Condemn Boko Haram,Clark dares IBB, Buhari

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61679

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

N150

SUBSIDY SCAM:

Court denies accused bail •Cites past criminal records —P.7

Falling oil price, threat to Nigeria's economy COLLAPSED BUILDING—Scene of the collapsed building at 3, Anikantamo Street, off Adeniji Adele, La-

gos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

— Sanusi —P.6

Condemn Boko Haram, Clark dares IBB, Buhari •Asks Jonathan to convoke National Confab now •Calls for trial of Odili, Turaki, Fayose, others Robbers killed Oyerinde, A Oshiomhole's aide —SSS

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

•Why we killed him — Suspects •P.15

OBJ and IBB: A vicarious —P. 17 responsibility for the nation's woes?

C M Y K

BUJA—ELDER statesman and prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, yesterday, declared that some highly

Corruption: Why ICPC —P.29 targets varsities, by Nta

placed individuals from the Northern part of the country were behind the increasing spate of violence in Nigeria to actualize their vow of “making the nation ungovernable for President Jonathan.”

Speaking as a guest lecturer at the “2nd State of the Federation Lecture” organized by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, Clark therefore Continues on Page 5

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 3

4—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan flanked by the First Lady, Dame Goodluck Jonathan (r) and wife of the CSO to the President, Mrs. Gordons Obuah, and her spouse, Mr. Gordons Obuah (l) at a thanksgiving service to mark the first year anniversary of the Obuah triplets at the Aso Villa Chapel, State House, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

L-r: Permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mrs. Oluranti Odutola; commissioner for information, Gombe State, Rev. Habu Dawaki; Lagos State commissioner for information and strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba and special adviser to Lagos State governor on information and strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji during the courtesy visit by the Gombe State commissioner to the ministry in Lagos

Akpabio to sign HIV/ AIDS Control Agency law

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KWA Ibom State Gov ernor Godswill Akpabio will soon sign into law the bill establishing the State HIV/AIDS Control Agency.

The State Deputy Governor, Mr. Nsima Ekere, who announced this at the annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Akwa Ibom State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, said the governor will not only sign the bill, which was recently passed by the State House of Assembly, into law but will ensure that the agency is well-funded to enable it meet its obligations.

Ekere, who represented Governor Godswill Akpabio at the occasion, called for concerted efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS particularly in the motherto-child transmission of the pandemic, adding that the NMA in the state should monitor developments in the renewed international research for a cure for HIV/ AIDS to ensure that Akwa Ibom people will be among the first to benefit from a potential cure.

He promised that the Government will equip and staff the 20th Anniversary Specialist Hospital with the best equipment and personnel to make it the best in the country and stop medical tourism of Nigerians abroad.

The State Commissiner for Health, Dr. Bassey Antai, said the State Government will continue to make healthcare accessible and affordable to all in the state. State Chairman of the NMA, Dr. Etiobong Etukumana, thanked the Governor for the massive transformation of the health sector and the infrastructural development of the state.

Vanguard, THURSD AY, A UGUST 2, 2012—5 THURSDA AUGUST

POCKET CARTOON

Condemn Boko Haram, Clark dares IBB, Buhari Continues from Page 1 challenged two former heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, to establish their innocence by publicly condemning activities of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The lecture was chaired by former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana.

His word: “Our type of terrorism is home grown, unlike in Israel and the US, where terrorism was imported from the Middle-East.

Here our Nigerians are the Boko Harams. Boko Haram which was religious has now become a political tool. Those who said they would make Nigeria ungovernable are those behind Boko Haram. It is our proverb that if in the night a mother sleeps with the child and owl cries, if in the morning that child dies, it is the owl that killed the baby. Federal Government should pick up courage and the political will to take up these people, if that is done I believe the problem of Boko Haram will be solved.

"If the Federal Government should dialogue with them, the government of those states should be able to galvanize their people. What are their grievances?

Like in the Niger Delta, our own agitation was for the implementation of the 50% derivation formula, today, what is their grievance?

“They are killing everybody, security forces,

burning churches, burning human beings. I appeal to governors, instead of devoting themselves to holding governorship meetings in Abuja every month; they should go home and work. They should be made to know that if they don’t perform, state of emergency will be declared in their states for six months.

“Two former heads of state recently made this kind of appeal against the growing level of insecurity in the country, as if they were not part of the system when Boko Haram was formed.

“Boko Haram preceded Jonathan. It started in 2002 when Obasanjo was President.

It was there when Yar ’Adua was also ruling. It is not synonymous with Jonathan. I had expected that somebody like Babangida should have spoken since. I thought he would have spoken with his friend Buhari. Two of them have been meeting. So why is he now with Obasanjo?

“At 72, Babangida said he will wear uniform and fight for the unity of Nigeria, he should therefore stand up now and condemn Boko Haram from the bottom of his heart, not with Obasanjo.

“Obasanjo has gone to Maiduguri to meet the people, why has Babangida not gone?” he asked.

Besides arguing that President Jonathan has the legal right to seek reelection in 2015, Clark, yesterday, condemned

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own — John Donohue

D

ONOHUE in his many uplifting writings also said that, if you try to view yourself through the lenses that others offer you, all you will see are distortions; your own light and beauty will become blurred, awkward, and unattractive. Your sense of inner beauty has to remain a very private thing and once your light awakens from within, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfilment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of risk hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfilment. Take heart and follow your bliss.

the height of corruption in the judiciary, calling for the immediate prosecution of past political office holders, some of whom he said were granted frivolous exparte injunctions.

Recalling that he earlier wrote a petition to the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on the role and failure of the Judiciary to eradicate corruption in Nigeria, Clark lamented that “some very high profile cases of corruption against some former governors and ministers have been lying fallow in various courts for five years and above.”

Those that must be prosecuted Those he said should be prosecuted immediately were, Senator Saminu Turaki for allegedly embezzling over N36billion from the Jigawa State treasury, Ayo Fayose for alleged money laundering and misappropriation of about N1.2 billion, Senator Joshua Dariye, whose female associate he said was also arrested and sentenced in London for money laundering; Chimaroke Nnamani, for alleged N5.5billion theft, Dr Peter Odili, for money laundering and looting of about N100billion from Rivers State only to subsequently secure a perpetual injunction stopping his trial.

“Today Dr Peter Odili is one of the freest and recognized political leaders to the extent of his being honoured by the Nigerian Army to decorate their officers at a ceremony; what a shame! In other words, the former Governor has secured a permanent injunction against his arrest and prosecution.”

Others he said should be expeditiously tried were former governor of Adamawa, Boni Haruna, ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State, Rasheed Ladoja of Oyo State, Reverend Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, James Onanefe Ibori of Delta State, former Acting Governor of Plateau State, Michael Botmang, Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State, Adamu Abdullahi of Nasarawa State, former Ministers of Aviation, Prof.

Babalola Borishade and Femi Fani-Kayode who he said “is parading himself today as a moral icon in the society.”

Regretting that President Jonathan “has been abused, called all sorts of names such as drunken fisherman and a weakling unfit to govern,” by those he said were bereft of good family upbringing, Clark said, “for instance, Pastor Tunde Bakare has turned his pulpit to a political theatre where he preaches against President Jonathan and his administration to the extent of saying that the President will not last up to 2015, adding that Nigerians should be ready for fresh elections any time before 2015.

Chief Clark also implored President Goodluck Jonathan to promptly convoke a national conference with a view to creating a veritable platform for the discussion of contemporary issues threatening the continued existence of Nigeria as a federation.

The Minister of Information in the First Republic, who condemned the over centralization of the nation’s revenue in the hands of the Federal Government decried what he termed “unfair execution of the 1999 constitution,” saying the country was far from practising either true federalism or fiscal federation and emphasized the need for an urgent amendment of the 1999 constitution.

Lamenting the near absence of transparency and equity in the way the nation's resources were being managed, the Ijaw leader, urged Federal Government to start appointing two Accountants General, “one to take charge of the finances of the Federal Government, while the other will take charge of the finances of the federating units.”

He said: “The Federal Government does not own the resources. It belongs to the Nigerian Federation and the owner communities. The assignment of the responsibility to collect revenue should not be taken as making the collecting agent the exclusive owner of such resources. It is for this reason that I am recommending that the Federal Government should

start appointing two Accountants General.

“By collecting the revenue into the national coffers, the resource producing communities are denied the wherewithal to carry out the development of their communities which are devastated as a result of the exploration of these resources. The revenue allocation formula in the country shows a fiscal dominance of the Federal Government. This is not in line with best global practices in federalism. It therefore poses a major challenge in our political evolution,” he added.

Need for National confab Highlighting need for the national conference, Clark, warned members of the National Assembly to stop arrogating to themselves the powers to speak for Nigerians on every occasion, saying, “the National Assembly itself is also an aspect to be discussed at the conference.

“Some of them are facing investigation and trial in court. Most of them emerged through corruption, name any panel of inquiry that they successfully concluded, especially the House of Representa-

tives, without element of corruption, is there any?

My answer is no. Why then should they arrogate the powers of amending the constitution to themselves alone,” he queried.

Concluding his lecture, Chief Clark appealed to the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives to take it easy on their impeachment threats on the President, if he fails to implement the budget 100%.

According to him, “I do not think it is really possible anywhere in the world to implement a nation’s budget fully and completely between July and September, except there are other motives or reasons which have not been made known to the public. I agree with them that they have every right to impeach the President if he violates any section of the Nigerian Constitution. This of course is not the first time such attempts are being made to impeach the President. The threat by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and other members of the House in which the scandal of “Ghana must go” bags were found on the floor of the House has not been forgotten.”

Angry corps members storm Abuja

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BUJA—CORPS members numbering about 500 converged on the FCT Orientation Camp, Kubwa, Abuja, yesterday, seeking redeployment.

The corps members could not be deployed in the states where they underwent orientation.

The highest number came from Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri and Bauchi states.

The Director of Corps

Mobilisation at the NYSC Headquarters, Mrs Mercy Kolajo and other workers in the department, had been at the Orientation Camp since July 26, effecting the redeployment of corps members.

Mr Peter Atilola, the Deputy Director of Publication of the NYSC, explained that they had to move the corps members to the camp so as not to disrupt activities at the headquarters and adjoining offices.

6—Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Plateau: IG orders AIG, CP to nip crises in the bud ...seeks new strategies to curb menace

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PRESIDENT JONATHAN MEETS NIGERIAN COMMUNITY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO—From left: High Commissioner of Nigeria to Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Musa Jen; President of the Nigerian community in Trinidad and Tobago, Prof Godwin Ekwe; and President Good Luck Jonathan during a meeting between President Jonathan and the Nigerian community in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday.

Photo: State House.

Falling oil price, threat to Nigerian economy— Sanusi F

ALLING oil prices and domestic energy output due to declining global demand are a concern for Nigeria’s economy, the country’s Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said yesterday.

The worsening situation in the Euro zone and rising global food prices may also push inflation higher, Sanusi said in an interview on Nigeria investment conference, adding that the country’s slower growth and tighter fiscal discipline could counter balance those upward effects.

Nigeria is among the top 10 crude oil exporters in the world and is one of Goldman Sachs’s N-11 emerging economies after the power houses of the BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Nigeria’s 2012 budget is based on an oil price of $72 a barrel and oil fell below $90 in recent weeks, though it has since reached $100.

Nigeria exports most of its domestic output and figures show exports have been falling, suggesting falls in output. Exports are set to fall, to 1.81 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, a provisional loading programme showed last week.

“The budget is based on assumptions of output of 2.4 million barrels a day, and output has been underperforming, so $72 may not be an effective benchmark,” Sanusi said.

Long before you get to $72, you will have major strains on government revenues, so long as output doesn’t improve.” Sanusi said the euro zone sovereign debt crisis, along with vulnerability in the U.S. economy and growth slowdown in India and China, were having an impact.

Dip in economy blamed on movements in commodity price He said: “The price of oil is affected by global demand. The economy remains highly vulnerable to movements in the commodity price, the global outlook is important,” adding that a slowdown in growth in emerging economies was contributing to the drop in demand, unlike during the subprime crisis.

In 2007, 2008, 2009, when Europe and America were slowing down, China, India and Brazil were there to take the slack, now there is nobody.”

Nigeria’s Finance Ministry has cut its 2012 growth forecast to 6-7 percent. “We would broadly agree that it’s reasonable to expect a slowdown,” Sanusi said.

Nigeria’s double-digit inflation — 12.9 percent in June —prompted surprise tightening measures from the CBN last week. The apex bank left rates on hold

at 12 percent, but raised banks’ Cash Reserve Requirement, CRR, to 12 percent from eight percent and reduced net open foreign exchange positions to one percent from three percent to support the weakening naira. The naira has recovered from twomonth lows since then.

He added that “The increase in the CRR was perhaps far more effective for tightening than an increase in interest rates.

Interbank rates have responded, the exchange rates have also responded.

Interbank rates rose as high as 19 percent this week. We don’t want them to be there, we think there will be moderation, but we think they will be higher than before the tightening.”

Sanusi said inflation forecasts of 14.5 percent peaking in the third quarter were made in January, when the global outlook was more benign. “There are other factors at play, rising global food prices, uncertainty that was not there in January, usually which was the time when we thought the Euro zone had fixed its problems.

Moderation in govt spending He added that “moderation in government spending” should help contain inflation, and that for Nigeria, “growth hasn’t been very fast”.

Fuel subsidy not

sustainable Nigeria is struggling to cope with the costs of its fuel subsidies, which were only removed in part in January following widespread protests. Despite Nigeria’s oil exports, decades of corruption and mismanagement mean it has to import most of its refined fuel needs.

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, said last week it was owed $7 billion in government fuel import subsidies. Debts which would wipe out savings in the country’s Excess Crude Account, ECA, where it saves oil revenues over the benchmark price of $72 a barrel.

Sanusi said: “My position has always been clear, the subsidy is not sustainable,” adding, however, “There are political obstacles in removing it totally.

Not worried by Fitch Ratings report He said he was not worried by a recent report from ratings agency, Fitch that Nigerian banks’ asset quality was at risk from recent rapid credit growth.

He said banks should be increasing their lending to small and medium-term enterprises. “In my job, I have more information on the banks than Fitch has, and I don’t have the concerns that Fitch has”, he added.

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

BUJA—FOLLOWING the frequent crises in Jos, Plateau State and its potential of creating a bigger security challenge for the nation, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has issued a two weeks order to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 4, Makurdi, Mr. Michael Zuokumor and the Commissioner of Police.

Plateau State, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni to work out strategies that will solve the security challenges in the state.

Speaking during a meeting with senior police officers in Abuja yesterday, the IG said, “We are daily confronted by numerous acts of crimes and criminality and must endeavour to curb these crimes to the barest minimum. The skirmishes and bombings in some parts of the country are still there. The Jos crisis is a problem that must be solved”.

He added: “Just recently, many people lost their lives in Barkin Ladi and Riyom, including a serving Senator and a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly. But this violence that has pervaded the Plateau for several years must come to an end. While we sympathize with families of all those who have suffered the violence in the state, I must reiterate our commitment to the ongoing security arrangements and other

efforts aimed at restoring peace in Plateau State.

“The Plateau State command and police personnel deployed on special duties to the troubled parts of the state must gear up to the challenges of security in the state and see that normalcy is restored as soon as possible”.

The IG charged: "I now direct the Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 4 Command, AIG Michael Zuokumor and the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni to immediately commence efforts targeted at reconstructing and evolving effective security strategies to address the security challenges in Plateau State.

“Such efforts must illustrate practicable and realistic solutions as well as specific and holistic designs on a short, medium and long term with time frame for their realization. You must let me know before the close of work on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, what new things we must do to restore permanent peace to Plateau State”.

Advising commissioners of police to be up and doing in tackling security challenges, Abubakar said, "I will therefore not take kindly with commissioners of police who stick to traditional methodologies which no longer yield desired results without taking new initiatives to combat emerging trends of criminal activities".

Akingbola Vs London court Court did not ask Akingbola to refund money — Aide

BY OMOH GABRIEL, BUSINESS EDITOR

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RSTWHILE Managing Director of defunct Intercontinental Bank, Dr Erastus Akingbola, has debunked claims that a London court ordered him to pay N164 billion to Access Bank PLC. In a swift reaction to a London High Court judgment, Mr Charles Nwagwu, Media Counsel to Dr. Erastus Akingbola said “We are disappointed with the judgment which is at variance with evidence at the hearing. Our lawyers have therefore been instructed to pursue an appeal as well as consider

further legal options.

“May we also clarify that the judgment did not order Dr. Akingbola to pay any sum of money as at today contrary to claims in the media reports. This civil case in London is the fourth variant of the various cases in the Nigerian courts emanating from the forceful takeover and subsequent sharing of the assets of Intercontinental Bank and the ruthless suppression of any opposition.

"Dr. Akingbola restates his innocence and is determined to clear his name. He remains confident that the judicial system will eventually vindicate him”.

Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—7

Plans to privatise PHCN: NUPENG accuses BPE of shady deals

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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ESS than 24 hours after the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, released names of companies that bidded for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN's, 11 distribution companies, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has accused BPE of shady deals aimed at allowing cronies and fronts of the powers that be to buy up the PHCN companies at ridiculous prices.

NUPENG in a statement yesterday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately intervene in the process by prevailing on the BPE and the Federal Ministry of Power to extend the time for bidding to allow other interested parties and Nigerian investors to participate.

In a statement titled “NUPENG protests BPE shady deals on PHCN bids”, the union argued that the hurried closure of the bid was not in the best interest of the power sector reforms.

According to its Acting

General Secretary, Comrade Isaac Aberare, “ The Union frowns at the closure of the biddings by the BPE and the Federal Ministry of Power and states that it is an attempt to deprive genuine Nigerian investors and their companies the opportunity to buy these designated power sector companies scheduled for privatisation.

The union believes that the closure of the bids is to allow the cronies and front men of the powers that be to buy up the PHCN companies at ridiculous prices.

NUPENG hereby called on the Federal Government to intervene quickly in the closure of the bidding by prevailing on the BPE and the Federal Ministry of Power for an extension of time to allow other interested parties and Nigerian investors to participate in the bidding.

This move, the union, states will allow the transformational agenda of the Jonathan administration on power to be more transparent and workable, rather than the hurried closure of the bidding.

Detained Nigerians in Trinidad and Tobago seek Jonathan's help

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ORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO—AT least eight Nigerians are being detained in Trinidad and Tobago over immigration offences and they are now urging visiting President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene.

The eight, who are currently at the Immigration Detention Centre in Aripo, upon hearing of Jonathan’s visit to the country, pleaded for his help to have them deported to Nigeria.

The Nigerian inmates have been held waiting for deportation for years, and no date has been mentioned for their repatriation.

The country’s media, over the years, have reported that the detainees were being ill-treated, which led to their going on hunger strikes, with hope of capturing government’s attention.

When news reached them of Jonathan’s visit to the country on Tuesday, they sent out a desperate plea

for help.

One of the Nigerian detainees, known simply as Akeem, said most of them came to TT in search for a better standard of living.

He said some of them are married to Trinidadian women and have children but were yet unable to obtain citizenship.

He said the Nigerian detainees hope that Jonathan will be able to speak on their behalf to the TT Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bissessar, and TT President, George Maxwell Richards, to have them deported to Nigeria as soon as possible.

There was no immediate comment from the Trinidadian immigration authorities, and an official declined comment when contacted by newsmen.

In 2009, Ghanaian delegates held back bilateral discussions of energy and gas to negotiate the immediate release and deportation of Ghanaians and a majority of African nationals being held, including Nigerians.

BOOK LAUNCH—From left: Prof Jerry Gana, former Minister of Information and Orientation; Chief Edwin Clark, Niger Delta National Leader; and Mr Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs during a book launch and fund raising for the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja.

Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Subsidy scam: Court denies accused bail zSays he has previous criminal records

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & MICHAEL OLADEPO

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AGOS—AN Ikeja High Court yesterday refused to grant bail to one of the oil marketers, Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo who is being prosecuted alongside others on the ground of his previous criminal records even as others were admitted to bail.

Ogunbambo, who was charged with Habila Theck and Fargo Energy Limited for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government by illegally collecting N980 million Petroleum Support Fund, PSF, was ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi Prison pending the commencement of his trial.

Ogunbambo was docked on a six-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents to obtain N976, 653, 110. 98 from the Petroleum Support Fund.

Babajide Koku, SAN, who represented him had urged the court to grant bail to the accused on liberal terms, assuring that he would not jump bail or interfere with the trial.

Although, Ogunbambo’s counsel told the court that his client has never had a criminal case against him, the prosecution however told the court that the accused had always been jumping bail in all the cases filed against him, making

it difficult to arraign him.

Prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs opposed the bail application on three grounds. According to him, Ogunbanbo was having a criminal allegation levelled against him by Stanbic IBTC Bank where he was said to have collected loans to the tune of N230million and N430million respectively with forged documents and had since jumped bail.

EFCC alleges accused has dual identities The second ground was that he was sometimes arrested at Dublin Airport with cash, which he refused to declare to the authorities.

He said the Ireland Embassy had already petitioned the EFCC over the matter and Ogunbambo’s two passports had been seized by the anti-graft agency but that he still has another passport with which he has been travelling outside the country.

The third ground he said was on his multiple identities.

According to the prosecution lawyer, “Ogunbambo changes name as he likes. This is a clear case from the past rulings by the court. The facts are unique. We have shown that the evidence against the accused are quite heavy and the charge

a serious one. He used different names. His name is just a wearing apparent, which he changes as he likes. If he is in the UK, he is Benson Adekunbo Oladapo Sobowale but in this case he claimed to be Oluwaseun Ogunbambo.

He jumped bail. We can’t find him and a defendant can’t be tried in absentia,” Jacobs told the court.

The prosecution, however, raised no objection to the bail application of the second defendant, Habila Theck, who he said had lived up to his undertaking with the EFCC. Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, in his ruling held that ordinarily he would not have refused him bail because it is a constitutional right and the offence is bailable.

He said the issue of dual identity cast huge question on the accused and therefore the bail application failed and is hereby refused.

Justice Onigbanjo however granted bail to the second defendant, Habila Thech in the sum of N20million and two sureties each in the like sum.

One of the sureties must be employed in the federal civil service on grade 14 and verified by the Head of Service. The second surety must be employed by Lagos State and possess property valued at N100million and must submit original title of the property to the court after

verification by the Land Registry. The accused was also required to deposit his international passport with the EFCC while the accused must report every Monday of the month to the agency.

Court grants bail to Arisekola's son Meanwhile, another Ikeja High Curt judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru granted bail to Abdulahi Alao, son of Ibadan based business man, Alhaji Alao Arisekola in the sum of N100 million over his alleged involvement and his company, Axenergy oil in a N1.9 billion oil subsidy scam Arisekola’s son was last week arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru, who refused to hear his bail application following an objection raised by Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC’s counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, who said he would file a counter affidavit on point of law.

The defence counsel, Babajide Koku, SAN, had argued that Alao never had any criminal record and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

“We depose that he will not jump bail. He is a family man. He will be available whenever required. He has a name to protect. Our prayer is that your lordship grant the first defendant bail on liberal terms.”

8— Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Tax tribunal recovers N49bn for FG

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA—THE Tax Ap peal Tribunal, yesterday, recovered about N49 billion for the Federal Government, being the tax that was owed by a foreign company, TSKJ 11 Construces International Sociaade, UNIPESSOAL. It was the company that carried out the construction of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas. In a ruling, yesterday, the tribunal ordered the company to pay the said sum to the Federal Government as its tax liabilities for 2008 and 2009 tax years.

TSKJ 11 Construces International Sociaade UNIPESSOAL had earlier gone before the Tribunal, praying it to hold that the assessment of tax made by Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, was contrary to the relevant tax laws and, therefore, should be set aside.

The company further filed three appeals out of which two were consolidated for hearing by the tribunal.

The Tribunal had in a unanimous judgments held that, “this Tribunal hereby dismisses these two appeals filed by Appellant in the consolidated case TAT/ABJ/APP/006/2006 and TAT//ABJ/APP/2010 and order with respect to TAT/ ABJ/APP/006.

Kogi commissioner dies 6 days after take over

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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OKOJA—THE newly appointed Kogi State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Simon Olutimayin, has been confirmed dead, six days after assuming office.

According to a family source, Olutimayin died on Tuesday night in a Lagos hospital.

It was learnt that the late commissioner, who looked sickly during his inauguration last Thursday, slumped while attending a thanksgiving church service on Sunday from where he was taken to a hospital and treated for stroke.

Born in Ponyan, Yagba East Local Government Area, in 1950, Olutimayin was an alumnus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he graduated with a B. Sc. degree in economics in 1980.

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA—AN Abuja High Court, yesterday, fixed September 21 to determine whether the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has the powers to try the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, following his alleged com-

Alleged N557m fraud: Ex-Police IG, Ehindero, knows fate Sept 21 plicity in the misappropriation of about N557million belonging to the Nigeria Police Force.

The ex-police boss is facing a six-count criminal charge that was preferred against him and a former

Police Commissioner incharge of Budget, Mr John Obaniyi, by the antigraft agency.

ICPC had in the charge it filed on May 30, alleged that the duo conspired and used their positions

to confer undue advantages upon themselves by diverting N300 million out of N557 million donated to the Nigeria Police Force by the Bayelsa State Government when President Goodluck

Mr. Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, a fuel subsidy scam suspect with Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's officials during the arraignment of the suspects at Ikeja High court, Lagos, by EFCC, yesterday. Photo: Diran Oshe

Arisekola-Alao's son gets N100m bail

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & MICHAEL OLADEPO

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AGOS—JUSTICE Habeeb Abiru of an Ikeja High Court, yesterday, granted a bail of N100 million to Abdulahi, son of Ibadan-based businessman, Alhaji Abdulazeez ArisekolaAlao, over his involvement and his company, Axenergy Oil, in a N1.9 bilion subsidy scam trial.

Arisekola-Alao’s son was last week arraigned before Justice Habeeb Abiru, but the judge refused to hear his bail application following the objection raised by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, who said he will file a counter affidavit on point of law.

The ruling followed arguments canvassed by counsel to both parties.

The defence counsel, Babajide Koku, SAN, had argued that ArisekolaAlao never had any criminal record and he was presumed innocent until proved guilty by the court.

“We depose that he will not jump bail. He is a fam-

ily man. He will be available whenever required.

He has a name to protect.

Our prayer is that your Lordship grant the first defendant bail on liberal terms.”

However, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, argued that the court should consider the fact that the amount involved in the case was high and the judge should refuse the bail application.

Justice Abiru granted him bail in the sum of N100 milion with two sureties who must be residents and owners of landed property in Lagos.

Abiru said the sureties must have meaningful and identifiable means of income.

Apart, the court ordered that Arisekola-Alao must not travel abroad without the permission of the court, while he must deposit his travelling documents with EFCC, while all the facts, especially documents on the landed property must be verified by the court’s Registrar.

After his ruling, Justice Abiru adjourned the matter till October 22.

Meanwhile, the Judge, in another matter, granted bail to other defendants, Walter Wagbatosma,

Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi and Ontario Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited (the fifth defendant) after they were arraigned on a ninecount preferred against them with other defendants in the case.

Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer and Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele (fourth and fifth defendants) were slammed with four-count charges each.

The five defendants, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Unlike in Arisekola-

Alao’s case, the bail conditions granted each defendant were varied.

The first defendant, Wagbatosma was granted bail in the sum of N150 million with three sureties in like sum.

Ugo-Ngadi was granted bail in the sum of N100 million with two sureties in like sum while each of Ebenezer and Ejidele was granted bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum.

Justice Abiru adjourned their matter till October 24

Jonathan was its governor.

It alleged that though the money was donated for the procurement of arms, ammunition and riot control equipment, it said investigations revealed that the accused persons diverted N300 million into a fixed deposit account at Wema Bank Plc where it had already yielded an interest of N9.8 million for them.

The prosecuting agency added that the fraud was perpetuated between May and November 2006.

It would be recalled that Ehindero piloted the affairs of the Nigeria Police between 2005 and 2007.

The ex-IGP and his alleged accomplice were equally alleged to have placed another N200 million out of the Bayelsa State Government's donation to the Force, in a fixed deposit account at Intercontinental Bank Plc where an interest of N6.5 million was yielded for them.

Meanwhile, though the anti-graft agency, on June 6 got approval from the high court to arraign the accused persons, however, Ehindero, filed a preliminary objection challenging the powers of ICPC to try him on the basis of an incompetent charge.

He declined to either mount the dock or enter his plea to the charge, contending that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, never consented to his prosecution.

He argued that ICPC ought to have secured the fiat of AGF before initiating a criminal proceeding against him over a case he said was baseless.

Budget implementation: FG, NASS rift unnecessary — Okupe

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—THE Presi dency said, yesterday, that the face-off between it and the National Assembly over alleged poor implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act was not very healthy and also not necessary.

According to the Federal Government, it was not true that any ministry, department and agency, MDAs, cannot perform because of lack of fund.

The Presidency also

noted that though the House of Representatives and the Senate meant well for the country and the well-being of the people, it promised that the implementation of the budget by the Federal Government and MDAs will hit 80 per cent by the end of the year.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who stressed that there was no country in the world that cleared its budget

100 per cent at the end of the year, said, ‘’I see the current misunderstanding between the members of the National Assembly and the Federal Government, especially the Minister of Finance as something that is not very healthy and not necessary. I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt from the passion that I have observed from the members of the National Assembly that they mean well for the Nigerian people.''

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—9

3-storey building collapses in Lagos

Briefly

Lagos pays N45bn pension

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

BY EVELYN USMAN & BOSE ADELAJA

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KEJA—THE Lagos State Government has released N45 billion into the state Contributory Pension Scheme within the last two years even as 464 retired employees of the State’s public service, yesterday, received retirement bond certificates worth N2.8 billion.

Gov. Babatunde Fashola, presenting the bond certificates to the retirees, which were the sixth batch since commencement in October 2010, said the government had ensured that retirees under the old pay-as-you go pension will continue to receive their pension entitlements when due.

Fashola, represented by the Head of Service, Adesegun Ogunlewe, said: “The state had established a fully-automated pension commission is the only state to issue retirement benefit bond redemption certificates and the only state that has committed almost N45 billion to the contributory pension scheme administration.

Partnership

BY GODWIN ORITSE

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AGOS—THE Nige rian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is to partner with Nigerian Airforce in air surveillance to safe-guard the nation’s maritime environment.

NIMASA‘s Director General, Mr. Ziakede Akpobolokemi said this at an interactive session with Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar and other top ranking officers in the Nigerian Airforce in Abuja.

Akpobolokemi stated that part of the Agency’s agenda is to see to the general development of the Nigerian maritime sector, hence the partnership with the Nigerian Airforce.

The NIMASA boss noted that this partnership was part of the transformation agenda of the present administration to reposition the maritime sector and transform it into a hub in Africa.

Carnival

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T. Mary ’s Catholic Church, Ajegunle, Lagos, holds its children’s cultural carnival on August 11 at her playground.

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DONATION: Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (left) presenting a bus key to Ondo State and Southwest Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Chief Olajutele Obayoriade, at the distribution of 50 transit buses to the union by the state government, in AKure.

Dana Coroner: TV stations show videos of plane crash

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & MICHAEL OLADEPO

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AGOS—VIDEO clip pings from the scene of the ill-fated crash of Dana Airline plane were, yesterday, shown before a Lagos Coroner, Magistrate Komolafe Oyetade, by two television stations that covered the accident.

The media houses, Channels Television and Television Continental, TVC, were summoned by the court to present the pictures of the scene.

At the resumed hearing, the witness who presented the tape from Channels Television, Mr. Oreoluwa Shonibare, told the court that on that fateful day while on duty, he was called by his director, that there was a plane crash at Iju-Ishaga.

On arriving at the scene at 3:30 pm, he met a large crowd and a billow of smoke which made it almost impossible for him and his crew to do their work.

Shonibare described how the plane plunged into a two-storey building and a bungalow, adding that it was tough seeing people burning, so he had to help the rescue team.

Responding to questions, he said he was not aware of any casualties as it was a collective loss.

Doing his job, he interviewed some of the rescue officials but they were not willing to give details of what happened at the

scene before he got there.

While being cross-examined by Mr. Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, counsel to Dana Air, Shonibare said he cannot give the exact number of the policemen that came for rescue operation at the scene, adding that the crowd was not regulated, saying, at a point they were able to control them to the best of their abilities.

He also said the rescue was a collective effort as the Lagos State Fire Services, Nigerian Emergency Management Agency, Airforce, civil defence corps and rescue teams from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria were on ground to help.

Another witness, Mr Olugboyega Oshifowora, a reporter from Television Continental, who was also at the crash site, told the court that he had gone for an assignment earlier, when he came to file his report in the office and was immediately asked to go to Iju-Ishaga, where the plane crashed.

Oshifowora, who went with his cameraman and driver, said getting to the scene, his cameraman took the shots of the engines and tails of the plane burning.

He told the court that he can not give the exact time he arrived at the scene, but that he met Lagos fire service and federal airport authority of Nigeria on ground.

Meanwhile, Africa Independent Television, which was also supposed to present its video footage, could not do so because they did not come with gadgets to play their tape.

Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe thereafter told AIT, Dana Air and Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, to prepare for today's sitting.

Taskforce arrests 85 traders, 130 Okada riders

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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KEJA—AS Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State is expected to sign the amended traffic bill as passed by the state House of Assembly into law today, the state Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, yesterday, arrested no fewer than 85 suspected miscreants at different locations

of the state in the ongoing frisking of criminal hideouts.

The combined team of task-force and the police also impounded 130 motorcycles popularly known as Okada for violation of traffic laws in a renewed onslaught against them.

However, there was a shocking revelation when a gun was recovered in one of the seized motorcycles by the Elere Police Station, Agege area. But the police refused to give

FRSC raises alarm over accidents in Lagos

BY EBUN SESSOU

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KEJA—ROAD acci dents may soon become Nigeria’s number one killer if urgent measures were not taken.

According to Lagos Commandant, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr. Charles

AGOS—A three-sto rey building at 3, Anikantamo Street, in the Adeniji-Adele area of Lagos, collapsed, yesterday, rendering about 30 families homeless.

At press time, the number of casualties could not be ascertained.

But Managing Director of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. OkeOsanyintolu, told Vanguard that there was none.

Some occupants of the building, including a 60year-old woman, reportedly sustained injuries.

Report said the incident occurred at 12.45 pm, following a loud bang which jostled residents of the area. It was reliably gathered that the building, constructed 10 years ago, had signs of imminent collapse.

One of the occupants, who gave his name as Areo, said some officials from Alausa Secretariat visited the area last year and advised the owner to carry out some renovation on the building. “ Our landlord promised to do so. He even collected two years rent from us to carry out the renovation. But he never did it,'' he said.

Akpabio, the current situation on the roads was worrisome, adding that steps must be taken to curb further degeneration.

Akpabio, during a visit to the Lagos State House of Assembly, reiterated his organisation’s commitment to enforcing law and

order on the roads and appealed to the lawmakers to ensure that concerned agencies compel drivers in the state to obey the laws. The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, praised Akpabio' effort towards reducing accidents on the roads.

the identity of the motorcyclist for security reasons, saying a manhunt had begun for the owner of the bike.

The miscreants, who were being detained pending trial in the magistrate court, were arrested in Ojota, Oshodi, Isolo, Ilasamaja and Cele areas in the past two days and brought to the taskforce headquarters in Alausa in a Black Maria.

Those arrested included 14 under-aged children.

They are expected to be taken to one of the state’s Correctional Centres.

Worried by the rising cases of armed robberies and violent attacks in the state, Chairman of the task-force, Bayo Sulaiman, while parading the suspected hoodlums, said they would be arraigned in court soonest while those found culpable would be punished according to the laws of the state.

10—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

I'll create 3,000 jobs within 100 days, if —Akeredolu

BY DAPO AKINREFON

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From left, Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, and Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, at the Nigeria Business and Investment Summit, titled, “New World Nigeria - The World's Most Vibrant Market," organised by the Bank of Industry at Dorchester Hotel, London, United Kingdom.

Police detain 8 Oyo civil servants over alleged N2.6bn pension fraud

BY OLA AJAYI

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BADAN—A large-scale fraud running into billions of naira has been uncovered by the Oyo State Government.

Ten civil servants from the state Local Government Service Pensions Board were alleged to have stolen pension money totalling N2, 608, 398, 709. 29 between 2010 and March 2011.

While two of them were said to have absconded, the remaining eight workers were being interrogated by the State Police command to know their level of involvement in the alleged fraud.

Speaking with newsmen in Ibadan, yesterday, the Chairman of the commission, who is also heading the board, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, alleged that the interim report showed

that the fraud was perpetrated between September 2010 and March 2011.

Ayankojo said eight of the alleged perpetrators of the fraud were being detained by the police while two of them had absconded.

According to him, upon the receipt of the report of the committee, the board informed Governor Abiola Ajimobi about the issue.

The board, he said, dis-

covered the fraud following complaints by local government workers and teacher retirees that their pensions were not paid to them by government.

Another discovery made by the committee that was set up indicated that monies were indeed, collected by civil servants’ intermediaries working in the commission and were never remitted to the pensioners.

1 dead, 3 injured in police, robbers' gun duel in Ogun ...as doctors bemoan insecurity

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA—HELL was let loose, yesterday, during a gun duel between policemen and armed robbers on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, at Sapade junction, in Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, leaving one dead and three others critically injured.

Vanguard gathered that the incident which occurred in the early hours involved no fewer than 10 robbers and some policemen from Ishara Division, who reportedly foiled a robbery attack on travellers on the road.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, said an unidentified commercial bus driver was killed by the robbers during the gun duel.

He said three passengers who were being robbed sustained serious injuries.

Adejobi added that the

robbers, who had laid ambush on the expressway, killed the commercial bus driver while attempting to escape as they started shooting sporadically.

According to him, “The Police Commissioner, Ikemefuna Okoye, has directed the Divisional Police Officer of Ishara, S. P Bashir, to fish out the robbers.''

Also speaking on the incident, Mr. Ayobami Omiyale, the Sector Commander, Ogun Command of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said the commercial bus with numberplate LAGOS XZ 271 FKJ , was heading to Ibadan from Lagos when the incident occurred about 10 am.

He said: “The robbers shot sporadically at the driver and, of course, he swerved into the bush before he died, leaving three of the passengers injured and in critical conditions.''

He said the rescue team of FRSC responded on time to take the victims to hospital and also controlled traffic in the area to forestall build-ups on the ex-

pressway.

He said the body of the driver was deposited at the mortuary of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Ijebu- Ode, while the other victims were receiving treatment at the same hospital.

Meantime, doctors in Ogun State, yesterday, cried out over alleged insecurity in the state which was blamed on poverty and unemployment, urging the government to embrace good governance to solve the menace.

The doctors under the aegis of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, which

held their 2012 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Abeokuta, expressed worry over the dimension of insecurity in the country.

According to the NMA Chairman in the state, Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki, ''over 58 per cent of Nigerian youths were unemployed, palpable poverty all around us, power failure and other evils bedeviling our nation, our youths are with nothing than to channel their strength into violence,thuggery and fraudulent practices, out of desperation to make ends meet.''

KURE—THE gover norship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has promised to create 3,000 jobs in his first 100 days if voted as governor on October 20.

According to a statement by his Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, Akeredolu made the pledge during the kick-off of his wards campaign at Akoko SouthWest Local Government Area of the state.

While he urged jobseekers to submit their curriculum vitae to his office in Akure, he said special desk had been created for it. According to him, “In furtherance to my promise, I urge youths with qualified papers to submit their CVs to my campaign office in Akure.

A special desk has been created for it.”

Akeredolu, however, stated his resolve to “take our youths riding Okada out of the streets if elected

by October by the special grace of God. It has been done in Osun, Oyo and Ekiti; Ondo State will do more because we are richer than those states.”

While he reiterated his vision to embark on road construction, he said: “Akoko is a pride of Ondo State, it is unfortunate that despite the fact that the Deputy Governor, Ali Olanusi, is from the area, the entire Akokoland has been neglected by Olusegun Mimiko government.”

The ACN candidate, also promised economic development with the establishment of small-scale industries and revamping of industries which had been abandoned by Mimiko Administration.

He said: “This is a government of abandoned projects. The dualisation of Owo-Akure, Ondo-Akure roads, event centre other-

OPS denies Ogun quit threat

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BEOKUTA—THE Organised Private Sector, OPS, in Ogun State has denied reports that its members threatened to quit Ogun State due to inclement operating environment.

The Ogun State Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industry and Agriculture, OGUNCCIMA,

based its denial on the fact that the managing director quoted in the story did not grant an interview in line with his company’s policy.

In a statement, the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Bimbo Ashiru, was also quoted as saying that 54

investors had signified interest to invest in the state in the last one year.

Speaking in Abeokuta, P r e s i d e n t , OGUNCCIMA, Mr. Bayo Ikujenyo, said the report was a misconception of what transpired during the OGUNCCIMA facility tour of some industries in the state.

wise known as Dome, the new stadium, among many others, have been abandoned.

50m people asthmatic worlwide —Expert

BY OLA AJAYI

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BADAN—NO fewer than 50 million people are asthmatic across the world.

This was disclosed yesterday at the University College Hospital, Ibadan during presentation of a book entitled, Asthma in Africa.

According to Professor Olusola Awoniyi, who reviewed the book, 20 per cent of those affected by the disease die in Africa yearly.

He warned at the book launch, attended by medical experts across the country including Emeritus Professor Olu Akinkugbe, Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof.

Temitope Alonge that Asthma is a killer-disease and all precautions must be taken to prevent it.

Osinubi for burial Aug 18

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HIEF (Mrs.) Victoria Osinubi is dead, aged 91. She died on June 11. A statement from the family said a commendation service will hold on August 15, at Methodist Church Nigeria, Fakorede Street, Somolu, Lagos, at 10 a.m, while same day, a service of songs holds between 5 and 7pm at Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Sabo, Yaba.

She will be buried on August 18 at Methodist Cathedral, Imere, AgoIwoye at 10 am.

The late Mrs. Osinubi is survived by Mrs. Oluyemisi Jaiyeola; Dr. Abiodun Osinubi; Mr. Olusegun Osinubi; Dr. Titilola Benedict; Mr. Ademola Osinubi; Mrs. Oladunni Taiwo and Mrs. Anuoluwapo Odumosu.

The late Chief Osinubi

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 —11

Comply with new tax regime, NLC urges firms in Delta

BY AUSTIN AGWUDA SABA—NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, Delta State Council, has called on corporate organisations in the state to immediately comply with the new tax regime and pay the arrears arising from it or face industrial action especially picketing.

Chairman of the council, Comrade Williams Akporeha, spoke in Asaba while flagging off the annual labour school at the Labour House.

Comrade Akporeha who commended Delta State Government for blazing the trail, said it was the first state to implement the new tax regime which came into effect April 1, 2012 as well as the arrears emanating

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PRESENTATION: Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Nsima Ekere (left), receiving a copy of the Ibom Medical Journal from the State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Etiobong Etukumana, during the 2012 Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference of the association in Uyo on Wednesday.

Police rescue kidnapped Chevron staff, kill 4 kidnappers in Delta

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI—A STAFF of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, Amadi Chinedu, was kidnapped on Refinery Road, Effurun, near Warri, Delta State, yesterday, but was rescued by the police, who shot dead four of his kidnappers at Eku. Delta State Police Spokesman, Mr. Charles Muka, confirmed to Vanguard that the anti-kidnapping patrol teams mobilised and pursued the kidnappers.

At Eku, the police engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun battle leading to the maiming of four of the suspects, who died on the way to the

hospital.

Muka said: “The victim was rescued and three cut to size guns, one G3 rifle and two vehicles were recovered from the suspects.”

He also disclosed that an armed robbery suspect was lynched yester-

day in Effurun by irate citizens.

He said the robbery gang was preparing to strike when they were caught at about 13.30 hours and following a distress call, the police stormed the God’s Grace area, but one of them was

Oyerinde: Civil society groups in Edo protest Ugolor's continued detention

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN—MEMBERS of Civil Society organizations in Edo State, yesterday, protested the continued detention of an activist and Executive Director of African Network for Environment

and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, by the Force Headquarters in Abuja, over the killing of the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole,Mr Olaitan Oyerinde.

Detectives from the Force Headquarters ar-

Cult clash: CRUTECH students appeal through difficult for Navy's intervention ing times as a result of the

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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ALABAR—STU DENTS of Cross River University of Technology have appealed to the authorities of Eastern Naval Command to intervene in the raging war among rival cults in the university.

The students made the appeal through a delegation of Mr. and Miss CRUTECH, Wisdom Onem and Justina Opoji, respectively, when

already lynched by the time the police got there.

Muka said the second suspect was, however, rescued by the police, while two cut to size locally made guns, two live cartridges and one expended cartridge were recovered.

they paid a courtesy visit to the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjimi, yesterday.

The duo, who requested the Navy to intervene in the series of cult clashes ravaging the institution, said residents of the institution, had been living in fear as a result of cult clashes by rival groups in the last three months.

Opoji said students of the institution were pass-

violent activities of the cult groups.

She said: “The pains we go throw as a result of the activities of these cult groups are increasing daily. Three weeks ago, a student union official was shot dead in front of one of our hostels. We are therefore seeking the intervention of the Navy to help address this problem.”

Responding, the FOC, Rear Admiral Ogunjimi promised to intervene in collaboration with other security agencies.

rested Rev Ugolor, who was a close friend of the late Oyerinde last Friday, following an alleged confession from one of the suspects that one “David” paid them to assassinate Oyerinde.

But civil society organizations in the state cried foul, declaring that his continued detention is an attempt to divert attention from the real killers, adding that the way and manner the arrest was made was "clearly stage managed in order to indict an innocent person.”

Some of the organizations that protested yesterday on the streets of Benin City, include the Gani Fawehinmi Movement for Good Governance, Edo State Conference of NGOs, CONGOs,South South Youth League, Downtrodden Forum For Development, DFFD,Niger Delta Youth Congress, Voice of the Masses and 10 others.

from it, noting that other states were yet to commence the implementation.

He said: “Delta State Government should be commended for the implementation of the new tax regime and payment of new minimum wage.

Though we have discovered that there are grey areas in the course of the implementation, the government is rising up to the occasion.”

He called on other employers of labour, particularly in the private sector, to comply with the new tax regime as enacted by the Federal Government without further delay, failure to do so, he said, the organised labour will start picketing them.

Suspected arsonist arrested in Delta

BY FESTUS AHON

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GHELLI—A SUS PECTED arsonist was yesterday arrested in Ughelli, Delta State, by men of the Ughelli Vigilante group for allegedly attempting to set a church building belonging to Divine Fire Evangelical Mission at the Oghenevweta in the Ughelli metropolis, ablaze.

The young man, aged 28, identified as Efe, according to the Chairman

of the Ughelli Vigilante group, Mr Monday Owhesiri, had sneaked into the church building at 6:30 am armed with a 20 litre gallon with liquid substance suspected to be fuel.

Owhesiri said the suspected had emptied the liquid on the alter rug, musical instruments, wooden benches and around the church building and was about igniting a fire when he was apprehended.

Group tasks Edo govt on devt

BY BARTHOLOMEW

MADUKWE

A GROUP, the Great Edo Peoples’ Club of Nigeria, yesterday urged the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to continue with the on-going infrastructural developments across the state.

In a congratulatory message by the its presi-

dent, Mr Ebhodaghe Ibhafidon, the group noted that it was the handiwork of Governor Oshiomole across the state in his first term in office, that won him a second term.

He said: “We have watched what you have done within your first term in office and are satisfied that your achievement campaigned for you."

Ovuakporie for burial

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OLONEL Mobutu Ovuakporie mni (rtd) who died in his Lagos residence on June 30, 2012 will be buried on Saturday August 4.

He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1980 and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 2006 before he retired in 2011.

He is survived by three

wives, eleven children, an elder brother,and other relations.

Late Col. Ovuakporie

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

N1.1bn contract scandal rocks PTI zAuditor-General orders contractor to refund money immediately

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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VISIT: From left: Dr. Nelson Uwaga, Deputy President, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered); Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, President and Chairman of Council, and Engr. Samuel Babatunde, Acting Managing Director, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company when the Institute paid a courtesy visit to the refinery.Photo: Oscar Ochiogu.

INAUGURATION: From left: Arc Amaigbe Kentebe, former chairman of Ijaw National Congress (INC) Lagos Chapter; Chief Patrick Keku, current chairman and Ag National President of INC, Chief Joshua Benamiesia, during the inauguration of INC Lagos Exco at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos.

ARRI—AN al leged contract scam of N1.1 billion involving the supply of a Dive Support Sea -Going Vessel has been uncovered at the Federal Government – owned Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, near Warri, in Delta State.

Top officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources were said to have conspired with a contractor in the rip-off .

Meantime, the AuditorGeneral of the Federation has recommended that “the contractor should refund the amount of one billion, one hundred and thirty thousand, eight hundred and seventy-three naira, thirty-one kobo (N1, 117, 330, and 873. 31).

He said the money should be refunded “with interest to the Federal Government of Nigeria immediately.”

The Auditor-General of the Federation, in a report, exclusively obtained by Vanguard, said of the swindle: “On the project, there were no records such as payment vouchers and project file maintained, as required by government accounting procedure.”

Vanguard gathered that the Federal Government awarded a contract of N1, 117, 330, 873. 31 inclusive of VAT to a Lagos-based company in 2009 to supply the vessel in six months, but two and a half years after the

contract was supposed to have been executed, none has been supplied, whereas the entire contract sum of N1, 117, 330, 873. 31 had been paid to the contractor.

Our source said a formal contract agreement with the contractor was entered, July 21, 2009, with the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and that some top officials of the ministry allegedly colluded with the contractor to defraud the government.

In a report, entitled, “Report on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Capital Projects/Programmes executed by Petroleum Training Institute, Effur un, Warri: 2008-2011”, signed by the Director, Programme and Performance, Audit Department, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, A.O. Ajao, the Auditor-General said, inter alia: “Article 4, sub section (iii) of the contract agreement states that 25 per cent of the contract sum, inclusive of VAT, shall be paid to the contractor upon the arrival and berthing of the vessel in a designated port in Nigeria.

“Despite this, the total sum of N1, 117, 330, 873.

31 was fully paid to the contractor as at December 2010, whereas there was no evidence to show that the Dive Support Sea-Going Vessel had been supplied as contracted.

“In conclusion, it is

Court disqualifies EDSIEC from conducting LG polls in Edo

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

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ENIN—A BENIN High Court yesterday disqualified the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, from conducting elections into the 18 local government councils in the state, saying that the commission was not properly constituted by the current administration in the state.

Although elections into the grassroots government was scheduled to be held in December this year, it was gathered, Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Osagie

Obayuwana, said that the state government had already appealed the judgment.

“We have already filed our notice of appeal immediately. We are appealing against the ruling”, he said in a telephone conversation with journalists.

The judgment of the Court by Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga, was in the case filed by former members of the Commission, Mrs. Caroline Ewohinmi, Robert Oghafuoso, Saliu Jeremiah, Friday Ojo and Eric Uhunmwangho, against the state governor, the Attorney General of Edo State, the state House of Assem-

bly and the eight members of the reconstituted commission headed by Solomon Aigbuoibo Ogoh .

She also granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs which included that their dissolution was wrong as they were constituted on June 20, 2007 and their tenure should

have elapsed on June 19 2012.

They also prayed the court to hold that they remained members of the commission until the expiration of their tenure just as they said the appointment of Ogoh and others as head and members of the commission was unconstitutional

since their tenure was still running.

Besides, the court also set aside the appointment of the new members into the commission and further directed that all their arrears of salaries, allowances and other financial entitlements during the period of their removal be paid.

clear that the government has not been given value in return for the sum paid for acquisition of the vessel, thus the laudable objective has not been achieved.”

According to the Auditor-General’s report, “In order to enhance the capacity training of the institute (PTI), in the oil and gas sector, with emphasis on higher class deep sea diving training, the Federal Executive Council at its meeting of 10 June, 2009, approved the award of contract for the acquisition of a dive support sea-going vessel in the sum of N1, 117, 330, 873.31 , VAT inclusive to the said company.

“The contract was to be executed within six months of the date of signing the agreement.

The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources conveyed the award of the contract to the supplier vide a letter dated June 24, 2009.”

Investigations by Vanguard at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Abuja, showed that some powerful officials had been covering the financial scandal until some months ago, when a team from the Programme and Performance, Audit Department of the Office of the Auditor –General exposed the fraud.

It was discovered that some civil servants were cajoled to authorise payment of N1.1 billion in different installments for the contract that was not executed by the powerful officials in the ministry.

The contractor claimed at various stages of the contract sting that he had acquired the vessel, but it was held up outside the country for some reasons, and later asked for money to sort out the issues, but in all, the vessel was never supplied, while the total contract sum was paid in violation of the terms of the contract.

Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 —13

Imo speaker decries murder of aide zAs lorry drivers lament harassment by fake tax agents

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W E R R I — SPEAKER of Imo State House of Assembly, Mr. Benjamin Uwajimogu, has flayed the murder of his Special Adviser on Administration, Mr Emmanuel Adoba This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Samuelson Iwuola, his Special Assistant on Media, in Owerri, yesterday.

This came on a day Nigeria Lorry Drivers Association in the South East decried harassment of its members by alleged fake tax agents.

Uwajimogu said those who murdered Adoba would not go unpunished as government had pledged to apprehend the culprits.

He said that Adoba was murdered on Tuesday in his house at Okuku village, Owerri West Local Government Area by unknown assassins.

The speaker described his death as ‘a great loss’ to the government and entire people of the council area.

When contacted for his reaction to the murder, Mr Vitalis Onugu, the Police Public Relations Officer, told NAN that the case had not been brought to the Imo Police command.

Meanwhile,Nigeria Lorry Drivers Association in the South East yesterday decried the harassment of

its members by alleged fake tax agents in the south eastern part of the country.

Mr Chris Nwokoye, the National President of the association, told newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State, that the activities of the

agents had inflated the price of conveying goods within the zone.

Nwokoye urged states and local governments within the zone to intimate the association on the appropriate tax a lorry driver

ought to pay.

He said that the association’s members would continue to protect their right within the context of the Transport Act of the country.

State police not solution to nation's woes —Cleric

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SUKKA—BISHOP Aloysius Agbo of Nsukka Anglican Diocese has said the establishment of state police was not the solution to solving the problem of the country.

Agbo told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Nsukka, yesterday, that what government should do to tackle the insecurity was to equip and sanitise the police by removing the “bad eggs” among them.

He said: “Corruption will increase if state police is established without sanitising the federal police. If police

is sanitised, well-paid and adequately-equipped, it will surmount any security challenge.

“If the system is not overhauled, those that will be recruited in the state police will be infected with the same corruption virus.”

He urged government to tackle the security challenges before it got out of hand.

Agbo also urged those behind the incessant bombing in the country to respect the sanctity of life, adding that nobody had the right to take the life of another person.

FG's Agric varsity for Anambra

BY ENYIM ENYIM

O

From left: Ms. Cherry Eromosele, Senior Manager, Segment Marketing, MTN; Mrs. Omoyemi Akerele, Creative Director, Style Home and Founder, Lagos Fashion and Design Week and Mr. Kelvin Orofa, High Value Segment Manager, MTN, during the MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012 briefing in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

NITSHA—THE Fed eral Government is to establish a University of Agriculture at Nzam, in Anambra West Local Government Area of the state.

A representative of the minister of agriculture and rural development, Dr. D. A. Okolo dropped

Firm raises alarm over threat to transmission towers

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—THE man agement of Trans-

mission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has raised alarm that the establishment’s 132 KVA transmission towers, which

supplies power to Imo and some adjoining states, might collapse soon, if sand miners refused to stop digging around the facility.

The Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Mr. Olusola Akinniranye, raised the alarm when his team inspected the endangered transmission towers at Nekede, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

Addressing the people on behalf of his boss, the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Dave Dipo Ifabiyi, warned that if one trans-

mission tower collapsed, it would not only pull other towers down but also throw some states into darkness.

He said: “If we don’t stop digging around the transmission towers, soil holding the towers will get eroded and towers worth billions of Naira will collapse. In the same vein, power supply to many sates of the federation will cut off.”

He warned people either living or doing business near the transmission towers that they were unwittingly exposing themselves to radiation from the power lines.

Imo commissions TB centre

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—SUC COUR has come the way of tuberculosis patients in Imo State, following the completion and commissioning of a State TB Centre built in Imo State University Teaching Hospital, IMSUTH, Orlu, by Chevron.

Speaking during the commissioning, IMSUTH Chief Medical Director, CMD, Dr. Alexander Chukwulebe, described the centre as “a

complete hospital,” adding that it has consulting rooms, pharmacy, wards, well equipped laboratory, x-ray department, offices, medical records and more.

Noting that IMSUTH has had all manner of donations in the past, ranging from buildings, vehicles, machinery, hospital equipment and funds, the CMD, however, affirmed that “none equalled in magnitude the level of the TB centre investment.”

the hint at a meeting with the community leaders of the area.

The community had donated 25,600 hectares of land to President Goodluck Jonathan in appreciation of his presidential victory at the poll, urging him to use the said land to establish a University of Agriculture for the development of the area.

Okolo told the people that the letter on the demand for the establishment of the university was being processed by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Also speaking on behalf of the minister, Mr. D.E.Eniaiyeju of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Minister of Education had given positive indication that the establishment of the university would be a dream come

Passage

T

HE EKEADA Family of Umuokpo autonomous community in Emeabiam, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State has announced the death of Mrs Justina Ihugba Eke, aged 75.

She would be buried at the palace of His Royal Highness Eze Eunan O. Eke at UmudimUmuokpo,on August 3.

Late Justina Eke

14—Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

APGA crisis: Umeh appeals against ruling

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From right: Mrs. Rachael Alabi, MD/CEO, Ronik Schools presenting a gift to Dolapo Dipo-Salami and Mrs. Bunmi Dipo-Salami, Ekiti State Commissioner for Intergration & Intergovernmental Affairs, at the 15th valedictory of Ronik Comprehensive School, Ejigbo-Lagos. Photo: Sylva Eleanya.

Imo threatens to sack workers over IGR

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—GOV ERNOR Theodore Orji of Abia State has threatened to sack civil servants tampering with the state’s internally generated revenue.

The governor’s threat came against the backdrop of the state’s dwindling monthly internally generated revenue, IGR. He gave the warning at a meeting with some ministries, treasurers of the 17 councils, heads of the council town planning authorities and officials of National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE .

Orji said the state was capable of generating at least N3 billion monthly internally, and warned that the government might be tempted to wield the big stick, if the workers in the finance ministry did not sit up and stop diverting state’s revenue.

He directed them to move into Aba, the commercial city, and tap into the vari-

ous industries and other revenue generating ventures in the city.

Governor Orji also urged them to reduce their over dependence on Ariaria market alone.

Orji said: “If we do not start generating at least N3 billion every month from this August, heads will roll, as the IGR is now the salvation of this state since we are now having a dwindling revenue from the Federation Account.

“We need to shore up our revenue base and those who are not ready to help us in that direction should leave for those who are ready to work to come on board.”

The governor, who had a similar meeting with some commissioners on Monday, lamented the unpatriotic activities of some workers, which had led to the state losing a lot of money which he alleged usually got into their private pockets.

“We can no longer allow the civil servants to continue

doing business as usual, the method must change for us to move to the next level,” he warned.

Specifically, Governor Orji invited the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Planning and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as the transition committee chairmen of Aba South and Aba North council areas.

The governor accused town planners in the 17 local government areas of diverting the state’s revenue.

Governor Orji noted that the cartel involved in the economic sabotage of the state must be broken, if the state must move forward.

He directed the local government officials to disband all the local revenue consultants they engaged without the approval of the state government, noting that they had been unleashing mayhem on the residents of the state, thereby giving the state a bad name.

Health workers threaten strike over planned privatisation of hospitals in Imo

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—MEM BERS of Joint Health Sector Unions and Associations, JHSUA, have given Imo State government seven days to reverse the proposed commercialisation, privatisation and concessioning of state hospitals and resolve all outstanding labour issues or risk industrial crisis in the health sector.

The workers issued the threat in a two-page letter addressed to the state governor, dated July 30, and signed by the Chairman

and Secretary, Dr. Darlington Akukwu and Ikechi Nwaneri respectively.

The letter complained about the state government’s “commercialisation, privatisation and concessioning of government owned hospitals in Imo State: seven-day ultimatum to rescind decision.”

They reminded Governor Rochas Okorocha that commercialisation, privatisation and concessioning of government owned hospitals was one of the key issues that led to the declaration of trade dispute by JHSUA

against Imo State Government.

Okorocha was similarly reminded that the recent industrial action by unions and associations in the health sector was only suspended through the intervention of Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

“We are surprised that the state government has gone ahead to implement the contending issues, more so, as the action contravenes Section 10(1&2) Cap LI Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004,” labour said.

BY TONY EDIKE

NUGU—NATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, has appealed against the ruling of an Enugu High Court which extended its interim order restraining him from taking steps to convene executive committee meetings of the party at all levels.

In the notice of appeal filed by his lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, before the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, Umeh contended that the trial Chief Judge erred in law and acted without jurisdiction when “suo moto” (in his own initiative), the lower court extended the duration of the order ex-parte made on July 25, 2012, to last till September 17, 2012.

The appellant noted that under Order 39 Rule 3 (3) and (4) of the High Court rules of Enugu State 2006, an order ex-parte shall abate after seven days and where it is to be extended on the application of a party shall “not be for a period exceeding seven days from the day the extension is granted.”

Stressing that the extension of the ex-parte order on July 31, 2012, was to last and “endure” till September 17, 2012, Umeh insisted that the trial Chief Judge’s court acted without jurisdiction in extending the ex-parte order to last till the said date, more so when parties in the suit did not request for such extension.

The APGA chairman maintained that the trial judge erred in law and thereby occasioned a substantial miscarriage of justice in extending the ten-

ure/duration of the court order ex-parte on July 31, 2012.

Umeh said: “There was no application made by any of the parties, including the Plaintiff/Respondent, seeking for an extension of the ex-parte order made by the trial judge on July 25, 2012.

The order was granted by the Chief Judge ‘suo moto’.

“The order extending the tenure/duration of the exparte order is in violation of Order 39 Ruule 3 (4) of the High Court rules of Enugu State.”

Mother of 4 for trial over tronic pressing iron on the assault buttocks of her house-help,

BY ENYIM ENYIM,

O

NITSHA—A magis trate's Court in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area presided by Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Offor E.G would today hear the suit against a mother of four children, Mrs. Ifechukwu Obi, who was remanded in Onitsha prisons for allegedly maltreating her house help.

Mrs Obi, according to the police prosecutor, Mr Boniface Ugo, used an elec-

Miss Chinenye Emeka (13) on July 25, 2012, thereby inflicting bodily and mental harm on her.

Consequently, Obi was prosecuted on a three-count charge of felony, assault and neglect of guardian responsibility.

“The offence is a bail-able one but the court should make the bail stringent for her to learn her lessons,” the police prosecutor said while tendering the picture of the wounded girl to the court.

Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—15

N2bn pension money was never in my house— ex-Perm Sec

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Dancers entertaining guests at the V-Connect Flash Mob held at Silverbird Galleria, Lagos, weekend.

PHOTO: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

former Permanent Secretary in the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Abubakar Kigo, has insisted that N2 billion was never found in his residence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the wake of the police pension scam.

A statement issued by Kigo’s lead counsel, Yahaya Mahmoud (SAN), yesterday, stated that since the false and libelous story was first reported, Kigo had vehemently denied the purported discovery of N2 billion in his house, and had challenged anyone

Robbers killed Oyerinde— SSS zWe killed him in self-defence— Suspects

BY CHRIS OCHAYI & JOSEPH ERUNKE

A

BUJA—STATE Security Service, SSS, yesterday, paraded members of a six-man armed robbery gang, which allegedly killed Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

The suspect, whose names were given as Mohammed Ibrahim Abdulahi, Raymond Onajite Origbo, Chikezie Edeh, Saidu Yakubu (a.k.a.

Imam), Sani Abdullahi Abubakar and Hassan Bashiru, were arrested by the service.

Deputy Director, Public Relations of the service, Marilyn Ogar, who addressed newsmen while parading the suspects at the SSS headquarters in Abuja, said: “Investigation revealed that careless statements made by Ali Ihade, Oyerinde’s security guard, at various times about his master’s position in government, attracted the attention of the prime suspect, Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, who consequently hatched a robbery plan.

“On the day of the robbery, Abdullahi specifically instructed other gang members to tie up Ihade before they entered Oyerinde’s residence so that Ihade will not see his face” She said the suspects confessed to have shot and killed Oyerinde because when he (Oyerinde) ran into his bedroom and attempted to go underneath his bed, they believed he was trying to reach for a gun.

She said: “According to the robbery gang, Oyerinde was shot and killed by the prime suspect, Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, when he ran into his bedroom and attempted to go underneath his bed. Abdullahi said he believed Oyerinde was reaching for a gun under the bed and therefore shot him.”

Items recovered from the suspects, which were displayed during the parade, included four blackberry

phones, one i-pad, two galaxy pads, one laptop, a wedding ring and unspecified sum of money belonging to Adeyinka Oletubo, brotherin-law to late Oyerinde.

The suspects, who were given opportunity to talk to reporters, confessed to have killed the late Olaitan Oyerinde, but said their action was in self-defence, as he made his way to the bedroom when they released a shot to intimidate him.

They said they were armed robbers and had

gone to the late Oyerinde’s residence purely on a robbery mission.

Confession

Speaking in broken English, Abdullahi said: “Raymond na im first shoot am. As e run de go inside bedroom, I come think say him wan carry gun, na him make I come shoot am one time.”

He had initially said the gunshot that killed Oyerinde was released by Raymond.

Another suspect, Chikezie Edeh, a 30-year-

old indigene of Akpugo village in Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State, said he was deported from France in 2006 for what he described as “having incomplete papers.”

He admitted receiving a mobile phone and an apple i-pad computer as his share from the operation, which he sold for N10,000:00.

It would be recalled that in the early hours of May 4, Oyerinde was killed by gunmen at his residence located at 65, 2nd Ugbo Road, GRA, Benin City.

with proof to the contrary to come forward.

Mahmoud said: “This denial is also contained in a submission Kigo made to the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, which investigated the pension scam currently rocking the media.

“It is noteworthy that the EFCC, Nigeria Police nor any other security organisation in the country has ever made such report about the alleged N2 billion. There is also no mention of such recovery in all relevant documents before the court.”

The lawyer recalled that Kigo left the police pension office about a year and a half ago, arguing that it was inconceivable that he (Kigo) had been keeping the alleged N2 billion in his house since that period.

He said: “One even wonders the amount of space which N2 billion cash would occupy, particularly in a three-bedroom house that hardly has enough space to park a vehicle in the courtyard.

“Although, it is a fact that the continued peddling of this rumour will not make Kigo guilty of an offence he has not committed, yet it is capable of misleading the general public into believing a story that is false, baseless and unfounded.”

16—Vanguard , THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Allah’s all-embracing mercy

T COMPETITION: From right— Mr. Emuoborsan Orogun, a winner; Adedoyin Owotomo, Brand Manager, Amstel Malta-Nigerian Breweries Plc; Mr. Victor Ijeoma and Daniel Madu, both winners, in the dancing, singing and comedy competition in the Benin leg of the Amstel Malta Showtime event held in Benin.

Northern govs salute Sambo

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ORTHERN States Governors Forum, NSGF, yesterday, paid tribute to Vice President Namadi Sambo, who turns 60 today, saying Sambo had lived a life totally committed to the socio-economic progress of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, described Sambo as a man whose life was devoted to the pursuit of excellence and good governance which had impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, Governor Aliyu said the former Kaduna helmsman had a distinguished carrier in the construction industry and went on to preside over the capital of the defunct Northern Region, during which period he showed rare vision, courage and exemplary leadership.

Molecular biologists hold training

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O increase the critical mass of molecular biologists in Nigeria, the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology division of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, is organising a five-day training for health professionals in Lagos.

The annual workshop, billed to hold from 6th through 10th August, will focus on the theme: Emerging Infectious Diseases: Combating multi-drug resistance using molecular biology approach.

The practical session, which is the ‘hands-ontraining’ will involve plasmid profile, curing, conjugation, transformation and gene cloning.

Reps to probe FG's extra-budgetary spending

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

A

BUJA—AS indica tions emerged that Federal Government may have released additional funds to ministries, departments and agencies for the implementation of the 2012 budget, Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Bawa, yesterday declared that the lower chamber’s first duty upon resumption next month would be to ensure that all funds so far released by the Presidency were crosschecked to ensure compliance with the Budget Act as passed by the National Assembly.

Bawa, who made this disclosure in a chat with Van-

guard, said: “We shall cross-check the released chart line by line to ascertain whether there is full compliance.”

He added that Nigerians had the right to know how all the funds appropriated by the National Assembly were being released and managed.

Bawa said: “It is a sad development that at this time of the year, the implementation of the budget is still far less than 40 percent.

The House is not out to witch-hunt anybody, but to perform its constitutional role of adequately representing Nigerians that sent us here.”

Also, last Sunday, Spokesman of the House, Zakari Mohammed, ex-

pressed dissatisfaction with the pace of execution of the 2012 Appropriation Act. The Senate also threatened to summon the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonji-Iweala, if she fails to appear before the Senate Committee on Appropriation today.

Mohammed said: “First, it is not true that the executive arm has implemented as at today 56% of the 2012 budget as widely reported. In truth, only about 34% of the budget has been implemented.

“What the minister admitted to was that at best, government had implemented 56% of the N404 billion released to MDAs.”

Security challenge intolerable— Mark

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—SENATE President, David Mark, yesterday, reiterated that the state of insecurity in Nigeria, where members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect engaged in massive killing and destruction of property, was becoming worrisome and intolerable.

Mark, who charged security operatives to strengthen their strategies and brace up and address the security challenges facing the country, however, called on all Nigerians to see it as a collective challenge.

Speaking, yesterday, when he decorated Mr. Isah Usman, the police outrider in his office promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Senator Mark said: “All security operatives must, as a matter of necessity, work hard and cooperate

to ensure security of lives and property.

“It is your collective efforts that would guarantee the security of the nation. Once we can achieve security in the country, there would be peace and when there is peace, there will be progress and development.

We need peaceful coexistence. We need the cooperation of all.”

Mark, who noted that promotion was both an incentive and recognition of hard work, reiterated the need for public officers to justify their positions by putting the nation and people first.

He also called on the citizenry to cooperate with the security operatives at this critical time.

He described as unkind the attack on the Zaria country home of Vice President Namadi Sambo, and urged perpetrators of the attacks to have a rethink.

He sympathised with the Vice President on the attack and reminded all aggrieved citizens that the doors of the Federal Government were still open for dialogue.

HERE is no doubt that the two features of fasting in Ramadan are mental and practical exercises. These are like the wings of a bird on which man flies through the heavenly space of spirituality in the month of Ramadan.

This is not only our mental ability to decipher what is good and also recognise what is bad, but also to deplore this mental abilities into use. Good enough, the Holy Qur’an, which was also revealed in the month of Ramadan, is a guide to mankind.

This means that in the month of Ramadan, one should get to know the Holy Qur’an better and, through the clearance of guidance, take a broader view of what is right and wrong. The Holy Qur’an says: “O you who believe!

Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be guided. (against evil)” (2:183).

In this month, human beings are the guests of Allah and He has abundant blessings waiting to be dispersed to whoever seeks Him in truth. The blessings are there but we have to be eligible for this divine honour. The Holy Qur’an says: “We purified him so that he could be saved” (91:9).

Aside the fact that Allah has given man the power and insight to choose his course in life, with some choosing the right path and some choosing the wrong path based on the extent and degree of their knowledge, yet, there is

salvation for man. For salvation, man needs the purification of his soul in addition to knowledge and insight.

Such purification is obtained by seeking forgiveness of Allah and turning away from bad deed. This is one of the things we stand to achieve during this Ramadan.

Man should not be a prisoner of his soul by enjoining himself unto evil. You should strive to come closer to Allah by avoiding worldly pleasures and strive to get nearer to Allah and fasting is something that enhances this nearness.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said: “Fasting is prescribed for man to purify his soul.” In Ramadan, the month of fasting, you become the guest of Allah, ready to receive His mercy. Do praise Him with devotion; He will answer all your prayers in this month. Fasting is the glad tidings of Allah’s all embracing mercy.

Prayer of the day

Allahuma ijial-li fihi nasiban min rahmatikal-wasihati wa ahidniifihi libararaa hitika saatiat, wahuz bina siyatii ilaa mar dhatika jamiat bi mahabatika, Yaa amala mushtaafeen. Amin.

“O Allah, on this day, grant me a share from Your mercy which is wide, guide me towards Your shining proofs, lead me to Your all-encompassing pleasure, by Your love, O the hope of the desirous.”

Ramadan Kareem!

Police get new DIG, 8 AIGs

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

A

BUJA—THE Police Service Commission, yesterday, announced the appointment of a new Deputy Inspector-General of Police to fill the void created by the death of late DIG in charge of Operations, Haruna John, who died early this year in a helicopter crash in Jos, Plateau State.

The new DIG is Mr. Philemon Leha, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone I, Kano.

Eight Commissioners of

Police were also promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police.

The new DIG had served as the Commissioner of Police in charge of MOPOL, and Commissioner of Police in charge of Anambra State Command.

The new Assistant Inspectors-General are: Mr. Christopher Dega, Mr. Aliyu Musa, Mr. Bala Hassan, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, Mr. Tambari Mohammed, Mr. Ibrahim Abdu, Mr. Julius A. Ishola and Mr. Alex Okeke (AIG Medi-

cal Services).

According to a statement by Ferdinand Ekpe, Chief Information Officer of the Commission, the elevation of the senior officers, which is in furtherance of repositioning the Personnel Management Affairs of the Nigeria Police Force, is aimed at giving the nation the security organisation it truly deserved.

The Commission also approved the promotion of a Sergeant to Assistant Superintendent of Police II with effect from July 7, 2010.

Vanguard, THURSDAY,AUGUST 2, 2012—17 The people of this country must not allow whatever sense of frustration, fear and despair we are experiencing now, to supercede our hopes for a collective destiny which lies in our continued existence as a nation. For us, and we believe for millions of other Nigerians, the continued unity of this nation is not only priceless but nonnegotiable – Generals Obasanjo and Babangida

E

ARLY this week, two of the most important symbols of political leadership in the past three decades in Nigeria, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, added their voices of concern to worries about the state of affairs in the country. Against the background of growing insecurity in Nigeria, these ex-leaders issued a joint call for ‘peace, tolerance and dialogue’; they were ‘ready to do whatever is possible to promote the quest for peace and harmony’ and not only that, they would ‘join hands with all patriots to sustain and further enhance the unity and progress of this country’.

Well said! Two old warriors for national unity re-discovering their métier must be applauded for the over-flow of patriotic concern about the state of the nation and the courage to speak out. But in their patriotic declamations was there a lot more that was hidden?

Could a nation reeling from deepening insecurity trace its woes to the actions and inactions of these patriots? Just for a moment, can we assume that they were taking vicarious responsibility for the state of the nation? May we be allowed, in the effusive outpouring of concern about ‘ whatever sense of

Obasanjo and Babangida: A vicarious responsibility for the nation's woes? frustration, fear and despair we are experiencing now’, to dig at the roots of these disturbing emotions?

Frankly, there can be no understanding the roots of the insecurity plaguing Nigeria today without a stroll on the shores of recent history. And the most discomfiting aspect of the experience is how these two gentlemen wove our lives into a tapestry of ‘frustration, fear and despair’.

Ex-president Obasanjo

Privileged by circumstance They were privileged by circumstance and Nigeria’s generosity to be leaders at critical conjunctures in our history, but in the long run, they also presided over the elaborate depredation of our country. TheBabangida regime of the mid-1980s imposed a Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, on Nigeria, which as we now know, were some of the most injurious economic policies ever imposed on African countries.

The decade of the 1980s became

Gen.Ibrahim Babangida

known as the ‘lost decade’ in Africa’s development, as essential social and economic spending eroded in our countries. In Nigeria, there was a systematic assault on the university system, health care facilities and essential infrastructural development simply fell off, just as the monumental corruption associated with military dictatorship reached a height.

But intrinsic to this decade of

dislocation was the institution of violence and a bare-knuckled attitude to relationships in our society. The values of humanity, decency and honour gave way to a vacuous celebration of greed, vulgar acquisitiveness and a philistine celebration of corruption.

SAP saw the gradual withdrawal of the state from provision of a social net for Nigerians and consequently unleashed non-state, ethnoreligious forces that have waxed stronger under Obasanjo’s neoliberal policies.

Northern governors just raised the political stakes

I

N the lead to the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the PDP’s candidate for the 2011 election, I wrote a piece for my old Daily Trust column, arguing that by supporting Jonathan, Northern Governors were unwittingly, taking the region to Northern Cameroun. The chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Aliyu Babangida, replied directly at the PDP rally at Eagle Square that they won’t take the North to Northern Cameroun, but ensure the region’s continued relevance in the scheme of things.

Taking the North to Northern Cameroun was a comparison to the fate of Northern Cameroun, after President Ahmadou Ahidjo was conned out of power by French imperialism, and Paul Biya ascended power. Northern governors have become increasingly unpopular and alienated from the aspirations and hope of their people. The problem was not simply because they supported Jonathan, but largely because they were seen as having failed to use the huge resources accruing to better the conditions of the North.

It was, therefore, no surprise that they could no longer converge in Kaduna, for their meetings. It became hostile political territory and they found

refuge in the Niger State governor’s lodge in the safe remove of Abuja. More than most, Babangida Aliyu realises their alienation from the people and in recent times has championed the need to move closer to the aspirations and feeling of Northerners.

This background is very interesting given the communiqué of their meeting last week. They had met against the background of plans to amend the nation’s constitution. The standout issues were their rejection of state police; call for the retention of the immunity clause; rejection of recognition of the six geo-political zones; a call for the review of the on shore-off shore legislation; an end to a national minimum wage and the plan to set up a committee to study the Petroleum Industry Bill as well as efforts to step up peace building and reconciliation in the North.

It was predictable that the position of the Northern Governors would elicit the normal anger, insults and threats from circles in the South. This is especially related to the onshoreoffshore oil revenue; state police and ‘geo-political zones’. They are emotive issues in the South, with oil-bearing states never going to contemplate reduction of inflows

of funds. Some groups have even threatened secession in response to the Northern Governors demand for review of the law. The Ghali Na’abah-led House of Representatives was massively bribed by governors from the Niger Delta to pass the law and today, the North feels shortchanged! How they hope to achieve reversal, given willingness in the Niger Delta to unleash violence in response, remains to be seen.

Veritable tool of blackmail It is equally interesting, that ‘geo-political zones’ seem to mean a lot to the political elite, especially in Eastern Nigeria, where it was conceived and imposed on Nigeria, by Dr. Alex Ekwueme. It has become a veritable tool of blackmail in the hands of the Igbo political elite. They deliberately develop amnesia about the origin of the idea. When Ekwueme conceptualised it, he seemed to have forgotten the number of ‘Igbo states’, created out of the old Eastern Region.

They elite then turn around to protest that “South East” is “disadvantaged” in the number of states in the “zone”. Yet, the truth is that states were not created on the basis of Ekwueme’s “geo-

political zones.” In fact, apart from the five “Igbo states,” there are four other states in the old Eastern Region.

This is the fact they desperately twist with loads of emotional blackmail! And on the basis of the “zones”, Igbo bourgeois politicians hope to ride to power, in a ‘turn-by-turn’ manner. It was also the basis of the suggestion for a single term of five years.This platform rejects democratic politics and the related consensus building at its heart.

The Northern Governors position might disable this carefully designed Southern political Humpty Dumpty! It is absurd to ask for the abrogation of national minimum wage, when they have refused to reject the huge salaries and emoluments set for them centrally! It is equally a self-serving demand to shield corruption, in my view, to seek retention of the immunity clause.

This mixed bag of demands has certainly raised the stakes.

But the central point is for the Northern Governors to abandon their self-serving opportunism, which Babangida Aliyu recognised, to move closer to the aspirations of the North and of Nigeria, for responsible leadership able to reign-in greed and deliver democratic development!

The criminals incubated within the endless transition politics of the Babangida period became the champion politicians of Obasanjo’s ‘democracy ’: unprincipled; rootless; ruthless; and kleptocratic! The forces of violent Jihad too entered teenage and adulthood or were being born in the violent circumstances of SAP and reaching full maturity, able to build improvised explosives, in the years of Obasanjo’s “do-or-die” politics.

Nigeria had the opportunity to begin to achieve its tremendous potentials under Babangida and Obasanjo; but it is clear today, that these two individuals must take considerable responsibility for the sorry pass we arrived at as a country.

The most unacceptable aspect of the problem at hand is how each of them hopes to dominate the nation’s political process, largely for self-serving ends.

When Babangida ended up crocked, with the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, he manipulated the levers of power to bring back from prison and straight to office, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Embittered dictator A badly shaken and embittered dictator inherited power from near-bankruptcy. In an age of triumphal neo-liberal capitalism, Obasanjo unleashed greed and barefaced theft, hiding behind the policy of privatization. National assets were offloaded to cronies, who in turn contributed funds for massively rigged elections so emblematic ofObasanjo’s years of civil rule.

Since the state no longer provides jobs or was even obliged to provide social services under the virulent Nigerian strain of the neoliberal capitalist virus, funds accruing were simply stolen by state operatives and politicians.

The hopes for democracy withered in the sun of systematic banditry and since 1999, Obasanjo became the Grand Commander of the process; and the process became addictive rather like dope for a drug addict!

Obasanjo even attempted to elongate stay in power, with a Third Term Agenda. It failed; and in a fit of vengeful fury, he imposed an invalid on our nation!

What he could not possess, he devalued. This is the elaborate context which sired the “unfolding events over the last few years…threatening to unravel nearly a century old labour of Nigeria’s founding fathers…in building a strong, united, peaceful nation…” which they correctly identified but didn’t take responsibility for!

Each one momentarily hid, under over-starched Babbar Riga, the sharpened political dagger long poised to stab the other, to speak in unison about the plight of Nigeria. They spoke so well; but they must take the next step of leveling up with the Nigerian people by owning up for most of the ‘sense of frustration, fear and despair’ in the land. That will be the ultimate test of their patriotic concern!

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY , AUGUST 2, 2012 JUST before embarking on their annual vacation the House th of Representatives on Thursday, July 19 2012, served a resolution to commence impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan should they resume in September to find the 2012 Appropriation Act not implemented “one hundred per cent”. This was a culmination of a trend whereby, according to the House, many aspects of the budget were not given the necessary cash support to ensure completion of projects.

Coming at a time when every indication shows a healthy realisation of revenue targets, the House felt there was no reasonable explanation for the failure of the Federal Ministry of Finance to release funds for implementation of the budget.

Since that threat of impeachment was issued, it has dominated discussions in public circles.

Many have seen the threat as a political tool to intimidate the Presidency. Others have chosen to see it as an old trick by the lawmakers to arm-twist the Executive Branch into parting with undeserved favours, while some have commended the House for standing

Impeachment brouhaha up to its oversight function.

We do not want to read any untoward meaning into this gesture, as we do not really believe the House will put the “threat” into practice. Rather we see it as a last-ditch measure to get the Executive Branch to redouble its effort in ensuring the success of the 2012 federal budget. Happily, the federal government has reacted with a high sense of responsibility rather than muscle flexing.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, her colleague Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku and even the President’s Advisers on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emordi and Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, have come forward with

clarifications and necessary information to show that the Presidency is inclined to taking constructive steps to speed up compliance.

We now know that the Presidency has already sent circulars to the various ministries, departments and agencies to start work on the 2013 budget for tabling before the National Assembly in late September 2012 to give the nation a three months head-start on next year’s budget.

Clearly, the “impeachment threat” came as a result of misunderstanding between the two arms of the federal government. Both sides should improve communication between them and avoid sending wrong signals into the polity by resorting to extreme measures of impeachment threat over matters that can easily be resolved through dialogue.

The Executive Branch must be mindful of the fact that the Legislature is constitutionally empowered to exercise oversight of its activities and must respond positively whenever they seek information or clarification on any aspect of governance.

Both sides should work together without resort to threats.

OPINION

BY YEMISI OGBE

I

T was problematic that he was a confirmed member of a political ruling class that had from the start been accused of elitism, and condescension, of thinking itself intellectually superior to the Nigerian people. And now, here was this man with a god complex, a new nationalist, new royalty, whatever, with his wrapper tied around the commoner ’s neck. What had changed? It was not what Nigerians had hoped for in their projections about the end of colonial rule, the indigenisation of foreign trading and manufacturing, the growth of home grown enterprise, and the emergence of the Nigerian capitalist.

As the promise of Nigerians governing Nigerians frayed, never mind if the expectations may have been overestimated, he began to look out of place, so much so that when 1966 came with all its violent disillusionment and strong tribal separations and the consequent coup d’etat, he was the only Minister murdered during the coup.

Again, it was alleged that he was bound up and put in a giant ant-hill in the evening of one day, and brought out dead the next morning. It was a particularly cruel and long-winded process of dying, and his screams were said to have been heard all night and into the early hours of the morning.

There are no official records of these allegations. The records show simply that he was shot. He died with foreign bank accounts bulging with money, rumours suggesting amounts far and above one hundred thousand pounds sterling in one account in the UK, and to this day, Nigerians express all the paradoxes of that time, and the life and myth of the man. We say he died with “our” money in “his” bank account, that he was the only minister killed during that coup because he was greedy, and obscene in his flamboyance and in his elitism. Yet we never fully

A culture of disrespect trusted these thoughts to the records. Our formal history of his life are ambiguous, his condescension is concrete only in our oral stories. It is as if we are still trying to decide for him, but we can’t completely fool ourselves.

Did he progress through hard work and shrewdness? Was he a true nationalist? Capitalist? Or was he just an opportunist? If we can agree on those questions, then the issue of the beautiful girl around whose neck his wrapper was tied may become irrelevant or be an indulgence we would readily forgive.

Where did I get my more interesting twists on this man’s history? Well, they were a gift from a septuagenarian living in Somerton, in 1999. He handed me a handful of Onini and with it, the story. We argued, and finally agreed to disagree. And it was right that I should be suspicious of him. He was a White man akin to White men whose land were seized in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. The times of which he spoke were unique; right and wrong had been successfully muddied. He was working for UAC Nigeria in the time of the new nationalists and so his history could not be impartial. If the story were true, the end of his ownership of Nigeria along with his kind had been heralded by the importation of second hand shoes. He was disdainful, a little too adamant about the genuineness of his twists. The reader must decide for himself what he believes. I remain enduringly fascinated with the 30foot train attached to the neck of a beautiful girl, and what the beautiful girl imagined her position in the world to be. Yoruba kings of antiquity were deified in the most extraordinary ways. The Yoruba king was required to keep a positional distance from his people in order to reinforce

his authority and divinity. It was the Yoruba kings who were accused of owning human spittoons. Reverend Samuel Johnson in The History of The Yorubas meticulously describes the institution of force necessary to give the Yoruba King’s authority a superlative quality: The human spittoon’s role was simple, yet profound. A king was too eminent to spit in an inanimate container, so the human spittoon was given a designated place in the kings court, daily, awaiting the king’s urge to spit. Not only was the king not allowed to spit in any other container apart from the human container, he was also not allowed to purse his lips in preparation for spitting. So, the human spittoon would be informed that the king wished to spit, and then, he would be required to assist the king in pursing his lips, and then he would open his mouth to receive the king’s spittle. This role was one of honour.

The relevance of this historical accusation still referred to in present-day Yoruba adage... “O’n yo ayo fami l’ete tuto” might be that the girl tied to the end of a train of a man of great importance is important because he is important. The king’s spittle makes the commoner special.

I once saw the wife of a governor flick a complimentary card that she had been offered by someone, at his head.

He picked up the card from the ground and walked away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I wondered whether having a card rebound off his head was more acceptable than being ignored.

One of my first thoughts on a culture of disrespect was that all communities of the world own their own versions, and it may be taken for granted that wherever one finds anything elitist, it is built on the self-esteem of someone somewhere considered less important, less intelligent, less deserving of some exclusive toy.

Continues tomorrow •Ms. Ogbe, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—19

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It would amount to tragedy for a settled issue democratically agreed to by elected representatives of the Nigerian people would be reversed midway to actualisation

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CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT (3)

Additional state for South East

M

Y main idea for the adjustment of structure to make Nigeria work better is for the zones to transform into the second tier of government; states and local councils abolished and community governments to replace the local councils. There will be resource control and federal revenue will be shared equally among the regions or zones. The regions will have the power to create lower tiers of government that suit their purposes. Population, states and local councils will thus cease to be political weapons for dominance and marginalisation.

However, I am keenly aware how difficult it will be for Nigerians to do away with their “hard-won” states. Even though the system bleeds crimson from the heavy cost of governance, which takes away three quarters of available funds every year, the political elite will very likely stand against the abolition of states and elevation of zones to regions.

If that is the case, then we have to turn to my own “plan B”: equitisation of the polity. By this I mean that the six geopolitical zones must be allowed to have equal number of states (if not local government areas). If we pursue the concept of equitisation to the letter, it means that each of the six zones will have seven states to meet the number already granted to the North West Zone by the military political class.

Nigeria will thus have 42 states plus the Abuja Mayoralty. If, on the other hand, the creation of six more states will raise uproar to the point of once again aborting the exercise, then we must focus exclusively on the creation of additional state for the South East Zone.

I have heard some critics of an additional state for the South East mumble about “viability”. Let me say it again as I have done before: “Viability” was never a factor in the creation of any state in Nigeria. Not even the Mid

Western Region was created based on that consideration.

In fact, state creation was a political weapon to reward friends of the ruling establishment and punish its enemies. The Midwest was created by a conspiracy of the North and East against the Awoist West. The 12 states were created in 1967 as a gang-up of the country against the Igbo people’s secessionist agenda. After the civil war, state creation exercises were carried out as war booty sharing devices, whereby the North got the lion’s share, followed by the West and the Igbo brought the rear for losing the Biafran war.

It was not until 1991 and 1996 that the military made efforts to use state creation to accommodate the Igbos more. Leaving the South East with five states means an unfinished job. This is the opportunity to finish the job, since the war ended over 42 years ago!

Some have also used the bogeys of “population” and

“geographical size” to ward off the idea of an additional state for the South East. The small size of Igboland is used as an alibi to belittle its population in line with post-war miniaturisation of the Igbo stake in Nigeria. On the other hand, more expansive landmass in the North and elsewhere was used to pretend non-existent “large populations”.

The small size of Igboland made it imperative for large tranches of the Igbo population to migrate to other parts of the country and the world. Their populations are thus added to those of their host communities, while the resident population of the five South Eastern states are often erroneously used to depict the population of Igbo people. It is often overlooked that the Igbospeaking peoples in Rivers and Delta states are part of the Igbo population, just as Yorubas in Kogi and Kwara are part of the pan-Yoruba population.

T

he true size of the Igbo population will become apparent when tribe and religion are used as indices for population census in Nigeria. The continued sidelining of this criterion could be part of the post-war policy of denying the Igbo their rightful due. It is widely known that there is no corner of Nigeria where the Igbo person will not be found, and yet we play the ostrich when it comes to giving them their due as one of the three ethnic majorities.

The most important reason the Nigerian Senate, at the end of their recent retreat at Asaba, listed

the creation of an additional state in the South East as one of the items on their agenda of Constitution amendment is that Nigerians had already agreed that it should be done. In the 2006 Constitution Amendment exercise, the Bill granting an additional state to the South East Zone had already been read a second time. But for the controversial third term clause which Obasanjo’s officers smuggled into the Bill, the addition state would have been created by now. In fact, the only thing remaining was for the people of the South East to forward names of the states they wanted created, out of which the National Assembly would choose one and get it ratified around the country accordingly.

It would amount to the tragedy of modern Nigeria for a settled issue democratically and voluntarily agreed to by elected representatives of the Nigerian people would be reversed midway to actualisation. Nigeria can only move forward to a virile nationhood when they dialogue, agree and implement nationbuilding policies such as this.

Today, it is the turn of the South East to look up to their fellow countrymen to do the right thing in their favour. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of another section, and the South East will be required to put hands on deck. If all we continue to undermine one another at the point of need then how can we build a nation where all will have a sense of belonging?

We must all summon the courage and complete a noble act we had started.

This patch-patch Constitution OME of the things we do to survive are mind-boggling and sometimes, outright irritating. For the traders, their constant prayers are that when they are buying, prices should fall and when they are selling, prices should hit the ceiling.

This view is centred on the self. Although society is supposed to be based on the mutual coexistence of all, as far as they are concerned, they must make their money and others could go to hell. Their policy is one of live and let die.

That is why a man could travel from Nigeria to India and arrange for merchants of death to repackage and relabel expired drugs which he would bring down to Nigeria for the use of his countrymen. At the end, people die like poisoned rats and we conclude that malaria is now resistant to malaria drugs.

This is our quick-fix research because things have changed to the extent that while the overseas universities are researching into space and thinking of how to get to Mars, our universities are yet researching into pure water and how to break even to be able to pay the next salaries before proceeding on strike.

All the same, we are moving fast. The smuggling business still thrives. Because of our penchant for foreign goods, we must smuggle out our crude oil to Niger Republic, refine it there and import it back to Nigeria. Those fine shoes made in Aba must be cleverly labelled “Made in Italy” so as to lift their prices slightly above ground level.

By now, the reader should know where we are heading. If things are bad in the outside world, they are worse in the legislative world. The process of lawmaking has since become a process of self-aggrandizement. When they make a law, they build themselves into the law.

When they amend the Constitution, they amend themselves into the Constitution.

Simply because a man wants to reapply as the President of this country, he must first seek to amend the tenure from four to five years. At first, he must pretend that he will not benefit from the amendment. But Dr. Syracuse Njoku, a PDP chieftain of no mean repute, knows better. He has since dragged our President to the court in an attempt to prevent him from that contest.

Without prejudice to what the court will decide, we are yet to see how President Goodluck Jonathan will solve the two simultaneous equations – extend the tenure to five years and then reverse himself into it! At the end of the day, he shall have spent 10 years as the President of Nigeria (1+4+5). If this is not a life presidency, we wonder what is. And who says that this will be the end of the manipulation, as long as the process of the Constitution amendment is still open?

Proposed amendments For the senators, it is a two-pronged approach: With the proposed amendments, those who want to return to the Senate will enjoy a longer tenure. More importantly, states are going to be carved out as retirement benefits for some Senators.

They have carefully reckoned that under the existing state structure, they will not be able to win a governorship election. Their grand design is to reduce their different enclaves to states to which they can conveniently return as governors. These are some of the important factors for which they now go gallivanting the entire country in the name of Constitution amendment.

The whole issue of the so-called

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S

Clearly, our present Constitution is at war with itself; full of inconsistencies – it professes democracy while it is authoritarian; it strives towards federalism while it is every inch unitary

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constitutional amendment is becoming upsetting.

The greatest stupidity on earth is doing, even with the greatest dexterity, that which ought not to be done. This country has engaged its entire life in amending its Constitution. At independence in 1960, we gave to ourselves a Constitution. This was amended in 1963 to reflect our Republican status. The 1979 Constitution was one major amendment on the 1963 one. At the end of every military interregnum, we had an amended Constitution. Thus, after the 1988 and 1995 processes – known by various names – Constituent Assembly and Constitutional Conference – we finally came up with what metamorphosed into the 1999 Constitution. In August 2010, close to one thousand clauses of the 1999 instrument were amended in a single

swoop. In October of the same year, the National Assembly reversed itself on some of the amendments it made two months earlier. By the way, who has ever set eye on the amended 1999 Constitution? It must still be undergoing the patch-patch process, eh?

When it suits us, we imitate the Americans but quite often, and in the present rumble in the jungle, we are on our own. Since 1791, when the American Constitution – which we lifted almost wholesale – came into effect, only 14 sections have been altered!

Yes, a Constitution that has 68 items on the Exclusive Legislative List (an area exclusively reserved for the Federal Government) and 30 items on the Concurrent Legislative List (where the Federal Government, states and localities can share power) is clearly a unitary formation, not a federation. This is a clear indication that power is concentrated at the centre and there is need for the devolution of more powers to the states and localities for efficient and effective federalism.

Clearly, our present Constitution is at war with itself; full of inconsistencies – it professes democracy while it is authoritarian; it strives towards federalism while it is every inch unitary; and it struggles towards secularism while it remain theocratic. What is needed now is a total overhaul of the Constitution, not this patch-patch approach, which can hardly help even the cause of amending a local government edict!

20 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 21

BY EBUN SESSOU

T

HE World Bank has announced plans to contribute towards addressing the huge infrastructure deficit in Nigeria, with the provision of N32 billion ($200 million) as seed fund to set up a Financial Intermediary Loan (FIL) scheme under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.

Mr. Joe Ohiani, Head, Legal and Governance, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) who disclosed this at the inaugural ESQ Project Finance Summit, held in Lagos, stated that some other development finance organisations have also agreed to contribute to the scheme. He added that eligible participating financial intermediaries, particularly commercial banks with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) as the lead, will lend to qualifying private sector partners in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project at the financial intermediaries’ risk.

He, however, emphasised that the objective of the scheme is to provide long term funding for infrastructure development in the country, stressing that in selecting eligible projects, priority would be given to public investment programmes which are in accordance with the national policy on PPP and captured in the Federal Government Medium Term Sector Strategies and the National Infrastructure Plan of the Vision 20:2020.

Presenting a paper titled, “Governmental Promotion of Infrastructure Development,” Ohiani bemoaned the deplorable state of infrastructure in the continent as revealed by a recent report of the World Economic Forum which showed that, though annual investment in infrastructure in Africa doubled from $17 billion to $35 billion between 2001 and 2009, the overall infrastructure spending needs for sub-Saharan Africa

From left: Manager Operations, Agip CPFA Ltd. Ms. Ighojube Oghenekaro; Managing Consultant, Sages and Scribes, Venerable Adelowo Adesina; Head of Training and Development, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Ms. Olowola and Managing Director, Nigeria Agip CPFA Ltd. Mr. Chidi Illoh, at a workshop on habits effectiveness for the staff of Nigeria Agip CPFA.

World Bank extends N32bn infrastructure loan to Nigeria is estimated at $93 billion annually over the next decade.

He noted that the annual infrastructure investment gap of $31 billion offers huge opportunities for private sector finance in infrastructure developments in Africa.

“Governments in Africa are taking active steps towards addressing the state of infrastructure in the region,” he added.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Lere Fashola, CEO, ESQ Seminars, organisers of the summit, said that the aim of summit was to take a critical review of different near-term or completed projects across Africa, recent legal and legislative developments in different countries as well as the challenges of the bidding process in the electrical and power sectors, and governmental promotion of infrastructure

development projects.

On the state of infrastructure in the country, Ohiani regretted that the Federal Government has been the sole financier of infrastructure projects and has often taken responsibility for construction, operations and maintenance, stating that the national fiscal budget was the principal source of financing infrastructure development.

NECA gives NSITF conditions for fund remittance on ECS

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

N

IGERIA Employers Consultative Association, NECA, has given the Nigeria Social

174.65

-3.70

2,370.00

+29.00

22.65

-0.15

104.73 88.09

-1.47 -1.69

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING CFA KRONER EURO POUNDS RIYAL SDR FRANC DOLLAR WAUA YEN RENMINBI

0.2704 25.6078 188.9822 243.3311 41.2874 233.8703 158.5988 154.84 232.3042 1.9803 24.2649

0.2804 25.6905 189.5925 244.1169 41.4207 234.6255 159.111 155.34 233.0544 1.9867 24.3437

0.2904 25.7732 190.2027 244.9026 41.554 235.3807 159.6231 155.84 233.8045 1.9931 24.4225

CBN Exchange rate as at 01/08/2012

Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, managers of the Employee’s Compensation Scheme, ECS, three conditions to be met if member employers will remit deducted fund into the scheme.

This came as the fund said no fewer than 804 employers had so far been registered into the scheme, where it was evidenced that most of the employers in the country were yet to register into the scheme that effectively commenced July 1, 2011.

At a one-day interactive enlightenment forum on the Employee’s Compensation Act, 2010, jointly organized by NECA and NSITF in Lagos, Director-General of NECA, Mr. Segun Osinowo, threatened that should the fund fail to meet the conditions, members would deduct the One per cent money as required by the law, but would pay into a suspended account until NSITF turned a new leaf.

According to the Director-General, employers would demand from the fund performance in return for money contributed because the issue of governance had been a major problem confronting Nigeria.

Giving the three conditions, Mr. Osinowo said first, management efficiency and effectiveness is the key,

emphasizing that the fund had no choice but to perform if it wanted to get the support of employers in the implementation of the ECS. Secondly, NECA’s Director-General said the body and its members were demanding from NSITF good structures required for the operations of the scheme, adding that since the fund was demanding for speedy remittance of the money deducted, NSITF should on its part provide a definite timeline for payment of compensation to employers whose employees sustain injuries and apply for claims.

Osinowo said continuous constructive engagement of employers must be sustained.

He warned that “if you (NSITF) fail to deliver any of these demands, we will effect deduction and put it in suspense account until you turn a new leaf before we can remit. We will support to deliver once you perform.”

Mr. Osinowo who earlier told participants that they should not be looking at the issue of ESC’s law, but the challenges in complying with the law, pleaded with NSITF to write off the debt of those who had remitted money from July 1, 2011 to January 2012 on the condition that affected employers

would not default from January this year onwards.

Speaking, NSITF’s Executive Director, Administration, Mr. Ibrahim Wakawa, who assured that the three conditions were already been met, said since July 2011 to date, a total of 804 employers had registered into the scheme and that all employers in both private and public sectors had been notified about the commencement of the scheme. While acknowledging that some employers who were had registered and had been remitting regularly, he lamented that many others had not remitted, disclosing that about 11 banks had been approved for the remittance of the fund.

According to him, 380 notices of accidents that took place at workplaces had been received by the fund without request for claim s, saying however that 189 applications for claims had been received.

He lamented that out of the 189, there were poor documentation, disclosing that the 30 cases were at various stages of procession and 18 claims had been paid where over N2.3 million spent. Mr Wakawa added the construction companies had been discovered to be accident prone.

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

SEC raises alarm over illegal capital market operator …Mutual Funds’ value depreciates by N3.16bn

BY MICHAEL EBOH

T

HE Securities and E x c h a n g e Commission, SEC, has raised an alarm over the activities of an illegal capital market operator — Global Growth and Income Limited — for soliciting deposits from members of the public for the purchase of shares on their behalf.

The company, operating out of Number 19, Bode Thomas Road, Onipanu, Lagos,

according to a statement

by SEC, is calling for deposits from unsuspecting members of the public purporting to purchase shares on their behalf.

SEC disclosed that the company is not registered and licensed to carry out any capital market activities, Therefore, it said, “Investors wishing to purchase shares or invest in any financial product are hereby advised to contact investment

advisers or the Commission to verify the status of the company/ institution before making such investments.

SEC had in May 2012, issued a similar warning on an illegal fund manager, Finance and Commercial Services Limited – FCSL. FSCL had through a newspaper advert, announced the introduction of four funds into the market, namely, Evergreen Ethical Fund, Beta Growth Fund,

Diamond Fund and Beautiful Minds Education Endowment Fund.

According to SEC, the said Funds are illegal, as neither the Fund nor the Fund Managers are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, stating further that anyone who invests in these Funds does so to his/her own risk.

Meanwhile, the value of mutual funds on the memorandum segment of

From left: Mr. Sule Umar Bichi, Managing Director, Red Star Express Plc; Mr. Sola Obabori, Chief Operating Officer, Red Star Logistics; Mr. Victor Ukwat, Deputy General Manager, Sales and Mrs Ngozi Ochokwu, Marketing Manager, at the unveiling of the 20th anniversary logo of Red Star Express at their training school in Lagos. Photo by Sylva Eleanya.

High interest rate shrinking activity in bonds market — Report

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

T

HE burgeoning bonds market in Nigeria has largely remained under utilized due to over concentration on banks for finances by corporate bodies, a research report by Dunn Loren Merrifield, has said.

The research firm maintained in its monthly report titled, ‘Bonds Watch’ for July, that major cause of the anomaly was the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s stance on Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) which has seen it retaining the interest rate at 12 per cent, At the end of the fourth MPC meeting, the MPR was retained at 12.00 per cent while Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) was increased to 12 per cent

from eight per cent and net forex open position was reduced to one per cent from three per cent.

It said, “Following the outcome of the MPC meeting, we observed intra-day volatility in bond prices across all maturities as a result of demand/supply pressures.”

The report further observed that prior to the current tight policy stance, which commenced in fourth quarter of 2010, activity in the corporate bond market had started gaining some level of traction as a few companies had raised debt capital to refinance their expensive bank loans, as well as finance expansion projects.”

However, “The tight monetary stance led to the gradual slowdown in the issue of sub-national

and corporate bonds; issuers have since gone back to the expensive bank loans for their f i n a n c i n g requirements,” the report said.

It noted that a reduction in interest rate was needed to stem the rate of inactivity in the bonds market, adding that only then will the tone of events in the general economy take a turn for the better.

“Despite arguments in favour of the monetary policy stance, and the weakness of the t r a n s m i s s i o n mechanisms to deliver the benefits of lower interest rates within the broad economy, we hold a contrary opinion. We argue that if the ‘weak’ t r a n s m i s s i o n mechanisms are sufficient to deliver the effects of the current tight policy

stance, then they should be sufficient vice versa.

“In addition, our perspective goes beyond the current view that the flow of credit to the economy can only be through banks. Whilst we agree that banks remain the key source of credit in Nigeria, we believe the nascent bond market remains largely untapped by corporate,” the report said.

“In our opinion, given Nigeria’s dependence on imports – from toothpicks to cars, the pressure on the domestic currency will remain until domestic output improves significantly on the back of a concerted drive from the fiscal and monetary authorities to stimulate sustainable economic growth, thereby easing some of the pressure on the domestic currency,” it added.

the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, depreciated last week by N3.155 billion.

Specifically, the Net Assets Value, NAV, of the 45 mutual funds, according to data obtained from SEC, declined by 3.49 per cent to close at N87.265 billion on Friday, July 27, 2012, from N90.42 billion at which it started the week, Monday, July 23, 2012.

Equity-Based funds recorded the highest Nest Asset Value in the period under review, accounting for 48.07 per cent of the total NAV, with N41.949 billion. This, however, represents a decline of 0.44 per cent from N42.135 billion recorded on Friday, July 20, 2012.

Real Estate Funds followed with a Net Asset Value of N18.326 billion, representing 18.71 per cent of the total NAV, while Balanced-Based Funds accounted for 10.32 per cent of the total sector NAV with N9.008 billion.

Union Homes Real Estate Investment Trust

Scheme, managed by Union Homes Saving and Loans Plc, recorded the most NAV of N14.09 billion; Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund, managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, followed with a NAV of N12.582 billion; while Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund, also managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, recorded a NAV of N8.625 billion.

Asset and Resources Management Company Limited’s ARM Discovery Fund recorded a NAV of N4.817 billion, FBN Capital Limited’s FBN Heritage Fund posted NAV of N4.295 billion; and SIM Capital Alliance C Fund recorded NAV of M N3.609Ybillion.

K include: Zenith Others Capital Limited’s Zenith Equity Fund N3.546 billion, FSDH Asset Management Limited’s Coral Growth Fund N3.262 billion, Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund N2.888 billion and ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N2.579 billion.

Neimeth repackages product, sends forth CEO

BY LAZARUS IBEABUCHI & NKEM EGENUKA

N

E I M E T H International Pharmaceutical Plc said it had unveiled a new look for Pancemol, its brand of Paracetamol that dissolves fast and relieves fast too.

The company disclosed this at a sendforth party in honour of its immediate past President/CEO, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who retired after 35 of meritorious service.

According to a statement by its C o r p o r a t e Communications Manager, Chinenye Okoronkwo, Mazi Ohuabunwa had severally worked as MD, Pfizer Products Plc, Chairman/CEO, Neimeth I n t e r n a t i o n a l Pharmaceutical Plc, and finally as President/CEO of Neimeth up until his retirement in September 2011.

She said, “Mazi Ohuabunwa was the

brain behind the first Management Buy-Out option in Nigeria of Pfizer Products Plc shares that metamorphosed to Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc. As President/CEO, many products were launched during his tenure including Ciklavit, an antisickling nutritional supplement for the management of sickle cell anaemia, the statement said. ”Under his tenure, Neimeth was also the first pharmaceutical company to produce Nimartem, a brand of A r t e m e t h e r / Lumefantrine locally in Nigeria compared to others that are imported from abroad, mostly Asian Countries.

“Additionally, as President/CEO, he ensured a seamless transition of previously Pfizer brands marketed or produced by Neimeth to core Neimeth products thereby removing Neimeth as a product dependent company to that of self sufficiency.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 23

Cashless policy driving fraudsters out of Lagos

By ELIZABETH AMIHOR

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HE limit imposed on cash transactions under the cashless policy has prompted a mass movement of fraudsters moving out of Lagos to other parts of the country.

Chairperson of Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NEFF), Mr Emmanuel Obaigbhona disclosed in this at the July meeting of the Forum held in Lagos recently.

He said, “A lot of fraudsters is moving from Lagos to places where there is no use of electronic payment systems.

We need to do something to prevent fraudsters from coming our way. We need to fight this fraud and also be proactive about it.”

He stakeholders in the electronic payment business to upgrade their security systems to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS), which is the global standard of protecting electronic payment from fraudsters. with the new standard, PCI-DSS before the end of the year as part of measure to address fraud risk associated with electronic payment channels.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCIDSS) is a set of standards and security due diligence practices issued by the US-based Payment Card Industry Standard Security Council (PCISSC)- a global IT security regulatory body- setting the pace for security standards to help ensure the safe handling of payment card data.

Obaigbhona, who is

NIFIED Payment Ser vices Limited has received, “The Best Acquiring Institution in Sub -Saharan Africa” award for its commitment to providing secure and reliable technology in the issuance and acceptance space.

The Award is instituted by Visa Inc. for financial institutions that recognize best practices in risk management.

Unified Payment Services Limited otherwise known as Unified Payments is a card neutral and option-neutral Payments Service Provider is owned by a consortium of leading Nigerian banks. Unified Payments operates as a shared infrastructure for the banking community in Nigeria and Payments Service Provider within and outside Nigeria, with a mission to be the most preferred

Deutsche Bank axes 1,900 jobs as crisis cuts profits in half

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From left: Mr. Peter Sturmheit, Country Programme Officer, African Development Bank (AFDB), Mr. Lere Fashola, Publisher, Legal Blitz, and Mr. Ousmane Dore, Country Representative, AFDB, at the 2012 ESQ Seminar in Lagos former Deputy director, Domestic Payment division, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said the new standard will aid the security of electronic payment in the country, as it is associated with the management of privileged identities and controlling insiders and administrators from accessing sensitive data.

“The move is a proactive process towards enlightening Nigerians, especially those in the financial sector on measures to mitigate fraud associated with electronic payments”, said Also speaking at the meeting, Chairman, Enterprise Bank, Mr Emeka Onwuka, said stressed the need to be proactive in the fight against fraudsters. He said, “The quest of freedom thus comes with fear. As such, following the introduction of e-pay-

ment, we must also be sure that fraudsters will follow the new form both physical and logical.

As the fraudsters are planning, we need to develop our skills and plan.”

Managing Director, Digital Encode Limited, a security solution company, Mr Adewale Obadare encouraged electronic payment services operators to embrace the PCIDSS. He said: “Compliance with PCIDSS helps to mitigate risks associated with prevalent use of banks’ cards and payment channels. There is a growing cloud community of fraudsters hoping to hack new electronic payment platforms.

With this trend, PCIDSS has been mandated for all merchants or banks that store, process and or transmit cardholder data” “Managing and monitoring access to the electronic payment

environment while locking down administrative privileges is crucial to protecting sensitive data within this expanded threat environment. Many organizations are still trying to catch up on PCI 2.0 requirements, and those exploring virtualization will now need to fully understand new hurdles to meeting audit requirements and protecting sensitive customer data and financial information”, he added. In her remarks, the Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola, said that every new system has its vulnerability and this should be addressed.

She added that there is a lot of collaboration internationally to fight against fraud and Nigeria cannot afford to be left out.

Unified Payment receives award for effective risk management

U

BRIEF

e-payment service provider in Africa.

A statement by Visa Inc. said the award was aimed at advancing the risk management standards across all financial institutions by honouring those that had successfully implemented a secure and reliable infrastructure that countered fraud across all channels.

The statement quoted the Head of Risk, Visa sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Br yce Thorrold, as saying, “Societies are increasingly moving from cash to electronic payments because they offer greater security, reliability and convenience than cash.

As the payment ecosystem evolves and payments become smarter and better, fraud attacks are increasing in sophistication.”

He said Visa recognised that combating fraud was not an individual effort, but one that required collaboration within the whole industry.

“Financial institutions have been advancing their risk management infrastructure by enhancing their technology, protocols and tools to effectively mitigate emerging threats and trends. Visa clients have been proactively countering fraud across all channels, and we want to applaud and recognise those that have stood out in their risk management measures, strategies and success rates. We hope this award will encourage others to emulate their success in advancing the security of the industry.”

According to the statement,

the LEADER Award is divided into two categories-”Best Issuing Institution” and “Best Acquiring Institution”.

The Group Head, Enterprise Risk Management, Unified Payments, Mrs. Ochanya Dan-Ugo, said, “Unified Payment Services is firmly committed to providing our customers with trusted and secure payment solutions to protect against ever-increasing risks of fraud.

Formerly known as ValuCard Nigeria Limited, the name of the Company was changed in 2012 to reflect its new business, following a successful transformation from a domestic card scheme to a provider of payment services supporting different payment options and schemes.

EUTSCHE Bank, Ger many’s biggest lender, said on Tuesday that it would slash 1,900 jobs, mainly outside Germany, as the eurozone crisis cut second quarter profits nearly in half.

The bank also acknowledged for the first time that a small number of its employees — but no executive board member — had been involved in the Libor interest-rate rigging scandal that has rocked the financial world.

In view of the current difficult environment, Deutsche Bank said it would “reduce headcount predominantly outside of Germany by approximately 1,900 positions.”

Of those, 1,500 would be axed in its corporate banking and securities division, the group said in a statement.

These measures were expected to contribute savings of approximately 350 million euros ($431 million) of an overall cost-cutting target of 3.0 billion euros, the statement said.

The news sent Deutsche Bank shares soaring on the Frankfurt stock exchange, where they were showing a gain of 2.39 percent at 25.44 euros in a slightly firmer market.

Earlier, Deutsche Bank had announced that its net profit fell to 661 million euros in the April-June period from 1.2 billion euros a year earlier and revenues declined 6.0 percent to 8.0 billion euros.

The group’s performance “was impacted by a volatile environment. The European sovereign debt crisis continues to weigh on investor confidence and client activity across the bank,” said co-chief executives Juergen Fitschen and Anshu Jain.

The net profit figure was lower than a provisional estimate of 700 million euros which had already disappointed analysts when it was released last week.

The fall in profits is fuelling concern whether Deutsche Bank can meet the EU’s more stringent capital requirements without issuing new shares to raise additional funds.

But the bank said it had “always maintained, and currently maintains, capital ratios which are comfortably above all regulatory thresholds and plans to continue to do so.”

Deutsche Bank said its core Tier 1 capital ratio — a key measure of financial health — stood at 10.2 percent at the end of the second quarter, up from 10 percent three months earlier and above the 9.0-percent minimum required by regulators.

24—Vanguard, THURSDAY, August 2, 2012

APPOINTMENT & PROMOTION

Omonode emerges ICDU President-General I

DJEHE Clan Development Union, ICDU, a sociocultural and umbrella organisation of Idjerhe people in Delta State has elected Mr. Austine Omonode as its new President-General to run its affairs for the next four years.

He defeated the incumbent President-General and a retired Deputy- Commissioner of Police, Chief Stephen

Ikewun, and Mr. Arthur Enofogha.

Other members of the executive are: First Vice President General, Deacon Solomon Ekpo; Second Vice President General, Chief Samuel Otojareri; Secretary General, Chief Simon Okoro; Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Daniel Ireghe and

National Treasurer, Elder Moses Adegor.

Others are National Financial Secretary, Mr. Richard Iweta; National Public Relation Officer/Spokesman, Mr. Matthew Adegor; National Auditor, Mr. Godwin Obodoku-Ujor; National Organising Secretary, Mr. Peter Efurhievwe; Chief

Provost, Mr. Fetus Ipotoki and two Assistant Provost, Mr. Godbless Emakuneyi and Mr. Blessing Gbeburu.

The Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, HRM Edward Otadaferua, Erhiekevwe 1, while swearingin the new executive at his palace, urged them to put the interest of the kingdom first in the administration of the union.

Enwemadu now Diageo GM

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IAGEO Brands Nigeria Limited, a sister company to Guinness Nigeria Plc, has appointed Felix Enwemadu General Manager.

Felix started his career with Procter & Gamble in 1999 as a Key Account Manager.

In 2005, Felix joined Guinness Nigeria PLC as a Divisional Sales Manager and rose to the National Field Sales Manager for Eastern Nigeria.

In these positions, he led the business transformation within the region and quickly established a working culture that resulted in significant improvements in business performance.

After three years, he moved on to join Notore Chemicals Company as the Head of Sales.

Within two years, he successfully led commercial negotiations with the Federal Government on fertilizer procurement and worked closely with donor agencies such as IFDC and USAID in building effective commercial strategies aimed at driving a Green revolution in Nigeria.

In 2012, he joined Nutricima Nigeria Ltd (a joint venture between PZ Cussons UK and Glanbia Ireland) as Sales Director where he developed and executed effective commercial strategies which led to a transformation of the business and increased market share.

•A cross section of some of the promoted officers that were decorated at the Murtala Mohammed Customs Command in Lagos recently.

MMA Customs Command decorates 60 promoted officers M

URTALA Mohammed Air Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has decorate60 officers of its command that recently promoted by the management of the Service.

Among those decorated by the Customs Area Comptroller, CAC, of the Command, Charles Edike, are one new Comptroller, five new Deputy Comptrollers (DC), three Assistant Comptrollers (AC) and four Chief Superintendents of Customs (CSC).

Others are five Superintendents of Customs (SC), three Deputy Superintendents Customs (DSC),

10 Assistant Superintendents of Customs (ASC), one Chief Inspector of Customs (CIC), two Deputy Chief Inspectors of Customs (DCIC), two Assistant Chief Inspectors of Customs (ACIC), three Principle Inspectors of Customs (PIC), and 21 Senior Inspectors of Customs (SIC).

In his address to the officers during the decoration, the Customs boss told the officers that they should consider themselves lucky and should be grateful to the management of the Service for the promotion as they are others who are equally qualified to be promoted.

He told the officers that the management is happy with the Command and attributed the fate so far achieved to the efforts of the officers and men.

Meanwhile the command has surpassed its N1.5 billion monthly targets, raking in a total of N13.4 billion in the first half of the year.

According to a statistics made available to Vanguard, the Command collected N1.7 billion, N2.7 billion, N3.1 billion, N2.1 billion, N2.8 billion and N3.1 billion in January, February, March, April, May and June respectively.

Mouka appoints Savage, Akinkugbe Directors

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•Savage

HE Board of Directors of Mouka Limit ed, manufacturer of mattresses, pillows, beddings and other polyurethane products, has appointed Babatunde Savage and Olaolu Akinkugbe into its Board to enhance good governance and implement company’s business strategy.

Savage holds an honours degree in Physiology from the University of Ibadan and is a product of the famous Igbobi College, Lagos.

Before this appointment, Savage’s career in Guinness Nigeria has spanned 26 years.

In that period, he held executive positions in Finance, Corporate Planning and Corporate Relations. He joined the Board of Guinness Nigeria in 1996.

He worked in Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers) from 1978 to 1983 as a Chartered Accountant. He has attended various local and overseas management-training courses in reputable institutions including Cranfield School of Management and Harvard Business School.

He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). He is the Chairman of the Beer Sectoral Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and a council member of both the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

vicahiyoung@yahoo.com 08033348923

Akinkugbe is the Chairman, CEO of L. A. Consultancies Limited

O

FTEN described as an icon in the Nigerian Soft Drinks Industry with over three decades experience, Olaolu commenced his career in 1971 at Nestle Nigeria, before joining the Nigerian Bottling Company in 1973, and ultimately Coca-Cola International as External Affairs Director for Nigeria, but with portfolio spanning the English West Africa in the areas covering Government Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Media and Communications.

In recognition of his sterling qualities, upon his voluntary retirement from the Coca-Cola Company in March 2006, Coca – Cola’s franchise bottler in Nigeria, the Nigerian Bottling Company appointed him to its Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director.

Akinkugbe is also on the Boards of many other blue chip companies and associations, and currently the National President of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce.

He did his postgraduate studies in Management at the Cranfield University, Bedford,

•Akinkugbe England in 1976. He is also a 1996 graduate of the Advanced Management Program; AMP of the prestigious Lagos Business School. He is also a Board member, Lagos Business School Alumni Association, LBSAA, Life member The Nigeria Britain Association, Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria, Past President of the Rotary Club of Ikeja in Lagos and a Trustee of the Ondo State Handicapped Education Foundation (HANDEF).

Reacting to the appointments, the Managing Director/CEO Mouka Limited, Peju Adebajo said t “As we continue to grow our footprint in the local and global market, Savage and Akinkugbe are quite instrumental to leverage our corporate brand strategy and effort to go from strength to strength on regional and global levels.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 25

Economy in difficult conditions for investors — LCCI

BY NAOMI UZOR

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HE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), has decried dearth of credit facilities to investors.

In a statement,Tuesday, the Director General of LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said:“It is clearly more attractive now to invest in government securities than to invest in ventures that would create jobs. Even banks now would rather buy treasury bills and gov-

ernment bonds than give loans to investors. This credit and interest rate structure would continue to create distortions in the economy, which will only perpetuate the phenome-

non of jobless growth and further depresses the stock market,” he said. According to him, banks tolerance of manufacturing sector continues to decline because of the perception of

the sector as very risky as many SMEs lack the capacity to package bankable credit requests, adding that some are too small to access credit individually.

“Many entrepreneurs

cannot meet the banks’ credit requirement, especially collateral; Experience of the banks with loan quality of manufacturing and other real sector investors would not dispose

them to give further loans; monetary policy tightening of the CBN has pushed up cost of fund; Risk asset provisioning requirements of the CBN is a disincentive to lending,” he said

Fashola kicks off Eko Expo tomorrow at Lekki Free Zone

BY FRANKLIN ALLI

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AGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, will tomorrow, kick off a one-day joint investment forum and 10-day

Eko Expo 2012 at Lekki Free Zone (LFZ) IbejuLekki area of the state.

In a statement, the Managing Director of Lekki Free Zone Development Company, Mr. Chen

Xiaoxing, said that the twin events are being held to showcase investment potentials of the state at the Lekki Free Zone.

“The event will open on Friday 3 with Governor Ba-

batunde Fashola declaring the summit open as the Chief Host. He will also give an opening speech while the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga shall speak

on “Free Zones as Catalyst for Economic Growth.”

Xiaoxing commended both the state government and the Minister of Trade and Investment for marketing of investment opportunities in the Lekki Free Zone, stressing that it underscores the seriousness government attaches to efforts to power the domestic economy through the free zones. “This is one investment destination that discerning investors will find very economically appealing to put their money, and we beckon on investors from Nigeria and across the world to come and take maximum advantage of the opportunities we will be unfolding. This is one investment decision anyone can bank on. We have a tested project team and a governor who says what he meant and who means what he says. We are set to deliver a world class free zone in Nigeria,” he said.

Cadbury increases production line

BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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ADBURY Nigeria Plc has increased its production line to boost the supply of its products.

Mr. Dele Anifowoshe, Marketing Director , who disclosed this during the unveiling of its new product (Tom Tom HoneyLemon) said that huge investments was made on the production lines to ensure superior quality of the product is maintained He said that TomTom HoneyLemon was a clear demonstration of the company’s huge investment in research and development aimed at deeply satisfying consumers’ aspiration.

He stated that the new product is targeted at consumers who desire a more pleasurable soothing experience and the triple benefit of honey, lemon and the TomTom menthol.

26— VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

NIMASA, LASG govt bicker over wreck removal

BY GODFREY BIVBERE & VICTORIA EDEMA

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Managing Director of LADOL, Dr. Amy Jadesimi; Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, Nigerian Content Board, Tunde Adelana; Chevron representative (Funiwa Gas Project), Ms Seun Adegunwa; Manager project monitoring, Nigerian Content Board, Engr. Chijioke Okorie; Manager NAPIMS (Gas Div), Gyebi Marshall and Construction Manager (Funiwa Gas Project), Alfredo Leon, during a facility tour of LADOL base in Lagos

AGOS State Government and the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, are set for a show down over the removal of wrecks from the Lagos waters.

The Lagos State government in its bid to clear the waters of all wrecks militating against smooth navigation of the waters, had commenced operations. To this end, the state government has placed advertisements inviting interested private operators to signify their intention.

The action led the management of NIMASA to

Port audit committee condemns reforms process

BY GODWIN ORITSE

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HE port Reform Eval uation Committee has condemned the port concession process saying that most of the terminals audited were not properly laid out and clearly operated below the standard of modern, competitive and optimally productive terminals/ ports.

The Barrister Chidi Ilogu led Committee noted that the general pattern was an indication of the absence, failure or ineffectiveness of technical regulation which has slowed down the pace of implementation of the ports plans.

Besides performing below standards, the Committee also noted that most of the terminal operators are operating outside the concession agreement. The report further noted the Lagos Ports complex Apapa was delineated into Four Terminals, was originally meant to provide four specialized services.

The complex from all indication has been delineated into Apapa Bulk Terminals, ENL Consortium Terminal, Green View Terminal, Cluster Terminals at La-

gos Ports Complex some of which includes Jetties, Petroleum Wharfs, Petroleum Tank Farms are scattered around the access axis of the Port Complex in haphazard development which creates danger to the main Port Establishment, Port Users and the General Public.

The Committee however suggested that the Nigerian Ports Authority, should as a matter of priority develop a standardized Port Management Manual for use by all Terminal Operators to ensure that Nigerian Ports are moving in the right direction, particularly with respect to port modernization, productivity and efficiently.

Part 0 f the report reads “Terminal operators currently operating outside the provisions of their lease agreement should be directed by NPA to revert to the approved use(s) within the next 3 months and appropriately sanctioned for the current violations.

“NPA should be re-positioned for effective performance as a technical regulator to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained throughout the in-

dustry, in accordance with International best practices.”

It will be recalled that the committee audited a total of 23 terminals in Lagos, Port

Harcourt, Calabar and Warri to ascertain the level of compliance with the provisions of the concession agreement and consistently with the reform exercise

CRFFN chairman, 19 other CEO’s get executive diploma

BY GODFREY BIVBERE

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HAIRMAN of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, Alhaji Hakeem Olarinwaju, and 19 other chief executive officers of Clearing firms have completed a one week intensive executive diploma course as part of measures to professionalize the freight forwarding business in the country.

Olarinwaju told Vanguard that the training programme is so enriching that he and all the other participants took part throughout the five days that the course lasted. He explained that at the programme which ended last Friday, the participants are

in agreement that more of such trainings are required to bring practitioners up to speed of the latest trend in the freight forwarding business.

On the issue of domination of the business by foreigners, the CRFFN boss said that the truth of the matter is that operators in Nigeria do not have what it takes to participate fully and compete with their foreign counterparts.

Majority of the operators are not also in tune with what is happening at the international level and since the business is based on connection and interrelations at that level, it is very difficult for Nigerian freight forwarders to meet up with the desired standard.

Tin Can Customs denies ‘flying’ of containers

By GODWIN ORITSE

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HE Tin-Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has defended the Automated System for Customs Data, ASYCUDA, introduced by the service as capable of circumventing any attempt to defraud

government of accruable revenue.

ASYCUDA is a computer data collating software designed by the Customs to enhance its revenue collection and operations and forestall fraud.

In a statement reacting to media report on the disappearance of containers from the Tin-Can Com-

mand, Mr. Chris Osunkwo spokesman for the Command said the Customs Area Controller was quoted out of context.

Osunkwo explained that at a meeting with leadership of the various freight forwarding groups, the Command’s boss drew inference from efforts being made to stem and fight

all identifiable vices in the industry including “flying of containers”.

He said that the ASYCUDA has made Customs operation transparent, adding that any other agency that is connected to the system can monitor the movement of containers out of the ports.

place a counter advertisement informing the public to disregard the earlier advertisement by the Lagos State government, saying that it is the consitutional responsibility of the apex maritime regulatory body to remove and receive all wrecks removed from the nation’s waterways.

Disclosing this at a training workshop entitled “Issues in Enforcement of NIMASA Act-the Legal Perspectives,” organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Lagos, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi, said the agency would uphold its establishing law as it affect wreck removal.

Akpobolokemi who was represented by the Legal Adviser and Secretary to the Board of NIMASA, Mathew Egbadon, explained that as a result of the agency’s reaction, the state government had gone to the federal government to make their intention to clear the wrecks known.

He, however, indicated that they were discussing modality for the partnership, as a firm that claimed to be from the state government had come to them but has not returned.

The NIMASA DG noted that since it was the prima-

ry responsibility of the Agency to ensure safety and security of the waterways, including the clearance of wrecks, they would do all within the power to provide the enabling environment for shipping operators.

Akpobolokemi recalled that the need to jealously guard such responsibilities informed why the agency had to raise issues with the Lagos State government earlier when the latter sought to engage private individuals in removing wrecks and derelicts off the coastlines. He said: “We had to write to them to discuss with us first because it is our primary responsibility. We are not saying that they lack the capacity to do so, but they can only do it by partnering with us…after all, they cannot remove the wrecks and take them away, they still need to hand them over to us.”

He, however, stressed that though NIMASA is not against the State government’s efforts to embark on the removal of wrecks from the waterways, NIMASA will want to know what wrecks are to be removed, their location and where they are to be taken to.

Akpobolokemi expalined that the law empowers them to receive all wrecks removed from the waters and as such, the state government should also be aware of that.

Task Force, Navy fight oil bunkering in eastern waterways

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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HE Federal Govern ment Task Force in collaboration with the Eastern Naval Command has intensified efforts to rid the eastern waterways of criminal activities including oil bunkering within the maritime environment.

The Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjimi, who disclosed this in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, at the end of a six kilometre route march by the Navy, said the command was doing everything possible to phase out oil bunkering along the coastal waterways.

Admiral Ogunjimi said the menace of oil bunkering in the country especially within the eastern waterways was a war all stakeholders must fight to

win, adding: “The various states government within the command are also doing their best to fight illegal oil bunkering while the National Assembly is currently reviewing the Laws in regards to the punishment of offenders.”

He tasked officers and men of the force to always keep themselves physically fit in order to face the challenges of modern warfare, saying that military assignment was always a difficult task hence the need to be fit and combat ready.

The FOC said: “Physical fitness is not negotiable in the Navy. We must be fit so that anywhere we are assigned any task, no matter how difficult and strenuous, we should be able to carry out such task. Military assignment can sometimes be very difficult, we should be able to move to anywhere at any given time.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 27

28 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2,,2012

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, Port Harcourt

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kogbe community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State has not been the same since the petrol tanker fire that occurred penultimate Thursday, consuming about 200 of its residents.

A new twist to the sad story this time has to do with metaphysical related issues. Some of the natives who lost dear ones said their deceased relatives had been appearing to them, claiming to be still alive.

Emedhem Kennedy Prince of Oyakama, one of the clans in the community, who lost his brother in the sad incident, said the wife of the deceased had abandoned the house where she lived with the husband because of strange encounters she complained about. Narrating a recent experience, he said his own family members tried to lock the door of the apartment occupied by his late brother who perished in the inferno after the wife relocated but every effort failed until they had to appeal to the deceased to allow them safeguard his property.

“In the case of one of my brothers, by name Chima Cheta, who died in the fire, we tried to lock the door of the house he lived three times but after each time it would open. So in our own way we had to talk to him before the door finally was locked the fourth time. The dead people are *Grieving women of Ula Okogbe seriously disturbing us in my place. This is why that my brother’s wife has ran from his house. She had a child for him”.

Another resident, Eli Randy Charles, said he saw a new motorcycle parked at the spot where most of the victims were given mass burial and when he made enquiries he was told the ghost of one of the deceased appeared to a man who stole his motorcycle when he knew he died in the incident. He said the ghost warned the thief to immediately return the motorbike or be ready for any consequence. He said the thief whispered his experience to his close pals and he was advised to take the bike to the spot of the mass burial.

“I was told that somebody stole the bike of one those that lost their lives. He appeared to the man who stole it to go and drop it. I saw the new bike parked at the venue of the mass burial ground. And when I asked questions I was told somebody who stole it had gone to drop it there. So this is the kind of situation going on in *Aged parents mourning the death of their son the area now,” he informed.

AFTERMATH OF O K O G B E P E T R O F I R E :

Ghosts trouble community

•FG should give us electricity •Our children died scooping fuel for their generators

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any now sleep outside their homes.

He said some of the dead had also been reportedly appearing to friends and relatives in the community, saying they were not dead.

“This situation has forced some people to sleep outside their houses at night,” he said.

The story of Okogbe was like that of the Biblical account in Egypt where from the house of the throne of King Pharaoh down to the commonest Egyptian there was wailing during the Passover night because every home of the Egyptian lost its first born.

In Okogbe, no family was spared of death. The traditional ruler of the area, Eze Joshua Eyiba, said the

community alone lost 191 one persons. Igbuduya Youth Assembly, an apex body of youth structures of the various clans in Igbuduya, Okogbe inclusive, said 296 persons had so far been confirmed dead. A breakdown of the figure showed that 191 were from Okogbe, while other villages lost 90 persons. None indigenes also consumed in the sad incident was 15 years of age.

Meantime, the community has enjoined the state and Federal Government to provide the area with electricity. Igbuduya Youth Assembly, in their statement blamed the petrol fire disaster on lack of electricity in the community and poverty. The

statement signed by the president, Eli Charles; Secretary, Emedhem Kennedy and two others said those who went to scoop fuel from the tanker did so in order to power their generators.

“The Federal Government should provide electricity for us; if there had been electricity the temptation to scoop fuel for generators would have been resisted,” they said.

They said some of those who perished in the inferno operated salons, adding that connecting the community to power will be one way to immortalise the dead. “Our people should not die in vain,” they pleaded. They further appealed to government to create employment

opportunities for the area.

“It is really sad to note that Okogbe does not have electricity in Rivers State,” an indigene lamented as he spoke to Vanguard Metro, VM.

They have turned our experience to a media show

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ince the incident that befell the community and its neighbouring villages, Okogbe had been playing host to high profile Nigerians

,

Some of the dead had also been reportedly appearing to friends and relatives in the community, saying they were not dead

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trooping there on condolence visit. But painfully some of these visits only ended up as a media show, further stretching the lean purse of the community. A youth leader captured the situation appropriately when he said the community had been spending so much of its little savings to entertain these high profile Nigerians who visited and left

without making any impact on the lives of the aged parents who lost their adult children.

He pleaded with the government to come up with relief for parents of these children.

The youth body in its statement said thus: “We, however, make bold to say that such effort should go beyond rhetorics and jamborees as the orphans and the aged who lost their sponsors are dying of hunger and lack of concrete government attention.

Immediate palliative measures should have reached the people by now judging the magnitude of the loss”.

It would be recalled that a petrol tanker fell on the East West road end of the community penultimate Thursday, while avoiding a head on collision with a vehicle. While hundreds of indigenes of the area and other neighbouring villages were scooping the product from the tanker it suddenly burst into flames, consuming them. Most of those that were rushed to the hospital for various degrees of burns reportedly died.

Okogbe is still counting its losses from the painful incident, saying it is not enough to dismiss the victims of the disaster as those who died scooping fuel. The people would want the problems of lack of electricity and poverty in the area to be effectively tackled so that a similar tragic incident would not occur.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—29

CORRUPT PRACTICES:

Why ICPC targets varsities, by Nta

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CTING Chairman of the Independent Cor rupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta has said the commission is set to purge the Nigerian university system of the menace of corruption with the cooperation and collaboration of the National Universities Commission, NUC. ICPC said in the face of petitions from students, members of staff, unions and other stakeholders alleging all manners of corrupt practices and abuses in most of the tertiary institutions, it could no longer afford to fold its arms and watch the system sink deeper into rot. Nta said some of the abuses were in admission processes, conduct of examinations, appointments and promotion of staff and manipulation and falsification of academic records such as transcripts.

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lso reported are sexual harassment and victimisation of applicants, syndicated plagiarism by students and staff, delay or non-payment of gratuities and pension to pensioners, non-adherence to bidding processes in the award of contracts. Others are illegal accreditation processes through deception, running unapproved study centres, affiliating programmes to accredited schools, establishing and operating unapproved and consequently, illegal universities.

Ekpo said preliminary investigations by the commission point towards utter disregard and failure of regulatory systems within the academic institutions which paved the way for many forms of corruption. He said that the commission will undertake a comprehensive system study

and review of the country’s institutions and identify which of the systems was facilitating fraud and corruption.

He said: “Fighting corruption should be seen as a collective responsibility especially in the Nigerian university system which is why we are here to brainstorm and come up with various measures of curbing corruption in our campuses. As a matter of fact, it is imperative to note that corruption exists zMr Ekpo Nta in all spheres of our economy including the education sub-sector. ”For the avoidance of doubt, examination malpractice, cultism, sorting, impersonation, indecent dressing, intimidation, lateness, running illegal programmes, plagiarism, suppression of information, absenteeism amongst Worried by what the univerothers, are elements of corrupt sities have turned into, practices.”

NUC’s Executive Secretary,

,

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

Fighting corruption should be seen as a collective responsibility especially in the Nigerian university system

Professor Julius Okojie said the university system, being an integral part of the society, cannot be insulated from the menace.

“The system must therefore strive at all times to uphold those values that make for civility and positive development. It is in this light that the commission, ICPC and other relevant agencies of government are striving to institute functional anti-corruption units in all the universities in Nigeria.

“We must, therefore, be vigilant to nip in the bud all corrupt practices in teaching, research and community development programmes in order to maintain the required academic standards that will guarantee national development and global competitiveness.”

He said: “The trace of corruption in the education sector dates back to the colonial era when heads of institutions opened sealed packages in their possession to copy out examination questions for teaching before sealing them back. Corruption, Okojie noted, has taken different dimension ranging from cheating in examinations, `sorting’

lecturers to earn undeserved marks and non-processing of students’ results among others.

Okojie stated that some of the universities especially the suspended ones, outrightly violated the NUC regulations.

“The universities have persistently violated laid down procedures regarding implementation of the provisions of the Academic Brief and Master Plan documents as well as express provisions of the letter conveying approval for their licence through commencement of part-time and other academic programmes without requisite approval. ”

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ome of the affected uni versities have over the years failed to properly constitute their Governing Councils and in some instances did not appoint pro-chancellors as required by their university laws and in line with university tradition and global best practices. ”Some of the affected universities have engaged in the establishment of academic programmes without the requisite approval by the NUC and consideration for adequate human and material resources, to ensure quality of programmes.” He, however, expressed dismay that corruption has eroded creativity, played down the value of hard work, and enthroned mediocrity in the nation’s university system. He added that university system was the conscience of the society and must strive at all times to uphold those values that make for civility and positive development. “The NUC as a reg-

Continues on page 30

Rufai calls for establishment of libraries, reading centres

BY DAYO ADESULU

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inister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufai has called for establishment of local libraries and reading centres in wards and local government areas so that people can easily access reading materials, adding that

this could be achieved by bringing all education stakeholders together towards this goal. ”We must establish local libraries and reading centres in wards and local government areas, so that people can easily access reading materials.”

Speaking at the UBA Foundation Initiative, titled: Read

Africa Project 2012, a programme designed to bring back the reading culture in Nigerian youths, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, represented by Mrs Ibukun Oyewole said funding of education cannot be borne by government alone, urging the private sector to come and assist in funding the sector.

The Minister of Education who announced the commencement of “Read Africa Project” in Lagos, reiterated that government has redesigned the literacy education curriculum to make reading of books compulsory in schools, adding that it is now mandatory for schools to Continues on page 30

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Wike tasks unity schools principals on admission guidelines ——

Page 30

NANS to Jonathan: Clear terrorist camps in Plateau ——

Page 33

Our natural resources are grossly under-utilized ——

Page 35

30—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

*From left: The Commandant, Afit, Air-Vice Marshal Olusola Oshoniyi,the Ag.Minister of Defence; Erelu [Dr] Olusola Obada with the Chairman, Senate Committee on Airforce, Senator Saidu Alkali and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Diko Umar at the 41st graduation ceremony of the Airforce Institute of Technology Kaduna on Friday. Photo by Olu Ajayi

FG to restructure ailing unity schools

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

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he Federal Government has said it is determined to bring back quality and standards to unity schools across the country to achieve the purpose for which they were established, even as report reveals infrastructure

deficit, lack of teachers, misappropriation and other concerns in the schools.

Minister of State for Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, who disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the report on the Needs Assessment of Federal Government Colleges nationwide, pledged government’s commitment to immediately commence the process

of implementing the recommendations.

Barr. Wike noted that government now has the political will to implement report of this nature owing to the benefit that will accrue to the education system.

“This is not going to be one of those reports that are always dumped, where committees are set up, money spent and reports made but at the end of the day, nothing is

done. We have the political will to implement whatever the committee has recommended,” he said.

The Minister disclosed that the government has commenced tackling the issue of casualisation of teachers in the colleges as it has secured the approval from Federal Civil Service Commission to regularize the appointments of over 1,000 qualified teachers who have been operating on part-time basis for 10 to 15 years in the colleges.

He said: “As government, we have started tackling the issue of bringing in teachers.

We have gotten approval from the Federal Civil Service Commission to regularize the appointments of over 1,000 teachers that have been operating on part-time basis from 10 to 15 years. Of course this will be those who are qualified.”

Wike who maintained that the ministry will set up another committee within two weeks to review the report submitted to commence immediate implantation, disclosed that it has also written to the Ministry of Finance to approve funds for the renovation of 30 unity schools across the country by the time budget is made for 2013, as they cannot all be renovated at once.

He decried the lack of interest of the staff of the ministry and directed the chairmen of the committees to the geopolitical zones and the Director,Basic and Secondary Education to submit the names of the directors and committee members who were absent from the assignment to his office for further action.

Rufai calls for establishment of libraries, reading centres Continues from page 29 be equipped and enriched with varieties of reading materials that are not only textbooks. ”Government has redesigned the literacy education curriculum to make reading of books compulsory in schools. It is now mandatory for schools to be equipped and enriched with varieties of reading materials that are not only textbooks."

Rufai said that good reading skills lead students to become successful learners, adding, “students learn from written materials such as textbooks, handouts, posters and online publications.”

According to Rufai, students read for a variety of aesthetic and academic purposes which include enjoyment and relaxation; to get information; to develop skills; to follow directions; to develop an understanding of ourselves and of the world.

The Minister of Education who noted that reading encourages people to become successful lifelong learners said, “reading stimulates an individual to be creative and innovative.”

She explained that innovation results from the combination of ideas and concepts, saying that the more we read, the more ideas and concepts come to mind. Making allusion to Japan, Rufai pointed out that the high level of reading has made her one of the most innovative and developed nations in the world. ”Reading can promote tolerance and peace; the more we read, the more reflections we make, and the more understanding we have about other people’s customs, traditions, religions, beliefs and ethnicity,” she said.

She stated that reading in our country has merely been promoted on television advertisements, posters, banners or brochures stressing that we need more effective and concrete ways to carry out this programme.

Also speaking, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, author of Weep Not Child, who flew in from America to challenge Nigerian students on the importance of

Why ICPC targets varsities Continues from page 29 ulatory body of all degreeawarding institutions in Nigeria has therefore, put in place mechanisms to eradicate corruption in the Nigerian university system. This include closure of illegal degree mills with the aid of security agencies, verification of academic programmes before commencement, programmes and institutional accreditation exercises and on-the-spot inspection and monitoring of universities’ activities and host of others,” Okojie said. ICPC’s Chief of Planning, Research & Review, Mr. Godwin Oche said the present day universities have become a haven for corrupt practices where “corruption becomes the rule rather than the exception.”

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che mentioned some of the factors that encourage systemic corruption to include conflicting incentives, discretionary powers; monopolistic powers; lack of transparency; low pay and a culture of impunity.” He, therefore, recommended the principle of the 5 ‘Cs’ - Condition; Criteria; Causes; Consequences and Correction to tackling corruption in the university system.

In the same vein, the ProChancellor, Niger-Delta University, Professor Kimse Okoko pointed out that in the past two decades, Nigerian universities have passed through challenging experiences that undermined their capacity to carry out their mandate and contribute to national development.

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*From right: Mr Phillips Oduoza, GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Prof.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, author, 'Weep not Child' and son at Read Africa, Lagos.

bringing back our reading culture said, reading is an integral part of our base in Africa adding: “The clothe, properties and dollars you possess can be taking away from you, but what you have in mind cannot be taking away from you.”

According to him, imagination and reading are very important to everyone, noting that imagination on its own cannot survive except it is nourished through reading of books.

“The more we read, the more we nourish our imagination, the less we read, the more we shrink our imagination,” he said.

The playwright who urged our youths to emulate Wole Soyinka and Chinue Achibe as writers who played major role in building Africa reading culture said that Nigerian writers are important to the Africa continent.

e identified prevalence of corruption among administrators, academics, staff and students in the universities and concluded that indeed, the entire university system is now controlled by a web of corrupt activities ranging from admission racketeering to fraudulent allocation of degree results and actual misappropriation of funds. Nonetheless, Mrs. Rasheedat Okoduwa, Education Director at ICPC described corruption as subordination of group interest to personal interest.

“It is not limited to monetary issues; It is often shrouded in secrecy and it is not limited to the university system or even the public sector, she said” Okoduwa noted, “The decay in ethical and academic standards in our institutions of higher learning produces unemployable graduates; grave incompetence in the employed ones; morally bankrupt youths and causes disdain for our certificates in the international knowledge marketplace.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—31

CU Alumni renovate school fence

BY ESTHER MARK, UNIJOS

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he National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the immediate clearing of terrorist camps in Plateau State to avoid further attacks.

The NANS President, Comrade Adakole Ochai, made the call at a Press briefing in Jos on the state of the nation, arising from the brutal killing of Senator Gyang Dantong and member, Plateau State House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani recently by unknown gunmen.

Comrade Ochai noted with dismay, the rate at which more villages were attacked with dozens killed in the very presence of soldiers who were sent to secure lives. According to him: “The fact that a serving senator was killed in broad day light shows the level of security lapse in the country.”

Ochai condemned the calls in some quarters for the imposition of state of emergency, while demanding that displaced communities should be fully resettled on their farmlands and given adequate protection.

“We are advocates of peaceful coexistence of all Nigerian citizens. We believe in citizenship rights. We, however, deplore and condemn in strong terms the culture of violence and terrorism imported into our dear country that is devastating most states in the north.”

The NANS president further said: “We call on all well meaning Nigerians to join us in saying no to terrorism; No to ethnic cleansing in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State; No to forceful displacement of law abiding citizens from their native habitat.”

Also speaking, the Coordi-

BY LAJU ARENYEKA & IKENNA ASOMBA

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*Cross section of Yosaites at the orientation

NANS to Jonathan: Clear terrorist camps in Plateau nator, NANS Zone C, Comrade Henry Pam, while calling on the Federal Government to prosecute all persons indicted by the judicial commission of enquiry on the Jos crisis, advocated for the amendment of the constitution to allow for establishment of state police to help states manage security challenges effectively.

In another development, the Joint Campus Committee, (JCC) of the University of Jos, has called on the National Assembly to uphold the integrity of the legislature as they were

beginning to lose credence in the eyes of the public.

In a release signed by the Deputy chair, JCC, Ahmed Rufai, and Chief of Staff, NANS Zone C, Chinwuba Victor and made available to Quadlife, the JCC said scenarios where elected legislators were being indicted for bribery scam, did more harm than good to the nation.

According them, the indicted persons should try as much as possible to uphold the confidence and trust that was placed on them by the electorate by making sure the

people whose names were listed in the ongoing fuel subsidy probe were brought to justice.

The Joint Campus Committee further called on the nation to adopt a holistic approach towards the fuel subsidy probe and give the benefit of doubt to those involved in the bribery scam, as the law says that anyone charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty.

Invincible – Invisible Invincible and Invisible are two different words with different meanings. Invincible means ‘unconquerable i.e. that cannot be conquered’ while invisible means ‘that cannot be seen i.e. not visible to the eye’. Don’t use them interchangeably.

Examples Only God is invincible.

Spiritual enemies are invisible.

Frequently Confused Words Stationary – Stationery Stationary is an adjective meaning ‘remaining in one place; standing still, unmoving’ stationery is a noun meaning ‘ writing paper or materials.’ Don’t confuse them. Please pay attention to ‘er ’ in stationery and ‘ar’ in stationary.

Examples The bus was stationary when a car ran into it.

Adun went to a stationery store to buy a notebook.

Loose – Lose It is easy to confuse loose, (two o’s) with lose (one o). Lose is a verb meaning ‘misplace; become unable to find, follow or understand (lose one’s way); be deprived of or cease to have, esp. by negligence; be deprived of (a person) by death; mislay.’ It is also the opposite of ‘ win’. Loose, as an adjective, means ‘not securely attached; not tight; free from bonds or restraint; not compact or dense (loose soil)’. Loose can also be a verb. The verb ‘loose means ‘release, to let free, undo’.

Examples His belt is loose.

The upper end of her wrapper is loose.

embers of the H.O.P.E Foundation of the Covenant University Alumni Association (CUALA), last weekend joined hands with the students of LSMC Meiran in Lagos to paint the perimeter fence of the school as part of their efforts towards national development.

According to Mr. Tobi David, an official at the foundation, "H.O.P.E seeks to inculcate the value of service into the social and educational fabric in teenagers and youngsters across the country. The core message being that everybody - young and old, male and female, educated and uneducated - take personal responsibility for change. Change within our immediate community and the nation at large.”

According to an executive of the foundation, the unpainted fence and gate which both needed a dire face-lift provided a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate and engage the students in productive community development. The painting exercise commenced at about 11:45 a.m with members of the team armed with paint brushes, rollers and scrapers.

The atmosphere was one of fun and excitement.

The H.O.P.E foundation will be hosting a two-week summer leadership camp for secondary schools nominated across Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and other neighbouring states between the 6th and 22nd of August at the Bells Secondary School, Ota. Don’t lose your head when others are keeping theirs.

You can lose your keys if you don’t put them in your pocket.

OFF-HEAD - BY HEART OFFHAND Off-head is not an English word (though it is common among Nigerian users of English) but offhand is.

Offhand is an adverb which means ‘spontaneous, without needing to think very hard, without preparation or research’; as in ‘Offhand, I can think of five examples of criminals in government.’ Do not say off-head, when you want to express that you can remember something perfectly. By heart is the expression to use. By heart implies ‘from memory, by rote.’

Example: ‘Some teachers encourage learning poetry by heart’.

zCONTINUES NEXT WEEK. Send requests/problems to Gabriel Osoba, Ph.D, Department of English, Lagos State University, Ojo, through Editor, Teach Yourself English, Vanguard Newspapers, PMB. 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or email: editor@vanguardngr.com & gabosoba002@yahoo.co

32—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Educationists harp on quality research

BY SIKIRU AKINOLA, OAU

BY SIKIRU AKINOLA, OAU

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ny aspiring teacher at any level must be properly grounded in the methodological rudiments which will enable him to function effectively and disseminate information efficiently to students.

This was made known by educationists at a two-day workshop organised by the Research and Publications Committe held at the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo. Welcoming participants to the lecture entitled: Evolving High Quality Research Proposal and Paper-writing, the Acting Provost of the College, Mr. G.O Oyewobi said that students have reduced the art of research report-writing to more of classroom essay writing.

The major reasons, according to the don, can be attributed to poor teaching methods on the part of the teacher due to lack of expertise, inadequate learning and teaching periods and reference materials. He added that the business of quality research proposal requires special skills in the art and science of writing ‘as we are all aware that the problems faced by the beginner researchers can be very daunting.’

Speaking on professionalisation of academics, one of the resource persons, Prof. Afolabi Okewole of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, explained that teaching, like all other important sectors of the management and development process, has its laid-out format of training which best equips the practitioner in the education sector. He observed that

*From left: Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, Chairman, Executive Trainers; Dr. Simon Daniel, DVC, Kaduna State University; Jenny Brown, Associate Dean, University of Wolverhampton Business School; Prof Tenuche Marietu, DVC, Kogi State University; Mrs. Ajoke Ogunsan, CEO, Executive Trainers; and Dr. Paschal Anosike, senior lecturer, University of Wolverhampton, during an on-going international tertiary institution training in the UK.

the format not only provides the detailed curricula for the progressive build-up of the knowledge contained in the approved curricula but also the method of transmitting such knowledge to the students concerned.

Another lecturer from LAUTECH, Prof. Oladipo A.T noted that in today ’s environment, the need and demand for a better understanding about almost all aspects of pure and applied science are exceeding the resources available for research required to provide this understanding.

He said that it is therefore extremely important that the research that is done must be of the highest quality and of

immediate or potential significance. “A sound scientific methodology at least assures that the results of the research have a high probability of being true. It will be up to the others to determine the relative significance and importance of the research. Change in the relationship between science and society creates new challenges for scientists.

“There arises a need to be more proficient in the field of communication. Written communication is more difficult to learn, more factual and archival. The ultimate proof to show that one has arrived in the field of science lies in one’s success in written communication.

"Writing a paper may seem like a daunting process for the inexperienced researcher and sometimes, for those who are experienced. However, this does not need to be the case if the approach is logical and systematic. The quality of paper often depends on the planning that goes in before the paper is actually written.”

Other resource persons at the workshop were Professors Samuel Ogundare and Oladipo A.T of Tai Solarin University of Education and LAUTECH respectively. Dr. R. Adefabi and Mr Kayode Oyedepo were Chairman and Secretary of the 12-man team that organised the workshop.

NASELS holds symposium to tackle poverty, failure among youth

BY KHADIJAT MAYEGUN & OLASUNKANMI AROWOLO, LASU

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he National Associa-

i o n of Students of Eng l i s h and Literary Studies (NASELS) of Lagos State University, Ojo campus, penultimate Tuesday, held a symposium tagged: Tackling Poverty and failure among Youth.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Adeleke Fakoya who discussed the theme: Confronting

OAU alumnus appointed Chief Prosecutor in ICC, HAGUE

Poverty, said poverty is one of the mysteries confronting Nigeria as a nation.

Prof. Fakoya explained that money only leaves one empty and this life is not all about looking for money but also happiness among our youths.

He stated the need to define and know the differences between success and wealth. He explained that seeking money for money only leaves us empty, lonely and weak. He pointed out that money is just an intermediary. "If you even have money, that does not mean happiness."

Dr Adebunkunola Adedoyin, a senior lecturer at the Department of English and Literary Studies was to speak on the topic: Why do we fail, but changed the topic of discourse to Why do people fail, basing his action on the premise that he has not failed as a person.

Dr. Ofure Aito discussed the theme: Maintaining self esteem, personal goals and vision in the midst of challenges as a youth. He said self-esteem is a reflection of what you think,

how you talk about yourself.

He mentioned that education is a part of the journey you must embark on to discover who you are, your goals and what you will be.

She added that you should consider yourself with dignity and sensibility.

Yemi Martins, who is the president of the association, after the symposium said: “the programme was organised to prepare our students ahead of the prevalent menace of the society.” Though we are confronted with financial challenges, but thanks be to God, we exceeded our expectations.”

he International Criminal Court, Hague, Netherlands, has appointed Fatou Bom Bensouda, a 51-year old female alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, as the Chief Prosecutor.

A release by the Public Relations Officer of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that Bensouda, who graduated with a bachelor-inlaw degree from OAU in 1986, attended Nigeria Law School also holds a Master's degree in International Maritine Law and the Law of the Sea. She was the first International Maritine Law expert of The Gambia who once served as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in The Gambia, her home country.

She had served as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at ICC from 8th September, 2004 until her appointment as the Chief Prosecutor this year.

At various times, she was the Senior Legal Adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and also the first African woman to assume the top job at an international tribunal.

Obanliku students elect leaders

BY ISAAC MENSAH

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new leadership saddled with the responsibility of midwifing and piloting the affairs of National Association of Obanliku Students, University of Calabar chapter (NAOS-UCC) has emerged following a keenly contested election.

The students from Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State, held her election at Hoggan Bassey Pavilion to fill vacant positions for the 2011/2012 academic session. The election started at about 12:43pm after the electoral umpire read out the guidelines for the election.

Announcing the outcome of the election, the electoral committee chairman, Awerikure Solomon, a 400 level student of the Faculty of Law said that out of 79 votes cast, five were nullified and Usheshe Theophilus emerged president having polled 45 votes against his contestants.

Other members elected were: Alorye Basake (vicepresident), Joseph Longe (secretary-general), Okono Moses (financial secretary) and Ignatius Ekpe (director of socials).

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—33

Spice up your NYSC look

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

Rainbows in the classroom to make tights.

When accessorizing

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

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hey were in my wardrobe for over a month; the green pair of pants-until yesterday.

When I took the bold step of faith and wore them. A step of faith sometimes is all that is needed to break the rules of traditional fashion and transcend the barriers unto modern day colour blocking.

Typical of the speed with which the fashion wheel looms, yellow on orange and purple hardly ever really

raises any eyebrows on campuses nowadays…I think.

Except you have lecturers whose eyes get affected by the colours of the rainbow.

But even when breaking the rules, there are rules of colour blocking especially in a campus environment.

Stay away from the cheap stuff

Naturally, all eyes are on the person in the bright colours, so you might want to ensure that you don’t wear inferior material that tears easily or has terrible finishing. Please steer clear of elastic materials used

If you’re wearing accessories that fit your colours, it looks classier to wear the same shades. You might also accessorize with solid colours such as black or brown to add some seriousness to your look.

Be setting sensitive

You don’t want to look like a clown at your class presentation or project defense. Experiment with colour blocking during the evenings, on weekends or when attending classes of cool lecturers

Get advice

Asking people the one million naira question “how do I look?” could save you from a lot of embarrassment. So when you’re all dressed up and coloured up, please seek counsel!

Lagos recruits graduate teachers

BY AMAKA ABAYOMI

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etermined to improve on the quality of education, the Lagos State Government has recruited single subject graduates without teaching qualifications to teach in its public secondary schools.

According to the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, this step was taken to reduce the number of unemployed graduates and also reposition education in the state.

“The state government decided to give single subject graduates this opportunity and it is hoped that they will become better teachers after their training.”

Charging them to be committed and productive so as to prove that the state government has done the right

thing, Oladunjoye said that government is spending so much on the provision of laboratories to improve teaching and learning of science subjects in state public schools.

Pointing out that the idea of recruiting graduates without education background will be sustained, the Permanent

Secretary, Education, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo said government is planning to widen the scope of teaching service in the state.

She called on private organisations, philanthropists and others to partner with the state government to develop the education sector.

Foundation awards N1m scholarship to Udu indigenes N100,000.

BY GODFREY BIVBERE he Onameyonre T Foundation, instituted by the Orugbo family of Ogbe-

Udu in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, has awarded scholarship worth N1 million to 10 indigenous students in institutions of higher learning, with each beneficiary smiling home with

“Khaki no be leather,” the average Nigerian man will say.

And he’d be absolutely right.

Not just literally, but in actual sense of the word. Not just in the difference between the stretchy material made from animal hide, and the synthetic fibre that shrinks when washed, but also in the fact that the latter represents a symbol of the Nigerian graduate, a National Youth Service Corps member…one who may not be spoiled for fashion choice on the day she wears her uniform.

What’s a corps member to do?

Nothing, apart from follow these simple steps: CLEANLINESS FIRST: This cannot be overrated. With only colours white and green to work with, you don’t have much of a choice. Spotless shoes, socks and everything else makes number one fashion sense!

THE RIGHT SIZE: If you

want to keep on wearing your khaki at least till the end of your service year, do bear in mind that it shrinks when washed. So even though you want to slim fit it till you get the right size, you might want to loosen up a little.

JEWELRY AND MAKE UP: Please don’t overdo the jewelry, maintain the sanctity of the uniform! But your face!

It’s yours baby! Go overboard…just a little, that’s almost all you have to work with. A touch of mascara, and eye shadow (it doesn’t have to be green) will do fine around the eyes. Stay off the brown powder except in extreme circumstances for the sake of the white tee shirts around.

HAIR: Won’t it be great to do a new hairstyle every time you have to wear your uniform? Well, that’s almost impossible, so go the extra mile with whatever you have on at the moment. Beautiful hair accessories will make all the difference here!

The ceremony, which took place at the Palace of the Ovie of Udu Kingdom in Aladja, saw eminent Udu sons and daughters praising the kind gestures of the Foundation, led by Engr. Mike Orugbo, urging Udu indigenes to emulate the gesture.

The cheques were presented by the President-General of the Union of Udu Communities, Chief Steve Sokoh.

*From left: Mr. Ronald Barber; Mr. Ayobami Oyebamiji, M.Sc graduate of Risk Management at Southampton University, UK and Managing Director, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, Osun State Investment Company during the convocation ceremony of Ayobami in Southampton, United kingdom.

Grace schools best graduation student gets scholarship to US varsity

BY DAYO ADESULU

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EST graduating student of Grace High School for year 2012, Daike Chibueze, has been given a scholarship to study in an American University, This was announced in the school’s 2012 graduation held at the school premises in Gbagad,a Lagos.

The scholarship which was sponsored by Management Education and Training Ltd covers tuition fee and book worth N250,000.

The chairman of the event, internationally renowned literary icon, Emeritus Professor John Clark in his address advised the graduating students to cherish the greatest gift given to them by their parent (education) as they move ahead in their academic pursuit.

He added that the country needs men and women of integrity to move the nation from the present sorry state of corruption to a more glorious state.

Also speaking at the event, the School Administrator, Mrs Tokunbo Edun said Grace School is committed to providing complete and qualitative education with a view to turning out well groomed scholars that will contribute immensely to our society.

She added that “Grace Schools is set to achieve this vision by creating a conducive learning environment using top class facilities and human resources for academic, moral, religious and skill development of the total child”.

34—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

N-Assembly seeks law to solidify learning of French

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

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*From left: Mr. Norden Thurston, Manager, Marketing, 7Up Bottling Company Plc; Mr. Olujimi Williams, 2012 scholarship recipient, Miss Misan Rewane, 2011 scholarship recipient and Mr. Femi Mokikan, Executive Director, 7Up Bottling Company Plc at a press briefing presenting Mr. Olujimi Williams as the 2012 winner of the 7Up Harvard Business School scholarship in Lagos. Photo by Sylva Eleanya.

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

T

he Minister of State for Education, Mr. Ezenwo Wike, has ordered the principals of the 140 unity colleges to strictly adhere to Federal Government’s guidelines on admission.

Wike gave this order at a meeting for the 2012/2013 academic session and admission exercise of candidates into JS1 and SS1 of the 104 of unity colleges in Abuja recently.

The Minister said: “This year’s selection and placement exercise is justified by the overriding need to admit the best qualified candidates among the pool of qualified applicants without compromising the rationale behind the establishment of these colleges. It is to ensure a balance between available facilities and the number admitted so as to enhance the quality of learning. ”We must admit that effective selection and placement of prospective learners into unity colleges is a challenging task. ”This is due to the fact that the demand for placement has continued exponentially to outstrip the supply of places and facilities in most of our unity c o l l e g e s . ” Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Ben Ibe, Wike called on the principals not to unfairly deny placement to any qualified candidate who met the mandatory requirements to the college of their choice.

He advised principals of colleges with cases of under-subscription to use the opportunity to make their carrying capacity by offering placements to candidates who might not find spaces in the oversubscribed c o l l e g e s .

He said that the policy thrust of President Goodluck Jonathan was to ensure that the unity colleges became the best

Wike tasks principals on admission guidelines places for education and training of the children irrespective of parental background or s t a t u s . ”The translation of this vision into reality requires that all the unity colleges must be provided with adequate number of high quality teachers, adequate and conducive learning facilities/ environment, as well as effective school management. ”These are some of the factors

for achieving high students’ performance and achievement.’’

The Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Chike Uwaezuoke said the focus of the meeting was to ensure that q u a l i f i e d candidates were selected into the unity colleges.

According to him, this will be a stepping stone to addressing the issue of poor performance in external examinations

and poor students’ conduct.

Uwaezuoke said the increasing rate of hooliganism and other forms of unacceptable behaviour in federal unity colleges had been empirically traced to the admission of poor quality candidates. ”We therefore need to be strict and yet objective in this exercise. You are expected to adhere to the selection criteria, taking into consideration national merit, state quota and environment.’’

Walktall International Schools celebrates 5th anniversary

BY EBELE ORAKPO alktall International Schools last weekend marked its 5th anniversary and graduation ceremony at Ibafo, Ogun State.

The occasion was used to reward pupils who had performed creditably and staff who have contributed in building the school over the years.

Speaking during the event, the head teacher, Mrs. Titilayo Olanipekun said the event which began on Wednesday, July 25, featured quiz competitions, road walk, visit to Hope of Light Orphanage Home and was rounded off on Sunday with a thanksgiving service. She said the school aims to be the preferred learning institution with holistic approach to teaching. “We strive to achieve academic excellence by giving our children ‘heads-up’ advantage and make them stand out academically, socially, morally etc."

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Mrs. Olanipekun thanked parents for their continued support and promised that the school will do all in its power to promote academic excellence and make the parents proud.

Mrs Abike Doregos, Proprietress of St. Bernadette

Schools, one of the special guests, applauded the management of Walktall International Schools for achieving a lot within a short period and prayed God to help them achieve more in years to come.

From left: Mr. Nelson Ayodele, CEO, Standard Mandate Int'l; wife, Mrs. Oluwakemi Ayodele; Mrs. Abike Doregos of St. Bernadette Schools; Mrs. Bukola Adebiyi, Proprietressof Walktall and Mrs. Titilayo Olanipekun, Head teacher during the event.

ICE CHAIRMAN of the Senate Committee on Education, Prof. Sola Adeyeye, has expressed hope that the National Assembly will soon work towards passing enabling laws that will solidify the learning of French language in Nigeria.

This was in reaction to request

by Prof Samuel Aje, Director General of the Nigeria French Language Village, NFLV, Badagry, Lagos, for the Senate Committee to help the institution in ensuring that it lived up to the purpose of its establishment.

Aje said universities and colleges of education have been taking their students to unrecognized and privately owned centres across the border like Cotonou and Port-Novo which parade questionable staff with curricular that are distracted from the stipulated minimum academic standards of both the National Universities Commission, NUC, and the National Commission for Colleges of Education , NCCE. According to Adeyeye, the draft bill of the law had been considered by the Federal Executive Council and it is at the level of the National Assembly for consideration, assuring that NFLV will have a full backing of the law.

Fastrack Int’l School: Graduates roll out in great abilities

BY ALADE AROMASHODU

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ASTRACK International Schools has turned out a new set of graduates with great abilities and potentials to be leaders in their generation.

The director of the school, Mrs. Adesua Obaseki disclosed this at the Graduation/Prize Giving ceremony of the school recently in Lagos. According to her: “These abilities embody skills in academics and other important fields such as sports, music and arts.”

Continuing, Adesua noted she was confident that the graduands have been well groomed to face the world and excel. She reiterated that the recent establishment of Fastrack College was to expand and improve services of the school.

Adesua stressed further: “the college was a citadel, founded on important values as character, discipline, leadership and not just academic education.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—35

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

I

N order to build the capac ity of teachers to meet the demands of the profession in the 21st Century and raise the standard of education in Nigeria, which has become a source of worry to stakehold-

Experts harp on importance of re-training teachers ers within and outside the educational sphere, the Lagoon Secondary School, in collaboration with Fine and Country International Realty, recently organised an educational and personal training for teachers in Lekki, Eti-Osa

Local Government Area of Lagos State.

In her opening speech, Ms. Naomi Garcia, Head Teacher, The Lagoon Secondary School, stressed the need for capacity-building for teachers via educational training, es-

pecially teachers in government-owned schools, so as to equip them to impact knowledge and character in their students so as to boost their self confidence.

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Udo Maryanne Okonjo, CEO,

Fine and Country International Realty, noted that the training is aimed at equipping public schools with the tools for moulding minds and character, which will ultimately help in national transformation.

36—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

SUCCESS RECIPE with UDEME ARCHIBONG

Manifesting universal secret

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*Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State (right), greets a pupil at the commissioning of a school donated to the state in Gombe.

Creating an enviable educational legacy in Gombe

I

BY M.L. ISMAIL

t is an undisputable truism that education is the bedrock of development.

This is why education remains the best legacy anyone would bequeath his child or the generation next. But these would only be mere sayings if the sector is left tainted and unattended to.

Accordingly, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo’s administration in Gombe State has remained focused and committed to giving this all important sector its pride of place in the scheme of developmental activities since inception on May 29, 2011. To be in firm control of the wheel therefore, the administration decided to make education above all other things its first, second and third priority. The desire is to confront and peel off the scales of rust that has encased the state’s education sector over the years.

With the contending issues of the Governor’s intention on one side and the miserable year in year out below par school certificate examinations results, the administration wasted no time in swinging into action as recommended by the committee set up to look at the problems besetting the education sector in the state. Part of the recommendations of that committee was the need for a stopgap measure to get back on track the education dream, hope and aspirations of the majority of the state’s public senior school certificate graduates who were already made despondent by the inability to break the jinx of passing the almighty Joint Matriculations Examination (JME).

That recommendation birthed the Gombe State Government collaboration with the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to run a pilot remedial programme for 1,000 students, having identified that the students

who left secondary school but failed to obtain the entry point into universities and polytechnics required remediation. Under the Gombe State/UNIMAID arrangement, students are absorbed into the university system but study in Gombe where they are tutored/ guided by the institution’s staff and electronically write the same entrance examination as their colleagues on campus.

“Whoever makes JAMB cutoff score of 200 points and above as well as passes the entrance examination will be given automatic admission into any course of his/her choice,” explained the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Mala Daura when he visited Gombe to oversee the students and conduct of the programme recently. Those who pass the remedial examination but fall short of the required UME cut-off score of 180 will be given another opportunity while the results are maintained. For those that cannot pass both the remedial and JAMB entrance exams on the other hand, the university has undertaken to introduce diploma and other certificate courses into which they will be absorbed.

“So it is one of the youths programmes that we have introduced and will sustain till the time when the pressure of solving the problem of this category of people is reduced. So the conclusion is that it will be a continuous programme and as soon as the exams are over, sales of new forms will commence,” assured Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo while commenting on the issues of education in the state. He also used the opportunity to hint that under the same partnership strategy, the state government will roll out a similar programme in conjunction with the University of Kashere strictly for Eng-

lish Language and Mathematics.

But this agenda is only a precursor to a grand arrangement with the Gombe State University which is also designed to follow the same collaborative dimension. What makes this more interesting is that it will not only remediate the Senior Secondary School graduate in preparation for tertiary education, it will also remediate the JSS and then do a full remedial for them in readiness for entry into a university or polytechnic.

At the stage of the full remedial course, the Dankwambo administration realised that there could be some students that may not want to proceed with education. Such people will proceed to undergo training on trade, a business, a profession or a vocation in the school. “Before the take-off of that school, we felt there was need for immediate intervention so that we don’t leave a gap,” said Dankwambo.

In furtherance of the Talban Youth Empowerment Programme through education, the Governor has begun the process of establishing a state owned college of education at Billiri, headquarters of Billiri local government area with the ultimate aim of training teachers for the state’s educational system.

On almajiri and nomadic education, trust the Governor’s painstaking intelligence quotient because he has that already well thought out. The well equipped four vocational training centres spread across the three senatorial districts of the state have churned out 320 youths on seven trades with the plan to increase the trades to 13 and have more centres with over 500 intakes in the subsequent batch. zM. L. Ismail writes from Bolari Quarters in Gombe Metropolis.

e experienced dire poverty and frustrated by a lack of education. He saw his situation as hopeless and the feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed him.

And in that state of utter despondency, he planned to kill himself by jumping out of a hotel window. He said: “I tried to drink enough courage from a whiskey bottle to jump out of the window. I drank so much that I forgot to jump.”

After that event, he decided to take an introspective view about himself to determine the root cause of his challenge.

He said to himself: “Look here, stupid. Suppose you owned a factory that was intended to make ice cream and you found that it was not manufacturing ice cream, but carbolic acid, wouldn’t you do something about it? All right, Vash Young, you have a thought factory inside of you. You own that factory. But are you managing it well? No, you are letting it run wild. Your thought factory is manufacturing junk - worry, fear, envy, self-pity, gloom, unhappiness, and poverty. Nobody wants junk like that.” He was now selfaware and he came to the realisation that by changing his thoughts, he could change his life. After being self-aware, he may never have won every “battle” but he won the “war.”

He produced changes in his life and he was reputed to be one of the most successful insurance agents of his time and one of the highest paid salespeople in the world. He was also the author of several best-selling books.

The mind could be cultivated into a beautiful garden or it could be allowed to run wild and grow into a bush. Whatever thought seeds sown into the mind will produce after its kind and manifest itself in life. If you plant beans seed, you cannot harvest anything else apart from beans. As it is in the natural world, so it applies in the mental world.

Positive thoughts create a positive life. Negative thoughts attract negative conditions and create a negative life. Therefore, we are constantly manifesting the fruits of our thoughts in our lives every day. I love the words of James Allen, “Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and the entire world will soften towards him, and be ready to help him.

Let him put away his weakly and sickly thoughts, and opportunities will spring up on every hand to aid his strong resolves. Let him encourage good thoughts, and no hard fate shall bind him down to wretchedness and shame.”

The life in which we live is the life that has been created by our thoughts; you are today what you thought of yesterday and you will be tomorrow where your thoughts will take you. Herein lies the universal secret that has been used by great men to create the kind of life they want to lead, “ you become what you think about most of the time; you shape your circumstance, environment and destiny by your thoughts.” Your thoughts control the outcome of your life; your life cannot rise above the level or the quality of your thoughts. If you want an improved life, you must first have an improved mind. If you want to rise high in life, you must first of all rise high in your thoughts. You attract or bring to reality your dominating thoughts and your life moves in the direction of the same. We can safely say we have the sole and absolute responsibility for our lives because we think our own thoughts. Therefore, no one and nothing is to be blamed for our current reality or circumstance except us because we mould our character and shape our circumstance and destiny by our thoughts.

Every thought we permit to enter our minds and take root impresses on our subconscious mind and weaves itself into our own character and character establishes our habits and our habits produce our destiny.

Whatever you focus your thoughts on grows and expands.

Hence, focus on what you want. Your external world is a mirror of your thoughts, words and the mental pictures that flow through your mind. Therefore, every moment you are constantly manifesting the content of your thoughts.

Unsuccessful people usually focus and talk about what they do not want; explaining their condition. They remain failures because they have a failure mindset and they attract the same. On the other hand, successful people focus their thoughts and talk about what they want. Therefore, they attract success into their lives.

A radically changed life is a product of radically changed thoughts. Therefore, guard your thoughts.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—37

dayobenson@yahoo.com I N S I D E

A Socio-Legal Analysis of GaniF a w ehinmi’s Human GaniFa Rights Praxis (3) — Pg 40

And now, a female Chief Justice of Nigeria: Will she be blindfolded — Pg 40

N/Assembly's resolutions lack force of law — Sen. Ndoma Egba, SAN Senator Victor Ndoma Egba (SAN ), is a three-time senator of the Federal Republic having been in the upper legislative chamber of National Assembly since 2003. A member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP representing Cross River Central, he is currently the Senate Leader. In this interview in Abuja a day preceding the last plenary before the National Assembly annual recess, he spoke on his experience in the Senate, the controversial Petroleum Industry Conference Bill, calls for sovereign national conference and legal effect of National Assembly resolutions. Excerpts:

BY DAYO BENSON

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•Sen. Ndoma Egba, SAN legislative capacity?

There are two different scenarios. Life in the court is totally different from life in the parliament because in the court you are guided by the rules of court and evidence before the court and then convictions. But here you have 109

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OU have been in the Senate since 2003, and you are a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, how has it been?

It has been an interesting challenge because we are dealing with an institution that has been the most vulnerable in the three arms of government. During our political days, I know we have had several episodes of military interventions. And when the military intervened. The first casualty is usually the legislative arm. So that has gone with a number of challenges.

One, we have not had a kind of consistency that other arms of government have had. Ours has been in episodes, each time the military leaves, we come back and pick up the pieces. And when they come again, we are terminated to square one. So, our growth has been a kind of episodic and that comes with a number of consequences. The effect, in terms of capacity is that, you don’t have that kind of progression in capacity building that will give such institution the kind of strength it requires at this point in time.

And even in terms of facility, we have not had the kind of growth in facility that we will like to see. Then, thirdly, we have had the challenge of very high turn-over. And the legislative requires consistent experience because of its very nature. Every member here is kind of sovereign. So it moves around with its network, it moves around with its experience. So the day he (legislature) goes, we don’t have any handover note. He just carry his private belongings along with him.

A lot of experiences have been lost as a result of this turnovers. But by and large, I think we have tried to stand our ground in spite of the challenges that I have mentioned. The senate in particular has always risen to the occasion. The senate, worldwide, has tried to stabilize the polity. I think there are very critical times the senate was needed in this country, and it did not fail.

As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, how would you say your legal background has impacted on your

If you look at the Constitution that creates the National Assembly, it also defines the power of the National Assembly and the limits of these powers

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senators; therefore you have 109 perspectives and 109 opinions on the same issue and usually not always the same. Even when they appear to be the same, there is no way you won’t see that one opinion is different from

another. There are lots of political considerations that go into our output.

So it is totally different.

But what the rank of SAN has done for me is that you have to be more reflective and introprospective. You take it very slowly and also you have to be very carefully in considering all the issues because when you speak with so much authority, you try to be sure that whatever you say, whatever opinion you have would be an opinion that would illuminate the issue, not confuse it. hy has the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) so contentious for the senate to pass into law, what is it about the PIB bill that is so controversial?

The PIB is not before the senate, it is not before the National Assembly. We had a PIB Bill on the first reading and we went through it and found out that there were new versions, so we couldn’t conclude.

I have heard Mr. President saying that he is going to forward the bill to us at the end of June. So, even the President had seen that the bill is not before us. As I speak to you (18- 072012), we are yet to receive the bill back. So there is no bill before us, there is no PIB before us. And we cannot pass a bill that is not before us.

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Many Nigerians are wondering why is the bill so contentious, can you shed more light on it?

It is controversial and contentious because it is not with National Assembly. The National Assembly does not have any PIB yet. The contention is on the pages of the newspapers. So, you just wait till when the President says he has submitted the bill, then we can start a debate on it.

The Senate is about embarking on another Constitution amendment but there are some arguments and opinions that the process is not representative enough; and that Nigerians don’t have a say in the grundnom . What is your take on this?

I don’t know what they mean by that because in the first place we have sovereignty that we enjoy in our economy. And that same transition has helped in the legislative arm of this country. Our approach to Constitutional amendment has always been to open it up to the public. Remember the procedure used in the first three amendments, first time we successfully amended the Constitution, under a civilian administration. We had very several consultations, we started with inviting speakers of the various Houses of Assembly and we held extensive zonal hearings. I led the zonal hearing in the South-South. I remember that it was fully attended. People participated, from the governor down. And then we had a national public hearing in Abuja.

So the public hearings have always been very extensive and it is not going to be anything less. This would start with a retreat, speakers of the various Houses of Assembly would be at the retreat. The retreat would enable us adopt a better approach to this exercise.

We have already called for memoranda from the public. The response has been very good. So, we have a clear idea of what the issue is. And then we are going to open the process again to an

Continues on page 38

EDITORIAL TEAM Dayo Benson (Editor) Innocent Anaba Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri

38—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

SNC: 'There can’t be two sovereignty in Nigeria' Continues from page 37 elaborate and extensive public hearings in all the zones and also in Abuja. This will give the people the opportunity to canvass their views on sovereign national conference.

Now we have only one sovereignty and that one is from the 1999 Constitution. Where will the sovereignty for this country be derived from, from which document? What will be the law to guide a sovereign national conference? Even if we are to have sovereign, which is constitutionally speaking it is impossible because we cannot have two sovereignty. Even if we should have a sovereign national conference, you still need a law to inaugurate the conference and to guide the conference; who will pass that law? We cannot have two sovereignty. If people are not happy about the sovereign national conference, well, fine and good.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of association and freedom of speech.

You can associate and discuss whatever you want to discuss and whatever be the outcome, let it be sent to the National Assembly. We will treat it as a resource material. But to imagine that there will another sovereignty, without first setting aside the Constitution, which could be unconstitutional, that could be a coup. Where will it be deriving the other sovereignty from? I think it is just a futile course, speaking on a sovereign national conference in that circumstance.

But the law says sovereignty belongs to the people, so if the people are now calling for a sovereign national conference, what do you make of this?

The people in Kado market or the people in Wase market in Calabar, which of the people? Yes, all Nigerians are aggrieved, I am a Nigerian and I am saying as an authentic Nigerian that you cannot have two sovereignty.

So another Nigerian will say that sovereignty belongs to the people. Yes, but the Constitution also belongs to the people, you cannot have two sovereignty.

What people are saying is that they don’t have any input into that sovereignty you are referring to, because it was done during the military, this time around, they want to be part of the process .

Under what frame work? You don’t just do it by proclaiming it; there must be a frame work. So who promulgates that frame work, when you have a Constitution that states out things should be done. So I feel that when you say sovereignty belongs to the people, the sovereignty that was given by this Constitution also belongs to the people.

Another dimension of the argument is that the National Assembly is afraid of what will have to their position if we are to have a Sovereign National Conference, what do you have to say about that?

Our provision is stated by the Constitution, which is the grundnom

•Sen. Ndoma Egba, SAN today; a fundamental document created by the Constitution. So how do you mean by saying that members of the National Assembly is afraid of their position? No other law has come to set aside the Constitution now, and if any other thing is done, it will be coup. So members of the National Assembly have no reason to fear or worry.

We just want to be convinced by those clamoring for a sovereign national conference, where that other sovereignty will be derived from? We want to be educated, we want to be guided.

Recently, outside this country, the Deputy Senate President advocated for regional government made up of the six geo-political zones of the country, what do you to say about that?

Well, that is Deputy Senate President’s opinion. There are people who also are clamoring for more states.

Even if the Deputy Senate President may be receiving request for the creation of more States. You have two of the spectrum. The present States structure of this country, is no longer viable. And it is very obvious that a viability is a structure for creating more states; when the current states structure has become unviable, so if you go and add to the current structure you will just be adding unviabilty to unviability.

For me, I have had the course to say on the floor of the senate, and I say it again, if you take the tragetry of our development, When we had three regions; the regions were in high competition with one another. And that is why in terms of aggregate, Nigeria was considered the fastest growing economy at that time. And at the time, the economy of the eastern region was isolated as the fastest growing economy anywhere in the world. Why? It is because the stability units were politically and economically viable. That is why it was possible to have leaders emerged from each of the regions, who had the authority and confidence to guide their people. That is why it was possible to have an Ahmadu Bello University in the north, Obafemi Awolowo University in the west and Nnamdi Azikiwe from the East.

Now politically speaking, since we started fragmenting the regions and the States, have we had leaders of that level of viability? No! What we are seeing happenning now in the North could not have happened if we had an Ahmadu Bello. But because the structure at the time was politically viable, it was able to produce viable leadership.

Now beyond political viability, we also have the colonies of vibrating units. Up to to the twelve States

structure, I think States were still viable. By the time we got to the nineteen states structure, we started seeing question marks about viability.

But once we got pass the nineteen States structure, States lost their viability. All they do at the end of every month was to come, cap in hand, to Abuja to collect money. So, I think we must put on our thinking caps. We must go outside the box and reflect again very deeply on the nature of our federating units and the nature of our federation.

So for me, in a few words, I will say that clearly the evident before us show that the current State structure is unviable. What the alternatives are, I cannot say.

Your submission seems to foreclose creation of more states?.

I think I have said what I need to say.

Whatever conclusion could be drawn from what I’ve just said.

Let us talk about resolutions in the National Assembly, there is this contention that a couple of resolutions have been passed on the floor of the House, by the Senate and House of Representatives, and such resolutions just ended there. Do the resolutions of the National Assembly not have any force of law?

They don’t! And if you look at the Constitution that creates the National Assembly, it also defines the power of the National Assembly and the limits of these powers. Now our powers to investigate are enshrined in section 88, I think, of the Constitution. And it gives us power to expose corruption, expose loopholes, with a view to strengthening our system and reducing corruption, inefficiency or waste.

So our constitutional duty stops at exposing corruption. The moment we have exposed it, the responsibility for implementation rests with the executive arm. Well, we still have the responsibility to strengthen our laws, reducing corruption, inefficiency or waste.

And the responsibility for adjudication, after the executive has done what it is suppose to do, now goes to the judiciary. So our responsibility stops at exposing corruption, inefficiency or waste. That is the constitutional limit our responsibility.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—39

VANGUARD LAW IN PIX New Lagos Tenancy Law

AELEX holds 8th annual lecture Aelex Legal Practitioners, recently held its 8th Aelex Annual Lecture in Lagos. The annual event, which commenced in 2005 was organised to commemorate the formation of AELEX on July 1, 2004, which was borne out of a merger of four leading law firms with diversified practice areas. Photos By Biodun Ogunleye

Before Governor Babatunde Fashola signed the new Lagos State Tenancy Bill into law after it was passed by the State House of Assembly, some readers who had read about it had asked questions relating to the legislation. Some of the questions were answered.

But a recurring question was the status of a sitting tenant on advance rent payment. The provisions of the copy of the bill which we relied on then was silent on the nature of advance rent payable by a sitting tenant. For avoidance of doubt, the new law as signed by the governor makes such provision. Sections 4 and 5 of the law which deal with a sitting tenant provide that Section 4 Advance Rent (1) It shall be unlawful for a landlord or his agent to demand or receive from a sitting tenant rent in excess of three (3) months in respect of any premises.

(2) It shall be unlawful for a sitting tenant to offer or pay rent in excess of three (3) months in respect of any premises.

Any person who receives or pays rent in excess of what is prescribed in this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of one hundred thousand Naira (100,000:00) or to three (3) months imprisonment or any other non-custodial disposition.

Section 5: (1) As from the commencement of this Law, all landlords of premises shall upon payment of rent by the tenants, be obliged to issue a rent payment receipt to their tenants in respect of such payments.

(2) The receipt shall state themselves (a) date on which rent was received; (b) name of the landlord and the tenant; © location of premises in respect of which the rent is paid; (d) amount of rent paid; and (e) period to which the payment relates.

left Justice Kayode Eso,Chairman of Occasion, Mr Soji Awogbade,Managing Partner AELEX and Dr Ali Mazrui, Guest Lecturere.

left Mr Adedapo Tunde-Olowu,Partner,Mr Odiein Ajimogobia, Mr Soji Awogbade,Managing Partner AELEX and Mr Theo Imuwa, Partner.

left Mrs Ronke Fetuga, Mr Kitoyi Ibare-Akinsan and AVM Olu Adekoya. .

left Mrs Pauline Uti Mazrui and Dr Haroun Adamu.

(3) Any landlord who fails to issue a rent payment receipt to his tenant as prescribed under this Section shall be liable to a fine of ten thousand Naira (N10,000:00) payable to the court.

Running Offence Dayo, please what is running offence in Criminal law?

—Anonymous The term ‘running offence’ , to the best of my knowledge is not known to our Criminal Law and I don’t think it exists in both the Criminal and Penal Code. It may however exists in other jurisdictions.

So, you may need to explain the contest in which it is used to enable me understand it properly.

left Mr Chike Nwanze, VC/CEO ICON StockBrokers left Hon Justice C. E . Archibong, Mrs Awuneba Ltd, Mr Gogo Karibi-Whyte and Dr Omo-Ogbai Ajumogobia and Prof Theophilus Ogunbiyi.

Omo-Eboh.

Still on A TM ATM

I went with my daddy to first bank Epe branch to make an enquiry but the customer service officer ask us to pick an application form for ATM and submit before anything further. And my question is , is ATM made compulsory even for non computer literate . From Olu Williams. Ogun State The use of ATM really has nothing to do with knowledge of computer . What I think is important is the ability to operate the machine and understanding of the instruction. This as I stated previously may be difficult for an illiterate person .

If I decide not to use ATM again, will my bank agree to cancel the services and stop deducting my money?

left Pastor Tayo Kayode of Trem, Mr Emeka Ugwu-Oju and Barr Shirley Okonkwo of Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors.

left Mrs Yejide Kolawole,Director Civil Litigations, Lagos State Ministry of Justice and Mr Jimi Agbaje.

Fromleft Sophia Stephan,German Consulate General, Dorothee Janetzke-Wenzel,Germanm Ambassador to Nigeria and Mr Leslie Donnelly,Chairman LBD International Ltd during the ceremony.

left Dr Ali Mazrui, Guest Lecturere and Hon Justice Kayode Eso, Chairman of the occasion.

Yes, of course. If you stop the use of ATM, the bank would agree and stop deducting your money.

All you need to do is to write a formal letter to the bank manager expressing your intention to discontinue the use of ATM. You may or not state the reason why you are taking the decision. By this letter, the bank is bound to take notice and stop deducting your money for the service.

You can send your questions to dayobenson@yahoo.com or 08056180119 (text only) C M Y K

40—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

And now, a female Chief Justice of Nigeria: Will she be blindfolded

BY AWA KALU, SAN

It is no longer news that for the first time in its history, Nigeria now boasts of its first female Chief Justice. I have heard it said, and for good reason, that a new broom sweeps better but no one has been able to determine whether a new broom sweeps better when the quantum of rubbish to be swept is more daunting. I have also heard it said that what a man can do, a woman can do better.

Again, in the context of this adage, except at Federal level, we have for a considerable period, had a good number of female chief Judges at State level. In fact, Lagos State very recently set a handsome precedent – a female chief Judge handing over to another female.

Unfortunately, despite some effort, I have been unable to find any worthwhile report chronicling the achievements

of those female Chief Judges for the purpose of demonstrating the extraordinary inroads they have made in developing a better and more efficient judicial apparatus for the administration of justice. For me, I believe in gender equality and its concomitants, but the ladies have the onus to prove that the gentlemen have been less than able in their tasks.

Our new Chief Justice is the 13th. Her central and cardinal role will be to design and develop a better environment where justice and nothing less can thrive.

Being female, in my view, makes her task more arduous and onerous. This is because, justice is often depicted as female. After all, Justicia, acknowledged as the Roman goddess of Justice, is said to be equivalent to the Greek goddess Dike who in turn “is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems”. According to

•Awa Kalu, SAN Wikipedia, “The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of Ancient Egypt”. “The Hellenic deities”, the free encyclopaedia volunteers, “Themis and Dike were later goddesses of justice. Themis was the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, in her aspect as the personification of the divine rightness of law”. It is said that it is Themis’ daughter Dike, “ who was portrayed carrying scales”. “Justicia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her right

hand, upon which she measures the strength of a case’s support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a doubleedged sword in her left hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party”. Of further interest is the account given by Wikipedia of justice in a blindfold. Since the 15th century, in its account, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold.

The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favour, regardless of identity, money, power or weakness; blind justice and impartiality are said to be much alike.

Since Roman times”, Wikipedia affirms, “Justicia has frequently been depicted carrying seals and a sword, and wearing a blindfold. Her modern iconography frequently adorns courthouses and courtrooms, and conflates the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for

A Socio-Legal Analysis of Gani F awehinmi’s Human Fa Rights Praxis (3)

BY PROF OBIORA OKAFOR

II. Between Thought and Action: The Character of GaniFawehinmi’sHuman Rights Praxis What were the main features and characteristics of Gani’s human rights praxis?

In what ways and via what methods exactly did he pursue his human rights activism? What major strategies, approaches, tactics, techniques, and sensibilities featured prominently in his sustained and highly courageous effort to uplift the status of human rights in Nigeria? These are the major questions with which this section of the paper is concerned. These questions are addressed in the sub-sections below, each of which deals with one of the methods or approaches that characterized and animated Gani’s human rights praxis.

Technical Legal Advocacy It is fair to state that while a range of symbiotic and mutually reinforcing methods and strategies featured in the rich repertoire of human rights approaches that Gani put to use, the chief approach (i.e. the single most dominant method or strategy)which he adopted,was what will be referred to in this paper as “technical legal C M Y K

democratic regime that ruled/ governed Nigeria between his return to Nigeria from Englandin the 1960s and his fairly recent death in 2009.

In the result, Gani was either the plaintiff and/or the counsel of record in a massive number of such cases. The number of cases on this list isfar too numerous to recount or deal with in full in a relatively short paper such as this.

However, short skeletal reviews ofa purposive sample •Gani Fawehinmi of such cases will offer sufficient insight into the broad nature and orientation advocacy.”The fact that he of the kinds of technical legal placed such a strong accent on this particular approach to advocacy that Gani deployed human rights activism should in his effort to advance the cause of human rights in not be all that surprising given the fact that Gani was Nigeria. In one of the earliest after all engaged in full-time of his many notable human legal practice throughout his rights law suits, Amakiri v. professional and natural life. Iwowari, Gani acted as In any case, as shall become counsel to the plaintiff, a clearer later on in the paper, journalist who had been Gani was a great believer in detained and flogged by the aide-de-camp of the then the rule of law and in its military governor of the old power as an instrument for Rivers State of Nigeria, the attainment of social Alfred Diette-Spiff, in a suit justice. Deploying various to enforce his fundamental forms of technical legal rights to liberty, etc. The advocacy (including what Plaintiff ’s “offence” had been some have referred to as public interest litigation or as that he had published a story on the sorry plight of strategic impact litigation ), teachers in the old Rivers Gani relentlessly filed and State who had been actively litigated law suits demanding improved against what he clearly saw salaries and emoluments. In as the serious human rights Fawehinmi v. Akilu and violations perpetrated by Another, he struggled in almost every military or

defense of the right to life when he doggedly and quite courageously fought the then General Babangida-led military regime for the right to privately prosecute two military officers who he had accused of being responsible for the murder via a letter bomb of famed journalist Dele Giwa. In furtherance of this particular socio-legal struggle, Ganialso made a prominent showing, some fifteen or so years later, at the Justice Oputa-chaired Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC) set up after the end of military rule in 1999 by the then Obasanjo-led civilian government, and fought doggedly (up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria) seeking to get former military president Ibrahim Babangida and two former military officials of that regime to attend the Commission and testify on oath before it as to their responsibility or otherwise for the murder of Dele Giwa, the famed late founding editorin-chief of Newswatch magazine. In INEC v.

Balarabe Musa, Gani challenged the constitutionality of restrictive guidelines which impaired the freedom to association of Nigerians interms of their right to form or belong to political parties.

To be continued

Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded fortune (fate) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (luck) and sword – carrying Nemesis (vengeance).

Our new Chief Justice is a woman of many firsts – first female lawyer of Northern Nigerian descent; first female magistrate from the same region, first Judge, first female Court of Appeal Justice, first female Supreme Court Justice and now first female Chief Justice. To add to her list of firsts, I believe she is the first female Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). From her poise, demeanour and carriage, she has the broadest of shoulders to carry the accolades and I have no doubt that at the end of the day, the encomiums will follow. To be first female in anything or any field means that the men had been there.

Accordingly, there had been twelve men on the hot seat of chief Justice. In that mix, you’d recall the venerated Sir Adetokunbo Ademola who served as Chief Justice for nearly a decade and half.

Teslim Olawale Elias, a distinguished Professor, Philosopher, scholar and profound jurist was also there.

Perhaps, this is not a place to measure the strengths and weaknesses of those who had the distinction of serving in the exalted office of Chief Justice before our Golden Lady but one truth is self evident and it is this: that never in the history of this country has a Chief Justice been called upon to tackle the level of ignominy that now besets the justice administration sector.

Most commentators agree that the judicial branch is nearly being throttled and garrotted by monumental corruption. It is difficult to finger any other time in our history that Judges are being openly confronted with allegations of corruption.

Never have we had such a vibrant debate about how best the talents of our Judges may be deployed to tackle corruption and terrorism, the hydra-headed evils that want to asphyxiate this nation.

These twin evils have occasioned an intractable debate as to whether we should resort to “special courts” to stem the tide. The learned Chief Justice, both at her confirmation hearing and after her swearing-in, did not fancy the fascination with special courts.

It is fitting to refer to a study by Dr. Fatima Waziri published coincidentally in a book dedicated as a Tribute to the immediate past Chief Justice-Hon. Justice Dahiru Musdapher.

To be continued

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—41

Relationship between higher civil servants and their political masters (2)

BY AMA PEPPLE

G

OVERNANCE challenges: The world is changing rapidly and the challenges of running nation states more effectively are tasking the political leaders and public servants as well as other key stakeholders to the limits.

Nations all over the world are embarking on various measures to respond to this new challenge by undertaking reforms and redefining nation visions.

In Nigeria, following the reestablishment of democratic governance in 1999, a national vision with the goal of placing Nigeria among the twenty leading economies in the world by year 2020 had been developed which is currently being implemented under the Transformation Agenda of the current Administration.

Massive reforms The massive reforms in all sectors of the economy which was launched by the Obasanjo Administration had also been consolidated. Recent efforts have focused on constitutional reforms, reform of the electoral system, reform of the security apparatus of the State, economic reforms and structural realignment to reduce the cost of governance.

Other key challenges being addressed include rising incidents of poverty, terrorism, youth unemployment among others.

Overcoming these challenges requires a meeting of minds between public servants and their ‘ political masters in order to effectively harness the potentialities from the two divide

AMA PEPPLE for resolving urgent national concerns and strategic priorities.

The Public Service in Africa under the Conference of African Ministers of Public Service (CAMPS) of which Nigeria is a key member has recognised the need for advancing the cause of good governance in the continent.

Prof. Adamolekun

Under its long-term strategy on African Governance and Public Administration Programme, the overall thrust is to support the political leadership in each Member State of the African Union (AU) to build a capable developmental State. ‘The vision of the capable developmental State is one that is committed first to ensuring a better life for all its citizens; that promotes popular participation and the indigenous ownership of its entire developmental agenda; whose public service is people oriented, based on meritocracy and driven by service to its citizenry; that has sound systems of public administration at all levels of government; has transparency and accountability to its citizenry and to its institutions as central tenets; has a sound macro-economic framework that eradicates poverty and surpasses the minimum standards set by the MDGs, implements its continental commitments on governance and p u b l i c administration; mobilises budgets and manages its public finances effectively; and is underpinned by democratic politics.

Heads of Government have made similar resolutions at the level of the African Union indicating some level of unanimity or a common purpose

on the direction that African countries should be going in order to accelerate the pace of development on the continent. In a nutshell, both the political and bureaucratic leaders are in agreement that the challenges currently facing the nation and the ones that will emerge in the foreseeable future need to be addressed through the aggregation of the efforts of all and sundry, especially by functionaries of government in both elective and a p p o i n t e d positions.

head.

Understanding Mutual Perceptions: In spite of the need for the political leaders and public servants to see their roles as partners and not competitors in nation building, elected leaders may deride public servants as too bureaucratic, lethargic, incompetent, uncooperative, unproductive, obstructive and corrupt. Public servants may also see the political masters as inexperienced, pursuers of shortterm political gains, impatient, immature, self-centred, greedy, uncaring, parochial, and equally corrupt. Accordingly, higher servants and their political masters are constantly in a struggle to fix each other in their pre-conceived mould of mental judgement which invariably breeds mutual suspicion, and sometimes apprehension, setting the stage for conflict. If this is not adequately checked, it may have untold consequences for the system by impacting it negatively.

May I at this juncture share my experience with you all in the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development after I was appointed by the President as a Minister of the Federal Republic.

In spite of the warm welcome I received in the Ministry on assumption of duty in July 2011, and the recognition that I was a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation as well as a Permanent Secretary who had a distinguished record of serving in seven Ministries and the Senate of the National Assembly as its first female clerk, I could see from the signals emanating from the Ministry that I was perceived to have crossed to the other side of the divide as a political actor whose intentions needed to be properly understood before the officials of the Ministry could extend their hands of fellowship to me. The suspicion was accentuated because of the recognition that I knew both the public service rules and the system too well that I could not manipulated by any fairy tales about their application in conducting public affairs. On reflection, after one year on the

Ministers have the responsibility of expounding government policy

Putting it in context However, in view of the network of relationships which exists between higher public servants and their political masters which cannot be fully covered in this discourse, the focus will be on the relations between Ministers and Permanent Secretaries since they are key players in Government, the former being the political head of a Ministry or Department while the latter is the administrative

job now, I am not so sure that I have fully enjoyed the cooperation of all the higher civil servants in the Ministry especially those who still believe that I am no longer one of them.

This is not unexpected as the suspicion is borne out of the role of the Public Service as the custodian of national interest and watchdog of the system, charged with the responsibility of acting impartially, professionally and courageously by speaking truth to power in order to uphold the public trust. Ministers of Government who are appreciative of this role need not react negatively but understand that this is a necessary process that they must undergo to secure the trust and confidence of the bureaucratic leadership in performing their duties.

Public servants Public servants dealing with one of their colleagues in a new role of Minister also need not to be uncomfortable as long as they are prepared to conduct their affairs professionally and ethically since the Minister has equally been appointed to be a watchdog of the society by ensuring that in administering the affairs of the State, public servants act beyond reproach.

Relations between Ministers and other Officials: The guidelines in respect of the above are outlined in the ‘Guides to Administrative Procedures in the Federal Public Service ‘ as follows: Ministers (i)They are personally and politically responsible for each act and every act of their Ministries and are to work with their officials ,particularly the Permanent Secretary in carrying out their functions; (ii)They are to seek impartial advice and information from the Permanent Secretary in reaching a decision on issues before them and this is possible only through building of confidence and trust between the two parties; (iii) Ministers are entitled to the loyalty and willing cooperation of the officials in their Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) . In this connection, a Minister’s decision on any matter must be respected and implemented by his officials, including the Permanent Secretary even if they do not agree to it; (iv) Ministers must avail themselves of the opportunity of getting to know not only their Permanent Secretaries but also other officials in their MDAs since they will be contributing in providing advice to them on a wide range of issues to enable them to take informed decisions; and (v) Ministers have the responsibility of expounding government policy.

To be concluded

42 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Nigerian athletes will fight for every medal — Nesiama

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THLETICS Federation of Nigeria technical committee chairman, Omatseye Nesiama disclosed that Nigerian athletes are in top conditions to contest for every medal as the athletics events begin on Friday.

He noted that from the look of things, the competition in athletics will be fierce, but the athletes are well motivated to do Nigeria proud since the nation is depending on athletics to fetch medals as other sports, in which Nigeria is represented so far, have been showing little promise.

“Our athletes are raring to go and we as the AFN here in London, we have perfected our technical strategies to make Nigerians proud. “The spirit in camp is high. Its a winning spirit and we are doing everything to maintain it at that tempo,” Navy Captain Nesiama stated.

He added that everything has been put in place to “protect the performance” of the athletes.

“We have prepared in every aspect to protect our athletes’ performances including that of lodging protests if we notice any unfair judgments. I have tagged this London Olympics as that of ‘Positive Upsets’ and I believe that with the shape our athletes are in now, Nigeria should be ready to celebrate as we will create positive upsets by the Grace of God.”

EGBUNIKE: Fitness is key to our success

Nigerian athletics head caoch, Innocent Egbu nike is excited about the fitness of his athletics as they gear up for their events that roll off the blocks on Friday.

Egbunike, a quarter-miler of international repute during his time says he is not under pressure beca use Team Nigeria are yet to win any medal of any colour. ‘’There is absolutely no pressure on me or the team. We are concerned about our events and we are doin g everything to do well. I am happy that all the athletes are fit. My prayer is that their fitness sustain them to the medals”, said Egbunike who was described as not ‘’Innocent” by former President of Kenya, Arap Moi because of his amazing 400m 44.17 seconds run that displaced a Kenyan at the All Afric a Games in 1987.

Russian Olympian praises Phelps

T

HE gymnast whose career record for most Olympic medals was broken by Michael Phelps says she doesn’t mind that th e American swimmer has

surpassed her mark.

Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics while competing for the Soviet Union, was at the Aquatics Centre in London on Tuesday to watch Phelps, and she says she was happy for him.

“I saw him swim, and I saw my record swim away,” she said.

The 77-year-old added: “He’s very talented - no doubt about that.”

Latynina comes from an age when gymnastics was about femininity and maturity rather than teenage acrobatics which has dominated the sport for several decades. It’s not unusual for gymnasts nowadays to retire at the age of 18, while Latynina debuted at the age of 19 and won her last medal at the 1964 Games in Tokyo when she was nearly 30.

Latynina said that she doesn’t regret that her record was broken because Phelps deserved it.

“He did a great job. As an athlete, I could only be happy to see that there is such a talented athlete who was able to break that record,” she said.

But the Soviet gymnast still retains a bunch of records. She’s still the only woman to have won nine gold medals.

His silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly, and gold with his teammates in the 4x200 freestyle relay, gave Phelps his 18th and 19th Olympic medals, tying and then surpassing former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for earning the most of all time.

Pregnant Portuguese athlete quits P

ortuguese Olympics windsurfer Carolina Borges quit the Games because she was pregnant.

Borges astonished Portuguese officials by quitting just before her event got underway on Tuesday via an e-mail that cited personal and medical reasons but did not elaborate. “I am three months pregnant,” Borges said in an interview published on Wednesday in daily A Bola. “I am saddened, (but) imagine if I broke something while I am pregnant, how would it be?”

Yet Borges said she would have competed had she received more support from the Portuguese mission.

“I never got any subsidies or moral support. I went ahead with the decision to quit because I lacked support,” she said. “If I had had the support of a coach things would have been different and I would have risked competing.” Borges said she plans to remain with her husband during his stay at the Olympics.

Match fixing badminton players dismissed

E

IGHT female badminton doubles players were disqualified from the London Olympics after trying to lose matches to receive a more favorable place in the tournament, Indonesia’s team leader said Wednesday.

The Badminton World Federation investigated two teams from South Korea and one each from China and Indonesia. It accused them of “not using one’s best efforts to

win a match” and “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport” in matches Tuesday night.

Erick Thohir, the head of Indonesia’s Olympic team, told The Associated Press that the Indonesian team will appeal.

He also accused China of losing on purpose in the past.

“China has been doing this so many times and they never get sanctioned by the BWF,”

tugging at his heartstrings.

He is planning to set up a Jump For Haiti Foundation which would try, through training camps and clinics, to build a new generation of home-grown athletes to compete at future Olympics.

Competing with the world’s best is a struggle for Haiti.

“The total budget for the Olympics is $400,000. In the

United States it is $170 million,” Laine said. “You have to be self-motivated. It does not have the resources and the bureaucracy hinders the athletes.”

At Harvard he shared a room with Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of Facebook. Laine was the 14th person to sign up to the social media site.

Triple jumper wants help from Facebook H

AITIAN triple jumper Samyr Laine is determined to give something back to his ravaged homeland and hopes that his old roommate at Harvard - Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg can offer him the boost he needs.

Laine is just one of five Haitian athletes at the London Olympics representing the

Caribbean nation, devastated two and a half years ago by an earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people and left one million homeless.

Three of Haiti’s five basic running tracks are housing the displaced. Millions live on less than two dollars a day.

Laine’s parents moved to the United States in the 1970s, but Haiti is still clearly

Thohir said. “On the first game yesterday when China did it, the BWF didn’t do anything. If the BWF do something on the first game and they say you are disqualified, it is a warning for everyone.” IOC Vice President Craig Reedie, the former head of the international badminton federation, welcomed the decision.

“Sport is competitive,” Reedie told the AP. “If you lose the competitive element, then the whole thing becomes a nonsense.

“You cannot allow a player to abuse the tournament like that, and not take firm action. So good on them.”

The eight disqualified players are world doubles champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and their South Korean opponents Jung Kyun-eun and Kim Ha-na, along with South Korea’s Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung and Indonesia’s Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 43

Don’t make babies here, Mayor pleads

J

B

EIJING 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, Chika Chukwumerije is not rattled by the performance of Team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics so far. The captain of Team Nigeria was cornered at the Olympic Village with his Coach, Keum and he said that all is well with the Taekwondo team. ‘’We received 100% training and will give 100% during our fights. Isah and I are doing well”, the soft-spoken Chika called ‘Yaga’ by his friends said.

He said that the Taekwondo draws for the Olympics would be conducted on August 6. ‘’We’re still in the dark on our opponents but I know that Isa will fight on August 9 and I will fight on August 11. We’re ok”, he said beaming a smile of confidence. Secretary of Taekwondo, Chinedu Ezealah Ogundare also assured Nigerians that the Taekwondo team are in good frame of mind. ‘’We’re one united family. We need prayers because these players have done their best”, she said.

Don’t get carried away, Powell warns Brits H

OPE Powell urged the nation not to get carried away after Great Britain’s women’s football team produced arguably one of the finest

results in their history to beat Brazil 1-0 at the Olympics.

Steph Houghton’s third goal in as many games was enough to maintain Team GB’s flawless Group E campaign at

London 2012 on a recordbreaking night at Wembley.

Such was the magnitude of the result, Powell’s players and the 70,584 crowd - by far the largest ever for a women’s game in Britain - celebrated at the final whistle almost as if a gold medal had been won.

But their manager was as stony-faced as ever and urged caution ahead of Friday ’s quarter-final against Canada in Coventry.

“Every game, we’ve done well, we’ve won the game, we’ve topped the group,” she said. “The danger is that everybody starts jumping on this ‘medal’. We still have to play Canada. They want a medal as much as anybody else. “We’re not in a position yet to get a medal.”

Powell was similarly ambivalent about her side’s performance, despite Britain creating the better of the chances and Kelly Smith missing a penalty.

“Yes, we played well in patches,” she said. “It wasn’t the complete performance by any stretch of the imagination. But we did a job, very resilient, worked hard. You saw the girls at the end. They were dead on their feet.”

uly 31, London: Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London was first spotted at the world stage in Beijing Olympics when, pocket in hand, he took the Olympics flag as host of the next games. In London here he is well known for funny quotes.

He has spoken well of London and the windows for investment, hoping that even after the games, the Olympics would have created over three thousand jobs and hundreds of million pounds investment. But his words to athletes are still making the rounds here. Recalling that 150,000 condoms were exhausted in Beijing at the Games Village, he told the athletes that “our motto is to inspire a generation and not to create one”. There are 10,000 athletes and about 5,000 officials in the village. It is estimated that London Olympics will beat the record of Beijing in the use of condoms and the mayor is aware of the implications of high population because the users of the condoms or fun-seeking athletes and officials do not restrict themselves to the Games Village. And that’s why he is appealing to athletes and everybody here for the Olympics not to create another generation.

The Mayor in a way was pleading with the athletes not to make babies here and increase their population.

Food, a threat to our athletes

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uly 31, London:Victor Onagagamue, the Director of Sports Development in Delta State raised an issue at the Holiday Inn in Hammersmith yesterday. He sat by Falilat Ogunkoya and Sunday Uti, two Olympic Bronze Medalists here for the London Games. Nigerian athletes are known for voracious eating in games like the ongoing Olympics. Many courses of meals are served and the athletes help themselves to their own detriment. On stage, too much food weighs them down.

Onagagamue was not happy that nobody is controlling the Nigerian athletes. Falilat counseled that at the level of Olympics top athletes should be able to show discipline in the restaurants. She recalled that she has seen officials managing Jamaican athletes even in restraints where they accompany athletes to eat and return to their room. This is to ensure the athletes don’t exceed bounds as far as feeding is concerned. They serve everything you want at the Village.

MCDonalds are one of the sponsors of the games and they serve athletes whatever they want here.

Ogagamgamue feels that food could be part of our problem here. He is right.

What fear did to a Nigerian Boxer

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uly 31, London:The boxers Nigeria presented here were so awful that this reporter boasted to a few Nigerians here that he could beat them up.

It has just been revealed that one of the boxers was “dead” before his fight. His Blood Pressure rose to 180/100 just before he was pummeled and mercilessly beaten up. It was revealed that the boxer was fine and the cause of his sudden rise in blood pressure just before the fight was attributed to fear. Who brought such a man to the Olympics? Standards have fallen in many areas of our sports.

Poor Nigerian journalists

W

hen Mitchel Obi, ace sports commentator, complained that the performance of Nigerian athletes here has made him cold and affected his reportage, Duro Ighazuagbe of Thisday reminded him that he had just finished discussing the problem with this reporter. Football, Nigeria’s number one sport, did not qualify to be at the games and the other athletes who have competed here performed woefully. This has not fired up the Nigerian journalists who now, like millions of Nigerians, bank on track and field to provide them succour and the excitement that the Olympics is known for.

“It will be nice to write good stories; on victories and not about poor performance every time,” Duro said

British support in face medal scarcity

H

elen Glover and Heather Stanning have shown what great inspiration can do to athletes.

From the Royal family to the Prime Minister and Mayor of London the whole country have been on their knees begging British athletes to give them their first gold. A few slips have denied them gold in some of their key sports and tension enveloped the whole country as the Games got into the 5th day. There were 28,000 grandstand fans at the Eton Dome to cheer the women Rowers in the Women’s Pair.

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Lagos bemoans low breastfeeding rate zAs Nigeria marks World Breastfeeding Week

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

A

MEDIA TOUR: Mr. Olusola Daodu, Deputy Director, Academics; Mrs Chika Nmezi, Head of Operations, and Ms. Dolapo Ladipo, Public Relations Officer, at a media tour organised by Buckswood School in Abeokuta.

WORKSHOP FOR LAGOS TEACHERS: From left: Mrs. Yoyinsola Makanjuola, Special Guest and Proprietress, Rolam School; Princess Sarah Sosan, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State and Founder, GFR Educational Services Limited, and Mrs. Rosalyn Brady, Special Guest Speaker from Republic of Ireland, during the opening of a five-day free training workshop for Lagos teachers by GFR Educational Services Limited, at Ojodu Lagos....Monday.

Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

she explained that with the introduction of Nevirapine, an anti-retroviral drug for mothers living with HIV, babies born to these mothers would no longer be denied exclusive breast feeding for the first six months life.

The Special Adviser further explained that the aim of the Week was to sustain the practice of breast feeding.

Youths urged to use acquired skills for N-Delta devt

E

GBEMA and Gbar amatu Central Development Council, EGCDC, has advised youths in Niger Delta, especially the 215 graduands from the council’s skill acquisition programme, to use their acquired skills to contribute to the development of society.

Speaking at the graduation in Warri, Delta State, Chairman of EGCDC, E.E Doyah Tiemo, said the skills acquired by the graduands included welding and fabrication, aluminum doors and window fabrication, sewing/fashion design, electrical wiring,

computer appreciation, crane operation, marine technology and sandblasting to mechanical technician’s training, including maintenance of marine heavy duty engines.

He said: "The duration of the courses ranges from 6 to 12 month. The council paid the fees of the service providers and the cost of teaching aids as well as the monthly maintenance allowances of N25,000 per trainee.

Today, we are happy to join these graduands to celebrate the opportunity of producing skilled manpower of this category and in such a large number."

Zamfara sacks 7,000 workers

Onokpite: Family restates commitment to find killers

T

T

HE work-force of t h e Zamfara Government has been pruned to 2 1 , 0 6 7 following Governor Abdulaziz's directive that 7,000 unidentified names be deleted from government’s payroll, with effect from July.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prior to the verification committee’s interim report, Zamfara had 28,183 on its payroll.

The directive is contained in a circular dated July 27, and issued by the state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Muazu Nalado.

The commissioner quoted the governor as having said that the July salaries be paid to only workers, who were duly verified as contained in the interim report.

NAN reports that the verification committee last week uncovered more than 7,000 workers, including more than half of government house personnel as ‘ghost C M Y K

S Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the 2012 World Breastfeeding Week,experts, yesterday, bemoaned the low rate of breastfeeding in the country blaming it on the incidence of HIV and the unwillingness of mothers, especially the upper class, to breast feed publicly.

At a briefing to mark this year ’s World breastfeeding Week in Lagos with theme: Understanding the Past- Planning the Future, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adesina, said the 20 per cent breast feeding rate achieved in Lagos was made possible by women in the grassroots.

In 2005, statistics available put the breast feeding rate in Nigeria at 53 per cent. Unfortunately, the figure has dropped to 18 per cent.

Adesina who explained that efforts were being made to improve the breastfeeding rate through the creation of breastfeeding rooms/ crèches in workplaces called on government

establishments and corporate bodies to adopt baby friendly initiatives such as the provision of breastfeeding rooms in their offices. ”These practices are obtainable in international communities and we should encourage this within our own environment,“ she said.

To ensure that HIV was no longer a problem to breastfeeding mothers,

workers‘.

In a circular dated July 27, Nalado said that Yari had directed that payment of July salary would be predicated on the outcome of the verification committee’s work.

The circular entitled: “July 2012 salary”, had been sent to the offices of the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, Secretary to the Government, Head of Service, and other relevant government organs for compliance.

The verification committee, however, ordered those workers not captured during the verification to come forward with their complaints.

Scores of workers who missed the exercise were seen at the secretariat on Wednesday scampering to sort out themselves.

The state House of Assembly passed a resolution on Friday directing the governor to rescind his decision to pay July salary to only those

workers that had been verified.

The house said that since the final report had not been presented to the governor, it would be wrong to implement any portion of the committee’s recommendations.

The lawmakers also said that since those “ghost and redundant workers” had not been served with letters of term i n a t i o n the government had an obligation to pay them salaries until they received their sack letters.

HE Onokpite fami ly of Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, has restated its commitment in finding justice for the killers of Chief Ogbe Onokpite, governorship candidate of Citizens Popular Party in Delta state.

Mr. Diemo Onokpite, younger brother of the d e c e a s e d who spoke on behalf of the family, yesterday,

Catholic Church installs new Archbishop for Lagos August 4

NCC, Lagos govt reach accord on HE Catholic Arch T Diocese of Lagos mast regulation will get its fourth ArchBY EMEKA AGINAM

T

ELECOMMUNI CATION regulatory authority, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the Lagos State Government have fine-tuned the fresh plans by the government to regulate telecom masts and towers.

The Commission and

Lagos State Government were before now at loggerhead over the issue.

However, it was gathered that the government and the commission have now reached a level of understanding which made the NCC to agree that operators should obtain permit and right of way before installing masts in the state. It however seeks to avoid the

imposition of levy on existing masts and towers.

It will be recalled that the commission had kicked against new plans by the state to impose annual levy on all existing telecoms masts in the state, and asked the government to stop the sealing and pulling down of telecoms masts in the name of regulation.

reiterated that the slain politician’s family would not compromise on the struggle to bring the kille r s of Onokpite to justice.

He said: “Since we have realised that he was shot at close range and the autopsy result delayed, we have planned to give him a befitting burial in August. While this is going on we will still be committed to getting justice.”

bishop on Saturday, August 4, when His Grace, Most Revd. Alfred Adewale Martins, will be installed as the new Archbishop at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos.

The installation of Archbishop Martins will be presided over by the Papal Nuncio to Nigeria, Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Kasujja, and will be attended by Archbishops

and bishops, priests, religious, government officials, distinguished Nigerians and the Catholic faithful from across the country.

Most Revd. A. Martins

50 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

Vanguard, THURSDAY,AUGUST 2, 2012— 51 Edited by MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU 08026350360 E-mail: chimeena@yahoo.com

Itoya: Journey in history through drama

By JAPHET ALAKAM

O

NE of the problems militating the development of African states is the inability of the leaders to learn from history, no thanks to the declining fortune of history as a study subject in many secondary schools in some countries and especially, Nigeria.

The issue has become so worrisome in Nigeria that stakeholders have sent a bill to the national assembly to make the study of history compulsory in secondary schools. Though some supported the move, sadly, other individuals have vowed to kill the bill.

But somebody who is already ahead of the bill is Odia Ofeimun.

The activist poet and scholar who has been in the vanguard of using every available medium to send his message across to the public came up with his latest dance drama titled, Itoya, A Dance for Africa. The play which was first performed in April at the Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos last week made its reappearance at the same venue.

The colourful performance which had the spectacle, electrifying dance steps and the philosophical lacing that characterises Ofeimun’s dance dramas is part of The Hornbill Circle of six dramas that is on a nation-wide campaign to give stage drama the gravity and respect due to it.

Directed by Felix Okolo, Ofeimun’s favourite theatre director, with a well beautified set that shows the map of Africa with different flags of the countries in the continent provided the cast the ambiance to flow and well designed costumes to match.

Artistic display The audience saw the all round artistic display by Nisi George and Jolomi Okoturo as they take them on a voyage to a time when the continent made contact with the white visitors that would reorder its trajectory.

Together, with the vigorous youthful dancers, the casts dramatised what constitutes enough of the lived experience of issues that interweave the realities between the different African countries which includes the peace of the earlier times and the present-day confusions which form part of the present day discussion: The search for equity and justice in Africa.

In a country where many do not know much about the past and as Socrates, the great philosopher aptly puts it, “an unexamined life is not what living.” For Nigeria, or indeed, Africa to be the country and continent of pride, there is the need for her to recognize where

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she is coming from, the story of the suffering and pain and blood that has become her hallmark.

So Ofeimun’s new dance drama provides the audience an opportunity to know the story of Africa from the trans Saharan slave trade to the African Union. The historical dance drama

meaning “I can’t tell all the suffering I have been through”, was indeed a reflection of the name as it recaptures some of the events that made the history of Africa especially her sufferings in the hands of the colonial masters.

The story does not end there.

It also tells the audience about African leaders, who

condemned the apartheid policy in South Africa only to practise it in their various countries.

The director brought some of the issues onto the stage, offering those present an opportunity to learn from Africa’s history; and urging them to take their destinies into their hands.

Apart from the grand story line of the drama, the beauty of it all is the great entertainment which it provided. It was really fun for the few that watched the drama as it afforded them the opportunity of having a feel of what Africa went through and why she is where she is today.

A scene from the dance drama

Ojukwu: Spirit ahead of his time

By OZAH MICHAEL OZAH

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ENERAL Chukwueme ka Odumegwu Ojukwu is dead but he remains a living issue in Nigerian political discourse. There is no writing the political history of Nigeria or the major issues confronting leadership in Nigeria without a liberal mention of his name and the principles he stood for.

It is doubtful if there is any Nigerian who has had so much written about him or his name more mentioned in written discourse on Nigerian politics than the warlord whose youthful face adorned the TIME Magazine in the heat of the crisis in the 1960s.To many,

Ojukwu is synonymous with war, with Biafra. Dr. Kalu Ogbaa’s book, General Ojukwu, The Legend of Biafra, however, reveals that there is more to Ojukwu than just war.

The 353 page treatise published by Tri-Atlantic Books on Ojukwu’s role in the Nigerian leadership crisis that snowballed into the declaration of Biafra by Ojukwu and of war by Gowon traces Ojukwu’s steps from birth in Zungeru in Northern Nigeria through his education in King’s College, Epson College and Oxford University.

The book reveals Ojukwu’s revulsion for oppression. His early strong character formation built him into an anti-racist and anticolonialist personality.

Detailed analysis

General Ojukwu, The Legend of Biafra, Kalu Ogba,Tri-Atlantic Books, PP.353.

Dr. Ogbaa’s book is a brave, no holds barred must read documentary of the events that led to Nigeria’s fratricidal crisis of the 1960s. It is a detailed analysis of the causes and courses of the crises of confidence that nearly tore apart Africa’s most populous black nation and a probe into the personality and attributes of the man Ojukwu, the central character whose name became synonymous with the crisis.

A military officer, Ojukwu found himself as governor of Eastern Region of Nigeria at a time when citizens of that region living in other parts of Nigeria

were being massacred. He owed sult of the tragedy of Biafra was a duty to protect his people; but that it led to the death of old Nibelieving in the Nigerian project geria. he toed the path of pacification Like the Christian Bible says and urged his people to forgive “Old things have passed away and return to their places of res- and all things become new.” For idence. When extremism Nigeria, after the war things will pushed him to the wall, he cou- never remain the same again. rageously took up arms to defend Not even the world power supporters of Nigeria ever his citizens and enthought that Biafran resured their presersistance would be that vation and self deprolonged. termination. Only The doggedness of the cowards would have Biafran spirit was not in acted otherwise question after the war. Not when they find The book even the employment of themselves in Ojuk- reveals starvation as a legal wu’s shoes. The weapon of war could eascourse he chose was Ojukwu’s the best in the cir- revulsion for ily dampen the fighting spirit of Biafra. It was in cumstances and the cause in the best in- oppression,hisrecognition of this that the terest of the people. early strong “No victor no vanquished” principle was The book studies ingrained as the basis for Ojukwu as a stu- character peace and reconciliation. dent, administrator, formation One cannot agree more soldier, governor wholeheartedly with the and head of state, fol- that built lowing him from him into an author that the Biafra was futuristic; it Zungeru to Lagos anti-racist struggle was not altogether for the and overseas. It also time of its occurrence, the explores his career and antitime then being not for Biin the civil service colonialist afra alone. as an Assistant DisIt was for the vast futrict Officer in the personality ture of Nigeria, to make army and the burfor all. the Thenation circumstances that a better place den upon him as a gave rise to that struggle were leader of his people.

It exposes the conspiracy of si- not far fetched from those that lence against Biafra which shut birthed the American Revolution. the genocide perpetrated by Ni- They were both attempts at self geria with British and Russian preservation and self determinaconnivance against Biafra from tion of a people. global attention. One positive re-

52—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

*Jonathan: Approved bill

*Mark: No fake PIB in Senate

*Madueke: Laughing now

PIB: Controversies cloud

expectations in Senate assumed a status of mystery, with reports here and there about fake copies of the bill.

Work on the bill which had reached advance stage at the twilight of the sixth Senate remarkably failed to guarantee its eventual passage. the sector and make it more The non passage led to outcry vibrant and ensure good from Nigerians and other revenue goes into government interested stakeholders coffers. including organised labour and The bill was first presented to civil society groups. the sixth National Assembly but This prompted the Senate it was lost in the midst of the into self defense with the intrigues that shadowed the Senate President David Mark, a s s u r i n g lobbying for and The bill as Nigerians that against the there was no p r o p o s e d usual was foul play in its legislation. failure to pass Though it was mired with the PIB. Mark on introduced quite controversies, s e v e r a l early to allow so much that at occasions legislators ample assured that time to pass it the closing of rule 111 of the before the sixth the sixth Senate as National Assembly amended would rounded up Senate, the PIB enable the d e l i b e r a t i o n s , had already seventh Senate there was however to pick it up and dilly-dally with the assumed a dust the PIB for consideration of status of e v e n t u a l the bill until the passage. expiration of the mystery, with But that never session. reports here came to light The bill as usual the was mired with and there about because circus show with controversies, so fake copies of the PIB much that at the the bill continues even closing of the sixth at the seventh Senate, the PIB Senate. First had already

THE Petroleum Industry Bill which had been envisaged as an industry instrument to address archaic and other dysfunctional sub-sectors of the industry has been reintroduced into the National Assembly. The plots over the bill to govern the nation’s honey pot is, however, unending.

BY INALEGWU SHAIBU

I

T is understandable that no other bill in the history of the nation’s fourth republic should stir as much passion and perhaps intrigues as the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. After all, no other bill touches the heart of the nation’s economy as the PIB, the proposed legislation that is to tie the different fabrics of the nation’s petroleum industry.

The various sub-sectors of the octopus industry have up till now been governed by different laws with the Petroleum Act promulgated at the end of the sixties being the dominant law.

That the PIB is dogged by controversies, suspicions and intrigues show the uniqueness and the importance of the petroleum sector to the national economy. The sector alone accounts for over 70 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Besides tying up the different legislations governing the industry in one document, the bill also aims to address the perceived inadequacies in the

sector.

Lawmakers and other stakeholders had argued that the present laws in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria have lost relevance in the modern era.

The contention of many was that the oil majors were taking advantage of the lax laws in the sector to pillage the country’s oil wealth.

It is also reckoned that it is the absence of a relevant law that has enabled oil companies to treat with abandon the several cases of environmental degradation in the oil producing Niger Delta region.

Hope of stakeholders Besides addressing these, it is also the hope of stakeholders that the PIB would resolve issues concerning commensurate compensation packages for victims of the consequences of oil exploration.

Indeed, supporters of the bill say that the PIB would address the present disadvantages to the host communities, liberalise

there were contentious issues with the application of rule 111.

The rule was unable to resurrect the PIB in the seventh Senate as claimed.

The controversies continues as the Chairman of Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang, who is the custodian of all bills and schedule of legislative activities, had attested that the PIB had ceased to exist with the demise of the sixth Senate.

New version of the PIB Speaking on the status of the PIB, before the recent reintroduction Enang affirmed, “There is no Petroleum Industry Bill in the National Assembly and in particular in the Senate. There is none,” he said last November.

He added that unless a new bill is sent by President Jonathan to the seventh Senate; rule 111 cannot resuscitate the PIB. Enang was proved right as the President recently sent a new version of the PIB to the National Assembly for consideration and eventual passage.

But even before the reintroduction of the new PIB, the controversies have reared its Continued on page 53

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—53

'KEKE MAIGIDA’:

Another offer for Kwara youths Giving assurances that his administration remains committed to the concept of public-private partnership that will enhance economic empowerment of the people of the State, he charged the beneficiaries of scheme to make the best use of the tricycles and keep to the repayment schedule as the scheme was a revolving one.

He assured the people of the state of his determination to promote youth entrepreneurship using micro, small and medium scale enterprises.

In his remarks, the Special Adviser on Utility and Transport, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape, explained that the tricycle scheme was introduced to compensate for the abolition of motorcycles in certain parts of Ilorin metropolis.

According to Bibire, commercial motorcycles, popularly called “okada” were banned on certain routes in Ilorin metropolis due to the prevalent use of motorcycles for criminal activities.

AN administration famed for its revolutionary schemes in agriculture introduces another plan to tackle the problem of unemployment in the state.

Empowering the youths *Gov Ahmed handing over a key to one of the beneficiaries as Ajape and other officials watch

G

IVEN the intensive agriculture gaze of the administration in Kwara and the equally determined effort of the one year regime to address the problem of crime in the state, it was not surprising that it came up with some relatively drastic measures.

The administration not too long ago banned the use of commercial motorcycles in some sections of Ilorin, the state capital in its bid to eradicate crimes perpetrated through the use of motorcycles.

The ban, however, had the effect of squeezing the commercial and social activities of many residents.

It was in a bid to address the problems arising from the ban that administration introduced the use of tricycles in the metropolis.

The introduction, remarkably had the double benefit of addressing the burgeoning problem of unemployment in the state. The scheme is indeed couched as a youth empowerment initiative by the governor which aims to empower jobless youths in the state.

It was in this wise that the state government recently presented the first batch of tricycles to 250 beneficiaries.

Making the presentation at the Government House, Ilorin recently, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed explained that the

,

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

The scheme is indeed couched as a youth empowerment initiative by the governor which aims to empower jobless youths in the state

programmed tagged “Keke Maigida” is designed to ameliorate the transportation challenges occasioned by the recent banning of commercial motorcycles operations in some parts of Ilorin metropolis.

The governor noted that the recent prohibition of motorcycles in some parts of the Ilorin metropolis is not meant to punish the people but was part of efforts aimed at tackling emerging security challenges in the state.

,

He further noted that the beneficiaries of Keke Maigida would also ensure viable economic activities that would ease transportation and generate more employment to the people.

While he described the Transportation Revitalization Scheme as another milestone of his administration, he pointed out that it his government was “determined shared prosperity which seeks to economically empower our people”.

PIB: The controversies, intrigues, expectations from the Senate Continues from page 52 head again. Accusations and counter accusations have begun to fly first over the genuineness of the bill under consideration and then, over the propriety of the lawmakers.

It is alleged that some key lawmakers have been bought over by the International Oil Companies, IOCs to kill the bill.

There are also those who

believe that the Senate was not ready to pass the bill for selfish reasons.

Mark was pushed to dismiss the claims of fake copies and different versions of the bill being in circulation in the Senate.

Immediately after acknowledging the receipt of the bill from President Jonathan two weeks ago, Mark refuted claims of the Senate being in custody of a different version

of the bill. He went ahead to assure Nigerians that the Senate has taken a proactive step to guide against the circulation of fake copies.

According to him, over 200 copies of bill were immediately printed by the Senate to ensure that no fake copies drop into the hands of any Senator.

He said, “We have 200 copies and have your names written as collected, so that to know which is authentic or fake.”

Mark further charged the Senators to use their time during the recess period to study the bill extensively which will aid its quick passage upon resumption of the Senate in September.

Now that the bill is back in the Senate, the question of the capacity of the Senate to break the jinx and bring the long and tortuous journey of the PIB to an end is now in the court of the lawmakers.

One of the beneficiaries, Lateef Ibrahim who spoke with Vanguard commended the governor for the initiative which he believed would go a long way towards empowering the youths and also reach the nooks and crannies of the state particularly areas where okada riders were banned.

While he appealed to the state government to ensure more of the Keke Maigida are provided in subsequent phases, he said the scheme would go a long way in eradicating unemployment from the state.

A resident in Kulende area of Zango in Ilorin, Miss Anigioro Elizabeth Morenikeji also said that the influx of Keke Maigida into the commercial activities in Ilorin will no doubt reduce the rate of crime which she said had been on the in the increase in recent time.

Morenikeji, a Youth Corps member, however, charged the Ahmed administration to ensure provision of functional street lights in all the major streets and areas of Ilorin in complementing the present initiative.

She said: “This has surely made the areas more usable for the residents and this is commendable. Same should be replicated in all the major areas of Ilorin so as to discourage these criminals from perpetrating their nefarious activities”.

She also admonished that government should also provide the Keke Maigida in other major cities in the state so that other residents in the state can also benefit.

54—Vanguard, THURSDAY,AUGUST 2, 2012

As PDP Women go digital

BY JUDITH UFFORD

S

INCE the IT Revolution started some years back it has become conventional for every organisation and even individuals to become IT compliant. There is virtually no set up that takes itself seriously or wants to be taken as such that does not require or train staff who are not only computer literate but are reasonably equipped or skilled in Information Technology.

In fact, these days, any university graduate seeking employment knows that he or she must have a good knowledge of the computer to appear before any interview panel. Universities accordingly have included the use of computer in the courses of study in all disciplines. Gone are the days when students for instance of the Faculty of Arts would feel that they should just acquire the required knowledge and enter the labour market without any computer skills.

In politics, all a politician required was basic education to attain the highest level. Even our Constitution provides for the acquisition of a maximum of secondary school leaving certificate to contest election into the National Assembly or even Governorship elections. But how far can this take any intending occupant of any State Assembly or Federal House seat without

paying due attention to computer literacy?

Taking due cognizance of the imperative of the successful politician to be trained on the use of the computer, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Woman Leader, Dr. Kema Chikwe organised an e-Conference for PDP Women from all the states of the Federation last week in the nation’s Federal capital.

Dr. Chikwe stated that the initiative was rooted in her belief that there is a vacuum in the political sphere in the country, underpinned by a noticeable gap in the participation of young, dynamic, intelligent generation of young women in politics. She believes that being social media savvy and active, the internet will be used to propagate political truth, will be invaluable for our development and the general good of the people.

Exchange of information Information will become instantly translucent and accessible. The exchange of information through social media highways will ensure that accountability is immediately apparent. It is her ambition to build the new PDP with knowledgeable, modern and dynamic young women.

Having listened to Dr. Chikwe

is to read through the internet, issues being exhaustively discussed on facebook, twitter, etc. Since the world has become a global village the knowledgeable youth, skilled in the use of computer will in the very near future receive due and greater attention from the Nigerian electorate than the soap box politician. The youths will be very crucial in the success of President Jonathan’s National Transformation Agenda.

Already their impact was felt during the 2011 Presidential Election campaign when the President interacted with •Dr. Kema Chikwe...digitalizing PDP millions of Nigerians living in the country and abroad and other speakers including Mrs. on facebook.

Josephine Anenih, Bar. Ime Dr. Chikwe’s agenda which will Udom, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje of the involve hundreds of thousands of House of Representatives, Hajia young women interacting on the Bilikisu Magoro, Mr. Zubairu Internet, holding meetings and Atta, Hon. Nkoyo Toyo, also of the articulating programmes for a House of Representatives and better Nigeria will definitely Mrs. Olive Onono, one gets the increase awareness by Nigerians impression that Dr. Chikwe of the major development planks intends to add value to the being planned for the country by Nigerian youths in the PDP in the party. It will adequately particular and the country prepare the young women for generally. participation in politics and for The youths who are said to be employment. leaders of tomorrow can only By the time the analog effectively and efficiently play this politician mounts the soapbox to role if they are as knowledgeable address the electorate, some of the as their counterparts in other parts rented crowd in the rain or of the world. The trend these days sunshine, the digital politician

would have interacted with millions of her fellow youths on the Internet and convinced them about the way forward for the country. These youths are the children of the house and will have to convince their parents on the candidates the family will vote for. The youths are those that will guide the votes at the polling and collating centres and ensure a rigfree election.

Uneducated and unenlightened voters The IT compliant politician will have no need for thugs and hangers-on as the campaign will be issues-based and not on persons. This is at present the type of politics being played in the developed world to our admiration. Bringing it down to us in Nigeria will be a great leap forward from our politics of god fathers, thuggery and distribution of rice and cash to uneducated and unenlightened voters.

Dr. Kema Chikwe’s initiative is very innovative and a soothing balm to our politics of the stomach. May our youths embrace and utilize it to the greater benefit of the Nigerian people. What the new dispensation entails is that Nigerian youths who are not computer literate should now, instead of wasting time on frivolities, engage themselves in acquiring knowledge about the computer, in order to be competitive not only in the labour market but also in politics.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012—55

is no violation of the rights of the victims and survivors."

Similarly, IOM, noted that as part of its programmes in Nigeria, it was currently supporting the implementation of the project “Enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation to fight human trafficking in countries of origin and destination” developed in the framework of the UN.GIFT (United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking) by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and IOM. According to IOM, "The project which commenced in February 2011 and adopts a multi-disciplinary approach has as participating countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Nigeria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom .The overall objective the project is to stem irregular migration by preventing and combating trafficking in human beings between Nigeria and selected European countries.

Stakeholders re-strategize to combat human trafficking, child labour The rising profile of forced labour and human trafficking in Nigeria and other parts of the globe where no fewer than 20.9 million people are in forced labour situations, yielding perpetrators an estimated 32.6 Billion Dollars profits yearly is a serious concern to every decent person or group.

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

L

Human trafficking cases In spite of this frightening number of victims of human trafficking cases, convictions have been very minimal as in 2006, only 5, 808 prosecutions worldwide was recorded indicating that for every 800 persons trafficked, only one person is convicted.

Statistics on forced labour: Giving details the of global estimates of forced labour, ILO’s Director for Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ms Sina Chuma-Mkandawire, said out of 20.9million, 11.4 million of the number are women and girls.

Represented by Mrs. Chinyere Emeka-Anuna, ILO National Programme Coordinator, Human Trafficking Project, said while Asia and Pacific region account for the highest number with 11.7 million victims, Africa ranks second with 3.7 million forced labourers.

According to her “9.5million (45%) are boys and men. 15.4million (74%) are adults while 5.5mil-

Overall objective

Participants at the workshop lion (26%) are children under 18 years. 4,6 million (22%) are in sexual exploitation while 14,2 million (68%) are victims of forced labour in different sectors including domestic work. 2.2 million (10%) are in state-imposed forms of forced labour. 9.1million (44%) have moved either internally or across borders. 11.8 million (56%) are exploited in their place of origin or residence.

She explained that it means that

,

AST week, stakeholders in Nigeria regarded as a source, transit and destination for forced labour and human trafficking, gathered in Lagos at a training for media professionals to restrategise on how to combat human Trafficking and forced labour.

No fewer than 32 media professionals including Professor Raph Akinfeleye, Head of Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos, UNILAG, and others drawn from print, electronic and online organizations across the country, attended the programme.

The three-day training where National Agency for Prohibition of Traffick in Persons and other related matters, NAPTIP, said it secured a total of 168 convictions in the past nine years of operations, was jointly organized by International Labour Organisation, ILO, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODDC and International Organisation for Migration, IOM was funded by the European Union, EU.

pectations, arguing that the fact that only a few traffickers had been convicted over the years showed that the agencies are not doing their work effectively.

In Nigeria, he noted that “there is no comprehensive legal framework in Nigeria for curbing human trafficking citing the case of the nation’s porous border”, and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders to create awareness on the ievils of human trafficking and forced labour.

While Asia and Pacific region accounts for the highest number with 11.7 million victims, Africa ranks second with 3.7 million forced labourers

,

three out of every 1000 persons are in forced labour situation at any given time.

Speaking, Prof. Akinfeleye lamented that both the international and local agencies involved in tackling the problem of human trafficking had not lived up to ex-

Role of media In Nigeria some of the factors promoting human trafficking include poverty, cultural awareness, globalisation, ignorance and porous borders. Globalisation has been identified as a major factor

because it has over the years triggered increased cross-border labour exchanges, most of which are carried out by private employment agencies.

In a remark, UNODC representative in Nigeria, Ms. Maiam Sissoko, said media plays an indispensable role in educating people about the many manifestations of global human trafficking, presenting the problem in human terms and in all its painful detail.

According to Sissoko, represented by Anne Ikpeme, “Yet media coverage is weak in many parts of the world. Some news media outlets are not yet aware of the trafficking phenomenon, or confuse it with other issues such as illegal migration and smuggling of migrants. The media also has a large role to play in mobilizing public support and involvement to help prevent and combat trafficking. Due to its reach and ability to mould public opinion, it is a powerful tool of social change.

However, media publicity should take into consideration the rights approach and ensure that there

The overall objective the project is to stem irregular migration by preventing and combating trafficking in human beings between Nigeria and selected European countries."

“One of the activities of the project is awareness raising for media practitioners on human trafficking. As we all know, the media play a very important role in the fight against human trafficking due to its reach and ability to mould public opinion, as well as being a powerful tool of social change."

"The media also have a large role to play in creating awareness on the ills of human trafficking and mobilizing public involvement in preventing and combating human trafficking. Notwithstanding this all-important role of the media in the fight against human trafficking, their coverage on human trafficking in most part of the world is still very weak and some news media outlets are not yet aware of the trafficking phenomenon, or confuse it with other migration issues such as illegal migration and smuggling.”

NSITF pays N1.3m compensation for workplace accidents

A

TOTAL of N1.3 million was paid as compensation for workplace accidents in the last one year, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, said .

Speaking in Lagos at an interactive forum on the 2010 Employees’ Compensation Act, NSITF's Executive Director, Administration, Ibrahim Wakawa, said 18 claimants benefited from the scheme during the period. The forum was organised by NSITF and Nigeria Employees’ Consultative Association (NECA).

Wakawa said: “We received 380,000 notices of accidents in various workplaces

because the law says that all accidents must be reported to NSITF. We received 189 applications for claims and N2.3 million is involved in the claim; we processed 18 out of 30 claims and have paid N1.3 million.”

He advised workers to guard against improper clarification that would delay refund of money spent during accident.

Speaking at the forum, Mrs Helen Jemerigbe, Director of Projects, NECA, assured that the association would improve the quality of health and safety/accident prevention infrastructure in contributing companies. She said that NECA would promote a symbiotic relationship between

NSITF and contributors to the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) Scheme through a yearly award system to companies.

In his remark, the NECA Director General, Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, charged NSITF to ensure good management and effectiveness in their operations. He also urged them to build constructive engagement with stakeholders and ensure good governance structure. Mr Timothy Olawale, a Director at NECA, said that the unresolved issue of companies with compensation schemes superior to the ECA was a source of worry to the scheme.

56—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 Edited by Ogbonna Amadi amadi_o@yahoo.com

WEDDING: TejuBabyface picks September date

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

A

S we speak, popular comedian and Executive Producer of TV series, The Teju Babtface show, is getting set to wed his Lagos-based model fiancee, Tobi Banjoko.

The groom-to-be is leaving no stone unturned as preparations are in full speed to make the day a memorable one.

E-Daily can authoritatively confirm that the wedding date has already been fixed. The marriage holds on Saturday, September 1, 2012.

Teju who popped the big question to Tobi on Valentine’s Day, just a few hours before 2Face Idibia proposed to Annie Macaulay, confessed to E-Daily that he’s ‘scared’ as the day draws nearer. And when asked the reason why he isn’t as excited as a groomto-be, he says “excited people are also scared at a point in their lives. The reason why I’m scared is because the day is drawing nearer and we’ve not really been able to cover much grounds. There are still a lot to be put in place but, overall, we’re getting set.”

E-Daily also found out that unlike many celebrities who prefer to order their clothes from abroad, Teju would rather sew his locally. He simply identified the name of his tailor and label as Tayo Gabriel.

“My suit is still with the tailor. It should be ready in two weeks time. The invite would have been ready too but for a mistake made by the printer.

He made some mistakes on the IV so we had to return

them for re-printing.”

And when asked where they plan to spend their honeymoon, Teju says he prefers somewhere in Europe, France to be precise. He was however uncertaint about going to France with his bride due to difficulty in obtaining visa at the France Embassy.

Mum was the word when he was asked to reveal further details as concerning the venue for fear of unnecessary publicity by journalists.

It would be recalled that in an interview he granted Vanguard few months back, the ace comedian revealed how he met his wifeto-be. Teju said they met at a beauty pageant where Tobi was also a participant.

According to him, they were just friends for years, after which they started dating.

Mr Nigeria storms PEFTI I

T was fun all the way when Deji Bakare the reigning, Silverbird organised Mr. Nigeria and winner of Mr. Talented 2011 visited PEFTI Film Institute to hold an interactive show with the students.

A ex student of the institute, it was home coming for Deji,

as he shared moments with friends, teachers of the school.

In his speech delivered to the students, Deji enjoined the students not to allow anything to stop them from actualising their goals in life.

“You must ensure at all time to follow your dream” he told the students.

While recounting his ordeal before getting to the top, Deji said “My journey to the top, was filled with obstacles but through hard work and sheer determination, I was able to make it.

God was on my side too. He made it possible for success to crown my efforts”.

Mr. Nigeria who is currently working on releasing his debut album titled ‘Zero to Hero’ revealed that songs in the album would tell my real ordeal.

The interactive program was one of the many shows organized by the Film and Television Production department, PEFTI Film Institute.

Queen Elizabeth 11, Serena Williams inspire First Lady Michelle Obama

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IRST Lady Michelle Obama watches the Men’s Basketball game between the U.S. and France at the Michelle Obama was on

hand to root for tennis star S e r e n a Williams at the 2012 Olympics in London on Saturday, and the First Lady was impressed with what she saw.

“She is so good. So much fun to watch,” the First Lady told Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush of Williams’ performance, during an exclusive interview at the

Jada Pinkett Smith gets better with time

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ADA Pinkett Smith will celebrate her 41st birthday in less than two months, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s told her body that!

The former Hawthorne star sent an uplifting tweet on Saturday, writing, “To my Forty and over crew! Don’t believe the hype ... we DO get better with age!” This message was posted along with a pic of the bikini-clad actress-producer looking not a day over 25.

Wimbledon courts on Saturday.

Not only is Williams entertaining, but Mrs. Obama said her humble beginnings and extreme dedication to her craft make her an ideal role model for American youth.

“That’s what young people need to see — putting in that kind of work, that kind of discipline and mental and emotional toughness. So much fun to watch her,” she told Bush. “And she’s happy and she looks healthier than ever.”

Another woman whose performance has left an indelible mark on Mrs. Obama is none other than Queen Elizabeth II, whom the First Lady praised.

The First Lady, who cheered on the over 500 athletes of Team USA during Friday’s Opening Ceremony, said she always feels welcomed by the English.

“Our relationship with the UK is beyond my time. It’s a solid important alliance and the people are so welcoming — especially during this time,” she said. “Everyone here is so proud and so energetic about being the host of these games, so I enjoy my visits... it’s always a treat to be here.”

Vanguard, THURSD AY, AUGUST 2, 2012 —57 THURSDA

Declare state of emergency on fake drugs, Orhii tells FG

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

D

• L-R: Executive Director, Centre for the Right to Health, Nigeria, Ms.

Stella Iwuagwu,Medical Director, Federal Medical Hospital , Yaba, Dr. Rahmaan Lawal; and one of the awardees of the 2012 Nursing Award for Excellence, Gbelagi George Gbaden being presented with his award last week in Lagos.

IRECTOR General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii has called on the Federal government to declare a state of emergency on the sale and importation of fake and unwholesome foods, saying that the adoption of stiffer punishment will deter those indulging in the act.

Orhii made the call in Lagos while inaugurating a Community Development Associations, CDA at the National Youth Service Corps,

NYSC ,orientation camp, Iyana Ipaja.

He explained that the current law which stipulates 15 years jail term or option of N500, 000 for drug fakers and traffickers was grossly inadequate, considering what is obtainable in China and India, where death sentence has been attached to such laws.

The DG maintained that unless Nigeria enacts such severe measures, the menace

Domestic violence an endemic health challenge — CRH

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BY CHIOMA OBINNA

OMESTIC violence has been iden tified as one of the endemic health challenges at all levels of life including school, workplace, public places, and religious settings. To this end, stakeholders who gathered at the 2012 Nigerian Nursing Excellence Awards have called for inclusion of domestic violence in school curriculum of medical schools, particularly in nursing schools across the country.

They said investing more in nursing practices and other public systems would reduce the many health challenges facing Nigeria, especially in reducing maternal and child mortality ratio with the sole aim of achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Science, Obafemi Awololowo, University, Ile Ife, Dr. Omolola Irinoye

said the health consequences of domestic violence, as they relate to high maternal morbidity and mortality in all its contexts and ramification in Nigeria’s health care settings, demand that health professionals, especially nurses, must be appropriately trained in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of violence.

She said the focus of the training must be on anticipatory personal and family education, surveillance, prompt diagnosis especially in dysfunctional families and those in life crises, referral for appropriate support (support group, legal redress). “This has implication for curricula

review and continuing educational programmes for all health care providers.

Irinoye explained that the inclusion of identification and prevention of domestic violence in the curriculum of schools of nursing, would enable practicing nurses to quickly identify pregnant women experiencing domestic violence in their various homes.

The Executive Director, Centre For the Right to Health in Nigeria, CRH, Dr. Stella Iwuagwu who is also the initiator of the award bemoaned the poor state of the nation’s hospitals, blaming it on the negative attitude of some

nurses, especially those in government hospitals, which members of the public complained about.

Iwuagwu explained that the award was borne out of the need to care for the carers and reward excellence so as to motivate them to do more. In his speech, the Project Director, CRH, Mr. Bede Eziefule said the programme, which began in 2007, was to recognise outstanding nurses who had demonstrated true professionalism. “Gone are

would continue unabated.

Regretting the development, he said: “Fake drugs have become a source of frustration to doctors and nurses in Nigeria. We need to declare a state of emergency on fake and unwholesome food and drugs to reduce the incidence. Nigeria lose about N75 billion annually to this illegal businesses because our people are poor, illiterate and unaware of the dangers of fake drugs.

“That is why fakers take advantage of their ignorance to perpetrate their illegal business. We must change our approach and improve on these laws if we must make progress in this fight.”

Soliciting support of the corp members, Orhii advocated for increase in local production of drugs to satisfy local demands. “We want you to help us advocate in our grassroots and communities on how to dictate fake and expired drugs. We want to partner with you to create awareness. In doing this, Nigeria has to be self sufficient in production of essential medicine because we can’t keep seizing, burning and impounding drugs

• Dr. Paul Orhii

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They are both very powerful erection enhancers that will give you harder erections and plenty of stamina to perform for days - Uche I ejaculate too soon. At times, I may be half way into insertion and sperm would come out? Zuby Dear Zuby, an ejaculation delay cream is the best supplement for controlling premature ejaculation. Get the Stay Hard Delay Cream and apply it on your penis a few minutes before intercourse. You will last much longer in bed - Uche That’s it for today. The names of the people featured here have been changed for their privacy. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 08027901621 or 08051924159 or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails to custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com - Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

58 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 59

US weighs military options against Iran

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S Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that Iran must either negotiate acceptable limits on its nuclear programme or face the possibility of US military action to stop it from getting the bomb.

Panetta made his remarks yesterday outside a city in southern Israel, with an “Iron Dome” anti-rocket defence system as a backdrop. Panetta said repeatedly that “all options”, including military force, are on the table to stop Iran, should sanctions and diplomacy, the preferred means of persuasion, ultimately fail.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, stand-

ing beside Panetta, said he sees an “extremely low” probability that sanctions will ever compel Iran to give up its nuclear activities. Panetta arrived in Israel on Tuesday after meeting in Cairo with Egypt’s new president and its military chief.

Speaking before the talks, Panetta said Wednesday’s discussion with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak will be “more about what is the threat we are confronting” in Iran’s nuclear programme and about sharing intelligence information.In Cairo, Panetta denied Israeli press reports that he planned to share with the

•Obama

•Ahmedinajad

Israelis any US plans for military action against

Iran.

Iran says its nuclear

YRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has said that the army’s battle with rebel forces would determine the fate of his country, and praised soldiers for confronting what he said were “criminal terrorist gangs”.

“The fate of our people and our nation, past, present and future, depends on this battle,” Assad, who has not spoken in public for two weeks,

said in a written statement marking Armed Forces Day on yesterday.

Assad said the army was waging a “heroic” battle against the enemy and that the country was engaged in a “crucial battle for its destiny”. Earlier on Wednesday, fierce fighting between the rebels and the army erupted near two Christian areas of central Damascus for the first time in the nearly 17-month uprising, as

“What we are discussing are various contingencies and how we would respond,” Panetta said.

Asked whether any such contingencies include plans for potential military action against Iran, he said, “We obviously continue to work on a number of options in that area.” Reports from Jerusalem, said Panetta was reluctant to discuss military options.

Somali Assembly endorses sharia friendly 96 per cent. The special on the new constitution constitution assembly, chosen by tra- for war-torn Somalia, as

S

OMALI leaders have approved a new con-

Assad lauds Syrian troops over Aleppo battle

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work is for civilian energy uses, but suspicions that the Islamic republic will use enriched uranium for nuclear weapons has resulted in international sanctions and sabre-rattling from Israel, which perceives a nuclear Iran as an existential threat. The United States has discouraged Israel from a unilateral, preemptive military strike on Iran, but has said it would keep all options available.

the battle for Aleppo continued into its 12th day.

Also yesteresday, the United Nations mission in Syria said its observers had witnessed government fighter jets opening fire on Aleppo, the country’s largest city.

In a briefing on Wednesday, mission spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh also said the UN had confirmation that the rebels now have heavy weapons of their own, including tanks.

stitution that makes Islam the only accepted religion in the war torn country, just as two bombers blew themselves up outside the building.

The Assembly voted yesterday with 621 for, 13 against, and 11 abstentions to endorse the draft constitution amid two suicide bombers attack on the Mogadishu meeting. “We are very happy today that you ... responsibly completed the procedure by voting for the constitution,” Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali told the 825 strong assembly after it approved the draft by a landslide

ditional elders in a UNbacked process took eight days to debate and vote

the government approaches the end of its mandate on August 20.

American author, Gore Vidal, dies at 86 “The Golden Age”

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RITER Gore Vidal, who filled his novels and essays with acerbic observations on politics, sex and American culture while carrying on feuds with big-name literary rivals, died on Tuesday at home in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, age 86.

Vidal’s literary legacy includes a series of historical novels - “Burr,” “1876,” “Lincoln” and

among them - as well as the campy transsexual comedy “Myra Breckinridge”.

He started writing as a 19-year-old soldier stationed in Alaska, basing “Williwaw” on his World War Two experiences. His third book, “The City and the Pillar,” created a sensation in 1948 because it was one of the first open portrayals of a homosexual main character.

2008, he had plunged his country into two costly wars and left the economy in ruins. Romney’s advisers had wondered why he left the United States at a time of the campaign when he is running nearly even with Obama in polls by pounding a relentless message that the U.S. economy under the Democratic incumbent has been a failure.

There are those who believe that his fumbling overseas would not have a lasting effect on the voters before the November 6 election.

Voters, in swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, care more about jobs than about what happens abroad. There are Americans who would credit him for his undiplomatic comments on the London Olympic, his praise of Israel’s cul-

ture and the status of Jerusalem as well as his awkward tone and control his own message, but they would note so soon the such uninformed calculations on George Bush ultimately made the world a less safer place for Americans.

Romney’s missteps exposed some weaknesses in his campaign at the time that one in five voters does not have an opinion yet about him.

Some diplomatic watchers believe that the damage done by this trip would be drowned by the noise of the Olympic Games, the most essential fact in this years election will be the impact of the minorities who are ready to face a backlash from the Anglo Saxon white American political class.

Mitt Romney’s gaffs and global security

BY HUGO ODIOGOR

Continues from yesterday As a man who wants to lead the world, Mitt Romney ought to have a more composite vision of the post cold war geo political arena where America is no longer the dominant power. Iran represents a real threat to Israel and to the global community with its brand of politics. Iran is interested in building a pan-Shite hegemony which stretches from Teheran to Baghdad, from Damascus to Beirut. It has no misgivings about exporting radical Islamism.

It has no ill-feelings about starting a destructive war with Israel. Iran has all the credential for any hawkish U.S. Presidential candidate to latch on, to catch vote but experience of poli-

Pilsudski Square, reporters began shouting questions from the line where campaign staffers had told them to stay behind, prompting trav-

•Romney tics in international arena, is that winning a domestic election is much easier than bullying nation-states to tow the line. The gaff in Israel was followed up in Poland where spokesman for Romney reprimanded reporters traveling with the candidate on his six-day foreign trip, telling them to “kiss my arse after they shouted questions from behind a rope line.

As Romney left the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw and walked toward his motorcade parked in

,

mishaps that occurred in trip. The tour which was meant to boost his foreign image and credentials was a disaster. Romney now has to deal with the

Romney’s missteps exposed some weaknesses in his campaign at the time that one in five voters does not have an opinion yet about him

,

eling press secretary Rick Gorka to tell a group of reporters to “kiss my arse and “shove it.” He later apologized.

As Romney wrapped up his visit to the historical visit, he must be concerned about some of the

issue of whether he can perform on the world stage.

Former President George Bush had such a woeful credential before Americans elected him out imperial ego. By the time he left office in

60 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST2, 2012

The re-election of Oshiomhole WISH to join millions of Edolites and admirers of democracy, to congratulate our amiable, dogged, and resilient “Peoples’ Governor ”, Comrade Aliyu Adams Oshiomhole on the well deserved renewal of his social contract with Edo People achieved through a landslide victory at the polls. God will not allow Edo State to return to the dark days again.

Osho Baba, as he is fondly called has endeared himself to the Edo people in particular, and the world in general through his infrastructural and urban renewal drive in the last three and a half years. His reelection is a true reflection of the people’s desire for a continuation of his “ resourceful, focused, and pragmatic leadership.”

Oshiomhole worked for the state and no amount of gratification could persuade the people to vote otherwise.

Oshiomhole democratically embarrassed his main rival, Gen. Charles Airhiavevbere (retd) of the Peoples Democratic Party in his Oredo Ward 1, Unit 20, polling 360 votes as against

38 votes for the PDP. Airhiavbere’s main backers “Mr. Fix It” Chief Tony Anenih, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Chief Mike Oghiadomhe (Chief of Staff to the President), and Chief Gabriel Igbinedion fared no better in their hitherto secured backyards. They all performed woefully as they could not deliver their polling units.

,

I

Oshiomole in a free, credible, and transparent election on July 14, 2012. A true manifestation of the voice of the people, to whom much is given, much is also expected.

Adams Oshiomole should work harder in his second term to justify the confidence in his leadership clearly expressed by

Oshiomhole worked for the state and no amount of gratification could persuade the people to vote otherwise

Oshiomhole made a clean sweep in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

Imagine a state that was hitherto held hostage by godfatherism, looting of public treasure has been un-bundled from the shackles of poverty and underdevelopment through the peoples’ mandates given to Aliyu

,

the electorate on Saturday.

Finally, I want to use this medium to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for providing the level playing field for the people to decide who governs them. And also to commiserate with the Nigeria Police Force and INEC on the death of three

policemen, two of whom are Inspectors and a constable as well as an adhoc staff of the

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who reportedly drowned in Ethiope River while taking electoral materials to riverine communities in Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State Clifford Ogbeide Ogbeide2000@yahoo.com 1, Ogbeide Street, Benin City Edo State, Nigeria

When excuse making becomes untenable

I

AM not against people making excuses. I am not its boss. But some people do not realize that an excuse is not required when there is a total failure. Just as soldiers hide under the cover of war and commit all forms of misdeeds, and democrats hide under the cover of democracy and commit all forms of heinous deeds, I have found out that most people whose marriages crashed, look for every excuse to justify their failed marriages.

Most women see gender inequality as enough excuse not to be under their husbands.

The same is applicable in all human endeavours.

Government is the worst. Some parents are also culprits of excuse making for not training

their children. Just excuse everywhere! But we forget that the zest to succeed in everything does not require an excuse.

A financially successful wo/man whose marriage failed, is s/he then a success?

We hardly see excuse as an obstacle, but it is. An excuse is a premeditated lie. It is used to cover up. People make excuses so that they wouldn’t interrupt themselves. Instead of believing and accepting the reality, people make excuses for their failures. Although I am not against people making excuses, but has excuse helped the world?

Odimegwu Onwumere , 2348032552855.

Email:apoet_25@yahoo.com

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 61

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62 —

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST2, 2012

I’m still the greatest ….says greatest Olympian before Phelps

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N her final hour before losing her title as mostdecorated Olympian of all time to Michael Phelps, Russian gymnastics legend Larissa Latynina was still holding on to her claim as the greatest the Games have ever seen.

As she left the stands at gymnastics venue the North Greenwich Arena to head to the aquatics center and watch Phelps’ two historic races, the 18-time medalist spoke her mind.

“Do I think I am still the greatest Olympian?” she said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports translated by a Russian gymnastics federation official. “Why yes, but that is my opinion.

“Why do I think this?

Well, I did not only compete in three Olympic Games and won many medals, but the Soviet Union team had very great success when I was the coach.”

Success is an understatement. Latynina won nine golds and 18 total medals in her Olympic career, one that took her to Melbourne

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Q-U-O-T-E-S “When baby kicks, I will breathe in and breathe out and try to calm myself down and talk to baby: ‘Behave yourself and help mummy to shoot!’”

- Eight months pregnant, Malaysia’s Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi later said she felt “three or four kicks” during 10m air rifle qualifying.

“We went into the gym and none of us had ever seen anything like it in our lives. There were Russian athletes stretching, doing things with their legs you thought were physically impossible.”

- Stuart Pearce, coach of the British men’s football team, on life in the Olympic Village.

“I’ve been trying and working for an Olympic medal for four years and now I lost it in one second. It’s just impossible to accept.”

- South Korean fencer Shin A-lam held a sit-down protest after losing her epee semi-final bout where a one-second clock reset allowed her opponent to score a winning hit.

“My results come from hard work and training and I would never use any banned drugs. The Chinese people have clean hands.”

in 1956, Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964. When she was coach during the 1970s, the Soviet Union claimed another 10 golds.

Phelps and Latynina met at a promotional event in the UnitedStatesearlierthisyear andhadashortconversation, after which the gymnast

presented the American swimmer with one of her medals as a token of respect.

When questioned by Y! Sports on Tuesday, she told how she would have mixed emotions while watching Phelps take part in the 200meter butterfly and 4x200meter freestyle relay in his

quest to first match then break Latynina’s record.

Tuesday evening, Phelps broke Latynina’s record by anchoring a gold-medal swim in 4x200 relay.

“Of course I know about this,” she said. “I have been askedaboutthismanytimes.

- Chinese swimming sensation Ye Shiwen brushes aside doping suspicions raised after the 16-year-old set a world record to win the women’s 400-metre individual medley.

“Having been soundly beaten by Ariel since she was nine, I can certainly attest to her talent.”

- Billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is humbled by Ariel Hsing, the now 16-year-old U.S. women’s table tennis player who calls him “Uncle Bill”.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 — 63

We faced a better Lithuania — D’Tigers

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ON POINT.....D’Tigers’ guard Chamberlain Oguchi (L) battles with Lithuanian guard Rimantas Kaukenas during the basketball match of the Olympic Games on July 3. Photo: AFP

Athletics ‘ll wipe your tears — Uti F

ORMER 400 m star, Sunday Uti is here in the Olympic Village and has joined hands with athletics coach, Innocent Egbunike to tinker the athletic team at the

Olympics.

Apparently aware of the worried state of Nigerians, Uti said that the athletic team would wipe tears of Nigerians. ‘’I know that many Nigeri-

I wish Nigeria were different Continues from BP the Games Village to rest and hope that he could place among the top three. He finished second in his group and had to wait for the other group to finish their events before total results would be collated and winners known. He competed in the 77 KG category.

Ekpo is not the firebrand athlete and in no way criticised the sports ministry or Nigeria Olympic Committee. He did not frown at any official but just wished that things were done differently in Nigeria.

“You don’t come to the Olympic Games and say you want to win gold without preparing for it,” he said while chating with this reporter at the Weighlifting venue.

“We camped in Germany which was good but it takes more than camping to win gold at the Olympics. It’w a whole package that has to do with nutrition, training, exposure and competitions. When you compete regularly you meet

the same people you will meet at the Olympics, you will learn more techniques and develope confidence. You can’t win gold at the Olympics by hurriedly preparing and going for last minute camping. Here, at the Olympics, you hear athletes saying that they prepared for four or five years and you feel out of place, you know that only God can help you and with a feeling you strive that the best comes out of you. Someday, we will get it right in Nigeria.”

Wrestling coach Daniel Igali, an Olympic gold medalist for Canada has repeatedly told the authorities that talents were wasting in Nigeria and challenged the authorities that Nigeria could produce a gold medalist at the Olympics if the proper things were done.

And he has always reminded all that Nigeria is far from doing the right things. Igali had to switch to Canada to win an Olympic gold medal, something that would have eluded him if he remained in Nigeria.

ans are apprehensive that Team Nigeria has not yet gotten any medal. Not to worry. The athletic team will bring smile to their faces”, Uti who was house-hold name during the golden era of Nigerian athletics said. ‘’We are here to offer them tips and to help out where it is necessary.

From what I have seen so far, there is hope.

There will be light at the end of the tunnel”, he assured.

Fitness is key to Nigerian athletes—Ebgunike Coach of the Nigerian athletics team, Innocent Egbunike is excited about the fitness of his athletics as they gear up

for their events that roll off the blocks on Friday.

Egbunike, a quartermiler of international repute during his time says he is not under pressure because Team Nigeria are yet to win any medal of any colour. ‘’There is absolutely no pressure on me or the team. We are concerned about our events and we are doing everything to do well. I am happy that all the athletes are fit. My prayer is that their fitness sustain them to the medals”, the man who was described as not ‘’Innocent” by former President of Kenya, Arap Moi because of his amazing 400m race that displaced a Kenyan at the All Africa Games in 1987 said.

Ogba Continues from BP Ogba who stormed the Olympic Village met with the athletes and said that he would not want people to distract the athletes by locking them up with meetings. ‘’I’ve told them that there should be no meetings with my athletes. And there should be no visitors, too. I want these athletes to concentrate and have peace of mind before their events start”, the man on whom many pin their hopes for medals for Nigeria said. ‘’The athletes are in good mood and training

well. That is why I want them to remain focused and not be burdened with meetings, meetings. I don’t know what they are meeting”, Ogba said.

He assured Nigerians that the Athletic team to the Olympics would do their best in the Olympics. ‘’I am not promising anything. All I know is these athletes are in good condition. For me, I want all them to get to the semi final. And from there, anything can happen”, Ogba, a former Sports Commissioner in Delta State said.

EMBERS of the Nigeria basketball squad to the London 2012 Olympics have conceded defeat to Lithuania following their clash on Tuesday. The Europeans defeated Nigeria 72-53 in a Group A match played at the Basketball Arena of the Stratford Olympic Park.

Al-Farouq Aminu who made double-double outing with 12 points and 11 rebounds said their opponents took a different approach from their last encounter and won the game. Nigeria had defeated Lithuania by a point in the FIBA Olympic qualifiers held in Caracas, Venezuela this month.

He said, “They had a different team – different approach, different mentality and a little adjustment of the roster. They had much better offence and that worked for them.

They have been together for a long time and that also showed.”

His teammate and shooting guard Chamberlain Oguchi had similar view.

“They brought down their shots; they got a very good percentage. We could not get most of ours and that made the difference. Our offence could not carry us as much as it did the first time we met.

It was just their day despite our fight back,” Oguchi said.

I foresee 4 medals for Team Nigeria — Ali

A

RE you among those who have given up hope that Team Nigeria won’t win medals at the London 2012 Olympics?

Former skipper of Team Nigeria and Long Jumper of repute, Yusuf Ali has doused fears of Team Nigeria not doing well in the Olympics. ‘’Athletics is coming up on Friday. I still maintain that Team Nigeria

will win four medals in Athletics”, he said.

Asked if the medals will be gold, Ali retorted; ‘’Gold? I don’t know their colour but I know that we will win up to four medals. Winning gold goes with luck.

Don’t rule that out. Once we get that to that level, anything can happen. I am sure of that. The athletes are well positioned to do well.

Stanning, Glover win Britain’s first gold R E A T

G

Britain celebrated their first gold medal of the L o n d o n Olympic Games after Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stormed to victory in the final of the women’s pair.

TEARS OF JOY: Glover (l) and Stannding after winning gold in rowing.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012

I wish Nigeria were different — Athletes lament

F

ELIX Ekpo yester day wished that sports development and its administration were different in Nigeria.

The Weighlifter had just finished his event and waited at the venue before heading to Continues on Page 63

More Olympic Stories on pages 42 & 43 Eight Badminton players booted from Olympic — Page 42 LIFT•••Nigeria’s Felix Ekpo hauls the weights during the men’s 77kg group B weightlifting event on August 1. PHOTO: AFP

Athletics: Ogba wields the big stick •Bans meetings, visitors

A

S the Nation waits anxiously for Team Nigeria’s first medal at the London 2012 Olympics, President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Chief SoTODAY'S

lomon Ogba has imposed bans on frequent meetings with the athletes as well as barring visitors to the team.

Continues on Page 63

PUZZLES

YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

Medals Table Country China USA France South Korea North Korea Germany Italy Kazakhstan Russia Great Britain Ukraine South Africa

Gold 15 10 5 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2

Silver 8 8 3 2 0 8 4 0 3 2 0 0

Bronze Total 4 27 9 27 4 12 3 10 1 5 2 13 2 9 0 3 5 10 4 8 3 5 0 2

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 3 Loft (5) 9 Enjoy (6) 10 Bloated (6) 11 Cost (5) 12 Exchange (4) 15 Cupola (4) 17 Relationship 20 Conflict (3) 21 Subject (5) 23 Mount (4) 25 Thump (4) 26 Pattern (5) 28 Excavated (3) 30 Madman (7) 33 Dash (4) 35 Timbre (4) 36 Ground (5) 38 Unroll (6) 39 Alcove (6) 40 Foreign (5)

DOWN 1 Agile (5) 2 Gather (5) 3 Serpent (3) 4 Gullet (6) 5 Irritation (4) 6 Hint (3) 7 Radiant (5) 8 Viper (5) 13 Desirous (7) 14 Hymn (5) 16 Fuddled (7) 18 New (5) 19 Intelligence (3) 22 Deceive (5) 24 Hew (3) 27 Gleam (6) 28 Object (5) 29 Blunder (5) 31 Pulled (5) 32 Stop (5) 34 Dance (4) 36 Age (3) 37 Fowl (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 1, Despot 5, Sketch 9, Drape 10, Agenda 11, Remand 12, Scrap 14, Trek 17, Key 18, Here 20, Hired 22, Talon 23, Tubular 24, Peace 26, Pedal 29, Etch 30, Jab 32, Male 33, Mural 35, Louder 36, Buckle 37, Tower 38, Tether 39, Leaned.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 1, Dearth 2, Skewer 3, Odds 4, Track 5, Spray 6, Keep 7, Travel 8, Hidden 13, Regular 15, Rivet 16, Ketch 18, Harem 19, Royal 21, Due 22, Tap 24, Pillet 25, Acquit 27, Darken 28, Legend 30, Juror 31, Babel 33, Mete 34, Lure.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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