No plans to increase fuel price - FG

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62050

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Five commissioners, 3 senators in race for Fashola's job 10

Aides analyse how Jonathan can win, 5 lose in 2015

No plans to increase fuel price — FG

BY BEN AGANDE, MICHAEL EBOH & KUNLE KALEJAYE

A

•Says

Govt won't sell refineries

BUJA—The Fed eral Government said, yesterday, that it had no plans to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol from the prevailing pump price of

Continues on page 5

FG, 34 states to spend N10.67trn in 2014 States Abia Adamawa Anambra A/Ibom Bauchi Bayelsa Benue Borno C/River Delta Ebonyi Edo Ekiti Enugu Gombe Imo Jigawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kebbi Kogi Kwara Lagos Nasarawa Niger Ogun Ondo Osun Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Taraba Yobe Zamfara FCT FG TOTAL

2013 2014 Nbn Nbn 137.8 149.6 95 97.9 110.96 140.00 599.180 469.374 137.3 133.70 304.05 299.2 130.992 105.1 184.3 178.5 151.37 176.311 472.00 391.51 104.374 99.840 154.125 159.213 97.6 103.882 84.773 93.287 107.893 107.454 197.744 137.027 115.4 ——— 176.4 198.679 238.281 219.309 114.584 113.603 119.9 131.7 132.6 129.7 124.498 124.526 507.105 489.690 110.2 114.5 83.7 98.852 211.78 210.29 152.5 162 234.269 216.745 152.12 188.9 136.641 228.743 490.32 ———— 115.84 125.87 73.4 79.6 86.7 102.899 111.9 114.8 235.2 —— 4.7 trn 4.6trn N11.535 trn N10.602 trn

capital Nbn 87.5 39.7 100.29 308.870 68 136.7 41.6 121.784 123.418 231.72 53.473 85.595 52.776 53.944 63.9 75.272 ——— 124.4 148.660 80.573 100.1 70.02 58.70 255.025 54.9 51.562 117.51 69.68 119.137 92.795 147.107 ——— 72 37.9 67.43 67.7 —— 1.1trn N4.480trn

Recurrent Nbn 62 58.2 39.71 165.504 65 162.5 63.4 56.717 52.893 159.78 41.368 73.617 50.106 39.343 43.5 61.384 ——— 74.2 70.621 32.422 31.6 79.6 48.543 234.665 59.6 47.290 92.70 92.31 97.608 96.041 81.634 ———— 52 41.7 35.46 47.1 ——3.5 trn N6.123 trn

See story on Page 8 C M Y K

WORK RESUMES—Car park at Broad Street in Lagos, yesterday, as workers resume after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Photo: NAN. See more on Pages 8&9.

Dangote, Alakija, Rabiu, Adenuga 8 make N2trn in 2013

FG to establish 9,000 strong Army division in S-South P.9

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

C M Y K

JANUARY 3 , 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

C M Y K

JANUARY 3 , 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—5

POCKET CARTOON

THANKS-GIVING—Chief Tony Anenih, Chairman BOT of The Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, (R) welcoming Hon Victor Ochei Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly to his 80th birthday thanksgiving service in Uromi, Edo State.

No plans to increase fuel price — FG Continues from page 1 N97 per litre, describing the growing fear of imminent price hike as unfounded.

Equally, what appeared to be a major change in policy, the Federal Government, yesterday, said it has no plans to sell any of the country’s refineries.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, who spoke on the issue, also said that if selling the refineries

was the basis for the plan by the junior oil workers to embark on strike, then the action would be fruitless.

Pump price Dispelling fears of pump price hike, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, said in a statement that all its offices nationwide had stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce com-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

The first step towards success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you find yourself – Mark Caine.

TAKE HEART

Y

BY ELLA RANDLE

OUR encouraging word, given today, may for ever change a receptive life. I wonder who needs to hear it — Steve Goodier

At book signing, people waited in line for a guest author to autograph a copy of his latest novel. An encouraging, elderly woman at the front of the line turned around and said with obvious enthusiasm, “I just have to say – this is the BEST book I’ve ever read. Why, I couldn’t put it down until the very last page.”

Before anyone could respond, the author glanced up and said, “All right, Mother, that’s enough!” Although a mother’s praise is a bit on the biased side.

Besides, if we’re looking for more warm vibes and verbal support, we certainly can’t take our mothers with us wherever we go. That said, there is tremendous power in words of encouragement. Power to change lives. A young Polish boy wanted to play piano, but his teacher told him that his fingers were too stubby and that he would never play well. The boy was advised to try the cornet, but was later told by an expert musician that he did not have the lip to ever be good. Discouraging words.

Then, one day, he met the great pianist Anton Rubinstein. The famous musician gave this young boy the first bit of musical encouragement he ever received. “Young man,” Rubinstein said, “you might be able to play the piano. In fact, I think you can...if you will practice seven hours a day.”

He did practice for many hours every day and his hard work was r ewarded. Years later, Jan Paderewski became one of the most famous pianists of his time.

pliance, stressing that all defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.

DPR reiterated that all petroleum product marketers must continue to sell at government approved prices.

It said: “The DPR wishes to inform the general public that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not and does not intend to increase petroleum product prices contrary to speculations by some members of the public.

“Consequently, all petroleum product marketers are hereby advised to sell at government approved prices and desist from hoarding, thereby causing artificial scarcity and hardship to consumers.

“The DPR wishes to reiterate that there is adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.

“Meanwhile, all DPR offices nationwide have stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce compliance. All defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.”

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, appealed to oil marketers to refrain from hoarding of petroleum products, and the general public from panic buying in anticipation of any increase in pump price.

Kifasi further warned petroleum product marketers to desist from creating any scarcity so as

to induce panic in the system to exploit unsuspecting members of the public.

The NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, had earlier threatened to embark on a nationwide strike effective yesterday (January 2, 2014), to protest sale of the nation’s refineries.

However, the two unions decided to shelve the plan to allow for talks with officials of the ministries of Petroleum and Labour, on the issue, scheduled to hold on January 7, according to PENGASSAN’s President, Mr. Babatunde Ogun.

No selling of refineries This would be the second time government would reverse its decision to sell the four national refineries with combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, even as combined refining capacity is now below 30 per cent.

The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government reversed the sale of two of the refineries to some Nigerian billionaires by his predecessor, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

This time, government, due to alleged apprehension over labour crises, did not even get as far as putting up the refineries for sale, as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, had promised to embark on work to rule, if government proceeded with the plan.

However, Abati’s posi-

tion contrasted sharply with that of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Deziani Alison-Madueke, who said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Africa in London that the refineries would be sold.

“We would like to see major infrastructure entities, such as refineries, moving out of government hands into the private sector. Government does not want to be in the business of running major infrastructure entities and we haven’t done a very good job at it over the years,” she said.

But according to Abati: “Government is not going to sell any refineries.

There is no such plan, and there is no presidential approval for such. Nobody, not even the Minister of Petroleum has powers to sell any government’s property.”

He then noted that if the proposed strike by oil workers was because of allegations that government plans to sell refineries, then they should sheathe their swords.

In anticipation of the sale of the refineries, some Nigerians had expected possible increase in the pump price of petrol and other products,

leading to panic buying and hoarding in some locations across the country.

Earlier, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the industry regulator, the DPR, had allayed fears, saying there are no such plans, while warning oil marketers against any sharp practices.

A presidential audit of the country’s refineries led by a former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, had recommended the sale of the refineries due to inadequate government funding and “sub-optimal performance.”

The proposed sale of the refineries, located in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, had attracted wide support and commendations. Specifically, the major oil marketers descried the decision as the best thing, as long as the process was free and fair, given their very poor state.

Refining capacity The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, disclosed that each of the three refineries in the country was

Continues from page 14

2015: Aides analyse how Jonathan can win, lose

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor

P

LANS by close aides of President Goodluck Jonathan to win re-election include exploiting division in the ranks of the nation’s governors, playing on the political ambitions of some Northern power brokers and the promotion of a clash of egos between the leaders of All Progressives Congress,

APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.).

The plans, believed to have been prepared by close aides of the President ahead of the 2015 election, identified the House of Representatives, which the strategists claim to have become the mouthpiece of the opposition, the President’s ineffective utilisation of his powers and the

dominance of ethnic jingoists around President Jonathan as some of the major weaknesses for the president’s second term campaign.

The strategists also cited APC, if it does not implode, the Nigerian Governors' Forum, the Northern States Governors Forum, regional alliances, especially in the North, as some serious threats to the President in having a smooth return to Continues on page 9

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

3 killed in Edo renewed cult clash

Infant, 4 others die in road accidents in Adamawa

z6 declared missing in Iyowha community

Y

B

OLA — THE Adamawa State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has confirmed the death of five people including an infant in road crashes during the Christmas and New Year period.

Head of Operations of the command, Mr. Mohammed Kabo, said yesterday in Yola that the deaths were unfortunate and avoidable.

He said: “From December 23,2013 to January 1, 2014, five people including an infant lost their lives while 28 sustained different degrees of injury.”

He said the deaths were recorded in 16 different road accidents during the period under review which involved 24 vehicles across the state.

According to him, Hong and Numan local government areas had the highest number of accidents and casualties during the period.

Death toll in new year eve attack on Plateau village now 3

BY TAYE OBATERU & MARIE-THERESE NANLONG

J

OS — THE death toll in Tuesday night’s attack on villagers in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has risen to three as one of the 12 people injured during the attack has died.

Celebration of the ‘crossover’ into the new year was cut short at Maihakuri-Gold village as some gunmen shot at villagers who were dancing in the village square, killing two people instantly and leaving 12 others injured.

Assistant Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Dominic Esin, said normalcy has returned to the area but security men had stepped up patrol and surveillance to track down the hoodlums.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Titus Alams who represents Bokkos constituency, has visited the victims in the hospital and also condoled with families of the deceased who were buried Wednesday.

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM & GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

ENIN CITY — THREE persons have been killed in different parts of Benin City, Edo State in the past three days following renewed war between the Eiye confraternity and the Black Axe. Besides, suspected cultists, Monday, attacked The Nation newspaper reporter, Mr Ben Ogbemudia, along Eke Street, in Upper Sakpoba Road, in Benin City.

Trouble started for Ogbemudia when the hoodlums were said to have ordered him to repark his car which was near his wife’s residence.

According to him, he had reparked his car in the sandy street when the suspected assailants in a Nissan Almera marked Edo DGE 382 AA with three occupants identified simply as Emwanta, Adult and Osaretin attacked him and inflicted a deep machete cut on his left hand.

He was later rushed to a private clinic and later reported the inci-

dent at St Saviour’s Police Station.

The cult war, Vanguard learnt, started near Oba market over issues of ticketing between members of a task force alleged to have been engaged by the state government and another group in the same area believed to have been engaged by Oredo council. The members are said to belong to rival cult groups.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that three persons, one in Erunmwense area off Ekenwan Road, another by Lucky Way in

Upper Mission road, a third near Ogbe area and another near Ogida, were found dead.

It was gathered that one of the dead just finished his Masters degree programme from the University of Benin.

Meantime, a community leader from Iyowha near NIFOR has said that six persons were missing in the area.

When contacted, Edo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Eguavoen (DSP) said he was expecting briefing from the DPOs in the affected areas.

Bauchi NDLEA nabs 221 suspects with 1,253 kgs drugs

BY SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI — THE Bauchi State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has said it arrested at least 221 suspects in possession of 1,253.147 kgs of illicit drugs including cannabis sativa and psycho-tropic substances.

The state commander, Mr. Para Julius Bawa, who made the disclosure, yesterday, at the command headquarters in Bauchi said the arrest was part of the achievements the agency recorded in 2013.

The commander said: ”Out of the 221 suspects arrested, 124 were charged to the Federal High Court and arraigned for prosecution .

Forty six others were convicted, 79 were counselled while 18 are in the agency's custody awaiting arraignment before the court.”

He said the items recovered from the suspects in-

Bags containing cannabis sativa seized in Bauchi by the NDLEA displayed during a news conference, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.

clude six vehicles and 15 motorcycles which were used for the distribution of the drugs.

Bawa, who expressed the

command's readiness to rehabilitate drug suspects in the state, said the command had 75 parentss who brought their

611 offenders sentenced to community service in Lagos

BY MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

L

AGOS— THE Lagos State government said 611 offenders have been sentenced to various terms of community service across the 12 magisterial districts of the state, in the last one year.

The state government also said that 35 unhygienic food premises were sealed for constituting environmental nuisance, within the last 100 days.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, disclosed this in Agege area, one of the venues for the stakeholders forum held across the three senatorial districts in the state, to mark the 2,400 days of the present administration.

Ipaye said this was part of the

state government's effort to decongest prisons in the state.

It would be recalled that the state at the last ministerial press briefing held last year to mark the sixth year in office of Governor Babatunde Fashola-led administration, said 1,154 offenders were sentenced to community service in the last seven years.

Ipaye noted: “This is under the state community service project,” adding that community service is a non-custodial punishment enshrined in the state's criminal law, and was one of its strategies aimed at ensuring speedy dispensation of justice.

He explained that through the community service, which requires offenders to do some community work, the state government has succeeded in de-con-

gesting the prison system without compromising the justice administration system.

According to him, the state government also “facilitated the decongestion of prisons through speeding up the treatment of police investigation case files sent in for legal advice, and so far, work has been completed on 290 police investigation files out of the 333 files sent in within the period under review.”

Ipaye said “The state government provided free legal service and defence of human rights, through the CMC which handled 7290 cases, Office of the Public Defender, OPD; 1,039 cases and the human rights protection unit treated 753 human rights complain in the last 100 days.”

children for counselling, rehabilitation and re-integration into the society.

He stressed that the command is not resting on its oars to tackle the supply of drug through increased surveillance, raid operations, seminars, symposia and workshops for target groups.

The NDLEA boss noted that the command is facing a lot of challenges with a particular reference to lack of patrol vehicles, funding and lack of useful information from the public on the activities of drug abusers.

He charged the court at all levels to judiciously handle the agency cases with speed to ensure equal justice as a demonstration to help rid the society from drugs abuses.

He said: “I want to use this medium to appreciate stakeholders and sister security agencies who have partnered with the agency in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking during the year under review.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—7

Woman collapses, dies while testifying in church

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI — TRAGEDY struck in Umuogwuta, Ndegwu, Owerri West local council area of Imo State, as a lady who was giving her testimony during the New Year service suddenly collapsed and died.

A villager, who spoke to Vanguard on ground of anonymity, said: “The Lagosbased lady, Ifeoma Anozie, collapsed and died while giving her testimony inside Saint John’s Anglican Church, Ndegwu.”

Vanguard also gathered that Ifeoma returned to her country home not to only give testimony about her achievements in the passing year, but also felicitate with her kith and kin.

“The lady had hardly commenced her testimony when she suddenly slumped and died in front of the officiating cleric and left the congregation completely perplexed,” the villager said.

Speaking also on the issue, a woman who simply identified herself as Felicia, lamented that what ordinarily should have been a double celebration for the Anozie family suddenly turned sour.

“The church service was designed to be a double celebration for the Anozie family. It, however, turned out to

be a tragedy for the family, the church and Ndegwu community,” Felicia lamented.

Other villagers that also spoke to Vanguard, said ifeoma was a very promising

young lady but none could guess she would die untimely.

Although Vanguard could not ascertain the cause of death at press time, as no

Milinda Francis Co. Ltd. staff protesting against the termination of their contract at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos without notice by the Federal Airport Authotity of Nigeria (FAAN), Ikeja, Lagos.

Ijaw music maestro, wife, friend die in road crash

BY AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

W

ARRI —THE Ijaw music n dustry is mourning, as a road accident claimed one of its i

members, Mr. Augustine Kemepade, 38; his wife, Fortune and their friend, Mr. Okumagba Akieyefa, 37, Monday night along DSC expressway on their way from Aladja,

Court stops FCDA from demolishing contractor’s property

A

BUJA — AN FCT High Court, yesterday, granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Federal Capital Development Administration, FCDA, from demolishing a property at Plot 38, Jikwoyi Cardastral Zone in Karu, FCT. The property belonged to an Abuja-based contractor, Alhaji Yakubu Oshioke.

Delivering a ruling, the vacation Judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu,

member of the immediate family could be reached for comments.

However, the remains of the lady had been deposited in an undisclosed hospital morgue.

held that injunctions were usually directed to ensure that parties maintained the status quo, pending the determination of the suit.

“It is my considered view that from the documents attached, there is a need to grant the applicant’s prayer after holistically taking into account the documents before the court by way of judicial notice.

“It is a remedial writ which the

court issued for the sole purpose of enforcing their equity jurisdiction,” he said.

Halilu said, in granting the relief sought, an applicant must convince the court to exercise its discretion.

At the last hearing of the case, counsel to applicant, Mr Victor Agunzi, told the court that the essence of an order of injunction was generally passed by court to ensure that parties maintained the status quo.

Scavengers at a refuse dump at Orile Iganmu in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.

Udu Council Area of Delta State.

The death of the famous musician shocked to the Ijaw music industry as he just released his latest album.

A source who confirmed the incident told Vanguard on telephone that the incident occurred after their friend’s car sommersaulted while returning from Aladja.

He said the late musician hailed from Ogbinama community, while his wife was a native of Kiagbodo community, and his late friend, Okumagba Akieyefa hailed from Obotebe community, all in Burutu Council Area of Delta State.

He said: “The three occupants of the vehicle died on the spot after it summersaulted several times and rammed into an electric pole at about 9.20pm on Aladja/DSC expressway.”

Our source added that the Ijaw musician accompanied by his wife had gone to visit a friend at Aladja on that faithful day in celebration of the yuletide.

He said after much fun, the late couple decided to head back to Warri, but their host insisted that the couple spend the night with him but they refused.

Okumagba Akieyefa, owner of the ill-fated car, decided to give them a lift through Aladja/DSC expressway when the ugly incident occurred.

Comrade Ozobo Austin, National President of the Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, reacting to the sad news said he was shocked by the death of the trio.

Trader docked for obtaining N368,000 under false pretence

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AGOS — A TRADER, Ogonna Ezeafulukwe, was yesterday arraigned in Lagos for allegedly collecting goods worth N368,000 under false pretences.

Ezeafulukwe, 32, who resides at the Maza Maza area of Lagos, is standing trial on a five-count charge bordering on stealing, false presentation, assault, conspiracy and threat to life at an Apapa Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The prosecutor, ASP Soji Ojaokomo, told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 18, 2012 at Block 25, Shop 29, Alaba International Market, Ojo. According to him, the accused collected electrical materials valued at N368,000 from a businessman, Mr Uchenna Nwamutalu, under the pretext of supplying it to a company in Abuja.

“The accused promised to pay back N368,000, being the total value of the items after he would have sold them to his supplier.

But he failed to do so,” Ojaokomo said.

He said that the accused on November 24, at the same market, threatened to kill Nwamutalu.

“The accused hired some hoodlums to beat up the businessman with fist blows and wounded him, after refusing to pay his money,” the prosecutor said.

He said the hoodlums escaped from the scene after beating their victim to a pulp.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge when his plea was sought by the court.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs Oluyemisi Adelaja, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum.

She ordered that the surety must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government, as part of the bail conditions.

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till Jan. 29.

Section 311 prescribes 15 years imprisonment for obtaining goods under false pretences, while Section 409 stipulates two years for conspiracy.

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

FCTA slashes land application fee

BUDGETS: FG, 34 states to spend N10.67trn z

N4.48trn on capital expenditure; N6.123trn, recurrent

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE,Deputy Political Editor

BY SONI DANIEL

T

HE Federal Capital T e r r i t o r y Administration, FCTA, has slashed land application fee in the area councils from N100,000 to N50,000.

The FCT Minister, Bala Muhammad, who announced the reduction at a People’s Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, said the new policy had become necessary, considering that the value of land within the 250 square kilometres of the Federal Capital City was not the same with plots in the area councils and the satellite towns.

According to him, the new policy would afford the less-privileged residents of the FCT more access to land to build their homes and reduce congestion in the city centre.

The minister, however, lamented that the administration required over N200 billion for resettlement and compensation of villages within the FCT.

‘Shell/NDDC N24bn Ogbia-Nembe Road 60% ready'

BY MICHAEL EBOH, with agency report

S

HELL Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, yesterday, stated that the 27-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road being constructed by Setraco, and financed at a cost of N24.4 billion by Shell and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is 60 per cent complete.

Shell, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Precious Okolobo, said the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Gboribiogha Jonah, accompanied by a team from the SPDC operated Joint Venture drove to Nembe city through the road.

He said the trip marked an important milestone in the construction of the key highway in the Niger Delta.

B

ARRING adjustments by the legislature and supplementary appropriations, Federal Government and 34 of the 36 states of the federation will spend at least N10.67 trillion this year, Vanguard checks have revealed.

In other words, they will be spending at least N889.231

billion a month or N29.235 billion a day.

The hefty sum is the summation of budget proposals of the two tiers of government for 2014.

Rivers State, Jigawa State and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, are yet to release their 2014 budget proposals.

The crisis in Rivers State House of Assembly may have taken its toll on the presentation of the state’s 2014

z To

spend N29.24bn daily

budget.

There are indications that the National Assembly may ask Governor Rotimi Amaechi to bring his budget proposal.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to present the FCT budget to the National Assembly Of the N10.67 trillion proposals, only N4.48 trillion or 42.26 per cent is allocated

to capital expenditure (infrastructure, amenities, among others), while N6.123 trillion or 57.74 per cent is to be spent on recurrent expenditure (salaries, emoluments of public servants and political office holders, running costs, among others).

In 2013, the federal and state governments spent N11.512 trillion.

HOLIDAY OVER: The

interior of F e d e r a l Secretariat as w o r k e r s resume in A b u j a , y e s t e r d a y.

NAN PHOTO.

Dangote, Alakija, Rabiu, Adenuga make N2trn in 2013

BY MICHAEL EBOH, with agency report

T

HE combined net worth of four Nigerian billionaires, Aliko Dangote, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, Abdulsamad Rabiu and Mike Adenuga, grew by N2.024 trillion ($12.65 billion) in 2013, according to data released by Forbes yesterday.

The amount is about half of the N4.99 trillion budget put forward by the Federal Government and approved by the National Assembly in the 2013 fiscal year.

Forbes, in a report entitled The Biggest African Billionaire Gainers in 2013, listed Dangote, Africa’s richest man, as the biggest gainer in terms of increase in net worth.

He gained $10.1 billion (N1.62 trillion) in 2013, to end the year with a net worth of $22.9 billion (N3.66 trillion), up from $12.8 billion as at the end of December 2012.

Nigeria's richest woman

Nigeria’s richest woman, Folorunsho Alakija, owner of Famfa Oil Limited, was named the fourth biggest gainer in 2013, as her wealth increased by $1.9 billion (N304 billion) to end the year with a net worth of $2.5 billion (N400 billion).

Abdulsamad Rabiu, Chairman, BUA Group, was named the ninth biggest African gainer in 2013 by Forbes, with a $550 million (N88 billion) increase in wealth to end the year with a total net worth of $1.2 billion (N192 billion).

Nigeria’s second richest man and Chairman of Globacom, Mr. Mike Adenuga, was named the 15th biggest gainer, with a gain of $100 million (N16 billion) to end the year with a net worth of $4.7 billion (N752 billion).

According to Forbes, the biggest catalyst for the increase in Dangote’s net worth was his Dangote

Cement shares, which has experienced a 74 per cent run-up over the last 12 months.

Forbes further noted that the increase in Folorunsho Alakija’s net worth is as a result of new information made available to it on the true value of her company’s interest in Agbami, information that had been verified by analysts in the industry.

Rabiu

On Abdulsamad Rabiu, Forbes said: “Rabiu joins the ranks of Africa’s richest and the world’s billionaires for the first time based on success at his BUA Group, whose biggest businesses are sugar refining and cement.

“BUA Group annual revenues are estimated at $2 billion. The group also does business in real estate, steel, port concessions, manufacturing, oil gas and shipping.

“Rabiu, the son of a

businessman, set up his own business in 1988, importing rice, sugar and edible oils as well as iron and steel rods.”

Adenuga

Commenting on Adenuga, the Forbes report said: “He built his fortune in oil production and telecom.

“His mobile telecom outfit, Globacom, has over 25 million subscribers in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.

“He also owns Conoil Producing, a large indigenous oil exploration company.

“Adenuga studied in the United States and went into business for himself in Nigeria, starting by running his mother ’s sawmill business, distributing lace and Coca-Cola.

“He hit the big time when the military regime of former President Ibrahim Babangida awarded him construction contracts and his first oil prospecting license with which he became the first Nigerian to strike oil in commercial quantities.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—9

FG to establish 9,000 strong Army Division in S'South

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

A

The car park of Federal Secretariat as workers resume in Abuja, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

Jonathan moves to stop doctors' strike, approves appointment of Surgeon-Gen

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & BEN AGANDE

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has acceded to Nigeria Medical Association, NMA’s demand to appoint a Surgeon-General of the Federation.

This came even as the leadership of the association has put its members on standby to commence a nationwide strike with effect from Monday, January 6.

The President, who convened a meeting of stakeholders in the medical sector yesterday as part of measures to avert the impending strike, also agreed that the contentious issue of call duty allowance for doctors running into billions of naira be resolved.

It was gathered that government’s decision to yield to NMA by appointing a Surgeon-General, who will be a medical doctor, was based on the demand of the association.

Wooing private sector

A source disclosed that a directive was issued the Ministry of Health to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade and Investment to consult with medical practitioners, with a view to supporting private investors to build state-of-the-art hospitals in the country.

The decision, the source explained, is aimed at promoting local potential, to further strengthen the sector, to improve fiscal policy on medical equipment and to check the growth of medical

tourism.

The President had agreed to look more into the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, to make it more productive.

Jonathan, it was gathered, had also asked NMA to make their representation to the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, even as government agreed to consider the request by the association for inclusion of their representatives in the proposed national dialogue.

Roll call

Present at the meeting were Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; Minister of Labour, Chief

Emeka Wogu; Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; Director-General of Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu; and the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule, among others.

Meeting with NMA

Speaking on what informed the concessions made by the President, Governor Uduaghan said: “We are going for a meeting now at 5p.m. with NMA. At least, there are some things the President has consented to and I believe by the time we finish the meeting this evening (yesterday), there will be some resolutions.

“Our determination is to ensure the January 6 strike is

averted. Of course we cannot afford another strike in the medical sector. One minute of strike in the health sector by whatever body can be very disastrous.”

NMA meets tomorrow

Meanwhile, NMA leadership has instructed its entire state branch chairmen and heads of affiliate bodies to put their members on standby to commence strike from Monday, January 6.

A directive from the NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, informed all its officials to be at a meeting of the association in Abuja tomorrow to examine government’s offer and harmonise NMA’s position.

BUJA— A new Army Division would soon be set up for the Niger Delta region to safeguard the nation’s economic and territorial assets in the South-South, and contain future threats to the nation’s boundaries with Cameroon, other countries and the Gulf of Guinea area.

Sources said that the 9, 000 strong Division would be similar to the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army set up in Maiduguri to checkmate terrorism and cross border banditry.

The sources added that this followed intelligence reports that a new army of militant youths was being mobilised out of political mischief to carry out destabilisation activities.

It was gathered that the plan towards the new division with possible headquarters in Port Harcourt, was the brainchild of the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, and has the backing of Service Chiefs including Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh; Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the DG of Department of State Services, DSS.

2015: Aides analyse how Jonathan can win, lose Continues from Page 5 power.

The strategy document, entitled 2013-2015: Political power and governance road map, believed to have been prepared in the last quarter of last year and had been the subject of speculation, came to light yesterday when it was published by Premium Times, an online news platform.

The crux of the strategy is a SWOT analysis which underpinned the President’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in the run up to the decisive election.

In the SWOT analysis, repro-

duced by Premium Times, the President’s handlers also cited the strengths of the President to include the power of incumbency, access to secure cash, the backing of a formidable political structure, among others.

The document was produced after the split of PDP, but before the exit of five governors, who recently left the party for APC. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said he was on holiday yesterday, but claimed that “if the President has a plan to win the 2015 elections, I can assure you that it can never be

found in Premium Times.”

The SWOT analysis read in part STRENGTHS: Power of incumbency and utilisation of governance machinery, especially the careful and legal deployment of its propaganda and coercive apparatus; secure financial resources base and leveraging on strategic media assets.

Others are formidable political apparatus—a reformed, disciplined and tightly controlled PDP— with significant presence in all the 36 states and dominant control over 23 states; Deep-rooted, nation-wide support structures in the shape of Goodluck Support Group

and literally speaking, hundreds of youths, women and regional affiliates controlled and supervised by the more dominant support structures; Effective and efficient implementation of the transformation agenda in critical national sectors; high personal likeability rating, which has to be further strengthened and deepened; When the chips are down, immense support will be secured from the National Council of State by ex-leaders who value continuity and order over instability and chaos

Continues on Page 14

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Lagos records first rainfall in 2014

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Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC National leader

Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari of APC

Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State governor

5 Commissioners, 3 senators in race to replace Fashola zPDP plans strategies to win Lagos

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, Deputy Political Editor

A

T LEAST FIVE commissioners in the Lagos State cabinet and all three senators from the state are under consideration to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola in the gubernatorial election due about a year from now.

The eight are among 19 jostling for the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which is working out permutations to stop the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from making any head-way in the election.

The PDP, which is currently parading six contenders in the emerging contest, is being boosted by the recent acquittal of its patron, Chief Olabode George and the swell of support arising from its strong showing in the last local council elections to outsmart the APC in the governorship of the state.

However, of the 19 believed to be interested in the ticket of the APC, only Senator Ganiyu Solomon has openly come out to indicate interest in the position.

All others are believed to be strategically positioning themselves and courting the support of the party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also, the incumbent governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN. The possible interest of the only female among the 19 in the fold of the APC, Senator Remi Tinubu, has remained a matter of hushed discussions despite the open denial of the senator of any interest in the job vacated by her husband nearly seven years ago.

There is also the possibility of a dark horse picking the ticket as Fashola did in 2007.

The others believed to be interested in the job are: Mr. Ayo Ariyo Gbeleyi, Commissioner for Finance.

Mr. Olasupo Shasore, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, former Commissioner for Finance.

Dr. Femi Hamzat, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure.

Dr. Leke Pitan, the former Commissioner for Health and later Education.

Mr. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode, former Permanent Secretary and

Accountant General.

Mr. Adeola Ipaye, AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice.

Waheed Enitan Oshodi, Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development.

Tunde Faula, Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Service, LIRS. Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, serving senator (Lagos West) Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Speaker House of Assembly.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa, serving senator (Lagos East) Senator Remi Tinubu, serving senator (Lagos Central) Dr. Muiz Banire Hakeem Alibo Hakeem Muri Okunola Mr. Gbolahan Lawal Mr. Kayode Opeifa Mr. Femi Pedro Those considered to be angling for the post on the plank of the PDP include: Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro Segun Ogundimu Ade Dosunmu Owolabi Salis Qudus Folami Babatunde Gbadamosi Mr. Jimi Agbaje, who contested against Fashola in 2007 on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Alliance, DPA, is also known to be revving up machinery for another contest. Agbaje is, however, yet to unveil the platform he would be using for the contest though sources say he is being wooed by both PDP and APC. APC leaders search for acceptable candidate To fence off a stiff challenge expected from the PDP, Vanguard gathered that leaders of the APC are closing ranks to pick an acceptable and credible candidate.

And to ensure a rancour-free nomination process unlike what happened in 2007, sources said the APC hierarchy led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recently, consulted Fashola to list some nominees as his likely successor.

The governor was said to have tipped five persons namely, Mr. Ayo Ariyo Gbeleyi, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Olasupo Shasore, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in his first term; Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, immediate past Commissioner for Finance, who left to take up an

appointment with First Bank of Nigeria Plc last July; Dr Femi Hamzat, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure; and current Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Waheed Enitan Oshodi.

Apart from the five, other aspirants considered to enjoy favourable rating among APC leaders include Dr Leke Pitan, former Commissioner for Health and later Education during Tinubu’s tenure. Pitan is a Christian and from Epe, Lagos East. There is also Mr. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode, former Permanent Secretary, State Treasury Office and Accountant General of the state who resigned in 2012 purportedly because of his governorship ambition.

Speaking on the issues, a leader of the party, said the leadership will take into consideration the desire of stakeholders for a person who doubles as a technocrat and a politician, as a candidate.

In anticipation of the moves of the PDP, which might want to play the religious card, he said the party may pick a Christian as its standard bearer and zone the ticket to Lagos East. The tilt towards Lagos East follows agitations that the area last produced a governor in 1992 in the person of Sir Michael Otedola.

Since the creation of Lagos in 1967, the state has witnessed seven governorship elections – 1979, 1983, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.

The last and only time a Christian was elected as governor was in 1991. And the last time Lagos East produced the governor was in 1991 through Michael Otedola, who incidentally is a Christian from Epe. The other governors, Alhaji Lateef Jakande hailed from Lagos West; Tinubu (Lagos West) and Fashola is from Lagos Central.

APC ‘ll produce another performer — Ajomale Lagos APC Interim Chairman, Henry Ajomale, said last week that the party will choose a performer to succeed Fashola.

Asked the position of the party on the controversies trailing the jostling, he said: “When we get there, we will cross the river. But now, there is still a lot of work to do. The same way we picked Fashola is the same way we will pick the next governor of the state who again will perform better

than Fashola himself. We have them in stock.

“Fashola himself will wish that anybody the party will pick will perform better than him because nobody knew that he will do well when we were looking for somebody who will perform better than Asiwaju and Fashola has done that. Anybody coming will now see that the shoe is so big and for someone to climb into it, he must be able to work harder. The reward for hard work is more work.

We will always find someone young, energetic and who can take Lagos to the highest point.

Fashola will be happy to have somebody like that succeed him.”

PDP plans to sink differences To snatch Lagos from APC, Vanguard gathered feuding factional leaders of the PDP are making efforts to sink their differences. Insiders regard the recent clean bill of health given Chief Olabode George by the Supreme Court, which ruled that his conviction for graft is null and void as a boost for the party ahead 2015.

Obanikoro told journalists last week that the PDP will surprise APC at the polls in 2015. Asked how his party would accomplish that given the apparent disunity in its rank, the 2007 PDP governorship candidate and former envoy to Ghana said the APC is also not united.

“They are not united either.

What you are seeing in their party as unity is peace of the graveyard.

An honest member of their party will tell you all is not well in that party either. All what you see them do is make-believe. With time, you will also come to this conclusion. They will turn apart.

In a system where a single person determines the councilor, the council Chairman as well as members of the national and state assemblies including the governor, you should know that the alleged peace in their party is that of the graveyard. Did you think the market women and men in the state are happy that the same man anointed his daughter to become leader of market women and men in the state? People like us cannot just stand by and allow all these to go unchallenged…I want to let people know that we in Lagos PDP are serious about 2015 and we have what it takes to dismantle this oppressive, insensitive and elitist government in Lagos State,” he said.

KEJA — SOME parts of Lagos metropolis yesterday, witnessed the first rainfall of the year.

The rain which was not destructive, began around 1.30p.m. and lasted for about an hour.

Some residents in Ikeja area said the rainfall was “a welcome development,” adding that it portends good signs for the New Year.

Mrs. Caroline Ojo, a grocery trader at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, said it was a sign of good things to happen this year.

“God knows that the weather has been too harsh and people are not comfortable, hence He opened the heavens for the rain to fall,” Ojo said.

Passengers were seen stranded at the exit gate of the airport, waiting for the rain to stop.

A passenger, Alhaji Bulus Abubakar, said that the rainfall would enable the harmattan haze that usually affected the visibility of pilots during taking_off or landing of aircraft, to be reduced.

However, the rainfall did not affect flight operations.

2015: Group to mobilise 1m youths in Lagos

BY IKENNA ASOMBA

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HEAD OF the 2015 general elections, a Lagos-based non-governmental and non-partisan group, Arise Lagos, AL, has expressed readiness to mobilise over one million youths to actively participate in the polls in the state.

The Convener, Mr. Gbenga Aloto told journalists at a press briefing in Lagos, yesterday, that AL, which will be officially inaugurated on November 4, is geared towards mobilising and sensitising Lagos youths towards participating actively in the polls and avoid being used as thugs to perpetrate violence and electoral malpractices.

“As the 2015 general elections is fast around the corner with lots of political intrigues coming up everyday, we are poised to mobilise youths here in Lagos, who will be sensitised on the need to become politically active.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—11

APC, Fayemi plot to implicate me — Bamidele

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

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DO EKITI — A House of Representatives member and Labour Party gubernatorial aspirant in Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele has alleged a grand ploy by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to frame him up on trump up charges over the rumoured attempt on the life of the security aide to the governor, Mr. Deji Adesokan.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and other relevant security agencies in the country to investigate and sanction those found culpable in the allegation, saying none of those arrested over the matter has a link with him.

Afolabi Oyediran and Oluwafemi Sunday were arrested within the premises of Deji Adesokan, a Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Internal Security about two weeks ago with arms.

The duo are now facing trial at a magistrate's court in Ado Ekiti A statement signed by Ahmed Salami, media aide to Bamidele in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, accused the APC and Ekiti government of desperately contriving sinister means through which they could negotiate for the withdrawal of cases pending in court against Interim Chair-

man of the party, Mr. Jide Awe and nine alleged killers of Bamidele’s loyalist, Mr. Foluso Ogundare.

According to Bamidele, it was incongruous and smack of deceit and ignorance for the APC members to have linked him with the two accused persons, when no such information was contained in their statements to the police or affidavits deposed to in court.

“Given the mischievous way the story was presented to the public, it is important for us to put the record straight to avail

the members of the public an opportunity to know the truth of the matter.

“In the first instance, the governor ’s aide Deji Adesokan (aka Jaruu) is a notorious persecutor of perceived opponents of Fayemi who would stop at nothing to implicate, intimidate, harass and, where he can, outrightly kill to ensure a second term tenure so desperately desired by Governor Olukayode John Fayemi in spite of the increasing rejection by well-meaning Ekiti people who are insisting that they can-

not be fooled more than once.

In his reaction, the APC spokesman, Mr. Segun Dipe said the present state government and the party has no time for frivolity and triviality.

His words: ”It is quite unfortunate that Bamidele who is a legal practitioner is trying to give an impression that judiciary is compromising.

“For APC and government of Ekiti State, our focus is 2014, we don’t have time for frivolity and triviality," Dipe concluded.

MEETING: Osun State Governor State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd left); Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji moshood Adeoti (2nd left); Oloba of Oba-Ile, Oba Michael Adebisi (right); Oloba of Oba Oke, Oba Iyiola Bamidele (left), and others, after a meeting resolving the renewed communal clash between Oba Ile and Oba Oke in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun, at the Governor's Office, Abere, Osun State.

Aregbesola, Omisore trade words over worship centre

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

F

ORMER DEPUTY governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore has

described the proposed building of an Interdenominational Worship Centre by the state government as an attempt to siphon taxpayers' money.

But in a swift reaction, Director

of Publicity of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

Omisore also called on the Rauf Aregbesola led administration to

...Omisore unfit to speak — Osun APC

I

N A telephone chat with Vanguard, Mr. Oyatomi said: “How can you use the building of an inter-denomina-

tional worship centre to siphon money?

“Omisore cannot comment on what is happening in the state

Foundation fetes 500 widows, aged women

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE — AT least 500 widows and the aged women have benefitted from the empowerment and intervention programme of a Non governmental Organisation, Elizade foundation in Ondo State.

The Foundation has equally expressed its readiness to provide free education to orphans in Owo Local Government Area

of the state.

The organisation, which was founded by Mr. Olaide Adelami, distributed food items, clothing materials and money to widows, aged women and orphans in the area during the festivity.

The founder, Adelami, who was represented by Dr. Bode Ayorinde, said that the decision to offer free education programme to the children of deceased was to further empower the families and contribute to the socio-economic development of the people.

because he is not even the candidate of the party. If Aregbesola is not building the worship centre, they will say he is Islamising the state. Most renowned Christian clerics hail from this state and for your information, the plan for the building of the worship centre did not start today.

“Aregbesola is unlike them because for 90 months, they wrecked the economy of this state when they were in government. Every kobo that Rauf has earned, in the last 36 months, he has put to use judiciously.

“Rauf Aregbesola is above board and siphoning is just their own language because that is what they do. On the school reclassification policy he said: “Does Omisore want us to leave the schools in the sorry state they left if? God forbid!”

reverse the new education policy rather than embarking on the project.

Omisore said this in a statement by his Director of Media and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi, that, “The proposed worship centre is an attempt to siphon taxpayers' money with no genuine concern for the welfare of the people of the state. ” It would have been more honourable for the government to admit mistake and reverse the new education policy which is causing confusion in the state than erecting an interdenominational centre to hoodwink the Christian community who are opposed to his disposition towards them.”

He said: “As a governor that claims to believe in equality among all religions, my concern is about how much the government will have to spend to erect mosques and shrines for our Muslim brothers and “Isese” people when the people of the state are wallowing in abject poverty.”

Osun, Ogun begin 2014 with prayers

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SOGBO — OSUN and Ogun state governments, yesterday, organised inter-denominational special prayers to usher in the New Year 2014.

In Osun, the prayers held at the Bola Ige House, Governor’s Office, Osogbo, was to commence official activities by the state government.

The prayer session was attended by government officials including the state Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Tomori and members of the state Executive council.

Also, workers in the employ of Ogun held a nondenominational service in Abeokuta, the state capital, to kick-start government business in the New Year.

According to reports the workers had massed at the state government secretariat at Oke-Mosan as early as 8.00 a.m. for the spiritual exercise.

The programmes which featured prayers, praise and worship were part of efforts by the workers to usher in 2014, according to the organisers.

Expert tasks Volunteer Teachers

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

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XPERTS HAVE called on Volunteer Teachers to act as agents of positive change and transformation to enable the nation achieve its education goals.

Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, founder, Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, AGDC, said this in her keynote address at the Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project Volunteer Teachers Scheme Award, in Lagos recently.

She challenged them to use the opportunity in their hands as volunteer teachers to work harder in imparting useful knowledge, discipline and patriotism to the younger generation.

“It is important that as volunteer teachers engaged to address the shortage of teachers especially in core subject areas such as English Language, Mathematics and the Sciences, you should be dedicated and resourceful professionals and contribute your quota to the overall vision of excellence of the present Lagos State administration.

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

I dumped PDP over UNEP report —AMAECHI

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, has said that one of the reasons he dumped Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for All Progressives Congress APC, was because of the delay on the part of the Federal Government to implement the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, report on Ogoni.

The governor, in Tai Local Government Area of the state, while launching 100 motor cycles to kick-start registration of APC members in the area, said the APC was set to win elections in the state.

“I have left PDP. When I was in PDP, UNEP report said $1billion should be spent to clean-up the oil spill in Ogoniland and further pay compensation and provide potable water for Ogoni people. We can’t have a South-South President and allow the UNEP report die a natural death.

It shows that the Federal Government does not care about us. As a governor of the state, I played a vital role in ensuring that potable water was provided for Eleme and Gokana people.

Why must our people continue to suffer this neglect and deprivation despite several attempts to remind the Federal Government to effect the immediate implementation of the UNEP report?

“On the day of election in 2015, I will come to you (the people of Tai) to support APC enmass and vote out PDP, and you will get the implementation of the UNEP report.

"In the 2011 elections, Tai people were among those who voted President

Jonathan into office and we have nothing to show for it as dividends of democracy.

The only way you can pay back PDP is to vote out the party.

“PDP has the police to intimidate us, but, I tell you as a people, in a democracy, power belongs to the people to chose their leaders, so, you must protect the Rivers interest because, we have suffered much in the hands of PDP. We all must, therefore, defend the interest of

APC.” Governor Amaechi assured that his administration would continue to deliver developments to the area.

Governor Amaechi also honoured a former military administrator of the old Rivers State, General Zamani Lekwot (rtd), a former minister of the country, Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas, Chief Omubo Isokariari, the late Ken Sarowiwa, late Harold Dappa Biriye, Prof Kay Williamson, Albert Badey and Prof Otonti Nduka.

Obasanjo’s letter ill intended —URHOBO YOUTHS

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—COALITION of Urhobo Youth Organizations, CUYO, yesterday, flayed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, describing same as uncalled for and ill intended.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after a meeting of CUYO in Ughelli, Delta State, spokesman of the group, Mr. Stephen Ohwokirerhuo, said Obasanjo was supposed to emulate General Yakubu Gowon and play advisory role in the country, lamenting that the country did not fare any better when Obasanjo was President.

Noting that President Jonathan deserved the support of all Nigerians considering the effective implementation of his transformation agenda, Ohwokirerhuo said the letters Obasan-

jo claimed to have written to “Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babanginda and Sani Abacha were not in this manner.”

He said: “Obasanjo’s letter is capable of pitching ethnic groups against each other. The constitution of a country is greater than that of a political party and Nigerians have not told Obasanjo that they have accepted a one party system.

“He had an opportunity to sail the ship called Nigeria twice, but could not sail it to destination as the late Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan inherited maladministration, corruption, failed power projects, electoral malpractice, bad roads and political witch hunt of perceived political enemies from him.

“Why is he always seeking to be third after God? Why has he hinted to the nation and the international community that here in Nigeria our votes do not count since he already knows the region the next president is coming from?"

Delta 2015: Gbagi can't stop Utuama —GROUP

F

AULTING recent criticism of Delta State deputy governor, Professor Amos Utuama, by former Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, wherein he asked Utuama to retire after his tenure as deputy governor, Delta Central Movement for Justice and Peace, has said that Utuama was free to contest the 2015 governorship election in Delta State if he desired.

In a statement, yesterday, Chairman of the move-

ment, Prince Orhomonokpaya, noted that Professor Utuama was free to contest the 2015 governorship election, adding that Gbagi had no moral right to condemn or stop the ambition of Utuama or any other person.

He said that there were the likes of Chief Anthony Anenih, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees Chairman and the par-

ty Chairman, Alhaji Bamaga Tukur, and many others, who were well above 80 years old, in the current government and wondered why Gbagi was ranting over Utuama’s age of 66 to 70.

The group said that what Gbagi did was against the culture of Urhobo people, who treat their elders with respect and as such, he shouldn’t have mocked his own lecturer, who taught him law at the University of Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—13

FBN Holdings records N290.8bn gross earnings in 9 months

NIMASA vows to curb crude oil theft in 2014

T

BY PETER EGWUATU

F

C M Y K

IRST Bank of Nigeria, FBN, Holdings Plc, has disclosed that it has recorded a gross earnings of N290 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, representing an increase of 11.4 per cent over N260 billion posted in the corresponding period of 2012.

According to the result obtained by Vanguard, FBN recorded an interest income of N172.4 billion up by 0.4 per cent year on year from N171.8 billion recorded in the preceding period of 2012. Its Non-interest revenue stood at N51.6 billion, up by 9.4 per cent from N47.2 billion recorded within the same period in 2012.

Other performance indices showed that the company’s operating income was N224.1 billion, up by 2.3 per cent year on year as against N219 billion recorded in 2012; impairment charge for credit losses stood at N15.7 billion as against N9.8 billion in 2012, while profit before tax dropped to N70.1 billion, from N75.7 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2012.

On its balance sheet, the company posted total assets of N3.7 trillion, up by eight per cent quarter-onquarter by June as against N3.4 trillion in June 2012 and up by 14.6 per cent year –to-date as against N3.2 trillion in December 2012.

Total customer deposits stood at N2.8 trillion, an increase of 9.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Jun 2013: N2.6 trillion) and 16.6 per cent year to date (December 2012: N2.4 trillion).

Furthermore, the company’s nine months result shows that total customer loans and advances (net) stood at N1.6 trillion, up by 5.8 per cent quarter-onquarter by June 2013 as against N1.5 trillion in 2012 .

Commenting on the result, Mallam Bello Maccido, the Chief Executive Officer of FBN Holdings said: “Over the first nine months of 2013, we began to see the impact of recent changes in regulatory policy on our business, in particularly, the increase in the minimum savings deposit rates as well as the removal of the ATM withdrawal fee."

IWERE KNIGHTS ASSOCIATION: Mr. Taiye Ajiyen, President, Iwere Knights Association (middle), flanked by members of the association, during its 2013 Chritmas Party, in Lagos.

Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

Oil theft reduced to 40,000bpd —UDUAGHAN G

OVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, has said that the volume of oil theft in the Niger Delta had reduced from 100,000 barrels to 40,00 barrels per day.

Uduaghan, who disclosed this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that although the quantity of the stolen crude was still on the high side, with proactive measures by government, the menace would be checked.

Specifically, he said that if the culprits of oil theft were prosecuted and sanctioned accordingly and the right technology deployed for monitoring, the crime would drastically reduce.

“The volume of theft is reducing. As at yesterday I still heard somebody quoting 1.4 million barrels of oil being stolen. That is not true. At the time it was at its peak, there was a shutdown of

about 300 barrels of oil as a result of damage to two major pipelines.

“At that time, between 80,000 to 100,000 barrels were being stolen and that was the time we took some measures to ensure that the quantity being stolen was reduced. As at today, I can tell you that the quantity that is being stolen has reduced to about 40,000 barrels per day.

“Those pipelines that were shut down are now functioning, so the 300 to 320 barrels that were shut in as a result of damage to the pipelines have now been released. The stolen 40,000 barrels per day is still on the high side, but as we go further in putting measures in place, especially, the issue of prosecution, the quantity will gradually reduce and if possible, we can get it to a zero level.

“Apart from the prosecution, we are also looking at

technology in monitoring, to be able to deal with oil theft,” he said.

Uduaghan also disclosed that the meeting with the President was to avert the planned warning strike by the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA. He said the President summoned the meeting to find a lasting solution to industrial strikes in the medical sector.

Uduaghan said that the President had conceded to certain conditions that would likely stop the proposed warning strike.

“There were issues that have been raised by the NMA for which members are threatening to go on warning strike that will last for five days. The President called a stakeholders’ meeting this afternoon to look at the issues again. We are now going for another meeting slated for 5.00 pm," he added.

Federal civil servants yet to receive Dec salary —ASCSN

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

A

SSOCIATION of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, yesterday, in Lagos, insisted that federal public workers were yet to be paid December 2013 salary and asked the government to discharge its elementary function of paying workers their December 2013 salary and outstanding arrears since July 2013, instead of embarking on propaganda that it was not owing its employees.

ASCSN’s Secretary-General, Alade Lawal, in a statement, noted that it stood by its earlier state-

ment on Monday that thousands of federal civil servants had not been paid their December 2013 salary and arrears since July 2013.

The association described as incorrect and unfortunate, the statement credited to the Minister of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation that all workers had been paid their December 2013 salary.

ASCSN said: “Governance is not about propaganda.

The government should, therefore, do the needful by paying civil servants their remunerations without fur-

ther delay or face industrial action because this is now a matter of survival for thousands of civil servants, who have not been paid the pittance they receive as salary in the same economy where political office holders go home monthly with millions of naira as remunerations.

“These top government functionaries, who are claiming that civil servants have been paid their salary receive millions of naira monthly as remunerations apart from innumerable perquisites of office they are entitled to and as such are necessarily insulated from poverty."

HE increasing criminality in Nigeria’s territorial waters such as illegal bunkering, crude oil theft, smuggling, and piracy would be effectively curbed in the next one year.

Lt-Col. Abu Kefas (rtd), Chairman of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, board, made the pledge while speaking with newsmen, yesterday in Jalingo, Taraba State.

He said the agency was collaborating with the Airforce and Navy for air surveillance of the country’s maritime domain and patrol of the territorial waters to curb the illegal activities.

“Already, this collaboration is yielding positive results. NIMASA’s performance in 2013 had made the country’s water ways safe for investors. We hope to do more in 2014 bearing in mind that our activities with other agencies will put an end to the menace of crude oil theft in the country,” he said.

APC chieftain lauds Rep

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—A CHIEFTAIN of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, Mr. Sunny Otaru, has lauded the achievements of Mr. Peter Akpatason, the member representing Akoko-Edo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, saying that political office holders in the country should emulate him in the area of providing the dividends of democracy to the people.

Otaru, at Ojirami in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state, said Nigeria would be a better place to live in if political office holders learn to imbibe the spirit of magnanimity as exhibited by Akpatason.

He noted that shortly after assuming office in Abuja “Akpatason brought in doctors, who visited Akoko-Edo council and treated well over 2,000 people."

14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Police arrest Rivers majority leader over alleged murder

P

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

ORT HARCOURT— RIVERS State Police Command, last night confirmed the arrest of the Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Chidi Lloyd, for the alleged murder of a Police Sergeant, Urang Obadiah, and one Kingsley Ejeuo.

A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ahmad Muhamed, said Lloyd allegedly killed the duo using his SUV on Monday, December 30, last year. The Police spokesman said the lawmaker was arrested last night.

The statement by the police read, “Rivers State Police Command has arrested Chidi Llyod of the Rivers State House of Assembly for murder of police Sgt. Urang Obadiah and Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo, his kinsman and arch political opponent.

“He was arrested on his way to join Governor Amaechi Rotimi of Rivers State in his private jet at the at the Airforce base to escape justice. Chidi Lloyd on December 30, 2013, while perusing his political opponent, he knocked down Sgt. Urang Obadiah, despite his effort to stop him, rammed and killed him and went ahead to crush the Passat car of Mr. Ejeuo, was driving and killed him.”

EZZU RIVER DEAD BODIES:

Senate keeps mum on probe report

A

BUJA—ONE year after the Senate mandated two of its committees to unravel the circumstances surrounding the over 35 strange dead bodies found floating on Ezzu River, Amansea, a town on the border between Anambra and Enugu states, it is yet to release the probe report.

The unidentified dead bodies, mostly males, were discovered floating on the river in the early hours of Saturday, January 19, 2013, by some villagers of Amansea, in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

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2015: Aides analyse how Jonathan can win, lose Continues from page 9 Weaknesses •A less than forceful Presidential presence and infective deployment and application of presidential power The perceived appropriation of presidential advocacy space by exuberant partisans and fanatical supporters who project a wrong image of the presidency as a regional agenda. This situation tends to alienate moderate political forces across the country whose sense of co-ownership of the presidency appears diminished •A perceived sense of distance between the Presidency and the PDP that has opened the space for internal dissension and outright rebellion by party stalwarts. This sense of disinterest and disengagement has engendered a culture of apology among Presidential spokespersons whenever matters connecting Mr President and the party appear on the public sphere •Following on the above, the reality of Mr President being the leaders of the nation and the leader of the party is not sufficiently grounded •A technocratic cabinet that is not fully politically engaged, especially in media advocacy and communitywide outreach programmes. This unhelpful situation out burdens a handful regime insiders in their constant defense of The Presidency and the Transformation agenda •A presidential communication strategy that is weak on proactive propaganda and rapid response •Inability of Presidential power strategists to manage the relationship between The Presidency and the NASS to the degree that the later, particularly

the HOR, which is dominated by the PDP, appears as an outfit and mouthpiece of the opposition •Problematic relationship between the Presidency and some former heads of State when, in actuality, they should constitute the bedrock of his support Opportunities •Exploiting the current fractured state of the NGF for maximum political advantage by strengthening the cooperative faction and sustaining the pressure on recalcitrant PDP governors •Exploiting the opportunities inherent in the putative fracturing of the Northern Governors’ Forum by strengthening co-operative

governors and sustaining pressure, directly and through different front organizations, on the recalcitrant governors •Playing on the political ambitions of regional champions, especially in the North, to the degree and extent that no unanimity of political purpose and cohesive agenda is ever achieved •The APC may appear as a formidable threat initially but substantive opportunities will abound when ambitions and egos clash among its principal promoters. Strategic planning should factor in the scenario in the designing of intervention blueprint •Exploiting the immense public opinion opportunities in the current war against terror

in the North, especially given the steady successes thus far recorded by the NSA, and the military high command through the JTF •Utilizing the social and economic empowering and inclusive space provided by SURE-P, particularly its integrated community empowerment schemes, to advertise and show case the populist and pro-people orientation of the government Threats There are sufficient grounds to believe that the NASS continues to pose a threat to the effective exercise of Presidential power in the areas of budget-making processes and the on-going amendments of the constitution with specific reference to devolution of power and tenure of elected officials.

MAN-OF-THE-YEAR: Vanguard's Man of the Year, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, fielding questions from journalists after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: Abayomi Adeshida.

Count APC out of Anambra LG poll —NGIGE

A

BY DAPO AKINREFON

WKA—GOVERNORSHIP candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Chris Ngige, has said the APC will not participate in the forthcoming local government election in Anambra State.

He said this when he addressed a press conference in Awka, after a crucial meeting with stakeholders and APC aspirants on the said election.

The local council election is scheduled to hold on January 11, 2014.

But the APC has subsequently directed all the party councillorship and chairmanship candidates, as well as its supporters to boycott the election.

Ngige said it became necessary for the party to take a position after reviewing the last gubernatorial election.

Besides, the governorship candidate commended the people of Anambra State for their steadfastness and patience, alleging that “few days to the election, voters’ register has not been given to parties and the last voters register used by Nigeria Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in

conducting the gubernatorial election has not been reviewed, hence APC is insisting on an authentic voters register.”

He berated INEC over what he described as “glaring signs of the non- readiness of INEC, hence doubt their ability to conduct and ensure a free, fair and credible election.”

He, however, alleged that

there were desperate moves by the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in collaboration with INEC, to ensure that “APC is completely excluded from all elective positions in the state against the will of the people.”

The lawmaker, who represents Anambra Central Constituency, also took a swipe

at the acting chairman of Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, Mr Sylvester Okonkwo, for requesting political parties to submit the list of candidates and their forms to the commission “when issues leading to a free, fair and credible election in the state are yet to be addressed.”

No plans to increase fuel price — FG Continues from page 5 producing below 30 per cent installed capacity utilisation.

The NNPC, in its 2013 Third Quarter Petroleum Information, put the average capacity utilisation of the Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri refineries at 29.71 per cent, 4.42 per cent and 28.87 per cent respectively, in the third quarter of 2013.

This is a far cry from the figure put forward by the NNPC towards the middle of last year, where it said the Kaduna Refinery was running at 65 per cent installed capacity, while the Warri re-

finery was producing at 63 per cent and the Port Harcourt Refinery producing at 66 per cent of installed capacity.

This may have necessitated the Federal Government’s decision to privatise the refineries, by selling them off to private investors to manage.

The planned sale of the refineries commenced last month with the setting up of the Steering Committee, headed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources. The Federal Government also set a time frame of 18 months for the conclusion of the privatisation process.

The NNPC, in the Third Quarter Petroleum Information, declared that in the period under review, a total of 1.496 million metric tonnes, MT, of crude oil/condensate was pumped to the three refineries for processing, out of which the refineries were able to process 970,000MT. The NNPC said: “In third quarter 2013, about 1,242 MT of dry crude oil/condensate was pumped to the three refineries — Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, KRPC, Port Harcourt Refining Company, PHRC and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —15

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16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Jang assures on credible LG poll

BY TAYE OBATERU

J

OS—AMID allegations of imposition of candidates in some local government areas, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has promised that the local government election scheduled for the end of this month would be credible.

Speaking at the New Year Service of COCIN Church Du, he said everything would be done to make the elections free and fair stressing, “at the end of this month, we are going to have our local government elections and we want to have peaceful elections”.

He reiterated his promise to run a righteous administration when he came into office in 2007, pledging to abide by the promise to the end of his administration.

Governor Jang said: "I know we have shortcomings here and there, but I think we have done our best to run this administration on the path

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of righteousness."

The governor’s promise of a credible local government election came

amidst the disquiet in many of the 15 local government areas where the election would hold over

the manner chairmanship candidates of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, emerged.

Access Bank completes divestment from Cote d 'Ivoire subsidiary

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

A

CCESS Bank Plc has announced the completion of its divestment from its Cote d ’Ivoire subsidiary, Access Bank Cote d’Ivoire, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s, CBN, directive that required Nigerian banks to either raise fresh capital from the offshore capital market to recapitalise their foreign subsidiaries or divest from them.

In a notice filed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, the bank stated that the divestment was concluded via a direct sale of its entire equity holding in the subsidiary to a

preferred bidder, Afriland First Group SA. The bank further stated that all conditions for the completion of the transaction were achieved, including the receipt of regulatory approvals from both the Central Bank of

Nigeria and the Central Bank of West African States, BCEAO, adding that the impairments arising from the divestment have already been accounted for in the bank’s financials beginning from January 2013.

Jonathan urged to translate promises to reality

BY TAYE OBATERU

J

OS—AS reactions continue to trail President Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year speech, a former Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Mr. Ezekiel Gomos, has said things would get better in 2014 if the president translates the promises contained in the message into reality.

He told Vanguard that aspects of the speech were

an admission of some problems in governance urging that the honesty demonstrated in the speech should be followed by a sincere pursuit of the promises made.

Gomos, who is the Executive Director of Jos Business School, believes that tackling the problem in the transmission aspect of the energy sector should be accorded priority if the gain of the privatization of the sector is to be felt by electricity consumers.

North West PDP expresses support for Jonathan

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders from the North-West Zone yesterday expressed implicit confidence and support for the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The stakeholders made

this declaration during a courtesy call on the Vice President, Mohammed Namadi in Kaduna.

They said that they were in Kaduna to felicitate with Sambo on the occasion of the new year 2014 as well as to brief him on the political developments in their various states, even as they also expressed

willingness to forge a common front to ensure peaceful political activities and compliance to due process.”

Also, in a statement read

by Ambassador Aminu Wali from Kano State on behalf of the party executives, they unanimously expressed their "unshaken belief in the unity and

indivisibility of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"We reiterate our total support and loyalty to the PDP and the NWC. We agreed to work assiduously to promote peace and unity among members of the PDP and ensure sustainable growth of the party in our states as well as its success in future elections.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 —17

New year reflections T

HE “festive season” is not festive for everyone; and I’ve been thinking about Vanguard readers who didn’t have merry Christmases.

Happiness is as much about psychological wellbeing and peace of mind as material comforts; and the privileged are not immune from the vagaries of the

human condition. As someone very wise once said: Money is not everything.

Some of you will have been too sick - or too racked with anxiety about practical and/or emotional problems - to completely relax and joyfully celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth (or, if not Christian, to just enjoy the

holiday period) with your families and friends. Others will have been victims of terrorism or crime.

You may be one of the fortunate few who never has to worry about basics like how to keep a roof over your head, how to pay school fees or how to put food

Jonathan, Obasanjo, etc I

’VE said so much about the open letter that Obasanjo addressed to President Jonathan and the open letter that IyaboObasanjo subsequently addressed to her Dad; and I’m tired of dwelling on bitter open letters at great length!

So let me just say that the latest open letter – from Mr President to Obasanjo – a) contained quite a few truths and fair comments and b) that I hope that Jonathan and his exmentor will patch up their quarrel before too long.

Nigeria needs progress and harmony, not constant wahala; and I am sick of the toxic conflicts that are messing up a Niger Deltan Presidency I campaigned for.

Jonathan is embroiled in too many tensions with too many people at the moment…including members of his own Party; and hawkish advisors who are urging him to adopt uncompromising po-

•President Goodluck Jonathan

sitions are not doing him any favours.

Five Governors and several legislators have recently walked out on him. This massive political humiliation could have been avoided, if you ask me; and if I were in Jonathan’s shoes, I would go out of my way to prevent further defections to the increasingly buoy-

•Alhaji Bamaga Tukur

on the table. But you may still have been miserable on the 25th because, for example, you’d lost a loved one or were concerned about an ailing marriage.

We all know that traumas like bereavement are inevitable.

And let’s face it: We’re all bound to stumble and fail in future because nobody is perfect.

Meanwhile, poverty and other social ills will never be entirely eliminated.

In other words, pain is an unavoidable part of life. And sure, some unfortunate souls – psychiatric patients, for instance – are so fragile that they are totally helpless. But most of us possess the power to deal with pain in a positive way and to improve our characters, existences and the environments we inhabit.

Most of us CAN, in the coming months, strive to control our weaknesses…and make special efforts to make the world a better place for the folks around us…and learn how to handle tough challenges as adeptly as possible.

I wish you luck and courage in 2014…and pray that you will embrace kindness.

ant APC and shore up my shaky support base.

I personally have nothing against AlhajiBamangarTukur, the Chairman of the PDP; but he is immensely controversial and I don’t see the point of retaining a Chairman who is so divisive at a time when an election is around the corner.

Gracious Graca B

EFORE I sign off this week, I want to make a belated observation about the late great Nelson Mandela’s recent burial.

While the world was heap-

ing deserved praise on a fearless freedom fighter, globally revered icon and brave Thembu (Xhosha) warrior of distinction who was, in my

opinion, the most morally credible leader in the history of modern Africa, my eyes idly strayed towards the heart-broken senior women he left behind.

I was fascinated by the relationship between his current and ex spouses…and immensely touched by the graciousness displayed by his wonderful widow, Graca.

Graca allowed Winnie, the former wife and mother of most of his children, to sit by his bedside while he lay dying.

•Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

She also permitted Winnie – who helped to liberate him from a 28-year jail term - to fully participate in the funeral. At every juncture, Graca and Winnie stood next to each other, united in grief.

Many women would have regarded a predecessor as a bitter rival, especially one as famous and onetime-mega-

beautiful as Winnie. Many women would have flatly refused to allow any other female that level of access, attention and support.

But not Graca, who doesn’t appear to have a petty or jealous bone in her body.

What class! What reasonableness! What compassion!

What a role model!

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811 675 9752 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED. •Winne consoling Graca Mandela

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18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 ONE of the most urgent bills before the National Assembly is one seeking amendments to the 2004 Passport Act. It has gone through the second reading at the House of Representatives and it is a matter of time for the amendments to become law.

What would the law contribute to the wellbeing of Nigerians? The importance of the law is its establishment of privileges it confers on certain classes of Nigerians. The law is to clearly determine, its proposers say, those who should be entitled to bear diplomatic, and official passports.

How important is this? Members of the National Assembly in executing their oversight functions, engage in extensive travels abroad. They want to change Nigeria to resemble their choice travel destinations.

They have largely failed in the past 14 years to reflect lessons from their travels in the Nigeria they build.

Another major reason for their travels is leisure, which is found in parts so far flung that diplomatic passports ease their passages. Similarly, when they venture abroad for medical attention, their status and importance must be flaunted at every stop.

Passpor ts, Privileges, assports, Pover ty erty Diplomatic, and official passports are therefore important. They are status symbols, they cannot be allowed to stray into too many hands, otherwise, they become ordinary and reduce the status of their users.

Formerly, the executive arm of government issued the documents at its discretion. There are fears that some people, including some members of the National Assembly, may be excluded from the privilege, unless the law clearly confirms their status. Moreover, the House of Representatives has started deciding those who would not get the passports.

The Comptroller Generals of the Fire Service and the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, were removed from

the list the House Committee on Interior compiled.

Our concerns are with the importance the National Assembly attaches to laws that extend the privileges of its members while neglecting the issues that result in the poverty that is ravaging the land.

How many laws has it made to facilitate policies that would minimise poverty? How do privileges like these benefit millions of Nigerians who in their lifetime would never need passports, not to mention diplomatic, and official ones?

When the National Assembly moves for its benefit, the urgency is obvious. The rapidity of delivery assumes a national importance disproportionate to the issue. Even at the apogee of abuses visited on similar official privileges, less than half a million Nigerians would have the diplomatic, and official passports at any given time.

The National Assembly can have its passports. It should however to attend to the worries of most Nigerians – education, employment, food, health, infrastructure, justice, security. Nobody requires diplomatic passports to fix Nigeria.

OPINION

BY ADEWALE KUPOLUYI

T

HE growing cases of extra-judicial murders are another source of worry to any discernible mind. It is not only evil but portends serious negative implication on the already battered image and parlous security situation of the nation.

Various documented reports have been replete with verdicts on the state of human rights abuses by successive governments since the return to civil rule by law enforcement agents as being the worse violators of human rights and culprits of extra-judicial killings.

The Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, a network of civil society organisations, spread across Nigeria that seek to promote police accountability and respect for human rights, had expressed serious concerns over the never-ending incidents of extra-judicial killings by law enforcement and security agents in Nigeria.

Amnesty International,AI, had also reported that hundreds of people are killed each year by the Nigeria Police Force, or disappear while in custody in which very few police officers are held accountable for the act, as often times, there are usually no investigations into such deaths in custody, extrajudicial executions or enforced disappearances.

In its 2012 report, AI had accused Nigerian security agents of “unlawful killings, dragnet arrests, arbitrary and unlawful detentions, extortion and intimidation” in some northern parts of the country.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, then acting IGP,

Unresolved killings in the nation once admitted publicly that policeman, especially the Special Anti-Robbery Squads have “become killer teams engaging in deals for land speculators and debts collection”.

Most times, police officers, in perpetrating the criminality often rely on the obnoxious Force Order 237 to commit such atrocities.

The order authorises the use of firearms if a policeman cannot “by any other means, arrest or re-arrest any person, who is suspected or already has been convicted of an offence punishable by death or at least, seven years imprisonment”.

While several cases could be unreported, we cannot forget so easily those that involved the late Chief Bola Ige, Mr. Dele Giwa, Hon. Odunayo Olagbaju, Chief Ogbonnaya Uche, Dr. Harry Marshall, Chief Aminasoari Dikibo, Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe, Engr.

Funsho Williams, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola, Bayo Ohu, Toyin Onagoruwa, Kudirat Abiola and recently, Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

Can we forget so easily too, the use of soldiers in quelling students’ protests at the University of Abuja and Nasarawa State University, the Odi and Zaki-Biam incidents as well as the Kwande incident, where about five trucks loaded with heavily armed military men were said to have invaded the village market and killed innocent people?

Apart from the almost daily and heartless sectarian and terror killings of over 200 people in Baga Town of Borno State that were reportedly killed during a battle

between Nigerian soldiers and insurgents, which resulted into the killing and burning of houses that rendered at least 10,000 people homeless, the Jos crisis has ever remained endemic.

Certainly, these acts by state and non-state agents are nothing but flagrant disregard for the rule of law and violations of the 1999 Constitution as well as the Geneva Convention on the Rules of Engagement guiding wars and other conflict situations.

Agreed, fighting crime is no mean feat, but it should also be realised that those employed and paid to fight crime should not in the process of fighting crime become terrors and criminals themselves by killing suspected criminals. They must be made to realise that nobody is ajudged a criminal until proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. Therefore, there is a sound rationale in putting an end to this season of wickedness and deaths without further delay. Firstly, there is need to monitor more closely, the activities of overzealous law enforcement agents who could be easily become weapons that could be used to score political differences.

S

econdly, is the ever need to continue the adequately funding, training and reorientation of our law enforcement agents, especially, the Nigeria Police to move away from what observers have described as the doctrine and mentality of the military and colonial era that emphasised ‘obey-the-lastorder’, force, violence and brutality, instead of a democratic mindset that emphasises civility, service and partnership with the community.

As I have severally argued that the Nigeria Police, as presently constituted and centrallycontrolled, is just too large and unwieldy to be managed from the centre. The earlier it is decentralised, depoliticised, professionalised and liberated from undue political interference and control from Abuja, the better. That is why the argument for state police is logical.The National Assembly should come to the rescue by expediting action on the passage of the bill for an act to provide for the enforcement and punishment of crimes against humanity, genocide and related offences and to give the necessary legal backing to the domestication of relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in Nigeria.

The judiciary too must do more and be up to its sacred task while police prosecutors should not be found wanting. It is about time we stopped the killing of innocent people. Culprits and those found guilty should be punished according to the law of the land.

The shoddy manner in which previous murder cases were handled should be redressed.

Virtually, all reported extra-judicial killings have been rubbished, abandoned or discontinued out rightly.

As we the political climate is heavily saturated, the tendency for increased extrajudicial killings is high. This should not be.

People should be allowed to associate and express their opinions freely. It is when such a convivial atmosphere exists that there will be real democracy, good governance and sustainable development. *Mr. Kupoluyi wrote from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014— —19

T

HERE is an Igbo saying that a man who does not know where the rain started to beat him, will never know where he will end up.

2013, has been one special year, with some good times, but more of many tough times that appeared like bad times to many. Very big giants fell into the great beyond in 2013. We lost Prof. Chinua Achebe, a man who for his writing opened the eyes of many Igbo enthusiasts and the uninformed into the real issues in the Nigerian Biafra war, in his book, titled "There was a country" which drew sharp criticisms, from ardent Igbo haters, and envy from his peers alike. Typical of the Prof., he laid the bare verifiable facts, and hereby demystified some thin gods of Nigeria, and some of them who have continued to reap the spoils of that war till tomorrow; And 50years after independence, he identified some pertinent questions, for Nigeria, namely; How will the State of anarchy called the ‘Nigerian-Way ’ be reversed? What are the measures that must be taken to prevent corrupt candidates from recycling themselves into positions of leadership? How do we begin to solve these problems in Nigeria, where the structures are present,

but there is no accountability?

How do we find a way to end the present system of godfatherism – An archaic, corrupt practice in which individuals with lots of money and time to spare, (many of them half baked, poorly educated tugs), sponsor their chosen or anointed candidates, and push them right through to the desired position, bribing, threatening, and on occasion murdering any opposition in the process? How can Nigeria make sure that the electoral body overseeing elections is run by widely respected and competent officials chosen by a non-partisan group free of governmental influence or interference? And,how do we move away from what we have today where we have a system where only those individuals with means of capital and who can pay both the exorbitant application fee and fund political campaign can vie for high offices in the land?

These I think, are the rains that have been beating us, and how do we come out of this rain? And more importantly for me, any Igbo man who has not read that book, may not know where the rain began to beat him in this country. In the rain, we lost Dr.Agagun, the former governor of Ondo State, whose coffin was involved in an air crash that claimed lives, on the same date his successor in office was

,

celebrating his birth day. Bizare developments of 2013! We also lost Admiral Okhai Mike Akhigbe, an officer, and a gentle man, and Prof.

Omoruyi.

T

he Holy Scripture admonishes we mortals to number our days. Some of our failures to number our days include the over six months ASUU strike, which accounted for the sudden death of Prof. Iyayi through the reckless murderous driving of a Governor’s convoy. Can they be called leaders, who rather than think of how to solve the recurrent traffic chaotic problems, roar past us in their convoys, breaching all known traffic laws and rules in their executive lawlessness?

What started in the North East with the deliberate killing of Igbos and Christians, continued

Ban on fish importation: Another Greek gift

BY JOHN NICHOLAS

G

OVERNMENTS everywhere across the world at one point or the other have had cause to place ban on importation of certain items. This act, more often than not, is informed by the need to protect local industries which have basic capacity and competence to produce same. It is also aimed at promoting national security, guaranteeing self sufficiency, saving hardearned foreign currencies, enhancing economy growth and development, and generating employment opportunities.

Achieving these goals requires conscious and painstaking efforts, deliberately devoted to planning, research and development, and massive investments in infrastructure in order to boost local production to meet demands.

In Nigeria, unfortunately, the reverse is the case. Government would rather ban importation of certain products under the guise of encouraging industries, without giving a hoot about critical challenges and major drawbacks that could prevent the actualisation of such policy objectives.

Thereby, the cart is placed before the horse; a recipe for failure! There is no doubting the fact that, if the right things are done, this policy has the potential to instigate increasing local production. But as things presently are, it will be counterproductive and achieving the exact opposite.

It’s against this backdrop that, the recent announcement by the PDP led federal government to ban the importation of fish, with effect from December 31, 2013, has to be condemned. This is because the policy is taking effect without commensurate programmes geared towards increasing the production of different varieties of fish by farmers across the country, and therefore would lead to scarcity and smuggling, with attendant high costs. Considering the fact that fish constitutes the most affordable source of protein to the vast majority of poor

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and working people Nigeria, who are already groaning under the deadweight of economic hardship, this policy must be viewed as ill-advised, unjust, callous and anti-poor.

It should be recalled that the federal government in a letter dated October 29, 2013, had directed fish importers to ensure that all bills of lading carried dates not later October 2013 and the cargoes arrived the Nigerian waters not later than December 31, 2013. Incidentally, this ‘ultimatum’ is coming even when the one-man, one-pond policy of the Ministry of Agriculture is yet to be realised by the government, partly due to lack of commitments, but mainly because it is ill-conceived. Added to this is the empty promise made by the Minister, Akinwunmi Adesina on assumption of office to boost local production by providing government expansion grants to fish farmers’. Till date, its remains largely unfulfilled.

Already fish farmers have started voicing the objection to the policy. For instance, Fish-Farm Estate Development Association (FEDA) has stressed the point that the country is not yet sufficient in fish production. While addressing journalists at a meeting recently in Awka, Anambra state, the association President, Chief Maurice Ebo, revealed, “We can’t produce the varieties of fishes that foreign country can produce. At the moment, we can only produce the catfish and catfish farmers are abandoning the business because of the huge cost of feeding.”

“Before the government can take such step, we should be self-sufficient in fish production first”, he further argued. He expressed worry that Nigerians- the poor working majority would suffer excruciating hardship sourcing fish from the New Year when the ban takes effect. He disclosed that members of the association have resolved to embark on a national wide protest against this latest attack on the working masses, so as to rescue them from the

escalation into full terrorism in 2013, like the proverbial case of our failure to remove the hand of the monkey from the soup and it turned into the hand of a man! We know however that the Boko Haram we see today, we shall see no more in 2014. Why do I say this?

Because the politicians know that it is a year for campaigns, and they will quell that menace. So GEJ, and our Military leaders should stand still and see the salvation of our politicians in the North East in 2014!

The ruling PDP, did not number their days in 2013, hence the massive decamping by many Governors, and many threats looming from the House of Reps, and perhaps the Senate. The APC, also did not count their days in 2013, when Lagos State started those deportations of Igbo people, promoting anti-Igbo sentiments, with unprovoked attacks on Igbo businesses in Ladipo market, Alaba International Market etc, as a result of which majorly, APGA remained in Anambra State, ringing a thing of joy to many Ndigbo.

Our Medical Doctors are still on strike, turning teaching and government hospitals to grave yards, and reminding us to work towards that time in Nigeria, when a Minister must be forced to resign, if any form of strike action took place within his or her areas of authority. The year 2013, refused to go away without those Presidential Open letters, of peculiar ‘Nigerian wisdom’ that exposed many things to we commoners, such as watching

,

BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

,

Good bye 2013, welcome 2014

Our dreams in 2014, could include the repair

by GEJ and its leaders of the atomicity of the ruling party.; APC to grow stronger and wider providing the credible opposition party

This aspect of agriculture with huge opportunities for job creations, if properly harnessed, is currently being threatened by high cost of feeding, which explains why many farmers are abandoning their ponds

,

agonies of expensive fish in the New Year.

Regrettably, this is a sad commentary on our greedy, corrupt and vicious capitalist ruling elite. Since independence, successive governments at all levels have ruled and ruined the nation’s economy. Despite being blessed with stupendous human and natural resources, agriculture remains largely agrarian. The majority of the population can hardly feed themselves. They wallow in squalor and poverty, and live on less $1.25 per day in midst of abundance! Its worthy of note, that this same country was largely sustained on agriculture as its mainstay in the 1950s and early 1960s, contributing over 70 percent to the national income. However, with crude oil available at commercial quantity and especially since the oil boom of early 1970’s, crude oil has become the mainstay, now accounting for over 90 percent of our national revenue. The petroldollars are largely mismanaged, while the economy is in throes.

T

he resultant effects of this skewed economy management, with emphasis on profits for the few rich at the expense of the majority, are increasingly threatened national security, poor funding of education, decayed infrastructure, unemployment and hunger. This has led to spending over $10bn annually on the importation of basic food items mainly wheat, rice, sugar and fish.

Nigeria remains the highest importer of rice globally. Yet, the country is endowed with large expanse of land area close to a million

Asiwaju Tinunbu and OBJ in a picture pose, and prompting many with good conscience to say a quick bye to 2013, with its many more mistakes, like the continued GEJ-Amaechi face off, and such others that space will not allow here.

A Chinese proverb says “ do not limit yourself, strive to create different opportunities where you are, remember, you can dream different dreams on the same bed”.

Nigerians can also dream many dreams even on this same bed of the Nigerian current situation of increasing unemployment, power outage, migrant embarrassments all over the globe, corruption, ethnicity, religious intolerance in the North East, Kidnapping in the South East, arrant impunity by leaders, and many more. Our dreams in 2014, could include the repair by GEJ and its leaders of the atomicity of the ruling party.; APC to grow stronger and wider providing the credible opposition party; Removal of the persistent sabotage in the electric power sector, increase to funding and lending from our commercial banks to agriculture, and the manufacturing sector such that one out of every three college graduates will find job; Removal of the shame of migrant Nigerians overseas; Tackling of corruption with a greater bite, by the anticorruption agencies in Nigeria, and total overhauling of the INEC for a better performance come 2015.

*Mr. Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.

square kilometres ,if not more, over 33 percent of which is arable;13,000 square kilometres of water;853 kilometres of coastline and one of best variety of climate and vegetation that can support wide range of food crops and cash crops.

Fish farming in Nigeria is comprised of captured fisheries (artisanal or inland waters and distance or marine waters) and cultured fisheries (aquaculture).Over 65 percent of fish farmers, mainly rural fishermen, account for less than 20percent cropping yields, which presently constitute fish for domestic consumption, coming from captured fisheries. The low yields are partly due to the use of obsolete fishing gears by fishermen, but majorly due to depleted natural stocks, without concerted efforts made at replenishments. These include species like Tilapia, Carps, clarias, Catfish, Tuna etc.

Aquaculture, still relatively new in Nigeria has capacity for increasing yields, requires huge investments in infrastructure and feeding. In fact, over 80percent of imported fish (sardine, Titus, stock fish, crockers, mackerel etc) are cultured fisheries. In Nigeria, aquaculture, mainly the rearing of fish in ponds, is majorly for catfish production, and it’s essentially by individual efforts, with little or no government investments. This aspect of agriculture with huge opportunities for job creations, if properly harnessed, is currently being threatened by high cost of feeding, which explains why many farmers are abandoning their ponds.

From the foregoing, it’s doubtful if the Jonathan government, with his unweaving commitments to big businesses, would be ready to commit public funds to revamp agriculture or any other critical sector of the economy in dire need of investments for the common good. Same applies to other governments at state and local levels, irrespective of their party affiliations. They are in agreement when government policies are meant to further impoverish the citizens.

Hence, the need for the formation of a mass working class political party that will represent the interests of poor working masses. *Mr. Nicholas, a farmer, wrote from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

JANUARY 3 , 2014

I want justice to be done •Father of man allegedly shot by army sergeant cries out

By JIMITOTA ONOYUME

P

ORT HARCOURT: “I want justice to be done on this matter. My son was murdered in cold blood.

Whoever did this must face the law, justice must be done.

The soldier whom I understand is a Sergeant, Ismaila Adediran must face justice.

This is what will satisfy my family”. These were the words of Mr Henry Akangbou as he told the story of how his only son, Donbraye Akangbou was allegedly murdered on December 11 2013 by a soldier attached to a construction company in Port Harcourt.

Mr Akangbou sighed at a point and shook his head as he spoke to the Vanguard Metro, VM. “My son was 33years old. He was a gentle man. He wedded in June last year and the wife is pregnant.” Again he paused, tapped his right toe on the floor in his sitting room. Everyone, in the living room with him felt the pain in his heart and the huge sense of loss in his voice as he spoke.

He said the soldier who

said the incident happened at about 2.30 pm that black Wednesday while the Late Dombraye was on duty on a barge project at Glovic yard Trans Amadi where he was assigned to by his firm, Lumbegh Services limited.

To be sure he did not leave out any part in the story, he read out some portions of the account told by those who where there when the ugly incident happened. Later he handed a photocopy of the account to Vanguard Metro According to the documented account, the son, Mr Dombraye was allegedly shot by an Army Sergeant attached to a construction firm in the area.

The deceased was reportedly in the process of conveying a drum of diesel he allegedly bought for a sister when suddenly the soldier was said to have walked up to him demanding to know how they got the petroleum product.

Excerpts from the eye witness account read in part, “Mr. Donbraye Akangbou was on duty at the construction site when the company truck brought consumable material for his project.

,

My son was murdered in cold blood; as far as I am concerned, I want justice to be done because he was unjustly murdered

allegedly shot his son is already in Police custody, adding that he had filed a petition to the Brigade Commander of the 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, the Chief of Army Staff in Abuja and the Inspector General of Police.

“My lawyer went to make report to the Brigade commander in Port Harcourt. He has also gone to Abuja to drop the petition with the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police. My son was murdered in cold blood.

As far as I am concerned, I want justice to be done because he was unjustly murdered “, he repeated.

Mr Akangbou who relied on eye witness accounts to tell the story of how his son died, C M Y K

,

On citing the truck he asked the truck driver Mr Lucky Osajele to help him convey a drum of diesel he just bought for his sister ’s house to their place along Peter Odili Road. As they were attempting to load the diesel into the truck, suddenly they heard a loud bang at the gate of the construction yard and Sgt Ismaila walked in corking his riffle as if ready for battle” “He walked straight to where Mr Donbraye and Mr Lucky were trying to load the diesel on the truck and asked whether they were bunkering fuel of which they denied and even showed him the waybill to be used to convey it to Odili Road but the Sgt was adamant and insisted that he was not convinced. He looked round

point, the guns magazine fell off and he quickly picked it up and inserted it back.

Donbraye fell to the ground and the shot made everybody around to take to their heel, but when the Sgt realised what he had done, he became scared and started calling out to people to help him carry him, assuring them that he’s still alive. It was at this point we now rushed back and helped carry him into Mr Donbrayes car and drove straight to a private clinic at Oginigba, but the doctor there advised us to take him to BMSH in Old GRA. It was here that Mr Donbraye finally gave up after doctors in the emergency unit had battled to save him.”

Eye witness accounts

•Late Dombraye

the compound and came back to the spot where they were standing near the truck and continued arguing with myself and Mr Donbraye. It was at this point that Mr Donbraye told him that he knows him when he used to escort the ... expatriates to inspect their barges during construction in our main yard under the Trans

Woji bridge.

To this the army man said “ it’s like you want to be stubborn with me” .He then attempted to use his riffle on his right arm to hit Mr Donbraye on the leg of which Donbraye dodged and the nozzle went straight to his lower abdomen and suddenly went off. At this

The father of the deceased said his household had never been the same since the sad incident occurred. According to him, his lawyer wrote a petition from the eye witness accounts to the Nigerian Army and the Police for necessary action, stressing again that he wanted justice to be done on the issue.

When asked if there had been any response from the army to his petition, he said he was still waiting. “The one to the Brigade Commander went on Thursday December 19 while the one to the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police went on Friday December 20th. . I am still waiting”, he said.

Contacted for comments on the issue, the Spokesman of the 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Major Michael Etete said he was not aware of the incident, adding that he had being away from the state for sometime.

Amuwo-Odofin wins award for primary health care A MUWO Odofin Local Govern ment Area has been crowned the best local government in the delivery of primary health care services PHC, in Lagos in 2013.

The award which was initiated by the Lagos State Government and the entire health family, was meant to recognise and commend the efforts of the third tier of government in Lagos State in the area of health care delivery service.

The “Health Merit Award,” which also came with a certificate of commendation, was presented at the 10th Lagos State Health Merit Award ceremony, held at City Hall, Lagos.

The Chairman of the Council, Comrade Ayodele Adewale who was elated by the award, said the council is committed to improving the health standard of the people of Amuwo-Odofin LGA.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 — 21

B & E DATA

Operators laud NNPC over steady supply of petroleum products

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L-R: Attorney General and Commissiner for Justice, Wale Fapounda; Governor Kayode Fayemi; and Managing Director Greenwich Trust Ltd, Mr. Kayode Falowo; and Commissioner for Rural Development and Community Empowerment, Chief Folorunso Olabode, during the Completion Meeting for the Tranche II, of the N25 billion Ekiti State Bond, in Lagos... on Tuesday.

FG urges Lagos, others to adopt national policy on productivity Productivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu gave the appeal at the celebration of the Lagos state productivity day and presentation of year 2010, 2011 and 2012 productivity merit award to 35 civil servants held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

Wogu who was represented by the State Coordinator of National Productivity Centre, NPC, Mrs. Peace Nwasuzu, lamented that the major challenge facing the policy was having the society imbibe

By MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

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HE Federal Government has urged the state governments and local governments to adopt the national policy on productivity, aimed at boosting productivity Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Lagos state, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has tasked the civil servants in the country to use the upcoming year to rededicate themselves to selfless service.

Minister for Labour and

-2.8

111.9 2,704.00

-8.00

16.46

-0.02

110.57

-0.64

98.43

-0.86

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.7 255.8274 213.0374 173.6057 1.4739 0.3042 236.9734 25.5516 41.2467 28.5546 238.2225

155.2 256.6542 213.7259 174.1668 1.4787 0.3142 237.7393 25.6346 41.38 28.6468 238.9925

SELLING 155.7 257.4811 214.4145 174.7279 1.4834 0.3242 238.5052 25.7177 41.5134 28.7391 239.7624

CBN Exchange rate as at 31/12/2013

the policy which was meant to create awareness for the need to encourage productivity at work place.

The minister said that the adoption of the policy will further start the country ’s productivity growth which has been affected over the years.

It will be recalled that the National Policy on Productivity was officially launched three months ago. A year after the Federal Executive Council, FEC approved its establishment.

According to him, “When the state and local governments

key into the policy implementation strategies and cooperate with the Federal ministry and NPC, as the national policy on productivity has the best capacity to jumpstart the country ’s productivity growth.”

The minister added “The policy seeks to provide for all tiers of government, a systematic and comprehensive roadmap and a charter for ensuring the promotion of a planned and balanced economic deployment of material and human resources for the benefit of Nigerians.”

Wogu explained that when the state adopts the policy document, NPC will “establish

productivity council and committee at various levels of governance in the states for proper implementation of the policy.”

On the award to the 35 civil servants, the minister said that the award is meant to celebrate those workers who have done all within their powers to ensure that their country is counted among the best. He added “this award isn’t only to motivate but to serve as a challenge to others who have shown less commitment to their work.”

FAAN commences relocation of car hire operators

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HE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has commenced the relocation of car hire operators at the International Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

In a statement in Ikeja by the authority’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Yakubu Dati, FAAN said the operators were ejected from the existing car park to a temporary site. It said the new site was located opposite the access plaza of the airport.

The statement said the relocation became necessary in order to make way for the construction of the airport’s new international terminal, at the site of the existing car park.

“Under the arrangement, car hire operators will be required to move their cars from the temporary car park in batches and at intervals to a designated point in front of the Arrivals Hall of the terminal.

OME operators of petrol stations have commended the NNPC and its subsidiaries for the steady supply of petroleum products across the nation during the festive period.

They spoke in different interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos .

NAN correspondent, who monitored petroleum retail outlets in Lagos, reports that all filling stations visited were dispensing fuel to motorists.

The operators lauded government’s efforts which averted scarcity of petrol, a common occurrence during the Yuletide and New Year.

Mr. Ola Apena, a dealer with Total Filling Station in Epe, said that disappearance of queues at filling stations during festive period was an indication of the good distribution system by the PPMC. Apena said that PPMC, a subsidiary and strategic business unit of NNPC, had shown its readiness to be transformed to compete with other operators in the downstream sector.

He commended the NNPC and the subsidiaries for the success they had recorded so far in eliminating fuel queues at filling stations in the last few years.

Apena urged the NNPC to sustain the laudable achievements.

“I am impressed with what I saw during this festive period compared with other years when people would queue up to buy fuel during the festive period.

“The management of NNPC should continue in this direction to stabilise the downstream sector of the oil and gas,” he said.

Mr Abu Edu, Managing Director, Seatap Oil and Gas, Epe, said that NNPC had been able to sustain effective products monitoring and distribution which created room for steady supply in most stations.

Edu said with the acquisition of the information tracking software, the incidence of bunkering and other sharp practices would be checked.

He said that the Federal Government had now taken bold steps to implement the deregulation policy to put an end to the sufferings of the people.

Edu said that the sure way out of the current problem in the downstream sector was the deregulation in order to guarantee a level playing field for all players.

“Federal Government has worked very hard in ensuring that some of the external factors affecting the operations of the NNPC are addressed through deregulation,” he said.

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Ekiti’s N25bn bond will revolutionize the state — Gov Fayemi

By PETER EGWUATU

E

Jigawa deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mahmud, presenting water pumps and other inputs Photo: NAN to irrigation farmers in Hadejia, yesterday.

Retail investors boost equities market in 2013

BY NKIRU NNOROM

S

tockbrokers in the Nigeria capital market have said that the equities market benefited immensely from iincreased domestic investors’ participation arising from improved confidence and stability in Nigeria’ macro-economic environment in 2013.

Speaking on the backdrop of performance of the market in the previous year, they said the market also enjoyed excess liquidity in the global finanacial system, which arose from continued quatitative easing by US Federal Reserve Bank.

As at the close of trading on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, the twin market indicators .market capitalisation and the

All Share Index, ASI, had risen by over 40 percent apiece.

According to Mr. David Adonri, Managing Director, Lambeth Tru s t and Investment Ltd, the quantitative easing by US Fed Reserve Bank encouraged carry over trade where investors, who hedge funds were able to borrow at a very low rate in the advanced market and direct the investment to emerging market like Nigeria.

He said, “The recovery actually gathered momentum in 2013 when equities market appreciated by 35 percent and several domestic investors, especially retail investors, who fled the market in the wake of world’s financial crisis started coming back

gradually in the market.

However, in 2013, the momentum increased and we have seen more domestic investors increasing their participation in the market.”

“Before 2012, foreign investors dominated the market to the tune of over 70 percent, but this year, the domestic investors, both institutional and retail, have incraesed their participation to the point that foreign investors’ dominance has receded to little over 50 percent,” Adonri added.

He further commended the regulators for their efforts at initiating far reaching reforms, saying that those policies have actually produced an enhanced and remarkably improved regulatory framework, therby increasing investors’ confidence.

Gold surrenders streak as investors embrace stocks with 20% gain

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nvestors’ 12-year love affair with gold ended in 2013 as they abandoned the precious metal for stock markets in the world’s developed economies, lifting global share prices by the most in four years.

While the Standard & Poor ’s 500 Index (SPX) surged to a record in the broadest-ever advance and bonds worldwide lost money for the first time since 1999, it was the 28 percent plunge in gold, the worst in more than three decades, that stunned investors the most, according to Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial Inc. “Investors were heartbroken by gold,” Krosby, whose firm oversees more than $1 trillion, said in a telephone interview from Newark, New Jersey. “The selloff was one of the deepest purges in an asset class that I’ve seen. They went into gold because they saw

the momentum continuing. Until it stopped.

And it stopped violently.”

Demand for bullion as a preserver of wealth collapsed as the global economy showed signs of improving and central bank stimulus, led by the Federal Reserve, failed to ignite the runaway inflation that billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson and other gold buyers anticipated. Instead, investors poured into equities, spurring a 20 percent advance in the MSCI All-Country World Index.

Gold had gained more than 600 percent from the start of 2001 to its peak of $1,923.70 an ounce in September 2011. The rally accelerated after the Fed dropped interest rates close to zero in 2008 and began its unprecedented bond buying, which flooded the U.S. economy with more than $3 trillion and raised the specter a weakening dollar would accelerate inflation.

kiti State’s N25 billion bond will spur development and attract foreign investors when the projects for which the fund was raised are completed, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said.

The Ekiti State government has just gotten approval to raise N5 billon, 14.5 per cent fixed rate bond that would mature in 2020, which is the second tranche of its N25 billion bond The N25 billion Ekiti bond is meant to finance five major projects as the government seeks to complete major developmental projects that would impact on the socioeconomic and urban-rural integration.

However, coupon payment will be done twice a year while the government has made irrevocable commitment, which enables monthly deduction from its federal allocation. Ekiti State had raised N20 billion under the first tranche of the N25 billion issuance programme.

The net proceeds of the N5 billion bond issue, estimated at N4.80 billion, will be used to complete five major projects which are currently being financed by contractors under a contractor finance agreement.

These projects include

construction of the multipurpose 10,000-capacity EkitiKete pavilion, rehabilitation of Ire Burnt Bricks Limited, construction of River Ero bridge, construction of IlaweIgbaraodo-Iboji road and IkoleIjesa Isu-Iluomoba road.

According to the estimates for the uses of the net proceeds, N1.58 billion would be spent on the multi-purpose pavilion, about N966.9 billion would be spent on the Ire Burnt Bricks Limited while N220.36 million, N894.7 million and N1.14 billion would be spent on the bridge and the two roads respectively.

Governor Fayemi , in a chat with capital market correspondents in Lagos said, the projects for which bond was issued would be completed before the end of 2014. He commended the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh and Director General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo for fast tracking the approval of the bond within the shortest period of notice given to them.

According to him “The approval and success of the second tranche of the bond programme reflected the market’s confidence in the state as evidenced in the judicious use of the proceeds of the previous issuance.”

Forte Oil, Transcorp enlistment on NSE 30 index excite shareholders

By PETER EGWUATU

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hareholders of both Forte Oil Plc and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Trasncorp) Plc have commended the height attained by both companies ,which has led to their inclusion in the Nigerian Stock Exchange Index 30 list.

The shareholders who spoke with Vanguard said their inclusion in the top 30 companies’ index would further boost investors’ confidence in the company and make their shares attractive.

The NSE had on December 31, 2013 announced that Forte Oil Plc , one of the Nigeria’s foremost indigenous major marketer of refined petroleum products and Transcorp have been enlisted into the NSE 30 Index, a league of the exchange’s most capitalized stocks, thereby commencing the new year as one of the elite stocks in one of Africa’s most viable exchanges.

The NSE in February 2009 began publishing a new index

called the NSE 30 index, with the primary objective of providing an investable benchmark to capture the performance of the Nigerian stock market. The NSE 30 includes the top 30 companies in terms of market capitalization and liquidity.

Stakeholders in the Nigerian capital market and operators have attributed Forte Oil and Transcorp exemplary price appreciation and growth on the exchange to the companies’ incremental performances in 2013 and their investments in the Nigeria’s power sector – seen by many as the next nexus of growth in the Nigerian economy.

It will be recalled Ithat Forte Oil successfully acquired 414 megawatt Geregu Power Plant located in Kogi State of Nigeria under the Federal Governmentled privatization of public power assets, while Transcorp acquired Ughelli Power located in Delta State (now Transcorp Ughelli Power Limited). Forte Oil says it is seeking to carve a niche in the power generation sector.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 — 23

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OR local rice production to increase in the country, stakeholders have called for the ban of imported rice as they express displeasure over the N365 billion spent every year on rice importation into the country’s markets.

An official of the Lagos State ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Tunde Giwa, spoke the minds of the stakeholders at the unveiling of the value chains business manual packaged by the Commercial Agriculture Development Project in Lagos recently.

He said it was better to ban the importation of rice gradually to allow locally produced rice, like the Ofada rice to thrive. He said banning the importation of rice will also reduced unemployment.

Tunde Giwa disclosed that with the support of the World Bank, the Commercial Agriculture Development Project has assisted farmers under the rice value chain with various inputs.

He said the inputs include tractor, milling machine, threshing machine, combine harvester, willower, agrochemicals and many more, just as the project has also intervened in land preparation for rice by changing the operating system from manual to mechanized system with the provision of 4WD tractors and implements which has reduced the cost of land preparation from N30,000 to N50,000 per hectare.

Giwa said “Commercial agriculture has supported over 1284 farmers under the poultry value chain with various inputs including nipple fitted battery cages,

Stakeholders at the launch of the value chains business manual packaged by the Commercial Agriculture Development Project in Lagos.

Ban on rice’ll increase local production — Stakeholders

By JIMOH BABATUNDE, with agency reports tricycle, egg transport crates, combined hatchery and incubator, defeathering machine as well as promoting the use of nipple fitted battery cage for poultry birds by project beneficiaries as against the open drinkers system. He said the support for the poultry value chain has resulted in reducing the mortality and disease transmission by over 15

percent, increase in egg production by 20 percent and feed waste by over 40 per cent”.

Giwa added by saying that the commercial agriculture has also supported 1483 farmers under the aquaculture value chain with collapsible fish tank, extruding technology, fish seed, solar submersible pumping machine as well as acquisition of improved smoking kilns and improved packaging materials,

commodity interest groups in the state under the aquaculture processing value chain Professor Adewale Dipeolu, a guest speaker from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, thanked the Lagos state government for taking agriculture away from peasantry to big business adding that the step Lagos state has taken will help the country as a whole move from small scale production to

Gombe earmarks N2.5bn for agriculture in 2014 budget G

ombe State government will spend N2.5 billion on agricultural development in 2014, Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo has said.

Dankwambo, who announced this while presenting the 2014 budget proposal of N107.4 billion at the State House of Assembly, said the move was aimed at boosting food production, employment and income generation.

“Being the mainstay of our economy, agriculture provides employment to over 70 per cent of our people.

“It is the vision of this administration to evolve an agricultural sector that promotes mechanised farming and supports the small-holder farmers, to produce enough to feed themselves, ... to earn income.”

He said that N193 million C M Y K

would be expended on livestock production, N20 million on fisheries and N9 million on the development of forestry in the fiscal year.

Dankwambo noted that the government bought and distributed 40,450 metric tonnes of fertiliser and 220 new tractors to farmers in 2013.

Similarly, the government distributed 65 metric tonnes of improved maize seeds to farmers, while 46 cotton markets were constructed across the state, in the bid to restore the glory of cottonfarming in the state.

The governor said that the government supported flood victims and dry season farmers with 12,000 bags of fertiliser, 500 units of water pumps, and free land preparation. He also said his administration gave ploughs

and N100,000 cash each to 1,140 farmers and trained 200 women in poultry farming.

Dankwambo announced plans by the government to establish an agricultural

commodity exchange centre and warehouses, to grade agricultural products.

“The programme shall guarantee good farm-grade prices, and reduce postharvest losses.

large scale production with a profit making attitude. He also beckoned on the government to back agriculture with infrastructure, long term funds, land and adequate intermediate technology. He however told farmers to be alert to change in government policies and environment as well as market forecasts.

Adewale continued by saying that farmers should also be very innovative and learn how to go with market trends adding that innovation will assist in placing agriculture business in Nigeria in the map of the world He said “ Is a good thing Lagos state government and indeed the Minister of Agriculture Adewunmi Adeshina is taking agriculture very serious, this action will help increase innovation and create employments and at the long run, Nigeria can feed itself and feed other nations as well”.

Begin agric revolution at the grassroots, expert advises FG A BUSINESS consultant, Mr Yinka Anjous, on Tuesday said the desired agricultural revolution in Nigeria should start from the grassroots to succeed.

Anjous gave the advice in Osogbo while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). According to him, the Federal Government should develop a template that will encourage each local government to identify crops that grow in the area. ‘’As soon as each local area knows what crops will do well in their environment, local government administrators should be charged to go into mass production of such crops. ‘’When this is done, the local government area should contribute a certain

percentage of expected revenue to the Federal Government,” Anjous said.

According to him, the time has come for government at all levels to go beyond paying lip service to diversification of the economy.

He said that the much talked about agricultural reform would come to fruition if the bottom-up approach was employed by the Federal Government. Anjous said that over dependence on the federation account had almost turned local governments to “lazy outlets.”

The business consultant said the nation’s economy would be better if the campaign for mass return to the farms became successful.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

By JIMOH BABATUNDE

D

ESPITE the intensity of the sun, the people of Calabar and tourists that throng the state for the annual Calabar festival started gathering at the millennium park as early as 8 am for the flag off the Carnival Calabar.

At about 12 noon, when the State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke arrived in the company of the wife, the state deputy governor, Efiok Cohbams and the wife, the Nigeria Minister of Culture, Tourism, High Chief Edem Duke and his wife, as well as a host of other top government officials and personalities, the crowd just wanted the show to commenced.

When it was finally flagged off, there was nothing to stop the people and the bands from enjoying themselves as they turned and twisted with magical ease in their various costumes, music, dance and choreography, depicting their interpretation of the theme of the carnival “Ain’t No Stopping Us”.

The people flooded the 14 kilometers carnival route stretching into the U. J Esuene Stadium, the terminating point and theatre of communal celebration for the day, till the early hours of Saturday to party, feel the sensation and vibration as well as experienced the convivial social atmosphere of the yearly feast, which has be described as the biggest street party ever in the annals of the African continent.

Speaking on the choice of the theme, chairman, Cross River State Carnival Commission, Gab Onah, said the theme was a carefully carried out research by the governor from his thought and summarized.

Cross River rekindles undying spirit with

Carnival ••as Masta Blasta wins again peace, vision and manifestation of wonders, was again adjudged the best band.

,

It is a wonderful crowd; it is a peaceful, responsive crowd. All they are doing is just excitement; it is not a hostile crowd, they are just happy to be part of the fun

Onah said the state has come through a period of ups and downs from the seizure of their oil well which has impacted on all aspect of their economy and “in spite of this, as a people we are still on, not just on but waxing stronger.”

The Carnival bands, Passion 4, Freedom, Bayside, Masta Blasta and Seagull, with beautifully costumed girls that captivated the audience with their curves tried to undo one another with their dances and floats.

At the end of the day, Masta Blasta band, with its presentation of unity that brings about

,

The band won the coveted crown and the prestige that goes with being the band of the year back – to – back. Seagull band came second and followed by Freedom band in the third position.

Speaking on the Masta Band, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke, who is a member of the band, said “the band is the largest of the carnival band in terms of population, it has a lot more of the masses as its membership.”

The Minister added that the band has come to be regarded as the spirit of the carnival, because is an aggregation of

people from all strata of the society and it is very informal organization and we all just have fun which culminated in winning the carnival in 2012 and 2013.

Speaking after the announcement, one of the band leaders, Bassey Ekefre, said Masta Blasta Band intended to maintain the feat for the next ten years. Mr. Ekefre, who is a NEITI board member, thanked all band members for their ingenuity, resilience and effort which he said paid off.

The victory of the Masta Blasta could not have surprised traditional bands like Bayside and Seagull as Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, a member of the bayside band was not to convincing when asked about the chances of the band winning.

“The Bayside band is one of the oldest bands. It has been there since the carnival started and I think the first four edition of the carnival was won by the Bayside Band and it is because we wanted to be generous that

Governor of Cross River, Senator Liyel Imoke, his wife; the state deputy governor Efiok Cohbams and wife; the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke and his wife, during the flag off of the Calabar Carnival

we are now allowing others win. When we decide to win we will start winning again.”

For Seagulls, led by ageless Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, their efforts at winning with the inclusion of some notable Nollywood stars like Funke Akindele, Osofia and others amounted to nothing.

Issues and challenges Speaking on the success of the carnival, Governor Liyel Imoke said “For us for this particular outing, as usual is better than the last one. It is what I demand of the bands and that is why I make it so competitive. These bands compete, they are not there just to play, and they compete because they win awards.

So, you see the standard for the carnival continue to improve every year, because we have this post mortem event , we can now deal with issues and challenges we face with

each carnival and our greatest challenge still remain crowd control.

Every year we under estimate the crowd, it is very hard to estimate the crowd and the great challenge is the amazing number of people that come into Calabar for this event and each year it just keep going on and increasing.

It is a wonderful crowd; it is a peaceful, responsive crowd. All they are doing is just excitement; it is not a hostile crowd, they are just happy to be part of the fun. “ For the audience who thronged the streets all through the month long festival and in some cases kept vigil till the next morning, there was not a dull moment but rather what a celebratory and fulfilling Calabar festival.

And they were rewarded with a fantastic performance by some of Nigerian best artistes like 2face, Iyanya, Davido and Sound Sultan who held the people e spellbound and thoroughly overwhelmed.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 — 25

BY JULIET EBIRIM

Why did you decide to party with the kids? eart of Gold Hospice, that’s why. There was Compassionate Children’s Home, there was Heart of Gold Hospice and one other one here today. But it’s actually because of Heart of Gold, I go to Heart of Gold on and off. I have been going there over the years and it’s heartbreaking when you go there and you see those children, it’s not just a regular orphanage, it’s a hospice. And what Aunty, the woman who runs the place does is that she makes sure they get the surgery they need to stay alive. It’s amazing, you need to go there and see for yourself what it’s all about.

What do you hope to achieve at the end of the day?

What I want to do at the end of the day is to raise money for this orphanages, especially the hospice, they need money because these children go for surger-

H

ies regularly, you can see that some of the children that came here today have special needs.

You are doing more of Yoruba movies these days than English movies compared to your early days in acting, why is that so?

I do English movies when I see good scripts. Hoodrush was in the cinemas this year. Next year one or two will be in the cinemas.

Are you working on any project at the moment?

I just finished Golden Penny Pasta Children’s Kitchen, I anchored that. Right now, I’m on break, finally.

Besides acting, what else do you do?

I do all kinds of stuff. I anchor shows, I do contracts for documentaries and safety videos for companies. I do all kinds of stuff.

When did you actually start acting?

I can’t even remember. I’m so old that I can’t remember. I think it’s almost twenty years.

What was the experience like, the first time you were on set?

I was too excited to feel anything else. I was just a bundle of excitement. For me, it was great fun.

What motivated you to go into acting?

That’s what I’ve always wanted to do with my life, especially when I realised that it could be a profession. I went to the University of Ibadan and studied Theatre Arts and then I started acting.

How did

Continues on page 26

Bimbo Akintola cries out:

I don’t need a husband!

S

ince hitting the limelight in a big way with ‘Out of Bounds” alongside RMD in the 90s, Bimbo Akinto-

la has become a big name who does things in a big way. You don’t approach her with your scripts unless you have big plans about it. Controversial, some might say, but Bimbo describes herself as easy-going but definitely not when falsehoods have been peddled about her as a story running wide that she is in desperate need of a husband.

She ran into our reporter on Boxing Day in Lekki where she was part of the humanitarian institution who put together an Xmas party for some orphanages. There, she opens up on several issues concerning her. Excerpts: C M Y K

I N S I DE: Tuface, set Amuwo music fiesta ablaze

Trailer Review: Kunle Afolayan’s October 1

Dangote now on Twitt er witter

26 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

I don’t need a husband!

Continues from page 25 you start?

While I was at school, I used to do stage plays and then a friend of mine said, “Oh, Ola Fanni Kayode is doing a serial on TV” and I should look in for someone to take a particular part and I said “Okay, I’ll go for the audition”, and so I went for the audition, if you could call it an audition, because I went, saw her, talked to her and she was like “The part is yours”. That was it. That was how I started.

So far, how has the experience been?

It’s been good and bad. I’m doing what I’m passionate about, what I like doing, so that gives a lot of joy and happiness. But one of the things I find most damaging about being an actor is the press, I have to say it.

It’s like they have no idea about how damaging some of the things they write about people can be. There are a lot of things happening in the industry, if you want to write stories, write the truth, don’t go forming stories or listen to someone’s stupid idea that has no root in reality and put it in the paper as front page news. I think that’s the most irresponsible action anyone can take.

You should know that some of these things do affect people’s lives. I’m lucky in the sense that my family understands that my work is different from me. They understand that I don’t listen to gossips and I call anything that is written without a foundation of truth, gossip – total gossip! My friends understand, people who know me understand the kind of person I am, so they don’t even talk to me about such things when they read about it on paper, and I’m lucky in that regard.

But I know my colleagues who have been adversely affected by some of the things that have been printed about them all in the name of selling their papers. You want to sell your papers and forget that human lives are more important than making money. It’s the height of ridicule. That’s the worst part of being an actor. For me, I believe the press and actors have a role to play in each other ’s lives. The stories you write are about us, we are there for you as well, because we need you when we are doing stuffs that is important to us for publicity. It should be a symbiotic relationship, we are supposed to feed from each other. But when you have people out there who are out to damage you, you don’t want to work with them.

So,what is the worst rumour you’ve heard about yourself?

Oh, that I’m looking for a husband, that I’m desperate for a husband. That’s the worst I’ve heard and that’s the latest one.

I’m not looking for a husband and I don’t need one.

You don’t need one?

I don’t need anything. I’m a complete person. I only do things that make me hap-

py, because I believe and I understand the reality that this is just one life and you should live it to the maximum, happiness and peace should be the key.

I’m not searching for a husband, because the rumour that I’m searching for a husband has given me wahala,- all kinds of people from left, right and centre, looking for me saying they want to marry me. Please, I’m using this opportunity to tell everybody, I am not looking for a husband!

Can you name some of the awards you’ve received?

Oh, my God! They are so many, most of them are from organisations here and there.

How do you handle your fans?

I love my fans, without my fans who would I be? Nobody! The fans make you who you are. It’s because they find something in you that they like, that they c l i q u e with, that’s why you’re in dem a n d , that’s why you have such followership.

So I am very humbled by my fans.

H o w would you describe your person?

I’m really very easy.

I’m an easy-going person, everything about me is easy. I believe in certain things and I live my life by those things, namely; Truthfulness – It’s important to me, I believe we must have principles because that’s what differentiates us from animals. Kindness is very important, if you’re not kind, we can’t be friends. It’s not just kindness to people who don’t have, it’s kindness to every human being that you meet. It is important, if we say we are God’s children and God is love and he sent his son to die for our sins, then we should at least try and emulate him in loving everyone that comes around us, by showing love to each and every one.

Everyone that comes near you should be touched by you.

Are you fulfilled as an actress?

I am very fulfilled.

No regrets?

No regrets whatsoever. I’m doing what I want to do. I’m excited.

What’s your advice to aspiring actresses?

Please, if you want to be an actor, first and foremost, go to school, because that will show you if you have talent or not.

Go try it out , go study Theatre Arts or Performing Arts. Go and major in acting. Get the basic background, so you know you have a lot more to say.

Are you in a relationship?

Yes, I am. But I don’t talk about my relationships.

H

With Isabella Akinseye

APPY 2014 my dear readers; may this year be full of joy, peace and progress and a whole lot of great Nollywood films. Already, there are so many movies that will be coming out in the following months – one of them is the highly anticipated Kunle Afolayan film – October 1. What better way to start the New Year and also our centenary year with a trailer review that celebrates our unity?

Enjoy reading!

One thing I have come to realise in the work of Kunle Afolayan is his pride in his national heritage. So when I heard about October 1, I was excited. If there is anyone to put Nigeria’s history on the big screen, it is Afolayan. He blends a mystery/thriller with elements of Nigeria’s independence; he teaches but in an entertaining manner. Movies like this, I believe will help to preserve our heritage and educate generations yet unborn.

At the heart of the trailer is an investigation of a young girl who was murdered. A northern Nigerian Police Detective, Dan Waziri (Sadiq Daba), is urgently dispatched by the colonial government to the trading post town of Akote in the Western Region of Nigeria to solve the mystery. It gives us a sneak peek of the murder scene where we see a young girl running through the forest before she is brutally murdered. So from the beginning, you have an emotional attachment to the character and want to know whodunit?

You can’t watch this trailer and not reminisce with nostalgia of how Nigeria used to be some fifty- something years ago. You have to give it to the team for creating a realistic 1960s Nigeria from the costume to the props. It becomes very obvious, that a lot of money was spent to put this together. We are also treated to snippets of Yoruba music and dialogue (with translations) so you further get that sense of ‘Nigeria’. Then we have a cameo appearance of Funmi Ransome Kuti (Deola Sagoe) to further authenticate the times.

As expected, we are treated with beautiful scenery shots of village life throughout. I particularly liked one shot where we have birds flying around a tree top. The background music is just right and further complements the mood of the trailer.

Also, the lighting technique (blue/black lights) employed in some of the scenes also further adds a layer of eeriness to the

Trailer Revie w: K unle view: Kunle Af ola Afola olayyan’s Oct ober 1 October

mystery. The graphic shots really get to you and you get a sense of foreboding and danger. And what true Nigerian movie would be complete without religion? We have scenes featuring a priest as well as a babalawo (witch doctor) who are part and parcel of community life.

Beyond the beautiful cinematography, we have solid performances from all the actors on board (both local/ international). It is refreshing to see Kanayo O Kanyao back on the screen after a long while. He is joined by a cast comprising Bimbo Manuel, Kehinde Bankole, Afolayan, Demola Adedoyin and Fabian Adeoye Lojede among others. We also see very impressive performances from the foreign acts which include the likes of David Bailie, Nick Rhys, Colin David Reese and Lawrence Stubbings.

The trailer ends with a big bang.

This time, it is a forest scene with Afolayan, machete in hand, jumping at someone and Dan Waziri coming to the conclusion that he knows who killed the young girl.

And just to remind us of the whole essence of the film, we hear a voice over of one of the British officers sarcastically wishing Danny boy a happy independence!

Verdict –Watch October 1 you want an authentic Nigeria story with the trappings of pre-independence politics, historical underpinnings, beautiful cinematography and a good murder story that would keep you hooked till the very end.

Calling on all Nollywood filmmakers who want their trailers reviewed. Send a link of your trailer to me on isabella.akinseye@live.com Isabella Akinseye is the founder of www.nollysilverscreen.com – one stop shop for all lovers of Nigeria’s cinematic industry.

We feature trailers, reviews, interviews, cinema listings, articles, videos and red carpet fashion.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014— 27 Stories by Ayo Onikoyi

20 14: Residents fflood lood 201 Lagos countdown festival

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

R

, e e c K , e t c e s a f n u a T t l u S d n Sou o music w u m e A z a l b a a t s fie

T

ByAYO ONIKOYI

HE Amuwo Odofin mu sic fiesta which has been going on for the past five years held on Monday, two days before the New Year, at the Federal Housing Authority grounds in Festac, Town and it ran with verve and electrifying frenzy from dusk till dawn with many upcoming artistes from the local government area coming on stage to showcase their talents.

Over thirty upcoming artistes started the show and thrilled the crowd with rendition of various genre of music. Just as the crowd were getting a good dose of hiphop, those with high-life, reggae, and even rap joined the mix to make a thrilling potpourri of musical concoction, not only to wow the residents of Festac Town, who were by far in the majority, but also to sell themselves to the world as the show was dully covered by media from both the print and electronic institutions.

Notable amongst those that performed on the night are Rap Chick, Currenzy, Chinex, Dexter, Inner Light Crew, Made, Omobola and X-Scar.

But it would be Finnest who

really turned the crowd wild with his highlife and deft dancing steps.

It was a superbly packaged fiesta by the Amuwo Odofin Local Government led by its energetic Chairman, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, who was on ground and the consummate host, moving from pillar to post, to make sure everything went well without hassles.

Even though there was enough security to make any trouble-maker jittery the Chairman still managed to carry the responsibility on his shoulders, leading the pack of the community watchmen.”As a chief security officer of my community, I must ensure adequate security of lives and property, not only by enforcing it but also by being on ground to make sure it is enforced” he said.

Then the show took a new dimension about 3am when Tuface Idibia, who hasn’t shown up for the show in the last three years showed up.

The crowd simply went berserk with excitement and the African Queen crooner, as usual didn’t disappoint as he did a rendition of his various

ESIDENTS of Lagos State from different walks of life on new year ’s eve trooped out enmasse to attend the second Lagos Countdown Festival held at the Lagos Bar beach.

Over 50 Nigerian Music stars including Tuface Idibia, D Banj,Skuki, Sound Sultan, KC, Wizkid, Others include; Don Jazzy, Timaya, Olamide. Burna Boy, Black Magic Ketchup thrilled the crowd with some of their hit tracks at the event which ended early hours into the New year.

Speaking after the event with journalists Governor Bababtunde Fashola said he would continue to provide conducive environment for the growth of entertainment industry and more avenues for residents to catch fun in the state.

Fashola, represented by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, said the Countdown Festival had come to stay.

He explained that government had achieved the purpose of initiating the Festival by ensuring that residents from diverse religious and ethnic groups converge and strengthen their relationship in the New Year.

Also speaking the Managing Director of the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency, LASAA, George Noah, said the Lagos Countdown Festival had further exposed the huge potentials in the nation’s entertainment industry capable of fast tracking socio-economic growth of the state.

He expressed delight with the peaceful conduct of the event despite the huge crowd attributing such to unity of purpose among various security agencies.

He said the event which is just two years-old is of international standard.

There was spectacular fireworks display at twelve midnight December 2013 which lasted over thirty minutes till the first day of January 2014.

hits. After him came on Kcee and Sound Soultan, who also gave a good account of themselves.

Harmony drops Okolobia

BY SAM ANOKAM

W

ITH vocals like Omawunmi and Waje put together, the stage is set for fast rising musician, Okon Rose Nnema better known as Harmony to show the stuff she is made of musically.The Cross River State born songstress who studied Public Administration from Nekede Polytechnic is currently rocking the music scene with her debut single entitled, Okolobia.

According to the RnB and Afro Pop artiste, “ I have passion for music since when I was eight and now I am fully prepared for the world. I am bringing songs with meanings.

I play music that will inspire people positively and I get inspired by happenings around me and my personal experiences.

Okolobia is a love song from the angle of a broken hearted girl trying to get back her man who left her for another. It is a song for everyone.”Harmony is on Mr. P led Three Seven Record label which also manages Omoge man, Mike Okri.

28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014— 29

With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com 08050498513

Dangote now on Twitter A

frica’s leading business mogul and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has joined a growing list of global CEOs on the most popular micro blogging platform ‘Twitter’ with his verified account, @AlikoDangote. The business mogul who has become a household name in the manufacturing industry particularly in cement production was recently ranked by Forbes as the most powerful and richest man in Africa.Dangote’s first and inaugural tweet was to welcome everyone into the New Year and encouraged his followers to keep the conversation going.

“Glad to be on Twitter. Wishing you all a prosperous New Year. Stay positively committed to achieving your dreams, nothing is impossible” Also his first list of following included his organisation’s official twitter account, @DangoteGroup and some of his billionaire entrepreneurs, philanthropist and global thought leaders including Bill Gates, Jeff Immelt, Jack Welch, Gordon and Sarah Brown. Are you excited to see Aliko Dangote on Twitter? You can follow his tweets via @AlikoDangote and keep the conversation going.

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

2

014 is just around the corner. No doubt, you’ve made plans to become a better person, help the needy and see the world. It doesn’t take a prophet with a rod to figure that out! But it does take a scammer to make you think that your dreams might come true, and then leave you high and dry. That’s why here at Glamtech, we want to let you know some more tricks scammers have up their sleeves for 2014.

Now you can send a website on errand I

magine relaxing in the comfort of your room and order a website around on things you should have ordinarily spend time and energy doing! That is exactly possible now.

In fact you need not imagine it because it is happening right now in Abuja as OrderMeShopping, an online errand and home delivery business just launched its website www.ordermeshopping.com, last week. The site provides customers with the option to send in a shopping list from anywhere and have shopping done and delivered to them.

The service infuses innovation in offering more than 1,000 foodstuff, groceries and household items online for immediate purchase around the clock. Deliveries will initially be available only to Abuja residents in seven parts of the city: Apo, Asokoro, Garki , Jabi, Maitama, Wuse, and Utako, with more to come. Customers may choose between home delivery

and office delivery at a time convenient to them. They will also be able to make payments online or on delivery.

The launch of this new retail website represents to shoppers an offer of a new level of time-saving convenience where they can compare products and prices and shop from the comfort of their own home 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a way that makes available both the choice that comes with going to the local grocery, as well as the peace of mind of getting the stuff shipped from the shop to their doors.

The options to either pay online or on delivery make transactions on ordermeshopping.com very easy and secure for customers OrderMeShopping boasts of a very robust platform with several user-friendly features that ease the process for the customer placing an order for a delivery.

•Aliko Dangote

More scams to watch out for in 2014 disasters don’t discriminate - neither do we.

New Zealand Red Cross.

NOTE: Please do not fall for this, visit the Red Cross’ official web page to find legitimate ways to help people in need.

The FIFA-Brazil scam Online fraudsters can be mean. Who would want to miss out on a trip to Brazil to watch the FIFA World Cup live in 2014?. But no one would like to be stripped off his savings simply because of a FIFA-Brazil Scam. So here’s how to recognize one if you see it.

The Syria Stunt If you want to send aid for humanitarian purposes, check and double check.

Truth be told, help is much needed in Syria as a result of the political crisis in the “Congratulations! This is to inform you that area. But for every real your Email Address emerged as a winner of venture, there is a an amount of Five Hundred Thousand British counterfeit. And the email pounds (£500,000.00) which is equivalent to below confirms.

Eight Hundred & Ten Thousand United States Donate to the emergency Dollars ($810,000.00) in the FIFA BRAZIL 2014 appeal for Syria SOCCER WORLD CUP PROMOTION Draw From: New Zealand Red held in Johannesburg, South Africa (THE Cross [mailto:help @ PAST SUCCESSFUL HOST OF THIS FIFA redcross org nz] EVENT) through an Open Computer Ballot As humanitarian needs in JAVA System.

Syria reach unprecedented All participants email ID was automatically levels, your donation will entered in the draw as Microsoft collected all help ensure vital supplies valid and active email users GLOBALLY for and medical aid get to those this promotion. who need it most and will Your email ID attached to Reference Number: help protect the lives of WCD80010011 was those delivering these luckily drawn to win essential services. you the prize in the DONATE NOW -its Category “A”. people like you that Therefore a pin make our work possible number has been - DONATE NOW issued for you to claim Last year we sent 37 aid your prize. PIN CODE workers overseas, to over 00357721.

20 countries, supporting stated below re your 48 missions. winning identification We help communities numbers to facilitate affected by emergencies your payment: Batch and conflicts all over the number: BR/14/ world. As we often say, FIFAJULY43658.

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

I approach Break the Alabaster tentatively— Onuk TITLE: AUTHOR: LENGTH: REVIEWER:

T

HE writer, mainly from hearsay, has a rather dotty background in my hazy estimation, showing potential for a multidirectional thrust.

She has been a banker, a businessman; and now she is speaking about religion?

The title does not help either, providing sniffs of religiosity and conservatism. The surprise comes not even from the first pages, where the author describes the process of the creation of the woman as the “masterpiece” of the Creator, a rather tired idea.

The language is flowery and evocative, but that is all that is initially original about it.

Then, the surprise jumps at you. If Break the Alabaster uses time worn biblical clichés, it is only fleetingly, and as a soft landing for one of the bravest critiques of church traditions ever written,

‘

Break the Alabaster… release the fragrance Ini Onuk 128pages Morenike Taire

of all- challenging obedience to husbands in everything.

Sapphira in the early church got to be the unfortunate illustration of a woman who should not have obeyed her husband (page 37). She cites, also, the closer-to-home example of a Christian woman who had reported domestic abuse by her husband to her pastor. “if he kills you”, the pastor reportedly said, “it will be to the glory of God!” The discourse descends into innuendo often times, but thankfully quickly recedes. In seeking to debunk religious myths about women while quoting copiously from the writings of J. Lee Grady, Onuk writes: Within our society it is widely believed that women are gullible and thus open to all manner of deception.

Research, however, shows

In politics if you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman

Qualifier for ministry We have preached that a woman’s primary responsibility is to find a Godly husband, she asserts, but your marital status is not a qualifier for ministry. From the old testament she cites Miriam and Deborah, a Judge in Israel, as well as Priscilla, Chloe and Phoebe in the new testament; as women used by God to play prominent roles in the holy book.

Then, Onuk ventures into the most dangerous territory

‘

and by a woman.

The full on attack on contemporary church practices is all encompassing, questioning norms that had never been publicly challenged in our society. Gathering support from existing literature and suggesting clear alternatives, Onuk makes a case for female leadership in the church using the same tool its present male leadership use: the Bible.

that intuition… is far more developed in women than in men. She thus reaches the befuddling conclusion: if we had more women in boardrooms, the world economy would definitely not be where it is now!.

In moving into the realm of politics, Break the Alabaster once more makes the descent into innuendo when the third chapter opens with a most clichéd and not so appropriate quote (it smirks of reverse sexism) from late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: in politics if you want something said,. Ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

Again there is quick recovery, with the author reeling out statistics and doing the usual meandering around the subjects of past discouragement and present progress.

The most important inference here is to be found on page 85, that on a global level Africa appears to be at the forefront of female political leadership with South Africa, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau,

Rwanda, Namibia and most especially Liberia as examples.

The author further explores legal arguments prowomen participation, as well as making arguments in favour of affirmative action while acknowledging existing arguments to the contrary. It is a tad disappointing, though, that the conclusion here is more of the same: Nigeria must ensure that all hands are on deck… because a successful society needs gender balancing to maximize its potential and bring about change.

A stalemate of a sort is reached when the author at once argues against the overburdening of the woman while trying to make a case for their being given opportunities to work outside of the home. She complains: wom-

en’s work not only includes reproductive work but also productive work… (women) are severely constrained by the burden of simultaneously balancing the tripartite role…

It takes a romantic turn in the last chapter but one, with the woman being likened to the alabaster in terms of b e a u t y, sweetn e s s , control and sensuality and of course, content. Onuk propounds: the woman is the fragrance of love, life, affection, desire, emotion, attention, need, want, nurture, gratitude, bliss, newness, patience, commitment…when you choose to remain an unbroken alabaster you have chosen to hide your talents, your purpose, calling, reach, your original self, your being, substance, influence and vision…

This ‘alabaster ’, according to the author, ought to contain a good scent but might as well contain a bad one depending on whether the ‘alabaster’ has had positive or negative experiences.

Negative experiences Whatever the scent, howev-

er, the prevailing admonition is for the woman to take the “pain” to break it, in order to release her scent.

The lashings of inter chapter fiction are both inspiring and engaging, and are evocative of reality, lending the work all the vividness the author probably intends of them . And though the quotes which precede the discourse in every chapter vary in levels of profundity and appropriateness,, they lend the work a firm consistency, if not direction.

By the time I am through, I am almost certain I can smell perfume. You come away with the idea that the book should be much longer than its 128 pages, as it packs so many minimally explored points so close together. Break the Alabaster is like a book of short stories when it should have been a full length novel.

A second edition might do much more justice.

A beautiful book, Break the Alabaster has all the makings of a feel good book for big girls by a big girl, except it is too deep to be.

Much as the author rejects the tag of feminism, the gusto with which myths are smashed and establishments demolished means Break the Alabaster and release the fragrance might be one of the most important pieces of feminist literature to have come out of Africa in this decade. Brilliantly written.

Know your Perfumes

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erfume making began in ancient Egypt; later, it was improved by the Romans and the Arabs. The process of distilling oils from flowers was discovered by an Iranian doctor, and this is the process still used in perfume making

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 —

today.

Modern perfume was first made in 1370 in Hungary, by blending scented oils in an alcoholic solution, and was known all over Europe as Hungary water. Perfume making continued to be developed in Italy during the Renaissance and in France from the 16th century onwards. Growing of flowers for perfume making became an important industry in southern France; and France is still the center of perfume making in Europe.

The designer houses famous for their perfumes keep their formulas of the fragrances a closely guarded secret. But there are perfume experts who can identify the origins and components of the scents much like wine testers.

Perfumes are classified by their scent and concentration levels.

Allergic reactions The oils used in making perfume are diluted by ethanol and water, because the undiluted oils can cause damage to the skin or to clothing, or

The fragrance designer houses use different levels of concentration for the same category of perfume

can cause allergic reactions.

Accordingly, there are Pure perfume, Eau De Parfum, Eau De Toilette and Eau De Cologne, with Pure perfume containing the largest percentage of aromatic oils, and Eau De Cologne the smallest amount.

The fragrance designer houses use different levels of concentration for the same category of perfume; for instance, the Eau De Parfum belonging to one house, may be much stronger than one from another house. There are also three different perfume

‘

‘

classifications according to scents; the traditional scents were created in the early 1900‘s; the modern scents date from 1945; the Fragrance wheel was created in 1983, there being five standard fragrance categories: the Fougere family, Floral, Woody, Oriental and Fresh.

Perfumes are also known by their top, middle and base notes, which unfold gradually; the top notes can be sensed immediately, next, the deeper middle notes, and the base notes appear gradually in the last stage. There is an evaporation process in perfumes, and this knowledge is used in carefully choosing the notes. Top notes are important in selling the perfume as they can be perceived immediately; the middle and the base notes make up the perfume‘s main theme.

The aromatic oils used in perfume making are obtained from various sources. Barks of cinnamon, sassafras and cascarilla are used. Flowers are the largest source; rose, osmanthus, jasmine, tuberose, mimosa and blossom of citrus trees are widely used.

Odors from fresh fruits like cherries, strawberries and apples cannot be extracted well and synthetic substances are used. The exceptions are vanilla, juniper and oranges, grapefruit and limes.

Among leaves and twigs, lavender, patchouli, rosemary, violets, sage and citrus leaves are used. Resins are obtained from frankincense, labdanum, myrrh, gum benzoin, Peru balsam, fir and pine.

Roots, Ambergris, woods, honeycomb, musk (synthetic), lichens, civets, seaweed are

some of the other sources of aromas. Organic synthetics are created from petroleum and pine resins for scents which cannot be obtained from nature.

There are really hundreds of

ingredients that are contained in perfume oils. The modern fragrance houses have developed their own fragrance oils, which are blended with ethyl alcohol and water for fourteen

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days; these are then filtered and unwanted particles removed; they are then filled into beautiful perfume bottles.

Ashafa fetes about 2,000 kids at Eleko beach Yuletide fiesta

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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n an unprecedented manner it was all fun galore at Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos last Sunday, as about 2,000 Lagos kids converged at the popular Eleko Beach to engage in an end of the year party with alot of prizes won by lucky winners.

The party was sponsored by Senator Gbenga Ashada, representing Lagos East senatrorial District in the Senate.

The beach, and indeed the Eleko community, for the first time hosted one of the largest convergences of fun-seeking kids and parents, some of whom were seeing tides of nature for the first time.

Notwithstanding the warm sunny afternoon, the cool breeze drifting with the restless ocean surge made the location most inviting and refreshing, as much as the event was entertaining.

Some kids watched in awe as adults - actually, locals of the community - played hide and seek in the heart of the ocean. For others, it was time to go horse riding. And for about seven hours the fiesta lasted, “it was fun all the way,” the kids said.

Ashafa was to felicitate with the Lagos children, drawn from the nooks and crannies of the state, to party in the spirit of the season.

Welcoming the fun-loving kids, accompanying by parents and guardians, elders of the community and party members, Ashafa said the idea of hosting the children at this yuletide period was born out of “my own personal concern, love and care for the children.”

He said: “Their innocence, genuineness and tranquility should occupy our minds and be

ready to help channel their destiny towards a brighter future. But, this would be a big task without, first, making them happy; show them that they are also important; and of course that truly, they are our future leaders.

I am highly delighted that this is happening today, and that we are the one doing it for them, while I enjoin all to emulate it,” Ashafa said.

Beyond merry-making or a piece of jamboree, the Senator advised that the occasion should also be a time to feel among; “to celebrate our children and to show them that it is not only the adults who deserve to wear our party crested shirts.”

All Progressives Congress (APC) member in the Local Government, Bayo Soniyi said the convergence was an evident of quality leadership and effective representation of the party that Ashafa is known for. Soniyi said: “We can attest that this is the first time we are seeing such large gathering in Eleko and we are grateful. Ashafa knows that real followership starts with the children, and that is what he has shown here today,” Soniyi said.\ Though in their large numbers, the organiser ensured that each kid went home with a pack of goodies. In the quiz competition - to test their knowledge of indigenous Yoruba language and moderated by the popular radio presenter, Ayo Okedokun - winners went home with LCD 24-inch television set, power generating set and sound system. First prize winner of the television set, Rasidat Elemoro was grateful to the organiser for the unique opportunity and hopes to see a repeat of the fiesta in 2014.

Senator Ashafa with the kids at the Eleko beach

32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 — 33

34— VANGUARD,

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 HE question of “segregation” in the mosque during events other that salat has been a topic of discussion in Islamic fora. A reader last week drew my attention to a scenario where a Governor and his wife sat together in Mosque during a prayer session. It was not a salat but a dua organised to mark the birthday of the governor. Yes, there are restrictions of both sexes but not in all forms. The idea of different section for male and female is obligatory during salat. No question. In other events like special dua, supplication, or conferences, or any other legal activities held in partitioning was later done the mosques, the there may be to prevent unnecessary no partition and both sexes can socialisation and distraction seat in different rows. But in the during prayers. case specifically mention, both However, segregation of may not be separated. This is sexes in mosques and prayer because they are husband and spaces is reported in a hadith wife and both are celebrants for in Sahih Muslim, one of the the dua. I stand to be corrected two most authentic Hadith though but I surmise that they can seat together for the purpose of the dua just like it is permissible for a woman to be assisted by a mahram in the Holy land during hajj rites.

Mosques during the time of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did not have partitions. Under that scenario, men and women perform their salat in a mosques where there is no partition or books in Islam. It says that the separate room for the women. best rows for men are the first Asma’ daughter of Abu Bakr rows, and the worst ones the said, I heard the Apostle of God last ones, and the best rows say, “One of you who believes in for women are the last ones God and in the Last Day should and the worst ones for them not raise her head until the are the first ones. men raise their heads lest she It is also recorded that should see the private parts Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) of men.”(Sunan Abu Dawud, ordered that mosques have No. 850) separate doors for women and It is clear from the above men so that men and women hadith that women can pray would not be obliged to go behind the men if there is no and come through the same partition or a separate door. He also commanded that compartment for women. The

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About gender separation in mosque after the Isha evening prayer, women be allowed to leave the mosque first so that they would not have to mix with men. It is also noteworthy that it has not been reported that there was any barrier between men and women in the Prophet’s mosque. These are

...Consciousness of the true concept of hijab will truly liberate, rather than isolates them in all social gathering

,

Ask Your Imam

On younger-adults dating Question: How can one explain to kids that dating is not right in Islam. They ask where is it written in Quran? How could we handle this question with the kids.

Answer: Dating is prohibited in Islam. The prohibition preserves the sanctity, dignity, respect, and chastity of the human being and of the society at large. It also helps to prevent more teenage pregnancies, children left abandoned to orphanages or foster homes, single parenthood and so on.

These abound in societies where there is no regard for dating with high rate of abortion. In addition, even if dating didn’t involve sexual relations, all the acts that dating may lead to, such as oral sex kissing, etc. are clearly prohibited and condemned in Islam.

Islam encourages marriage, ethical behavior, and the preservation of the family, and dating contradicts with one or all of these goals.

Also, social studies have proved that dating, which some people claim is necessary for a couple to know each other before marriage, doesn’t lead to happier and more successful marriages.

We have heard several cases of abandonment few days to marriage and outright cancellation of planned marriage; not to mention other acts of infidelity rampant among the dating couples. But this doesn’t mean that a Muslim couple who wants to get married doesn’t have the right to know each other. Instead, while getting to know each other, they don’t date, they respect the Islamic guidelines, and are together for the purpose of getting married.

Also, since dating may lead to committing adultery, God had warned us in many verses in the Qur’an from approaching it. This is confirmed in many verses such as in Surah al-Isra’ (17) Verse 32; Surah an-Nur (24) verses 2-3; Surah al-Furqan (25) verse 68; Surah al-Mumtahina (60) verse 12. Of course, there are many Hadiths prohibiting physical contact, fornication/adultery, and being alone with the opposite sex between non-Mahrams.

,

means that serve as precautionary for distractions and to avoid committing sin.

The intention of all restrictions is to keep interaction at a modest level.

The restriction is trying to ensure that there is no obscenity, touching, secret meetings or flirting, and that all manners of socialisation must be according to the general rules of interaction between the genders. Salat is so unique that it is our direct connection to Allah (SWT.) We should not get caught up with materialistic things while praying. That is why the Quran Surat An-Nur vs 30-31 “Say to the believing men that they

should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.”

But unfortunately, some Muslims are using this to exclude women from society. Segregation is not a concept compatible with Islam. And neither the Qur’ân nor the Sunnah orders or even encourages that women should always be out of sight, never to be heard, never to be able to contribute their God-given abilities to improve their societies and communities, never to be able to take on tasks that may take them away from their homes or should I say kitchens precisely. It was on this column a couple of weeks ago we talked about career Muslim women contributing their quota to the development of the society and not by relegating them to the background as mere house wives.

While remaining firmly attached to our religious traditions and values, we don’t have to be hypocritical in the way we do things. A situation where women would never interact with

men, where they would not attend conferences and seminars with male counterparts, where they would walk on separate walkways, take separate cabs yet driven by men and practically live in totally separate worlds, I do not believe Islam teaches that idea. These same men go to shops and they are served by women (most times uncovered non-Muslims); work with female colleagues, talk freely, sit in the same room, and eat in the same canteens; walk around in markets with women all around them; sit and stand on buses and the underground next to and close to women and yet with resounding hypocrisy, say mixing of both sexes is prohibited in Islam. Is that Islam? Where do these ideas come from? Islam/Shariah truly does not condone immorality, the laws are there to guide us , we should constantly check ourselves to see where we go wrong and immediately make amends.

Much as our women observe their prayers behind men, consciousness of the true concept of hijab will truly liberate, rather than isolates them in all social gathering. If they are conscious of this, they will be guided from sin related to adultery and fornication.

Segregation in salat should not make women who are just as capable and competent as men in many fields of life be relegated to the background.

Islam does not dwell on physical segregation neither did it stop women from socialising. Rather, Islamic teachings manage human affairs and address issues common to both sexes in such a way that it will engender peace, harmony and a near perfect environment. Ma sallam.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State (2nd right); Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar (2nd left); former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola (right); Secretary, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Ishaq Oloyede (left) and others, at the formal opening of 96th Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), B Zone, Ibadan/Lagos expressway, Imolisa village, Ogun State.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014— 35

Fidau prayers for Justice Kawu holds in Ilorin

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Sitting with opposite sex is strictly pr ohibit ed — Imam Y unus prohibit ohibited Yunus

BY ADERONKE ADEYERI

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mam Talihat Yunus is the Chief Imam, Adiam Memorial Central Mosque Iporo Ake, Abeokuta. He speks on sitting arrangement or what some people called segregation of women in mosque. Excerpts Sitting with or among the opposite sex is strictly prohibited. When men and women sits together, it results to different mishaps happening in our society like fornication, adultery, sexually transmitted diseases and even unwanted pregnancies. The major reason for this segregation in Islam is that whatever you are close to, can make you sin. The only reason that a man and woman can sit together in Islam is only when the two parties are

related by blood. The Qur’an went as far as teaching us that in Islam, men and women should not handshake, hug or peck the opposite sex that they are not related with. The sitting arrangement in the mosque is a vivid example of what is expected of Muslims whereby where the menfolk will be seated will be different from where the female will be seating. Nowadays, most mosques have where the female will have their ablution separately and it will be far from where the male will have theirs and they do not share the same toilet. In fact, the women do not see the Imam during prayer but only here his voice because of the way mosque are built. Even when we have societal gathering like funerals, weddings in Islam, it is expected of us as Muslims to seat separately and segmented.

•Imam Talihat Yunus

Men and women are always segregated — Abdufattah

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itting in Islam not only in the mosque differs generally from other religions because Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) prohibits free mixing of men and women. Men and Women are always segregated in the mosque, because Salat is the most important form of worship in Islam that requires utmost concentration with Allah. Free mixing or sitting together of men and women engender distraction and loss of concentration. They can pray together but in separate lines behind men to avoid distractions during praying. It is easy for men

to become distracted if there is a woman praying in front of them, especially during bowing and prostration. To

prevent this, women pray behind men. This rule of men and women sitting together is partially lifted in case of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah (Ka’abah) during Tawaf (circumambulation), yet at the time of prayer in ka’abah, men and women are segregated. The implication of men and women sitting together and freely mixing is that it opens the door for all forms of indecency between men and women as can be seen in our society today. It encourages sexual, matrimonial infidelity, rape and so many things.

HE seventh day prayers for the late former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Saidu Kawu, took place on Wednesday in Ilorin.

The Fidau prayers, which attracted thousands of eminent Nigerians took place at the Ikokoro residence of the deceased.

The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru, presided over the prayers which lasted for about 17 minutes.

The recitation of several portions from the Qur’an was part of the activities.

Bashiru prayed Allah to grant repose to the soul of the late Kawu and give his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

In his sermon, the Mukadam of Ilorin, Sheikh Suleiman DanBornu, advised Nigerians to intensify their good deeds to one another as a way of preparing for their death.

Similarly, the Chief Imam of University of Ilorin Mosque, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Oladosu, urged Nigerians, especially those in positions of authority, to shun material wealth acquisition.

“The late Kawu is an epitome of honesty and discipline, being an incorruptible judge with an amiable character,” he said.

The eminent personalities present at the Fidau prayers included the Vice-President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Issa Aremu.

Also present were a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of IIorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, among others.

Justice Saidu Kawu died on Dec. 25 at the age of 85 after a brief illness.

The deceased was a former Chief Judge of Kwara before his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court in 1984, and he retired in 1993.member states to foster respect for religious pluralism and cultural diversity and to counter the spread of bigotry and prejudice.”

Outgoing Muslim envoy seeks accord with Christians

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HE outgoing Head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said recently that some Muslim states should broaden rights for religious minorities.

Ihsanoglu stepped down on Monday after nine years as Secretary-Geneneral of the 57-country groups representing the Islamic world.

He added that Western countries should do more to combat increase of prejudice against Muslims.

The Jeddah-based OIC’s religious diplomacy was long focused on a fruitless effort to have the United Nations pass a global ban on insults to Islam.

The fate of Christian minorities in Muslim countries rarely figured in its declarations.

At his Dec. 13 Vatican meeting with Pope Francis, Ihsanoglu said he stressed the need for “greater efforts from OIC

•Abdulfattah Adebayo

From right: Sheikh Abdul Hafiz Abou, the Baba Adinni of Lagos; the Muazin, Lagos Central Mosque, and other worshippers during a Jumat service in Lagos.

From left: Managing Director, Osun State Investment Company, Mr Bola Oyebamiji; wife of the Osun State Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola and Co-ordinator, Council of Muslim Youth Organisation Sister Circle, Ikire, Mrs Silifat Aniwura during the inauguration of the Ansar-ur-Deen Society of Nigeria Central Mosque in Ikire, Osun State.

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Oshiomhole's accident blamed on FG's negligence

Youths honour Oporomo

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BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

public relations consultant and philanthropist, Chief Godspower Oporomo, has been conferred with an award of excellence by Progressive Youth Leaders Forum, PYLF, of Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State.

Oporomo, who works with Setraco Company Limited, thanked God for the honour, saying “little did I know that youths from the locality were closely following my actions.”

He said that his resolve in life was to serve the masses irrespective of ethnicity or political association, maintaining that he was ready to engage any youth who was desirous to work.

Earlier, the Secretary of PYLF, Mr. Chris Anthony, while presenting the award, described Oporomo as a man that had accelerated the employment of indigenous staff in all cadre of Setraco, a p h e n o m e n o n unprecedented in the history of Ijawland.

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ENIN— THE Forum of Former Local Government Council Chairmen in Edo South senatorial district, Edo State, yesterday, attributed the recent accident involving Governor Adams Oshiomhole to the failure of the Federal Government to accelerate work on the dualisation of the AuchiAbuja Road.

Chairman of the Forum and former chairman of Egor Local Government Area of the state, Mr. Crosby Eribo, who regretted the poor state of the road despite the fact that sons of the state have held positions as Minister of Works and other top federal appointments, recalled that Ewu axis of the road had killed well known Edo sons.

It will be recalled that Oshiomhole survived an accident on the road last week after a bus loaded with plantain rammed into the governor ’s car. The governor ’s car, a bullet-proof BMW, was damaged beyond repairs.

Thanking God for saving the governor’s life, Eribo recalled “that was the same area Chief Ekhabafe died, even the former CPS to the governor died on that part of the road in the first

tenure of the governor. That road is so small.

“It is sad that sons of Edo State have been Minister of

Works, but failed to use their influence to dualize the road.

I am aware they have commenced the dualization, but the job is too slow and our people are dying every day.

“It would have been a

NOSDRA applauds bill on oil spill

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA— A bill for a law to punish those responsible for oil spillage, which is before the National Assembly, is a welcome development and would serve as deterrent, Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Mr. Peter Idabor, has said.

Speaking with reporters in Issele-Azagba, Delta State, Idabor said the law is to criminalise willful cause of oil spillage.

According to him, “the law would come into being via the amendment to the NOSDRA Enabling ACT of 2006 which brought the Agency into being, but failed to provide for punishment

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GHELLI— GOVERNOR Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has described the Managing Director of Obakpo Engineering Limited, Olorogun John Oguma, as one of the most outstanding contractors in the state, expressing satisfaction with the quality of his jobs.

Uduaghan spoke at his Warri

residence when Ovwor-Olomu community, Ughelli South, paid him a thank you visit for what the state government was doing in the community.

He said: “Oguma is a very reliable contractor, loyal party man and good friend of the state government.”

While saying that it was impossible for a single administration to meet all the

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NIGER Delta activist and former Labour Party candidate for Delta State House of Assembly, Warri North constituency in the 2011 general elections, Mr. Adanse Felix, has called on the Inspector-General of Police to as a matter of urgency, the safety of President Goodluck Jonathan and the nascent

democracy, arrest former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, governor of Adamawa State and others for allegedly making inflammatory statements.

Felix, in a statement, yesterday, alleged that the Adamawa State governor had recently threatened that if the President sought

developmental needs of the people, he commended the Ovwor-Olomu people for acknowledging what his administration had done and for deeming it fit to visit him.

According to him, it was rare to see Deltans show appreciation, adding “those who show appreciation are always in line for more,” promising to continue to execute more projects for

the Ovwor-Olomu people.

Olorogun Oguma said: “The commendation from the state governor, will spur me to do more and I feel very honoured to have received such commendation from the number one citizen of the state.

“Ovwor-Olomu people will continue to support this administration and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.”

second term, there would be a civil war, while Obasanjo in his contro-versial letter to Mr. President, committed treasonable offence and should be treated as such.

He said: “Allowing these set of men to freely move about the country without using the law against them means that the nascent democracy in the country is threatened.

“These ex-generals know what they are saying and would go the extra mile to make the country ungovernable for the President.

“I plead with the police to arrest and prosecute them.

These men never meant well for the President and the government. This is my humble request.

“The people of the Niger Delta will always stand by their brother in his legitimate and constitutionally-mandatory quest to seek for second term.”

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

for oil spillage.

“The amendment, which had passed the first and second readings in both chambers of the National Assembly, is being harmonised at the committee of both chambers and would, once passed into law, provide for effective punishment for oil spill convicts and thus serve as a deterrent to others.”

Activist calls for Obasanjo, Adamawa gov's arrest for inflammatory statements

Uduaghan commends contractor over project execution

BY FESTUS AHON

disaster for us as a people and Nigerians to lose a governor, who is doing very well. The Federal Government must learn to forget politics and focus on projects that will benefit Nigerians.”

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On New Year wishes

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Y New Year expectation is that 2014 should be better than previous years.

Since the handing over of PHCN to private individuals, light has become a problem.

Before now we could still manage. There are also bad roads.— Mrs Azeez Olaifa, Trader.

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S we behold the year 2014, may every Nigerian feel the awareness of God’s love, the credibility of His grace, and mercy will speak for Nigeria. This is my sincere prayer for every Nigerian that has the good of the country at heart.— Mr. Saidi Adekunle, Engineer.

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wish Nigeria and Nigerians a happy new year and a prosperous period all through the year. If nothing, Nigerians should keep praying for our leaders to get it right, then we can all be smiling like Ghanaians.— Mr. Taye Bukola, Baker.

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HE country is presently in a bad state. Should I say that the military era was better than this civilian era? There is no light, roads are bad and businesses are collapsing. Let our leaders lead well so every citizen will have rest of mind.— Mr. Saraba Oladejo, Worker.

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Y wish for 2014 is that our leaders be more focused. I am optimistic that this year is our year, and I pray God will help every Nigerian. Nigerians are hardworking and I believe that God will answer our prayers this year.— Mr. Ajibola Omoyeni, Businessman.

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Y heart desire for 2014 is that the affairs of this country will be taken serious by our politicians, because the way things are right now is unfavourable to the average Nigerian.

We should begin to enjoy the good things.— Mr. Ademola Tunde, Student.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—37

Govt largesse tears labour union apart in Delta

Delta 2015: Group berates Gbagi over comments on Utuama

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

BY FESTUS AHON

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GHELLI—A GROUP, Crusade for Democracy and Good Governance, CDGG, yesterday, described as petty and mischievous, media reports credited to former Minister of State for Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, that Delta State deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, should quit politics in 2015.

Gbagi, in the report, had told the state deputy governor to drop his governorship ambition and quit politics on grounds that he is over 70 years old.

But the group, in a statement by its President, Mr. Gabriel Choba, said Gbagi’s comments were unbecoming of someone, who is aspiring to become the governor of the state.

The statement described the deputy governor as a man of impeccable character and a worthy son of Urhobo nation, whose contributions to the unity and development of Urhobo nation and Delta State at large are widely acknowledged by all.

“Utuama has not decided whether or not to contest for governorship in 2015, but even if he decides to contest, that is not enough for Gbagi to ask him to quit active politics since the gubernatorial election would not only be held in Ughelli South or the ward where the deputy governor and Gbagi are from. The election will be held in all 25 local government areas of the state.

“As a lawyer, one would have expected Gbagi to know that there is nowhere in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where it is stated that people who are in their late 60s and 70s cannot contest elective positions.

“Our elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, at whose instance Gbagi was appointed as Minister of State for Education, is an octogenarian and he is still making invaluable contributions to the growth, development and stability of democracy in the country.

We all know that Nelson Mandela was well over 70 years when he became President of South Africa and before his death, he was the most celebrated African leader globally."

SOLEMN ASSEMBLY: Governor Godswill Akpbio of Akwa Ibom State (2nd left), his wife, Unoma (2nd right); Speaker AKHA, Elder Sam Ikon (left) and Deputy Governor, Lady Valerie Ebe, during a Solemn Assembly to usher in year 2014 at the Ibom Hall ground, Uyo.

Rivers Assembly: Stakeholder urges spiritual cleansing of chambers

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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ORT HARCOURT—AS the Police in Rivers State carry out a security sweep on the state House of Assembly Complex ahead of lawmakers' resumed sitting, the state government has been urged to ensure spiritual cleansing of the House before it was reopened for legislative duties.

Former Alliance for Democracy, AD, governorship candidate in the state, Adonye Omubo-Pepple, who made the call in a chat with Vanguard in Port Harcourt, said it was a necessary measure to prevent a repeat of last July’s bloody fracas, which led to the shutdown of the state legislative arm.

He said: “There is always the physical and spiritual tone to human act. It is okay if the po-

lice thought it wise to engage bomb detectors and dogs to do a security combing of the Rivers Assembly Complex while also forcing the lawmakers to sign undertaking before reconvening in the light of what happened in the House before, but these measures alone will not guarantee peaceful resumption.

“We are talking about a House where the lawmakers defiled their honour and spilled blood to desecrate the walls of the hallowed chambers. The state government, particularly the lawmakers, need to engaged men of God to do a spiritual cleansing of that House if we expect the reconvened House to be peaceful and in the interest of Rivers people.”

Meanwhile, factional

Speaker of the Rivers Assembly, Evans Bipi, has apologised to the people of Rivers State for the continuing crisis which had kept the House shut down for over seven months.

Bipi, who is still claiming to be the Speaker of the House, in his new year message in Port Harcourt, apologised to Rivers people “on how the state has been run by the Executive arm with all frivolities and excesses due to the absence of the legislature and a Chief Judge in the state.

“I assure you that these will soon be a thing of the past, as we work towards amicable resolution of the crisis so that normalcy can return to state House of Assembly from January this year to the end of our tenure,” Bipi said.

SERAP tasks Jonathan on ways to curb corruption the same.

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OLLOWING President Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year broadcast that he would fight corruption more seriously in 2014, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged him to “implement a five-point programme against corruption, if he was truly committed to fighting the problem to a standstill."

SERAP noted that “promises alone can’t end corruption and impunity of perpetrators. Taking these simple actions will immediately send a clear message that as far as the fight against corruption is concerned, it won’t be business as usual in 2014.”

SERAP, in a statement, yesterday, by its Executive Director, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, said “the level of corruption in the country today demands serious political will to combat and not rhetorical

statements. We recall that similar promises had been made by this government since its inception. Yet, corruption continues daily and most worryingly, suspected perpetrators enjoy almost absolute impunity.

“In order to end this never-ending cycle of broken promises, SERAP is recommending to the government an easy to implement fivepoint programme against corruption for urgent action.

We believe that the effective implementation of these measures will prove if the government is genuinely serious about fighting corruption. Firstly, the president should demonstrate his total rejection of corruption by publicly declaring his assets and instructing all members of his government to do

“This is the best way the President is ever going to earn the trust of millions of Nigerians yarning for good governance, development and the rule of law. Secondly, President Jonathan should urgently refer unresolved cases of corruption including in the aviation, oil subsidy scandal, alleged mismanagement of trillions of Naira by the Security and Exchange Commission, NSE, missing N300 billion in the Petroleum Ministry since 2011; and others, to the anticorruption agencies clearly requesting prosecution of indicted officials. In the meantime, any such officials such as the Aviation Minister should be immediately suspended from their official duties pending the final determination of their cases."

SABA—LARGESSE from the Delta State Government, including the ones that came before the Christmas, has torn apart the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, PSJNC, in the state, resulting in the emergence of two factions with each claiming to be the authentic body representing the interests of the workers.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba, yesterday, a faction of the council led by Mr. Tony Toki, said that it had sacked the incumbent chairman, Mr. Goodluck Ofobruku.

According to the Toki-led faction, “the meeting appreciates the release of 10 new buses to industrial unions in the state by the state governor and has observed with dismay the obvious laxity and mindset by the current leadership of PSJNC, of not consulting and recognising union hierarchy in the state .”

In a separate briefing, Ofobruku, on his part, said: “I am still the chairman of PJNC. The truth of the matter is that Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour and Industrial Relations, Mr Mike Okeme, has been behind my purported impeachment by picking few impersonators, who are not members, because I refused to dance to his tunes.

“Anytime government gives us a vehicle or any other thing, Okeme wants to hijack them. That is all because I said no, that he should concern himself with his office and not behave as the sole administrator of labour .

“We are appealing to the governor to call him to order in order to continue to maintain the harmonious industrial relations in the state. Ask them what offence did they find me guilty of and whether the so called meeting summoned constitutionally?

The impersonators who signed the so-called communique did not even meet the two-third majority required to unseat the leadership, in line with JNC’s constitution. And out of 10 persons who signed, three of them are not JNC members while others have admitted that they were coerced into signing same,” he stated.

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38—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

FG to complete 2013 constituency projects, says Turaki

A

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

BUJA—THE Federal government has declared its readiness to complete all the 3299 constituency projects contained in the 2013 budget.

This declaration was made at UmualaomaIdeato, Imo State, by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, in a speech read on his behalf by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Okey Muogbo, during the grand reception in honour of a retired Deputy Director of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC Augustine Onwuamaeze.

He said: ‘’My ministry, which is saddled with the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of these projects has already swung into action by going to all parts of the country to ensure implementation of the 3,299 constituency projects that are captured in the 2013 budget.”

Anambra records birth of 200 babies on Jan 1

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WKA—ANAMBRA State on new year day witnessed the birth of no fewer than 200 babies across the state, the wife of the governor, Mrs. Margret Obi, said.

The governor’s wife made the disclosure while presenting gift items and undisclosed amount of cash to 15 of the babies in Awka.

The gifts presentation ceremonies were done across the three senatorial zones of the state.

Mrs Obi, represented by Dr Henrietta Agbata, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, said no fewer than 200 women were delivered of babies on Jan. 1 in the state.

She then urged the mothers to exclusively breastfeed the babies for at least six months.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the state’s first baby of the year was a female, named Chinemerem Ezinwanne.

BURIAL: From left: Mr. Austin Ozobo, Mr. Jimitota Onoyume, Mr. Emma Amaize, Vanguard South-South Editor, Mr. Festus Ahon, Mr. Austin Ogwuda, Mr. Simon Ebegbulem and Mr. Paul Bebenimibo during the burial of Vanguard South South Editor's mother at Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North LGA, Delta State. Photo: Akpokona Omafuire.

Minister challenges Okorocha on accountability

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA WERRI—MINISTER of External Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, has challenged Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, to fully account for all the monies from the federation account that accrued to the state for nearly three years.

Professor Onwuliri, who threw the challenge while fielding questions from journalists in Owerri, was particularly irked that the look of the 27 local

O

government areas was not commensurate with the volume of money allocated to the local councils for nearly three years.

Onwuliri said: “What we have on ground in the local government areas of the state is not commensurate with the huge funds so far collected from the federation account for nearly three years.”

She also accused the state government of misapplying or misappropriating the Subsidy Reinvestment and

Empowerment Programme, Sure-P, fund allocated to the state.

The Minister sought to know where the allocations accruing to the 27 local councils, totaling over N40 billion, as well as the excess crude funds were channeled into.

“The Federal Government has received complaints from victims of the recent flood disaster that the intervention fund it released to the state was diverted,” she said.

While noting that the state

government had a lot to account for, the minister, however, said the Federal Government was waiting for Governor Okorocha’s explanations.

Professor Onwuliri said Okorocha had been collecting local government allocations and disbursing it the way he wished.

She said: “The Federal Government would soon compel the governor to account for the funds he collected from the federation account.”

Tension in Enugu community over alleged imposition of monarch

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

N

SUKKA —TENSION mounts at Eziani in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, following alleged attempt by the state government to impose a traditional ruler on the community.

Sources told Vanguard at Nsukka that the traditional stool of the community had been under contention since June last year, thus polarising the community into different camps, leading to an uneasy calm in the area.

The state Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Pastor Emeka Abagu, was, however, said to have invited all the candidates who had indicated interest in the vacant position for an amicable resolution of the matter after the government had asked them to pay alleged nomination fees of N100, 000 each at an undisclosed hotel in

Enugu, the state capital Aspirants who reportedly attended the meeting included Chief Tony Ezema, Chief George Okolo, Chief Matthew Gingeni and Chief Alphonsus Ugwoke.

The sources, however, told Vanguard that the meeting could not hold as the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Pastor Abugu, simply used the occasion to appoint Chief Ezema as the traditional

ruler of Ezeani, without due process or recourse to the selection processes in the community.

The issue was, however, alleged to have triggered massive revolt in the area as most of the quarters in the community have vowed to protest the government’s action.

Lagos pledges to foster religious harmony

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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AGOS—LAGOS State government has vowed to strengthen ethnic and religious harmony in the state through its annual Lagos Countdown Festival, as residents from different walks of life trooped out in large number, on new year eve, to attend the second edition at the Bar beach.

Over 50 Nigerian music stars, including Tuface Idibia, D Banj,Skuki, Sound Sultan, KC, Wizkid, Don Jazzy and Timaya, Olamide. Burna Boy, Black

Magic Ketchup, trilled the crowd with some of their hit tracks at the event which ended early into the new year.

Speaking with journalists, Governor Bababtunde Fashola said he would continue to provide a conducive environment for the growth of the entertainment industry and more avenues for residents to catch fun in the state.

Fashola, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, said the festival had come to

stay.

He explained that government had achieved the purpose of initiating the festival by ensuring that residents from diverse religious and ethnic groups converge and strengthen their relationship in the new year.

Managing Director of Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency, LASAA, George Noah, said the festival had further exposed the huge potentials in the nation’s entertainment industry, adding that it was capable of fasttracking socio-economic growth of the state.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—39 ,

SIGNING: Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu (middle); his Deputy, Ahmed Ibeto (1st right), the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, and members of the State Executive Council, during the Governor's signing of the 2014 Budget into law.

PARTY: Most Innovative Staff, Time Tell Nigeria Limited (franchise owner, Fruit of the Loom and Grant of London wristwatches),Mrs. Margaret Osunwa, receiving her prize from Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mrs. Uju Lami-Abdulkadir, during the end of year party/prize-giving ceremony, at the corporate head office of the company, in Lagos.

SERVICE: Cathedral Priest, Rev. Israel Owolabi (left); Bishop of Agege Diocese, First Africa Church Mission, FACM, Rt. Rev. Michael Dare (2nd left); Ven. Ebenezer Adesola (2nd right), and Cathedral Vicar, Rev. Samuel Iwatan, during 2013/ 2014 Watch Night service, at the Cathedral Church of Jehovah Sharma, Iju Ishaga, Lagos.

STAR BABY: Deaconess Roli Uduaghan, wife of the governor, Delta State, carrying the star baby of the year, 2014. The baby girl was born to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Pascal at 12:01a.m., at Central Hospital, Warri, on January 1, 2014, weighing 3.6Kg.

PRESENTATION: From left, Retail Customer Marketing Manager, Nokia West Africa, Jide Adeyemi, presenting keys to a Kia Sportage Jeep to the Director, Broadband Ventures, Ifechukwu Amobi, winner in the Nokia Incentives for Wholesalers; Head, Sales Operations, Nokia West and Central Africa, Ladi Oyatayo, and General Retail Manager, Nokia West and Central Africa, Emmanuel Ossai, during the prize presentation, at Computer Village, Ikeja.

ANNIVERSARY: Lagos State Deputy Governor's representative, Mrs. Ola Sobajo, with the chairman of the day, AIG Ola Famous-Cole, and the President, Ladies Progressive Union, Sis. Lande Fadipe, at the Union's 80th anniversary reception, in Lagos.

COMPETITION: From left, Mr. Dada Ajai-Ikhile,Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Adon-Africa Limited; Mrs. Tokunbo Edun, Administrator, Grace Schools; Dr. Victor Iyama,National President,Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria, FACAN, and Mr. Ronald Cilliers, Principal, Grace High School, at the 17th Annual Inter-House Sport Competition of Grace High School, at University of Lagos Sports Centre, Akoka, Lagos.

SEND-FORTH: From left, Rev. Father Raphael Adebayo, outgoing parish priest; Rev. Father Anthony Nworuh, and Rev. Father Anthony Adebambo, Catholic Diocese, Ijebu Ode, at the St. Agnes Catholic Church MaryLand, Lagos send-forth ceremony for Rev. Adebayo and his assistant, plus Festival of Nine Lessons and Carol, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau

OPENING: From left, Hon. Olufemi Allen-Taylor, Chairman,Ogun State House Committe On Sports and Employment Generation; Mrs. Moyo Olowonmi, Permanent Secretary, and Mr. Wole Odejobi,Director of Admininistration and Supplies, both of Ogun State Ministry of Youth and Sports, at the opening ceremony of Falilat Ogunkoya National 400 metres Meet, at Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Senator Ewuga urges Nasarawa youths to embrace peace

Nyako's wife charges children to be disciplined

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Y

OLA—THE wife of Adamawa State governor, Dr Zainab Nyako, yesterday, tasked children in the state on discipline and hard work.

She made the call at an End of Year/New Year celebration, organised for children in Yola.

Nyako said discipline, respect for elders, teachers and hard-work in their studies were necessary for them to progress in life.

She said “my husband, Governor Murtala Nyako, is sending you his New Year greetings.

“He directed me tell you that his administration is committed to your welfare as evident in the government’s programme of free medical treatment to children and pregnant women.

“The free uniform programme for primary school pupils is specifically designed out of concern for your welfare.”

Earlier, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Halima Mohammed, had said that the government would continue to do its best to ensure that the basic rights of children were respected and upheld in the state.

Oshodi community tasked on devt

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SHODI community has been advised to take the development of the area seriously and shun act of violence that can retard the progress of the people.

The chairman of Oshodi / Isolo local government, Bolaji Muse Ariyo and a leader of Oshodi youth, Alhaji Musilu Akinsanya said this during the Oshodi Day celebration.

The chairman, however, praised the youths and Oshodi community for maintaining peace since the commencement of this political dispensation.

He also assured the community that the council will continue to provide necessary social amenities that would transform and make the people to live a comfortable life.

Also speaking, the leader of the youths, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsayan charged them to cooperate with the present administration both at local and state levels and desist from act of hooliganism capable of retarding the progress of the community.

FELICITATION—Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo (right) and Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, former Sultan of Sokoto during a courtesy visit to the latter in his Kaduna residence to felicitate with the Sultan on his 90th birthday on Wednesday.

2015: Suntai, Nyame reconcile; move to stop Umar

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH & JOHN MKON

J

ALINGO—RECUPERATING Taraba Governor, Mr. Danbaba Suntai, has reconciled with his estranged predecessor in office, Rev Jolly Nyame, in a bid seen as trying to stop the acting governor, Garba Umar, from taking over from him.

Vanguard gathered that Suntai, who had fallen out with Nyame over some political issues, however, changed his mind and invited his predecessor for a birthday party in his house, during which they warmly embraced themselves and settled their differences.

Associates of Suntai, said he had waited for an opportuned moment to reconcile with Nyame, who fell out with him as a result of the

latter’s attempt to dictate to him even after leaving office in 2007.

The political feud between the two was so fierce that Nyame was forced out of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and even his attempt to contest for a senatorial seat in the state was effectively stalled by Suntai.

Suntai, who acknowledged the truce with his predecessor, said in a state-wide broadcast that his reconciliation with Nyame was an act of God but did not give further explanation.

But Vanguard learnt that the decision by the two political leaders in the state to mend fences was taken to stop the acting governor, Garba Umar, from spreading his political tentacles further ahead of the next general election.

The duo reasoned that with

their coming together to present a common front, it would be difficult for Umar to present a senatorial candidate from Nyame’s zone and win.

Nyame and Suntai are said to be opposed to Umar becoming the substantive governor of the state just as their loyalists are working round the clock to stop Umar from gaining more political visibility in the state.

Umar is alleged to be working hard to promote the senatorial aspiration of Ahmed Yusuf, who was a commissioner under Nyame and has been contesting as an opposition governorship candidate in the state for a long time.

However, the acting governor has repeatedly said that he is not working against Suntai’s interest since he brought him into political limelight.

4,000 people get free eye treatment in Katsina

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ATSINA—NO fewer than 4,000 patients with various eye diseases from 11 local government areas of Katsina South Senatorial District have received free eye treatment in Funtua.

The Special Assistant to Katsina State Deputy Governor on Special Duties, Alhaji Qassim Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday in Funtua that the exercise, tagged ‘"Free Eye Camp", took place from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31, 2013.

Muhammad said the treatment was conducted by a team of 14 doctors from Abasar Foundation in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Ihsan Yardam Vakfi Foundation from Turkey.

He said the Deputy Governor,

Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, facilitated the exercise and sponsored all the required logistics used for the exercise.

According to him, the six day exercise was a milestone that enhanced the health of the people, especially the elderly

from the rural communities in the state.

Muhammad said that the team carried out eye surgeries on 400 patients while others received various forms of treatment with full medications together with eye glasses.

BUK resumes academic activities K A N O — B AY E R O University Kano yesterday resumed full academic activities in the two campuses of the institution following the suspension of the six months strike by university lecturers in the

country.

The university authorities had last week directed all the students to return to school on January 1, for intensive revision before the first semester examination coming up in two weeks time.

AFIA—SENATOR Solomon Ewuga, APC—Nasarawa North, has appealed to youths and other Nigerians to embrace peace and tolerate one another to ensure meaningful development in the country.

He made the appeal yesterday in Alushi, Akun Development Area, when he addressed officials of Nigeria Youth Council in the area who paid him a New Year visit.

Ewuga said the appeal became necessary in view of the security challenges that faced the state and some parts of the country in 2013.

He said: “We must embrace peace and tolerate one another irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations for the benefit of all.

“Youths are the pillar, foundation, backbone and vanguard of every society; no society will experience meaningful development without the contributions of youths.

“The youths must not allow themselves to be used by selfish individuals in fomenting trouble in the society because no society can progress in an atmosphere of rancour, confusion and violence.

“Let peace reign in Nasarawa State and the country at large, so that government can sustain and improve on the development efforts it embarked upon for the benefit of the people,” he said.

He assured the youths and the people of the area of his determination to undertake projects that would have direct bearing on their lives.

Mo Abudu listed among Nigeria's top CEOs of 2013

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EO of EbonyLife TV and popular TV talkshow host; Mo Abudu who has been captioned ‘Africa’s Oprah Winfrey’ has been listed by Ventures Africa as one of the Top 10 Nigerian CEOs of 2013.

She makes the list alongside Funke Opeke of MainOne, Michael Arumemi-Ikhide of Arik Air, Olusegun Agbaje of Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB, and Aliko Dangote of Dangote group.

Mosunmola Abudu popularly known as Mo Abudu, is the Chairman and Chief Executive of EbonyLife TV, hostess and executive producer of Moments with Mo, a media personality, human resource management consultant and entrepreneur/ venture capitalist.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —41

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42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

KEROSINE SUBSIDY:

How far does it get to the masses?

BY A. M. UGONNA

O

N the front burner of Ni geria is kerosene, its subsidy and availability. Asking an intricate question, is kerosene the best thing for Nigeria at this time?

Do we really need subsidy for kerosene?

The Federal Government subsidizes kerosene at N110/litre to make it available to the masses at N50/litre but it is common

knowledge that the market price of a litre of kerosene ranges between N115 – N150 defeating the entire aim of the subsidy. A lot of factors affect the cost of kerosene, these factors range from handling charges, arbitrage by peddlers, diversion for use as aviation fuel, production of emulsion, used for road construction, smuggling to other countries, mixing with AGO, etc. Bottom line is that the mass-

Kerosine queue at an NNPC fuel station...

es do not feel the impact of the subsidy and hence, do not benefit from the Federal Government kerosene subsidy. Taking a diversion from the ‘subsidy’ issue, the

next question arises. Is kerosene the best thing for Nigeria at this stage and level of our development!

Kerosene which was advocat-

ed as a cleaner alternative to firewood and other solid fuels has now been seen to be equally unhealthy. Studies have shown that the emissions associated with the use of kerosene both in and outdoor are enormous and dangerous, from diseases such as asthma, lung infection, tuberculosis, cancer, just to mention a few, including accidental explosions and poisoning. Alternatively, Nigeria should be thinking more along the lines of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) joining the rest of the developed world. Nigeria ranks as the 7th highest producer of LPG globally, yet our national consumption is minimal.

Domestic consumption With a national 3,258,900 MT production of LPG in 2012 and 840,400MT reserved for domestic consumption, statistics have shown that the national domestic consumption in 2013 stood at a minimal 250,000MT leaving 590,400MT untouched.

Only five per cent of households in Nigeria use LP Gas, four per cent use electricity, the remaining 91 per cent use other biomass/Solid fuels and Kerosene.

LPG has been seen to be a very clean and efficient fuel.

It is a non-toxic gas and is healthy for use indoors and outdoors. It does not cause pollution and therefore promotes good health. Aside from its health benefits, it also has numerous environmental and economic benefits.

The LPG industry is one that needs to be tapped into.

With the growth of LPG consumption, a lot of industries will spring up, from the manufacturing of cylinders, burners, accessories just to mention a few to the springing up of numerous GAS plants across the Nation which will in turn provide thousands of job opportunities. The topline is Nigeria is blessed with this energy that is grossly underutilized. It is time that the masses looked away from kerosene and its woes and looked towards the potentials of LPG. C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —43

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44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

sprang a surprise for concluding investigations on the controversial purchase of two BMW armoured cars for N255 million by the Minister of Aviation within the specified time given by the House. However, observers were bemused by the light treatment given the minister by the House committee.

Robust Debate The House leadership under Speaker Aminu Tambuwal also provided robust leadership and skirted around political mines supposedly set for it in the intrigues that faced the country in the last year.

Minuses for the House: The House however left behind more than 10 issues unattended to.

One major issue that was treated with levity by the House in the last year was the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. The much talked about PIB was dropped midway after a nationwide public hearing was carried out by the ad-hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon Bawa Isiaka.

This was one committee that had more than 15 powerful committee chairmen of various sensitive committees.

It was described by many legislators as the committee of wise men.

•House of Reps chamber

The House in 2013:

Talk, talk, talk T

HE year, 2013 passed on without any significant result to show by the House of Representatives, particularly in the areas of probes.

By the time the House went on the yuletide break the House had carried out more than 32 probes covering all the segments of the Nigerian society.

Besides the probes, the House in plenary or through its committees also summoned several government agencies to explain issues of importance to the House.

The agencies most summoned not surprisingly, were the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. But how the numerous probes fared in the last one year is another issue.

Some of the probes carried out in the last one year include: *Probe on tax evasion by banks *Probe on oil theft, recently C M Y K

THE House of Representatives lived to its reputation for enthusiasm and action in 2013. But beyond the razzmatazz, the jury is still out on whether there was anything substantial done by the House in the last year. inaugurated *BMW armoured cars purchased for the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah by an agency of the Ministry of Aviation. *Probe on seized assets by EFCC *Alleged sale of Nigeria’s House in the US *Failure of NNPC to remit $13billion *Probe of death of 15years old Nigerian SS one student in Ghana *Probe of Land Racketeering in FCT *50 questions on the Nigerian economy that Minister of Finance must answer *Probe on Prisons tax invasion *Probe of N5.6billion pipeline protection contract by NNPC *Probe of BPE Over NITEL/MTEL Sale *Probe of Nigeria’s dwindling oil revenue.

* Probe on CBN’s cash less policy. *The controversial sale of an oil bloc to Malabu Oil and

,

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

of the legislature with levity.

Undoubtedly, the development, it is claimed is largely responsible for the

Undoubtedly, the development, it is claimed is largely responsible for the insignificant result the House achieved in the last one year

Gas company.

In several of the investigations, the probes were concluded and in some cases reports forwarded to the executive arm for implementation, but in most cases these reports were swept under the carpet. In some other cases, parallel committees were set up to replicate what the House had done.

It is a development which has made many members to believe that the presidency regards or treats the actions

,

insignificant result the House achieved in the last one year.

But members nevertheless would point at some achievements in the past year.

Achievements in 2013: The 1999 constitution ad hoc committee impressed members by concluding and submitting its report within the specific time line last year.

The committee was led by the Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha.

The Aviation committee led

by Nkeuruka Onyejeocha

Committee reports Yet, ten months after conducting its zonal public hearing in April nothing was heard of it again.

As at the close of legislative business this year, over 55 committee reports were yet to be submitted.

The House leadership had last November threatened to sanction such committees but as at the time the House adjourned last month, the leadership was yet to take a position on the laggards among the committees.

Defending the position of the principal officers on the issue, House spokesman Rep. Zakari Mohammed, APC, Kwara, told Vanguard that “it will be suicidal for the leadership to contemplate changing chairmen for now.”

“With what is on ground no sane leadership would venture into that kind of shake-up.”

Another major minus is the selective oversight functions carried out by committees. One significant

Continues on Page 46

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—45

OYO 2015:

BY OLA AJAYI

W

ITH the recent positive assessment of the first term of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State by some of the powerful forces that determine success of elections in the state, it seems history is in the making for the Pacesetter State.

The state, since inception has not been governed twice by any governor irrespective of his gratifying performance.

Recently, both the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and the business tycoon, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez ArisekolaAlao spoke glowingly in support of the governor.

It is not a hidden fact that the two eminent personalities are some of the forces to reckon with in any election in the state, though, their inputs are not seen physically.

Is it doable for Ajimobi?

IT is still a little over a year before Governor Abiola Ajimobi can renew his mandate to govern Oyo State for a second term. It is a mission that has never been achieved before. Can he?

Support of the monarchs

•Ajimobi administration is still enjoying the support of the monarch just about a year to the end of his tenure.

At an empowerment programme organized by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu that took place in Oyo town, Oba Adeyemi scored Governor Ajimobi higher than his predecessors in office.

According to the monarch, the governor has shown that he takes advice and honours elders and the Yoruba tradition.

Besides, Oba Adeyemi said the governor had fulfilled his campaign promises.

Some of the achievements

The House in 2013: Continues from page 44 development in the last year was the 2013 budget crisis.

Though the 2013 budget was passed in record time, the president refused to give his assent until February and with reservations.

The implementation of the budget also drew flaks from members so that as the time for the presentation of the 2014 budget proposals got near, the members and the presidency officials got on edge. The crisis was compounded by the removal of Senator Joy Emodi as

that the monarch listed included the construction of a flyover at Mokola, Ibadan, beautification of the environment, restoration of peace and huge road construction.

To wrap it up, he noted that the governor could not be compared with any in terms of humility and his sterling performance.

In his own words, Alhaji Arisekola-Alao commended the governor for transforming the state within a short period adding it would serve the interest of the entire state to give Ajimobi another fouryear mandate in 2015.

The comments by the duo

are a pointer to the fact the incumbent governor could break the jinx that the state doesn’t elect a governor twice.

He could be the first governor

,

Any government in power that fails or trivializes their influence has already prepared its grave.

The previous administrations of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, late Lamidi Adesina are ready examples that come to mind.

Alaafin and Arisekola are two inseparable twins.

Anybody who wants to see the other side of Alhaji Arisekola should offend Alaafin.

Akala did not know then that he had stirred the hornet’s nest when he engaged the monarch.

So, whenever they are in support of any government or they speak positively about it, it is tantamount to the voices of the gods and the people.

It is a wonder that by now Governor Ajimobi’s

To show the enormity of the crisis in the APC, Ajimobi recently had to appeal to aggrieved loyalists of late Alhaji Lamidi Adesina and Senator Olufemi Lanlehin to close ranks

to attain the feat especially with the messy nature of the crisis within the PDP in the state. The once-popular party is still trying to get its acts together since its defeat in 2011 by the ruling All

Talk, talk, talk

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters. Emodi had in the past been able to douse the agitations of members but in her absence the House became something like a torment for the president. It was not surprising that after some war of words that the president finally sent the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to submit the 2014 proposals on his behalf last month.

But sadly enough, on the same day she made the presentation, Chairman of

Finance Committee, Dr Abdulmumini Jibrin summoned her to answer 50 questions on the Nigerian economy.

New Development in the House: ACP’s sudden emergence as majority in the House in the last month of the year will certainly set a new agenda for the House when it resumes later this month.

The APC needs just nine members to form a simple majority even though it now has the highest number of members following the

Progressives Congress.

Though, the party is trying to stage a comeback with the recent apology of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala to Oba Adeyemi for the wrongs done to him and gradual settlement of rivalry among factions in the party, getting it right in the 2015 elections will be like a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

There could be a replay of the scenario which characterized the 2011 elections when the Accord Party and PDP in their squabble allowed the APC to snatch the governorship.

The two opposition parties in the state, after trying to form alliance against the ruling party, have parted ways due to some irreconcilable differences.

While Ladoja has declared he cannot work with the PDP in the election, Akala too, openly said he would never join the Accord Party. Like two parallel lines that cannot meet, they are operating at both opposite ends. But, Accord seems to be playing the role of the real opposition

defection of 37 PDP members to the opposition party. The defection resulted in the increase of the number of APC members from 138 to 172.

PDP that had a comfortable controlling majority with 208 members had its figure slashed to 171.

With the latest development, it is envisioned that the unity and cohesion that existed since June 2011 may evaporate as raw politics dictated by outside interests influence the thinking of members.

,

more than the PDP given the loud silence of the former ruling party.

Accord for example capitalized on public displeasure over the recent demolition of structures at Oja Oba as parts of Ajimobi’s beautification programme, when it through its Publicity Secretary, Dr. Nureni Adeniran sympathized with the affected traders and the people of the state over the perceived callousness of the state administration.

Also, it bore its fangs menacingly at one of its lawmakers in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Bolomope, who defected to the APC. The lawmaker who is representing Egbeda State Constituency said he did so to settle his troubled conscience. The defection, if not corrected, will surely have effects on the 2015 election.

With the defection, Accord which had seven members in

Continues on Page 46

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

PDP under pressure in Bauchi T

HE recent defection of thousands of members of the PDP in Bauchi State to the APC is not a healthy development for the party in the state and its national leadership. But whether the minders of the PDP would take heed is another matter

BY SUZAN EDEH

T

HE recent political developments in the country that heralded the defection of five governors from the People Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) has in turn created ripples even to states where the governors did not defect.

In Bauchi State for instance, the agitation against the PDP is gaining traction following the defection of thousands of members to the APC where they were received by former minister of police affairs, Dr. Yakubu Lame.

The leader of the defecting group, Alhaji Abubakar Doma explained that their defection was in pursuit of justice and fairness in the country just as he debunked the claim by their former state chairman, Muhammed Isah that those who were supportive of the nPDP faction have reconciled with the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur led mainstream.

According to him, “apart from Isah who was allegedly persuaded by the ruling People Democratic party, all of the other new PDP members and executives across the 20 local governments in the state have unanimously followed the footsteps of their counterparts in the country to join the APC”.

“The Bauchi State chapter of the new PDP has since joined

the progressive National leadership of APC and has since been received by the party under the leadership of the former police affairs minister in the person of Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame. It is noteworthy that our resolution to join the APC was unanimous with no second thoughts,” he said.

The decampees therefore warned that they would not hesitate to institute legal action against anybody who continues to sponsor advertorials in newspapers to relate them with the PDP, whether old or new and its affairs, saying that they are committed to working spiritedly towards the victory of the APC come 2015.

Genuine integration "We are calling on the leadership of the APC in the state to dismiss any insinuation meant to ridicule our genuine integration into the party with all our subjects. We remain loyal and committed party members who are ready to use our time, abilities and resources, to work hard in ensuring the success of the party”.

An interview with the APC national auditor, Captain Bala Mohammed Jibril further predicted doom for the PDP as

•Yuguda he said that the decision of the five former PDP Governors to join the APC was the kind of political revolution that many had desired.

“The PDP for a very long time had things going its way and if left unchecked we will continue to have a lot of excesses within our political structures. It is so disheartening that the PDP has no concrete plan for the nation besides squandering public resources and impoverishing

Nigerians,” he said.

While calling for a stronger alliance among the defecting governors, he, however, urged them to discard the politics of corruption, nepotism and deception in favour of transparent and accountable leadership.

The national auditor said that registration of membership of the party would begin soon and already the party has made available forms for the

registration of members.

He also warned members of the party to be careful of wolf in sheep clothing whose mission is to create faction and cause confusion within the party.

“Some people who were rejected and frustrated in their party came and pleaded that they wanted to join the APC. We received them and carried them along, but they later turned around to stab us and decamped to another party.

This time around, we will not allow this kind of tragedy to befall the party again”.

In his reaction, the state PDP secretary, Alhaji Samaila Burga said that the defection of the five governors and thousands of members of the party to the APC was not a healthy development for the national leadership of the party.

According to him, “the massive defection of members of PDP, including five governors is a minus on the leadership of Bamanga Tukur and a plus for the APC. If all the various opposition parties will merge and get a booster, then it is not a good development for our party. The only way out of this predicament PDP has found itself is to wakeup from its slumber and work hand in hand to mend all the broken fences”.

Burga stressed that the PDP must restrategize and appeal to all aggrieved individuals who left the party to return.

“I feel this is the only way out of our problem. Let the national leadership of the PDP give a listening ear to the complaints of its members and make amends. If they say they do not want the national chairman of the party, let us meet their demands and expectations, instead of watching the party disintegrate and fall,” he said.

OYO 2015: Is it doable for Ajimobi?

Continues from page 45 the House of Assembly now has five members. One of its members had defected earlier before Bolomope. APC has 17 members while PDP has 10.

Registering its annoyance, the party’s state Chairman and Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Lawal and Dr. Adeniran cried foul.

Adeniran said, “Bolomope was elected as house of Assembly lawmaker on the platform of Accord. The people of Egbeda Constituency are however saying that since he has defected to another party, they will appreciate it if his seat at the Assembly can be declared vacant by the court.

Adeniran further alleged “For him now to be talking of conscience is curious, because he never showed that he had one when the government was sacking teachers and bulldozing away the people’s means of livelihood, a step that affected so many people in his Egbeda Constituency despite repeated calls on him by the party to react”.

“As a former state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), one would have thought that he would be at the vanguard of those protecting the interest of workers in the state, but, unfortunately, he was not

seen then to be counted and this puts question mark on his claim of being pricked by conscience, he has none”, the party argued.

Not even the ruling APC is immuned from the crises raging in the major parties in the state.

Enormity of the crisis To show the enormity of the crisis in the APC, Ajimobi recently had to appeal to aggrieved loyalists of late Alhaji Lamidi Adesina and Senator Olufemi Lanlehin to close ranks with other members of the party to prevent it from losing the

2015 elections.

Both supporters of Lanlehin popularly called SENACO and Adesina’s tagged LAMISTS are at war with the governor for alleged marginalisation in the distribution of political offices in the state. The brick-wall had existed even before the death of Adesina just a little over a year ago.

While warning the party members of the likelihood of the opposition party to capitalize on the disagreements, Ajimobi, urged them to abandon factions and empower the party. Seizing the moral ground, Ajimobi had said: “Be united so that we can

continue to be in power as progressives. In-fighting among us can retard progress.

Great Alhaji Lam Adesina, when we were all scrambling for nomination of the ACN, always told me not to mind the scramblers; that I was his choice. So who can be more of a Lamist than me? Why then would anyone who claims to be a supporter of Alhaji Lam not support his son whom he fought tooth and nail to ensure that he is in office?” he asked.

Residents and political observers in the state are waiting anxiously to see how Ajimobi will escape falling into the same pits which the previous governors fell into.

I

T is happy news that the New Year 2014 has brought its freshness into an atmosphere contaminated by the foul saga of letter-writing that pervaded the last few weeks of last year, 2013.

The hope is that 100 years of amalgamation of Northern and Southern Provinces will rekindle hope in a new and stronger United States of Nigeria.At the time when arrangements are on for a useful National Dialogue and when politicians are resketching their plans to capture power in 2015, it is necessary to re-examine the real strategy for economic reconstruction and political stability. The strategy is not new to readers of this column; it has been discussed several times.It may not be too late to start to sort out our priorities from the confusion of the past. First, action should be taken to strengthen the import substitution industry, so as to ensure its survival against foreign competition and also for it to be able to produce enough for home demand and for export.

The measures required are prevention of smuggling, substantial reduction or complete eradication of import duties on plants, machinery, spare parts and raw materials which cannot be produced at home.

A complimentary policy is that which will stimulate demand for the locally produced goods.

Since the lower income groups are more likely to prefer these goods, it would be better to put more money in their pockets by a moderate increase in salaries and wages or substantial reductions in personal income tax

2014: The old but new strategy and purchase tax (vat). The other group, with high propensity to consume home goods is the old-age pensioners who need substantial increase and regularity of payment of their pensions. The third group embraces those unemployed graduates (after the National Youth Service) who need a form of income to sustain their current level of demand. They should be supported by stipends until they are employed.

The next development strategy is the orientation of the domestic industry towards foreign markets. The local beer and malt drinks, textiles, plastic goods and oil and lubricants are common in the West African region either through smuggling or under unorganized trade structures.

While serious efforts are needed to provide favorable conditions for growth, stringent measures should ensure that domestic industry responds to the policy of employment generation and

the demands of tax payments (as and when due).

The old giant stores of old were a sad reminder of lost opportunities through uncoordinated fiscal policy and foreign exchange management.

The old giant stores disappeared because of difficulties in procurement and the cost of foreign exchange. Those stores were good avenues for employment of high, middle and lower grades of Nigerians up to the 1970s. The promise of economic diversification is not new to Nigeria except that it has remained a mere executive theory or parliamentary jargons during annual budget sessions.

A concrete policy is needed which should be faithfully executed. What is needed is strong determination by a strong leader who will reverse the trend of selling not only crude oil abroad, but also other oil-based locally manufactured products.

Nigeria should be an exporter of

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014—47 refined products and not always award contracts for road an importer, as it is being repairs to several companies observed now. instead of directly organizing the In the area of economic road maintenance gangs (like diversification, some are the daily paid workers of old) suggesting the who would look after the roads intensification of the permanently and thereby, afford electronics sub-sector. employment opportunity for Because of its thousands of unemployed youths requirements of high who now constitute a menace on technology and capital, the highways. direct foreign investment If the Nigerian economy is to would be appropriate, improve, it would be necessary necessary and to have full or near full capacity rewarding.

The utilization in the industrial sector, advantage of direct foreign to ensure increase in techniques investment is that it and equipment (plant and releases domestic savings machinery) to raise productivity; for other productive uses. to have technical education, However, care should be taken training on the job and that profits remitted home in communication in simple way respect of foreign investment do and provision of simple not quickly outstrip the annual implements to raise agricultural rate of fresh capital investment outputs in the rural areas. This as to adversely affect the balance should be complemented by of payments position. substantial investments in good As initially pointed out, the roads, reliable railways, power problems with Nigeria and its stations and irrigation systems in economy has nothing to do with the arid areas of the North. suitable plans but principally, the However, rapid expansion of inability to prioritize, and when the economy is possible under a the country is lucky to select some visionary leader who would good plans, the unwillingness to make sure that the country‘s pursue or operate them to macro-economic policy produces successful ends becomes a major overall stability. Such a leader problem. Another problem is the needs a clear perception of what pernicious characteristics of every it takes to have full employment, government (whether federal, stable foreign exchange and state or local) to award multi- non-volatile price movements in billion contracts, especially to the economy. In the race to a foreign firms for road modern and economically viable construction. Roads are left until state, political and economic they become death-traps, public analysts have expressed some buildings are poorly maintained serious doubts on the suitability and other forms of infrastructures of the present structure of the are left decayed until the time is state and local governments in ripe for juicy contracts. The Road the country.

Maintenance Authority would

Obasanjo can't dictate for Jonathan — Onuesoke

2015:

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

W

HAT is your assessment of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan?

There is an element of inconsistency in the letter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck.

There is an inconsistency in the sense that as a former head of state, he should not have sent the letter to the media. He was the one that is instrumental to the installation of President Goodluck Jonathan.

If Jonathan is doing things that are not in the right perspective, the normal thing for him to do is that he would have gone straight to Jonathan to discuss the issue .

He has access to Aso Rock. He would have gone to him to say my son what is happening? You are derailing instead of going to the press to whip up sentiment and put unwanted colouration on issues that are not supposed to be issue. I am only against him going to the public to display such a letter.

In the letter, Obasanjo advised President Jonathan not to go for second term. What is your position on that?

CHIEF Sunny Onuesoke, Special Project Director, Delta State Governor’s Office, in this interview speaks on the letter of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo to Jonathan, the vision of Jonathan for Nigerians and his chances of clinching the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Presidential ticket in 2015. Excerpts: It is not Obasanjo that will tell Nigerians that Jonathan will not be contesting as President for second term. It is Jonathan that will tell the 160 million Nigerians if he will contest or not and we will believe. Even if Obasanjo had a private discussion with the President that is not an issue before the masses. It is the responsibility of Nigerian masses for Jonathan to consult us.

Nigeria is bigger than Obasanjo and anybody he claimed Jonathan consulted.

He is wrong to say Jonathan should not go for second term.

Did he consult anybody before he wanted to go for a third term?

Why didn’t he wait for the masses to resist Jonathan? Why are Northern elites and governors dictating to Nigerians who is going to be the leader of this country? For Christ sake, it is we that Jonathan should consult and not Obasanjo and few elements.

It is unacceptable to Nigerian masses. Let it be known that I

am speaking on behalf of Nigerian masses. I am not speaking for the elites, the politicians or those in appointment. It is we the masses that will decide if Jonathan will contest or not and not few elements like Obasanjo and his cohorts.

Before now, Obasanjo had criticised Jonathan. Do you think he has any hidden agenda against the President as being alleged?

He couldn’t have been attacking Jonathan because he is not legitimate enough to attack the President. The things Jonathan has done are projects of legacy. What did he do when he was the President? He privatised Nigerians into private hands. He promised to fix NEPA for eight years but he left it worse than he met it. He ran down the economy and infrastructures of the country. But today the railways are running. Electricity is almost constant. Obasanjo

•Onuesoke killed the national airline. But today we are about setting up the national airline. And he is telling me he has the legitimacy to challenge the President. Can Obasanjo compare his report of eight years to that of Jonathan for four years? What are we talking about? It is high time we search for answers. No man, nobody is bigger than Nigeria.

Not even Obasanjo or Jonathan.

The decision of this country lies on 160 million people of this country not selected few elites who arrogate power to

themselves selfishly.

No fewer than 37 PDP members of House of Representative recently defected to APC and this no doubt showed that PDP is losing its majority in the House. What is the implication of the defection to your party?

What are the popularity of those PDP members who defected to APC in their constituency? You would have asked if members of the House of Assembly defected along with them? You would have asked if their Deputy Governors defected along with them?

Those who defected, did they win their election to the House of Representative? What is the integrity of those members who defected?

What is their popularity? The 37 members who defected to APC are insignificant to Nigeria's swing votes. You do not look at someone defecting. Look at the followership. They were not representing the people. They defected for their personal and selfish gain. They knew quite well that they cannot come back to the House because of their lack of popularity and acceptance to their people. They defected because their people rejected them. They did not defect because there was something wrong with PDP. Their defections made Nigerians to believe that they are in the House for their self interest.

48 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Letter to Jonathan:

Obasanjo should apologise to the Ijaw — Oforibika BARRISTER Mela Oforibika, who specialises in Oil and Gas law, hails from Ogu/Bolo Local Government of Rivers State and had once served as the State’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He tells Soni Daniel, in this interview that although Obasanjo has the right to write to President Goodluck Jonathan on matters of national interest, he does not have the right to disparage the Ijaw people, in trying to express his views. He says Obasanjo should therefore apologise to the aggrieved the Ijaw nation. Excerpts:

BY SONI DANIEL

H

AVING read the letter from Obasanjo to Jonathan, what is your opinion as a lawyer?

My own opinion is that Obasanjo is entitled to his own opinion as any other Nigerian.

He is a former president of this country and his opinion should always be sought and when given it should not be taken lightly. However, I have issues with the manner Obasanjo presented his opinion this time around.

But I find it a bit out of decorum for him to talk the way he did without showing much respect to the sitting president. Agreed that we are a young democracy but we also have to learn from what is happening to other democracies around the world so that we do not make a mockery of ourselves as a country. You

BY UGONNA EDWARD UWAKWE

E

VERY move made thus far by the promoters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) since the idea of constructing a mega-party to give the PDP a run for its money was first mooted has been bold and audacious. Against incredible odds, the pseudo-ideological strange bedfellows in the ACN, ANPP and the CPC, with a deep history of treachery and betrayal amongst them, braved the odds and successfully launched the party to great media acclaim.

More audacious is the narrative of progressivism the party foisted on itself, a political illogic that has seduced a wide spectrum of social publics.

Having gotten away with this false title and dubious credentials the new party next set its sights on the ruling PDP; a party ridden by contradictions between a new national leadership intent on imposing its will on all its structural and administrative formations, and a bunch of very powerful governors who, consumed by narcissism, hubris and towering ego, would do all that it takes to protect and reinforce the enormous medievalized power they had appropriated over the years.

rarely find a former president in the United States for instance, criticising a sitting president of their own party.

Do you mean that he spoke out of point on the issue of corruption?

Corruption is crippling the country but it did not start with Jonathan. It is not a Jonathan malaise. Jonathan has not stopped the anti-corruption agencies from performing their statutory duties. As a matter of fact, ICPC and EFCC are even freer under Jonathan unlike under Obasanjo when they were used to terrorise and harass his perceived opponents and impeach governors. Bayelsa State was one of the Obasanjo’s victims.

Obasanjo also accused Jonathan of acting and behaving as an Ijaw leader instead of

•Oforibika being the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

The question is how. Is it in terms of cronyism or appointments? There are overt indices before you can mention ethnicism by Jonathan. What have the Ijaw done to deserve such profiling by Obasanjo?

Have the Ijaw expelled the northerners from their midst?

Have they taken over the commanding heights of the Nigerian economy, which is in the hands of the Yoruba, Hausa and the Igbo?

In all facets, please let Obasanjo tell us where we have made an inroad into the system controlled by the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. The Ijaw are still marginalised and at a disadvantaged position in the country. Their quota is still not filled up in Nigeria. I parade more degrees than others but yet I am not on any of the federal boards.

NPA is an exclusive preserve of certain tribes in Nigeria. So also is ETF and PTDF and others. Obasanjo said in the same letter that he is a Nigerian and a Yoruba but he wants Jonathan to erase his identity as an Ijaw.

Maybe he will abandon the Etibo and use Agbada as Obasanjo.

That is why we say that the whole letter is so myopic and unbecoming of a former president of Nigeria. They are very myopic and insulting to the Ijaw people. We are Ijaw and you put the entire Ijaw people in quotes. Even the Willinks Commission in the 1950s recognised the place of the minorities and the Ijaws

especially in the scheme of things in Nigeria.

It was under Obasanjo that the infamous Land Act was enacted that has impoverished the Ijaw that produce the main resource sustaining Nigeria. Let other parts of the country bring the money from mining activities that come from their areas.

What do you think Jonathan should do in the light of the letter?

President Jonathan should not do anything to Obasanjo. He should simply ignore Obasanjo but take his time to implement the transformation agenda to clear all the criticisms. Whether it is constructive or not, it is meant to wake you up. Jonathan should therefore not take any grouse against Obasanjo. I would not criticise him. Nobody should abuse him in anyway. God forbid.

But he owes the Ijaw Nation an apology for putting us in quotes.

All other issues, the president can speak for himself. Under our law there is sedition and treason and he should know when to draw the line. Obasanjo should know his position in Nigeria and know when to criticise and when to offer a father admonition.

APC: The limit of audacity The coincidence of the raw 2015 political ambition of the APC princes and the nPDP warlords meant the formation of a Baconian partnership; that is, the recognition of deep divides among them but the higher necessity of stopping a bigger existential threat in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Again, the fusing of these two parallel political currents was bold and audacious. The APC has yet again chalked up a huge prize.

To the lay person who is unschooled in the art of political subterfuges, back-biting, intrigues and conspiracies and who equates events to an evolving dialectical process the picture cannot be any clearer.

On the one hand is the PDP pugilist dazed at the robes and absorbing tremendous punishment he apparently has no answer to, losing round after round in a gruelling contest.

On the other hand, is the audacious APC combatant, raking up points after points, baying for more blood and going for the proverbial sucker punch. Next stop was at the doorpost of exPresident Obasanjo, the

The Buhari spirit, with its moral piety and cult followership, is being steadily evacuated from the APC. Many observers do not see this process yet but I pray they should preserve this piece and refer to it sometime in 2014 godfather of the nPDP, and who readily obliged them with a blistering, direct assault on the person and integrity of President Jonathan.

Next after him was Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, PDP in name but APC in soul and spirit. He lent a great helping hand and another round ended with 37 PDP House members defecting to the APC. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is next in their sights and it wont be any surprise if the

APC wins that round too.

However, I have a sneaky feeling that the APC will win the battles but lose the POLITICAL WAR. This is not just the case of diminishing return setting in as it is bound to, but that constructing a tactical alliance with an incoherent strategic objective will sooner than later expose the falsity of its political premises and unleash a season of profound contradictions the party cannot surmount.

As a student of history and politics I can see the signs of an impending storm, the heralding of the season of selfdeconstruction and selfimmolation.

I strongly suspect that in 2014 while the PDP will become more compact, mobile, disciplined and structurally and organizationally more efficient, the APC will be engulfed in crisis upon crisis of an indescribable nature.

This is no tall political order, but the inevitable outcome of the contradictory relationships among the self-canceling political forces the party has appropriated within its ranks.

For those in the know it is becoming increasingly obvious that an anti-Buhari project is as strong as the anti-Jonathan

project in the recesses of the minds of the leading players in the ranks of the old ACN, ANPP and the nPDP. The Buhari spirit, with its moral piety and cult followership, is being steadily evacuated from the APC. Many observers do not see this process yet but I pray they should preserve this piece and refer to it sometime in 2014.

Political watchers should also train their minds on Kano State (Shekarau vs Kwankwaso); Adamawa State (Marwa vs Nyako); Kwara State (Saraki/Ahmed vs Lai M o h a m m e d / Belgore); and Sokoto State (Bafarawa vsWamakko). There are many more of such binary pairs currently off the radar but they will surely burst into light in 2014. Trust me.

I am not a member of the PDP and thus not a strategist for the party.

*Hon Uwakwe was the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the Anambra State House of Assembly (1991-1993) and could be reached at edwakwe@gmail.com

V anguard anguard,, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 — 49

Warring sides battle in S/Sudan ahead of peace talks •As army advances on rebel towns

S

OUTH Sudan’s army battled rebel forces yesterday, a military spokesman said, as negotiators from the warring sides prepared to meet for talks aimed at ending the violence that has pushed the world’s newest country toward civil war.

Having sent delegations to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the government and rebels are under mounting pressure from African and Western powers to reach a deal to

stop clashes that have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 190,000 others.

But there is no sign of an end of hostilities just yet.

Military spokesman Philip Aguer told CNN that military forces fought with rebels south of the flashpoint town of Bor, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the nearly three weeks of violence.

He said the Sudan People’s Liberation Army was trying to stop the rebels

from advancing on the capital, Juba, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) away.

South Sudan’s government tweeted late Wednesday: “Our forces did a partial withdrawal from Bor but are still fighting in the suburbs SouthSudan.”

President Salva Kiir on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for Unity state and for Jonglei state, of which Bor is the capital.

Obama rejected Western culture —Half brother

P

RESIDENT Obama’s half-brother told an Israeli newspaper that when he first met Barack, he was struck by his sibling’s rejection of western culture.

“I remember that my

impression at the first meeting was that Barack thought that I was too white, and I thought that he was too black,” Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo told Maariv. “He was an American citizen on a

Cameron backs life sentence for murderers

D

AVID Cameron has said “life should mean life” as the government considers US-style 100-year prison sentences for murderers and serious offenders.

The prime minister ’s comments come as the Conservatives consider alternatives to “ wholelife” sentences.

The government is looking at the plan after a European court ruled in 2013 that such sentences

breached the European Convention on Human Rights.

The 100-year terms would allow sentence reviews, satisfying the court.

‘Restore respectability’ The proposed change in sentencing regulations for England and Wales comes as Conservative ministers prepare to publish reforms to the UK’s human rights laws.

journey in search of his African roots, while I was a resident of Kenya seeking to find his white roots.

“I remember that when I spoke with him about the heroes of Western culture he rolled his eyes impatiently. My feeling was that, here is an American who in many ways is trying to be a local Kenyan youth. This is something I tried to flee my entire life,” Ndesandjo said of the brothers’ first meeting in Kenya that Obama described in his 1995 best selling memoir “Dreams from My Father.”

In his memoir, Obama also described the first meeting with his brother.

“I don’t feel much of an attachment [to Kenya].

Just another poor African country,” Obama quoted Ndesandjo saying.

Israeli ex-PM Ariel Sharon ‘critically ill’

T

HE condition of Israel’s former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who has been in a coma since 2006 - is now critical, “ with some danger to life”, his doctors have said.

Mr Sharon, 85, is suffering from a malfunction of several organs including the kidneys, they said.

He became prime minister in 2001 and suffered a mild stroke in 2005.

After a second, major stroke in 2006, he went into a coma and has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since.

Giving the first official medical statement on the

current situation, Professor Zeev Rotstein of Tel Hashomer hospital, said: “I am no prophet, but

the feeling of his doctors and his sons... is that there has been a change for the worse.

Global stocks fall after massive run in 2013

W

ORLD equity markets kicked off 2014 with a whimper yesterday as slightly disappointing Chinese manufacturing data triggered some profittaking, and oil prices were lower as Libya prepared to reopen a major oilfield.

Top U.S. stock indexes posted their largest daily drops in three weeks on the

first trading day of the new year after the benchmark S&P 500 .SPX finished its best year since 1997.

The dollar rallied against a basket of major currencies .DXY as jobs, housing and manufacturing data gave support to the Federal Reserve’s decision to start slowing its stimulus program this month.

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

C M Y K

JANUARY 3 , 2014

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —51

C M Y K

52—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

TREBLE CHANCE Hearts Stranraer Barnet Forest Grn Tamworth Woking Boston Wrexham Harrogate.

Workington

v Partick v Ayr Utd v Alfreton v Salisbury v Halifax v Hereford v Vauxhall v Aldershot v Telford v Histon

SOCCER TIPS

Why we did not push for Iheanacho — Manchester United

E

NGLISH Premier League champions Manchester United have conceded Nigerian youngster, Kelechi Iheanacho to their neighbours Manchester City but the club has revealed they would not miss the Nigerian whizkid.

Writing on the club’s website under the headline, Nigerian talent set for City move over United!, Paul Bienkowski said, “Thinking on the positives though, United have plenty of talented players in their academy, so it could be a reason as to why the club did not push for the player.”

The writer raises doubts as to whether Manchester United actually wanted the player, as he writes further, “For all we knew, City might have been the only club to make a concrete offer for the player. I am sure, over time, the truth will come out on the deal.”

Iheanacho is currently ineligible for a work permit, so City, who have a sister club in Ghana, will loan the 17-year-old until he has earned enough international caps to qualify for a work permit.

.

Suarez's stunner caps R ed's vict or Red's victor oryy

A

NOTHER exceptional finish from Luis Suarez and skipper Steven Gerrard back ahead of schedule. The graph kept rising for LATE Liverpool throughout the old year, and there is little to suggest the new one will TIPS be any different.

Visiting managers to Anfield have employed a variety of methods to try and subdue Suarez, but an effective one remains elusive. Hull’s basically involved kicking him at every turn, but, directly or indirectly, it led to both Liverpool goals.

When James Chester launched himself needlessly at the Uruguay star in the 37th minute, in a position of no danger, the resulting corner led to Daniel Agger heading the hosts in front.

The lesson went unheeded, and when Chester upended Liverpool’s danger man once more in the 50th minute, there was an air of inevitability about the outcome, Suarez picked himself up and curled EXCELLENT as an unstoppable free-kick into the top corHearts 7 ner for his 20th Barclays Premier League Straraer 7 goal in 15 appearances this season.

The statistics are as stunning as his finBarnet 7 ishing. He went into the game as the only Forest Grn 5 player in Liverpool’s entire history to have Southport 5 scored two or more goals in five successive home League games, and while he Tamworth 5 narrowly failed to extend that sequence, Welling 5 he was at least on the scoresheet again to Woking 5 make it 14 in six.

FOUR HOMES

1X7X 8 X 12 FOUR AWAYS PAIR 20 4 X 5X 6 X X 36 PERMUTATION 33 9 X 10 X 11 X AVOID 13 X 18 X 19 23 TIPS RISKY 22X 24 X 29 37 CREDIT Sevilla R.Sociedad Almeria .

Eastbourne Workington Harrogate Boston Wrexham

2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3

X-RAY OF THE DRAWS WEEK 25

Scottish Premier League 1 Dundee Utd 2 Hearts 3 Kilmarnock 4 Motherwell 5 Ross County 6 St Mirren

v Hibernian 1 v Partick XX v Aberdeen 2 v Inverness CT 2 v St. Johnstone 2 v Celtic 2

Scottish Division One 7 Dumbarton 8 Hamilton

v Morton 1 v Queen O Sth 1

Scottish Division Two 9 Stranraer

v Ayr Utd

XX

Scottish Division Three 10 Annan

v Albion R

X1

Blue Square Premier 11 Barnet 12 Cambridge U. 13 Forest Grn 14 Gateshead 15 Kid.'minster 16 Lincoln 17 Macclesfld 18 Southport 19 Tamworth 20 Welling 21 Woking 22 Wrexham

v Alfreton v Grimsby v Salisbury v Hyde. vDartford v Luton v Chester v Nuneaton v Halifax v Braintree v Hereford v Aldershot

XX 1 XX 1 1 2 21 X2 X2 2X XX XX

Blue Square North 23 Altrincham 24 Boston 25 Brackley 26 Stevenage 27 Colwynbay 28 Gainsboro 29 Harrogate.

30 Hednesford 31Oxford C. 32 Solihull.M 33 Workington

v Leamington. 1 v Vauxhall XX v Guisley 1 v Sheff Utd. 1 v Gloucester XX v Stockport 1 v Telford XX v N.Ferriby X2 v Barrow X1 v Stallybridge 1 v Histon XX

Blue Square South 34 Basingstoke 35 Bath City 36 Boreham W 37 Bromley 38 Chelmsford 39 Dorcester 40 Dover 41 Eastbourne 42 Havant W 43 Maidenhead 44 Sutton Utd

v Tonbridge 1 v Staines X2 v Farnboro 1 v Concord R X1 v Ebbsfleet 2 X v Hayes 2 v Bishop's S 2 v Eastleigh XX v Whitehawk 1 v Weston-S-M 2 v Gosport Boro 1

45 Almeria 46 Barcelona 47 Malaga 48 R Sociedad 49 Sevilla

v Granada X2 v Elche 2X v Ath Madrid.XX v Ath Bilbao X2 v Getafe XX

VA La Liga Spanish BB BBV

2 9 11 29 Revised Pairs 9 x 11, 22 x 24 29 x 33, 41 x 49

Vanguard, FRIDAY JANUARY 3, 2014 — 53

Vanguard CLASSIFIED N WA N K PA — I , formerly known and addressed as Nwankpa Noah Uchechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Nwachukwu Joel Noah Uche. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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OKORO—I, formerly

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known and addressed as Miss Okoro Loveth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Fortunate Loveth. All former

documents

remain valid. General public please take note.

Emenike thirsts for more laurels N IGERIA striker E m m a n u e l Emenike says he is looking forward to a more rewarding 2014 after the 2013 football calendar, arguably the best year of his career in Emenike was instrumental in the Super Eagles 2013 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, scoring four goals and winning the tournament’s golden boot as the topgoalscorer.

The striker also netted eight times in 16 league appearances for Fenerbahce following his return to the Turkish Super League club from Russian outfit Sparktak Moscow in August.

The 26-year-old is now looking to build on his excellent 2013 form for club and country as he looks forward to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“I am not being carried

N

as Oluku Onos, now wish to be known and addressed as John Honda Onos Bliss. All former

documents

remain valid. General public please take note.

BALOGUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Balogun O l u w a k e m i Adebukola, now wish to be known and addressed as Ituen O l u w a k e m i Adebukola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ADVERT HOTLINE 01- 8737025

•Emenike

Gov Uduaghan, Keshi grace Utuama Peace Cup final

D

ELTA State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan led other dignitaries to the final of the 7th Utuama Peace Cup at Otu-Jeremi Township Stadium, Delta State on New Year’s day.

Gabriel Reuben, Kilmarnock part ways

I G E R I A international C Reuben Gabriel has M Y mutually agreed to K terminate his contract with Scottish side Kilmarnock, BBC reports.

Officials of the Scottish club have accepted Gabriel’s request to cancel his contract with the club despite it being valid for next 30 months.

Reuben told BBC Sport.

OLUKU—I, formerly known and addressed

away, I need to work harder,” the former Karabükspor told MTN football.

“I know I really need to do more than what I am doing at the moment. It has been a great year in my life and career, it has been full of successes for me.

“I don’t want to be specific in term of the hwith Nigeria and my club. I still have a lot to give and only time will speak for me, I will not rush.”

“I wish the club and fans all the best.” It looks like he will not remain without a club for long, as according to his agent, Tony Harris, there are a lot of interests from European clubs to sign the midfielder.

“The club has agreed to his request to leave so he can look to make a fresh start elsewhere,” Harris said.

The annual event began in 2007 as a competition among youths in the Ughelli South Local Government Area and gradually assumed the status of a statewide event.

The final was played between Warri Wolves Feeders FC and the Royal Eagles FC of Oleh.

The Royal Eagles FC triumphed 4-2 on penalties . Their reward was N1 million.

Speaking before the kickoff, Governor Uduaghan, lauded his wife, Dr ( Mrs ) Nelly Utuama for the vision and belief in the development of sports at the grassroots. He also promised that the next edition would be bigger in scope. Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi also attended.

Mourinho to Mata: You can go

J

OSE Mourinho says he would prefer not to sell Juan Mata, but insists the “door is open” should the Chelsea midfielder wish to depart in the January transfer period.

The Spain international

Eagles Continues from BP Head of Technical Committee, Christopher Green said that the game against the unnamed top South American country is almost certain to happen on March 5.

“The NFF will make good use of the next FIFA free day for friendly matche on March 5th. We are discussing with a top South American country that I won’t like to reveal just yet. We are confident that the team will bring out the best in the Eagles ahead of our duel with Argentina in June,” assured Green.

did not stifle his reaction after being substituted in the 53rd minute of Wednesday ’s 3-0 win over Southampton, flinging his arms up in the air in exasperation and refusing to shake his manager ’s hand when coming off.

The Portuguese tactician has revealed the World Cup winner can move on, if he so desires.

“I want to keep him (Mata). I don’t want him to go. That is my opinion, my wish, but my door is open,” the Chelsea boss said.

Keshi Continues from BP Gomo Onduku, Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba are all now ineligible for the tournament following their movement to foreign clubs in the offseason.

“If we (Nigerians) are to be fair in our reasoning and expectations for the CHAN, it would be a huge task expecting us to go to South Africa and win the title,” Keshi told SuperSport.

“We are going there

with a positive mindset and the belief that anything is possible.

“We can still go there and win the title. This team is not going to South Africa to make up the number.

“The reality however, is that almost all the players who helped us qualify for this championship have left for European clubs.

“We have been struggling to assemble something close to a team but we will definitely give it our best shot.”

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 ARY Onyali and I have always had long chats.

Sometimes, when it’s on phone, they are longer than an hour .

The one on the eve of Christmas was not different.

As usual, it was on Nigerian sports.

When Mary engages you on sports matters the passion knows no bounds. You’ll surely be entertained, informed and at the end there’s this tinge of hope that she transports into you and you will begin to believe in Nigeria even in the face of hopeless situations.

Earlier in the year we served together in the Local Organising Committee for the Africa Youth Athletics Championships which Delta State hosted on behalf of Nigeria in Warri. It brought us closer. We have always shared ideas and we agree on common grounds.

“I’m calling all those who have in one way or the other impacted in my efforts during the year and you are one of them. This is to wish you well and say God bless you,” Mary told me.

Momentary silence followed. I was humbled. She probably didn’t know what her words meant to me.

She probably didn’t know how I revered her especially as an athlete and the respect she still commands in my estimation. She was one of those that earned you commendation from your editor if you got a story from her in those days exclusives meant the way in sports journalism. She was a star that made Nigeria proud.

Remember the Olympic medals in Spain in 1992 and in 1996 in Atlanta? Mary was an exceptional athlete.

I remember the day she just finished training in one of her trips to Nigeria and the cab she hired had not turned up at the stadium. I offered her a ride to Gbagada. It felt so great that I boasted to guys in the newsroom that Mary Onyali rode in my car. Her image appeared larger than life to some of us in those glorious days of our track and field, when, in the final of All Nigeria Open, you could have Mary Onyali, Beatrice Utondu, Christy Opara, Faith Idehen(they produced that unforgettable bronze medal winning performance that attracted global attention more than the gold winners), Tina Iheagwam, Rufina Uba on the block.

And remember that Falilat Ogunkoya used to run the sprints before she changed to the quarter mile. When you cast your mind back to those days when we waited at the airport to possibly interview Onyali on arrival in the country and try to reconcile them with the same person calling to thank me for contributing to her programme and indirectly impacting on her life after retirement you would appreciate what her words did to me.

When I managed to respond I thanked her for her thoughtfulness and I expressed how humbled I was especially when I felt I did nothing for her. We exchanged pleasantries before veering into Nigerian sports. After an hour discussion network problems, usually common with our mobile phone system, interrupted so much and we changed from one network to another. We got so frustrated that we agreed to save our credit for another day.

Mary is now a special adviser to Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, NSC. They just finished the National Youth Games in Abuja and Mary shared her sad and encouraging experiences with me.

“The bad thing was that the cheating tendencies were still high and the good thing was that we screened the athletes well to disqualify the old ones who claimed to be young and in school,” Mary said of the games

M

08053068728

That long chat with Mary Onyali! where many potential talents were discovered. It baffled that officials still wanted to cheat.

I have been an advocate of youth games. I knew that we would be better of if we had many youth games so that the National Sports Festival would be made more competitive and thrown open. Mary

,

Mary cut in to tell me how wrong I was, recalling the piece I did to draw the attention of Okonjo Iweala, the finance minister with regard to funding of sports.

,

belongs to the same school.

“The number of the discovered athletes will continue to be pruned in some programmes until we arrive at a level that you could programme them for bigger challenges,” Mary offered.

“I have always spoken of three tiers of development and we have just started one with the school games,” Mary said, hoping that such a programme would produce champions if the appropriate things are done.

We spent time discussing the good and bad times of our sports.

I recalled when our athletes easily gained scholarships in the USA. This helped their careers.

She was one of them. She informed that some athletes were about to be so favoured.

This excited.

“My position is that we need to get as many athletes as possible out now and the DG has agreed and the NSC is working on it now,” she said,” adding “if, out of the athletes that are on line for American scholarships two or three make the Commonwealth Games especially among the boys, it is a good beginning.” ately, only our women impressed in international meets. The last time the men made us smile was at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when Eniofok Udobong led our 4x400m relay team to win a bronze medal. Just as he did in Sydney four years earlier Udobong ran a brilliant race to earn Nigeria the medal, taking the baton in the 5th place but outpacing two people to place Nigeria on the medal table. He did

L

more in Sydney and his effort earned Nigeria a silver that turned gold when the US team that won the gold fell to drugs.

Mary understands that something has to be done to raise the standard of male athletes in Nigeria. With our best male athletes running between 10.3 and 10.4 in the past six years in the 100m the focus should be on new young athletes.

The discussion touched on many areas – coaching, training, administration, programmes and I expressed frustration that our administrators don’t monitor the media Mary cut in to tell me how wrong I was, recalling the piece I did to draw the attention of Okonjo Iweala, the finance minister with regard to funding of sports.

“No, Onochie you are wrong. Some of those things are being noted and some are considered. I read the one on funding and it was being referred to. Look at the Youth Games that just ended. You guys wrote and I remember that at the last festival I granted an interview on how badly we needed such school games and how to follow up on them. It made impact and the maiden edition just ended. It was not in the budget but the DG, the minister all insisted that we must start something. We did the games with a lot of challenges.

Subsequent ones will be better and we take it from there. The thing is that when government acts on some of the recommendations in the media they will not tell you. But, please note that the media helps a lot and you guys must continue to help. I read you either in Vanguard or in FaceBook and I know the quarters where some of the things you people write are discussed.” t was encouraging to hear that but I still feel that government officials are largely indifferent to many genuine ideas we promote in the media. Nobody claims to know it all but when you have spent greater part of your life in a profession or in any other field, traversing the world and interacting with professionals from countries that excel in that area, you are bound to have some ideas. And there are many of such people in this country. But expertise appears to lose its meaning to our authorities.

Mary Onyali’s call was a tonic to me and many things we discussed may not be for public consumption. But they were revealing. I hope we could really match our potential in sports. I pray we begin well in the new year. CHAN, Commonwealth Games, the World Cup are some of the competitions that Nigerians are looking forward to. But from the bottom of my heart, I will prefer that we start genuine sports development programmes in our schools and local communities to whatever happens in these Games. I’ll prefer that the states begin to do the proper thing by producing and developing athletes for the National Sports Commission to take over and programme them for stardom. In Nigeria, the reverse is the case. NSC, the national body, makes the attempt to produce athletes.

We’ll not get it right this way. That’s why I’ll continue to appeal to governors to develop sports in their states.

Mary agreed with me and used stronger words to condemn the state of sports in our states. It was a lovely Tuesday. The chat with Mary made it so for me.

It was no interview, nothing formal and I hope she wouldn’t mind that I have recounted some of the things we discussed. I hope she knows that she is still a star and that what she does and says will always attract media attention. Happy New Year, Mary and to you all the readers. May God Bless You.

I

Moyes furious with referee Webb

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AVID Moyes said it was “scandalous” Manchester United were not awarded a late penalty in their Premier League defeat by Tottenham at Old Trafford. With United 2-1 down, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris slid out to challenge Ashley Young, making contact with the winger but failing to touch the ball. “It’s an incredible decision, in fact probably one of the worst I think I saw,” said United manager Moyes.

“The goalkeeper comes out, Ashley Young gets the ball before him and he follows through,” the C M Y K

former Everton boss told BBC Sport.

“I find it incredible, but

the people who employ the referees are going to have to look at that and see if they get that right.”

Ronaldinho dethrones Neymar

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ETERAN former Barcelona player, Ronaldinho was Latin America’s best player of 2013 according to a poll of 200 sports journalists from the region which was undertaken by Uruguay’s El País newspaper. The Brazilian star was already honoured by the “America and Europe respond to El País” poll - which started in 1986 – on three other

occasions, although as ‘The King of Europe’ for his performances at Barcelona between 2004 and 2006.

Ronaldinho, currently at Atlético Mineiro received 156 votes, ahead of Brazilian Neymar – crowned King of the Americas for the past two years - with 81 votes and Argentina’s Maximiliano Rodríguez with 79.

Messi plays guitar too

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IONEL Messi’s girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo uploaded a photo to Instagram in

which the Barcelona man is playing guitar while she plays on a toy guitar in their garden in

Rosario.

“Seeing out the year with a bit of m u s i c ” , Antonella posted. The couple looked very cheerful in the photo.

T h e Barcelona star has been recovering from a thigh injury in Ezeiza (Buenos Aires) and his hometown of Rosario, under the watchful eye of Elvio Paolorosso.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 , 2014 —55

C M Y K

V anguard anguard,, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014

Inside Sports Vanguard

CHAN: Anything is possible, says Keshi S

UPER Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi has played down his side’s chances of winning the 2014 African Nations Championship.

The tournament, which is open only to those who ply their trade in Africa, kicks off on January 11 where the Super Eagles will play Mali in a Group A clash in Cape Town.

But Keshi, who lead the country to their 2013 AFCON title, does not expect Nigeria to win the tournament following the departure of several key local based players to European clubs.

Juwon Oshaniwa, Continues on Page 53

Eagles to play a top South America team

N JUMP OVER......Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (C) jumps to avoid a tackle

by PSG’s Gregory van der Wiel during their friendly match at the Aspire Academy of Sports Excellence in Doha on January 2. Real won 1-0.. Photo: AFP

FF announced that they are close to finalising a friendly for the Super Eagles against a top teams South America team. The match is scheduled for FIFA window on March 5th.

It is part of NFF’s World Cup preparation.

Continues on Page 53

•Green

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 2 Combine (5) 7 Feel (5) 8 Note (5) 10 Rescued (5) 12 Untruth (3) 13 Beleaguer (5) 15 Determination (7) 17 Exhilarated (6) 19 Club (3) 20 Devastated (7) 23 Remit (4) 25 Fall (4) 26 Bauble (7) 30 Insect (3) 31 Swell (6) 34 Coached (7) 37 Jockey (5) 38 Possess (3) 39 Couch (5) 40 Perforated (5) 41 Thick (5) 42 Horse (5)

DOWN 1 Fishing-basket (5) 2 Toppled (5) 3 Tidier (6) 4 Rank (4) 5 Flew (7) 6 Riddle (5) 9 Nothing (3) 11 Discussed (7) 13 Brute (5) 14 Holy person (5) 16 Droop (3) 18 Discouraged (7) 21Fear (5) 22 Higher (5) 24 Exhausted (7) 27 Tavern (3) 28 Diatribe (6) 29 Stream (5) 32 Wrinkled (5) 33 Taut (5) 35 Boring-tool (3) 36 Soil (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Angel 7, Damp 8, Office 9, Trust 11, Wit 13, Rod 15, Eden 16, Tub 18, Mere 19, General 20, Gape 22, Dare 23, Eastern 25, Test 27, Had 28, Cede 30, Yet 31, Dud 33, Heart 36, Fiasco 37, Race 38, Tally.

DOWN: 1, Valid 2, Apt 3, Gnu 4, Lot 5, Aft 6, Actor 10, Stun 11, Weighty 12, Tempest 13, Related 14, Deleted 16, Teeth 17, Beard 18, Mad 21, Eat 24, Ease 26, Eerie 29, Dunce 32, Ask 33, Hot 34, Ail 35, Try.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace 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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