and are still on the streets or those who don’t have any focus in life.

We were amazed, seeing many events in London 2012, where Nigerians can still feature in the nearest future, so we went to London 2012 for a research or a feasibility study on how to develop disabled persons sports in Nigeria.

Powerlifting will continue growing in Nigeria, it will always bring glory. It is another area where we will continue to learn more skills and techniques for development in Nigeria.

So far, I am not fully satisfied with the kind of encouragement given to us because it will be very unfair that the Federal Government would not recognise the Powerlifting Federation Board. We started from the grassroots, and we went to the local government areas and brought out athletes, packaged and prepared them and ensured their proper participation and they were viable athletes who represented Nigerian very well before we handed them over to National Sports Commission, that was fully satisfied that we did very well in our programming. So, the Federal Government and National Sports Commission can not under mind the efforts of our federation. As the President received the athletes, I had expected that he would also appreciated those that contributed in one way or the other to ensure that Nigeria was not put to shame as the able-bodied men did. What he did for the contingent was wonderful, but the federation had expected a special recognition for its members because they were the ones that brought the raw materials which manifested into finished products that we are all enjoying their output today.

On behalf of the Nigerian team and Powerlifting Federation, I wish to commend our athletes and their technical crew for the job well done.

They have redeemed the image of the country. I thank other leaders for the able ways they piloted the team. They went with a well-packaged team that did not embarrass Nigeria. None of the athletes was caught with any drug, which means that we did very well. Other nationals were caught with drugs both in South Korea and London, but all the members of Nigerian contingent were clean. If the federation is not given expected recognition, there would be discouragement on their parts. They are the only body that could do the work. They are the ones that go to the grassroots and if they are not recognized, in future, the spirit of fighting for excellence will not be there.

If we are encouraged, it will inspire us to do more. The future for the game is very bright for Nigeria. It is in the game that Nigeria won all the medals that are being celebrated today. No medal came from any other sport apart from power lifting which shows that the future of power lifting for Nigeria is very bright.

Ekeoma

Flooded National Stadium training hockey pitch Lagos. Pix AYODELE OJO

Akpabio’s $15,000 goes to Thailand T

he highlight of the just-concluded 6th Godswill Akpabio’s International Scrabble Championship in Uyo was the winning of the star prize of $15,000 by world champion, Pakorn Nemitramansuk from Thailand.

After three unsuccessful attempts, it was time for the versatile player to say hurray and with it, the increased prize money for the highest paying, much sought after championship in the world.

In an elaborate and colourful closing ceremony of an event that was attended by representatives from eight other countries, The Pillar of Scrabble in Africa, Chief Godswill Akpabio, urged all present to learn from the Pakong example of steadfastness until glory is attained.

...As scrabble Championship ends He traced the history of Nigeria’s failure at the Olympics to lack of the sports at the grassroots and announced that he is at the point of returning sports to schools.

While promising that next year’s competition scheduled for September 26 - 29, 2013 will be bigger and better, a visibly happy Governor Akpabio went ahead to reward all the 27 female participants with a cash donation of N100 thousand each.

The gesture came after the Chairperson of the occasion, Senator Helen Esuene, called for more women participation, saying to have only 27 of them out of a total of over 300 was not encouraging enough.

There were other winners in the N13 million total prize money including Ogbakpa Rex, who came second in the Masters category carting home N1.2 million. Third position went to Paul Sodge.

Okoridem Bob won the veterans category, Saidu Ayorinde, the Open category, the intermediate crown was carted away by Idahosa Bright, while Afolayan Bukunmi won the ladies game.

Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Scrabble Association, Pastor Umoh Bassey, in his remarks, introduced an 11-year-old participant, master Emmanuel Salem, who won 10 games and two students of Queens College Lagos, who made their way for the event.

NOC mourns late president, Dr Adegbite

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resident of Nigeria Olympic Committee, (NOC) Engineer Sani Ndanusa has joined the long list of eminent figures mourning the death of Dr Abdullateef Oladimeji Adegbite.

Dr Adegbite died in his house in Lagos at the age of 79, last week.

As Nigerians mourn a man of many parts, Ndanusa recalled his selfless and exemplary leadership in office as the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee from 1978 to 1985.

“Despite leaving office, he continued to show interest in sports. He was physically present in Abuja at the investiture of President Goodluck Jonathan as the Grand Patron of the Nigeria Olympic Committee. His loss is a big blow not only to the Muslim community, but to Nigerians as a whole, especially in sports,” Ndanusa said.

Dr Adegbite was a Jack of all trade and master of all. He was an erudite scholar, Lawyer, former Attorney General for Western Nigeria, Secretary General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, a member of Nigeria Inter-religious Council and former President of Nigeria Olympic Committee.

“He had a rich credential in all aspects of life. He was an example of citizenship, intelligence and political

consciousness. We’re going to miss him,” Ndanusa mourned.

Meanwhile, sports administrators, fans and Journalists have been trooping to the headquarters of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Lagos, to sign the condolence register opened for the late icon.

Secretary General of NOC, Hon. Tunde Popoola, said that he was saddened by the death of the acclaimed religious bridge-builder and prayed God to grant his family and Nigerian sports family the fortitude to bear the loss, while praying God to grant the deceased eternal rest.

Council boss plays host to powerlifting champ, Adesokan

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he council area where the World record holder in 45 body kg category in powerlifting event at the recently concluded Paralympics Games held in London, Rasheed Adesokan came from, the Oluyole Local government in Oyo State, would tomorrow, 5th October, play host to the World Champ.

The event according to the council boss, Prince Abass Aleshinloye, was organised to celebrate their own who had exemplified himself in his chosen career as a good ambassador of the Oluyole.

The event would also encourage other physically challenged people that “there is ability in disability”.

The reception ceremony is scheduled according to the programme released by the council for 3:pm at the premises of

the Local government, which situated at Idi- Ayunre area of Ibadan with dignitaries from Oyo State Ministry of Youths and Sports and Sports Council, the employer of Adesokan, that popularly known as Agbarapo, are expected to attend the event.

Aleshinloye said his council is not resting on its oars after the discovery of Adesokan, but has initiated many grassroots sports developmental programme where many other Adesokans could be discover, he added that his administration had placed emphasis on physical education in schools within the council area.

“As you may be aware, sport and physical education is fundamental to the early development of children and youth and the skills learned during play, physical education and sport contribute to the holistic development of young people.

NEWS DAILY SUN Thursday, October 4, 2012 53

SUN SPORTS Lagos NUJ Media Games 2012 begins •Fashola, Abdullahi to grace opening ceremony

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ll is now set for the opening ceremony of this year’s edition of Lagos NUJ Media Games billed for the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. It will run from Saturday, October 6 to Friday, October 12.

According to the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) for the Games, Comrade ’Deji Elumoye, the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, are expected to lead other dignitaries at the opening ceremony.

Elumoye, who is also the chairman of the Lagos Council of the NUJ, said this year’s event, which is the 7th edition, will surpass previous editions in terms of organisation.

“Yes, we are set for this year’s Games. All hands are on deck and I can assure you all that most of our guests have confirmed their readiness to be at the opening ceremony.

“Governor Fashola and the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, will lead others to the opening ceremony at the Legacy Pitch inside the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Saturday, October 6,” said Elumoye.

He reiterated that members of the union would participate in no fewer than nine sporting events namely scrabble, chess, draughts, ayo, table-tennis, tug-of-war, marathon, athletics (100m, 200m and 4 x 100m) as well as football 5-aside.

Akwa Ibom ends coaching course

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n an effort to ensure that Akwa Ibom State coaches are up to date in their profession, the state in conjunction with a United Kingdom-based sports management outfit, Crystal Sports Management, has concluded a four-day coaching course as Arsenal FC of England former trainer, Mark Ellins, taught the coaches new methods and styles of coaching.

The coaching course which saw more than 60 coaches in attendance was concluded last weekend in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom, as the sports management outfit promised to do more in future to ensure that Nigerian coaches are up-to-date in modern day coaching techniques.

Sports Commissioner of the state, Hon. Pastor Ita Udoh, said the sports ministry decided to organise the course because of the need for the coaches to be more professional and learn the modern day techniques of coaching which will help them excel in their chosen career.

According to Udoh, the three days coaching course had helped the state to know how good the coaches are and what they achieve in their profession having been given a quality training by the Arsenal’s former trainer.

“We are happy that a coaching course such as this was held in Akwa Ibom because it would have cost us much money to send three or four coaches abroad, but we also sat down and decided that if we could bring the trainer to Akwa Ibom, more coaches would have the opportunity of learning and that would make them better coaches”, said the commissioner “Now, we are really impressed with what we have seen in the first edition and the coaches are also happy. We have sent out questionnaires to all the coaches and their reactions will inform us on what to do next. I also have to thank the sportsloving governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio, for his support towards the success of the coaching course.

Meanwhile, the state Deputy Governor, Mr Nsima Ekere, was on ground last weekend to declare the coaching course close as he advised the coaches to put what they have learnt into maximum practice in their profession.

Nwosu tips Nigeria for AFCON 2013

By MADUABUCHI KALU

E

x-international, Henry Nwosu (MON), has tipped Nigeria to qualify for the 2013 African Nations Cup to be staged by South Africa.

The Under-17 national team former coach, while reacting to the 2-2 draw the Super Eagles played with their Liberian counterparts penultimate Saturday, explained that despite the draw at the Samuel Doe International Stadium in Liberia, the Stephen Keshi-tutored side would make it to South Africa in January 2013.

“I did not watch the recent match between the Super Eagles and the Lone Star of Liberia in Monrovia, but based on the reports available to me, I have no doubt that Eagles will qualify for the Nations Cup billed for South Africa in January next year. I heard that Eagles played well in that match and when you consider the fact that the return leg will be played in Nigeria, I have no doubt that Super Eagles would triumph at the end of hostilities in Calabar. The fact that they played well in Monrovia and the home support they are going to enjoy when they play in Calabar, tell me that we will qualify for the Nations Cup. “Again, both the players and the technical crew know the importance of the match. So, they are going to throw into it everything to ensure that Nigeria wins. I don't see them being complacent in Calabar, when the Lone Star comes here for the return leg.

NEWS

Why I invited 15 pros for Liberia duel –Keshi

By ROMANUS Abuja

UGWU,

S

uper Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has revealed that current form of the home-based players forced him to increase the number of invited foreign pros for the crucial Nations Cup clash against Liberia next week, admitting that he was afraid the local players might be match rusty.

Keshi, who spoke with the media in Abuja yesterday, said that he did not want to take any chance on the match, disclosing that he would storm the Calabar camp with only 10 home-based players on Sunday, just as he gave the foreign pros Tuesday, October 10, deadline for arrival at camp.

“I brought in 15 players because our league ended about a month ago. So, most of the home-based players might be out of shape. To avoid having problem, I needed to bring in some additional four foreign pros to work with the homebased and strengthen the team.

“It is not going to be easy to put the home lads in shape because they have not been actively playing recently. Since the pros are actively playing, we need to bring in more of them. It was just to safeguard the team and myself,” he noted.

Asked if he would wield the big stick if any player fail to meet the deadline, Keshi replied: “When I give deadline, we must have understood ourselves and agreed to the date. I have never given deadline in isolation of the players. We need to understand one another.

“I have given them latest Tuesday to report to camp. On the home-based players that will make the final team to Calabar, I can tell you that I will select about 10 players,” he disclosed.

Keshi, begging for an extra motivation for the players from government and every Nigeria, said: “I think the extra motivation is something that the team needs. Honestly speaking, the extra motivation is what the players need and I know it would bring out the best in them. However, it should not come only from the Federal Government but from every Nigerian.

“Nigerians need to have confidence in the players because they need positive publicity and encouragement. Yes, most people who don’t believe in them

•Begs for extra financial motivation call them all kinds of names such as useless players, but then we should know that they are human beings with blood running in their veins.

“If we continue to be hard on them, it might result in the

players saying why should they die for the country that doesn’t appreciate them. We need togetherness and unity.

“If the President of Liberia is boosting the morale of her players, we need the support of

Nigeria in a recent duel against Egypt

...As 22 players fight for shirts in Abuja

A

rrival of Sharks’ Stanley Okoronkwo and Kalu Orji of Heartland FC of Owerri, has changed the complexion of battle for shirts among the 22 home-based players in camp for the duel against the Lone Star of Liberia come October 13 in Calabar.

The duo, who replaced Kano Pillars’ Papa Idris and Gabriel Reuben along with the 20 other players that arrived camp earlier have been undergoing what could at best be described as

Spartan drilling from the coaching crew led by Stephen Keshi.

Keshi explained that he had to apply tough training method because the Nigerian league had recently gone on break and there was need to shape up the players to be in form to qualify for the Nations Cup in South Africa next year.

“The end of the league season means we have to make sure all the players are super fit, we don’t have that worry with the Europe-based players who we see play week after week. the response of the players. I

C

must say has been wonderful and I commend them for their commitment to qualifying for the Nations Cup. Keshi has again told the players that they should prove themselves at training sessions and leave the rest to him. He said that they should not be intimidated because 15 players will be coming from Europe. “I invited 15 players from Europe to block any loophole that may arise, but we know the talents we also have at home and if they prove they are ready, many of them will start against Liberia”.

NFF: Eagles 'll show Lone Star no mercy

N

igeria Football Federation (NFF) declared yesterday that the senior national team, Super Eagles, will put in their best when hostilities begin against the Lone Star of Liberia in a 2013 African Cup of Nations decider in Calabar next week.

The duel in Canaan City qualifies as Nigeria’s most

important football match of the past two years, but the NFF says the Super Eagles have the capacity to take the game by the scruff and score many goals.

“The match in Calabar is a huge one, very important one, and we are treating it as such. It doesn’t get bigger than what we have on our hands. But the NFF has no fear at all. The Super Eagles will work very hard and

Debut at Champs League thrills Moses helsea’s midfielder, Victor Moses, says he was delighted with his Champions League debut during which the Blues recorded 4-0 win over Nordsjaelland.

The Wigan Athletic former player started the game and played well before making way for Eden Hazard in the 65th minute.

Although he did not get his name on the score sheet, the Nigerian international said he was pleased that his side came away with maximum points.

every Nigerian especially the media. We want everybody including the President to stay behind us and cheer the team until the end of the game next week. I have no fears that the boys will deliver,” he assured.

“I enjoyed it very much, my first Champions League game,” Moses told the club’s website.

“It was different and is something I will have to get used to. It wasn't my best game but the most important thing was we won.

“We went 1-0 up but they hit the post in the second half, but when we got the second goal they sat back off us and we kept on going, which is what we are good at. “'I've enjoyed my time here so far and feel like I've settled well, people are looking after me and I just want to keep on working

hard.”

Moses will be looking for his first Premiership start when the Blues play host to Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

deal decisively with the Liberians.

“The NFF is providing and will continue to provide everything that the team needs to emerge victorious on the day.

The Super Eagles will take no prisoners.

“In history, Liberia has never come to Nigeria to beat us, at any level. It will not happen on 13th October, ” said High Chief Emeka Inyama, Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee.

A total of 23 home-based players have been training in Abuja for the encounter. They will be joined by 15 foreignbased stars on Sunday as the squad heads to Calabar.

The first international match between Nigeria and Liberia was played in Monrovia on 8th October, 1963. The friendly match ended 2-2, with Albert Onyeawuna scoring both Nigerian goals.

Since then, there have been 13 encounters between both countries at senior level, with Nigeria winning nine, while Liberia won two and two drawn.

54

DAILY SUN

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Thursday, October 4, 2012

DAILY SUN

55

If the North, then why not the British?

N

aill Ferguson is a British historian with global reputation. His specialties are in economic history, imperialism, amongst others. Ferguson is of the considered opinion that a new imperialism would be quite it, indeed very profitable for all concerned. That is, in plain terms, Ferguson is of the studied conjecture that it makes for bankable, moral, and even human rights, for Britain or USA to move in the marines, seize Nigeria, say, and then run her like a model state; may be a mini-America or a black UK. He has been condemned by many European politically correct bleeding hearts. But we who live the humiliation of being Nigerian, the nearest thing, Soyinka says, he imagines to being in hell, ask what exactly is wrong with that? The obverse question is, if one imperialism is allowed, why not another, especially a demonstrably more gifted brand and competitor?

To look for answers let us first take a historical glance. Some of the indisputable facts of Nigeria’s immediate past are as follows.

The Biafran-Nigerian Civil war was won by the coalition of the North and the SouthWest. The minorities of the South-South, who it appeared, absent-mindedly joined the North-South-West axis powers, were quickly dismissed out of history and the ensuing victory. And to worsen the matter, they had their oil wealth impounded, allegedly for national purpose. This seizure of one region’s resource endowment was against a revenue history and logic, to the contrary. All records suggest it is the creamed-off proceeds, from this seized oil bonanza, that was used to build Lagos into a megacity, sprawling into the lagoon, and Abuja a wonder-city, under our African sun. Meanwhile, the rites of seizing and expropriating the South-South resource deliberately left the South-South, a hell hole, environmental pollution and all.

Another related fact is that the North and the South-West, perhaps as expected of victors without any sense of history or fairness, even to themselves, went ahead to construct a new Nigerian state, the subsisting state, warts and all. Historically they behaved like Europeans of pre-World War 11 dark and vindictive epoch.

The orchestrated coups that followed Gowonic and Gowonized Nigeria; that is from Murtala to Abdulasami, were nothing other than a more agitated consolidation of the Nigerian imperium as a liege, in service to the North and the South-West. The not too gratuitous mega-beings of Lagos and Abuja are trophy-testimonies for the victorious powers. The imperial propaganda, that it is enterprise that built Lagos, is a fancy tale, and a Fashola in his unguarded moments, will confess appropriately. Entrepreneurs may hold the title to Lagos megacity, but the deeds were done and perfected by SouthSouth oil subsidy.

Next, the North under the guise of military rule went ahead, but exclusively, and robbed the nation of LGAs, and other political jurisdictions. This jurisdictional robbery is tantamount to eternal oil blocks for the North.

Even if the oil in the South-South dried up, we are all without reprieve, condemned to pay tolls to the North, in form of studiedly created LGAs over-capacity. LGAs were also configured by Northern Generals, pretending to be coup makers, as basis for sharing Federal allocations.

To summarize it is clear we are under the imperialism, designed, built and ran by the North and the South-West, even while pretending otherwise. In a highly portentous theater by the way, the South-West are playing at the Macbeth effect, but nobody is fooled. The overwhelming evidence, from 1967-Abacha and even beyond, confirms, they with the North are, exclusive joint designers and creators of the Nigerian state as it is today. Balarabe Musa once confirmed that much. What it means to repeat, is that the rest of us are living under the imperialism of the North and the South-West.

Now what exactly is imperialism? It is the act of being ruled against or without your consent. And little does it matter if it is under the guise of a country or an empire.

Imperialism is not defined by geography. It is

The Turf Game Jimanze Ego-Alowes alowesjimanze@yahoo.com

08033009539

•Kwankwanso imperialism that defines or delineates a jurisdiction. That is, that a geographical boundary describes itself as a country does not exclude the fact that it is imperialism, even if of the internal type. And imperialisms are not necessarily better or desirable because they are internal or worse and abominable, because they are external.

Now from the Gowonic era till Abubarka’s, (all Northern Generals), agenda-setting decisions were taken, deliberately, exclusively it turned out, to fix Nigeria as an eternal tributary to the North. How the South-West got dismissed from further sharing from their joint national heist, like the South-South, is another topic on its own. But it happened, that their lead-allies, the North, turned coat and counted them, the SouthWest for vassals. With this began the attempt at the minoritization of the South-West. The South-West are not therefore innocent in being a victim of their own schemes and self chosen allies; June 12 and all. The SouthWest thesis is like refusing an own goal, in a football derby. Ahiazuwa.

Now if as Fernando Pessoa, one of Europe’s great minds puts it; one must be imperialized, then one might in justice and pragmatism choose amongst competing imperialisms. Now which are the prospective imperialisms? They are the NorthSouth-West coalition and the UK/USA trigger-ready cousin.

Since we have a choice of imperialism we might as well x-ray the competitors. Perhaps before we go further let us state that self rule is better than any imperialism. And self rule is never in unelected military/coupists, not to speak of sectional military/coupists, here Northern Generals, pretending that they are autographing a binding constitution for the whole country. And the matter suddenly gets interesting if we brought in the wisdom of Father Kukah. According to Kukah, who works for and reports to the Pope from Sokoto, coup makers are driven by the philosophy of armed robbers. And a man is the philosophy that drives him. That is according to Father Kukah, coup-empowered leaders are armed robbers, even if of the political kind.

That is according to the same Father Kukah, it can correctly be asserted that the Nigerian constitution, and delineation of

•Cameron states and LGAs are stolen goods and aberrations. So according to Father Kukah, when Governor Kwankwanso opposes the creation of geopolitical zones/new states, and canvasses that what we have now be preserved, he is a collusive receiver of stolen goods, even if of the political kind. That is to say that like every imperialists he is either a political armed robber or receiver of stolen goods.

And according to Father Kukah, since modern Nigeria was derived and erected by the philosophy or proceeds of armed robbery, it follows it is moral to be a pick pocket, or just anything less in evil than an armed robber, in the subsisting Nigeria. That is, if your father is an armed robber, you are angelic by being a mere pick pocket. That is according to Father Kukah, we must therefore resist any attempt to allegedly withdraw the honors won by our illustrious sons and daughters like; Ibru, Alayiamesia and Balogun, or even condemn those more innocent ones, who merely pilfered pension funds to the tune of N6 billion. We shall resist any attempts to withdraw their honors, except those of the principal armed robbers are first withdrawn. And this is the wisdom of or derivable from Father Kukah, who works for the Pope and reports to angels from Sokoto.

Now it is evident that in all the long years that the North and the South-West stole and imperialized Nigeria, built Lagos and Abuja, little else has happened, in fact Nigeria has retrogressed. This is a clear sign that their

imperialism is not working, even for themselves, unlike those of the British and the USA. And worse the South-West and the North are come to the end of their resources.

Now can we all imagine, where Nigeria would have been, if we had the singular grace of the British running Nigeria since Gowon washed up a dictator?

So what are we waiting for, is it not time enough to invite and re-welcome the British as our imperial overlords? And it would be fantastic I guess to have Professor Naill Ferguson as a local Governor General; he did likely be better than the rest of the locust style invading Generals, individually or in combination. Ordinary Nigerians would have been wealthier, happy under British imperialism, than the hell hole the local variant has left all of us in.

Apparently it is the North that is holding everybody back now. The South-West seems to be managing its inevitable imperial decline with grace. For them a few modest concessions are necessary. And they are, that Chief Awolowo be admitted into the status of a chartered sage… and that Lagos or its lagoon be declared a special territory, free Federal oil allocations and all. (This may be no more than a sleight of hand game, of asking for more LGAs, that is LGAs in Lagos be weighted. By this: 1 Lagos LGA= 1+ n up/down country LGAs). All this may remind the historically minded, of Japan. As the curtain was drawn on their imperial misadventure, the Japs only asked that their Emperor, allegedly the son of the sun goddess, be left in his throne, and that the mishmash religion, Shinto, is accorded her place under the sun. Anyway history has shown that Japan, stripped of her empire, went on to build a greater one, on capitalist free market formulations, than she could have, raping China, Singapore or Burma.

Perhaps the South-West is on the same Japanese trajectory. Suspecting they needed to redeem themselves first, before any selfvitiating venture to imperialize others, their heart rendering cry of Omooluabi has been heard by their gods, and may soon be granted. In conclusion SNC is demanded. And the representation must be on the basis of the regions, our fathers freely agreed to, and not the ones, armed robbery-driven coup makers, according to Father Kukah, delineated. If the North resists any further attempt at SNC, so that Nigerians, free and proud peoples, shall freely and freed of the self serving political delineations and other facts on the ground as enacted by armed political and or other robbers, then the question: If the North, why not the British? If the SouthWest why not the Yankees? Compared to the North, the Brits are god-sent imperialists, and should be wooed back by all Nigerians, urgently. All hail the Queen and Naill Ferguson, our forthcoming redeemers.

Ahiazuwa.

“But we who live the humiliation of being Nigerian, the nearest thing, Soyinka says, he imagines to being in hell, ask what exactly is wrong with that?”

Re: The Greatest Nigerian is….

Dear Sir, Thanks for the essay, which as always seeks to educate us on the simple nuggets of wisdom that have helped to recreate or develop societies. It is easy to understand your submission that two basic factors that shape the development of society are education and culture. These two shape and influence each other.

However there is one other factor, that is, leadership which will harvest and utilize the good elements of these essential factors to propel society to positive development. Just imagine, if Jerry Lawrence has not happened in Ghana to abolish impunity? O.J. Onwe.

08035033723 Dear Sir, Thanks very much for your highly educative and inspiring piece on Nigeria’s greatest citizen. The Federal Government should please expedite action on the Guy Garguilo’s Nigerian citizenship appeal. By the way, the professional economists would not be amused by your words on their cherished field. Don Egwuatu.08034053784 Dear Jimanze, you brought the greatest human being that ever lived Mr. Guy Garguilo to public view. Please connect me to him. He paid my school fees in Igbobi College 1960 – 62. I am Uzoma Ike. 07085265475.

N150 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012 VOL.6 NO. 2466

Kwankwaso’s derision of South East

T

he other day, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Governor of Kano State, stirred the hornet’s nest when he chose to deride the legitimate demand of the South East for an additional state. The Governor spewed venom and freely assaulted the sensibilities of the South East by pretending to be taking on Ike EKweremadu, the Deputy Senate President, when he was actually talking down on an entire race.

In Kwankwaso’s reckoning, Kano, not Enugu or any part of the South East, deserves an additional state. By so doing, the Governor touched raw nerves on an issue that is truly vexed.

From the way he sounded, the Governor must be a practised hand in scorched-earth policy. As one, he is employing a psychological warfare which will ensure that useful assets that can add value to his enemy territory is reduced or radically minimized. That is why he is irked by the possibility of an additional state being created for the South East zone to bring it at par with the number of states in the other five geo-political zones.

Kwankaso is enraged that an Ike Ekweremadu, whose Enugu state is far less populated than Kwankwaso’s Kano, is scheming to have a state created from his Enugu State. Indeed, Kwankwaso said that the South East does not deserve an additional state because its population does not measure up to that of the North West. He flaunted the 2006 Census figures to buttress his point.

As bitter as he was with the idea of a new state for the South East, Kwankwaso said: “they (the South East) should not have five in my opinion. What is the population of the South East?” From the way he sounded in this matter, Kwankwaso must be one of those Nigerians who see the South East as a conquered territory where the scorched-earth policy must be applied to the fullest. That is why he is bitter that the people of the zone have the effrontery to ask to be equalized with the other zones of the geo-polity.

That is where the problem lies. While well-meaning Nigerians are working towards an equitable and just society where no one will be weighed down by the feeling of loss and lack, the likes of Kwankwaso are fanning the embers of acrimony and hate. That is why he reduced the job of the National Assembly Committee on Review of the Constitution to the Deputy Senate President simply because he is a South Easterner. But Ekweremadu, to the best of my knowledge, is not asking that a new state be created from Enugu State. He, together with other South-Easterners, is talking about an additional state for the zone that has not enjoyed parity in state creation.

The demand from the South East meets all indices of equity, fairness and justice.

And Nigerians of goodwill have said time and time again that the country will continue to totter on the brinks of instability and stagnation if these indices remain lacking in our national values and ethos.

Kwankwaso’s sardonic delight in the

AMANZE OBI

BROKEN TONGUES

amaobi@yahoo.co.uk

* Kwankwaso

population of his Kano State, and his overreliance on it to disparage the demand of the South East merely exposed the implausibility of his argument. If Kwankwaso were discerning enough, he would have known that the census figures he is relying upon make sense only to a few Nigerians. He tells us that Kano has a population of 9.3 million.

But we know that the figure is contrived. No serious-minded Nigerian believes in it.

When the 2006 census figures were released, Kano was fraudulently made to appear more populated than Lagos. But Nigerians squirmed at the lie. They know it was made up to satisfy the entrenched order.

Is this what Kwankwaso is gloating over?

Even if Lagos and Kano have almost equal number of human beings living in their territories, how come that Lagos has 20 Local Government Areas while Kano has 44? Is this huge discrepancy not questionable?

Kwankwaso needs to be reminded also that the 2006 census exercise was not programmed to serve the purpose and interest of the generality of Nigerians. It is to be recalled that the National Population Commission (NPC) led by Sumaila

Makama at the time refused to include ethnicity and religion as indices in the census exercise. Then, Nigerians of goodwill shouted their voice hoarse. They told NPC that there was need to know how many Igbos, Hausas, Yoruba, Fulani, Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw etc that live in this country. The people also underlined the need to know the number of Nigerians that are Christians as well as the population of Muslims. Regardless of the emphasis on these two indices, NPC refused to include them.

In the absence of ethnicity as a population index, for instance, how does Kwankwaso measure the true population of his state? The Governor need not be reminded that the population of Igbos in his Kano State almost equals that of the indigenous population. Therefore, if you subtract the Igbo population in Kano from the figure Kwankwaso is flaunting, he will be left with a figure that will negate all his claims about a populous Kano.

The implication of this is that the South East where these Igbos come from is not a lean zone after all. If those Igbos who have given Kwankwaso the huge figure he is flaunting return to their homeland as they must, what will Kwankwaso rely upon to make all his unfounded claims?

No matter the level of bad blood spilled by the Kwankwasos of this world, the fact remains that an additional state for the South East is a legitimate quest. If Nigerians do not want more states as some of them have argued, we can accept it in so far as it applies to one and all. But the best way to accommodate such argument is for other sections of Nigeria to drop their demands for additional states and allow that of the South East to sail through. When that is done, Nigeria can put paid to further and future demands for state creation. At moment, what some other zones of the country are doing is to act as a spoilsport to the legitimate quest by the South East for parity.

Now that Kwankwaso has made it clear to Nigerians that the absence of ethnicity and religion as indices in population census can be put to fraudulent use, Nigerians, especially those who stand to lose when such indices are not there, should insist, next time around, that they be included. In any case, should any Nigerian who is sincere about knowing the ethnic and religious composition of this country have anything to fear when such figures are made public? Indeed, NPC has demonstrated that it had a dubious intent when it rejected these vital indices.

For the Igbo who have a high migrant population outside their homeland, the derisive comments by Kwankwaso about South East population should serve as a clarion call. A people whose best operate outside their shores should have a rethink about what they value and cherish. That is part of the burden the Kano Governor has placed on South Easterners.

Abdullahi charges Flamingoes to beat France

M

inister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has charged Nigeria's Under-17 Women's football team, the Flamingoes, to go all out for victory in its quarter final match against France today.

The minister urged the team to remain consistent and maintain the form, which saw it defeat its last two opponents in the preliminary round by wide goal margins. The girls had beaten host, Azerbaijan, by 11 goals to nil and Colombia by 3-0.

“They have been very impressive so far; very fast, good dribbling skills and decisive in front of goal. If they maintain that form and do not make careless mistakes, I'm sure they are going to come out of the game victorious.

“I urge the girls to remain focus. And confident of the fact that Nigerians everywhere support them and are wishing them well,” Abdullahi said.

FCT to reconstitute sports associations

By FRED ITUA, Abuja

T

he Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, yesterday directed the Social Development Secretariat (SDS) to reconstitute all the boards of sports associations in the FCT by December 2012.

The minister gave the directive at a meeting with the Mandate Secretary of the SDS, Mrs. Blessing Onuh; Director of Sports Department in the SDS, Alhaji Musa Alim Mohammed and the executive of FCT Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).

The sports associations are: Basketball, handball, karate, volleyball, judo, boxing, taekwondo, hockey, golf, badminton, kick boxing, special sports, traditional sports, wrestling, weight lifting, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, table tennis, shooting and squash.

Akinjide said: “We need committed persons to serve on the boards of these sports associations. People should apply and due diligence should be undertaken on them. All the sports associations will be inaugurated by December 2012.”

She noted that the restructuring of sports in the country had become necessary, owing to the country athletes’ dismal performance at this year’s Olympics in London.

“Our performance at the Olympics was abysmal as we won no medal. But our athletes at the Paralympics made the nation proud and were deservedly rewarded by Mr. President. We need to take our sports to the next level to enable us effectively compete at domestic and international events,” she said.

The minister urged the SDS to organise an annual marathon race in the FCT where international athletes would be invited to participate.

The SDS Secretary said that the Secretariat would build community stadia in two area councils – Kuje and Bwari as part of measures to encourage the growth of sports in the FCT.

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