FG to scrap JAMBexam, NECO, NAPEP

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61852

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Jonathan to Buhari: Stop Boko Haram •They should repent, apologise before Amnesty — Onaiyekan

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FG to scrap JAMB exam, NECO, NAPEP •Rejects advice to scrap EFCC, ICPC, Police Affairs Ministry •Varsities to conduct their admission exams •WAEC swallows NECO; NAPEP to evolve into NAJCE A

BY BEN AGANDE

LAGOS AIRPORT ROBBERS

BUJA—THE Fed eral Government is scrapping the National Examinations Council, NECO, and the National Poverty Eradication Programme, NAPEP among other government agencies. It is also divesting the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board of powers to conduct exContinues on Page 5

COLUMNISTS: •P.17

DEAR BUNMI •P.42

ROTIMI FASAN •P.19

OGAGA IFOWODO •P.19

Mr & Mrs

ARRESTED — Clockwise: Suspected Lagos airport robbers, their arms, their charms and the Lagos State Police Commissioner Umar Manko; PPRO Ngozi Braide with the robbers' informant yesterday in Lagos. Photos: Bunmi Azeez. See more on Pages 54&55.

GTB, Zenith Bank post N190bn profit in 2012 •P.9 C M Y K

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—5

POCKET CARTOON

INSPECTION—Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (3rd right), with the Head of Service, Kosemani Kolawole (2nd right), inspecting documents during an inspection visit to one of the centres of verification exercise for Ondo State primary school teachers, at St Peter's Primary School, Akure,yesterday.

FG to scrap JAMB exam, NECO, NAPEP Continues from Page 1

aminations into tertiary institutions in the country. The government is taking the decision in order to streamline agencies of government and reduce the cost of governance.

The decision, Vanguard gathered is part of the recommendations

of the Steve Oronsaye Panel Report on the reform of government agencies and ministries.

The Oronsaye Committee Recommendations Mr Oronsaye who was the former Head of the

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

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ESPECT your tongue. When God wanted to create the world, He spoke. Words are creative forces that bring into existence that which never existed before. Your tongue is one of the greatest gifts placed in your hand by God. Use it wisely and you will discover the keys to Life.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allow you to grow — William Shakespeare

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ARY Jacsch perspective on the value of good friendships: If it wasn’t for friends, I would have never survived some of the most difficult moments in my life. When I was going through one of the most challenging and painful events in my life, it was friends old and new that came to the rescue and saved not only the day but my sanity! Friends were there to give me advice and a perspective on my life. Friends were there for strength and courage. They were also there for laughter and encouragement. I now realize that friendship is tested during life’s tough moments and become strengthened when facing and overcoming adversity.

While I am not seeking more problems in my life merely for the sake of nurturing friendships, I’ve found that we can always deepen and strengthen our relationships with others. Sometimes we are so busy with life and family that we forget that we have friends. We need to be aware that the friends in our lives won’t be there forever. Although they may be “just” a neighbour or classmate today, it doesn’t mean they will be tomorrow. Be aware that the people you spend time with as friends is the first step in building stronger relationships.

Good friends are hard to come by so value the friendships you do have and they will last you a lifetime.

Civil Service of the Federation recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversal of 14 to departments in ministries.

According to the white paper, which was drafted by a committee headed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board would be divested of the powers to conduct matriculation examinations into tertiary institutions while universities would be allowed to conduct their entrance examinations.

Although the JAMB would not be scrapped, it would be a mere administrative structure that would set standard for minimum requirements on how the various universities would conduct entrance examinations.

JAMB to be re-modelled JAMB will be modelled along same line with the body in the United States of America which sets standards for admissions into institutions of higher learning.

Other decisions taken by government on the Oronsaye committee include the scrapping of the National Examinations Council, NECO, the National Poverty Eradication Programme, NAPEP, and the National Complaints com-

mission.

The report seen by Vanguard, recommended that the functions of NECO would be assumed by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, which will also take over the structures of NECO nationwide.

In order to make up for the deluge of students who sit for the external examinations of NECO, WAEC would be expected to conduct two external examinations, one in January and another in November for external students while still running its internal examination programmes for secondary school students.

Under the proposal, the National Poverty Eradication Programme would be replaced by an agency called National Agency for Job Creation and Empowerment (NAJCE) while the National Complaints Commission will be merged with the National Human Rights Commission.

The Government rejected the recommendation urgung the scrapping of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs, saying it would be counter productive.

A member of the committee told Vanguard that the decision was preparatory to govern-

ment's plans to overhaul major sectors in the country.

“JAMB will be divested of the admission provision. It will no longer conduct examinations but will be a clearing house. Every school will admit its students.

“NECO will be scrapped and its infrastructure will be merged with that of the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

“Universities will be allowed to set their standards but JAMB will set the minimum standard for admission into all tertiary institutions” the source said.

Several efforts to reach the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity failed as he did not pick his phones as at the time of this re-

port.

It will be recalled that the Oronsaye report stated that the average cost of governance in Nigeria is believed to rank among the highest in the world.

Oronsaye said in his report that “there are 541 Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies (statutory and non-statutory).

“Going by the recommendations of the Committee, the figure of statutory agencies is being proposed for reduction to 161 from the current figure of 263.

“The Committee believes that if the cost of governance must be brought down, then both the Legislature and Judiciary must make spirited efforts at reducing their running costs..."

PDP Crisis: Tukur on his own in Adamawa —NWC members

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & HENRY UMORU

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AGOS—MEM BERS of the National Working Committee, NWC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are expressing anger over what they allege to be the decision of the embattled National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to drag them into the crisis in Adamawa State.

While divorcing themselves from the increasing nationwide fury against Tukur, the NWC members are, nevertheless, aggrieved that Tukur would consign the joint decision of the body in favour of his own political interests in Adamawa, his home

state.

An expected showdown with the national chairman over the matter at the regular NWC meeting today, Vanguard learnt, could be avoided because of the absence of Tujur, who is in London. It was learnt that the NWC meeting may also not hold because most of the NWC members are out of Abuja.

Tukur is reported to have recently written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC conferring legitimacy on the Joel Madaki faction of the party against the earlier decision of the NWC to recognize the Umar Kugama-led faction of the party that is supported by Governor Murtala Nyako.

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Imo Police smash child-stealing syndicate

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI — THE Imo State Police Command has burst a child-stealing syndicate, believed to be responsible for the reported thefts and child-trafficking cases in the state.

Briefing newsmen in Owerri, state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, said the most pathetic was the case of a two-weekold baby boy, who was sold to a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Paulinus Ogugua of UmuejiAgha, Akokwa, Ideato North Local Government Area of the state.

Katsina said: “This is a pathetic story of an innocent, totally defenceless human being, whose only crime is that he has been brought into the world by people whose love for money and material things go beyond any human thinking.”

In a similar development, the Command said it arrested a 33-year old Amarachi Njoku, described as “the kingpin of a dreaded gang that specializes in child stealing.”

Man allegedly rapes late in-law’s widow in Ebonyi

BY PETER OKUTU

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BAKALIKI — A MIDDLE aged man, Mr. Ogbonna Nwibo, of Oburu Ida in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was weekend alleged to have raped his late in-law’s widow, Mrs. Agnes Nwonu, for allegedly resisting his sexual advances.

The alleged rapist, who is currently on the run, was said to have threatened his victim, a widow, with a cutlass before carrying out the act.

Narrating the incident at the Family Law Centre, a legal unit established by Ebonyi State government to look into critical issues surrounding women and families in the state, kinsmen of Agnes’ deceased husband alleged that “unknown to us, one of our in-laws, Ogbonna Nwibo, was making advances to Agnes but she refused to give in.

“One night, Nwibo came to her with a cutlass and threatened to kill her if she did not allow him to sleep with her.

7 feared dead, 52 houses torched in Anambra, Kogi communal clash

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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WKA — NO fewer than seven persons were feared dead and 52 houses burnt when the people of Enugu-Otu Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State and Ashonwo/Odeke in Ibaji Local Government Council of Kogi State engaged themselves in a clash over disputed land on their oil-rich borders.

The people from Kogi side are said to have been laying claims to the oil wells in Aguleri-Otu in Anambra State shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the Orient Petroleum Refinery in Anambra State last year.

A community leader in EnuguOtu Aguleri, Chief Anekwe Arinze told reporters, yesterday, that the people of Ashonwo/ Odeke allegedly invaded their community at about 1. 30 a.m.

However, the Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East Council Area, Comrade Chinedu Obidigwe, who could not confirm the

number of casualties, lamented the level of destruction in the community by the people suspected to be from Kogi State, saying it was unfortunate that they took the law into their hands by

not going to court to prove their case.

Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, told Vanguard that he heard of the

Mercury oil recovered from vandals of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, installations by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.

Mother, son electrocuted in Osogbo

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SOGBO— A MIDDLEAGED woman, identified as Mummy Ajimo, and her son, Ajimo, were electrocuted in Abebi area of Oke Baale in Osogbo by a cable felled by the rain, Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria learnt that the rain was associated with lightning and thunder that wreaked havoc in some residential areas.

According to reports, the cables of an electric pole in

Abebi area fell and sent shocks through the affected buildings during the torrential rain.

The Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mrs Dorothy Gimba, confirmed the incident, saying the Police Area Commander informed her about the event.

She said that early yesterday, residents, who were scared, including Ajimo, scampered for safety as many of them relocated to avoid contact with

the fallen electric cables.

Although the police report identified the deceased woman as Mummy Ajimo, some eyewitnesses identified her as Simiatu Rafiu, who had attempted to escape the danger with her son.

As residents hurried out of the area, Mummy Ajimo took her son, Ajimo, to leave the area but as they made their way out, they stepped on the live electric cable and were electrocuted.

Boko Haram: Lagos monarch warns landlords

BY ETOP EKANEM

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AGOS — THE Oba of Ayobo town in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Oba Arole Idowu Kadunmise, has called on landlords in his domain to be vigilant and mindful of their tenant’s activities as they would henceforth forfeit their houses if any of their tenants was caught in terror act.

The royal father gave this warning when the Oba-inCouncil hosted the Community Development Committees, CDCs and Community Development Association, CDAs, stakeholders, Hausa community, other ethnic

clash informally, adding that he did not have the details yet.

It was gathered yesterday that some soldiers had been deployed to the area to maintain law and order.

nationalities and religious leaders on the issue of security in the community.

The monarch who disclosed that the Oba-in-Council had already taken some steps at upgrading security in the community, said: “We have taken precautionary measures by registering all Hausas in our community, and mechanism has been put in place to check further influx of strange Hausas into the community. Landlords have also been instructed to ensure that their tenants are well investigated with their pictures and places of work properly documented.”

The Chairman, Oba-inCouncil of the town, the

Atunluse of Ayoboland, Chief Sunday Akpan, said the terrorists were actually from Niger Republic and that the Hausa community too needed to ensure that the impostors are fished out to avoid unnecessary bloodshed in the state.

In his remark, representative of the Divisional Police Officer of Ipaja Divisional Police Headquarters, ASP Sunny Ejenkpokpo, said men and officers of the division were more than ready to ensure adequate security in the community and solicited the cooperation of the residents because, according to him, “security is a communal effort."

Man, 53, remanded for allegedly raping 2-year-old

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ARARABA — AN Upper Area Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, yesterday, remanded a 53year old security man, Daniel Kura, of Aunty Alice, Mararaba, in prison for allegedly raping a two-year old girl.

The police prosecutor ,Mr Stephen Kwaza, told the court that the matter was reported by the victim’s father at Sani Abacha Police Station on April 1.

Kwaza said the accused deceived the minor and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her on Monday. He said the offence contravened provisions of the Penal Code.

The prosecutor objected to the court granting bail to the accused because the matter was still being investigated.

He said the allegation against the accused was not a bailable offence and that the victim was undergoing treatment.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Judge, Mr Vi n c e n t G w a h e m b a , granted the prayers and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison and adjourned the case to April 29 for further mention.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—7

17 missing, 1,900 displaced as gendarmes attack Bakassi village

BY EMMA UNA

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ALABAR — SEVENTEEN people are missing even as 1,900 refuges are camped at the St Mark Primary School, Eyo Edem in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Senator Florence Ita Giwa who visited the refugee camp which has witnessed three births by yesterday, said the people were those attacked by the Cameroonian gendarmes in their village, Efut Obot Ikot.

According to her, the people, last month, had to escape, spending several nights in the forest and eventually crossing the Akwa ye Efe river to Akpabuyo where they are presently camped.

She said: “As I speak to you, I cannot believe what the gendarmes did to our people. So many women cannot find their husbands while many children cannot find their mothers. So far, we have counted 17 people who are still missing.”

Bemoaning the squalid condition under which the people are living in the camp, Senator Giwa said the international community had not been fair to the Bakassi people who she said did not cause the situation they now find

themselves due to the call by the Nigeria government which obeyed the International Court of Justice ruilng that they should

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AGOS — A 29-YEAR-OLD man, Jamiu Lawal, was yesterday, arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrate Court in Lagos, for kidnapping and allegedly raping a 20-yearold lady.

The accused, who was brought into the court by police from Denton Police Station, Oyingbo, was said to have conspired with others at large to kidnap the victim by taking her to an unknown destination where they raped her severally.

The accused was arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, manner likely to cause breach of the peace and having unlawful canal knowledge of the victim, but he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to the prosecutor, Mr. Etim Nkankuk, a Superintendent of Police, “Jamiu and others now at large had on March 17, 2013, at about 10.30 pm, kidnapped a 20-year-old lady (name withheld) to an unknown destination and raped her severally, an offence punishable under sections 409, 56 (1) and 258 of the criminal laws of Lagos state, 2011.”

Counsel to the accused, Chief Saka Bello, applied for bail for the accused in the most liberal terms as the case is a bailable offence.

Cameroonian brothers have not respected that agreement and are daily attacking and killing our people and the international community is keeping quiet.”

Houses and structures on pipeline route being demolished along Ikotun and Ijegun axis in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Monday. PHOTO: NAN.

Police quiz ACN chairman over Ekiti inter-party crisis

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

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DO EKITI – THE Police have interrogated the chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, over the murder of 37-yearold member of the Peoples

Man, 29, docked for kidnap, rape

BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE & MICHAEL NWOPOKE

remain in their ancestral land and singned “The Green Tree Agreement with Cameroon According to her, “our

The presiding magistrate, Mrs. Aje Afuwa, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000, with two sureties in the like sum and adjourned the case to April 24 and 29 for mention and trial.

Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Ayodele Jeje at Erinjiyan Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government, last Saturday.

One Mrs Julianah Adewumi and her brother, Gbenga Adewumi, were also said to have been shot by unknown people while holding a political meeting.

Chief Awe holds a traditional title of Erinjiyan Ekiti where he hails from.

The police image maker in the state, Mr Victor Babayemi, confirmed that Awe was actually invited to assist the police on the circumstances leading to Saturday’s attack in the town.

According to the PPRO, “Mr Jide Awe was invited for factfinding in respect of the killing in Erinjiyan Ekiti, weekend.”

Earlier at a press conference, chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, had alleged that it was the chairman of the ACN that led a group that attacked members of his party.

Ogundipe said the statement credited to Awe that the murder was caused by internal crisis in the PDP was diversionary and criminal.

The PDP chieftain said it was unfortunate for the ACN Chairman to have denied the killing, even when the injured could recognize him vividly among the hoodlums that attacked the community, leading to the killing of one person with many others injured.

However, the ACN leader in the State had denied the allegation, saying the killing was a result of internal crisis in the rival PDP.

Edo police rescue 77-year-old woman from kidnappers

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BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

ENIN — A 77-year-old woman, Madam Grace Agbonkpolor, has been rescued by men of the Edo State Police Command from her abductors after spending four days in captivity.

The septuagenarian who is the mother ofa Benin-based transporter was said to have been rescued by the antikidnap unit of the command following the arrest of one of the kidnappers who went to collect the ransom demanded from the family at Obarenti village along Benin-Sapele road.

Vanguard also gathered that Madam Agbonkpolor was alleged to have earlier been kidnapped on December 23,

2012 and was only released after the payment of ransom.

The traumatized septuagenarian while expressing gratitude to the police for rescuing her and arresting one of the kidnappers, appealed to the police for protection, saying that as long as other members

of the gang were still at large, she remained unsafe.

Attempt to reach the Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Moses Eguaveon, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, for confirmation of the story failed as several calls to his telephone were unanswered.

Court dissolves 40-year-old marriage over wife’s infidelity

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AGOS — AN Igando Customary Court in Lagos, yesterday, dissolved a 40-year-old marriage between Kareem Adesina (65) and his estranged wife, Memunat, 56, over the woman’s infidelity.

The court president, Mr R. I. Adeyeri, said all efforts to reconcile the couple had proved futile, as the petitioner insisted on the divorce.

“The court has no choice than to dissolve the union, in spite of the fact that the wife still claims she loves her husband.

“Both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways,” he said.

The court ordered that the petitioner should allow the respondent to pack her belongings in the presence of police officers and court officials.

Adeyeri also ordered the petitioner to pay N50,000 as rehabilitation cost for the respondent.

According to reports, Kareem filed a suit on August 8, 2012, seeking the dissolution of the marriage.

He said he could no longer tolerate his wife’s regular visits to witch doctors.

He said: “My wife is very fetish and uses juju (charms).

I am afraid she will harm me with her charms.

“I am not ready to die now; separate us before she kills me.”

He also told the court that Memunat had become uncontrollable, noting: “She goes out and returns home late, sometimes, she does not even come home.”

Above all, Kareem said he no longer loved his wife.

However, Memunat, 56, said her husband abandoned her and their five children for another woman.

“There was strong love between us, but when my husband married another woman, things turned upside down," she said.

Court jails man 14 days for stealing phone in mosque

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BUJA — AN Abuja Magistrates’ Court, yesterday, sentenced 26-year-old Rabiu Aliyu to 14 days imprisonment for stealing a mobile phone in a mosque.

The Magistrate, Mr Zubairu Mohammed, who sentenced the convict, gave him an option to pay N3,000 fine.

Mohammed said cases of theft

were becoming rampant in the society so the convict must be punished to serve as deterrent to others.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Mr Simon Emmanuel, had told the court that Salisu Sani of Kado Village, Abuja, reported the case at the Life Camp Police Station on March 27.

Emmanuel said the convict, of

Unguwar Cement Village, Life Camp, Abuja, stole the phone, valued at N5,000, from the complainant in the mosque on March 25.

He said after the complainant had finished praying in the mosque, he fell asleep with his phone beside him while the convict quitely took it and went away.

8 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

ALSCON boils as workers, community confront RUSAL over sack of 475 Nigerians

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

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HE crisis plaguing the Russian-managed Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, degenerated yesterday, with a joint protest by aggrieved workers of the company and community members against the sack of 475 Nigerians by the management.

The workers and locals were angry that the company ignored their Memorandum of Understanding and went ahead to sack the Nigerian workers, most of them drawn from the community, before shutting the plant last week.

Rusal had warned last month that it was suspending production arising from the uncertainty over the ownership of the plant, which is being contested between it and the American group, BFIG, which was surreptitiously rattled by the Federal Government last week with a revocation of its bid to take over the place.

The company later laid off no fewer than 475 workers on March 26, 2013, plunging the affected workers into a bleak future and shut the plant following a major setback to its critical power facility, a transformer, which is said to be beyond the capacity of any firm in Nigeria to fix.

It has, however, paid a Swiss firm to undertake the repairs of the facility although the uncertainty over the ownership and the renewed security challenges in the Niger Delta, are said to be of concern to the contractors.

As work resumed yesterday, the workers, backed by local residents, successfully blocked the entrance to the premises of Alscon and prevented any form of movement in and out of the plant.

The placard-carrying protesters asked Rusal to pay them their entitlements and honour their subsisting MoU not to disengage 60 percent of the community workers.

Presidency plots to sack PDP NWC members zAs Tukur alleges gang-up; says I 've not done anything wrong

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—THE crises rocking the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has taken yet another dimension with fresh plots by the Presidency to sack members of the National Working Committee, NWC, leaving only the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

This was even as Tukur said, yesterday, that members of the party who do not cherish openness and transparency wanted him out of office, pointing out that he had not done anything wrong to warrant any member to gang up against him.

In a statement from London where he went for Easter break, Tukur also warned PDP members to be wary of antics of the opposition, saying, "some members may not like the idea of ensuring openness and transparency in the manner we conduct our affairs. But the truth remains that openness and transparency remain the best tool for making the PDP to progress.”

The former National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha were removed from the NWC following a court order few months ago.

Vanguard gathered that the move by the presidency may not be unconnected with 2015 Presidential election as the plan was to remove those perceived to be against President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged 2015 ambition. The NWC members who might be axed include those who rode on the back of PDP governors said to be opposed to the President’s ambition.

The Presidency, it was gathered, was dusting the constitution of the party to deal with the members said to be found wanting.

According to the sources, a senior minister from the South South geo-political zone, who had been occupying a particular position since April 6, 2010, was reportedly behind the project of dragging the affected NWC members to court in the next couple of days for alleged non-qualification. It was further learnt that three PDP members, including a northerner had been recruited to file the court processes against the affected officers of the party.

The NWC members who might be sued over their ineligibility are the National Treasurer, Bala Bawa Kaoje; National Youth Leader, Garba Umar Chiza and National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, among oth-

ers.

The source hinted that this may be the pay back time by the camp of both the Presidency and Tukur against some of the 10 NWC members who plotted political "coup" against Tukur.

The Presidency would be relying on provisions of the 2012 Constitution of the PDP as amended to deal with the National Treasurer, Bala Kaoje, an engineer, who is alleged to be with Jonathan’s opponents.

Section 37(1) of the party’s constitution stated that, "A National Treasurer shall be an Accountant with track records of prudence”.

The National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, is also said to be among those to be dragged to court on the grounds that he has not spent up to 10 years-post

call to the bar before occupying the position as against Section 42(1) of the party’s constitution which states that, "there shall be a National Legal Adviser of the party who shall be a lawyer of not less than 10 years post call.”

Apart from them, the National Youth leader who was reportedly sponsored to the NWC by Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State is said to be above the age that could make him fit in as a youth. He is said to be over 60 years.

His principal, Governor Aliyu has been a strong voice for the North to have the presidency by 2015.

Meanwhile, Tukur has noted that he was resolute in ensuring that members of the party were carried along in all its programmes and policies, adding

that he would continue to serve the interest of the party to the best of his ability.

According to him, all the aggrieved members, stakeholders, leaders and elders were free to reach the national headquarters and hold the leadership in confidence on their points of grievances, in line with the set agenda of reconciliation, reformation and rebuilding of the party.

“As the Chairman, I love my party. If I am serving PDP at my age, the reason is not because I want anything as gains, the reason is that serving the ruling party amounts to serving my nation. I have my nation to serve and diligently too, because the country has made me. So for me, it is a pay back time for the country that made me who I am. So why would I complain in the face of stiff challenges," he said.

CAMPAIGN—Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State addresses a rally at Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area during the flag-off of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, campaign for the forthcoming Edo State Local Government election, yesterday.

We 've stopped buying bad debts from banks — AMCON boss

BY RITA OBODOECHINA, WITH AGENCY REPORT

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N an apparent response to the International Monetary Fund, IMF, report, the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, yesterday, said it has stopped buying bad loans from commercial banks in Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer of AMCON, Mr. Mustapha Chike-Obi, in a statement said the company decided to stop buying the loans so as to discourage excessive risk-taking by the banks.

Chike Obi noted that AMCON would no longer serve as a life line to banks with bad loan, adding that the banks now bear

the risk of loans that turn bad.

He added that the banks must make provision on their balance sheets or sell bad loans to a third party.

He said, “we are not buying any more non-performing loans, and the bank had not done so for six months”.

He added that the company has cleaned up the banking system, saying that bad loans are now under five per cent.

“We want to make sure that everybody adheres to the prudential guidelines”.

Chike-Obi said the company’s aim was to gradually reduce its operations and cut staff in the next five years, as a full banking recovery makes it no longer needed.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in its report commended Nigeria’s success in stabilising its banking sector but recommended AMCON wind down its operations to curb what it called ‘moral hazard’, whereby a party is more willing to take a risk, knowing that the potential costs of taking such a risk will be borne by others.

AMCON was set up in 2010 to clean up the banking system following a $4 billion rescue of nine lenders that came close to collapse.

Before AMCON took on the bad loans, they made up about half of all loans, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said, but have since fallen to within its target of five percent.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 9

Boko Haram should repent, apologise before amnesty — Onaiyekan

BY CALEB AYANSINA

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BUJA— CATHOLIC Arch bishop, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, yesterday, backed the call by the Sultan of Sokoto for the granting of amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect, as a means of achieving peace in the north.

However, before the pardon, the clergy wants members of the sect to seek repentance for the large number of persons and property they have destroyed without any justification.

Cardinal Onaiyekan, who stated this in his Easter massage, noted that although government had power to give state pardon to criminals, it must be done with caution.

According to the Cardinal, the sect must seek forgiveness and repentance, so that it would not appear as if the members had done the right thing and were being persuaded to seek pardon from the government.

He said, “as regards the case of an offer of amnesty to the Boko Haram, I believe that we should not throw away outright the consideration of such amnesty. Faced with an intractable problem, we have to explore all possible avenues of solution. The security response in terms of arms, gadgets and trained personnel is useful and necessary, but obviously not enough on its own.

“Government does well to reach out to all political forces and currents, so that the nation can be on the same political page and jointly address this common menace, which terrorism is.

“Under such an atmosphere of common efforts, the call for amnesty would seem to me quite appropriate and even necessary. I therefore see the call of the Sultan as an invitation to further discussion and dialogue among Nigerians to sharpen the focus of government action in this matter.

“That discussion has started, for which we should thank the Sultan and his courageous proposal. In every conflict, a time comes when dialogue and talking must be brought into the equation, in view of final solution.

“But before the Boko Haram can be seriously considered for amnesty, they must meet the two conditions mentioned earlier for forgiveness, namely repentance and amendment. Before they are eligible for any amnesty, they must at least admit that they were wrong to be killing innocent people, whatever may have been their grievances. If this is not done, they could well continue to feel that they did the right thing and perhaps, it is the rest of us who ought to beg them for pardon.”

The Archbishop urged the government to address the growing problems of poverty and unemployment and promote good governance so as to give the people justi-

fiable reasons for electing them into the office they are occupying.

Govt should address poverty, unemployment “We have to find ways of getting ourselves out of the tight grip of these two evils (insecurity and massive corruption). It will require not only legal approach but also wise political moves and quiet diplomatic efforts as well as the input from the spiritual leadership of the country.

“This means that the problem of Nigeria is the problem of all of us and we must find a way of putting our heads together to change our ways of doing things so that a great nation can

emerge.

On the pardon granted the former Bayelsa State governor, the Onaiyekan said it was a setback to the fight against graft.

Slams FG for Alams pardon “Obviously, the State must handle very carefully whatever powers it has to forgive criminals otherwise the whole structure of law and order in the society will be seriously compromised. There may be political considerations but these cannot be allowed to overthrow moral imperatives.

“It is alleged that a lot of the stolen money is not lost. It is said to be somewhere invested in one way or the other. That

money belongs to the Nigerian people and it must be given back to them. How this will be done should be part of the conditions that would have to be worked out in the process for pardon.

“Whatever government decides to do in this matter, it must not forget that the issue of corruption in high places is of major concern to Nigerians. Much has been said about fighting corruption. But people are fast losing confidence in the sincerity of government to turn the tide.

“Pardon for high profile corruption cases will certainly reduce further whatever is left of the confidence of the people.

This has serious political and social fall-out that government cannot afford to ignore”.

SIGNING—From left: Chairman of Borkir Energy Company Limited, Alhaji Sani Dangote and Managing Director of Nigeria Gas Company, Engr. Saidu Mohammed during the signing of agreement in Lagos, weekend.

FG to award contract for printing of 33.5m permanent voters' cards today

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

A

BUJA—BARING lastminute change of mind, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, will today award the contract for the printing of 33.5 million Permanent Voters’ Cards, preparatory to the 2015 general elections.

Impeccable sources at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, revealed, yesterday, that the nation’s electoral umpire “has fully briefed the Presidency” and that the memo has been prepared for the contract’s consideration today.

Sources said with the level of work done on the procurement process of the printing contract, it should have an easy sail

among cabinet ministers when tendered by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the FEC meeting.

Today’s contract for the printing of 33.5 million is the second phase as the FEC had in April, last year, approved the request for the printing of the first phase of 40 million Permanent Voter’s Cards at a cost of N2.6 billion.

That contract was awarded to Messrs ACT Technologies Limited at N65 per card.

According to the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, who briefed newsmen said, INEC has been mandated to print and issue voter cards to all registered voters in the country.

About 73 million temporary

voters’ cards were issued to Nigerians that were registered during the 2011 nationwide voter registration.

The printing of the permanent voters’ cards is expected to enhance the nation’s democratic process and mark another milestone in the march towards credible elections.

Although the Federal Government promised permanent cards containing security features such as hologram, microtext, guilloche, barcode, fingerprints, contactless/embedded chip with printed voter details and photograph that would last for at least 10 years if well protected, sources doubted the features would all be captured in the cards being awarded.

GTB, Zenith banks post N190bn profit in 2012

BY PETER EGWUATU

G

UARANTY Trust Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc have announced cumulative profit after tax of N190.39 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2012, while also proposing N1.30 and N1.60 dividends respectively for the year.

Zenith Bank recorded Profit after Tax, PAT, of N100.68 billion, which represents a 106.7 percent increase from the N48.70 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2011, while its Profit before Tax, PBT, stood at N102.10 billion, which represents 51.4 percent increase from the N67.44 billion recorded in corresponding period of 2011.

The result confirmed the bank’s leadership position in the industry as it became the first to cross the N100 billion PAT marks in a financial year. Total assets plus contingents rose to N2.60 trillion, representing12.7 per cent increase over the N2.30 billion recorded in 2011.

Gross earnings, according to the results, rose by 25.88 per cent from N243.94 billion to N307.08 billion, indicating an increasing market share.

Meanwhile, GTB recorded N86.69 billion profit after tax as against N47.80 billion in 2011, which represents 71.3 percent increase.

Similarly, the profit before tax rose by 66 percent to N103.027 billion from N62.080 billion in the corresponding period of 2011, while basic earnings per share increased by 81.1 percent from N1.69 in 2011 to N3.06 per share.

Also, gross earning for the period grew to N221.94 billion from N182.41 billion, representing 21.7 percent.

Other highlights of the results showed that loans and advances went up by 10.9 percent to N783.91 billion compared to N707.051 billion recorded in corresponding period of 2011; financial assets grew to N447.533 billion from N383.83 billion, indicating 16.6 percent increase.

Net assets for the period rose by 23 percent from N230.39 billion in 2011, to N283.44 billion in the review period. The bank also grew deposit by 1002.2 percent to N11.72 trillion from N1.06 trillion in comparable period of 2011.

The Managing Director/ CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje, had attributed the bank’s success in 2011 to a well defined business plan, the passion of its employees and a determination to achieve results without compromising on the GTBank standards of service quality, professionalism and integrity.

10 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Nigeria needs divine intervention — Dame Fashola

BY WILLIAM JIMOH

L

AGOS—WIFE of Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola, has said Nigeria requires divine intervention for peace and unity to return and called on women in the state to pray for peace, unity, progress and the enthronement of God-fearing leaders in Nigeria.

Addressing participants at the 2013 National Women’s Prayer Summit, NWPS, organised by Awesome Treasure Foundation, ATF, a non-government organisation, in Lagos, she noted that it was presently imperative that Nigerians prayed for God’s intervention in the management of the country’s affairs.

She said: “We are putting Nigeria into the hands of the Lord because He is the only one that can deliver us.

“This is the only country we can call our own.

We are tasking that God should heal our land.

"We want God fearing politicians; those that are going to lead the nation aright.”

Soyinka, Uduaghan, Aregbesola, others visit HID Awolowo

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

A

BEOKUTA—GOVERNORS Rauf Aregbesola and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Osun and Delta states, respectively; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and a delegation of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, yesterday, paid a condolence visit to the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief HID Awolowo over the death of her only surviving son, Chief Oluwole Awolowo.

Addressing newsmen during the visit, Uduaghan described the late Oluwole Awolowo as a Nigerian that promoted the unity and progress of Nigeria, saying he developed some emo-

tional attachment to the Awolowo family because of the achievements of the late sage in the area of education.

He said: “He was like an elder brother. We know who his father was. Somebody who gave people like myself the opportunity to go to school.

"I grew up in a community where there was no light, where there was no water and no amenities but there was a school and I attended the school free of charge.”

In his remarks, Governor Aregbesola lauded Chief HID Awolowo for what he called the spirit of endurance and strength of character displayed since the demise of her son.

Aregbesola said: “The moral here is the courage of the matriarch of this dynasty and her

fortitude, her strength of character and spirit, her ability to endure this and I will pray that the Almighty will further strengthen her.”

Prof. Soyinka, who arrived at the Ikenne home of the Awolowos at 10:45am, held a closed-door discussion with the matriarch, before he signed the condolence register, where he urged the Awolowo family to “take heart” over the death of the family member.

Bankole led a delegation, including three members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Remmy Hazzan; John Obafemi and Job Akintan, the minority leader of the Assembly, and former member of the House of Representatives, Dave Salako.

Chief Reuben Fasoranti led a

L

AGOS—CHIEF of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-General Azuibuke Ihejirika, yesterday in Lagos, expressed concern over the unpredictable and random nature of terrorist activities in the country, saying their modus operandi was posing a serious challenge to security forces in the country.

Ihejirika spoke at the Interactive Session on Military-Media Relations in Nigeria with the theme Enhancing Military-Media Relations Toward Improved Security.

He said: “In Nigeria, the activities of Boko Haram sect and other terrorist groups continue to threaten peace and security while their modus operandi poses serious challenge to security forces in the country.

“The affiliation of the sect to Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Al-Shabab has

Roll call

In the delegation were Chief Olu Falae, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, Chief Korede Duyile, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Chief Supo Sonibare, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Chief Oladosu Oladipo, Chief Segun Ojo, Chief Adeleke Mabinuori, Chief Pekun Awobona, Mr. Kayode Alufa, and Mr. Kole Omololu.

Chief E. Babatope, Senator B. Olajumoke, Chief F. Ibru and Ogun State Chief Judge, Justice Olatokunbo Olopade were there.

Man nabbed with $540,000 at Lagos airport

BY DANIEL ETEGHE

L

HONOUR: Mr. Abba Moro, Minister of Interior (middle), unveiling a National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, statue dedicated to him, at Ugbokolo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.

Boko Haram's tactics baffling— Ihejirika

BY EVELYN USMAN

delegation of Afenifere.

added an international dimension to its activities.”

COAS said it had been established that Islamist sect declared intent was the Islamisation of the entire Northern states of Nigeria without regards to constitution of the country, noting that any country or community whose citizens had high level of security awareness had greater chances of defeating terrorists.

He said the role of the media in warfare took root in the dynamics of the global security environment and explained that it was established that the primary goal of terrorists was to win the attention of the media both home and abroad, and decision makers in government.

Ihejirika said: “It is for this reason that terrorists carefully select the places in which they carry out their

attacks to provide the best media coverage. On the whole, terrorists rely on the media as a tool to shrink the power asymmetry between them and the governments they fight, create an atmos-

phere of fear and suspicion, legitimise their acts, and reach greater audience.

“All these attributes have come to play in the activities of Boko Haram here in Nigeria."

AGOS—OPERATIVES of Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, yesterday, arrested a passenger with $540,000 aboard an Emirates flight on his way to Dubai.

Speaking on the arrest, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Thelma Williams, who identified the passenger as Mr. Apampa Fatai Adeshina with passport number AO3445111, said the passenger had refused to declare the actual sum of money in his possession and could not convince the officers of NCS on the source of the currency he was travelling with.

She said the passenger and money have been handed over to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Aero bars workers from resumption, demands CVs

BY BY LAWANI MIKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHE

L

AGOS—CONTRARY to the resolution reached at a meeting with the Senate Committee on Aviation, management of Aero Contractors and representatives of the three unions in the nation’s aviation sector in Abuja last week, the airline, yesterday, refused to allow its workers resume their normal duties at the airport.

It is demanding that the workers submit their de-

tailed curricular vitae, CV, with correct contact home addresses and telephone numbers.

One of the key points of the resolution at that meeting was that the management should allow workers to resume their normal duties, while discussion on the ongoing re-organisation of Aero would continue.

In a letter by the Managing Director of Aero Contractors Airlines, Mr. Obaro Ibru, to the affected workers, the airline said: “All the affected

staff have been asked to return their dismissal letters by April 2, 2013.

“All the affected staff have been formally communicated with and also notified that they are to undergo an assessment for a suitable role within the company as applicable.

“While the assessment is ongoing, the full salary and benefits applicable to them for the position they occupy prior to the commencement of the reorganisation process has been reinstated and will be paid."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—11

Anglican Bishop to Boko Haram: Unmask before seeking amnesty

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—NEWLY-installed Bishop of Akure Diocese Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Reverend Simeon Borokini, yesterday, challenged members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, to unmask first before amnesty could be discussed.

Borokini argued that as long as they remained faceless, “it will be difficult for the Federal Government to offer amnesty to a faceless group.

He, however, decried the level of insecurity brought about by the activities of the group on Nigerians. The clergyman, who was installed as the new bishop of the diocese last week, said: “The people should come out and show their faces as this would aid meaningful dialogue that anybody may want to have with them.”

While regretting that many lives had been lost to the activities of the group, he asked government to take a decisive step to stop the group from fur-

ther killing of Nigerians.

Borokini called for a change in the priorities set by Nigerian leaders, noting that this had affected the peace of the country.

He said: “The peace in the

country has been affected by the priorities set by the leaders and the people. The country ’s priority has been wrongly set because God has been neglected for crude oil, materialism and worldliness

which have resulted in insecurity in Nigeria.”

He said the church would revamp its prison ministry and hospital outreaches to further give hope to the people as part of his plan for the Diocese.

... as Yoruba Unity Forum says amnesty encourages insurgency

BY OLA AJAYI

I

BADAN—YORUBA Unity Forum, YUF, has warned the Federal Government not to grant amnesty without condition to the violent Islamist sect, Boko Haram, as being demanded by Northern leaders.

Publicity Secretary of YUF, Dr. Kunle Olajide, argued that granting unconditional amnesty to the sect would be tantamount to encouragement of insurgency.

It would be recalled that recently the Sultan of Sokoto,

Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, called on the Federal Government to grant amnesty to the sect to allow peace to reign in the country.

The call had generated mixed reactions by many Nigerians with majority of them telling the government to refuse granting amnesty to the group that had engaged in senseless killings of innocent Nigerians.

While speaking with Vanguard, yesterday, the former Secretary -General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, who said he was expressing

personal views, insisted that the request of the Northern leaders must not be granted if they do not agree to the convocation of a national conference.

He said: “If they are granted amnesty without the convocation of national conference, other groups could spring up believing they too would be granted amnesty.

“So if they don’t agree to the constitution of national conference, they should not be given amnesty. It would mean encouraging insurgency."

Labour suspends planned strike in Osun

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

O

SOGBO—LABOUR leaders in Osun State, yesterday, failed to make good their threat that public workers in the state would begin a four-day warning strike over implementation of the N18,000 new minimum despite media noise.

Leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, in the state suspended the planned strike at a congress attended by workers on the invitation by government for further negotiation.

They had, last Thursday, directed workers in the state to proceed on a fourday warning strike from yesterday to protest nonimplementation of the agreement on the full

CHANGE OF NAME IKEDIASHI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Winnifred Ikediashi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Winnifred Oyesola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

payment of minimum wage to civil servants in the state.

NLC Chairman, Ska Adesiyan, and his TUC counterpart, Francis Adetunji, contended that the decision to suspend the warning strike was predicated on the readiness of the government to commence negotiation with labour over the actualisation of the agreement reached on the minimum wage.

The state government had in a letter dated March 30, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources and Capacity Building, Mr. L. O. Oyeniran and forwarded to labour hinted that “Governor Rauf Aregbesola has graciously approved the composition of members of the negotiating team on the actualisation of agreement on minimum wage in Osun State.”

It would be recalled that Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE; Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, M&HWUN, dissociated themselves from the planned strike.

Mimiko reassures Ondo workers

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—GOVERNOR Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, yesterday, assured workers in the state that the ongoing verification exercise for primary school teachers was not aimed at retrenchment.

Mimiko gave this assurance during his visit to one of the verification centres at St. Peter’s Demonstration Primary School in Akure.

According to the governor, the exercise was meant to restore sanity and dignity to the system.

He explained that through the exercise, ghost workers and those illegally recruited would be detected and enable government to continue with prompt payment of workers’ salaries.

He, however, pleaded with the teachers to cooperate with government officials to make the exercise a success.

Ekiti varsity expels 50, graduates 4,439

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

A

DO-EKITI— VICE-CHANCELLOR of Ekiti State University, ESU, Professor Oladipo Aina, has vowed that any staff of the university involved in the fake production of examination permit would be dealt with, saying 50 students indicted by the institution’s disciplinary committee for exam malpractice have been expelled.

This came as 11 students of the institution will receive first class honours degrees out of the 4,439 that will graduate on Saturday.

He said 701 got Second Class Upper; 2,695, Second Class Lower; 970, Third Class and 62, ordinary pass.

He said: “748 graduating postgraduate students comprise 27 Ph. Ds, 302 Masters and 419 postgraduate diplomas.”

12 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—13

No order can stop merger of progressive parties —ACN

BY EMEKA MAMAH

A

LL Progressives Congress, APC, has said it "is aware that all attempts" were being made by some impostors to derail its registration, pointing out that no presidential directive or executive order would stop the coming together of progressive forces in the country to democratically take over power from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2015.

National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Lagos, yesterday, said that the ‘’ogas at the top,’’ had been funding those allegedly working to scuttle the formation of APC, adding that some PDP members had ‘’totally abandoned governance for dirty politics, even though there are almost two years to go before the next elections.

"The ACN has warned that no presidential directive or executive order can stop the coming together of progressive forces in the country to democratically take power from the do-nothing PDP in 2015.

"No force on earth has ever been able to stop an idea, the time of which has come, which is what the APC represents. It is, therefore, futile for anyone to embark on such an impossible task."

Jonathan to Buhari: Stop Boko Haram

BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

A

BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, sent a strong message to former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, pleading with him to spearhead the campaign to persuade members of the Boko Haram sect to accept dialogue, as a means of ending the orgy of violence in the North.

Similarly, Jonathan asked Buhari to emulate the role he ( Jonathan) played by meeting militants in their vast hideouts in the Niger Delta to plead with them to lay down their arms and accept the general amnesty granted by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on June 25, 2009.

Jonathan said he expected Buhari to lead the way in persuading the Boko Haram insurgents in the North to stop bombings and enter into dialogue with the Federal Government with a view to ending the violence in the region, which is threatening to disrupt the economy of the region and Nigeria.

The President, who sent the message to Buhari through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, accused the former head of state of making false allegations against him during his interview in London last week.

What Buhari told BBC in London During the interview with the BBC, Buhari had said that the Federal Government should be held responsible for the worsening state of insecurity in Nigeria, accusing the leadership of not taking steps to halt the slide, which has claimed many lives and property in the region.

Buhari said: “The problem of terrorism is not confined to the

North alone. Insecurity generally should be blamed on the Federal Government.

“The world is very much concerned about two things — the issue of security and economic wellbeing of a nation. Security is number one. A nation can only be economically viable if there is security. But how did all these crises start? How did the crises begin and assume this dimension?

“Until now, everyday, they abduct people and receive ransoms. How was the problem reduced? How did it start? What method was employed to convince them to mellow down?

“Similarly, what we should look at is, how did the Boko Haram start?

We know all these. Security is the responsibility of the government.

“It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to know how this thing started and how to go about it.”

Jonathan takes on Buhari But Okupe asked Nigerians to demand from Buhari what he had done as a leader in the North and a former head of state to halt the attacks by the sect.

He said: “Nigerians should ask him (Buhari) that as a former Head of state and as someone who wants to be president again, what he has done to end this insurgence in the country.

“Or is it when he becomes President, he will stop the insurgence? No, it does not work that way. He should emulate President Jonathan who went to the creeks of the Niger Delta canvassing peace and dialogue with the militants of the Niger Delta.

“Everybody knows that it was General Buhari, who vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable for President Jonathan if he loses the last presidential election. It was in Minna, Niger State, that he said that once votes are countered and he loses that people should go for blood. He said in Hausa language. General Buhari is the person who sowed the wind that the nation is now reaping in whirlwind.

“He is not in any position to apportion blames on the issue of violence in the North or in Nigeria in general. He is a protago-

VISIT: From left: Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, Editor-In-Chief/GM, Publications, Vanguard Newspapers; Mrs. Lola Delano, Commercial, Total E & P Nigeria; Mrs. Henrietta Ebo, Commercial, Chevron; Mr. Kester Mgbodille, Commercial, Shell Petroleum Development Company; Mrs. Eme Udom, Commercial, Mobil Producing Nigeria and Clara Nwachukwu, Energy Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, during a visit by executives of the Oil Producers Trade Section of Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, to the Head Office of Vanguard Media Ltd., in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

Power: KEPCO receives $407.3m share agreement for Egbin

K

EPCO Energy Resources, a joint venture company between

nist of violence. The only position he sees for not being the President is to call for violence.

This government has tried as much as possible to contain some of Buhari’s unguarded statements. I don’t think anybody in Nigeria will take Buhari very serious when he makes such comments.

“If there is anybody to blame, General Buhari comes number one on that list. Have you ever seen General Buhari visit Borno State or condemn the acts of the Boko Haram or condole whether Christians or Muslims that have been killed?

“A man who can traverse the whole length and breadth of Nigeria, yet he cannot use that clout that he has and get leaders together to put an end to the insurgence in the country. And yet he finds it comfortable to blame other people. What has he done as a former Head of State to help Nigeria and Nigerians stop the militancy in the North or in other parts of the country?”

South Korea and Nigeria’s Sahara Energy Group, yesterday, received the Supplemental Share Purchases Agreement, SPA for the 70 percent sale of Federal Government’s shares in Egbin Power Plant at the cost of $407.3 million.

Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, which, in a statement, said it had transmitted the offer letter, noted that KEPCO had 15 working days to raise 25 per cent of the total sum for the 1,320 mega watt capacity plant, while it has another 90 days to raise the balance of 75 per cent cost.

The SPA is the second offer to be given KEPCO since 2007 when the first offer was made.

This followed approval for the sale of the shares by the National Council on Privatisation, NCP, one of its meetings held earlier

in the year.

Under the terms, the Council asked KEPCO to pay 51 per cent of the plant’s shares at the 2007 valuation of $549.01 million, and pay additional 19 per cent of the shares at the current valuation of $670 million.

In the letter conveying the NCP’s approval to KEPCO, the Acting Director-General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said NCP also directed that the BPE reserved 10 percent (of which three percent is for the workers) of the remaining 30 per cent stake.

Nigerians will have the benefit of acquiring 27 per cent of the remaining 90 per cent of the 30 per cent through Initial Public Offer, IPO, at a later date.

Delta lawmaker donates to senior citizens at Easter

BY SIMON ADEWALE

P

EOPLES Democracy Party, PDP, member, representing Ndokwa East constituency in Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Friday Osanebi, has charged Nigerians to use the Easter celebrations to reflect on their lives and make better use of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He spoke while presenting gifts to aged people and the lessprivileged in his constituency.

He said: “Christ sacrificed Himself to reduce the pains and sufferings of the poor and lessprivileged by bringing hope to the hopeless,” adding that he will continue to empower the less-privileged and show love by ensuring that aged people in society are cared for."

14 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3,

C M Y K

2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 —15

Alscon crisis: Workers, Condolence visits to Mama residents confront Rusal over HID Awolowo, at Ikenne sack of 475 Nigerians Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

T

HE CRISIS plaguing Rusal, the Russian company managing Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, Alscon, degenerated yesterday, with a joint protest by aggrieved workers of the company and community members.

They were protesting against the sack of 475 Nigerians by the management.

The workers and locals were angry that the company ignored their Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, and went ahead to sack the Nigerian workers, most of them drawn from the community, before shutting the plant, last week.

Rusal had warned early last month that it was suspending production, arising from the uncertainty over the ownership of the plant, which is being contested between it and the American group, BFIG, which was surreptitiously rattled by the Federal Government last week with a revocation

of its bid to take over the place.

The company later laid off no fewer than 475 workers on March 26, 2013, and shut the plant, following a major setback to its critical power facility, a transformer, which is said to be beyond the capacity of any firm in Nigeria to fix.

It had, however, paid a Swiss firm to undertake the repairs of the facility, although the uncertainty over the ownership and renewed security challenges in the Niger Delta, are said to be of geat concern to the contractors.

As work resumed on Tuesday, the workers, backed by local residents, successfully blocked the entrance to the premises of Alscon and prevented any form of movement into and out of the plant.

The placard-carrying protesters asked Rusal to pay them their entitlements and to honour their subsisting MoU not to disengage 60 per cent of the community workers.

They insisted that they would neither vacate the

3rd Republic legislators appeal to FG for payment of entitlements CALEB AYANSINA

A

BUJA — THIRD Republic House of Representatives Members Forum has appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the payment of entitlement of its members sacked by Abacha’s regime.

National Chairman of the Forum, Obi Anoliefo, who made the appeal while speaking to Vanguard in Abuja, however, commended the efforts of the government and the leadership of the National Assembly so far on the matter.

Chief Anoliefo said they had been on the struggle to get their entitlement since 1994,

but that little was done then as a result of threat messages received from the then military government in power,.

According to him, the struggle was intensified in 2003. ”This struggle started in 1994, but we could not do much as a result of military government, I received threat messages, but we intensified it in 2003 but some members could not participate because of financial inability,” he said.

He said: “We are members of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1992, 1993 of Babangida/Abacha’s era, called the 3rd Republic.

entrance nor allow any form of production to resume until their demands were promptly met by the management.

But, worried by the confrontation, Rusal immediately met with the traditional ruler and the local government chairman of Ikot Abasi and pleaded with them to intervene and called the workers to order.

The company said the protest was against existing company laws and could lead to the stoppage of production and the exit of specialists from Russia.

Rusal’s Director of Public and Government Relations, Tatyana Smirnova, denounced the confrontation, which she said was spearheaded by a group of radically-minded employees and local residents in response to the decision by the management to suspend production and declare some workers redundant.

Smirnova said: “The management of ALSCON absolutely condemns the irresponsible and unlawful actions by the group of workers and emphasises that they are breaching the labour laws of Nigeria and the laws governing the export processing zone.

“The management underlines that the takeover of ALSCON could lead to a complete termination of operations of the plant and could lead to the departure of foreign specialists.

"If this happens, the plant will be totally shut down, the supply of water and gas to the housing estates will be stopped and no compensations will be made.

“The current situation in ALSCON originated from a long-running process of negotiations between the management and the leaders of trade unions.

“In particular, during the past several weeks plant employees, under pressure from the trade unions, have been ignoring the process of discharge due to becoming redundant.

Prof. Wole Soyinka consoles Yeye HID Awolowo over the death of her son, Chief Wole Awolowo. Photos: Wumi Akinola

Chief Felix Ibru with Mama

Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan also visited

Governor Rauf Aregbesola was there.

Hon. Dimeji Bankole during his visit.

16 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3,

2013

— 17 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013— “An author’s first duty is to let down his country.”- Brendon Behan, 1960

card carrying member of the People Redemption Party (PRP). According to Chekwube, there is nothing wrong in being a local champion. He says Achebe was a local champion (I did not), but I should “check out the profile of (your) greatest Ahmadu Bello, it is so full of iniquities, lacks fair play and very lilliputian. Achebe did not change the world, your Northern brothers made it worse than they met it. Nigeria shall bury Nigerians in slow painful manner. It is the way Northerners understand it.”

T

K

Achebe’s people TRUTH Achebe wrote about.”

Garden City Boy took exception to my conclusion that Achebe left this world pretty much as he found it. He thinks it represents “the conclusion of one empty head struggling to be heard… The dumb head even attempted to gloat over the murder of his likes as usual wrought on innocent Igbos, by implying that majority of the victims of the Kano bombing at the bus station were of the stock of the bombers. A stock he is shamelessly a part of. It will be too much to expect a Nigerian quota writer, of the stock that

,

HIS column last week was about Chinua Achebe, his works and his legacies. I knew that there will be a backlash, and had even attributed some of it to the legacies the late legend left behind. I had said, on the basis of experience and observation following release of his last book, There was a Country, “ i t wi l l be interesting to know if Mr. Achebe had been availed of even the tiniest peak into conversations among younger Nigerians on cyberspace which followed the release of his last book.

It will be uncharitable to say he had triggered a major setback in the unity of the country, but it will be fair to say he lit up the dark and frightening chasms which separate many younger Nigerians, and equip them with how they see each other. If he did….. it is doubtful if he would not have felt some pain that his fellow citizens habor such sentiments and feelings towards each other…. Chinua Achebe left this world pretty much as he found it: Troubled and troubling. But history will say of him, here is one who couldn’t live with it.”

The on-line reactions to the column in this newspaper were a sad vindication of my postulation. They make an amusing reading and I thought I should share them with readers today. There were quite a few, virtually all dripping with venom and hate. One or two attempted to allow reason to take control of emotions, but virtually everyone spoke as an injured Igbo fighting a Hausa man (popularly referred to, these days as awusa) who has damaged an untouchable Igbo heritage. Very few of the comments indicated that the respondents read or understood what this “goat herder ” wrote, so I missed a rare opportunity to learn from the race born with intelligence.

They were, in most cases, from people who obviously enjoy rights of reply and freedom of expression, but are reluctant to say who they are. The brief comments such as the one from 2012 was profound in its summation: “About the most nonsensical piece I ever read.” “Imagine 2012” said to me: “A cow minder like you came here to mess Achebe, a literary genius that has brought glory to the entire black race; but deliberately forgot that no Hausa-Fulani of your low types has even exhibited as much as a mere quarter of Achebe’s globally acknowledged intelligence. And to your Almajiri fans who think, for boldly saying the truth, Prof. Achebe did open old wounds that our past federal governments have refused to deal with, then the present and daily evil activities of your northern sponsored Boko Haram has openly justified the

There must be millions of Nigerians who value the works of Achebe and who, like me, also recognise that he was human. The few people I quoted above do great disservice to him as a Nigerian and a literary genius

,

only knows how to kill and maim human beings, to understand what making positive impact in the world entails. No one should have issues with this sorry member of the stock that has kept Nigeria in perpetual darkness…..”

Okorojnr agrees: “That is another awusa cow. They all argue the same bizarre game. The bums called awusa never engage in tasks that are intellectually challenging… He recognises that Soyinka is Yoruba, and Achebe, Igbo. There is no Awusa

The late Achebe worth the mention to complete the ‘TRIPOD’. He brings an obscure Usman Faruk, and perhaps his wife Uswoman Faruk…” Okorojnr knows me: “…. The miserable descendant of a devil incarnate himself has a compulsive, pathological grudge against the Igbo… … As intellectually barren as they are, awusa does not write book. What Usman Faruk wrote was a phamplet which is not worth the cheap stationary in which it is written.

How can awusa man write a book when there are human beings to decapitate and public money to embezzle…” Okpala agree: “This guy is a compete douche bag. He does not even have the moral standing to write on Achebe...”

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hekwube thought I was funny.

“Kai walahi your view is full of mediocrity and federal character…”

He loves Achebe “Naturally as an Igbo”, but he loves him more because “he was not connected to the evil called Nigerian government”. It would have done little good to remind the nation that Achebe was a running mate to Malam Aminu Kano and a

elvin99 says I am among the biggest fools, and should shut up.

“What”, he asks, “have you and you likes achieved up till today in your sick country”? Okorie Kalu C agrees: “Mr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed is a typical example of those who have kept this nation in dark state. He obviously lives in denial, grossly ignorant, deeply jealous, lacks nationalistic mind but went ahead to accuse Achebe of that. I will simply advise this young man to celebrate greatness… it is quite appalling how we judge what we envy… poor minds.”

There were a lot more comments from people who felt that history has not been fair to the Igbo cause. Kenuch asks: Alhaji Ahmad, …. why would any person objectively insinuate that Biafra fought against Nigeria?

Considering that the Western region and lately, some voices from the North are now calling for a return of the country to a system similar to what was agreed in Aburi, is it not foolish for Alhaji Faruk and his gang of vandals that prosecuted the war of aggression against the East to call themselves patriots?” American Abroad thought “Achebe was a voice of conscience, not complicity, and not just for ethnic Igbos; I might have had a few reservations about this characterisations and conclusion, but a man, any man – even our own Achebe – is entitled to his own opinion. C’est pas?”

I have to say I was not disappointed by the venom which followed my column. But I am sad that one of the greatest literary assets mankind has just lost will leave behind this type of champions. There must be millions of Nigerians who value the works of Achebe and who, like me, also recognise that he was human. The few people I quoted above do great disservice to him as a Nigerian and a literary genius. It is sad that he is leaving these ambassadors to speak for him. He doesn’t deserve them, and they certainly have no business defending a man like Achebe. It is even sadder that these defenders of the tribal watering holes are all over the nation, and they represent those Nigerians who can only communicate by insulting each other.

OPINION

BY VICTOR ARIOLE

I

NDEED, the situation in Nigeria now is like “the carmel passing through the eye of a needle – the gate of the sanctuary”.

Like the Igbos say, Onye obula si naya ji ofo, ofo amaluzi onye kelu ya. Everyone in Nigeria seems to be claiming that Justice must be seen from his own perspective hence justice, “Ofo”, is suffering in the hands of impostures; ditto in the world arena.

What a revealing shame by Femi Falana (SAN) that no fewer than 197 convicted criminals remain unaccounted for; that is: cannot be found in any Nigerian prison. Not done with that, the Director General of NIIA, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa reveals that about 20,000 “awaiting trial” in Nigeria suffer worse conditions than already convicted ones; revelations from NIIA brainstorming session on Nigerian prisoners within and abroad.

Now, Honourable Abike Dabiri and her friends fighting to repatriate Nigerian prisoners abroad, 6,000 of them, must think twice. Yes, the law says Nigerian government must protect Nigerians wherever they are in this world. However, the government that needs to

When ‘Ofo' justice agitates protect its citizens wherever they are in the world allows the Carmel to pass through the hole of the needle, the gate of the sanctuary.

Since the current dispensation of democracy, the worst occurred as the then President pardoned, onthe-spot, with military alacrity, Speaker Buhari who committed crime against Nigeria. Late President Yar’ Adua condoned Ibori, later to be proved wrong by the British Justice. Now, President Jonathan is allowing two known criminals to warm themselves up and reemerge on the scene of Nigeria’s political and financial pyramids.

These are indeed the “Bros me” syndrome distorting the Nigerian Justice. Wherever you meet a SouthSouth person, he/she shouts “Bros me” to see if you will connect with him/her to allow corruption fester. If you meet a South West person, he/she will keep on speaking his/her language to you whether you understand or not, to see if you can connect so as to get corruption fester on. You meet a South East person,

he/she will turn on his/her phone to engage in a conversation with real or imagined person to let you into his/her line of business to see if you can connect or not so as to understand the nature of corruption he/ she deals in. If you meet a Northern person, he/she floats different kinds of government document for you, ranging from contract papers to contact names, and see if you can connect for corruption purposes.

This is where dubious foreign investors see loopholes to penetrate and make fast money or get duped.

Hence, the man from South East in that dubious arrangement could say, he makes money for Nigeria; as inflow outcome is his goal; while others remain very friendly with the dubious foreign investors as outflow of funds outcome is their own goal.

Continues on pg 18 *Mr. Ariole, a doctor of philosophy, wrote from the University of Lagos.

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 HIGH cost of governments has remained an issue with the blames located mainly in the billions spent in maintaining the 468-member National Assembly. The debates should be more extensively to include other areas of government wastes, at all levels.

The two-year-old advice of the Presidential Advisory Council, PAC, for reduction in the number of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to address the issue has been ignored. It probably cost the PAC its life.

Ministries and agencies remain fertile soil for political patronage. As opportunities diminish in States and Local Governments, the federal pool is the only one with resources to accommodate an increasing number of unemployed politicians.

More ministries and government agencies exit to meet demands for political appointments.

Political expediency overrules economics.

Ministers fight over their status and size of their ministries. The argument, leaning on constitutional provisions on equality of States, hammers on the absence of equity in subjugating one State to another by appointing junior ministers. The political solution lies in 36 federal ministries, each with sufficient resource base to

Curbing Government Was asttes appease politicians.

More costs arise from the ease with which the National Assembly creates agencies. Little thought is given to financial implications of laws that expand bureaucracy. Each new commission or department of government adds to the cost of governance. However, these agencies hardly improve government services. They result in additional tension as government battles with appointments and political correctness in that direction.

If we take the anti-corruption agencies as example, government’s reluctance in curbing waste will be more glaring. There was the Code of Conduct Bureau, then Independent Corrupt and other Offences Practices Commission and finally

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Their roles clash. Most petitioners patronise all three on the same issue. Governments have neglected calls for their merger though with strong assertions for more efficiency in costs and operations. Similarly, some commissions should be departments within ministries.

Other wastes are in the unlimited number of aides for the president, governors, and spurious appointments like Chief of Staff and Chief Security Officers for local government chairmen.

There are more such appointments like aides for special duties.

The N15.6 trillion governments spent between May 1999 and December 31, 2010 to maintain public servants tells only a part of the story of wastes. It does not capture savings that would have been made on capital expenditures if some ministries and agencies did not exist.

Governments need to act fast in order to rescue shrinking resources for investments in critical development needs like infrastructure. It is also important for our governments to start planning their expenditures in anticipation of a time when oil income that funds these wastes would have gone.

OPINION

BY VICTOR ARIOLE Continued from pg.17

N

OW think of $18 billion inflow as a result of Western Union and Money Gram last year, analyse the items, who and for what and the sources, you will know who is helping Nigeria. Then, analyse the outflow in terms of bureau de change operations and profit repatriation exercise, to know the connivers. Another funny and curious revelation was that a Nigerian from the South East reprieved of death sentence to jail terms out of the intervention of the Abike Dabiri group, was still found trading in drug from his prison and remitting money to Nigeria, hence reversion to death sentence.

The above analysis will tell you why outside Nigeria, any perceived evil doer who is Black could find it difficult escaping being called a Nigerian. At worse, the person will be called a Congolese, if he/she speaks French, another Black country marked out for elimination or destruction for easy access to their abundant mineral resources.

When Ofo justice agitates So, if there are no common understanding or values for Africans to face the other races of the world, Nigeria, nay Africa, is doomed.

Justice in Africa which is also conterminous with political power in the African traditional set-up must not enter in the hands of interlopers. Ofo holder is also the political authority in Igbo land; when dissociated, justice suffers.

These are reasons that make a Nigerian prisoner in foreign land waive-off any intervention by any government official for his/her repatriation to Nigeria – dysfunctional relation of the justice and leadership of the nation.

Prisons are for criminals; however, as foreigners have noted that Nigeria treats its big time criminals with connivance posture, they have learnt to treat both innocent and crime-laden Nigerians abroad alike. If thumb printing is not necessary for 70-yearold persons in Europe and the USA,

what is the rational to imprison a 72year-old Nigeria woman in Brazil for being inadvertently linked to a shameful deal.

Again, how do you relate the cases of honest Nigerians who responded to the toast of foreign investment attraction of “invest $50,000 and remain in South Korea” in the '70s, only to be hounded now in South Korea as criminals.

J

ustice is agitating in all the parts of the world. Whereas Nigerians are hounded mercilessly in Asian countries’ prisons, they are treated better in European and US prisons.

They prefer to stay in European prisons than to be brought back to Nigeria, what a paradox. Like it happened to Guineans during the Sekou Toure era, so also it is happening to Nigerians; unfortunately and inversely, it is happening in an era of relative boom and democracy in Nigeria. There is a

dysfunctional dimension to that and it is high time the current political dispensation acknowledged it and proved that Nigeria is suffering the syndrome of “Bros me”.

On the world scale, it is difficult to understand how justice operates in favour of the most indebted citizens of a nation against those merely struggling for basic needs of life. In Africa, the seemingly most corrupt person wields power against the honest ones.

In concrete terms, by the report of “L’Express”, USA owes $16.7 trillion, translating to about $80 billion on each US citizen, USA is the surreptitious, covert or overt custodian of the world’s justice. In Africa, the reigning countries, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt are ruled on corrupt terms, hence the custodians of Justice there are seemingly interlopers, warding-off the honest ones.

Concluded *Mr. Ariole, a doctor of philosophy, wrote from the Universiyt of Lagos.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013— —19

, Eagle on iroko for Chinua Achebe Akuko gagara akuko gagara to fori apata se ’bugbe...

Can things ever fall apart in the home of the teacher Chinualumogu the vaulting eagle on the riverside iroko What more does the griot crave beyond his-story his audience and the tongue to weave songs beyond time We walk not on legs

the silvery sheen of your words have lent wings to the thoughts hidden in the secret places of the mind they have restored the kingdom to the easement of past glories Though we know the plague that brought the dispersal we are confident the weaverbird will soon heed the call of blood

Only days before his passing, totally unaware of what lurked in the corner, I had remarked to a retired English professor that had Professor Chinua Achebe remained in Nigeria he probably couldn’t have lived as long as he had.

We should, therefore, be grateful that we still did have him for 23 years after his debilitating experience on the death snares we call Nigerian roads

,

the sweet come-back-home of mother

The late Prof. Achebe

and our homes shall return once more to the endless feast of old when gods arrow is finally quivered But for my copy editor, I had not intended to add a word to the above lines, my own reaction to a figure that means different things to different people- across continents and

generations.

I had chosen to hark back to more sombre times when it was still possible to tell the voice of the trader from the din of market noises; hear the hunter rather than the harmattan whisperings of forest creatures. In the blinding passion of the moment I sought the quiet of earlier and, one might say, saner period, far from the sound and fury of emotions wrought by the anguish, for many, of the passing of a rare spirit.

Only days before his passing, totally unaware of what lurked in the corner, I had remarked to a retired English professor of African History at the University College London that had Professor Chinua Achebe remained in Nigeria he probably couldn’t have lived as long as he had.

We should therefore be grateful that we still did have him for 23 years after his debilitating experience on the death snares we call Nigerian roads.

Chinua Achebe: The novelist as revolutionary HINUA Achebe’s stoic and gradualist approach to life was evident not only in his unhurried diction and surgically measured prose but also in the kind of solutions he proffered to the vexing questions of the post-colonial world. Particularly, in Nigeria, the country that vexed him the most — to the point of death in exile. If Arrow of God is the novel that Achebe admitted he was “most likely to be caught sitting down to read again,” the one essay of his that I might be caught re-reading and quoting from with gusto is “The Novelist as Teacher.”

Achebe was no revolutionary in the ordinary sense. Such that while delivering the 1998 McMillan-Stewart Lecture at Harvard University, he felt the need to apologise for never having “held a gun” in his life — something, curiously enough, he considered “shameful” — even though his hosts could hardly be expected to hold that against him.

Imperial whims and fantasies As keen as he was to contest the West’s monopoly of discursive power for over four centuries to represent and constitute non-White people according to their imperialist whims and fantasies, he “did not really want to see the score of narratives … settled by recourse to power,” unless it be “the innate power of stories themselves.” His “choice of weapons,” he said, was determined for him by his “temperament.”

Why then the audacity of my title?

Because a revolution, as every careful student of history knows, is never prompt or sudden. The cataclysmic moment when the dam bursts and

sweeps away the old order is a culmination of a process long in the making and not a beginning that is also an end. Then there is the other sense of the term that accords perfectly with Achebe’s temperament: revolution as any undertaking whose goal is fundamental change in socio-economic conditions, attitudes, or mode of operation.

This, precisely, is what Achebe meant by the novelist as teacher. Colonialism, together with the centuries of slavery that preceded it, defined our contact with Europe, resulting in our internalisation of the ideology of racial inferiority fabricated to justify conquest. It had convinced us that we were inferior to Europeans; that we had no worthy history or culture; that our languages, gods, religious systems and moral codes were damning evidence of our subhumanity.

If the “postcolonial” novelist or writer was to matter to her society, she would have, necessarily, to assume the role of teacher. And her lesson would be nothing but revolutionary, seeking as it would to wipe out the self-abnegating consciousness of the colonised man and woman and return them to their font of being; to “where the rain began to beat” them, as Achebe memorably put it. And to make them see that “their past — with all its imperfections — was not one long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them.”

Achebe makes the case for the novelist as revolutionary most eloquently. “Here then,” he says, “is an adequate revolution for me to espouse — to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self-abasement.” The revolutionary import of this mission is

,

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If democracy, the process of ascertaining the people’s will for popular action, has failed so miserably to take root in our land, we should know one good reason why: we are yet to recover our brutally truncated will

,

what made it possible for me to cite Achebe in the same breath as Frantz Fanon, Walter Rodney, Mandela, Che Guevara, Karl Marx, among other certified “reds,” at rallies back in my days as a student leader. And it is what makes me read him with renewed delight now when I am more and more convinced of a related revolution: the urgent need to examine the unquantifiable damage done by colonialism to our psyche.

A

s Achebe rightly observes, we have yet to overcome the “disaster brought upon the African psyche in the period of subjection” despite independence. I would add that independence, as the hasty and persisting denial of the trauma of the

colonial voiding of our will to selfdetermination, repeats and exacerbates that original catastrophe. The result is the unbroken cycle of “acting-out,” of puzzling behaviour, in the political sphere clearly defined today by shocking impunity and corruption. “Today, things have changed a lot,” Achebe says, “but it would be foolish to pretend that we have fully recovered from the traumatic effects of our first confrontation with Europe.”

The real tragedy of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart, then, is the failure to acknowledge the trauma of his subjugation. “The White man whose power you know so well has ordered this meeting to stop,” a colonial messenger, one of his own, barks at him. So if democracy, the process of ascertaining the people’s will for popular action, has failed so miserably to take root in our land, we should know one good reason why: we are yet to recover our brutally truncated will.

Okonkwo would be as perplexed today by our leaders’ mindboggling thefts as he was by the defection of his fellow Umuofians to the White man’s church, that more insidious means of our subjection. “I cannot understand these things you tell me,” he says to Obierika.

“What is it that has happened to our people? Why have they lost the power to fight?” And we may ask: What has happened to us? Why have our leaders no desire whatsoever to respect and improve the land; to serve and lead by example? On March 21, 2013, Africa lost a revolutionary novelist and essayist.

20— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 21

Oil spill: Fishermen demand N4.32bn compensation from SNEPCO

NIMASA to operate of offf shore reception facilities in April

… set to collect Sea Protection levy

BY GODFREY BIVBERE

T

Ademola Adeshina (left), Head of Face of Testing, a computer based testing solution product from the stables of Dragnet Solutions, making a point during the Businessday Job Fair event while Adebola Omololu, Chief Executive Officer of Debonair Bookshops (Middle) and Simi Lawoyin,Chief Executive Officer of Career Solutions(right) look on. The event was held in Lagos at the Landmark Events Centre Lagos.

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HE Artisan Fishermen of Nigeria, ARFAN, Niger Delta Region, has demanded N4.32 billion compensation from Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co. (SNEPCo) for five states impacted by oil spill in the Region. The Association’s Secretary and Niger Delta Coordinator, Elder Inyang Ekong, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom..

He said that the claims and compensation were necessary due to the extent and impact of the spill on the people of the region. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that SNEPCo on the Bonga oil spill located offshore Nigeria, estimates that about 40,000 barrels of crude oil escaped into the Atlantic Ocean on Dec 20, 2011. Ekong said that the oil spill had caused untold hardship to the fishing communities and to the association members in the region.

“We have written and nothing has been done for us, we are still waiting and we went on consultation and still nothing is happening. Up till today, we have not received any positive response from the regulators nor from

the Federal Government. We have been so weak and sorrowful because our members are frustrated by the oil spill that cut across the whole Niger Delta Region,” Ekong said.

According to him, the effect of the oil spill has thrown the fishermen in all the states of the Region into “a very big confusion’’.

NACCIMA seeks joint venture investment between Nigeria, Turkey

BY NAOMI UZOR

N

IGERIAN Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, has called for joint venture investments between Turkey businessmen and their Nigerian counterparts as a way to address trade imbalances between the two countries.

Dr. Ademola Ajayi, NACCIMA President, made the call on Tuesday in Lagos during TURKISH export products fair.

Three regional African railway operators finalise partnership agreement

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HREE regional African railway operators- the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), Zambia Railways Limited and Societe Nationale Des Chemins De Fer Du Congo Sarl Republic of Congo (DRC) respectively, have signed a tripartite agreement to harmonize the operations to facilitate smooth and seamless transportation of goods and passengers.

Ekong said that sea weeds had been noticed on the ocean floor from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Rivers, adding that the development has resulted in the scarcity of fish in the area.

According to him, the massive depletion of sea weeds has lead to scarcity of fish and sardine in the market.

A statement issued by the TAZARA head of Public Relations, Conrad Simulchile, revealed that the signing ceremony was preceded by three independent business agreements entered into by the respective parties, i.e.

TAZARA and SNCC, Tazara and ZRL, as well as between ZRL and SNCC.

“In recent past the trade volume between Turkey and Nigeria has tremendously improved; as at 2012, the trade volume between the two countries stood at US$1.3 billion. ”Even though the trade statistics revealed that the balance of trade between the two countries is in favour of Turkey, the fact remains that the existence and continuous annual growth in the volume of trade between both countries is a testimony of the trust, reliability and confidence both countries have in each other and in their products and services.

“It is believed that more meaningful business relationship can still be explored to improve the trade between Nigeria and Turkey, as well as their share of trade with other D-8 countries, which stood at over 3 per cent and over 20 per cent respectively in 2011,” he said. Globally, he said, there is the general acceptance and adoption of trade liberalization policy as a means of enhancing volume and free flow of trade among nations, which has made the world economy to become a global village.

HE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that it will commence the operation of the offshore waste reception facilities in April, even as it declared that it will also soon commence the collection of Sea Protection Levy which is to be paid by oil companies with loading/receiving buoys, oil rigs and pipe lines.

The declaration was made at a meeting between NIMASA and oil companies operating in Nigeria waters. The agency put the rate payable per annum for offshore oil installations by oil companies at N15 million; saying oil wells for exploration would attract N10 million per annum from first day of April every year. It added that pipelines would attract N1, 500 per cubic metre of pipe line volume from high water mark to termination point offshore. The agency said the move was in line with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Management Regulations 52 and 53 on sea Protection Levy and Offshore Waste Reception Facilities.

Its Director General, Patrick Akpobolokemi, said the objective of the regulation was to improve and sustain the marine environment by developing a maritime environmental management system through self funding.

Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Obi Callistus Obi, noted that implementation of the Sea Protection Levy (SPL) had commenced.

138.35

1.2

2,179.00 +9.00 17.74

0.08

110.62 +0.60 96.33 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.75 234.1058 198.2348 162.4331 1.6409 0.2822 232.0334 24.8997 41.2634 26.5861 231.537

155.25 234.8622 198.8753 162.9579 1 .6462 0.2922 232.7831 24.9806 41.3967 26.672 232.2851

-0.90 SELLING 155.75 235.6182 199.515 163.4827 1.6515 0.3022 233.5328 25.0615 41.53 26.758 233.0332

CBN Exchange rate as at 02/04/2013

22—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

UBA wins Best Banks Awards in Cameroon, Senegal

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From left: Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti; Chairman, Sun and Sun Limited, Mr. Rajesh Satija and his wife, Ratija; Minister of Mines and Steel, Alhaji Musa Mohammed Sada; his wife, Ada and Executive Director, Treasury/South East, Mrs Amaka Onwughalu during an award presented to the bank in London.

ICAN certifies over 100 chartered accountants

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

T

HE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has certified over 100 chartered accountants who undertook its various certification programmes.

Eighty three persons were certified from the Audit, Investigation and Forensic Accounting faculty, seven from the Insolvency and Corporate Re-engineering and 101 from the Corporate Finance Management faculty, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Speaking during the institute’s induction ceremony in Lagos, ICAN President, Mr. Adedoyin Owolabi said that the need for forensic accounting knowledge and expertise in organisations cannot be over-emphasized given the rising spate of fraud in the public and private sectors as well as governance challenges at all levels.

Owolabi noted that forensic accounting is at the heart of the crusade against fraud and sharp practices, war against corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing.

“Therefore, this effort of the Institute is not only timely but also a reaffirmation of its commitment to the war against corruption, fraudulent and other social vices that have impeded the nation’s smooth match to development.

“Forensic certification of the chartered accountant is the company ’s inevitable strategic partner as his/her expertise can significantly assist the entity to derive optimum value from its resources. Accordingly, the mandate of the Faculty is to technically equip its members, through this certification programme, with the expertise to restructure companies in

distress to minimize their losses, improve their liquidity positions, optimize possible benefits from their scarce resources and continue to operate as going concerns.”

The Audit, Investigations and Forensic Accounting Faculty, one of the six Faculties, has produced 125 Certified Forensic Accountant” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Insolvency

and Corporate Reengineering Faculty is one of the six Faculties created by the Council and charged with the responsibility of enhancing the professional skills of members by providing a platform through which they can interact, share experiences and disseminate technical information that will positively impact their value creating efforts.

FirstBank drives CBN cashlite policy with ‘Expression card’

BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

I

N support of Central Bank of Nigeria’s, CBN, cash-lite policy, First Bank Nigeria,FBN, has entered the market with ‘Expression Card’ “Expressions on Cards” is self-service banking, where customers of the bank are empowered to initiate customized debit card requests conveniently from any location via Firstbank’s official website, using personal picture of self, loved ones or that most cherished moment.

The card is also a product to personally and emotionally engage customers across all segments and inherently encourage card usage, particularly within the youth segment as the key drivers of the economy in the nearest future.

Speaking at the formally unveiling of the card, the Group Managing Director of the bank, Mr Bisi Onasanya, said its another offering from the bank aimed at consolidating its efforts in supporting the CBN cash-lite policy, which followed the

recent launch of FirstMonie that caters for millions of Nigeria’s unbanked citizens.

His words, “We initiated this product to personally and emotionally engage our customers across all segments and inherently encourage card usage, particularly within the youth segment as the key drivers of the economy in the nearest future.”

Continuing, he said, “Introduction of this product is an indication that FirstBank as the leading brand in Nigeria is “youth-centric” and highly sensitive to the desires of her customers which include the craving for recognition of individuality, global identity and personalized service.”

“Asides being a personalized card, “Expressions on cards” maintain the highest security feature in the payment card industry – Chip and Pin, it is also denominated in Naira and can be used for domestic and international transactions wherever the MasterCard logo is displayed.”

WO country subsidiaries of United Bank for Africa Plc; one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa, have emerged the ‘Best Banks’ in their respective countries.

UBA Cameroon and UBA Senegal on March 19, 2013 were named ‘World’s Best Banks in 2013’ in their respective countries by Global Finance magazine in New York.

Global Finance magazine is the world’s leading corporate finance magazine with readers across 160 countries, focusing on Csuite level management, Corporates and selected financial institutions and international investors.

Global Finance editors with inputs from industry analysts, corporate executives and banking consultants, selected the best emerging markets banks in the region and in 29 countries using such criteria such as growth in assets, profitability, strategic relationships, customer service, competitive pricing, and innovative products to determine eventual winners.

Late last year, UBA Cameroon and UBA Senegal won the Bank of the Year Awards in their respective countries at the Banker Awards 2012, organized by The Banker Magazine; a publication of The Financial Times. They have replicated the feat again in 2013 with another international magazine.

“These and similar awards confirm the increasing influence of our country subsidiaries in Africa, engineering growth and development through financial intermediation and providing banking services in easy and convenient ways to the benefit of our customers and other stakeholders” said Mr. Phillips Oduoza, GMD/ CEO UBA in reaction to the announcement.

Managing Director of UBA Senegal, Mrs. Amie Sow said she was delighted at the award and commended the staff for their diligence and hard work. “ we are poised to taking UBA Senegal to a greater level for the benefit of Senegal and Africa” she enthused.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 23

DIARY Select ICT events GDC 2013.

Holds 25-29 Mar 2013 in San Francisco, USA.

EDITED by Adekunle Adekoya

‘9jApps contest'll grow local software’

conhIT 2013.

Holds 9-11 Apr 2013 in Berlin, Germany. Machine to Machine 2013.

Holds 10-11 April 2013 in Paris, France.

BY EMEKA AGINAM

C

Prolight + Sound 2013.

Holds 10-13 Apr 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany. Intertelecom 2013. Holds 11-13 April, 2013 in Lodz, Poland.

9JAAPPLICATION CHALLENGE: From left: Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria; Olumide Balogun, Partner Manager, Developer Experience, Nokia, West Africa; Oyeshina Oyetosho, Developer & Platform Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Nigeria and Tunji Elesho of Co-Creation Hub Nigeria at a press briefing to announce Microsoft 9jApps Competition, in Lagos. Photo: Emeka Aginam.

DIGITAL BROADCASTING:

Preview

New inventions shaping life and living

Plant-based solar cells

We can leverage on NigComSat — REPS

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

Using plant-based materials, researchers have developed efficient, organic solar cells that can be dissolved in water and recycled.

Until now, organic solar cells had usually been fabricated on glass or plastic. The new solar cells, created by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University, are fabricated on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), which is derived from plants. The CNC substrate is transparent, so light can pass through, and can be separated into its main components by soaking it in warm water.

The cellulose-based solar cells have an efficiency of 2.7 percent which, though low, can be balanced by the cells’ recyclability.

I N S I D E

Hackers and Africa's survival

T

HE House of Rep resentatives Com mittee on Information & National Orientation says the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA and Voice of Nigeria, VON are in position to leverage the Nigerian Communication Satellite, NigComSat facilities in their ongoing efforts to achieve digitalization in 2015.

House Committee Chairman, Hon. Bubar Jubrin stated this during a facility tour of NigComSat in Abuja last Wednesday.

Hon. Jubril who expressed satisfaction with the ingenuity of local engineers at the place said it would be regrettable and amount to a colossal waste if all the facility in NigComsat are not utilized by Nigerians, especially government agencies.

As a nation, he said that Nigeria should be proud to do things in her own terms and faith, instead of outsourcing technologies that could be found locally, which encourages capital flight. ``It will be regrettable and monumental waste if all these facilities that are in place are not used.

Apart from the social and security implications, as a nation, Nigerians should be proud to do things in their own terms and faith instead of outsourcing these things and encourage capital flight. ‘‘For us, government ministries, departments and agencies like NTA, VON, NBC are in position to utilize what we have been able to acquire here, particularly the digitalization scheme that is now ongoing, which is hoped to be achieved in 2015,’’ he said.

While pledging to partner with the agency, the

FireFly's TRON-like shell keeps cyclists dry, visible

House Chairman further promised to create a synergy between the agency and other government MDAs to enable Nigeria achieve its digital plan by 2015.

“We are indeed impressed with what we have seen here and we are going to do what is in our capacity to make sure that this agency succeeds.

We will partner with this agency and engage other concerned MDAs to see how you can come together and achieve the digital objective target in 2015,’’ he added.

In terms of legislation, he said that the commit-

tee would be able to partner with NigComsat and see what happen in other jurisdictions, so that they will be able to put together a legislation to make the agency more viable.

Earlier in his address, the managing Director of NigComsate, Mr. Ahmed Rufai said the issue of national satellite has strategic importance on the economic growth. ``Our plead is to help us so that relevant institution like NTA can come on board and also for us to be part of analog to digital migration policy. ``If we are part of this

Continues on page 37

Nigerians should be proud to do things in their own terms and faith instead of outsourcing these things and encourage capital flight

Software Nigeria can't wait for anyone — 1

OUNTRY Manag er, Microsoft Nigeria, Emmanuel Onyeje has said with optimism that 9jApps contest challenge would empower the next generation of Nigerian developers, by helping them drive innovation and grow the local software economy.

The challenge was designed to empower local developers to take advantage of Microsoft’s new tools and resources to develop locally appealing and locally-relevant apps for the Windows platform, utilizing Visual Studio 2012 and the Windows Phone SDK, in addition to the Windows Azure SDK, The 9japps contest, according to Microsoft aims to foster innovation and creating personality around developers and their apps in collaboration with Nokia, Dell and CCHub Nigeria.

“Nigeria is blessed with enormous talents, and Microsoft is proud to be able to help these talented developers to acquire new skills that will help them explore their potential and reach new heights” Onyeje told IT Journalists at the flagging off of the challenge last week in Lagos.

The competition, he said will run for 3 months teeing-off in March and climaxing at the end of June, 2013.

“This push for economic development through African innovation is one of the key drivers of the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, launched continentwide in February of this year.

“Microsoft is committed to working with Africa’s students, entrepreneurs, and independent developers to help them create the next generation of world-class African apps

Continues on page 37

Stakeholders seek support for public key infrastructure

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C M Y K

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32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

U-20 World Cup:

Onigbinde charges Flying Eagles to be focused F

ormer Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde has charged the handlers of the Flying Eagles to remain unwavering as they prepare for the forthcoming 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Onigbinde while speaking yesterday in Lagos urged the Flying Eagles to put the third place position at the recently concluded African Youth Championship behind them.

The Flying Eagles are drawn in Group B alongside

We will do better at the World Cup

Umar Aminu

— Flying Eagles striker

F

Cuba, North Korea and Portugal in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

The Eagles were the defending champions, but could not retain the trophy they won in South Africa in 2011.

“We lost the championship, sad as it is, but we should not dwell too much on that; we have to prepare for the World Cup, the technical committee should consult among themselves.

“I know that the situation left

Nigerians with mixed feelings; the bronze medal did not go down well with football fans.

“But at this point in time, we need to rally round the team and give our support to the Flying Eagles to have a superlative performance in

Turkey,’’ Onigbinde said.

On his assessment of the country ’s football development, the CAF and FIFA instructor said that his passion for the game had made him to regularly voice his views to the authorities.

Eagle ts’ fform orm e es fformer ormer Spanish star Eaglets’ exxcit cites starss Three former Spanish stars attached to UAE Pro League side, Al-Jazira Sports Club, are of the view that the Golden Eaglets preparing for the Final Tournament of the Orange CAN U17-Morocco 2013are filled with potentialities that could be transformed into future mega stars.

The trio of Luis Milla, Thomas Christiansen and Julian Calero were surprise visitors at the Eaglets’ morning session on Tuesday at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellency, praised the Nigerian youngsters on learning of their 1-0 victory over Al-Sadd Sports Club of Doha last Friday.

“The big plus for African players is that they are strong physically but it’s nice watching your team with

their movement on, the ball,” said Milla, the head coach of Al Jazira Club while conversing with some officials of the team.

Milla, who led the Spanish Under-21 to win the 2011 European championship, noted that adequate preparation is a prerequisite for a good performance at a tournament, adding that the Aspire is an ideal environment for the team. Al Jazira were camped at a hotel facility within the Aspire Zone ahead of their Asian Champions League game against El Jaish Sports Club of Doha.

lying Eagles striker Umar Aminu yesterday said that although the team came third at the African Youth Championship (AYC), “I believe we will do better at the World Cup in Turkey.’’

Aminu said this in a statement issued by the Flying Eagles Media Officer, Samm Audu, in Abuja.

He noted that: “I will take it that we were destined to finish third in Algeria, even when we ought to have been crowned champions.

“I believe we will do better at the World Cup in Turkey than what we did at the AYC, because I believe we will get to the final and go on to win the World Cup for the first time.’’

The highest goal scorer at the AYC said his target was to finish as top scorer at the World Cup. He added that the AYC was his first international outing and that he never expected any award, noting, however, that he would have done better, but for his inexperience and an injury which affected him.

“To be honest with you, I did not expect it, but I’m very happy that I received the award of the highest goal scorer at the AYC, even when it was my first international outing.

“The award is a massive boost to the entire team because I could not have won it without the support of my teammates and coaches.

“I should have scored a few more goals, but probably inexperience made me not to.

AYAC sets pace for revival of athletics in Nigeria T

he maiden Africa Youth Athletics Championships (AYAC) in which 34 countries participated ended in Warri, Delta, on Easter Sunday, showing that Nigeria still had the chance of producing future world beaters in athletics.

It is germane to note that Nigeria went into the competition with U-18 athletes discovered at the recent 3 rd D.K. Olukoya Athletics Championships, sponsored by the General Overseer of the Mountain of

Fire and Miracles Ministries, and the Lagos State Premier Lotto Athletics Championships.

The two competitions, held in March, were used by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to select the country’s representatives at the event. AFN hopes to continue training the newly-discovered youth athletes to maturity, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. They will also be representing the country in other international competitions.

The championships and the performance of the Nigerian AYAC contingent showed how serious the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) are about reviving athletics, which used to be the country’s pride at international sports meets.

Nigeria emerged overall winner with 13 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze medals; Egypt was second with eight gold, six silver and two bronze medals, while Ethiopia came third with six gold, 13 silver and six bronze.

I

voirian striker Didier Drogba will meet his former mentor again today, for Galatasaray’s away game in Madrid in their Champions League quarter final clash.

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho coached the captain of the Elephants between 2004 and 2007 during his tenure on the Chelsea bench, and a very special relationship was created between the two men.

“I am going to play against my father, Mourinho. He has a special place in my heart, he changed my life,” admitted Drogba, who never misses an opportunity to sing the praises of the Portuguese technician.

“He is a person who looks after his players and who does his utmost to get the best out of them.”

For his part, the former Blues’ manager has never hidden the strong bond between him and the now Galatasaray player.

“I won’t say that he is my favourite player, because I have coached many special players, but if I had to choose one, perhaps I would choose Didier. He is a player from another world,” revealed Mourinho on Real Madrid’s official website.

The latter will also meet up with

Ronaldo w elcomes welcomes attack-minded Galatasara Galatasarayy C

Wesley Sneijder again, who played for him at Inter Milan between 2009 and 2010.

And the Dutch international keeps as cherished a memory of his former boss.

“Mourinho is like a second father to me. He is not like the

other coaches, he is special. The difference lies in how he persuades you, how he helps you if you’re not on form. He pays attention to everything and always knows how to come to the assistance of the players,” shared Sneijder to Spanish daily, Marca.

Sanchez: Spain is behind Malaga

in the competition, said the effort made by the Malaga players to get so far meant everyone in Spain was urging them on.

“These are the games that a footballer likes to play, with a super atmosphere against a great team like Borussia,” he said.

“The excitement is arriving in our dressing room from all over Spain.

Wherever you go, not just in Malaga, people welcome you and tell you they are behind Malaga.

“The sacrifice we put in is being On cloud nine: Malaga’s Isco celebrates rewarded, and with team-mate Joaquin Sanchez after the people recognise opening goal that. When you see the faces of alaga attacker Joaquin supporters, old and young, Sanchez says the whole of they are full of pride and Spain is behind his team as they excitement. That makes us prepare for today ’s Champions believe that this might not be League quarter-final first leg at over yet.” home to Borussia Dortmund. While The former Spain Barcelona and Real Madrid were international said he expected to reach this stage of the recognised that the competition, few thought Malaga Bundesliga champions were would make it to the quarter-finals a great team. in their debut Champions League But he stressed that he saw campaign. the tie as 50-50 given the way Their run has come despite in which Malaga had financial issues that saw star performed when overcoming players such as Santi Cazorla sold opponents including AC last summer as well as reports that Milan, Zenit St Petersburg wages had gone unpaid. and Porto.

Winger Joaquin, who has also played for Valencia and Real Betis

M

Agbo

I am going tto o battle against m myy father Mourinho — Drogba

ristiano Ronaldo has said he is looking forward to facing Galatasaray in the quarter-finals of the Champions League because he believes Real Madrid fare better against sides that attack them.

“The game against Galatasaray will be wide open and very balanced,” he told Madrid’s website.

“We have to play well, like we do at home in the Champions League. We know that they have a good squad that also attacks a lot and that’s good because our chances of winning increase when the opponent plays us one-onone.”

Galatasaray will face Real on Wednesday boosted by the acquisitions of vastlyexperienced Champions League winning duo Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder in the January transfer window, whilst they also have the competition’s joint topscorer in Burak Yilmaz.

The Turkish international is tied with Ronaldo himself on eight goals and the Portuguese is full of admiration for the form shown by Yilmaz.

B/Dor tmund hit b B/Dortmund byy injur injuryy crisis B

Bender

orussia Dortmund are sweating on the fitness of a number of their players as they prepare for the Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash at Malaga today.

Despite securing a 2-1 Bundesliga win away to Stuttgart on Saturday, coach Jurgen Klopp was left with plenty to worry about ahead of his side’s next game.

Left-back Marcel Schmelzer suffered a broken nose, however, he has refused to rule himself out of playing in Dortmund’s first Champions League quarter-final in 15

years.

“The nose required stitches and was directed [put back in place] in order to not lose any time, because I want to play on Wednesday,” the Germany international, who could play with a protective mask, wrote on his Facebook page.

Dortmund also fear for defensive midfielder Sven Bender and the versatile Kevin Grosskreutz, who both suffered bruises to their foot on Saturday.

“It did hurt,” Bender told DerWesten. “But I thought it wasn’t too bad. Once I got rid of my boots I saw blood. You can also see the mark on my foot.”

Khedira: Galatasara Galatasarayy are more than Drogba, Sneijder

R

eal Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has warned his side not to focus solely on Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba when they face Galatasaray on Wednesday.

Drogba and Sneijder, who signed for the Super Lig champions in January, have stolen much of the pre-match focus as they prepare to face

their former coach Jose Mourinho.

But Germany international Khedira believes los Blancos must be wary of the overall strength of Fatih Terim’s side if they are to progress to the semi-finals.

“Those two players [Drogba and Sneijder] have brought a new quality to the team, but

they have other great players,” he told the Uefa Champions League Magazine.

“For example [Hamit] Altintop, who I know, and who scored in their last match [against Schalke]. It is always difficult to play against Turkish teams, so we must focus on the whole team and take it seriously, not just focus on Drogba or Snejider.

34 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL, 3 2013

I

Hackers and Africa's survival

L

AST year in this column, I wrote of Hackers, National Security and Development. Then, I merely explored how useful hackers can be to their national economies, averring that since the wheel can no longer be re-invented, all that nations desiring pre-eminence in the commanding heights of the global economy need do is empower their hackers to “steal”industrial secrets of nations that are already “there”, copy, and launch.

Well, a lot has since happened globally in the cyber-attack realm, as hundreds of corporations in the industrialized West have fallen victim of the activities of hackers, with accusing fingers repeatedly pointing towards China. Sensitive military-industrial organizations like America’s NASA, and Israel’s Shin Bet have fallen victim, and given the financial outlay on security procedures in these organizations, then no one is really safe anymore from cyber attacks of any kind.

Even media organizations like New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post had disclosed that their corporate computer networks had been penetrated by Chinese hackers, who were apparently trying to monitor US coverage of Chinese issues.

Earlier this month, US National Security Adviser, Mr Tom Donilon warned China to rein in its army of cyber warriors.

In the past, it had been alleged that a tower block in Shanghai, China is the headquarters of hackers working for the Chinese military.

In all of these, there are serious omens ahead, especially for countries like ours still grappling with “pedestrian” issues like roads, water, reliable power supply, and other infrastructural problems.

Really, it would be in our interest to be more futuristic as we grapple with

these problems. It also would be in our collective interest to reach back into our culture and seek out modals of defending ourselves against the evil days that are surely bound to come in the future. In the last five years and more global leaders have been talking of Africa as the “next”continent where great things will happen, economically speaking, and we applaud, thinking that we are the ones making the progress they speak of. Well, my take is that our continent is seen as the last frontier to be breached, and unless we rise up in knowledge, Africa and her peoples will suffer a fresh, new wave of colonialism, a kind that this planet is yet to see.

Mark my words; the apartheid case in South Africa was a test run of how things might look in the future in the re-colonised Africa.

So, what do we do? It should be seen as a matter of urgency to begin to train our youths in ICT know-how, especially software design and engineering. Yes, they will be taught in English, but our safety net will be to design software solutions in indigenous languages for various sectors like traffic control systems, financial systems, oil and gas, education, militaryindustrial, and others.

The present situation whereby many of our languages are no longer taught in our schools is simply unacceptable, and anti-national security. Imagine if the software superintending our national air defences were written in any of our 387 languages, a hacker coming at us would have to learn all of the 387 orthographies, and he’d be as old as Methuselah by the time he finishes cracking the codes, and we’d have moved on! Our salvation is in our hands, in our culture.

,

Our safety net will be to design software solutions in indigenous languages for various sectors

C M Y K

F there are two things cyclists have to worry about, they would be the weather and making sure cars can see them. That's why the designers at GeoSpace Studio set about building a vehicle to resolve both issues. The FireFly is a recumbent tricycle outfitted with an LEDlit dome that keeps the rider visible and protected from the elements.

It may look like it drove straight out of the movie TRON, but given the importance of being seen, this is probably one of the safest pedal-powered vehicles around.

The shell tilts forward so a person can sit down and remain shielded from the cold, rain, or snow. The bottom part of the covering is lit with colored LEDs, while a transparent dome at the top lets the rider see where they're going.

There are even two headlights in front for some leisurely night

FireFly's TRON-like shell keeps cyclists dry, visible riding.

The FireFly is sure to turn quite a few heads, but you may have to put your dreams of pedaling down the street in this UFOlike trike on hold for now, since GeoSpace Studio has not announced any plans to put it on the market.

If you want to see what the FireFly looks like cruising around at night with the theme song from Knight Rider playing appropriately in the background though, check out the video at www.gizmag.com

The shell tilts forward so a person can sit down and remain shielded from the sun, cold, rain, or snow

Stakeholders seek support for public key infrastructure

BY EMMA ELEBEKE

T

HOUGH THE boom in internet access has brought much relief to the way people do things, the benefits have been hampered by lack of sufficient information that will enable usage in areas like e-commerce, egovernment, among other related activities via the internet.

It was against this backdrop that stakeholders in the nation’s information and technology, IT sector, last week gathered in Abuja to brainstorm on possible ways of domesticating a globally accepted Public Key Infrastructure for Nigeria.

The event organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA was designed for a formal presentation of a draft Public Key Infrastructure blueprint to chart a new course for the emergence of a digital economy for the country.

PKI is a collection of security technologies, procedures, processes, and policies that jointly provide a framework for addressing, using cryptography, the fundamental security issues of privacy, authentication, integrity, and access control in data communication.

Presenting the document , Director General of NITDA, Prof. Cleopas Angaye represented by Dr. Akin Fapohunda said with the rate of uncontrolled infiltration and proliferation in the use of cyberspace for communi-

cation and transaction, the need to develop a sustainable and secure platform for cyber accessibility, secured transaction and credible identity cannot be over emphasized.

"Most electronic communications today are neither private nor are they secured unless explicitly protected. Digital media are susceptible to a number of untoward acts-passive and active eavesdropping, substitution, modification and replication. Data whose storage is network based or that is passed from one user to another must be protected from unauthorized or fraudulent access and misdirection, as the effect of this on the organ-

ization can be very costly.

Network security, is therefore, paramount to every organization that has chosen to enter the digital domain,’’ he added.

In her goodwill message, President of Nigerian Internet Registration Association, NIRA, Mrs. Mary Uduma, said the gathering would further enlarge peoples’ understanding about the need to protect the consumer of internet services mails to an unknown recipient.

‘When information is well protected all through from the sender up to the receiver, the hacker cannot tamper with it and if he does, the receiver will know. The sender and re-

cipient documents must match before the authentication can be ascertained,’’ she said.

National President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, ISPON, Mr. Chris Uwaje stated that any country desirous of progress in the emerging knowledge economy, must consider PKI a critical element in actualizing its developmental goals through information and technology.

He noted that Nigeria had been striving to adhere to standards but insisted that such standards must be good enough to compete favourably at the global level, which he said was what the KPI was set to achieve.

VISIT: CEO of Nigerian Communications Satellite, Mr. Ahmed Rufai and members of the House Committee on Information and National Orientation being taken through the novel digital registration process of the Nigeria Communications Satellite by one of the engineers of the agency, when the committee paid a visit to the agency.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—35

National security, e-govt top agenda at 2013 NCS summit

BY EMEKA AGINAM

INNOVATION AWARD FOR GLO: Head of Corporate Sales, Mr. Kamal Shonibare (second right), and Head of Gloworld, Mrs. Titi Ebinisi (second left) receiving the Most Innovative Company Award from DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Otunba Segun Runsewe (right) and actress Iyabo Ojo (left), at an award ceremony organised

by City People magazine, in Lagos.

C

HAIRMAN of the local organizing committee, (LOC) for the 2013 Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, international conference, Professor Adesola Aderounmu has disclosed that e-government and national security will take centre stage.

According to Aderounmu during the inauguration at College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Osun State University main campus recently, the forum will discuss how best automation or computerization of existing paper-based procedures to enhance access and delivery of government services to the citizens will drive economic

growth.

Aderounmu assured that opther committee members including Dr. James Oladipo Folorunso, Director of ICT for Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, and Alhaja Peju Adigun of the Osun State University, Vice Chairman, NCS Osun State chapter would live up to their expectations to make the conference that will host the ICT community a success.

“The state was carefully selected because of the governor’s commitment as well as the capacity of IT professionals and stakeholders in the state to deliver and even surpass the achievements of previous conferences,” he said.

It would be recalled that the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola accepted to host the conference during the 2012 National Information Technology Merit Award (NITMA), when he said: “The government and wonderful people of Osun State looks forward to hosting NCS members and other delegates/resource persons to the 2013 NCS International Conference and AGM in Oshogbo.”

Olufuye appointed into UN body

C

HAIRMAN of Afri ca ICT Alliance (AfICTA ), Dr. Jimson Olufuye has been appointed member of the United Nations working group on enhanced cooperation.

The working group on Enhanced Cooperation was commissioned in December 2012 to examine and make recommendations on the mandate of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) regarding enhanced cooperation as contained in the Tunis Agenda, ensure balanced representation between governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society, among others; and help urge the international community to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund established by UNCTAD to support the review and assessment work of the CSTD regarding followup to the WSIS.

Olufuye

36—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,APRIL 3, 2013

Telecoms services: NCC bids to aid challenged persons

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

MTN partners NIBSS on cashless society

BY PRINCE OSUAGWU

M

TN Nigeria has bought into the Cashless Nigeria initiative by engaging its Business to Business, B2B, division into a partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

The partnership kicked off with MTN’s recent rollout of effective point of sale (POS) services at the popular Oke-Arin market in Lagos and other shopping districts in the metropolis.

Explaining MTN’s exploits with the deal, Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer, Bob Osho, said that several tests were conducted on the deployed POS terminals at the market and they were all found to be effective and successful.

He added: “This is just the beginning as we have resolved most of the connectivity issues. In all, we have provided 80,000 SIMs to NIBSS, and we are empowering POS merchants by giving them options for service

delivery in the malls. We will also provide prompt and top-class after sales support and proactively work together to ensure network quality is desirable where necessary.”

Apart from the OkeArin deployment, Osho said that network quality optimisation has been completed at the Silverbird Mall, while work was on-going at Alaba International, ASPAMDA, Ikota and Computer Village markets respectively. According to him, apart from MTN’s extensive fibre network, the company has perfected its local processing power, local data storage, networking and graphical user interface which made it possible to develop flexible and highly functional POS systems.

For him, the key requirements that must be met by modern POS systems included high and consistent operating speed, reliability, ease of use, remote supportability, low cost, and rich functionality all of

which, he said, have been perfected by MTN Business.

MTN however said that it was not only the wired connectivity in selected shopping malls that gave it the confidence it would succeed in the venture , but also the fact that it now has the cut-

ting-edge technology to deploy cloud-based POS devices, which have the advantages of instant centralization of data, ability to access data from anywhere there is internet connection, lower costs and ability to expand POS systems to mobile devices.

T

HE Nigerian Com munications Commission, NCC has invoked a section of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, (Section 1 (h) ) which charges it to “ensure that the needs of the disabled and elderly persons are taken into consideration in the provision of communications services” .

Riding on the back of this section and others in support, the commission

DIGITALSENSE FORUM: From left: Mr Mohammed Rudman, CEO, IXPN; Executive Director, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs Nkem Nweke; CEO Condata Systems, Dr Chris Nwannenna, and VP Nigeria Internet Group, Destiny Amana, at the Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum on Internet Governance, in Lagos.

has said that it will cause a conscious effort to improving accessibility of persons living with disabilities to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) through supply of products with special features and services.

The commission made the commitment last week, at a one day conference on ‘Making Telecoms Services Accessible to Persons With Disability’, put together by Lagos Civil Society Disability Policy Partnership, LCSDPP and NCC at the Sheraton Hotels Ikeja, Lagos.

Addressing the audience, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah who was represented by the Head of Public Relations, Mr Reuben Muoka said the agency had taken certain initiatives in line with its consumer centric approach to address some of the challenges of the people living with disabilities in the country.

Juwah also admitted that these special group of persons constituted 25 per cent of the total Nigerian population and therefore required special attention by the industry.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—37

Glo backs Titans of Tech forum

T

OP telco, Globacom has thrown its weight behind 2013 "Titans of Tech" night that is expected to gather information and communications technology (ICTs) professionals in West Africa.

Running in its eighth year, the event, according to the organizers will feature two sessions — a technology conference and the awards/gala night.

Unfolding plans for the event, Don Pedro Agabi, Managing Consultant, Technology Africa, organizers of the forum, while commending Africa’s fastest growing telecommunications company, Globacom for expressing support for the conference noted that it was typical of Globacom to back initiatives that DIALOGUE: Minister of Science & Technology, Prof. Okon Ita Ewa Bassey (4th right) flanked by the Senate Committee Chairman on Science and Technology, Prof. Ajayi Borroffice (left), his Permanent Secretary (right) and other dignitaries at the 5th National Space and Media Dialogue, in Abuja. Photo: Emmanuel Elebeke.

Y

We can leverage on NigComSat — REPS Continues from Page 23

Software Nigeria can't wait for anyone (1) (government, investors, market forces etc.) who neglects to recognize the power and emerging business numbers of Software-Nigeria (Nigeria Developed Software) is missing out on a significant aspect of the entrepreneurship bottom-line required for engaging the opportunities of Information Society. For this and other cogent reasons, Software-Nigeria can’t wait. We cannot wait for India, USA, Europe or indeed any other country for that matter!

,

,

ESTERDAY, we were told it will take us 2,000 years to locally refine crude oil into petroleum and develop a bomb – but we did that within few months during the Nigerian civil war and came out with “Ogbunigwe,” a bomb with much dynamism and superiority than other inventions!

Lessons learnt dictates that we must believe in ourselves and indeed in our collective knowledge and wisdom.

Today, Nigeria Software and by extension, software developed in Africa and by Africans has arrived and cannot wait for anyone but move on and positively explode to add unprecedented value to governance and economy! Software is life and constructive expression of creative logic, innovation and productive independence in the information centric knowledge society.

Currently, we live in a world where 3,000 books with heavy knowledge stuffs are produced daily (e-book inclusive), where Nigerian mobile phone ownership and subscription rate has surpassed the 110 million threshold and where Nollywood is sleeplessly scripting globally competitive storylines and producing breath-taking movies. Telling our story ourselves, competing and promoting our knowledge culture globally is the reality of human development and creation of wealth.

Therefore, anyone,

world’ where Nigeria’s future resides. Meanwhile, the recent United Nations (UNCTAD) Information Economy Report 2012 on “The Software Industry and Developing Countries”, has rightly recognized software as not only fundamental, but critical to national development and security but also for national prosperity and survivability.

The critical infrastructure and economy of modern nations is largely controlled and managed by software. In

The key benefit of a vibrant software industry is in producing more knowledgeable and betterskilled human capital for nation building

We must define our own model and forge our software identity and move on – and the time is now, before the Cloud, and yes we can.

Global IT spending will hit USD$3.73trillion in 2013 – according to Gartner Inc. Also, software spending will reach $158billion by 2016. This translates to the fact that we now live in a ‘Software-first

short, software has become a prime and critical national resource, vital to national well being, sustainable development, creation of wealth and global competitiveness. The recent UN studies therefore rightly emphasized that ‘Software’s Critical Role Raises Fundamental National Issues’. This has neces-

sitated the accelerated involvement of government of most nations in the WSIS program agenda. The study further observed that nation’s dependency on software raises national issues and challenges that must be addressed in a coherent manner.

While ISPON continues to serve as the chief software advocate of Nigeria (C-SAN), we also submit that the software industry can become an alternative to oil – with respect to revenue generation and wealth creation. We are therefore concerned about the current alarming rate of national technophobia and in particular, the visible ignorance about the critical and significance role of software in 21st Century national global development. By all indications, software technology can become a very feasible alternative to our national oil revenue generation — currently put at about $12 billion a year. The key benefit of a vibrant software industry is in producing more knowledgeable and betterskilled human capital for nation building. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.

portrays the country in favorable light.

He said it is significant that Globacom has not only commenced a massive network expansion and technical network upgrade project that will considerably enhance the quality of customer experience on the network, but is also supporting programmes that seek to expand the conversation in the telecommunication space.

“With the theme “Broadband, Data Centres and the Quest for Inclusive Society ” the conference will afford the esteemed sponsors ample opportunities to reveal the extent of their investment in Nigeria and the growing need to promote access to broadband across the country”, he said.

national assignment, it is a responsibility that we must deliver adequately.

We already have a deadend that can take 1,000 channels but we have a facility for 100 channels because to add additional channels is just to get more license available. ``The whole idea is to enhance the gross domestic product, GDP of the nation by making services local, so that Nigeria will not be paying for the new era of broadcasting rather than going outside.

He explained that the facilities when properly utilized, could offer mil-

lions of jobs to unemployed youths. ``If these facilities are utilized, apart from intensifying, justifying the investment of government in the satellite, we can also use these facilities enhance our GDP, create more jobs and wealth for our people and also have control of what actually goes out from the broadcasting industry,’’ he added.

While recommending the Indian style of authorizing digital satellite, Jubril further called for a legislation force that would give force to the implementation.

‘9jApps contest'll grow local er, Developer Experience, software’ Nokia, West Africa, Mr. Continues from Page 23 on the Window Platform, to bring relevant content and new business opportunities to people across the continent” he explained.

Also speaking , the Developer and Platform Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Nigeria, Oyeshina Oyetosho told Journalist that , “This is not development for development’s sake. This contest is about giving developers the skills and tools they need to help them publish their apps to the Microsoft Store so they can monetize their innovation and share it with the world. “ The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is rooted in the belief that African innovation can and will shape the future, so it is our hope that contests like this one can help fuel that cycle”.

Speaking on the partnership, Partner Manag-

Olumide Balogun said that Nokia was thrilled to partner with Microsoft, to bring the 9jApps competition to both students and independent developers.

We are looking forward to some great solutions on the phone side leveraging both Microsoft WP and our Lumia devices capabilities to deliver locally relevant apps that we can export to the world, he said.

Reacting further about the partnership, the Country Manager, Dell, Nigeria Chuks Udensi said “Dell remains committed to the partnership and looks forward to great innovations to come from the competition”.

Tunji Elesho, Pre-Incubation and Research Lead for CCHub added that “The Microsoft 4Afrika initiative is a laudable one which seeks to empower Africans. The entire plethora of what Microsoft is bringing is massive”.

38— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

A

RE you a policyholder having claims issues with your insurer?

Then, NAICOM’s window of dispute resolution is not only effective, but timely.

Insurance touches all facets of human life. It is an effective risk transfer mechanism and its basic tenet is to act as a cushion in times of disaster or mishap. It gives benefits that put the insured in a good stead as if the unfortunate incident did not occur.

Unfortunately, Nigerians don’t believe in insurance due to the misguided notion that ‘insurers don’t pay claims.’ Ask the average man on the streets if he has any form of insurance cover, the popular answer is “I don’t trust insurance people.”

Although, the insurance sector is changing for the better, a greater part of the public is yet to notice that In view of the foregoing, the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, established the Customer Complaint Bureau, as a window of claims dispute resolution.

Through this channel, policyholders who are aggrieved with their insurance companies can get fair hearing and have their issues resolved and subsequently have their claims paid.

Settled cases The complaint bureau settled a total of N1.220 billion claims in 2012. This involved a total of 52 cases. This is heartwarming and a message to policyholders that they now have a listening ears in NAICOM. During the year, the Complaints Bureau handled a total of 349 cases, 86 of which were fresh complaints with the

Take your claims disputes to NAICOM’s complaint bureau

Take your insurance claims disputes to NAICOM. remaining 263 being ongoing cases.

The Complaints Bureau discharges its responsibilities either through correspondences with the insurance companies’ involved or through adjudication. It is worthy of note that in 2011, a total of nine adjudication meetings were held while majority of the disputes resolved were

through correspondences.

NAICOM intervention in claims dispute resolution related to motor, marine and life insurances as well as bond issues and pension matters. The complaints were received from individual policyholders, beneficiaries, government agencies, SERVICOM, Legal Aid Council and Public Complaints Commission.

Cooperation of insurance companies As the regulator of insurance practice in the country, it is the duty of NAICOM to ensure that policyholders are not cheated.

As such, the Commission has put mechanism in place to ensure the response and cooperation of insurance companies involved in any dispute with policyholders. In

2011, not less than 85 per cent of the insurance institutions responded to queries or directives issued by the Commission for claims settlement. The Complaints Bureau is the unit solely responsible for receiving and processing complaints against insurance companies for non settlement of claims in the Commission.

Paint yyour our house and ge omatic insurance co gett aut automatic covver

C M Y K

Nigeria, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU with Portland Paints and Products Ltd and launched the Portland–Mutual Extra. This collaboration between Portland Paints and Mutual Benefit Assurance makes it possible for Sandtex paints to be bought with Mutual Benefits insurance policy cover serving as a reward. The offer is open to landlords and tenants when they buy specific amount of the product. The customers also get an insurance certificate that cover burglary, housebreaking and fire with the purchase.

Features of the Product: The Portland-Mutual Extra promotion offers free fire and

,

B

URGLARY, housebreaking and fire incidents can be a setback to tenants and landlords. Where a few can easily get back on their feet and continue with their lives after such horrible encounters, many may have to go a borrowing to get back to normal position.

However, there is good news for landlords and tenants all over the country. When you buy specific amount of Sandtex paints, the customers also get an insurance certificate that cover burglary, housebreaking and fire with the purchase.

The Mutual offer Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc in its bid to deepen insurance penetration in

When you buy specific amount of Sandtex paints, the customers also get an insurance certificate that cover burglary, house-breaking and fire with the purchase

burglary insurance cover for: 1.

Tenants – any occupant of an apartment who buys Sandtex Paints worth N30,000.00 (minimum) to paint his/her apartment gets free fire and burglary/ housebreaking insurance for the content in the apartment up to a limit of N1million.

2.

Landlords – the owner

,

of a building who buys Sandtex Paints worth N300,000.00 (minimum) is automatically entitled to free fire insurance for the painted building up to a limit of N4million and free fire and burglary insurance for properties in the building (content) up to a maximum

limit of N1million.

Evidence/period of cover: Insurance certificates will be issued to each client who qualifies for the insurance by purchasing the appropriate quantity of Sandtex Paints. The insurance cover is for one (1) year from the date of inception and renewal thereafter.

Opportunity for Multiple- Compensation: The product also offers multiple compensation in line with level of patronage, that is, tenants and landlords whose purchases are worth N60,000.00 and N600,000.00 respectively are entitled to double the basic benefits and in subsequent multiples depending on the total amount of purchase.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 39

BY ROSEMARY ONUOHA

H

AVE you lost your job for the past six months? Are you a contributor to the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS? Then you have a right to access 25 per cent of your contribution in the CPS. This is part of the beauty of the reformed pension scheme being regulated by the National Pension Commission, PenCom. In the old scheme, any form of pension benefit will only be accessed, if at all, by the retiree after retirement. But according to the Pension Reform Act, 2004 which powers the CPS, a contributor is liable to 25 per cent of his/ her contribution six months after he/she loses job.

However, such withdrawal can only be made once pending when the contributor retirees.

It is worthy of note that the contributor must be sacked before he/she can access the 25 per cent benefit. A situation where, a contributor resigns voluntarily is not legal ground to get the entitlement.

Accordingly, there are instances where employers compel their staff to resign against the wish of the employee. In such case scenario, there will be no 25 per cent entitlement for the affected staff because the law only makes provision for employees that are sacked and not those that resigns.

The objective of this section of the Pension Reform Act, 2004, is to make it look like some insurance benefit if you lose your job. The truth is that you didn’t plan to lose your job, so the 25 per cent payment will help you until you get another job. If you resigned on your

You can get 25 per cent of your pension contribution six months after losing your job

Lose your job, get 25% of your pension contribution own, presumable, you had other plans like going to selfemployment, or you want to set up your own personal business, there won’t be any 25 per cent initial pension payment for you. The law states that it is only when you lose your job and you have stayed out of employment for

six months, then you can take 25 per cent while you are looking for another job. So when you get another job, you continue with your pension contribution.

Contributors benefits under the CPS Under the CPS, the employer is responsible only for making

specific contributions on behalf of employees. However, the employer does not guarantee any certain amount upon retirement as he is no longer indebted to the employee. Payments to employees upon retirement will depend on age, gender, Retirement Savings Account,

DO YOU KNOW?

Programmed Withdrawal vs Retiree Life Annuity

RSA, value and final salary.

The CPS allows for the maintenance of a Retirement Savings Account, RSA by each employee, which gives the workers responsibility over their retirement savings.

Pensioners are no longer at the mercy of employer, and are assured of regular payment of retirement benefits. The CPS also affords employees an opportunity to pass wealth to survivors in the event of death.

In addition, RSAs maintained by millions of workers generate a huge pool of longterm funds, which are available for investment. Also, having a pension scheme that pays out benefits in the form of a life annuity/programmed withdrawal affords workers protection against longevity risk, by pooling mortality risk across others. For both the employer and the employee, the CPS encourages labour market flexibility. The worker is free to move with his account as he/she moves to another place of employment and/or residence. To the extent that the CPS aids mobility of labour, it is an important tool enabling employees and employers to adapt to changing circumstances.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS AND ENQUIRIES TO insuranceandyou@yahoo.com

40—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Financial autonomy not in sight for councils Appearance would tend to present a very active democratic culture at the local government level in Benue State. However, beyond the outer shell are contradicting stories of fiscal control and imposition of lackeys at that level the councils are directly under the control of the state governor who through his adviser on local governments determines whatever is accruable to the councils every month. That accounts for the rot, total failure and inability of council chairmen to execute any meaningful project in their various councils since the advent of the present democratic dispensation”, Agan stressed.

On his part, the state chairman of the Action Congress of Nigerian, ACN, Comrade Abba Yaro insisted that the ruling party has not allowed democracy to thrive at the local government council.

He said, “Look at the just concluded local government elections, it was nothing but a rape on democracy.

BY PETER DURU

B

ENUE State like most other states in the country is not divorced from the suppression of democracy at the local government level.

That is despite efforts by Governor Gabriel Suswam in the last five and half years to ensure a thriving democratic culture in the 23 local councils of the state.

The administration has successfully organized two local government elections the first being in November 2007 shortly after Governor Suswam took over the administration of the state from his predecessor.

The winners of that poll ran the councils for three years, after which caretaker committees were put in place to run the administration until elections were held on November 24., 2012 in line with the provisions of the recently passed Benue State Local Government Laws which stipulated a two year tenure for elected office holders at the local government councils.

The winners of that election which the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, won overwhelmingly have since been sworn into office.

Political growth Despite kudos given to the present administration in the state for her obvious show of commitment and encouragement for political growth at the third tier of government, the state has maintained fiscal grip on the 23 councils and invariably dictates the tune in that area.

Financial autonomy, as in other states of the federation still remains a mirage for the councils in Benue state.

The state government’s influence can be felt and moreover the Joint Accounts Law which was passed into law by the present administration obviously allows the state government sufficient fiscal control on the councils where in financial proposals for project execution must be subjected to scrutiny by the Governor or his proxy before such projects are executed.

That is the extent to which the councils are clamped and encumbered

Results of elections

from exercising some form of financial autonomy in a tier of government that is supposed to perform its responsibilities independent of the influence of the state government.

However, in a chat with newsmen Governor Suswam maintained that the government’s close monitoring of activities at the councils was intended to ensure the prudent management of resources at that level of governance.

But in a contrary view, Benue state chairman of the Congress of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, Engr. Baba Agan, insisted that the state

,

Benue:

•Suswam Benue State Government House”.

“The state governor

The state governor determines who occupies the seat of chairman of any council in the state, if you are not his friend or political stooge you cannot become the chairman of a local government in Benue state

government has not allowed local government administration in the state the constitutionally provided leverage to exist as a third tier of government.

According to him, “Local governments in Benue state are obviously an extension of the

,

determines who occupies the seat of chairman of any council in the state. If you are not his friend or political stooge you cannot become the chairman of a local government in Benue state”.

“Moreover, the finances of

The state government virtually took over the process and announced results of elections even when everybody knew that elections were not conducted in most of the councils but results were announced through the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission which the state government unilaterally constituted”.

“We must tell ourselves the truth, local governments in Benue State are nothing but the appendages of the state government and in that wise nothing good can come out of the present arrangement”, he added.

But in a sharp disagreement, the Special Adviser to Governor Gabriel Suswam on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Solomon Wombo insisted that local government administration in Benue State remains a ready example for other states to emulate.

He said “the 23 local governments in Benue State enjoy unrestricted autonomy; all the state government does is to ensure that its development agenda is replicated at the councils in order to engender good governance for the rural populace”.

“As for the last local government elections, the PDP swept the polls because the opposition never campaigned but relied on creating a state of insecurity and violence just to intimidate the electorates”.

“Benue people are wiser and that accounted for the massive decamping of members of the opposition to the PDP weeks before that election which invariably accounted for the massive victory the party recorded at the polls,” he added.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 —41

Kano motor park blasts:

Boko Haram sponsors have murdered sleep — Igbo Youths •Ndigbo to decide this week

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

A

S the death toll in Monday's bomb blasts at a bus park in Kano rises to 110, President of the Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, Evangelist Elliot Uko, has urged Igbo youths to remain calm and await the decision of Igbo leaders.

In a chat with reporters, Uko held northern leaders and politicians responsible for the Boko Haram insurgency, saying that sponsors of the sect have murdered sleep.

After the blasts, the IYM held a closed-door meeting with youth groups and since then you maintained closed lips...

(Cuts in) We said something, we called for calm and restraint.

We are still consulting. Ndigbo will take a solid decision this week. The sponsors of Boko Haram have murdered sleep.

Kano bombing is unpardonable, but we will not scream in the media. It serves no useful purpose. The strategy to deliberately attack Ndigbo and draw us into the fray is evil and heartless. We hold northern leaders and politicians responsible. I doubt if Nigeria will remain the same. We will not dance to the script of political strategists of Boko Haram. We will not react the way they hope we will react. We will not kill innocent Northerners; it is not in our character anyway. Book Haram cannot manipulate us to

T

HE bewildering charade that preceded the removal from office of Sir Jude Agbaso as deputy governor of Imo State again draws attention to the fickleness of that office. Just about a month ago, Agbaso was going about with his former principal, Governor Rochas Okorocha inspecting projects of the administration in a demonstration of harmony between the two men.

During a visit by your correspondent to Imo State about a year ago, the chemistry seen between both men did not envisage the kind of political intrigues that recently separated the duo.

But given the maximisation of power by governors and the maximum effort they put in to retain power, it is not surprising that many governors often go to extremes to cage their deputies.

In the case of Okorocha, it was even bound to be even more interesting, given claims that the governor came to power under a firm commitment to serve one term. It is an allegation that the erst-

How do you view the Federal Government's p e r c e i v e d helplessness on the Boko Haram matter?

Exploiting religion and ethnicity has always been the Northern politician’s card for decades. It is purely political they are struggling for power with President Jonathan and as usual Ndigbo becomes victim. It is all about 2015, it is all about political power.

Discerning Nigerians saw through this desperation for central power long ago. Boko Haram is merely a tool in the hands of ruthless politicians who promised to make N i g e r i a •Uko: Kano bombing is unpardonable ungovernable. We believe President dance to its script and set Nigeria Jonathan understands the on fire on their own terms. We dynamics. We sympathize with will not do their bidding. But him, but we will no longer wait Ndigbo will take a decision after for him to protect Ndigbo.

At your 14th annual several meetings next week. We have gotten past the stage of convention at Nike Lake resort, screaming in the media and Enugu recently, all the speakers afterward nothing happens. We demanded for a National will not shout in the media conference before 2015 anymore. We call for calm and elections. Do you think the restraint. Ndigbo will meet soon. National Assembly will agree

POLITICAL METABOLISM with

EMMANUEL AZIKEN detritetradetoxifiedpolitics@gmail.com SMS 08052201189

Hopeful and Hopeless deputy governors while deputy governor ’s senior brother and holder of the Agbaso political torchlight, Martins Agbaso has sustained. The authorities in Owerri, however, deny this.

Those sympathetic to last Friday’s removal from office of Agbaso contend that it was practical politics for Governor Okorocha as 2015 approaches to deal with the Agbaso problem. But the question is, must politics get to that extent where the House of Assembly railroads the removal of an elected official within hours?

Indeed, the cavalier execution of the scheme would for long remain an issue on morality in politics given that the two men had no personal is-

sues.

But that has largely been the lot of deputy governors since the advent of the fourth republic.

For the eight years that Chief Lucky Igbinendion governed Edo State, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe took a respectable back place, dutiful and conspicuous in protocol, but was almost always, secondary to the boys in the engine room of what became the Igbinedion legacy in Edo State. Loyal almost to a fault, Oghiadomhe’s fate was, however, quite better than that of most of his other colleagues.

In Bayelsa, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s influence as dep-

with you?

It is not a matter of National Assembly agreeing with anybody. Rather, it is the issue of truth and reality. Does anybody really believe Nigeria will move ahead without a National conference? Without restructuring? Does any one really think postponing it would make the demand for it die down? Truth is truth. No matter how long you try to stifle it. Truth is Nigeria cannot move on without a fundamental restructuring through a National conference. It is the only road map to a truly greater Nigeria.

From the volume of emails and calls we’ve received from eminent Nigerians who are really excited and supportive of the Nigerian project agenda of a National conference before 2015 elections, you could tell that the National Assembly will see reason.

Survival of the entity Those afraid of a National Conference fall actually into two categories: Our compatriots who fear for the survival of the entity Nigeria and politicians who are blinded by their desire for self accommodation in the present Nigerian system that they can not see the danger ahead if a dialogue is delayed. Both groups

uty to Chief Dipereye Alamieyeseigha was easily assessed by the size and comport of his office which was like a boys’ quarter apartment in the old Government House in Yenogoa.

Oghiadome and Jonathan as deputy governors, nevertheless fared far better than most of their colleagues who in some cases were hounded out of office. Enyinninya Abaribe despite a show of bravado still caved in and resigned at the climax of the machinations Orji Uzor Kalu raised against him.

In Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele who came into office as deputy governor to Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu just after few weeks in office, was put in her place, and the idea that she was dealing with her distinguished senate colleague and “son” erased. She was forced out of office in December 2012 as the Asiwaju phenomenon fully took hold of Lagos.

It is remarkable that of all the governors that exited office at the end of the second term in 2007 that only one,

are wrong. Only a National Conference will same Nigeria.

That is the truth.

Professor Ben Nwabueze’s comments at the event that Nigeria was becoming a failed state elicited angry response from one of President Jonathan's aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe. What is your take on that?

What Nigerians saw was an overzealous Okupe abusing Prof. Nwabueze. But events have since covered Okupe with shame. Gen. TY Danjuma used words like “Total Anarchy” “Civil War”, “Human life Cheapened” to describe the country and Okupe has not told him his remarks are irresponsible and unpatriotic. Governor Suswam of Benue State said in Kaduna exactly the same thing Professor Nwabueze said; that Nigeria is drifting towards a failed state status. Other commentators are telling us all by the day that our categorization with Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, Somalia, etc is a situation Nigerians would want to come out from. There is only one way out. A National Conference.

Don't you think that with the on-going constitution amendment exercise of the National Assembly there is really no need for a National Conference?

Let them call for a referendum asking Nigeria whether they want a National Conference or not. I assure you that 98 percent will vote for a National Conference. Nigerians want to save Nigeria and everybody understands that only a National Conference will move this great country forward.

that is Ahmed Sani, found his deputy worthy in “character, content and competence” to succeed him.

Remarkably, Mahmmud Shinkafi who took over from Sani was to prove what some consider, an unmitigated political disaster in office forcing Sani to retake power, albeit through a surrogate after just one term of Shinkafi’s term in 2011.

Other deputies who succeeded their principals remarkably were forced on by the exigencies of accident.

The most prominent of the lot was undoubtedly, Dr. Jonathan, who has had the good luck of succeeding his principal as governor vide an impeachment, and succeeding his principal as president after death. Today, Dr. Jonathan may have turned out to be the most experienced and long lasting man in government since the advent of democracy in 2011.

Jonathan’s good luck was that he did not have to deal with the kind of characters in Owerri.

42—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Can I trust him again?

I can only be his biological mother

’

Dear Bunmi, I fell pregnant when I was barely 16 and in secondary school. That was over 30 years ago. My parents were furious and threatened to disown me. Then my aunty, who was my mother ’s elder sister, stepped in. She had been married for years and had no child of her own. She then decided I should come to live with her, have the child and give it to her so she could raise it as hers.

That’s exactly what I did and my aunty took full responsibility for my education. I finished my studies, got married to a lawyer and moved with my husband to Lagos. I’d already agreed not to acknowledge the boy as my son so he would grow up knowing my aunty as his mum. I now have four children of my own and couldn’t be happier.

Last year, my aunty died leaving all her things to her adoptive son. I don’t know how the man got to know that I was his biological mother.

But he came to visit, saying he would want to know me better. I was angry.

I can’t repeat what I said to him but I told him in the end to go and enjoy his life and let me enjoy mine as my family knew nothing of his ties with me. He has now written that he didn’t want to make trouble, just to know me better.

He already knows me as his big aunty, what else does he want? And how would I start explaining to the family a son I never acknowledged?

Ijeoma, by e-mail.

Dear Ijeoma, You are smack in between the rock and the hard place.

The anger and fear provoked by your first son’s reappearance is a response to the sense that a long-held secret may be exposed.

You’ve lived an uncomfortable life for over 30 years and have deceived everyone around you— including your family.

But you have to put yourself in your first son’s place. You did the best you could do for

him and he’s had a fulfilled childhood. You need to meet to talk. You can imagine his shock when he realised his parents weren’t his biological parents.

All he wants to know is who his dad is and the mother who gave birth to him. You need not tell your family if this will upset them, but you owe it to your son to answer the questions he might want to ask and proffer solutions that both of you will be comfortable with.

Apart from his philandering, he is a very loving man and sex with him is amazing

’

I fancy my daughter’s ex Dear Sunmi, I’m 46 and have a 23-yearold daughter and two sons who are younger. A few months ago, she split up with her boyfriend who is almost 40. I was dead against the relationship as I thought he was too old for her. However, she didn’t seem upset about the split and is now happy with a new partner.

I’ve always had strong feelings for her ex and I’m sure he feels something for me as I often used to see him looking at me in ‘that’ kind of way.

Would it be wrong to make a move on him now that they are no longer an item?

Mariam, by e-mail.

Dear Mariam, Some girls would be mortified if their mum asked one of their ex boyfriends out.

Such a move is likely to drive a wedge between mother and child and she may be careful about introducing her to future boyfriends in case she turns her attentions to them.

My advise is you shouldn’t dream of hitting on your daughter’s ex if you aren’t 100 percent sure that your feelings will be reciprocated.

In approaching this man, you’d be taking a big risk— and may well end up making a fool of yourself.

My boss is replacing me with a new lover!

Dear Bunmi, A few years ago, at the insistence of the female Managing Director of the company I currently work with, I left my secured civil service job to serve as her purchasing manager.

I had a very impressing office and the perks were good.

Inevitably, I became madam’s lover even though she was years older. Not long after, an executive accounts director was employed and I was instructed, in a letter, to vacate my office for him and share an office with a junior officer!

As if that was not humiliating enough, I was asked to re-

port directly to this new man instead of madam.

Since then, all efforts to talk with her have proved abortive and both of them now treat me as an incompetent officer. It’s now clear that she is sleeping with the new man but I can’t leave right away as I don’t have another job to leave for.But if don’t leave, I stand a chance of being sacked. I don’t see any light at the end of this tunnel.

Joshua, by e-mail.

Dear Joshua, It’s not always advisable to mix business with pleasure and it is obvious your mistress

no longer has use for your ‘ability.’ You feel humiliated at the moment. The only option is to leave before you lose your pride.

It is true it’s not easy getting a job these days but you can work on your own until you can find something more stable.

Sex in the work-place is bad enough, but with a female boss, is like jumping into the fire without touching the proverbial frying-pan!

Some women would do anything to net a man and everything to get him out of their hair if such a man is no longer useful.

Dear Bunmi, I recently ran into my ex-boyfriend at a party. We were together for three years when I discovered he’d been having it off for a long time with a colleague in his office. I was heartbroken. I called off our affair when he wouldn’t stop.

When I saw him at the party, we immediately continued where we left off and I grudgingly agreed for us to give our relationship another chance.

Apart from his philandering, he is a very loving man and sex with him is amazing.

A few months after we got together however, I saw some pictures of a lady on his mobile. He said she was someone he went out with after I left, that she meant nothing to him.

Is he lying? Once a cheat, al-

ways a cheat!

Isla, by e-mail.

Dear Isla, It is understandable that you feel insecure about your boyfriend if his cheating caused you to split up the first time around, but if you’re to make your relationship work this time around, you need to leave the past behind and give him the benefit of the doubt.

You have no real reasons to think he’s telling you anything other than the truth. So believe him or your suspicious mind will end up killing your relationship. He obviously didn’t lead a celibate life when you were apart, but it is now that counts. Trust him, unless he does something to destroy that trust.

Dad wants to reap where he didn’t sow Dear Bunmi, I was never my dad’s favourite when I was a child. In fact, he admitted recently that he always preferred my brother.

He also said that he felt resentful of me for the fact that my late mum was very fond of me and was never close to him again after I was born until the day she died.

I supposed it’s helped to know why he was so resentful of me when I was a child. But I think he’s only told me now because he’s old and frightened about dying alone.

He lives in another state and now wants to come and live with me. But my home— with my lovely husband and four wonderful sons— is more than 250 kilometres away.

I don’t want him living with us as my family members are not that keen on the idea. And to tell you the truth, I don’t want him with us either. What do you think I should do?

Christine, by e-mail.

Dear Christine, When we’re children, we learn about love from our parents. And if we’re lucky we are loved genuinely and unconditionally. Unfortunately, your dad clearly did not love you in that way— which was a grave error on his part. Of course we all make mistakes but this was a particularly bad one which has affected you greatly.

My theory is that, in adult life, it’s very difficult to give back more love to your parents than you received from them as a child. So try not to feel guilty about your father. Do what you can for him— but don’t drastically disrupt your own life.

What about that brother of yours who was the apple of his eyes? About time he gave back some of the love he received from. Could he help out more?

He might not be aware of your dad’s anxiety and might give back once he knows what your dad’s situation is.

He’s turned into a thug!

Dear Bunmi, I live with my boyfriend and he has turned into a thug. He used to be romantic and generous until I moved in with him at his insistence. Now he flares up at the slightest opportunity and uses me as a punching bag.

I’ve threatened to leave him but he said if I go he will cut my face so badly no man will want to come near me. As a result, I’m convinced he could carry out his threat. Please help!

Tai, by e-mail.

Dear Tai, I’m sure that deep down you know you have to leave your

violent boyfriend. It’s understandable that you’re scared stiff of doing this right now because of his insane jealousy and violence.

Your best bet is not to do anything on your own. Get as much protection and support as you can— people who can stand alongside you if you have the courage to ask him to leave.

As soon as you’ve gotten all the support you need, lodge a complaint with the police. If possible, let a policeman or two escort you out of the premises the day you decide to leave your violent boyfriend’s clutches.

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos. or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—43

his pan-Nigerian credentials eminently qualified him for the presidency. As Edo State Governor, even his political opponents bear witness to his unprecedented transformation in primary healthcare facilities and the building of new hospitals across the three senatorial districts and the 18 local governments.

Unprecedented mileage has been recorded in improvement in Education infrastructure – mass renovation of public schools, provision of learning aids and instruction materials, adequate deployment of teachers, model schools.

He has also improved on job creation first through public works in which thousands of youths were employed and secondly through industrial development as witnessed by the recent monumental investment of over $2billion by Alhaji Aliko Dangote in the fertilizer plant at Agenebode. Adams has shown that comrades could be effective state actors just as well as they are effective non- state actors.

Essential Oshiomhole @ 60 T

By ISSA AREMU

ODAY, April 4, 2013 twoterm globally acclaimed former President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Comrade Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole marks his 60th birthday anniversary. At its maiden Merit Award edition recently in Lagos, the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, among others honoured the Comrade Governor for being a pride of modern trade unionism.

It was instructive that Labour writers singled out a secondterm governor for a pride of modern unionism merit award. Indeed the significant part of the citation on the comrade governor was devoted to his almost four decades-long trade union carrier (1971-2007).

Undoubtedly the essential and perhaps most critical attributes of Adams Oshimhole is trade unionism. LAWAN certainly got it right; Life and times of Comrade Adams show that his main strenuous preoccupations have been with the improvement in

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole

successor as the General Secretary of the National Union of Textile and Garment Workers’ Union of Nigeria, NUTGWN, I bear witness that thousands of national and local collective agreements on wages, allowances, gratuities, hours of work, etc., bear the bold signature imprint of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the textile industry. The union years of Adams were in a developmentist industrialising Nigeria. In the 70s and 80s, in Kaduna town alone, there were over 10 large intergrated textile mills that employed on the average 2,500

,

The Comrade Governor has demonstrated that being in public office does not necessarily change one’s loud advocacy for good governance

the working and living conditions of the working men and women.

Not surprising that Adams the unionist, advocate, negotiator, the striker and mass organizer anyday captures public imagination rather than Oshiomhole, twice democractically elected Governor, (the latest in which he won in all the eighteen local givernments, being the land-mark 18/18), the statesman, the humorist, peace-maker, pace-setter, the dancer, friend, father and grandfather.

A decade well before Comrade Adams started his working career in Arewa Textile Mill in Kaduna in 1971, Nelson Mandela (precisely in 1961!) had said ‘Struggle is my life’.

Looking at the well documented activities of the Labour leader in the last four decades one can convinently conclude that ‘struggle is his (Adams’) life’.

As his assistant as well as deputy for years and eventual

,

workers. United Textile Nigeria alone employed about 5,000 workers. The latter group that extended as Funtua and Guzau in Katsina and Zamfara state respectively had combined 10,000 workforce.

Indeed nationally there were as many as 200 textile mills with as many as 150,000 workers. Textile industry was the largest employer of labour followed by governmnent. The labour market challenge was not unemployment but ensuring the work was decent in terms of pay, hours of work and security of work. This was where Comrade Adams and his colleagues audaciously made a difference.

They courageously and selflessly checked the authoritarian labour regimes of mainly Asian employers from China and India. Instead, textile union under the stewardship of Adams and scores of oganizers that included late Muhammed Bello, Alhaji L A Shit-

tu, Alhaji Umoru Muhammed, late Emmanuel Amadi, Andrew Asagbohi enthrowned what the Sweedish political economists, professors Bjorn Beckman and Gunilla Andrae called Union Power in Nigeran Textile industry, 1999, ( the only sector to be so studied).

This all-time record achievement in textile union eminently qualified Adams, deputy Presdient of NLC to become the fourth President of NLC where his impact was even more globally felt in areas of improved minimum wage, serial resistance against persistent fuel price increases and bold engangement with private sector employers against casualization of labour force.

Trade union movement A look at the issues that preoccupied Adams and his comrades within the trade union movement show that what labour unions do are as all-inclusive as they are diverse; wage increase, decent jobs (anti-casualisation), petroleum pricing and deregulation, privatisation, education (ASUU/ Government conflicts), democracy (electoral bill, probity among politicians), anti-corruption, nationalism (Bakkassi) national unity, organizational building and capacity building. Significantly all the forms of struggle employed by Adams were knowledge-driven. Indeed it was the quality of knowledge that Adams brought into the struggle that marked him out among other NLC leaders after Hassan Sunmonu and Ali Chiroma, being the first and second Presidents of NLC respectively.

Edo State

Interestingly, Comrade Adams the unionist was not as politically partisan. Indeed compared to unionists like Frank Kokori of NUPENG and Pascal Bafyau late former President of NLC, (the most partisan unionist), Comrade Adams was political party-shy even when he idealogically insisited that unionists cannot be apolitical.

He held the strong view that trade unions needed not be partisan for them to make independent case for the workers. Today it is a great paradox that Comrade Adams remains the most successful politically exposed trade unionists, winning two elections including land mark judgement that validated his first victory.

The spontaneity, passion and mass enthusiasm that trailed Adams’ political datelines from his dramatic declaration of gubernatorial interest in Edo on the platform of Labour Party, LP, in 2007 to court verdict electoral victory in 2008 as well as electoral triumph in 2012 has commendably rekindled the nostalgia of the wonderful political tradition of popular leaders like Zik and Zikists at and Aminu Kano, Abubakar Rimi, Balarabe of NEPU/PRP as well Awo and Awoists at political rallies. Late Chief Gani Fahemihin SAN did a friendly fire, raised a fraternal objection to Oshiomhole’s governorship aspiration on the account that

Advocacy for good governance His greatest strength is even on the soft issue; the Comrade Governor has demonstrated that being in public office does not necessarily change one’s loud advocacy for good governance. Adams has been as much loud in demanding for accountability and transparency in governance just as when he was a labour leader. As regular interventionist in national discourse, he is never on the fence.

He had at several times interrogated the assumptions of neo-liberalism, insisting that contrary to the received wisdom, government has business in business and that governance cannot and should not be left to market forces. Some of his interventions made a difference such as his decisive mediation in ASSU/Federal Government protracted industrial crisis of 2010, even when the entire Governors Forum proved inept!

Some interventions are understandably controversial such as his moderated position on fuel subsidy issue in 2011.

In all, his voice was loudly counted! The Essential Oshimhole is committment to what you believe in. A participant of Course 9 in 1988, he is a member of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Policy. Happy birthday in comrade governor mni!

•Issa Aremu, mni, is Secretary General of Alumini Association of the National Institute (AANI)

44—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

PUNAKA 2013

T

HE 2013 edition of the PUNUKA yearly lecture will hold on April 16, at Panoramic View Hall of the Civic Centre, Victoria Island Lagos.

The PUNUKA Lecture, an annual event organised by PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors is aimed at bringing together key industry players and stakeholders on topical issues bordering on law, the economy, financial matters, good governance, nation building, amongst others.

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice S. M. A. Belgore, is expected to chair this year’s edition, while the deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire will be special guest of honour.

Nagari Old boys

B

BY SAAWUA TERZUNGWE

IRNIN KEBBI— NAGARI College Birnin Kebbi Old Boys Association, has resolved to rescue the school from its current state of dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate facilities.

This was stated in a communiqué at the end of the association’s meeting, weekend, in Birnin Kebbi

by Chairman Special Organising Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudo.

He said the meeting critically reviewed the achievements and development of the school since its establishment in 1914 and also set up a sevenman committee headed by Alhaji Abdu-llahi Waziri, to chart a new course for the rehabilitation of the school.

Transition

M

ADAM Owin Asakpi Edah, 88, is dead. She died March 18. She is survived by five children and greatgrandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

Concerned Professors make case for AAU's Ag VC

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—CONCERNED Professors of Nigeria Universities have expressed worry over the acting capacity of the Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State and urged the state government to appoint Prof. Cordelia Agbebaku as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university.

The group, in a statement by Prof.

Emmanuel Nnadozie, recalled that the incumbent acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Agbebaku, became an Associate Professor in 1998 and a full Professor in 2003, therefore, was qualified to be appointed substantive VC of the university.

It reasoned that the management of the university will properly be focused in the affairs of the university, when a substantive ViceChancellor was put in place, adding that “Prof Agbebaku already knew the problems confronting the institution flowing from the fact that

she had served in various capacities at the university.

“We appeal to the Edo State Government to appoint her a substantive Vice Chancellor without further

delay to get the best out of the institution.

“We have heard mischiefmakers talking about her qualification and it is sad that the some persons have resorted to playing politics in the university environment due to their selfish in-

AWARDS: Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava (right) receiving the Telecoms Company of the Year Award from Ikoloba of Olubadan, Oloye Lekan Alabi, the at the 16th City People Awards in Lagos.

Shell to shut key pipeline for repairs S

HELL Petroleum Devel opment Company plans to temporarily shut a key oil pipeline in southern Nigeria later this month to repair damage caused by suspected oil thieves, leading to a cut of around 150,000 barrels per day, the company said yesterday.

The Nembe Creek Trunkline in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer with output at around two million barrels per day, will be closed for a nine-day period.

The pipeline has been repeatedly hit by sabotage and theft. Oil theft has been estimated as costing Nigeria some $6 billion (4.7 billion euros) per year.

“We plan to shut it down this month to remove some bunkering points,” said Precious Okolobo, spokesman for Shell.

“In April, we will shut down the entire NCTL for a nine-day period to remove a number of bunkering points, which of course is a massive deferment of oil but needs to be done,” said Jurgen Jonzen, Shell Corporate Pipeline Asset Manager.

terest.

“We are happy that Edo people have a governor that is filled with wisdom, love the growth of education, therefore, we have no fear over the ability of Governor Adams Oshiomhole to uplift the fortunes of the university.”

Shell declined to provide the exact days of the shutdown of the pipeline. The pipeline was shut for 10 days last month following a major leak of Bonny Light crude, one of the main

grades of crude oil produced in Nigeria.

Shell had then declared force majeure, a legal term releasing it from contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond its control.

Delta community cries out over poor road

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—PRESI DENT- General of Ekrerhavwen-Agbarho community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Friday Okorode, has decried the poor state of the Ekrerhavwen/ Orhoakpor/Isiokolo Road.

Appealing to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to reaward the road project, which was constructed in 2010 by Niger Cat, Okorode lamented that the poor state of the road was negatively affecting the socio-economic lives of Ekrerhavwen community and other communities in the area.

The community leader told Vanguard shortly after a meeting of Ekrerhavwen Elite Group, that “Governor

Uduaghan should urgently direct the state Ministry of Works to re-award the road contract to a more competent contractor.”

Noting that the Ekrerhavwen was contributing greatly to the economy of the state, he said: “We are host to Delta Power Station; host to Beta Glass factory and the moribund Bendel Glass factory and gas pipelines.

“We do not have enough teachers in our secondary school, classrooms and benches despite our contribution to the economy of the state.

“I appeal to the state government to include the Erhavwen Secondary School, Ekrerhavwen to the list of secondary schools being renovated in the state."

Ikoli Bridge gets face-lift

Y

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

ENAGOA—THE Ikoli Bridge, which links Ogbogoro community across the Ikoli creek and other riverside communities on the right of way of the OporomaUkubie Road to mainland Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, which was on the verge of collapse, has been given a facelift.

The bridge-head on the Swali side was on the verge of collapse, when the administration of Seriake Dickson awarded the rehabilitation job to Julius Berger.

Work on the bridge was being handled by the same construction firm before it was forced to pull out of the Niger Delta at the height of youth militancy in the region.

Our correspondent, who visited the Swali area observed that the eroded portion of the bridge-head, which was on the verge of caving in before the intervention of the state government had been reinforced.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—45

HOSTCOM hails DESOPADEC move to industrialise oil bearing communities

BY FESTUS AHON

U

G H E L L I — CHAIRMAN of Delta Central chapter of Host Communities of Nigeria, Oil and Gas, HOSTCOM, Mr. John Ayoro, has described the move by Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, to industrialise oil bearing communities as a welcome development.

Ayoro, shortly after the monthly meeting of DESOPADEC commissioners representing Ughelli North/Ethiope East Local Government Areas, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi and host communities in the area, said the move if accomplished would increase job opportunities for the unemployed youths in the state.

“Ominimini has been an advocate of the industrialisation of the host communities. As someone who is very close to his people, he knows what is required to make life more meaningful for the people of oil communities."

Inmates laud Kirikiri Prison authorities

BY UJU MBANUSI

I

NMATES of Medium and Female Prisons, Kirikiri, Lagos, have expressed satisfaction with measures by the prisons' authorities to better their stay, pledging to utilise the formal and informal education acquired while incarcerated to improve their lives and the society after their prison terms.

At an Easter fun fiesta held at Kirikiri Medium Prisons, where they showcased their acquired skills, the inmates said the reformation process would make them better citizens after serving their terms.

Speaking at the event, Zonal Coordinator incharge of Lagos State prisons, Mr. Isa Mohammed, commended the efforts of the Lagos State Prisons authority, towards the wellbeing and reformation of the inmates.

NUJ boss, Muhammed Garbar, emerges FAJ President

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

P

RESIDENT of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr. Muhammed Garba, has emerged President of Federation of African Journalists, FAJ, at the 3rd Congress of FAJ in Casablanca, Morocco.

He emerged as a member of the nine-man Steering Committee of the FAJ after polling 68 votes, against the 29 polled by the past President, Mr. Omar Osman from Somalia.

He was elected after a conclave, which lasted for about 10 minutes by the nine-man Steering Committee members, who unanimously endorsed him as the new President of FAJ. Also, Nigeria’s Fatimah Abdulkareem, was elected Vice Chairperson of the Pan African Gender Council of FAJ. Tw e n t y- e i g h t - m e m b e r countries participated in the two-day congress which lasted from March 30 to 31, 2013. Nigeria enjoyed the highest voting right in Afri-

ca with 10 delegates.

The congress raised alarm over the growing insecurity in the Northern part of Nigeria, kidnapping and killing of journalists in the country and urged the Nigerian government to pass a law that will protect the lives of journalists in the country just

as it called for a realistic insurance cover for Nigerian journalists.

In his acceptance speech, Garba, who currently is the Chairman of West African Journalists Association, WAJA, expressed joy over the confidence reposed in him and called for concerted ef-

EASTER CONCERT: From left: Chairman, Riverdrill Group, Prince Tonye Princewill; Host comedian, Ay Makun and Sholaye Jeremi, during an AY Live Show on Easter Sunday, in Lagos.

Court fixes hearing on asset declaration case T HE suit by Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP, against the Code of Conduct Bureau, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, demanding copies of the asset declarations of all federal ministers, state governors, the President and Vice President, has been adjourned till April 4.

LEDAP, in the suit, is seeking to enforce its request to the Bureau for copies of asset declarations of the public officials under the Freedom of Information Act. The Bureau claimed in its re-

sponse that the Freedom of Information Act exempted it from disclosing declaration of assets of public officials because the asset declaration forms contain personal information about the assets of the officials and of their spouses and unmarried children.

In a letter by Chairman of the Bureau to LEDAP in July last year, the agency said that it would not allow the public to know about the personal information of public officials because it had been exempted under sections

13(1)(v) and 15(1)(ii) of the Freedom of Information Act. LEDAP’s counsel, Mr. Chino Obiagwu, argued that the claim by the Bureau was not correct under the law.

He said: “The information that the Bureau says are exempted under the FOI Act are the main targets of the asset declaration law. The purpose of assets declaration law is to enable the public and citizens know the worth of its public officials and their close relations, so as to monitor how they acquire assets while in office and whether or not public funds are used for such acquisitions."

ACN chides Bayelsa over arraignment of testers contradicts governunemployed graduates ment’s claims that it was open

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

Y

ENAGOA—ACTION Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Bayelsa State, has flayed the state government's arrest and arraignment in court, of 22 unemployed graduates for protesting.

The party, in a statement in Yenagoa, by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Christopher Abariowei, described as unfounded, claims by the government that the protest was

forts in the fight against the intimidation of journalists in some African countries such as Angola, Ethiopia and others.

Commending the efforts of the former President of FAJ, Garba assured that he will work closely with the International Federation of Journalists to ensure the protection and improved welfare for African journalists.

illegal and politically motivated.

It described the action of the government as undemocratic and unjustifiable, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government had shown intolerance and inability to address the socio-economic problems of the people.

He said: “The Dickson administration has infringed on the fundamental human rights of the jobless graduates to protest government’s neglect.

The arrest of the peaceful pro-

to constructive criticism.”

It called for the unconditional release of the detained protesters and immediate withdrawal of the case from the court.

“As a government, the ability to address and dialogue on critical issues such as unemployment, which borders on the growth, stability and development of the state, should be approached with caution and not through the instrumentality of force and intimidation with law court," he said.

Cashless Nigeria: Bank sensitises Delta customers

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

W

ARRI—IN its bid to spread cashless banking operations outside Lagos State, Diamond Bank Plc has started sensitisation of its customers in Delta State.

The Cashless Nigeria orientation was emphasised when the bank hosted a customer forum for its Delta customers in Warri.

The bank’s Executive Director, Regional Businesses, Mr. Victor Ezenwoko, said at the interactive gathering, that the focus at Diamond Bank was service, stressing that the bank would have failed in its responsibility if customers were not being serviced well.

He said: “Our service is like the job of an insurance agent.

If one fails to listen or take corrections, he has failed in his responsibility. Without our customers, we will be nowhere. Some have been with us from the onset and their businesses and children have grown and they are still with us. We are to know how we have served you and how we can do better.”

46—Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Fashola for 2013 Anglican Synod

BY EBUN SESSOU

G

O V E R N O R Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, his deputy, Mrs. Joke Orelope-Adefulire and other dignitaries are expected to grace this year ’s Synod of Archbishop Vinning Memorial Diocese of Lagos West Anglican Communion.

Also billed to attend are captains of industry, traditional rulers and dignitaries from both the House of Bishop and House of Laity across Nigeria.

The Synod, which is the 5th in the series, will be presided over by the outgoing Bishop of The Diocese, Rt. Rev Peter Adebiyi, in the 2nd Session.

According to a statement by the spokesman, Mr. Tunji Oguntuase, the Synod will come up between April 3 and 7.

Lottery Commission reads riot act

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—NATIONAL Lottery Regulatory Commission, NLRC, has clamped down on illegal lottery operations involving some very big corporate interests.

Director-General of NLRC, Mr. Peter Igho, who read the riot act yesterday in Owerri while flagging off the stakeholders’ forum, also said the interests preferred to use their clout to fight the commission than do lottery the right way.

He said: “We are aware that currently, there are lots of leakages arising from lack of transparency in declaring proceeds.

“We will not be deterred, neither will we rest on our oars until lottery is done the right way. If lottery is properly done with the requisite monitoring and compliance infrastructure, it can modestly fetch N365 billion per annum."

PRESENTATION: From left— Mr. Corlins Tay, MD/CEO; Mr. Gary Shreeve,Vice President Africa, both of Forever Living Products; Mr. & Mrs John Ekperigin, First Double Diamond Manager in Africa, at FLP's Super Business Presentation in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTOS: Biodun Ogunleye.

2015 guber: Nsukka monarchs meet over Ekweremadu's posters

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

N

S U K KA — A P PA RENTLY miffed by the distribution of the Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu’s posters for the 2015 guber race in Enugu State, traditional rulers in Nsukka Senatorial District have concluded plans to invite Ekweremadu’s coordinators in the area for a meeting.

One of the traditional rulers, who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonumity at Nsukka, said they would invite the co-coordinators, including one Mr. Martins Oloto and Chinedu Onuh, to find out why they would support Ekweremadu instead of Nsukka people, whose turn it was to produce the next governor of the state.

They argued that since Enugu East Senatorial District produced former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, who ruled for eight years before the current governor, Sullivan Chime, who is serving his second term emerged from Enugu West, where Ekweremadu hails from, it was the turn of Nsukka to produce the next governor.

One of the traditional rulers, who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity, said: “We will soon invite Ekweremadu’s co-ordinators for a meeting.

"We will find out their reasons for working against the zoning policy by supporting Ekweremadu, whose brother, Chime, will complete his second term in 2015.

“We will ask them to throw their hats into the race in-

stead of supporting any other person outside Nsukka, for peace to reign in the state.

“Nsukka people had borne the brunt of much injustice since the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration in the country and it is unthinkable that any rightthinking person from the

area would want this type of oppression to continue because of such a person’s pecuniary interest.

“We have no problems with Ike Ekweremadu as an individual but he should not use his position to cause trouble by disorganising the arrangement that has guar-

anteed peace and unity of Enugu State in the last 14 years of democracy.

“Since the inception of this current democracy in the country, nobody from Nsukka had been appointed minister.

All the ministers from Enugu State had always come from Enugu East or Enugu West.”

... as Enugu woos Swiss firms on coal exploration E

NUGU—ENUGU State government has expressed its readiness to collaborate with Swiss investors interested in reviving the coal industry in the state.

Governor Sullivan Chime gave this assurance when he met with Dr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Chad and Niger at Government House in Enugu, yesterday.

Chime expressed regret that coal industry had become moribund, even though it was a major source of income to the country and was the trade mark of the state.

The governor said: “Coal was the major source of income to the state and the country in time past, but it is no longer effective now.

“If there is any Swiss company interested in reviving the coal industry, it is welcomed. We have not had any collaboration with Switzerland and we will look out for areas where we can do that to have closer ties.”

Earlier, Hodel said the embassy would organise a

seminar for Swiss businessmen and women based in Lagos in September.

He commended the state government for its giant strides in the development of infrastructure as well as tourism.

The ambassador said:

“Since you have asked for ways to collaborate with us, we will look at how to partner with you.

“I want to applaud you because I have seen some stores and other things in Enugu, which I have not seen in Abuja and Lagos.”

ASOPADEC, NDE train 2,200

BY ANAYO OKOLI

U

MUAHIA—ABIA State Oil Producing Development Commission, ASOPADEC, in collaboration with National Directorate of Employment, NDE, has issued certificates to 2,200 graduands in skills acquisition and entrepreneur.

The beneficiaries were those who successfully completed a training programme organised by both agencies.

In his remarks, Chairman of ASOPADEC, Chief Sam Nwogu, said the programme was in partnership with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency

of Nigeria, SMEDAN, NDE and National Economic Reconstruction Fund, NERFUND, saying it had transformed its Youth Artisan Empowerment Programme to ASOPADEC/ NDE Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Programme.

According to him, SMEDAN provided the entrepreneurial training preparing the beneficiaries on how to manage their businesses, while NDE trained them on various skills.

NERFUND, he further explained, collaborated with the commission to provide the counterpart fund to enable ASOPADEC set up businesses for the beneficiaries.

Vanguard , WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 —47

PARTY— From left: Tope Ashiwaju, Head Public Relations & Event, Dufil Prima Foods Plc; Mrs Faith Joshua, Coordinator Indomie Fans Club and children at the Indomie fans club birthday party in Lagos.

AWARDS—From left: Mr Ken Ogujiofor, Director, Sales Distribution, Etisalat Nigeria; Mr Steven Evans, CEO and Mr Tochukwu Nwosu, founder/CEO, Zepa Associates Nig Ltd at the 4th Etisalat heroes awards at Oriental Hotel in Lagos. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

COMMISSIONING—From right: Chairman, Correspondents Chapel, Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kaduna State, Mr Luka Binniyat; guest of honour and Public Affairs Manager, Kaduna Refineries Petrochemicals Company, KRPC, Mallam Abdullahi Idris and Chapel Assistant Secretary, Mallam Usman Lapai at the commissioning of the Correspondents Chapel office in Kaduna. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

DINNER—From left: Wife of the President, Ibadan Grammar School Old Students Association, Mrs Tola Awoh; former Ambassador to USA, Amb. Olu Sanu; Chief Folake Solanke; Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olubunmi Olateru-Olagbegi and Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji at the centenary award dinner of Ibadan Grammar School.

TRAINING—Brigadier General Peter Bojie, Director of Training, Nigeria Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, Lagos and other senior military officers during entrepreneurship training at 337 Air Force base in Enugu, yesterday.

RECONCILIATION—From left: National President, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Alhaji Ali Sokoto; National Chairman, Niggas Rehabilitation and skill Acquisition Centre, Malam Niga Rigasua and Executive Director, Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria, Pastor Yohanna Buru at the Muslims and Christians reconciliation meeting in Kaduna, yesterday.

SUPERVISION—Alhaji Sani Jada (left), presenting motorcycles to the village head of Malabo, Malam Haruna Idris in Yola, Adamawa State, to supervise government projects in their areas.

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SAFARI—From left: Managing Director, Noah's Ark Communications Limited, Mr. Lanre Adisa; Ace Photographer Kelechi Amadi-Obi and Managing Director, X3M Ideas, Mr. Steve Babaeko at the creative safari organised by Noah's Ark.

DONATION—Commisioner representing Ndokwa in DESOPADEC, Sir Kenny Okolugbo (right) and Delta North Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Ogbuefi Eric Anigala (left) at the donation of ambulance to the Obiaruku General Hospital by DESOPADEC.

48—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Senator vows not to vacate seat for Niger gov in 2015

Flood victims ask FG to probe disbursement of N500m relief

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OLA—VICTIMS of the 2012 flood disaster in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa yesterday, called on the Federal Government to investigate the disbursement of the N500 million flood relief assistance given to the state.

A cross-section of the victims, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in the area, said that many of them were yet to receive any form of monetary assistance from the authorities, while a few of them received between N200 and N240.

The victims told NAN in Gindin-Kuka ward, one of the areas worst hit by the disaster, that the investigation was necessary in order to ensure accountability, justice and fairness in the management of the Federal Government intervention fund. Mr Moses Ginam, one of the victims, said he only learnt about the N500 million in the media.

Gidam said he was told that N90, 000 was allocated to the flood victims in his area and that each victim was to receive N250.

Yar'Adua mourns Awolowo

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AGOS—THE Founder/President, Asabe Shehu Yar Ádua Foundation, Ambassador Asabe Shehu Yar ’Adua has described the death of Chief Oluwole Awolowo as a painful and irreparable loss, which has created an irreplaceable vacuum in the ranks of progressive Nigerians.

In a statement signed personally, Hajiya Asabe Yar Adua said “his death is painful and a great loss to us because of his undisguised patriotism, piety, humanitarianism and spirit of live-and- letothers live. He was an uncommon gift to Nigeria. And we will continue to cherish his love and affection”.

His love for people, his concern for truth, and justice and his ‘unbreakable’ steadfastness with Christ through prayers, which he never failed to offer whenever we come to visit, will remain evergreen with us."

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MENTORSHIP LAUNCH—The formal opening of Health Canada-NAFDAC Mentorship Launch Meeting took place at the Westown Hotel, Ikeja Lagos yesterday.

From right: Dr Paul Orhii, DG, NAFDAC; Dr Lindsay Elmgren, Head Canadian delegation; Dr Monica Hemben Eimunjeze, Director, Registration and Regulatory Affairs NAFDAC and Mr Greg Monsour, Canadian delegate at the event. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye.

Reps condemn killing of 19 people, destruction of villages in Kaduna

BY LUKA BINNIYAT

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ADUNA – SEVEN members of the House of Representatives from Southern Kaduna, yesterday, denounced the killing of 19 people and the complete destruction of four villages by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Atakar Chiefdom, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Rising from an emergency meeting in Abuja, they said that they received with shock, the killing of members of their electorate and asked both the federal and Kaduna State governments to beef up security in the area to stop further killing of innocent citizens.

A statement signed by five of the seven representatives read in part: “We the members of the House of Representatives from Southern Kaduna comprising of the following constituencies namely, Kaura, Jaba/Zango Kataf, Kauru, Jema’a/Sanga and Kachia/Kagarko, met today April 2, 2013 in Abuja to review the renewed attacks in the zone and came up with the following resolutions: “To condemn in its entirety the renewed attacks on Southern Kaduna villages particularly the one that happened in Kaura which claimed more than 20 lives already, with four villages totally burnt down.

“To commiserate with the affected communities and call on all relevant government agencies to provide urgently, relief materials to cushion the effects on the displaced persons particularly women and children sheltered at the various primary schools in Kaura Local Government Area.

“To plead with the entire people of Southern Kaduna Senatorial zone to remain calm, orderly and peaceful even in the face of the unnecessary attacks on them.

We ask the communities to be law abiding but vigilant.

“To immediately ask the Government of Kaduna State

to deploy further detachment of armed security personnel to the affected areas to ensure peace and security of lives and property.

“To call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently bring to an end the incessant attacks on the people of the Southern Kaduna Senatorial Zone.”

The five members who signed the statement were Gideon Gwani, (Kaura Federal Constituency); Godfrey Gaiya, (Jaba/Zango Kataf Constituency); Adams Jagaba Adams, (Kachia/ Kagarko Constituency); Simon Arabo, (Kauru Federal Constituency); and Shehu Garba ( Jema’a/ Sanga).

Unijos to honour Babalola, Joda, others

BY TAYE OBATERU

J

OS—EMINENT legal practitioner, Chief Afe Babalola and respected administrators, Alhaji Ahmed Joda and Da Bitrus Pam Kim are to be conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Jos at its 26th convocation ceremony this weekend.

Fifty of the about 8,000 graduating students are being awarded doctorate degrees while nine out of the

5,709 first degree graduates bagged first class honours and 613 second class upper degrees.

Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Hayward Mafuyai who disclosed this on Monday at the pre-convocation press briefing said the three beneficiaries of the honorary doctorate awards were considered worthy because of their various contributions to the nation’s development.

INNA— THE Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Dahiru Awaisu has said that he would not be intimidated by Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State to vacate his seat for him in 2015, hinting that he would seek re-election into the Senate.

The PDP Senator who spoke to newsmen in Minna also vowed that no political machinations by Governor Aliyu would stop him from seeking the mandate of his people for the third time.

“In spite of the political machinations to stop me, nothing will deter me from contesting for re-election in 2015. I cannot be intimidated by anybody after being in politics for 32 years.

There is nothing that I have not seen.

“I have been in politics for long and for that, I cannot be intimidated by anybody not only in Niger but in this country,” he said.

Awaisu further noted that he had won most of his elective seats as representative of the opposition parties in the state, adding that he would not be deterred by anybody to drop his ambition.

Oyun LG boss urges royal fathers to maintain peace

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LORIN— ALHAJI Gidado Bello, the Sole Administrator of Oyun Local Government Council of Kwara State, has advised traditional rulers in the area to maintain peace in their domains.

Bello gave the advice on Monday at Erin-IIe, Kwara, during a meeting with the traditional rulers.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Bello convened the meeting to solicit the support of the monarchs toward ending the feud between Offa and ErinIIe communities.

— 49 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2013 — 55

APRIL 4, 2013

I made N45m from the airport robbery—Suspect •Pastor, six others arrested over robbery attack at Murtala Muhammed International Airport •Suspects confess attacking same area last year •I administered oath on them before operation — Pastor

BY EVELYN USMAN AND IFEANYI OKOLIE

S

EVEN suspected members of a robbery gang that attacked the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA,Lagos, last month, killing two policemen and injuring several others, have been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad , Ikeja, Lagos.

Surprisingly, one of the suspects was discovered to be the General Overseer of The Way of Joy Church located in Egbe area of Lagos.

Parading the suspects before newsmen yesterday, at the Command’s Headquarters, Ikeja, the Command’s boss, Mr Umar Manko, disclosed that they (suspects) were arrested following information obtained from the document of a member of the gang who was shot dead during the exchange of fire with the deceased policemen.

Operatives from SARs, led by the Commander, Abba Kyari , he said, swung into action during which Pastor Ibikunle Olarewaju John was arrested in Egbe

January 2013; First Bank/WEMA Bank armed robbery in Osun state in December 2012 and the bullion van armed robbery attack at Odogbolu junction along Lagos/IjebuOde Expressway in January 2013.

They also confessed to the robbery attack at the MMIA in February 2012, where about N600 million was carted away.

“The armed robbers involved in the airport robbery of February 2012, where N600 million was robbed and the March 13, 2013 MMIA robbery include Teslim Okunola now late, Kazeem Aderibigbe (the middle man that linked the armed robbers with the informant), Ibrahim Abdullai (main informant), Emmanuel Ehianeta (who earlier met his waterloo in the hands of operatives of SARS, during a gun battle in October 2012,during which12 AK 47 rifles , one Pump action magazine and several ammunition were recovered) ; Christian Joshua (from whom one Fiat Space bus with registration number AKD 791 BD, modified to carry rifles was recovered); Saheed

,

My role in last year’s operation was to drive but I did not shoot. We were successful and at the end, I got N45 Million as my share. I used the money to buy tanker, three vehicles, out of which I used one as taxi. But I was duped of N10 million in the process

,

area.His confessional statement, Manko said, led to the arrest of six other members of the gang in Ikire, Osun, Ondo, Oyo and Ogun states, with the recovery of five AK 47 rifles, four dynamites, two locally-made pistols, sixty-four AK 47 riffles magazines, all loaded with 1920 live ammunition, a Toyota Sienna bus with an in-built space where the gang concealed its arms and ammunition.

Also recovered, were two masks and several charms buried in an iron box in the gang’s hideout inside a forest at Agoro village in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State. “ The suspects confessed to the armed robbery at the MMIA and several other deadly robberies in Lagos, Ondo and Kwara states.

Part of the robberies they confessed to, were; the Oro First Bank/Union Bank robbery in Kwara State in

Adekunle , Fasasi Jamiu, Ifeanyi Douglas(still at large) Felix Sunday (still at large) Asiwaju (still at large) and Shina Aremu a.ka.

China (still at large)”.

During interaction with Crime Alert, the suspects said the policemen were shot dead out of frustration, over their inability to get their target. The robbers as gathered, missed their target that fateful day as they were held up in traffic. They regretted that but for the traffic they would have realised about N1 Billion from the foiled operation.

I administered oath on them before they went for operation— Pastor

One of the suspects, Ibikunle John, discovered to be the General Overseer of The Way of Joy Church located on Alliu Street, Egbe,Lagos, told Crime Alert

•Pastor Ibikunle Olarewaju John

The gang’s operational vehicle. Arrow shows inbuilt space where arms and ammunitions were concealed

that on the day of the operation,(March 13, 2013) he administered an oath of secrecy on members of the gang before they left.

The oath according to him, was administered in the gang’s hideout inside a bush located around Odogbolu area of Ogun State.

Hear him, “ Yes. I am the one that administered an oath on them the day they went to work.

I waited for them in the bush until they came back. In the bush located in Ijebu-Ode, there is a hut where one can even sleep if one wishes. But no one person can come there, except he is a member of the gang.

Asked to describe how the oath was administered, he replied: “You won’t understand because it is a spiritual thing, as incantation was said into a horn.”

Also asked if he owned a church of his own, he replied: “Yes. I am the general overseer.

It started as a Spiritual Healing Church where God used me to heal people with diverse strange illnesses.”

Also asked why he ventured into heinous crime, if indeed he was a genuine man of God, he shook his head in regret and in an emotional laden voice, said, “ I was introduced into it by Asiwaju. I did not know he was a robber then. But when I did, I triedtowithdrawfromhim.Butitwas too late. He introduced me to other members of his gang.”

But we were made to understand you have partaken in some of the operations with the gang, Crime Alert said.

“No”!, he replied. “I have never gone on operation with them. What happenedwasthatAsiwajuoncetold me to go and bring their operational vehicle from where it was parked after an operation and I drove it straight to his fish farm. At the end, I was given N50,000. At another time, oneofthem,Alfred,askedmetodrive

his car to Ijebu-Ode because he did not want to rob with the car on that day. That was when they raided a bank in Oro, Kwara State”

I got N45 Million —Atoba Adeniyi Another suspect who identified himself as Atoba Adeniyi , 32, gave a vivid explanation on how the gang carried out the March 13, 2013 attack at the International Airport. Although he claimed not to have fired a shot during the attack, he revealed however,that his role was to monitor the road right from Ijebu-Ode to the InternationalAirport and briefed his gang on where policemen were stationed. He further disclosed how the gang also struck last year at the sameairport,wheretheycartedaway the sum of N600 Million.

Hear him, “ I joined the gang last year. Before then, I was in Bayelsa.

I was tricked by one of them to come

and join them in a crude oil business and I came,only to realise late that it was robbery. My role in last year’s operation was to drive but I did not shoot. We were successful and at the end, I got N45 Million as my share. I used the money to buy a tanker, three vehicles, out of which I used as taxi. But I was duped of N10 million in the process.

After that operation, I decided to stayawayfromthem.Buttheywould not let me be. I even changed my telephone numbers several times .

At a point, I decided to turn a new leaf and went to a church for deliverance in Olorushogo area of Ibadan.

I was living my normal life when they called me again. I told them I won’t come but they threatened to kill me if I did not .

They told me to meet them in a bush in Ijebu-Ode and when I got there ,I was made to swear an oath of secrecy. We were instructed not to tell Paul (a member of the gang) about the operation because they

wanted to sideline him.

After taking the oath, I was told to monitor the terrain and inform themofwherepolicemenwere.Iwas almost killed during the shoot out by a member of the gang because it was dark and I did not know the terrain. However, at the end, I got N500,000.

I knew the end was near for me since the last operation. The first signal was the death of my child immediately she was delivered. I regret myactionandIambeggingmywife and parents in particular, to forgive me”, he said.

I gave them information – Airport staff 31- year-old Ibrahim Abdul, from Plateau told Crime Alert that he furnishedthe gang withinformation on the first attack. Ibrahim who blamed his indulgence on poverty, said he was tempted by the huge amount of money usually taken out

of the country.

Hear him: “I have been working at the airport since 2009 and I usually see people carrying huge amount of money abroad. I then informed one of my friend’s, Kazeem, whom Imetatcomputervillage.That was in December 2011. By January 2012,hecalledmeandsaid hewould arrange a meeting between I and his schoolmatewhomheidentifiedasAsiwaju. We met in a hotel around Ikeja,where he(Asiwaju)assuredus he was going to organize his gang to do the job. Few weeks later, Kazeem calledtosayAsiwajuhadbeenableto get a five -man- robbery gang to do the job and that all they wanted was tomeet withme,toconfirmifthemoney was there.

The people moving the money out of the country do that every Wednesday.So, Iinvitedmembersofthegang to come see for themselves. On the day they came, they pretended to be working with me. The following Wednesday( in February), I and Kazeemdidn’tgoclosetotheairport,we wereinabardrinkingandwaitingfor the gang to call us. By 11 pm I got newsoftherobberyattheairportandI calledKazeemandinformedhim.We called Asiwaju and his gang memberstogetanupdatebutalltheirlines were switched off. I became worried and thought Kazeemmighthaveconspired with his friends to make away with the money.

But on Saturday of that week, I received a call from Asiwaju who said we (Kazeem and I) should come to Ijebu-Odetogetourmoney.We went and were handed two nylon bags containingN1.5meach.

But IrejectedminebecauseIknew themoney robbedwasmuchandfelt my share ought to be more because I brought the job.. I was even about fightingwith himwhenKazeemheld mebackandwhisperedtomethatAsiwaju was a dangerous man. Asiwaju laterexplainedtomethatthemanwho brought the guns they used for the job hijacked all the money and gave them peanut to share. He also said

that the money he gave us was out of his own share. Out of the amount, I bought a car and opened a phone accessories shop at Computer Village.

I didn’t speak with them again until March this year when I heard of another robbery at the airport. I called Asiwaju and he said they did the job but that it wasn’t successful. He told me that before they got to the airport that the money had been moved from the parking lot into the departure hall in the airport and that theycouldn’tgetinto the place. He promised to see me when he comes to Lagos.

•Ibrahim Abdullahi (Informant)

CP, Manko displaying the recovered chams operation,instructed us to stay at the airport and monitor the movement of the cash before their arrival. We did but unfortunate, Esho, Asiwaju, How I was arrested and K-money who were supposed But last week, I was in my house to storm the airport with the arms resting,when the police came and were held up in traffic and before apprehended me. When I was they got to the airport, the money brought to SARS and was interro- had been moved from the parking gated alongside other members, I lottotheairport.Bythen,itwasabout realized I and Kazeem were short 8pm. I and SP were given a rifle and changed. Atoba, one of Asiwaju’s we went after the people carrying gangmembers toldmethatAsiwaju the money. But before we knew it, was given N90 million but he gave somepolicemen aroundopenedfire usonlyN3million.I’mnotangrythat and we retaliated and killed two I was arrested but I feel terribly bad of them. Butbythen,themoneyhad that someone could cheat me in that gone beyond our reach. manner.”

Frustrated, Asiwaju who is the leader of the gang, directed us to rob We killed the policemen be- the Bereau -de-change so as not to cause we missed our target go empty handed. We succeeded and collected over N10 million. AsiFor Christain Joshua, he has this waju who owns the rifles got to say: “I and Saheed Adekunle, N3million while six of us got were the first to be at the airport. Our N550,000, each. I used part of my boss Teslim Okunola, also known as share to clear off some of my debt Esho, who was killed during the before I was arrested.

56 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

UN passes historic arms trade treaty

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HE UN General Assembly has adopted a historic treaty to control the trade in conventional arms, voting it through by a huge majority.

Member-states voted by 154 votes to three, with 23 abstentions, to control a trade worth $70bn (£46bn) annually.

The treaty went to a vote after Syria, Iran and North Korea blocked its adoption by consensus.

Russia and China, some of the world’s biggest exporters, were among those who abstained from the vote in New York.

“We owe it to those millions - often the most vulnerable in society -

UN chief, Ki-moon whose lives have been overshadowed by the irresponsible and illicit international trade in arms” The treaty prohibits states from exporting conventional weapons in violation of arms embargoes, or weapons that would be used for acts of genocide, crimes

against humanity, war crimes or terrorism.

It also requires states to prevent conventional weapons reaching the black market.

Before the vote, Australia’s ambassador to the UN, Peter Woolcott, had said the final draft of the treaty was a compromise text to bring together the broadest range of stakeholders.

“We owe it to those millions - often the most vulnerable in society whose lives have been overshadowed by the irresponsible and illicit international trade in arms,’’ he said.

McCain visits Mali as rebels fight back

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NITED States Sens.

John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse have arrived in Mali’s capital, Bamako, Tuesday for meetings with the country’s leaders.

The Arizona Republican and the Rhode Island Democrat spent time with Mali’s

interim Prime Minister Diango Cissoko, before heading into a meeting with interim President Dioncounda Traore.

A statement issued by the United States embassy in Bamako said the senators “have arrived in Bamako to take in the situation on

Pope to revisit Vatican scandals and faces growing calls

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OPE Francis, who has said he wants the Catholic Church to be a model of austerity and honesty, could restructure or even close the Vatican’s scandal-ridden bank as part of a broad review of its troubled bureaucracy, Vatican sources say.

Francis, who inherited a Church mired in scandals over priests’ sexual abuse of children and the leak of confidential documents alleging corruption and infighting in the Vatican’s central administration, is mulling his options as he sets the tone for a reformed and humbler Holy See. One of the tests of his papacy will be what he does about the bank which has regularly damaged the Vatican’s image over three decades

for reform. Last year a European anti-money laundering body found that the bank - formally called the Institute for Works of Religion and known by the Italian acronym IOR - had failed to meet some of its standards on fighting financial crimes.

Mandela’s condition remains unchanged — Presidency

F

ORMER South African president Nelson Mandela’s condition has not changed after a weekend improvement, the government said yesterday even as it denied media reports suggesting the antiapartheid hero had suffered a relapse in his

UN chief denounces N/Korea’s threat

T

HE United Nation Secretary Heneral, chief Ban Ki-moon has said that the North Korea “crisis has gone too far” after Pyongyang announced plans to restart its main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

Speaking at a news

the ground so as to have a better understanding of the present challenges so that they can foster the most appropriate contribution from America.”

Mali’s northern half was overrun by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb last year. The senators are touring the capital as a French-led military intervention aimed at flushing out the extremists enters its third month.

Meanwhile, shooting continued for a third day in the Malian city of Timbuktu, as the army went house to house searching for the Islamic extremists who infiltrated the town over the weekend.

conference during a visit to Andorra, Mr Ban called for urgent talks with the North.

The move by Pyongyang is the latest in a series of measures in the wake of its third nuclear test in February.

pneumonia.

“His condition is unchanged as reported yesterday,” presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj told Reuters. Asked about an NBC News report on its web site saying the 94year-old was still suffering a fluid build-up in his lungs, Maharaj said: “It is unfortunate that there are reports circulating in some media which suggest a deterioration, which is not true.”

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday for a recurrence of pneumonia and doctors said on Saturday they had drained excess fluid from his lungs and he was breathing without difficulty.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 57

58—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

BY UDUMA KALU

The interview panel with Shem (left)

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ESIGNERS and musicians are making brisk business from the controversial interview granted Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Obafaiye Shem by Channels TV a fortnight ago.

They have made the joke a brand by creating T shirts and songs out of it, and posting the products on Youtube and Facebook. The announcement too has gone viral on the website and some fashion sites are selling the shirts, with some celebrities as models.

Shem’s performance on the TV show is one of the most talked about on Nigerian social media today. He was invited to speak on “Cash for job racketeering” and other employment irregularities on the internet affecting his outfit.

Website of his organisation A new official has reportedly taken over as Lagos commandant while Shem's new posting is still unknown.

During the interview, Shem was asked the official website of the NSCDC. He could not answer it. He was obviously not prepared for the interview. He kept referring his interviewers to his 'oga at the top'.

The official website for the organisation is www.nscdc.gov.ng.

But because Shem who is said to have two university degrees could not remember the website of his organisation, the interview is now the No 1 trend in Nigeria, outside the death of the literary icon, Prof.

Chinua Achebe. His blunder has become the butt of jokes on the social network such as Twitter and Facebook since last Friday.

In addition to the joke are customised T-shirts with the inscription, “My oga at the top.” In fact, the actor, Chidi Mokeme, was said to have worn one of such T shirts at the

Chidi Mokeme wearing my Oga at the top T-shirt

Designers, artistes brand My Oga @ the Top Tu face Idibia wedding. There are numerous Blackberry display pictures with the same theme. The latest is the song posted on YouTube by DJ Ziggy featuring NSCDC. The song had 23,220 hits as at last Friday.

There is another by the artiste Nero. The original Channels TV video has had over 64,000 hits so far, and about a dozen articles written on the subject on elombah.com received the highest number of hits last week.

While some critics have accused the Sunrise Daily crew (of Chamberlain Usoh, Nneotaobase Egbe and Maupe Ogun) of poorly handling the programme, watching the interview in full might be helpful as the producers have

Entries for CNN MultiChoice African Journalist wanted

C

NN International and MultiChoice have officially launched the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013. Journalists who are entering this year’s competition have until April 17, 2013 to send in their completed entry forms and supporting material. They should visit CNN journalist of the year website to find out how to enter the com-

e

Oga at th Ladies in my top T-shirt

petition and for the relevant entry form.

The competition is perhaps the most prestigious and respected award for journalists across the Africa. Its objective is to reinforce the importance of the role of journalists in Africa’s development and to reward, recognise and encourage journalistic talent across all media disciplines.

defended themselves.

Here is the transcript of the interview: What is the website of the NSCDC? I cannot categorically tell you one now, because the one that we are going to…

Do you have multiple websites?

Wait, wait, the one we are going to make use of, I am not

the one that will create it…..

See, the question is what is your website?

Wait…the one that we are going to make use of, is going to remain known by ‘my oga at the top’. Yes! I can’t announce one now and my oga says it’s another one we suppose to use.

Are you saying you have multiple websites?

We cannot have multiple

websites, but the one that my oga… No no no, it’s not the one for employment.

What is your website? The one you use normally, your official website. When you want to know about NSCDC, what website do you go to?

If you want to know about the NSCDC as at now, ok, ww.nsd.

So, that’s all. www.nscdc.

That’s it?

APRA gets AUC support, holds summit in Ethiopia that the first All Africa Public Relations &

BY PRINCEWLL EKWUJURU

A

FRICAN Public Relations Association, APRA, has got the full backing of the African Union Commission (AUC) to the forthcoming first All African Public Relations and Strategic Communication Summit holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This was disclosed by APRA Secretary General, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya at a press briefing to kick start the summit scheduled to hold between May 8 to May 10,2013' tagged; ‘Rising Africa: The Imperative of Communication.’ BadejoOkusanya said that the choice of Ethiopia for this year’s summit was not accidental, but was strategically chosen to enable APRA get closer to the seat of the AU, especially as the organisation marks its 50 years of existence.

“In fact, you will be pleased to know

Strategic Communication Summit has been designated as one of the official events to mark the 50th Anniversary of the African Union, a fact which we are immensely proud of,” he said.

Consequently, the ultimate goal of the conference will be to set a communication agenda for Africa, while a road map for positioning Africa in the global context will be produced at the end of the conference. The conference will also produce and catalyze the much needed synergy between the AU, national governments, communications professionals, the media and of course the people of Africa towards the ultimate goal of a positively viewed Africa.

Speaking further, he noted, “it is a very glorious moment for public relations in Africa to be recognised at the very highest of levels on the continent. To this end, the 2013 APRA Summit has earned the recognition and support of the African Union Commission."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 59

60 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 — 61

Mba: Ojidoh wants NFF to stop disgracing Nigeria •Says Mba risks criminal prosecution

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

A

respected football administrator, Pa John Ojidoh has jumped into the Sunday Mba transfer fray with a clarion call on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to quickly put an end to the disgraceful controversy.

Speaking yesterday on the phone, Ojidoh said that the NFF was bringing the game of football to disrepute, with the way they were handling the issue, which if not resolved in time, could have serious negative effects on the player.

While accusing Rangers of troubleshooting, Ojidoh, a former Football chief of the Old Bendel State, said that NFF were footdragging on the issue, which he claimed was simple to resolve.

“All records show clearly that Mba is a bonafide player of Warri Wolves. The ownership is not subject to controversy.

I have seen a letter where Wolves paid Rangers N3.2m on a two-year contract, which is still on, so there can be no claim from Rangers.

“I have also seen where Rangers applied to Warri Wolves for Mba to be bought by them to prosecute their continental campaign. I have also seen the contract which showed that Mba was given N4m

as sign-on fee by Wolves and N100, 000 monthly pay.

“It is clear that NFF is wasting time and taxpayers money on Mba because the issue is so clear. They are aware of what I have just said and are in possession of the documents, which prove that Mba is a Wolves players”, added Ojidoh.

On the potential danger should the delay continue, Ojidoh said that “ it should not have been grave if they are talking about money ,but in this case, they are contending over ownership, which is a legal matter. I urge NFF to use the Player Status Regulation to resolve this quickly before it escalates”.

On the consequences

to Mba, Ojidoh said that “he is trying to commit suicide because the issue of him receiving money from two clubs is a criminal case. . Wolves paid and Rangers also paid. But his current licence shows that he is a Wolves player.

“As a father, everybody saw his game during our last World Cup qualifier against Kenya and it was

A N G E R S yesterday alleged that some of their officials were attacked by Kaduna fans after their weekend’s match against Kaduna United in Kaduna.

Z

FTER much effort put into making sure the schools have a successful outing, Royal Group of Schools finally helds its 4th Inter-House Sports competition.

The competition which had other schools in attendance was held last weekend, March 23rd, at the Unilag Sports Complex, Akoka, Lagos.

The programme was flagged off with introduction of guests to the high table, followed by rendition of the National Anthem, including the school’s anthem.

Pastor C.E Ekeh who is also the the Director, Royal Group of Schools, delivered the welcome address. In his speech, he explained the reason

behind the inter-house sports. According to him, the schools decided to organize the competition in the spirit of

NFF

Continues from BP

Secretariat, Abuja would be concluded on Wednesday, 3rd April.

Applicants are to pay a non-refundable fee and must come forward with their application, four (4) passport photographs, credible form of identification, two copies of their curriculum vitae and original and photocopies of their credentials.

Narrating the development, Rangers Spokesman, Forster Chime said that “the week four Premier League match in Kaduna between Kaduna United and Rangers, witnessed soccer hooliganism and unruly behaviour by fans of Kaduna United.

Continues from BP

FRENCH FANCY ...

Zinedine Zidane has hailed Gareth Bale’s efforts for Tottenham this season.

Royal Schools holds inter-house sports

A

•Mba celebrating

Rangers accuse Kaduna fans of hooliganism R

'Bale is the Real deal' INEDINE ZIDANE has fuelled speculation Real Madrid will move for Gareth Bale in the summer.

The French World Cupwinnner named Bale as the player who has impressed him most this season.

Zidane, who is Real’s director of football, reckons the Tottenham winger is not far off being among the best in the world.

And his endorsement will set tongues wagging about a possible bid from Spanish giants at the end of the season.

clear that the issue is affecting him psychologically. What he can do now is to declare in writing that he is a Wolves players, so that any club who want him, will negotiate with Wolves and I urge Wolves to set a realistic transfer fee for the player.

NFF on their part, should stop this disgraceful controversy”.

encouraging the students to get out of the classrooms and exercise themselves for good health.

“There would be no accreditation by proxy.

The NFF is going to be even more strict as everything would go ahead according to FIFA’s well-laid down rules and regulations, and best practices. There would be no room for hankypanky.

“Players’ Agents are ambassadors of every nation and only the best and worthy would emerge,” Barrister Obi said.

The examination would start at 10am on Thursday.

“Immediately after the match, which ended 11, Kaduna touts held Rangers cameraman, Eddy Aguguzu hostage for almost an hour before the intervention of security operatives.

They also held me hostage before I was rescued but then, the film clips of the two

cameras were removed and damaged by hoodlums.

“Also, the centre referee, Bala Toli from Kwara State, was thoroughly manhandled while it took the intervention of security men before Rangers players could leave the pitch”, said Chime.

Odemwingie

with Odemwingie at international level, said it was the right decision.

“He’s a loose cannon,” said Siasia. “I wouldn’t invite Odemwingie to the national team if I was the head coach.”

Siasia, who was in charge of the senior Nigeria team from 2010 to 2011, added: “We need players that will steer the upcoming ones in the

Continues from BP Silver and 2 Bronze medals while Ethiopia finished third with 6 Gold 13 Silver and 6 bronze medals.

The NOC President said that he was more excited with the junior athletes because they showed so much vim and vitality that Nigeria holds the future of Athletics in Africa.

Ndanusa who is also the President of Nigeria Tennis Federation also commended the facilities that were used at AYAC. “The use of Electronic Distance Measurement devices made the work of officials easy. The acquisition of the devices will no doubt bring about an improvement in the performances of our country’s athletes”.

right path and act as role models. If he does not do that, he will only end up destroying the team.”

At his club, Odemwingie has slowly worked his way back into the plans of manager Steve Clarke after failing with a bid to engineer himself a move to QPR on transfer deadline day.

But Siasia, coached the Nigeria Under-23s to a silver medal in the 2008

NOC

Also, the NOC President commended the President of Athletics Federation, Chief Solomon Ogba for his hardwork and predicted that Nigeria would bounce back to winning ways with the eloquent programs of AFN. “Chief

Yobo Continues from BP they serve as motivation to the younger players.

That is why Yobo is still important and the technical crew knows so.

If we treat them well the level of commitment of both the old and the new players will be total but if we do otherwise we will

Olympics where Odemwingie was the overage player, still has his doubts about the striker.

“He needs to calm down and understand he now has a wife and a kid who look up to him as an example,” he said.

“I pray he matures quickly because Nigerians will want to see him back in the national team.”

Ogba has passion for athletics and has demonstrated his love for the sport. I am indeed grateful having him as President’’, Ndanusa said praising Confederation of African Athletics for letting Nigeria be the host of AYAC. have problems on and off the pitch”, declared the Maccabi Tel Aviv Fc shot stopper.

Enyeama assured that the Super Eagles will make it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil , noting that the draw in Calabar against the Harambee Stars of Kenya last month, will be corrected in the return leg in Nairobi .

62 —

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Eguavoen advised Ogunbote on Sharks job N

EWLY-appointed technical adviser of Sharks FC, Gbenga Ogunbote has revealed that he spoke to the man he replaced at the Blue Angels, Augustine Eguavoen shortly before he took the reins at the Port Harcourt club.

Eguavoen left the Sharks post after a brief and tumultuous spell accusing the management of the club of failing to hand him a documented contract five months after he was unveiled as head coach/ technical adviser of the club.

Ogunbote has now revealed that he had a heart-to-heart discussion with Eguavoen after the latter threw in the towel.

“Augustine is my friend.

I called him before I took

G

A L ATA S A R AY coach Fatih Terim has claimed “even a sixyear-old” is aware of how Real Madrid play, stressing that there is little point in focusing on the Liga champions’ tactics.

The Super Lig leaders face los Blancos in the quarter-finals of the Champions League tonight, and although Terim admits he has studied fastidiously any recent footage of Jose Mourinho’s side, he maintains everyone

Terim: Even a six-year-old can predict Real play knows what to expect from them.

“There’s not much point talking about Real Madrid. Everyone knows what they’re about. Even a six-year-old knows how Real plays,” Terim told Marca.com.

“I always watch Real Madrid – it’s the smartest way to keep improving as

a coach. I never miss any.

In the last week alone, I’ve watched six or seven videos.”

Terim, who also went to watch los Blancos in action against Real Mallorca, insists he intends to “play the right way ” despite the formidable strength in depth of their opponents.

Pellegrini upbeat for Dortmund clash

C

Eguavoen this job. It has always been my practice before I take any new job to speak to the individual who was in charge before me,” Ogunbote said.

Ogunbote revealed that there is no animosity between the duo over his

decision to take over at Sharks following Eguavoen’s acrimonious departure from the club.

“There was no bitterness at all. He gave me his blessing and asked me to take the job,” he added.

OACH Manuel Pellegrini believes Malaga more than merit a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League as they prepare to take on Borussia Dortmund.

Malaga have belied financial problems to stamp their mark on both the domestic league and Europe this season.

As well as reaching the last eight of the Champions League, Pellegrini’s men are also in the hunt for a top-four finish in La Liga although UEFA have banned them from playing European football next season due to outstanding debts.

Tomorrow they host Dortmund in the opening

leg of their quarter-final tie and Pellegrini feels they can give the German champions a run for their money if they continue to play to their strengths.

“Of course there is a lot of satisfaction and happiness for what we have been doing in the Liga and the Champions League this season,” he told reporters.

— 63 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013—

C M Y K

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Odemwingie’s a ‘loose cannon’ — Siasia

N

IGERIA and West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie has been labelled a “loose cannon” and urged to “calm down” by exSuper Eagles coach

Samson Siasia.

The 31-year-old missed Super Eagles Africa Cup of Nations success after falling out with coach Stephen Keshi.

Siasia, who worked Continues on Page 61

We can't do without Yobo President lauds Gov — Enyeama NOC Uduaghan, CAA, AFN S

UPER Eagles assistant skipper, Vincent Enyeama, says Skipper Joseph Yobo remains the authentic leader of the national team and he is predicting that he will be back in no time to the national team because of his wealth of experience.

Speaking from his base in Israel to Eagles Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, Enyeama said whether Yobo is a starter for the national team or not, all the players of the team still believe in his leadership qualities, same as the coaching crew headed by Stephen Keshi.

“We have to be careful in how we handle senior players of the national team, because we need their experience, leadership and above all

Continues on Page 61

NFF holds FIFA Agents’ exam on Thursday

T

•Gov. Uduaghan

P

CONTEST . . . Super Eagles Skipper, Joseph Yobo (L) vies with an unidentified opponent during the recent Afcon 2013 in South Africa.

PUZZLE

was back on track.

Nigerian junior athletes powered to victory in the African championship winning 13 Gold, 10 Silver and 10 medals to beat Egypt which came second with 8 Gold, 6

HE Nigeria Football Federation will on Thursday, 4th April in Abuja hold the first examination of the year for prospective FIFA Players’ Agents. The examination holds at the FIFA Goal Project, Package B, National Stadium Complex, Abuja.

Head of Legal Unit of the NFF, Barrister Okey Obi said that accreditation of the applicants which started on Tuesday, 2nd April at the NFF

Continues on Page 61

Continues on Page 61

•Ndanusa

RESIDENT of Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Engr Sani M. Ndanusa has hailed the Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan on his revolutionary strides in sports and said that the recent success of Team Nigeria at the just concluded African Youth Athletics Championship in Warri was a sign positive sign that Nigeria Athletics

Champions League: Today's Q/final Matches Malaga v B/Dortmund 7:45pm Real Mardrid v Gatasaray 7:45pm

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

•Osaze

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 2 Damp (5) 7 Mud (4) 8 Referee (6) 9 Flinch (5) 11 Sup (3) 13 Dandy (3) 15 Hades (4) 16 Coach (3) 18 Beak (4) 19 Title (7) 20 Backside (4) 22 Flank (4) 23 Wonder (7) 25 Worry (4) 27 Shelter (3) 28 Possess (4) 30 Obese (3) 31 Guided (3) 33 Simulate (5) 36 Agile (6) 37 Rant (4) 38 Postpone (5)

DOWN 1 Elf (5) 2 Chop (3) 3 Males (3) 4 Owing (3) 5 Choose (3) 6 Slaver (5) 10 Exploit (4) 11 Marshal (7) 12 Plunge (7) 13 Fastidious (7) 14 Stopped (7) 16 Trite (5) 17 Manner (5) 18 Nod (3) 21 Mine (3) 24 Yield (4) 26 Swift (5) 29 Vigour (5) 32 Recede (3) 33 Nourished (3) 34 Sick (3) 35 Attempt (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

How to Play Sudoku

ACROSS: I, Gamut 5, Legend 8, Nudge 10, Charge 11, Whip 14, Detain 15, Passion 18, Wet 19, Tar 21, Rend 23, Femur 24, Gasp 27, Den 29, Pan 31, Damaged 32, Stolid 34, Tale 35, Amused 38, Foyer 39, Potent 40, Testy

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Ash 3, Unrest 4, Tug 5, Lewd 6, Gaiter 7, Donned 9, Devoted 12, Hew 13, Pate 16, Area 17, Named 20, Runaway 22, Nude 24, Gossip 25, Spot 26, Palate 28, Mature 30, Nil 33, Deft 36, Met 37, Eat

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

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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