2015: North can'tintimidate us — S-South

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 61705

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Four Igbinedion Varsity lecturers die in •P .11 auto crash

FG, N'Assembly poise for war over N5,000 note •P .6

2015: North can't intimidate us — S-South

BY EMMA AMAIZE & EMMA ARUBI

•Says Jonathan has right to run for second term W •We'll reply them word-for-word, fight-for-fight, they say

ARRI- ELDERS and leaders of the South-South geopolitical zone buried their political differences, yesterday and resolved not to allow the region to be intimidated or harassed by Northern leaders or any other group, to give up the constitutional right of President Goodluck Continues on Page 5

STATE OF THE NATION:

Some •P.45 unresolved critical issues DONU KOGBARA:

•P.17

Mr & Mrs

SPIRIT OF LOYALTY—

Former American President, Bill Clinton bows as President Barack Obama walks on stage after Clinton’s address to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday.

Gunmen invade NYSC lodge in Taraba Pg.50

Belgore report 'll be sent to N/A soon — Jonathan •P.12

2 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 3

4 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—5

POCKET CARTOON

2015: North can't intimidate us — South-South leaders Continues from Page 1 Jonathan to hold office for eight years.

The decision was taken at a general meeting of the South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA, the umbrella body of the zone, in Warri, Delta State with eminent leaders, political gladiators and power brokers from the six states of the zone: Delta, Edo, AkwaIbom, Cross-River, Rivers and Bayelsa in attendance.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who attended the summit was excited at the new found love and unity among the leaders, and promised that as servants, South-South governors would champion their articulated position.

He enjoined the SSPA to look into the grumbling of ethnic nationalities within the region and the dispute between Cross River and AkwaIbom states over the ownership of 76 oil wells, saying some of his colleagues had taunted him before now that the South-South was not giving enough backing

to President Jonathan.

Among those who turned out for the meeting were national leader of the zone and former Federal Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark; first civilian governor of Edo State and national chair of SSPA, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; first civilian governor of Delta State, Olorogun (Senator) Felix Ibru; former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; former military administrator of Niger State, BrigaderGeneral Cletus Emein (rtd); former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro; and former governor of Akwa-Ibom/ deputy chair, SSPA, Idongesit Nkanga.

The Roll Call Also in attendance were Senators Roland Owie, Francis Okpozo, Patrick Osakwe, Stella Omu, Francis Nwajei, Tare Sekibo and Lee Maeba; former provost marshal of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Don Idada Ikponmwen; Elder Ambrose Akpanika, Dr

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

W

HEN God turns to you, it becomes your turn.

It’s your turn to attain the height of achievement beyond your imagination. You will outshine in everything you do in Jesus name.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Someone advised, ‘If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague’ —Steve Goodier

Y

OU’ve probably heard it said that it’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice. And there’s truth in that. But isn’t there something even more important than being nice? What about doing good? What about standing up and being counted? When courageous people take unpopular stances, they aren’t always seen by their opposition in a soft and gentle light.

President Lincoln called his cabinet together and told them, “if my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, to abolish slavery, and my whole soul is in it.” Then he picked up a pen and signed “Abraham Lincoln” in bold writing.

There were a large number of people that day who would not have used the word “nice” to describe his action. In fact, a great many not only couldn’t say anything kind, they couldn’t even be vague. He was slandered and maligned. But that signature, coupled with a later Union victory, changed the course of history forever. American slaves were finally to be freed.

But there comes a time for each of us to stand up and do the right thing. To do good. According to Steve Goodier, “I hope that my personal moral code will always be broader than simply trying to be a pleasant person. I hope I don’t back down when I have a chance to do good, to make a real difference, even at a cost.

Brown Adasen, all former SSPA chairs in Edo, Cross River and Delta states; former governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, Chief Francis Doukpola; top female politician, Dr Esther Uduehi and Wing Commander Peter Biakpara (rtd).

There were also political strategist and academic, Prof B.I. C Ijomah; former Minister of Information, Prof Sam Oyovbaire; General Sam Oviawe (rtd), NigerDelta activist, Ann KioBriggs; Prince Ernest Okojie, Chief S.S. Obaro, Prince K.B Omatseye, Mrs. Adaora Giwa-Amu, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Chief Godwin Ogbetuo, Itsekiri opinion leader, Dr. Isaac Jemide; Chief Patrick Okonny, AkwaIbom industrialist, Otuekong Jackson Udom; General Anthony Etukudoh (rtd.), Chief E. Okoretie, Chief. B. Ketebu, Princess Monica Akiri, Barrister Mike Ejiofor, Chief David Pere, Prof Saliba Mukoro, Ambassador Harold Moni, Richard Lamai, Ebewele Austin and Elegbete Moses Odibo.

Two-time governor of defunct Bendel State, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and former military administrator, AVM Gregory Agboneni, could not make it, but sent apologies. Also former minister, Alabo Graham Douglas, who travelled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment; former Supreme Court judge, Justice Adolphus KaribiWhyte; Senator Aniete Okon, His Royal Majesty, Alfred Diete-Spiff and Chief Don Etiebet sent words of solidarity.

Why I called the meeting — Clark Speaking at the meeting, Chief Clark, who was acknowledged by speaker after speaker as the unflagging leader of the South-South, said he became very disturbed lately over the disunity in the zone and the way leaders from other geopolitical zones were poaching on the region.

His words: “There has been disagreement among us and we have

not been speaking with one voice and I ask myself, if it pleases God to take me today, what legacy will I be leaving for SSPA? That is why I took up the challenge to call the meeting”.

He said he was happy that the effort paid off, as could be seen from the calibre of people in attendance, adding, “we have appointed a committee to reconcile and harmonize under the leadership of Prof B.I.C Ijomah”.

Chief Clark said that since President Jonathan took office, the North had not rested in its ambition to make the country ungovernable for him, adding, “the South-South will never have it again if we miss this chance”.

He asserted that the constitution of the country allowed every president to contest for two terms and wondered why the North wanted to stop President Jonathan and by extension, SouthSouth zone from taking its turn.

According to him, former President Shehu Shagari would have completed his second tenure if not that his government was toppled, while President Olusegun Obasanjo ran for two terms. He added that former President Umaru Yar ’Adua would also have run for two terms, but for death that snatched him and asked why Dr. Jonathan should be stampeded out of office.

The South-South leader stated that when the zone made its famous declaration in Calabar in 2005 that the zone wanted to produce the next president, it meant it and prayed for it, but by a twist of fate, Obasanjo imposed the late Yar ’Adua on the country and Jonathan, who was not considered for presidency was made vice president.

He said, as fate would have it, however, Yar ’Adua died and Jonathan became president.

The leader said SouthSouth prayed for leadership and got it through Dr. Jonathan and would not allow the North to intimidate or harass him out of power. He received a thunderous response when he asked if the people were in sup-

port of the region completing its eight-year shot at the presidency.

He said: “If we miss this chance, we will not be there again” and cautioned politicians from the zone not to be running mate to any presidential candidate from the North in 2015, as anybody, who disobeys the warning would be rejected by the people.

Clark said the SouthSouth was not against national conference and called on the Federal Government to convene a national confab for the people to decide the basis of their unity.

He pointed out, however, that he was against sovereign national conference, stating that if the conference resolves that the country should split, nobody would be able to stop it at that stage.

We must be united back home — Uduaghan Governor Uduaghan in his speech said: “For us to come out boldly in strong support of our President and the unity of this country, we must be united back home. I am happy that today, we have a more united SSPA. However, we must not ignore the ethnic grumbling in the South-South.

“All the ethnic groups, big or small, must be given a sense of belonging, accommodation and protection. All the interstate disagreements must also be carefully dealt with; I want to implore the SSPA, at this juncture, to urgently intervene in the current disagreement between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states over oil wells before it degenerates further”.

He called for support for President Jonathan, saying, “he has come

into office at a time the world economy is at its worst. All over the world, there is the problem of economic depression leading to very high rate of unemployment. This is made worse by the astronomical rise in our population. All these pose a big challenge to any leader. We must therefore be more rational and understanding in our criticism.

“His job is not an easy one, I ask you to continue to give him the support in every way possible to succeed. His success is our success.

Our people say that whatever name you give to your cloth will determine what others call the cloth. Let us give ours the best names”, he implored.

Uduaghan said he was particularly excited at the SSPA reunion meeting because it was a gathering organized by Chief Clark and sponsored by him, adding that those who read between the lines would understand what he was driving at.

He said that after his recent widely publicized lecture in which he spoke about true federalism and 50 per cent derivation, some of his colleagues called him to say that he did not have a home base, as the leaders of the zone were not united.

The governor said those who attempted to poke fun at him would eat a humble pie when the news of the great union gets to them.

On his part, Prof Ijomah, who heads the reconciliation and harmonization committee of SSPA, said he was happy that the association was able to put its nagging problems behind, adding, “now that we are united, we will begin to open up”.

He said that the an

Continues on Page 14

6—Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Dana Airline thanks FG zSays operations resume soon

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHE

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PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT—From left: Vice President Namadi Sambo; President Goodluck Jonathan; Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu and Chairman of the occasion, Justice Alfa Belgore during a Presidential retreat for civil society organisations and professional associations at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: State House.

FG, N-Assembly poise for war over N5,000 note, Dana Air

BY SONI DANIEL

A

BUJA—AS the controversy over the implementation of the 2012 budget rages between the National Assembly and the Presidency, strong indications emerged yesterday, that the two arms might clash again over the nod given by the Executive to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to introduce N5,000 note.

The lawmakers, it was learnt, are irked that the Presidency consented to the controversial decision, which has been roundly condemned by wellmeaning Nigerians without seeking their approval.

Similarly, Vanguard gathered that the lawmakers were also spoiling for war with the Executive over the surreptitious approval given Dana Air to resume flight operations barely three months after its aircraft killed 153 Nigerians.

Dana Air crashed on its way from Abuja to Lagos, killing all the 153 passengers on board on June 3, 2012 and the report of investigations into the cause of the fatal crash is yet to be made public.

The two Aviation committees of the National Assembly working on the incident were yet to turn in their reports, when the Federal Government ordered Dana back to the skies on Wednesday.

A top-ranking lawmaker told Vanguard yesterday that the legislators were angry that the Presidency

went ahead to grant approval to the CBN to proceed with the introduction of the controversial bank note without inputs from them.

The lawmaker pointed out that they were suprised by the two decisions taken by the executive arm of government at a time they were trying to resolve the imbroglio over the implementation of the 2012 budget.

According to the source, the two issues for which the Presidency had given approval without seeking the opinion of the National Assembly were issues that had far-reaching implications on Nigerians and should not have been done without their involvement as representatives of the people.

The source said, “You can see the levity with which this government treats the National Assembly members, who were elected to make laws for the good of this nation. What do they take us for?.

Continuing, the source noted, “We will certainly take up these issues once we resume because we have not given any approval for the government to embark on any of them. These are issues that border on people’s lives and we cannot just keep silent over them.

“Nigerians should be rest assured that we will always work for their own interest and whatever we decide will be in the interest of the people.”

The lawmaker pointed

out that the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, committed a blunder by asking Dana to resume when the reports of the two committees of the National Assembly had not yet been made public to ascertain what caused Dana flight crash on June 3.

It was learnt that the National Assembly had also shifted its planned resumption by a week.

Before it proceeded on vacation, the lawmakers had stated that they would resume on September 19 but a source said yesterday

they would resume on September 25.

The lawmakers had given President Goodluck Jonathan up to the end of this month to implement the budget by 100 percent or face impeachment, a development that generated tension in the country.

However following intense rapprochement by eminent Nigerians and consultations between the Presidency and the lawmakers, there were hopes that the threat had been laid to rest.

AGOS—DANA Airline announced yesterday that it will soon resume flight operations following the lifting of suspension of the airline operations by the Federal Government Wednesday.

In a statement, the management of the airline thanked the Federal Government for lifting the suspension and announced that it will soon resume flight operations in all its routes.

It will be recalled that following the tragic crash of the airline plane on Sunday, June 3, at IjuIshaga, Lagos, which killed more than 153 people, including those on board the plane and the residents of the site it crashed, the airline flight operations were suspended by the Federal Government.

In what looked like fore closing investigation into the crash, the airline said the Federal Government

I

was satisfied with the airworthiness of the airline.

The airline said ‘’The management and the over 558 staff of Dana Air wish to express our deepest appreciation to the Federal Government over the lifting of the suspension of the airline’s operations with effect from Wednesday, September 5, 2012, following government’s satisfaction with the airworthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit.’’

The airline also thanked ‘’all Nigerians and our esteemed guests for your prayers since the tragic accident of Sunday, June 3, 2012. Our thoughts and prayers will always be with the families that lost loved ones.’’

The airline, however, reiterated its committed to assisting the families of victims of the crash and also fulfilling its obligations to them fully, as stipulated by the law.

APOLOGY

N the Vanguard Newspaper of Friday, August 24, 2012, we published on page 15 a cartoon with the caption, "Gov. Amosun jets out of Nigeria on a N26 million chartered plane..., and below the cartoon pictures read, "when a leader embarks on such a venture, this is the best way

to wave him safe journey".

We hereby retract the cartoon news in its entirety and apologise profoundly to His Excellency Governor Ibikunle Amosun for any inconvenience and/or embarrassment the publication might have caused him. We hold Governor Amosun in high esteem— Editor.

Onshore/offshore dichotomy: Uduaghan, Clark slam Northern govs

BY EMMA AMAIZE & EMMA ARUBI

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ARRI—DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday called on Northern Governors to drop their demand for a reversal of the settled issue of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy, saying that it would spell trouble for the country.

The governor stated this in his address at a meeting of the reinvigorated SouthSouth Peoples Assembly, SSPA, in Warri, just as South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, called on South-South governors to tackle their northern counterparts, who had been pouring all kinds of vituperations on the region.

Uduaghan said he had noticed a subtle attempt by

some leaders to repudiate the political solution that was brokered on the onshore/offshore dichotomy with the intention that if they succeed, they would demand the reduction of 13 per cent derivation to oilproducing states.

He said he was aghast as to why some people were bent on stoking fire when the tension and crisis generated by the issues that led to 13 per cent derivation and accord on the current onshore/offshore dichotomy were still too fresh to be reopened.

His words: “I worry when some leaders overlook the obligation placed upon them in not applying restraint in the position they take, such as on this issue of derivation.

“I say so because, the tension and crisis over

derivation, in particular over on-shore/off-shore dichotomy, is too recent in our collective memory to be reopened by anyone for debate.

“The fear in many quarters is that if they succeed in reopening and reversing this settled issue, then we can be sure that before long they will ask for reduction of 13 percent derivation.

“I say to all those agitating for reversal of onshore/ offshore dichotomy to drop it. Drop it because it is a move that will do the country no good”.

According to him, the South South was asking for a return to the first principle of derivation, which was 50 per cent as was the case in the first Republic.

He therefore charged SSPA and the people of the

region not to relent in the demand for 50 per cent derivation.

Speaking, Chief Clark noted that the 19 Northern governors under the auspices of the Northern Governors Forum “recently attacked the six governors of the zone, accusing them of corruption, ineptitude and incompetence in the supposed huge sums of money that they collect form the Federation Account for the benefit of their people, while they, the northerners receive a paltry sum.

“They have called for the abrogation of the 2004 Act, which abolished the onshore-offshore dichotomy, castigating their legislators for their earlier support of the Bill, they now want a restoration of the Supreme Court judgment of 2002".

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 7

VISIT: From left: Obi of Onitsha and Chairman, Diamond Bank Plc, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, during a visit by the President to the monarch in Onitsha.

WINNERS: From right: Representative of Enugu State Governor, Mr. Godwin Ogenyi, presenting an award to Mrs. Cordelia Okechukwu, HOD, Government House, Mr. John Odo and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Aja, on behalf of the best cultural dance group, "Otu Chimereze", from Enugu State Government House, at 2012 Civil Service week celebrations in Enugu, yesterday.

Man machetes wife to death in Enugu 2015: North can't

BY CHINENYECHOZOR

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SUKKA—A man who was identified by the police as Sunday Eze (Jnr) has reportedly matcheted his wife to death at the University town of Nsukka in Enugu State.

Eze, alleged to be a native of Agbani Nguru in Nsukka Local Government was said to have killed his wife followingaslightmisunderstandinghe had with her.

Vanguard sources said at Nsukka that the suspect allegedly killed his wife lon Tuesday night in the presence of their only child Onyebuchi Eze, 11. The suspect was alleged to have rebuffed pleas by the child not to kill his mother.

The kid who received a deep cut in his hand in attempt to prevent his father from killing his mother is a form five pupil of a primary school in the area.

The suspect was however said to have had a mental problem beforetheincident.Itwasalleged that the suspect had threatened to kill his wife each time they had any disagreement.

Police sources quoted the 11 year old boy as stating that his parents had quarrels that night before hisfatherusedhismatchet andkilledhis‘’mummy,’’adding, ‘’I rushed him and pleaded but hedidnotlistentome.Hestabbed my mother severally both on the head and legs and on seeing that mummy is dead, he asked me to

go to his elder brother’s residence, and tell them what has happened while he also moved to the nearby neighbours to inform them.’’

According to the police sources,Onyebuchicompliedas directed by his father only for the assailant to escape into the bush for three days before he was caught by a search party in the community. The search party

headed by one Christopher Ejike OnahaliasPapaNsukka,wassaid to have apprehended the suspect after ransacking all the nearby bushes and villages. He was said to have attempted to kill himself with a screw driver which gave him a very deep cut in the throat.before he was arrested on the third night, looking frail and haggard.

The suspect told Vanguard that his late wife was responsible for his mental problem even as he further claimed that she died during a scuffle with him on the fateful night.

“I was told by my diviner that my wife has a hand in my mental problem which causes me internal heat at intervals,’’ the suspect further told Vanguard.

Area commander appeals to Lagos command surmount the conCP over late Inspector straintswhichimpededitsopera-

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AGOS—THE Area Commander, Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, Assistant Commisioner of Police, ACP, Alhaji Ari Ali Mohamed has appealed to Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, to come to the aid of the family of one deceased “gallant and hardworking” Inspector Mr. Taiye Ajetumobi who was killed three weeks ago while trying to prevent a robbery operation together with his team by some hoodlums along Warehouse Road in Apapa.

Ajetumobi and three others were on routine patrol of the area in the morning that fateful day when they encountered the suspectedrobbersandegagedthem in a fierce gun battle.

Tthe Inspector who led the team was shot dead during the

encounter while another Inspector Wale Olaniyan was injured just as one of the robbery suspects was killed on the spot, and two suspects arrested. Items recovered from them included one English pistol and seven rounds of ammunjtion.

Mohamed who made the appeal during Manko’s visit to the Apapa Command, yesterday, urgedhimtoassistthedeceased’s family in particular through the Lagos State Government as this “this will not only serve as a moraleboostertothemenofthecommand but will also propel them to even perform more.

He also used the occasion to appeal to the police boss help the

tionalefficiency,includinglackof serviceable operational vehicles, communication equipment, shortage of arms and ammunition among others.

Replying,Manko imploredall members of the command to be humble, dedicated and honest; qualities he said aided the Area Commanderattainhisnewposition of ACP. He also reminded them of the need to always maintain the noroad-block policy of the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji AbubakarMohamedpromising to look into the needs of the command to enable it perform effectively.

Arik Air, Lufthansa Technik seal new partnership deal

BY KENNETHEHIGIATOR

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AGOS—ARIK Air and world renowned aircraft maintenance service provider, Lufthansa Technik of Germany, havesealedanewpartnershipdeal that will maintain the safe operations and support further growth of the airline.

At a meeting held at the corporate head office in Lagos, the two organisations agreed to strengthen their partnership that was first consummated about five years ago.

Under the new partnership, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cityline will continue to provide technical support to Arik Air in the areas of line maintenance, base maintenance, materials and pool parts among others for the next

five years.

Lufthansa Technikisalsotoassist Arik Air in the area of personnel training and the establishment of a Maintenance, RepairandOverhaul,MRO,facility inNigeria.

The leader of the Lufthansa team who is the Sales and Marketing Director, Mr. Clemens Schrettl. said he was impressed with the outcome of the meeting describing the deliberations as fruitful.

Mr. Schrettl said: “Lufthansa is happy with the partnership we have had with Arik in the last five years and this is why we are here today to renew that cooperation and seek further areas of cooperation with the airline. We are looking at taking this partnership to the next level.”

intimidate us — South-South leaders Continues from Page 5 tagonism of the northern leaders was what they inherited from their founding fathers, notably Sir Ahmadu Bello, who, he alleged, told the late Owelle of Onitsha, Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1960 that Nigeria was an estate of the North and they, North, would regard the South as a conquered territory.

Ijomah said the quest for power by the North was to perpetuate the agenda and sounded a warning that the SouthSouth would reply wordfor-word and fight-forfight the hostile position of the North to President Jonathan.

SSPA chair, Chief Odigie-Oyegun said the fact that the region was in disagreement before yesterday’s meeting was not in doubt, and thanked God for the new spirit of unity that has taken over.

Former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief D i e p r e y e Alamieyesiegha said the people of South-South geo-political zone were proud of President Jonathan and would give him all the support to change the fortune of the country.

Former military administrator of Akwa-Ibom State, Air Commodore Nkanga said President Jonathan had done well thus far and should be supported by the zone and other Nigerians. He asserted that the days of improper governance and intimidation were over.

Otuekong Sunny Udom, one of the leaders from Akwa Ibom, said he was happy with the decision of South-South leaders to sink their differences and stand up for their rights.

Dame B. Ketebu threw her weight behind the resolve of South-South leaders to walk together and called for deployment of its first eleven in any political battle.

Senator Roland Owie, spoke in the same light, saying the zone should support its own, while a former military governor and chairman of Council of Elders, Cross River, Col P.A. Ogar (rtd.) said he was re-assured that the zone still remains the pillar of the country for resolving its internal problem, apparently masterminded by some forces to destabilize the zone.

Olorogun Ibru said new spirit of unity in the zone had made the people even stronger, while Brigadier-General Ikponwen said not many would believe that what happened in Warri was real, adding that the zone would support President Jonathan all the way.

Ex-IGP, Mr. Okiro said the South-South deserved more than what it had benefited from the Nigerian nation, adding, “we want 50 per cent, not 13 per cent derivation.

There must be fiscal federalism, let every region develop with its own resources”.

Niger-Delta activist, Ann Kio-Brigs, said President Jonathan had been attacked on all fronts by those who do not want him to succeed, and called on Southsoutherners to support him.

National president of Foundation for Integration in Nigeria, John Ejidene Adie, however, said some people, for political reasons, had hijacked the interest of the South-South.

8—Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

SOUTH-SOUTH PEOPLES ASSEMBLY MEETING IN PIX

Sen. Rowland Owie (right), and Mr. Matthias Ogunsuyi.

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (in suit), with participants during the general meeting of the South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA, in Warri, yesterday.

From right: Chief John Oyegun, SSPA National Chairman, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Edwin Clark and Olorogun Felix Ibru.

From right: Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief E. K. Clark and Senator Felix Ibru.

From right: Sen. Stella Omu, Sir Mike Okiro, former Inspector-General of Police and Chief Diepreye Alamiesyeseigha

From right: Delta State Governor, Dr. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former Governor of Bayelsa State and Senator Lee Maeba.

A cross section of Akwa-Ibom representatives.

From right: Chief Peter Biakpara, Sir Mike Okiro and Elegbete Moses Odibo.

Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012— 9

N30bn Mile 12 to Ikorodu Road expansion starts .Property owners demand for compensation

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI AND MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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HE much p u b l i c i s e d expansion work on the 13.5 kilometre Mile12 to Ikorodu Road project has begun as Lagos State government mobilised the contractor- Chinese Civil Engineering and C o n s t r u c t i o n Corporation, CCECC, to site. The project is estimated to cost N30 billion.

This came as affected property owners appealed to the state government to ensure adequate compensation for the structures to be demolished.

The 59-year-old dual carriageway is to be expanded into six lanes with Bus Rapid Transit, BRT route in the middle.

Other features of the multi-million naira road project include 15 BRT bus stations, three terminals –to be located at Mile 12, Agric and Ikorodu, nine new bridges, seven pedestrian bridges to access BRT stations, nine pedestrian crossing points, 12 new U-turns to allow for traffic going towards Lagos and Ikorodu, lane markings and streetlights.

The project is scheduled to be completed within two years.

As expected, however, leaders of the Ikorodu community, including Ayodele Elesho, a former Commissioner for Information in Lagos, at a stakeholders’ forum, yesterday, organised by Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority, L AMATA, expressed total support for the project, but called on the state government to consider compensation to owners of properties that must give way for the road expansion.

However, the consideration for compensation, it was gathered, is already being worked out by the government, as a source from the state Land Bureau advised those whose properties had been marked for demolition to send in relevant documents inclusive of Certificate of Occupancy, CofO, Approved Building Plans and related papers for assessment, and possible compensation.

The reality is that those without relevant documents may not benefit from the compensation.

L-R: Cyril Nnwaobu, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Admin.Officer; Mr. Ali Mohammed, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP),Area commander of Area B, Command Headquarters Apapa, Lagos; Ms. Chioma Gabriel, Editor, Saturday Vanguard;Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Editor, Vanguard Newspaper and Mr. Chukwudi Onyeanusi, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Station Officer, during the Area Commander's visit to Vanguard Newspapers, Apapa, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Traffic Law: Lagos Police ready for enforcement

.Army says personnel will comply

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HE Lagos State Police Command has declared its readiness to begin full enforcement of the new Lagos Traffic Law and warning that in the process, nobody would be spared.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Umar Manko, who gave the indication after the State Security Council meeting on Wednesday, said the delay in enforcement was to allow for public enlightenment and all other requirements to be put in place to ensure easy compliance by members of the public.

Fielding questions from newsmen after the

Odua Peoples Congress on new N5,000 bill

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

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HE Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, has called on Nigerians to resist any attempt by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to go ahead with the introduction of the new

N5,000 bill in Nigeria.

The Economic Management Team, EMT, of the Federal Government has ratified the CBN’s proposed c o n t r o v e r s i a l introduction of the new N5,000 currency -a move that may well spark legal and civic battles soon.

At a media parley with

the president and founder of OPC, Dr Frederick Fasehun in Lagos, the group warned that attempt by the government to impose the idea on the nation without adequate consultations will threaten the peace of the nation.

FG, Lagos State to boost local fish production

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

T

HE Federal and Lagos State governments are to engage in massive local fish production as part of measure to boost food production, Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina,

disclosed this yesterday, at the flag-off of the artisan fishing input service delivery programme, organised by the state Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, at Orimedu Beach, Ibeju Lekki.

At the event Lagos State government

presented fishing input worth over N17 million to five registered fishermen cooperative societies in Orimadu Beach .

Adeshina noted that fishing business in the state contributes the highest fishing in Nigeria due to its natural water endowment.

meeting, the Police boss explained, “Since the Governor signed it, it has become law. The fact that it has not been massively enforced does not mean that it is not in existence. So we have just finished a meeting.

Everybody now knows there is a new law and that law is going to be fully enforced.”

According to the C o m m i s s i o n e r, “Government has done its part, public enlightenment has been made, road repairs are going on and there are traffic signs everywhere, therefore, no citizen has the right to say that he does not know. The Police are going to start the enforcement in full and nobody is going to be spared.”

Promising that members of his Command would not

disobey the law, Manko declared, “We are going to start full enforcement and we expect compliance to this law from everybody. The contents have been made public, so excuse of ignorance of the law is no more there.”

On “MBER” months, the Commissioner, who described them as no different from other months of the year, said although there may be some challenges the Police were fully prepared and would

Health conference/exhibition holds

BY CHIOMA OBINNA & CHARITY UGWUANYI

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TAKEHOLDERS at the eighth West African Health Conference and Exhibition which started yesterday in Lagos have said that Nigeria could

Adeboye speaks on Nigeria

BY OLAYINKA LATONA

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ASTOR Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has enjoined Nigerians not to be despondent but cast their burdens upon God as Nigeria will surely fulfil her destiny and assume her rightful position in the world.

Speaking through the Assistant Pastor of RCCG national headquarters parish, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye as part of preparations for a special

come out en masse to ensure that public peace was not disturbed.

Also speaking on behalf of the Flag Officer, Western Naval Command and Air Officer, Logistics Command, Commander, 9 Brigade, Ikeja, Cantonment, Brigadier General Pat Akem, said the Armed Forces would sensitize and inform their members to know that they are also subject to the law and that compliance is expected from them.

prayer scheduled for Sunday, September 8 at the church’s national headquarters, also known as Throne of Grace, at Ebute Metta, Lagos at 8.00 a.m., said Nigeria can still be one of the pillars of the world.

He said despite the prevailing security challenges currently facing the nation, God can still revert the irreversible if the indigenes can intensify their prayers, noting therefore that Nigerians should not relent in their prayers for the country.

achieve vast access to affordable and high quality healthcare if the private sector is allowed to play major roles in the industry.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Nigeria’s public and private health administrators, as well as their counterparts from other countries noted that the government could take the lead in various healthcare initiatives that could be driven by the private sector for the benefit of Nigerians.

Declaring the event open, Chief Executive Officer, Global Resources and Projects, the organisers of WAH 2012, Dr. Wale Alabi, challenged the government and other stakeholders, saying that “the future of healthcare development in Nigeria lies in the hands of the plethora of stakeholders.

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

LP asks Police to probe alleged ritual in Irun Akoko

BY DAYO JOHNSON

A

KURE—THE Labour Party in Ondo State, yesterday, alleged blackmail in a report insinuating that the party has a hand in an incident where ‘ritualists’ were said to have been caught in Irun Akoko while attempting to bury a live cow with the PDP and ACN inscription on it.

A statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Femi Okunjemiruwa in Akure, asked the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state to investigate CONFERENCE: Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola receiving a Special Merit Award for the report and identify the outstanding contributions to the engineering profession from representative of Minister of Mines and sponsors of the act .

The ritualists were said to Steel Development, Mr. Linus Awute (right) National Chairman, Metallurgical, Mining and Materials have been caught and Division, Mr. Patrick Okonji, (2nd left) and representative of the President, Nigerian Society of Engitaken to the palace of the neers, NSE, Mr. Wahab Ibrahim, at the Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting of NSE in monarch where the cow Osogbo, Wednesday. was allegedly burnt in the presence of security personnel.

But the Publicity Secretary of LP in the state, Mr. Femi Okunjemiruwa insisted that the incident was lous loans by the ACN gov- borrowing from your con- staged. ernors in the South-West, tractor at a cost higher than Okunjemiruwa said: “The and call on the CBN and even bank term loans, “ he Ondo State police comwith levity.

BY OLAAJAYI Giving the breakdown, he other financial regulatory said.

“In Oyo State, a 4km road alleged that Osun State agencies to put a stop to it.

BADAN—THE Peoples alone now owes over N120 As at today, Osun State has project around Challenge Democratic Party, PDP, in billion, Ekiti is owing over taken N60 billion bond, area in Ibadan was the South West has called N30 billion “planning to N25 billion loan from the awarded for N5.7 billion to on well-meaning Nigeritake another N30 billion First Bank, N17.8 billion Hitech Construction Comans to warn the Action Conwhile Lagos State govern- from Infrastructure Bank (to pany, allegedly owned by gress of Nigeria, ACN, govment was said to have, as construct Oshogbo-Kwara ACN leader, Bola Tinubu

BY OLAAJAYI erned states not to plunge at June 30, 2012, accumu- Boundary road), N17.5 bil- on contractor financing bathe zone into unnecessary BADAN—THREE per lated an external debt pro- lion road project (six inter- sis while the same practice debt saying the loans that sons were injured in an file of more than half a bil- township roads) to is going on in Ogun State, they are accessing may take lion dollars, despite having RATCON on contractor fi- and one begins to wonder auto-crash involving a about 50 years to repay. a monthly revenue of about nancing and another N7.6 where the States incomes fuel tanker, yesterday, in Specifically, the opposibillion for Ilesha and (federal allocation and In- Ibadan.

N23 billion. tion party in the zone alAlso, farmlands span“We wish to alert all well- Oshogbo township roads ternally Generated Revleged that two states in the ning several kilometres enue) are going into, he to RATCON on contractor meaning Yoruba sons and zone-Osun and Ekiti states, in Ido Local Government alleged." financing.

Contractor fidaughters on the dangerare now indebted to the Area were destroyed as ous trend of obtaining frivo- nancing means you are tune of over N150 billion the oil tanker emptied its with Ogun State on the 33,000 litres of gasoline verge of allegedly taking there.

N100 billion bond.

The accident which Speaking through its BY GBENGAOLARINOYE ies was confirmed on Febthis is the state that is be- happened at Bakatari on National Vice-Chairman, ruary 2, 2012 and by law ing driving with the rule of Ibadan-Abeokuta ExSOGBO—OSUN their tenure expires on SepSouth-West, Chief Segun law, it be illegal for any of pressway contaminated Oni in statement by his State House of As- tember 2, 2012 therefore them to be acting in that ca- other streams in the area. media aide, Mr. Lere sembly, yesterday, dis- cease to perform any offiThe fuel also led to the pacity by now since by law Olayinka, the party said solved the Caretaker Man- cial function in that capac- their tenure has expires”. loss of some fish in fishexcept the governors in the agement Committee in the ity. “ Freezing of the account ponds at Ayegbami area ACN governed states were 30 local governments and Speaking on the directive, is a normal measure to cur- of the local government. checked, people in the zone Modekeke Area Office of Chairman, House Commit- tail any eventuality in this The owner of one of the would have to face the dire the state. tee on Information and circumstances, it is not a Similarly, the house also Strategy, Akinloye Oluseye, consequences of the huge new thing, you know hudebt the ruling party would ordered that the accounts of said the House made the man being are not predictincur. the local governments be declaration as a supervisable people may want to The party also called on frozen immediately saying ing authority for the local take the advantage to counBY GBENGAARIYIBI the Central Bank of Nigeria, that the Executive Secretar- government. cil fund and as the accredDO EKITI—PETROL CBN, Security and Ex- ies should handover to the On the implication of the ited representative of the scarcity has hit Ado change Commission, SEC, Heads of Local Government frozen account, he said the people, we have a duty and other financial clearing Administration in their re- directive will not in any way bound to prevent such situ- Ekiti, Ekiti State capital and other major towns in houses to put a stop to the spective council areas. affects the administration of ation,” he said. the state, a development The Speaker of the the local governments but, rate at which the states are Also the state house of that has led to hike in House, Najeem Salaam at rather it will ensure acobtaining loans.

Assembly has directed all prices of petroleum prodDescribing the action as a plenary session said the countability in the system the commissioners in the ucts in the state. alarming, Oni said: “This tenure of the Caretaker before taking further decistate, the head of governScarcity of petrol was regime of taking loans and Management Committee sion on the councils. ment agencies to brief the noticed first on Monday bonds and giving promis- has expired on September His He said: “ The 1999 house on the performance with only two filling stasory notes on multi billion 2, in accordance with the Constitution placed the loof the 2012 budget in their naira contracts to execute 2012 state local government cal government under the various ministries and tions selling the product.

As at yesterday, aside questionable projects like law as amended. close watch of the State agencies on Monday t. the Nigeria National PeHe said the appointment Houses of Assembly and building new government troleum Corporation, houses” must not be taken of the Executive Secretar-

S-West PDP laments ACN govts' loan profile I

mand and the state security services should as a matter of urgency undertake a thorough investigation into the matter with a view to establishing what actually happened.

“The security agencies should also arrest the ‘ritualists’ so that they would be able to identify their sponsors and their mission.”

Reacting to the development the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, said nothing like that happened as claimed Adeniransaid: “The incident has not been reported to the command and no police officer has come out to say he or she witnessed the burning of a cow anywhere in the state.

“Besides as police, we will not involve ourselves in such fetish things”.

The party also maintained that the staged-show was one in the series of the opposition antics to portray the Governor Olusegun Mimiko, and his party members, as being fetish.

3 injured as petrol tanker crashes in Oyo

I

Osun Assembly sacks LG bosses

O

fish ponds, Alhaji Taofeek Adeogun, said many ponds were covered by the oil that streamed into them.

He lamented that millions of naira was lost in the incident.

Vanguard gathered that as the truck with number plate XY 85 LSR emptied its contents, there was stampede as people in the area ran for fear of explosion.

The trailer which was said to be coming from Ogun State had a tyre burst.

To prevent people from scooping oil, policemen from Apata Police Station were on guard.

Fuel scarcity hits Ekiti

A

NNPC, mega-station that was selling the product ,others were out of stock.

Things are so bad that vehicle owners had to travel to the neighboring states of Ondo, Osun and Kogi to buy petrol At the time press, almost 80 per cent of the filling stations located in and out of Ado-Ekiti are now under lock and key , while the few ones selling petroleum sold at N110 per litre.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—11

RSUST VC tussle: Karibi Whyte disqualifies top contenders

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

P

ORT HARCOURT— HOPES of lecturers at Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, calling-off their strike action, were yesterday, dashed following the disqualification of top contenders in the tussle for the position of the Vice Chancellor of the university.

PRIZE PRESENTATION: From left: Mrs. Rosemary Asiegbu, Group Head, Retail Banking, SouthSouth, First Bank of Nigeria Plc; Mrs Funke Smith, Head, Consumer Banking Products, First Bank of Nigeria Plc; Mrs. Lucky-Abbe Felicia, winner of a refrigerator in the First Bank Save and Excel Promo and Mr Darlington Orlu, Business Manager, Port Harcourt North, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, at the Prize Presentation and monthly draws of the First Bank Save and Excel promo in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

Four Igbinedion Varsity lecturers die in auto crash

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—TRAGEDY struck, Wednesday night, at the notorious Ovia River, on BeninShagamu expressway, when four lecturers of Igbinedion University, Okada, lost their lives as their car plunged into the river on their way to Benin City, Edo State.

The lecturers who lost their lives are Mr. Morgan Uwogiren, Lucky Ehiorobo, Mrs. Shirley Iwede of the University’s Department of Business Administration and Ms Shola Ajayi of Department of Banking and Finance.

Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, officials, who were still battling to recover the bodies, said that the corpses of the two women were still missing while those of the two men had since been deposited at the University of the Benin

Teaching Hospital, UBTH, mortuary.

Mr. Amin Adewale of FRSC, explained that the accident occurred when the car, a Volkswagen Audi station wagon 80, crashed into the river near Ekiadolor, while trying to avoid an on-coming trailer.

It was gathered that the lorry was coming from the Benin end of the road and while trying to avoid a failed portion of the road, drove into the other lane, where the car conveying the lecturers was

coming from. While trying to avoid a head-on collision, the Audi crashed into the river.

Igbinedion University’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Okika, who confirmed the incident said he was yet to be fully briefed on the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Vanguard gathered that one of the victims, Ms Shola Ajayi, of the Department of Banking and Finance, whose corpse was yet to be recovered at press time,

Lack of cranes hinders rescue operations —FRSC Commander

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—FEDERAL Road Safety Commission, FRSC, yesterday, said it was handicapped in the evacuation

of crashed vehicles and victims from accident scenes due to its inability to acquire heavy duty cranes.

Zonal commander of FRSC in charge of Edo, Delta and Anambra

Youths warned against violence in conflict resolution

BY FESTUS AHON

U

GHELLI—SPE CIAL Assistant to Delta State Governor on Youth Affairs, Mr. Temple Mudi, has warned youths in the state against resorting to violence in the resolution of issues.

Mudi, at a meeting with the state chapter of Na-

was on her way back from Okada, where she had gone to submit her resignation letter to the university, having gotten another job with a government establishment.

Some of the students who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, expressed shock over the incident, lamenting that the sad incident occurred when both students and staff of the university were celebrating the birthday of the Chancellor of the University.

tional Youth Council of Nigeria, said that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was committed to the welfare of youths in the state, adding that the government had initiated several programmes aimed at improving their lot.

Urging youth bodies in the state to form a strong alliance that will properly disseminate the right in-

formation to youths at the grassroots, he stressed the need for them to support programmes and activities of the state government.

He charged them to maintain peace in their respective communities, adding that peace was what the state government needed to execute its people-oriented programmes.

states, Mr. Wole Olaniran, in Benin, Edo State, noted that the corps was more than ever committed to ensuring that the roads in his zone were safe for motorists and other users.

He said: “We have reduced our response time to accident scenes to less than 20 minutes from the time of the receipt of any distress call. Unfortunately, our operations in rescue and evacuation of crashed vehicles and victims from accident scenes are made difficult as we do not have heavy duty cranes. Because we rely on sister agencies and private collaborators to make cranes available, the logistics involved increases our response time and thus hinders our evacuation operations.”

The affected candidates, including Professors Bernard Onuegbu, Joshua Ahiakwo, and N E Lale, were reportedly disqualified in a statement by Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Justice Karibi Whyte, who also chairs the VC Selection Committee, on the ground that they were found to be involved in sharp practices.

Relocate us to Day Spring, Bakassi natives beg FG

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

T

HE Bakassi Peoples Assembly, BPA, has called on the Federal Government to relocate Bakassi indigines to Day Spring portion of the island, to put an end to the current crisis of identity being faced by displaced people.

It also noted that the choice of Day Spring Island, was against the backdrop of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s promise to

relocate them to a place of their choice.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the political leader of BPA, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, explained that Day Spring 1 and 2 and Kwa Islands were the only unceded parts of the old Bakassi.

She said: “Day Spring 1 & 2 and Kwa Islands had always been parts of the old Bakassi Local Government Area in Cross River State and are the only unceded portions of the old council."

Itsekiri leaders laud JTF's move to halt illegal bunkering

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ARRI — THE Itsekiri Leaders of Thought has commended the recent efforts of the Joint Task Force, JTF, to rid Itsekiriland of the menace of illegal oil bunkering and oil refining.

Speaking to Vanguard yesterday in Warri, Delta State, spokesperson of the group Mr. Edward Ekpoko, expressed what he described as the delight of Itsekiri leaders over the current efforts of the Nigerian state to frontally confront illegal oil refining which had brought a lot of misfortune

on the people of the area, particularly those in the riverine areas.

Referring to the recent success of the JTF in effecting the destruction of many of such illegal refineries in the Ugborodo axis of the Warri South-West Local Government Council Area of Delta State, Ekpoko noted: “It is a welcome relief for which the Itsekiri remain very happy, but we appeal to the military to ensure that innocent individuals who live in their areas of operations do not suffer unjustly."

Jonathan to launch Braithwaite's The Jurisprudence of Living Oracle

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OREMOST lawyer and elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, is set to mark yet another milestone in his long list of achievements with the launch of a book - The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles. The book takes a critical look at several concepts, including the higher law that governs human society regardless of boundaries.

The book will be formally launched by President Goodluck Jonathan on September 18, in Lagos, while Governor

Babatunde Fashola, the governor of Lagos State will host the august gathering. The event will also bring together other eminent personalities .

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Olumide Braithwaite, Managing Partner of Tunji Braithwaite & Co, said the book, which was first published in 1986, is a result of deep introspection and examination of the human society.

He said: "The book demonstrates how theological laws, astronomy, and astrology affect secular laws."

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Editors confab holds in Akwa Ibom

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O fewer than 250 Nigerian editors in the electronic, print and online media will converge in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, for the 8th annual All Nigerian Editors Conference, ANEC, from September 12.

The editors will brainstorm on a topical issue which had been of great concern to them and the Nigerian society in the past few years. The theme of the conference

is: The Nigerian Editor and National Security.

To underscore the importance of the theme, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, organisers of the conference, chose the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to deliver the keynote address, while Mr Ita Ekpenyong, Director General of the State Security Service, will present a paper on Architecture of Terror.

Ighodalo passes on DEMOLITION OF KIDNAPPERS' HIDEOUTS: Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State with Police officers during the demolition of kidnappers' hideouts at Ifite Oraifite, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state,yesterday.

Belgore report'll be sent to N'Assembly soon —Jonathan

BY BEN AGANDE

A

BUJA—PRESI DENT Goodluck Jonathan said, yesterday, that the report of the Justice Alfa Belgore committee on the review of the 1999 constitution would soon be sent to the National Assembly.

The president, who stated this at the retreat held for civil society organisations as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 52nd Independence Anniversary, noted that the Federal Government was committed to delivering to Nigerians a people-oriented constitution.

According to the president, the retreat was to enable government engage the civil society in the constitution review process because of their

tremendous knowledge on constitutional review borne out of many years of consistent effort to craft a people’s constitution for the country.

He recalled that the committee’s mandate was “to reaffirm or re-assess issues on which there is evidence of national consensus from past Constitutional Conferences; and to highlight those areas that will require further consultations so that a wider forum can look at them and reach agreements.”

He noted that he had since set up a committee under the chairmanship of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to examine the report.

He added that his government believed in the rule of law and that any amendment on the constitution should be done

according to its provisions.

He told members of the civil society organisations that “We have organized this retreat as part of this year ’s independence anniversary because I am convinced that as we march towards our nation’s centenary which is two years away, we must take every step to enhance the foundation of our nationhood.

“We must consolidate the virtues of our common heritage, reaffirm our common destiny and indeed, collectively resolve to guarantee the greatness of our dream country.

“These cannot be realized without creating understanding and securing consensus through dialogue, and commitment to the cause

Ugolor: Court adjourns hearing on motion till Sept 14

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—JUSTICE Esther Edigin of an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin, yesterday, adjourned till September 14, further hearing in the suit by Executive Director of the African Network for Economic and Social Justice, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, challenging his continued detention by the police.

Ugolor had been held by the police since July 27, over his alleged com-

plicity in the murder of Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

The court adjourned to hear a counter motion filed by the Police and Attorney General of the Federation, respondents, challenging the suit.

Ugolor had also instituted a N500 million suit against the Nigerian Police Force for illegally detaining him.

It will be recalled that Ugolor was arrested af-

ter one of the suspects in police custody allegedly named him as sponsor of the killing and had been in police custody since then despite the ruling of the court ordering his unconditional release.

Counsel to Ugolor, Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi, had told the court that the respondents have continued to disobey an earlier order of the court made on August 16, wherein the court ordered the police to release him from their custody unconditionally.

of our nationhood. One instrument that has served as the ligament that holds the nation together is our national constitution."

C

HIEF Jeremiah Aghedo Ighodalo patriarch of the Ighodalo family of Ewohinmi, Ishan, Edo State, and Odion of the Clan is dead. Born December 22, 1922, Papa Ighodalo passed on, August 31. He was three months short of his 90th birthday.

Chief Ighodalo was until his death the Okhonme of Ewohinmi.

He is survived by his children, Ms. Amiehi Ighodalo, Mr. Asuerime

Akintunde Ighodalo, and Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, their spouses, grandchildren and great grandchild.

Late Chief Ighodalo

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 —13

Gunmen snatch N2m from Anambra ministry staff

BY VINCENTUJUMADU

A

WKA—THREE per sons suspected to be armed robbers yesterday snatched N2 million from a staff of the Anambra State Ministry of Lands as he was about to enter the ministry’s gate.

It was not clear what the money was meant for, but Vanguard gathered that the suspected robbers trailed the staff from the bank where he collected the money until he was about to enter the ministry’s gate, when the three people on a motorcycle brought out guns and forced him to hand over the bag. They collected the cellophane bag which contained the money and fled.

Even those loitering around the ever- busy ministry did not know what happened until the staff raised an alarm after the people had sped off on their motorcycle.

According to a source, a director in the ministry (names withheld) had sent the staff to collect the money and questions were still

being raised about the purpose of withdrawing the cash when it was not the pay day in the ministry.

Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Okoli Akirika could not be reached yesterday as he was said to be attending an

official function when Vanguard visited the ministry.

However, unlike the usual practice in the ministry, the gate was securely locked even as security men asked visitors to identify themselves and name the person they wanted to see before being allowed in.

Some staff of the ministry who were approached

by Vanguard declined to comment on the issue, saying that only the said director who asked that the money be withdrawn, could explain the reasons for his action.

Ebonyi blames NIGERCEM's collapse lished in the country. ready to welcome investors from on FG The state Acting Gover- bothwithinandoutsidethecounBY PETEROKUTU

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BAKALIKI— EBONYI State government yesterday, blamed the collapse of the Nigerian Cement Company, NIGERCEM, Nkalagu, on the failure by the Federal Government to effectively implement its policy on privatization.

The government stated that because of the development, it had decided to initiate an economic plan that would foster the establishment of cement factories in the three senatorial zones of the state based on the availability of raw materials.

NIGERCEM was the first cement factory to be estab-

nor Mr. Dave Umahi stated this while declaring open a one day workshop organized by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, in collaboration with the Department of Cement Production and Mineral Development in the state.

Umahi who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Chief Fidelis Mbam revealed that the state was blessedwithhugedepositsoflimestone, the major raw material for cement, at different locations which would enable both the governmentandprivatesectorto invest in cement production and distribution in years ahead.

Accordingtohim,thestatewas

try to invest in cement production as the present administrationhadputmachineriesinplace to ensure conducive environment for entrepreneurs.

A

WKA—NO fewer than 210 youth volunteers have been inducted into the National Orientation Agency ’s, NOA’s, Citizens’ Responsibility Volunteer Scheme, CRVS. ACCORDING to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the NOA, Mr Paul Odenyi, ‘’the induction which took place during the launch of the scheme in Awka, Anambra State aims at mobilizing young Nigerians to embrace volunteerism and acquire skills that will empower them to contribute to the development of their various communi-

Cleric tasks Delta PDP on to address some fundamental iszoning sues of ethnic sentiments, minor-

W

ARRI—THE national coordinatorofMovement for Democratic Equity, MDE, EvangelistJosiahMashomi,has called on People’s Democratic Party, PDP,stakeholders in Delta State to uphold the zoning principle of the party as agreed by all.

Mashomi said this at a meeting in Warri, with members of group from Delta Central and South led by their respective coordinators, Capt. Abareowei AkrakaandMr.OnovughePaul.

According to him, zoning helps

itymarginalisation,detectionand correction of lopsidedness in assigning political portfolios and offices.

He maintained that PDP has culture and conventions that cover all party members irrespective of status and tribe, emphasising that the Urhobo in Delta Central should play the kingmaker role in the 2015 governorship election by building bridges across to Delta North that has the right to produce the governor.

NOA inducts 201 volunteers ties.

The CRVS was initiated by the NOA as part of its efforts to achieve its mandate of re-orientating Nigerians by identifying and promoting positive core values towards the evolution of a better society. Volunteers, using the NOA’s grassroots formations are expected to engage in sensitizing their neighbourhoods on the values of patriotism, good neighbourliness, entrepreneurship, social justice, among others.

Meanwhile, Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, had while performing the formal launch of the pilot in the series of zonal launchings of the scheme, identified volunteerism as a major key to improved productivity among the working class of the nation. He lamented the low productivity in the system noting that the average worker, especially in the public sector was generally unwilling to work.

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 7, 2012

Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—15

Community raises alarm over illegal refineries

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ARRI—THE people of Ugborodo community have raised the alarm over the devastation caused on the community as a result of the activities of miscreants, who engaged in illegal refining of petroleum products in the area. They said the environmental pollution and destruction of the eco-system in the area have increased.

Speaking to Vanguard, yesterday, through a telephone chat, Secretary of the Ugborodo Community Governing Council, Dr. Ayoa Ayomike, said: “The present achievements of the military in dealing with illegal refineries in the area will be short-lived if security personnel do not remain to prevent future regrouping by those that chose illegal refining of crude oil as their new found profession.

“Despite all entreaties, enlightenment programmes, including endless appeals made by the leadership of the Ugborodo Community Governing Council, some

individuals, who are indigenes of the community still opt to connive with non-indigenes to engage in illegal refining of crude oil.

“Beside the economic haemorrhage being inflicted on the Nigerian state, we are most concerned about the environmental damage that is daily being inflicted on the community and environs by those that engage in illegal refining.

“What is equally painful is that those who engage in this act of criminality are mostly non-indigenes. Paper reports and photographs clearly attest to this.”

WINNER: From right— Ms Enmoke Ogro, Senior Manager, MTN; Mr. Zacheaus Oniyide, winner of Ultimate Wonder promo two million naira, and Mr. Taiwo Obileye, actor and former Director at NTA, during the presentation of prizes in Lagos. PHOTOS: Diran Oshe.

Dana: NEMA blames failed rescue operation on unruly crowd A

BUJA—DIRECTORGeneral of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sidi, yesterday, said the agency

would have been able to rescue some of the victims of the Dana ill-fated plane crash if not for the massive crowd of people which impeded the quick response

BY LAIDE AKINBOADE, LAWANI MIAKRU, WAHAB ABDULAH, DANIEL ETEGHE & ONOZURE DANIA of the agency.

Speaking during an interactive session with newsmen at the Officers Mess, Nigerian Airforce base, Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, Alhaji Sidi pointed out that the major problem that NEMA faced, while carrying out its rescue operations, was the crowd of people that kept trooping to the scene of the accident.

He stressed that it became so difficult for the agency in accessing the place where the crash occurred and to also carry out its duties under such circumstances.

He said: “During the Dana crash, we were all

witnesses to what happened at the scene of that accident. The major challenge that we had was crowd control. We were all there, all of you were there and saw that crowd control was a major problem.

“It took us more than four hours to control crowd, in fact at a certain point we had to bring in the military to control the crowd, therefore no matter the type of equipment that you have, accessibility to the place and the crowd control is very important.”

Meanwhile, Federal Government, yesterday, said Dana Air's aircraft were airworthy, that it was not put under any pressure to restore the airline's operating license. It also disclosed that it borrowed N106 billion from a Chinese company for building 11 termi-

nals (six perishable and five commercial terminals) in Nigeria.

It will be recalled that Dana Airline Operating License was suspended as a result of the crash of one of its aircraft on June 3, in Lagos.

Federal Government, through the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, at a briefing in Abuja, said though the crashed craft was still under investigation, it was satisfied with the air-worthiness of the airline.

She said: “Just yesterday (Wednesday), government lifted the suspension of Dana Airline which was suspended after the unfortunate and tragic crash of June 3. Our action is based on our satisfaction, after carrying out a technical audit of the operator, that the airline is airworthy.”

Mainstreet Bank gets 7-day ultimatum on disengaged workers' benefits

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

L

AGOS—ASSOCIATION of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, yesterday, issued a seven-day deadline to the Federal Government and the management of Mainstreet Bank Limited, to settle all benefits of the over 800 sacked workers of the bank or all its operations nationwide would be shut.

At a briefing at the association’s national secretariat in Lagos, President of ASSBIFI, Mr. Sunday

Salako, vowed that from Monday, September 17, organised labour and its allies would cripple operations of the bank nationwide.

It will be recalled that Mainstreet Bank sacked over 800 of its workforce in a rationalisation exercise in June, without negotiating redundancy benefits with the unions in the sector.

Salako said the ultimatum became necessary following the failure of the Federal Government and management of the bank to comply with the recommendations of the tripartite committee that the

bank should settle the benefits of the affected workers.

He contended that the union had demonstrated maturity while the offensive lasted, noting that officials of the union had come under fire in the last few months by the affected workers who decided to attack the integrity of the union and its leadership through several ways and behaviours.

Salako insisted ASSBIFI was giving the owners of the bank a week ultimatum which would end on Friday, September 14, to settle the benefits of the disengaged workers.

16 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Sweet & SOUR

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 17

Donu Kogbara

Why?

A

T the time of writing, Mrs. Patience Jonathan is said to be in a German hospital, being treated for food poisoning. I wish her a speedy recovery, of course, but wish that our VIPs would stop hopping onto planes whenever they get sick.

Why are we still waiting, after decades of avoidable deaths and endless suffering, for indigenous hospitals to be drastically improved? Why can’t the government provide every single citizen with decent healthcare?

Why can’t all Nigerians whether they be rich or poor confidently rely on local medical facilities and personnel?

Why is the ruling class so reluctant to do the right thing with the billions of petrodollars it manages on our behalf?

The pathological selfishness of Nigerian decision makers might make sense if The Grim Reaper was a staunch respecter of status or bank balances. But senior officials who have strokes or heart attacks are just as vulnerable as paupers; and one would have

thought that even if the former aren’t remotely interested in the welfare of the latter, they would at least ensure that local hospitals can speedily/efficiently respond to the health crises of the privileged.

N

o matter how wealthy you are, it takes several hours to get to a foreign hospital and many VIPs have died in transit or before they even embark on journeys to superior overseas clinics. So why don’t they establish credible local sanctuaries that can be quickly accessed and might save their lives?

Why do so many seemingly intelligent African grandees find it so difficult to understand this very-easy-to-grasp concept of Enlightened SelfInterest?

Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, Health Minister

Democracy debate M

ELES Zenawi was President of Ethiopia when he died in August; and opinions about his legacy are sharply divided between admirers who appreciate his considerable achievements and critics who regard him as a terrible tyrant.

While the funeral - which President Goodluck Jonathan attended - was taking place in Addis Ababa’s main square last Sunday, I was participating in a lively BBC discussion about Zenawi and African leadership issues in general.

My fellow discussants were two British pundits - Richard Dowden, Director of the Royal Africa Society, and Giles Foden, the author of a book about Idi Amin.

James Robbins, the presenter, asked us whether Africa needs strong, longstanding leaders like Zenawi and whether the positive aspects of his 20 years in office - he res-

Meles Zenawi

cued a broken, impoverished country and provided it with record economic growth, substantial educational advances, etc - were outweighed by his “increasingly violent suppression of democratic opposition?”

Robbins basically wanted to know whether Dowden, Foden and I thought that: a) long-term development goals can be best met by Presidents whose tenures are lengthy, and b) regimes that are wholly or partially despotic can sometimes deliver more happiness to a greater number of people than democracies.

Foden expressed the view that strongmenMuseveni of Uganda, for example, as well as Zenawi - are useful during chaotic transitional periods but can create problems if they flatly refuse to relinquish power when things settle down.

Dowden, having pointed out

that African political parties are rarely driven by ideological concerns and that African nations tend to be ethnically diverse, said that he felt that we needed home-grown, coalition-orientated democracies rather than the classic first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all Western model.

Important positions I said that I’m not impressed

by Naija democracy - too corrupt, too expensive, too unwieldy, too inefficient, too many idiots in important positions, too many thieves subtracting instead of adding, too many fakes rigging elections, too many empty words, too many “stakeholders” to consult, too little action - and that I’m convinced that we can only be saved by a benevolent dictator.

I have never totally bought into the African Democracy Today dream because Western

Paralympics D

ISABLED Nigerian athletes have done us proud by winning several medals - six gold, five silver and one bronze at the last count since the London Paralympics started. Thanks to the fantastic efforts of these noble, courageous sporting titans - who have overcome tremendous obstacles to become world class; - we’re ranked

l2th in the general medal table and first in the powerlifting category.

Nigeria’s achievement is no mean feat, given that no less than l64 countries are competing in the Paralympics. Our able-bodied athletes who performed abysmally during the mainstream Olympics should hang their heads in shame.

Nigerian paralympian, Yakubu Adesokan, admires his gold medal

nations gradually established themselves as forces to be reckoned with during non-democratic eras; and I sometimes wonder whether they keep hassling us to embrace democracy so we can continue to depend on them!

The beautiful, structured, well-organised Europe to which Africans who can flock, seeking healthcare, educational experiences and job opportunities was built by princes and oligarchs who were not obliged to discuss their plans with the media or legislators or market women’s groups or youth representatives or village community liaison committees or civil society activists and so on.

And I’ve always suspected that only highly developed societies can handle these modern, egalitarian democratic mechanisms adeptly.

OK, so my instincts are authoritarian and elitist. But even I have to admit that it is risky to invest all of your hopes in an individual who may look benevolent and progressive at the outset…and then turn out to be a malevolent nightmare.

So what next? Foden said that Africans must choose the form of governance they want; and I’d love to hear Vanguard readers’ views about democracy.

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 (texts only).

PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

O

GONILAND is, once again, sliding into a slippery terrain nearly 18 years after Ken Saro-Wiwa and other eight leaders of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) were hanged, thus bringing to a climax the first uprising of this oil-rich part of Rivers State. In that episode, two factions of MOSOP had emerged: the conservative wing, led by elders who felt the aspirations of the Ogoni people could be met through constant dialogue and engagement with the system in their struggles against alleged neglect by Anglo-Dutch giant oil company, Shell.

These included Dr. Edward Kobani, Dr. Albert Badey and Chiefs Theophilus Orage and Sam Orage. The more radical opposite side was led by Ken Saro-Wiwa. Following an eruption of violence, the former (tagged as Ogoni Four) were murdered, and Saro-Wiwa and eight of his mates were sentenced to death and hanged on November 10, 1995.

Early in August this year, the factional President of MOSOP, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, declared that Ogoni was asserting its

An eye on Ogoni right to autonomy.

This immediately pitched Diigbo in a running media battle with the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi. Perhaps to clear the atmosphere, a delegation of Ogoni leaders including traditional rulers, office holders and Senator Magnus Abe, on Tuesday September 4, 2012, visited the State House in Abuja, where they met President Goodluck Jonathan. They made it clear that although all Ogonis shared the ideal of greater devolution of powers to enable them take charge of challenges facing their communities, they were not in support of pulling Ogoni out of Nigeria.

They insisted that though the Ogoni struggle is for justice and greater internal control, the people remain committed to the

unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

With another case of factionalisation now evident, it is important for us as a country to watch matters in Ogoni and ensure the past does not repeat itself. The events of 1994/95 should also be seen by the elite in Ogoniland as a lesson that must condition them to tolerate the views of others.

The Ogoni struggle for justice is well documented and known all over the world.

Part of the current injustice the Ogoni are complaining about is the clean-up of Ogoniland, which the United Nations Environmental Project (UNEP) estimated will cost $1 billion. The work has started, though belatedly, but many Ogonis are worried that the Federal Government is coming in with too little too late.

Even though some of the issues being canvassed for, as contained in the Ogoni Bill of Rights might seem outlandish to some, they boil down to the widespread calls for greater devolution of powers. The time is auspicious as we are in the process of amending the 1999 Constitution.

Let there be peace in Ogoniland.

OPINION

BY AYODEJI ADEDARA

S

IXTY years ago Frantz Fanon (1925 – 1961) made a profound statement with the publication of Black Skin, White Masks. The intellectual revolutionary had tellingly argued that the most urgent task of the age wasn’t necessarily a definitive settlement of the race conflict, but a brutal confrontation with the challenge of the moment: reducing human suffering. Today his message couldn’t be more poignant.

The time has now come again for the poor to demand compassionate concessions from their masters. In short, the time has come to re-negotiate the terms of the relations between the master and his servant, for there can be no doubt that the modern world has sunken frighteningly into an abyss of appalling inequality. Perhaps it is in subSaharan Africa - where democracy has produced nothing but widespread deficit - that we most notice this social gulf. Do not misunderstand me, however. It doesn’t appear that poverty could ever be wished away. The poor will always be with you. But it is important to consider what it means for the poor to trick themselves into an illusion of power. And to consequently sabotage their own revolutionary efforts even before they are attempted.

The poor are their own enemies; they feast on one another! Let me show you what I mean. Wars are called by the affluent but largely fought by the offspring of the ‘common’ people. Who get killed mostly? The answer is selfevident. Who constitute the rank and file of all military and paramilitary bodies? Again, the question answers itself. Speaking of the last case, let me dwell only briefly on the Lagos State contraption called Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI. For poor shop-less traders scattered all over the state, the fear of these KAI tin gods is now the

The poor and their illusion of power beginning of wisdom. The same goes for officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, except that in their case their worshippers are drivers on Lagos roads. This also calls to mind the way in which commercial bus drivers go out of their way to reserve front seats for free-riding police officers and soldiers. As ‘powerful’ people these men and women must be courted for kingly favours.

Of this lot, however, the activities of KAI officials deserve to be singled out for utter condemnation. Following a cocktail of laws lately served to Lagosians, overzealous KAI officials have now become more than a nuisance to the economic interests of fellow Lagosians in misery. There is no doubt that the KAI man, in his miserably drab uniform and hungry mien, is no different from the indigent mother of six whose ware of tomatoes or poultry he has just kicked into the gutter.

Presumably on the orders of a ‘reforming’ governor?

Wise is the slave who when sent on an errand discharges himself like a freeborn. for the police officer or soldier: Is he not the one called in to tear-gas or shoot at people protesting legitimately against governmental or corporate iniquity? Thirty-four black South African miners in one fell swoop! Yet he lives in near penury among the same people whom his line of duty compels him to attack. His poor take-home is used as excuse for his gross corruption.

Yet with two degrees one has been without a decent income for upwards of two years, but a cowardly Nigerian state takes no notice. Because one refuses to take to arms?

Meanwhile, militants are receiving fat dollar cheques just as Boko Haramists to inspire fear in the mind of the ‘powerful’.

Let’s look again from another angle. Gentrification. And a bulldozer driver is called into action. Of course, he’s a poor man, not a titled man of property and big business.

How does he feel running that monster through the houses of people with whom he ought to feel an affinity? Does he wear a grin of infantile mischievousness while bulldozing his way through? Is he, in fact, Esu’s errand boy?

What about the motley crowd of ‘tax collectors’ unleashed on Lagos road users and traders all in the name of generating revenue and creating jobs for repulsive party thugs?

As a pack of hyenas rip their prey apart from limb to limb, these agbero tax agents squeeze the last naira out of their hapless victims. Their boss has to live large at all costs.

Again, at the workplace the poor are unable to rise beyond their primitive instinct for survival. Consequently, rather than demand fairer wages of their master, they ruin time by bickering among themselves as each man plots to get into the boss’ good books. Althusser was dead right on ideology. It is the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence.

When the poor attack one another the truculent party manages to trick himself into the illusion that he is powerful. But nothing could be further from the truth. Yet how are we to help the ghetto landlord realise that in the larger scheme of things he’s really no different from his oneroomed tenant? Or the bribery-bred lowly civil servant that the extorted never gives with a prayerful heart? But let these examples suffice for the moment.

Mr. Adedara, a postgraduate student, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY FRIDAY,, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 19

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Edo 2012: Reducing electoral terrorism

T

HE Comrade-Governor was, several weeks ago, returned for a second term by the good, united people of Edo State. Broom-wielding Adams Oshiomhole, posting a sweeping performance, inflicted a crushing defeat on ethnic politics and electoral gangsterism, tearing apart the stranglehold of a most intimidating combination of fearsome political godfathers. And the ‘Heartbeat of the Nation’ erupted in spontaneous state-wide jubilation, unhindered by the inclemency of weather.

Some observers, though, sought to despise the Governor and his landslide victory with some sarcastic reference to his “unnecessary alarm” on the integrity of the electoral process in the early hours of election day. Recent media reports also described some helmsmen of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as contemplating legal actions against the Governor for making uncomplimentary remarks about them on same occasion. On the surface of it, one would have been tempted to take up the gauntlet on the side of both groups. But from hindsight, ‘Oshio Baba’ could hardly be faulted after all.

Once bitten, they say, twice shy. Recent history of events in the electoral terrain in the country is also a hard teacher. The mind-boggling and disgraceful tragiccomedy that was the judiciary-ordered governorship election partial re-run in Ekiti State in April, 2009 was instructive. If you can’t win it, capture it!

That precisely was what was achieved in the programmed electoral ambush, the vote-ware programmers capturing the

exact number of votes they had boasted to amass in each of the 10 local governments in dispute. That was in spite of the conviction of 74-year-old REC Mama Ayoka’s “conscience as a Christian”. The endless drama trailing that inglorious incident would occupy a place of primacy in Nigeria’s 'Hall of Infamy'.

The build-up to last July 14, 2012 Edo State governorship election followed similar path. Independent media reports first quoted state Peoples Democratic Party chairman, Dan Orbih, as announcing that the party had a duty to “do everything possible” to “reclaim” the state. He insisted on such because President Goodluck Jonathan, on account of his 2015 ambition, could not afford not to have his entire South-South in his pocket.

Political juggernaut, Chief Tony Anehin, also on the authority of independent media, was reported to have rolled out the exact figures and percentages of votes that would be captured in each local government area and senatorial district. It is instructive to note that PDP bigwig and Niger Delta leader, Chief Edwin Clark, sensing another disgraceful perpetration of electoral terrorism, and in a rare demonstration of statesmanship, cautioned against anyone moving to rig the election for the President.

Then election day came, with INEC coming up with some seeming revolutionary and reassuring steps. But curiously, electoral materials started putting up some theatrical hide-and-seek performances, especially in those areas where the big chief had programmed the highest number of votes. So why would the one who went through excruciating torture to reclaim his initial stolen mandate not raise an alarm, necessary or unnecessary?

What was not only unnecessary but also

Nigeria’s basic education on the ascendancy

BY SIMEON NWAKAUDU

I

N recent years, the release of results of the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, SSCE, conducted by the West African Examination Council, WAEC, and the National Examination Council, NECO have been greeted by outrage from stakeholders in the education sector.

The reason for the outrage is not far-fetched. The percentage failure was on the high side.

The percentage pass in the number of candidates who score five credits, including English Language and Mathematics has become a generally accepted mode of measuring success in public examinations in the country. Though this is not entirely correct, to the general public, it is a way of gauging the standard of education in the country.

Last year, when WAEC released the results of the May/June SSCE written by internal candidates, Nigerians naturally expressed their displeasure with the percentage pass. For that year, the percentage pass of students who scored five credits, including English Language and Mathematics stood at 31percent.

It was also after the release of the 2011 May/June results by WAEC that the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, took a transparent action of bringing the WAEC Head of National Office, HNO, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, to explain to members of the public why two different

sets of results were released. The inquiry was conducted in the public with members of the media in attendance. The issues were resolved in favour of the Nigerian educational system. The takeaway from that inquiry was that nobody would be spared if the public examination architecture is negatively compromised. The four WAEC staff found to be complicit in that error faced commensurate disciplinary measures.

The May/June results for 2012 have been released by WAEC. Though it is not yet celebration time, there has been a marked improvement in the percentage of the number of candidates who passed with five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. This year’s percentage stands at 38.81. Several perceptive public commentators and stakeholders have commended this percentage growth in the WAEC results.

Announcing the release of the 2012 results, Head, National Office of the Council, Dr. Iyi Uwadaie commented that the results show a marked improvement in candidates’ performance of the 2010 and 2011 WASSCE. The marked improvement in the 2012 WAEC results as released is the outcome of series of investments by the Federal Government in the basic education sub-sector.

These investments have been supported by a dedicated supervision of all the agencies and parastatals running the basic education subsector. The supervision of this

,

reproachable, however, was the recurring over-celebration, by presidential aides, cabinet members and party stalwarts, of President Jonathan’s “generosity” in overseeing what was close to a free and fair election. It is disheartening the way we make so much bravado in this country about “feats” which in other climes are not only matters of course but also taken for granted. The minimum expectation of the office of the President is to organise credible elections. In two of the last three presidential elections in neighbouring Ghana, an incumbent president had presided over the defeat of his own party.

P

residential media aide, Reuben Abati, celebrated the presidential “feat", carpeting, along the line, most Nigerians who, according to him, were wont to see an election to be free and fair “only when the PDP has lost”. That was a rigged truth. The 2011 presidential election which the overwhelming majority of Nigerians, including the press, observers, commentators, activists, most political opponents and road-side analysts, adjudged to be free and fair was won by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP.

,

BY DELE AKINOLA

The most important issue in the electoral process is the organisation of free, fair, credible, transparent and acceptable election, shutting out ignoble operations of what could be labeled ‘Local Electoral Terrorist Organisations'

The foundation being laid by the FG through the distribution of books to students in basic education institutions will bear fruits for several years to come

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sub-sector comes under the purview of the Minister of State for Education, Wike.

Commenting on the improvement witnessed in the recent WAEC results, Wike noted that the nation would in the coming years witness more improvements in the sector. He said that the benefits of the programmes and projects being implemented by the Jonathan administration will completely manifest progressively.

He said though the nation is yet to get to the Promised Land as regards basic education development, it was surely on the path of recovery. The Minister noted that the percentage improvement in WAEC passes will continue due to the related developments in teaching and learning across the country.

It is imperative to point out some of these programmes and projects that have impacted positively on the nation’s basic education sub-sector.

In the last one year, the Federal Government has trained more

Information Minister, Labaran Maku, in his own celebration, would want Nigerians to swallow his sermon that “the most important aspect in the electoral process is the acceptance of defeat”. No, sir! That was a rhetorical homily to prepare the ground for coercing the people into submission after possible future electoral abracadabra.

The most important issue in the electoral process is the organisation of free, fair, credible, transparent and acceptable election, shutting out ignoble operations of what could be labeled “Local Electoral Terrorist Organisations”.

The overall status of the Edo governorship election 2012 was only a testimonial to our capability to organise credible election if only we could muster the political will. But it was a thing of damning shame that we still needed to deploy thousands of World War-prepared soldiers for a civil programme which in other climes are accomplished in the course of normal daily routine of personal and national life. So the credit in this particular case goes to the good people of Edo State and their resoluteness in rising, in one accord, in stout and uncompromising defence of democratic ideals.

Equally of soothing interest was the overall conduct of INEC which was beginning, gradually, to assert its implied independence. It was to its credit that it admitted there truly were disturbing lapses on election day which need to be fully investigated and addressed, especially as we close in on the October 2012 Ondo State governorship election.

The ruling PDP, just like all other ruling parties at lower levels, including the “marginalized” ones, has every moral, political and constitutional right to win and lose elections in Nigeria. But whenever anyone makes a claim to electoral victory, let it be victory won, not victory captured.

*Mr . Akinola, a public affairs commentator , wrote from Lagos.

with the Korean government has than 500,000 teachers in public led to the training of education primary and secondary schools administrators in the basic eduand basic education managers cation sub-sector in the last one across the country. To achieve this to improve service delivery across feat, the Federal Ministry of Ed- these institutions in the country. ucation and her agencies have The foundation being laid by collaborated with State Minis- the Federal Government through tries of Education and other agen- the sustained distribution of cies to drive the training pro- books to pupils and students in grammes in the respective states. basic education institutions will Under the watch of Wike, the bear fruits for several years to State Ministries of Education come. Closely tied to this is the and education agencies of the "Bring Back the Book" prorespective states now play gramme initiative of President prominent roles in the training Goodluck Jonathan which is programmes of their teachers. being promoted by the Federal The Federal Government be- Government. tween last year and 2012 invested Wike himself has taken up N11billion in the training of improving the reading culture teachers and basic education amongst Nigerian youths as a administrators. The funds were top priority. Since last year, he handed over directly to the state has engaged in several read camagencies with officials of the Fed- paign programmes to encourage eral Government monitoring Nigerian children to read. The their implementation.

National Read Campaign ComThrough the Universal Basic mittee has been strengthened at Education Commission, UBEC, the Ministerial level to carry out self-help projects, infrastructure this function. in basic education institutions It is true that attaining have been improved in all the 38.81percent five credits pass states of the Federation in the last level, including English one year. language and Mathematics is Mathematics, one of the core below the overall national subjects relevant for the develop- expectation; the current growth ment of science and technical is an encouraging sign. The sad education has witnessed remark- commentaries will soon give way able investment already yielding to positive results all across the results. The Federal Government entire gamut of the education is collaborating with the Japa- sector. nese government under the The coordinated approach to Strengthening Mathematics and tackling the setbacks in the basic Science Education, SMASE, pro- education sub-sector will cergramme. Under SMASE, Nige- tainly translate into sustained rian teachers have been trained growth for the nation. Beyond in Mathematics and Science doubt, the nation’s basic educateaching techniques. This pro- tion sub-sector is on the path of gramme suffered a setback until ascendancy and this is a fact that the Minister of State for cannot be contradicted.

Education intervened to get it *Mr Nwakaudu is the Special back on track.

Another training programme Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education.

20—Vanguard , FRIDAY FRIDAY,, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

•Major Haruna Jida of 3 Battalion who led the operations inspecting one of the operating tents

•Suspects arrested during the operation.

•Kingpin, aka AK 47, others on the run •Girlfriend, 2 suspects nabbed

By EMMA AMAIZE

O

VER the weekend, soldiers of the 3 Battalion, Effurun Barracks, Delta State, made a stunning discovery in their battle against crude oil thieves in the state.

They not only discovered five loaded AK 47 rifles and 204 ammunition at the residence of a crude oil kingpin at Ajudaibo, Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state, they also found out that despite the offensive on crude oil thieves, the criminals were not deterred and are evolving new tactics to cover their tracks.

Vanguard Metro, VM, also has it on good authority that some security agents were conspiring with crude oil thieves who pay them “protection fee” to look the other way, while they carried out their nefarious activities. But the Commanding Officer, 3 Battalion, Effurun, Lt. Colonel Ifeanyi Otu, is bent on cleansing the Augean Stable in his Area of Responsibility, AoR (read territory).

Despite the decoy by the oil

thieves to disguise bunkering sites, the soldiers, acting on a tip off, stormed the area and demolished about 2,000 illegal refineries and refined products.

Clearly, the bunkering sites were located deep inside the narrow creek.

An outsider is not likely to know what was going on in the place except revealed by an insider.

In the first instance, the bunkering zone is not accessible by boat and so, it is not easy for a “stranger ” to enter the area.

The boys who steal crude oil from oil pipelines in Escravos area of the state and employ local production method to fabricate diesel, which they sell to oil companies and other users, were usually, heavily armed.

Imposing rule of the gun Moreover, they would not hesitate to snuff life out of any person that they believe want to expose them. It was gathered that like any other community in the Niger-Delta, where people of such shade ply

• Illegal refineries up in flames

their trade, they have imposed a rule of the gun on the people and nobody dares speak because of the calibre of persons involved and the weapons at their disposal.

Lt. Col Otu apparently did his groundwork before deploying his men, Saturday, September 1, to storm the crude oil thieves.

Not even the 25 soldiers who were heavily armed for the operation were told where they were going go. They were only told the nature of the assignment, but location was not disclosed for strategic reason. The commanding officer did now want his plan to leak to the crude oil thieves before he struck. Therefore, it

,

Panic in Delta community as soldiers raid crude oil thieves

soldiers who went for the operation, he would have been picked up easily, as he was in the surrounding area, sporting a jean trouser and singlet when they arrived his residence. He sighted the soldiers first and sensing danger, he went behind one of the buildings and melted into thin air before the men could realise that he was a main target.

By the time the soldiers cordoned off the residence, he was out. Two persons suspected to be members of his syndicate and his girlfriend, hibernating in the house were nabbed. The raid by soldiers caused a stampede in the riverside community as able-bodied

With the disposition of Lt. Col. Otu to annihilation of crude oil thieves in the area, it will be illadvised for anybody to talk to him about release of the suspects

was just him and leader of the operation who were in the know of where the troop was headed that morning. The squad did not head straight to the bunkering locations in the creek. They first went to the community to apprehend some of the known kingpins of the crude oil syndicate. The plan obviously was to cut off the source of arms supply to the boys in case they strike and there was a call for underpinning.

For the fact that one of the most sought crude oil kingpins in the area, a.k.a. AK 47, was not known personally by the

,

youths also took to their heels for fear of arrest.

The two male suspects who were trying to escape claimed they were visitors, but the soldiers had information on those they were looking for and promptly placed them under arrest. They were taken back to the house and a search conducted. The two-bedroom apartment was turned upside down and inside the ceiling in the kitchen, what they were looking for were found. Neatly tucked in a sack were AK 47 rifles and 204 rounds of ammunition.

Our source said it was just a

tip of the iceberg, as the military was looking for their armoury and baron. Hoses, pipes and other instruments used by crude oil thieves for their operation were found in a room by soldiers during a search. AK 47 probably turned a room in his father’s house into a store.

His panic-stricken girlfriend was arrested in one of the rooms in which she locked herself when soldiers invaded the house. It was reliably learnt that while soldiers were searching his house in Ajudaibo, AK 47 fled the community in two speedboats with some suspected members of his syndicate.

The bunkering business itself was being carried out in a massive area in the mangrove swamp and for several hours soldiers burnt the makeshift structures and machinery used for the business. Over eight welding machines, 30 operating huts, several Cotonou boats, 10 generating sets, three speed boats, and unquantifiable GP tanks and drums were destroyed in the operation.

Negotiating release of the suspects VM was informed that before the soldiers who went for the operation could get to Warri after the onslaught, some security agents called a member of the team to negotiate the release of the suspects.

A military source said the baron, who AK 47 and others were working for, was doing everything possible to secure their release, adding: “With the disposition of Lt. Col. Otu to annihilation of crude oil thieves in the area, it will be ill-advised for anybody to talk to him about release of the suspects”.

The commanding officer told reporters after the offensive: “Today’s operation is massive, a large amount of Cotonou boats and GP tanks were destroyed along with an unquantifiable refined products. The implication is that the oil thieves seem not to be deterred by our resolve, but I think the destruction method is working very well as their operation is getting hit”.

He added: “It is quite unfortunate that despite the amnesty programme, which offered room to mop up arms, others are still amassing arms.

It is possible that they could be involved in sea piracy along with the illegal oil refining. The investigation will begin and culprits will be handed to the appropriate authorities”.

As at the time of writing this report, the commanding officer was said to have deployed for another operation in the area and environs.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 21

National devt: CIPM seeks restoration of values

BY YINKA KOLAWOLE

C

HARTERED Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) is canvassing for restoration of values among managers in both the public and private sectors, in order to set the country on the path of sustainable national development.

President/Chairman of Council, CIPM, Mr. Abiola Popoola, speaking in Lagos at a press briefing to herald the 44th annual national conference of the Institute scheduled to hold in Abuja, said that values are the foundation upon which solid organisations and good societies are built. He noted that the theme of this year’s conference, “Restoration of Values for National Development”, was chosen to enable participants examine the fundamental role of values in organisation and nation building. Popoola lamented that the nation’s value system has been weakened, while disagreeing with the notion that poverty is responsible for corruption in our society. “Prosperity does not drive values, but rather values influence how people respond to poverty or prosperity. A poor man who steals will not necessarily stop stealing when he becomes rich. If you have weak values as a poor man, the values will not change when you become rich. Values are foundational; they influence behaviour,” he declared.

Guest speakers expected at the conference include: Dr. Christopher Kolade, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese; Dr. John Keenan, Institute of for Leadership and Global Education (ILGE).

President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Mr. Abiola Popoola (centre), flanked by Mrs. Banwo Adeosun, Chairperson, National Conference Organising Committee (left), and the Registrar/CEO, Mr. Sunday Adeyemi, at a press briefing inLagos, announcing its forthcoming annual conference.

MAN recommends reduction of corporate tax to 20%

BY NAOMI UZOR

T

HE Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has recommended the reduction of corporate tax to 20 per cent from the existing 30 per cent.

The association also cautioned the Federal Government, State governments, Local governments and other regulatory agencies against overburdening the real sector with multiplicity of taxes and levies.

The President of MAN, Chief Kola

Labour decries takeover of offshore maritime jobs by expatriates

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

M

ARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has decried the takeover of offshore maritime jobs

165.30

+0.55

2,551.00

-59.00

19.34

-0.44

113.74

-0.44

95.32

+0.02

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FR ANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.8 246.5654 194.8932 162.1452 1.9735 0.2779 235.0291 24.3774 41.2756 26.1504 235.5437

155.3 247.3618 195.5227 162.6689 1.9799 0.2879 235.7883 24.4566 41.4089 26.2349 236.3045

155.8 248.1582 196.1522 163.1926 1.9862 0.2979 236.5474 24.5358 41.5422 26.3193 237.0653

CBN Exchange rate as at 6/09/2012

by immigrants and called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to urgently address the dangerous trend.

President-General of MWUN, Comrade Anthony Nted, who spoke in Lagos, condemned a situation where multinationals and shipping companies operating offshore would ignore qualified and registered dockworkers and seafarers for expatriates contrary to the Maritime Act of 2007.

According to him “Today, everybody is talking about unemployment and the Federal Government is talking about unemployment. In the Maritime industry, there is no employment; vessels are not coming into the Ports.

But, what we are seeing in the Maritime industry is unacceptable. The Maritime Act of 2007 stipulates that anybody who is not a registered Dockworker has no right to work in the Ports, in jetties, onshore and offshore and anybody that contravenes the law as an employer is liable to N1million fine per person.

“We have continued to ask, what is Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, doing?

As the regulatory agency that is supposed to enforce this law, what is it doing? We are calling on NIMASA to

stand up to their responsibilities. We are equally calling on NPA to live up to its responsibilities.

“We know that no vessel enters Nigerian territorial water without the knowledge of the harbour department of NPA. They have the records of all ships or vessels that enter Nigerian waters. If they have records of vessels that enter the nation’s waters on daily basis, who is responsible for allowing these vessels to discharge midstream illegally without paying statutory charges to the Federal Government’s stevedoring companies?”

He continued, “Some of the shipping companies that have been caught in the nation’s maritime waters without approval from the Ministry of Transport, or discharge midstream because of shallow waters as all vessels are required to berth at conventional ports, are getting protection from the courts. We are increasingly seeing a situation where people will bring vessels to the ports, discharge and run away without paying the statutory charges. When they are caught, they run to the court for protection.

“We have a lot of foreigners, Filipinos, Sri-lankans and so on, who have taken over jobs meant for Nigerians.”

Jamodu, made this call at the Federal Ministry of Finance’s Stakeholders’ Conference on the review of common external tariff 2008/2012, in Abuja.

Jamodu said the reduction has become necessary to encourage investors in view of the various challenges experienced by manufacturers.

“Despite the outcry of the business community over the prevalence of multiple taxes and levies at the three tiers of government, some government agencies are still introducing license fees and levies that constitute multiple taxation and in some cases, are arbitrary. The latest addition is the imposition of license and mandatory contribution to a Trust Fund by National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) on our member companies carrying out promotional activities to boost their sales under the prevailing difficult business environment” he lamented.

He noted that sales promotions should not be covered by the National Lottery Regulatory Act in order not to add to the cost of doing business in Nigeria, more so as this cannot be in the spirit of the law setting up the Lottery Commission.

According to him, “the law should be restricted to profit oriented lottery activities, such as casinos and national lotteries.”

“Tax administration should be coordinated. There should be effective implementation of Act 21 of 1998 on Taxes and Levies Collectible by the different tiers of Government, with a view to making them respect the law.

In order to provide an enduring solution to the problem of multiple taxation in Nigeria, there is the need for a constitutional review of tax powers of each tier of government,” he stated.

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Bonds: SEC expresses concern over investors’ apathy

By PETER EGWUATU

T

HE Securities and Ex change Commission (SEC) has expressed concern over the low patronage of bonds issuance by states governments and corporate entites who are in dire need of long term funds to execute their developmental projects.

Director General of the Commission, Ms Arunma Oteh at the investor outreach held in Onitsha Anambra State, recently noted that over 70 per cent of the transactions in Nigerian capital market are accounted for by the transactions of foreign institutional investors.

According to her, “Patronage of the corporate bonds sector of the Nigerian capital market is unfortunately hampered by low level of awareness among other factors.”

The SEC boss stated that the capital market of any nation exists to facilitate the growth of the real sector of the nation,

adding that this become possible via the supply of cheap and stable funds for investment purposes, To this extent, Oteh called on State governments and corporate entities to take advantage of the cheap and stable funds available in the capital market to raise funds that would assist them provide necessary infrastructure and expand their businesses respectively.

However, she identified low level of savings as a problem inhibiting the growth of investment in the country, stressing that many people prefer to keep much of their cash outside the financial system resulting to low savings and investment rates.

She praised Anambra people for their entrepreneurship spirit, stating that the state has been a melting pot of commerce and industry from historical times which was made possible by the strategic location of Onitsha on the river bank.

From left Dr. Jeff Fischer, Social Secretary, London School of Economics alumni Association of Nigeria (LAAN); Professor Herbert Onitiri; Mr Ubadigbo Okonkwo, President and Senator Onyeabor Obi at the London School of Economics Alumni Association of Nigeria Lecture and Send forth reception for new students held in Lagos. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

Oteh, encouraged the people of Anambra State to take

advantage of the capital market window which is readily

NSE, PFAs, others to brainstorm on market making structure

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

A

HEAD of the take-off date for the licensed Market Makers to commence operation in the equities market, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Pension Fund Administrators, Insurance companies as well as settlement banks will meet to exchange ideas on how best the initiative will benefit the market.

The event which is scheduled to take place on 11th September, 2012, is one of series of activities lined up by the NSE to herald a successful take –off of the initiative, while 18th of the same month has been pencilled down as take-off date.

The event will also provide an opportunity for the Exchange to outline the rules and operational guidelines for the programme.

The market-wide workshop, according to Head, Transformation and Change, NSE, Mr. Olumide Lala, will bring together experts in market making, Securities Lending and Short Selling, listed companies and other key capital market participants.

Lala explained that the Market Makers would play a central role in the provision of twoway quotes, comprising of buy and sell prices, for the securities that they are making markets on.

“Leveraging the Securities

Lending process, Market Makers will be able to borrow securities in order to settle ‘buy orc der imbalances’ from customers.

A ‘hybrid’ market, allowing both market makers to provide two way quotes and licensed broker/dealers of The Exchange to submit orders as is currently done, will be operated from the commencement date of this key initiative.,” he explained.

Rationalizing the importance of Securities Lending in the Market Making initiative, Lala said that it would provide for lending and borrowing of securities which in return would enable investors earn returns on their idle stocks while contributing significantly to market liquidity and price efficiency through legitimate investment activity in covered Short Selling.

He revealed that over 300 participants are expected to take part in the workshop, saying that they would be drawn from various professional bodies, associations and key stakeholders in the market.

It would be recalled that 10 stockbroking firms met the requirements and were, therefore, selected. Those selected include: Stanbic IBTC; Renaissance Capital Limited; Future View Securities Limited; Vetiva Capital Limited; ESS/Dunn Loren Merrifield, WSTC Financial Services Limited; Capital Bancorp Limited;

FBN Securities Limited; Greenwich Securities Limited and CSL Stockbrokers Limited.

The NSE Chief Executive Officer, Mr Oscar Onyema, had

said that the appointment was a major landmark in enhancing the liquidity and depth of the second largest market in subSaharan Africa.

available to them.

In her words, “ The many businesses in Anambra, the chamber of commerce , the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) all have a great deal to benefit by embracing a vibrant capital market. Our drive is to make our capital market vibrant so as to support the real sector of our economy and also expand opportunities in income, output and employment for our teaming population.”

Russia’s MegaFon closes in on $4bn London IPO

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EGAFON, Russia’s sec ond-largest mobile phone operator, has asked its local regulator for permission to list its shares in London for what would be the world’s biggest initial public offering since Facebook’s (FB.O) in May. The company, in which Russia’s richest man Alisher Usmanov took control in a complex deal in April, is looking to float a 20 percent stake that could be worth as much as $4 billion, sources familiar with the matter have said.

The float would offer investors exposure to a firm that has positioned itself aggressively for the rollout of high-speed mobile data services loved by iPhone-toting urban Russians, and is backed by the impeccable Kremlin connections of Usmanov, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at $18.1 billion.

In a filing on Tuesday, MegaFon requested permission from Russia’s financial markets regulator to list up to 123 million shares abroad,

equivalent to 19.9 percent.

“We are considering the possibility of holding an IPO,” MegaFon said in response to questions about the filing.

“The timing of the public offering will depend on market conditions.”

The dismal post-IPO perfor-

mance of social network Facebook’s $16 billion dollar offering has hit investor appetite for new stock offerings, though global stock markets have drifted higher through the summer, boosting the confidence of investors and new issuers alike.

Britvic in $2.1bn merger talks with AG Barr it had to recall of one of its top

B

RITISH soft drinks group Britvic said it was in talks with Irn-Bru maker AG Barr about a 1.3 billionpound ($2.1 billion) merger, a move that could see it attract interest from private equity or rivals such as PepsiCo. Both companies have suffered from poor weather this year, reflecting the wider economic impact of a sodden summer across the British retail sector.

Britvic, which makes and sells PepsiCo brands in Britain and Ireland, has had a torrid few months in particular. In July

brands - Robinsons Fruit Shoot - over faulty caps, a move that could cut up to 25 million pounds from pretax profit in coming years.

The proposed all-share merger, the subject of recent reports, followed an approach by the smaller AG Barr that would see its shareholders own 37 percent of the enlarged group with investors in Tango and J20 maker Britvic owning the rest.

That split was in line with the relative market values of the two companies at Tuesday’s closing prices.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—23

CBN’s currency restructuring will further impoverish Nigerians — ICAN …Advocates making N100 the highest currency

T

Extinction of small denominations He said, “In our view, the introduction of the N5,000 note will eventually alter the pricing structure of products in the market, leading ultimately to the permanent disappearance of the 5, 10, 20 & 50 Naira notes (and even the proposed new coins) from circulation.

“The extinction of these smaller denominations will negatively impact the buying capacity and habits of low-income earners and the poor as goods and services will be priced above their levels.

Sustained increases in prices may be the unintended c o n s e q u e n c e . ” Owolabi further stated that the convenience of carriage of N5,000 notes would, be an incentive, not disincentive, to cash carrying, adding that such an incentive will defeat the acclaimed drive towards a cashless economy.

He disclosed that despite the few benefits associated with the introduction of the N5,000 note, its introduction should not be at a time when the size of government deficit accounts is about 2.8 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, saying that the amount to be spent on the proposed restructuring will be a waste of resources and a misplaced priority.

Owolabi said, “Set against the benefits, the proposed expenditure will add little or no value to wealth creation. The subsisting budget deficit, financed largely with domestic borrowing at an unsustainable rate, and therefore crowding out available credits to the economy, can further be reduced by this huge expenditure of N40billion,

T-bill yields fall, foreign demand lifts naira

Y

BY MICHAEL EBOH & NKIRUKA NNOROM HE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, has condemned moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to restructure the country’s currency, saying it will further impoverish Nigerians and disrupt the fight against money laundering.

The Institute said the CBN should be concerned with strengthening the naira, ensuring that the N100 note become the country’s highest currency, instead of introducing the N5,000 note.

ICAN, in a statement signed by Mr. Adedoyin Owolabi, President/Chairman of Council, said the restructuring will alter the pricing structure of products in the market, lead to the disappearance of the lower currencies and bring about a significant increase in the prices of goods of services.

B-R-I-E-F-S

President Benigno Aquino III of The Philippines welcomes Federal Republic of Nigeria Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Akinyemi Farounbi during the presentation of credentials at the Music Room, Malacañan Palace.

if redirected to the funding of infrastructural development.”

Continuing, Owolabi stated, “Whatever, the intention, we shudder to think that the CBN plans to increase the quantity (volume) of money in circulation by introducing N5000 notes when the possible inflationary impact of this is common knowledge! Or does the CBN want to substitute higher denomination for smaller, more convenient, ones when Nigerians are

yearning for enhanced value of the Naira that will lead to the return of Kobo coins?

“Who is the beneficiary of a denomination that will stall transactions in rural Nigeria inhabited by 70 per cent of the populace?

Only the convenience of the elite and urban dweller will be assuaged.

“Following the CBN statistics that 90 per cent of Nigerians’ cash transaction is less than N150,000.00, why substitute their preference for higher denomination? Is it not obvious that small transactions

will be made more difficult if a proportion of each smaller denomination is eliminated?”

On the issues of money laundering, he declared, “If the international community perceives that we are lax in anti-money laundering agenda which higher denomination and convenience of carriage connote, we stand the risk of being the target of Financial Action Task Force, FATF, initiatives including blacklisting with its attendant problems for the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment.”

Nigerian consumer confidence, highly optimistic, says MasterCard Index

R

ESULTS of the latest M a s t e r C a r d Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence reveal that Nigerian consumer confidence remains highly optimistic.

While the Index has recorded a marginal 2.4 point decline from a score of 93.8 a year ago, and a five point decline compared to six months ago, the latest result of 91.4 out of a possible 100 shows that Nigeria’s citizens display continued strong optimism and an extremely high level of confidence in the country ’s economy overall.

Now in its fourth year in Nigeria, the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence is one of Africa’s most comprehensive consumer

confidence surveys, and is conducted twice yearly. Interestingly, the latest finding of 91.4 points reflects the precise average of the survey results since its commencement in 2009.

The Index is based on a survey which measures consumer confidence on prevailing expectations in the market for the next six months based on five economic indicators: Economy, Employment, Stock Market, Regular Income and Quality of Life. The Index score is calculated with zero as the most pessimistic, 100 as most optimistic and 50 as neutral.

The most recent survey was conducted between 24 April 2012 and 10 June 2012, and involved 11,376 respondents aged 18 to 64 across 25 markets spanning the Asia Pacific, Middle East and

Africa regions. On the African continent, the survey was conducted in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.

“MasterCard Worldwide carries out this Index in order to provide informed understanding in the shifts of Nigerian consumer sentiment, as well as to assist in the identification of market trends over time,” says Omokehinde Ojomuyide, Countr y Manager, West Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

“Nigerians remain one of the most optimistic groups of consumers among those surveyed by MasterCard on the continent, with an Index score of 91.4 points in this latest set of results – over 12 points higher than the average of the five African countries surveyed,” says Ojomuyide.

IELDS on Nigeria’s treasury bills fell at its bimonthly auction which was oversubscribed particularly by foreign investors whose strong demand also pushed up the local naira currency, dealers said on Thursday.

The central bank sold 142.97 billion naira on Wednesday on a total subscription of 430.75 billion naira, this time selling 30 billion naira of 364-day notes which were absent from the last auction, dealers said.

It sold 32.9 billion naira in 91-month bills at 13.64 percent, 20 billion naira in 182-day paper at 13.80 percent and 90 billion naira in 364-day notes at 13.87 percent.

Dealers said it auctioned the bills at between 36 and 100 basis points lower than what it had offered at its previous auction last month.

There was strong demand for T-bills from foreign players, which also pushed the naira up to 157.98 at 1143 GMT on Thursday, firmer than Wednesday’s close of 158.20, they said.

The bank at its last auction in August sold 30.65 billion naira in 91-day paper at 14 percent, while it auctioned 20 billion naira in 182-day notes at 15.08 percent. It did not sell 364-day notes.

Okonjo-Iweala, Aganga and Lamido to address CIBN conference

T

HE Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister for Finance, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, CFR will on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 declare open the Annual Banking and Finance Conference at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The Conference with the theme “Transformation of the African Economy: Financial Services Industry as Catalyst’’ is organized by The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in collaboration with Alliance of African Institutes of Bankers and expected to attract participants from across the globe.

Four critical issues shall be discussed at the various sessions during the conference and they include but not limited to the following: Embedding E-banking Habits: Prospects and Challenges. Financing the Real Sector: Issues and Resolutions, Corporate Governance Ethics & Professionalism: Raising the Moral Barometre and Fostering an Effective IntraAfrican Trade: The Way Forward.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

frustrating and you ask yourself why don’t I just back out.”

L

ady Farmer as she is fondly referred to by the over 50 people working at her Uwa Farms Nigeria Limited said the challenges of preparing the land for cultivation will discourage anybody from venturing into the business.

Speaking on the challenge of going into oil palm plantation, she said “At initial level it was land preparation, preparing the land is what discourage people from farming, especially when it is a forest. Land preparation was a

Lady Uwa at work in her oil palm plantation.

FG urged to release names of oil palm seedlings beneficiaries T he Federal Government has been challenged to reveal the names of the 18 oil palm plantations or estate that benefited from the 1.3 million oil palm seedlings distribution exercise carried out recently.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, while flagging -off the seedling distribution exercise with the representatives of the 18 oil Palm Plantations in Abuja recently, said that the country will soon become one of the leading producers of oil palm in the world.

But, the Chief Executive Officer of Uwa Farms, BeninCity, Lady Uwa Osunbor, said it is amazing that the government is talking of supporting the production of a total of 240,000 hectares of oil palm in the next three years as well as improve the productivity of farmers when the real farmers are left out.

Today, the Benin based farmer said it was surprising that Edo state was named as one of the 18 participating plantations or estates that benefited from the seedling distribution and her farm that has an oil palm plantation that stretches over 100 hectares is left out.

Speaking on how she got involved in farming, Uwa who returned to the country after her sojourn in America said she chose to cultivate palm as the oil palm is an important crop with perhaps the largest number of value added products.

“It provides food and raw materials for the confectionery and personal care products industry as well as employment for a large

section of the country, especially where it grows.

Nigeria was a foremost producer of oil palm in the 50’s and 60’s, but has since ceded this position and is today, just the fifth largest producer.”

She said for Nigeria to regain its lost glory in the oil palm sector that the government should be honest in its program as there is too much insincerity in the way

issues relating to farmers are treated.

Lady Uwa Osunbor noted that if not for the passion she has for agriculture, she would have gone back to America, “I thank God when I look back at the way the farm started and where it is now.

Sometimes, I feel pained that you are trying to help the economy grow and the government, the bank and nobody cares about you. It is

challenge, just like finance was a big challenge too. I was able to overcome that because it was something I wanted to do.

Lady Uwa added that the Federal Government plans to introduce motorised harvesters that can harvest 500-900 fresh fruit bunches per day will go a long way in harvesting but that they should get the real farmers to benefit.

Dont remove tariff on palm oil importation— POFON T

he Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria (POFON) has decried what they described as orchestrated and clandestine move of certain industrialists to pressure the Federal government to remove the existing tariff of 35% on the importation of crude palm oil (CPO) into the country.

The move, which they said is coming a few years after similar pressure was mounted to lift the ban on the importation of palm oil into Nigeria, was being aided by the Technical Committee on Tariff and Trade in the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Fatai A. Afolabi, Executive Secretary of the body, noted that this new move has revealed the grand design to cripple the country’s oil palm industry.

“From the time the ban was lifted in 2009 and now, Nigeria has diminished in its position from number three to

number five position in the World production of palm oil having been overtaken by Thailand and Columbia.”

He explained that it is only in Nigeria’s oil palm industry that secondary producers and end users cannot show evidence or model for commodity value chain linkages. “They must insist on importing palm oil because it is cheaper in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also a way of siphoning our scarce foreign exchange.”

W

hile noting the impending doom that the reduction or removal of the tariff portends for the oil palm sector, POFON said the country’s rural economy will be dealt a devastating blow, as Nigeria’s oil palm industry is just recovering from the shock and negative effects of the ban that was lifted in 2009.

They added that oil palm planting, especially smallholdings, has gone

beyond the traditional oil palm belt and has spread to other states in central Nigeria and parts of the north.

Afolabi posited that the dumping of cheap and unfortified palm oil in Nigeria also has implication for the oil palm component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the present administration.

“The proposed tariff review will ultimately open a floodgate to CPO imports, the debilitating effect of which Nigeria may not recover from.

This may be likened to the imports of refined petroleum products that started as a short-gap measure but has been perpetuated.

“The imports of CPO directly create more employment for Malaysia and corresponding loss of jobs for Nigeria especially in the current situation where unemployment has led to security crisis in our Country.”

Briefs IITA and Jigawa State sign agreement to accelerate agricultural development The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA ) will assist Jigawa state in diversifying the cereal-based cropping systems through the introduction and evaluation of adapted cassava varieties for both industrial uses and food security.

This is one of the areas contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed recently between IITA and the state government aimed at rapidly improving food production, food security, and value addition and marketing of agricultural products in that north eastern state.

“The signing of this MoU further demonstrates our resolve to work with partners,” said the Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga during the week.

With the MoU in place, IITA will help in evaluating and adapting best-bet agricultural technologies that address problems of drought, parasitic weeds and soil fertility in cereals and legumes using extra early maize, and cowpea as test crops in the state.

Governor Lamido who was impressed with innovations at IITA in Ibadan during his visit sometimes in July, this year had invited the Institute to come and help his state boost agricultural production.

Dr Sanginga said IITA was impressed with the response

by Jigawa State government, adding that the signing of the MoU was a ‘clear message to governments across the world that IITA is willing to help.’

The Jigawa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Rabiu Isah Taura said the agreement signpost ‘the level of commitment on the part of the state to collaborate with IITA with the aim of uplifting the standard of Jigawa State farmers.

Under the MoU, IITA will assist the state through the following:Introduce, demonstrate and disseminate farm gate post-harvest technologies for cassava, cereal, and legume crops; Explore the potential of the chaff by-product extruded from the Jigawa Starch Mill.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—25

Smartphone market to increase in 2015 – HUAWEI, MD there is a shift in the focus of Nigerian consumers from phones with basic functionality to smartphones, and that a huge increase in sales of smartphones is expected in Nigeria, whilst stating that statistics have show that there will be a 35 percent increase before 2015, which means 30 million smart phones will be sold in Nigeria that year.

According to him, “What this means is that in the years to come the opportunities in the smartphone market in Nigeria for device dealers will be much greater than what we have today. Mr. Liangwei stated that in order for dealers to key into the opportunities, it is essential for them to partner with Huawei as the company is set to launch devices that will revolutionise the mobile and internet technology market at unbeatable prices.”

Consumers had noted that Huawei’s devices are among the affordable products in the market, considering its technology and quality.

STORIES BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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HE Managing Director of Huawei Device, Mr. Tony Liangwei, manufacturers of Huawei phones has predicted a 35 percent increase in smartphone market in Nigeria by 2015, which he says means that 30 million smartphones will be sold in the country.

Liangwei made this disclosure at a workshop to intimate distributors in Nigeria with the company’s growth agenda for 2012, where he said the company intends to encourage dealers in mobile devices to form partnerships with Huawei which, he noted will be of benefit to both parties.

The three major product lines highlighted at the workshop were Huawei’s Handsets,(rated among top 5 smart phones) the Mobile Broadband, (rated number 1 globally) and the Home Devices( rated most ideal partner) He however stated that

N an effort to evolve a more efficient way of discharging its regulatory function, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has restructured its operations along product management lines similar to best practices by multinational corporations and fast moving consumer product marketing companies.

Speaking on the exercise, the Managing Director of the Agency, Mr. George Noah noted that “the initiative is to apply staff to their areas of strength and is geared towards evolving a more efficient way of conducting the Agency ’s regulatory function”.

Mr. Noah stated that the product group teams are spread across four main categories of outdoor media including billboards, street furniture, transit and alternative.

Mr. Gbolahan Dixon takes charge of Mobile Advertisement which includes corporate vehicles, Lagbus, LAMATA, trucks and taxis.

Noah further disclosed that

F

OR better aroma and food taste, Unilever Nigeria has introduced two new additions to the Royco family –the new Royco Seasoning Powders are for Stews, and soups.

Speaking at the launch of the products, Mr. David Okeme, Marketing Director for Unilever Nigeria, noted that “At Unilever, we continuously improve on our brands because we always want to provide our consumers with products that help them get the best out of life” With the new Royco Seasoning Powders, women now have brilliant opportunity to enjoy the consistent superior Royco quality, as well as an irresistible aroma from their cooking,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Assistant Category Manager, Savory, Aurora Monye explained that the decision to comer to market with the new offering was in response to consumers yearnings for affordable and more improved seasoning Left: Product Manager Mouka Limited; Stepehen Uwazota for cooking. presenting a Mouka Foldy to Morakinyo Tobi ,one of the On what would be the impact winners of the I Love My Moukaonline competiton. of the new product on the fortune of the brand in the market, the Assistant Category Manager added that it would further increase the brand market share in the market and give it a competitive advantage.

“As a company, Unilever has street furniture which com- always committed to what will formats will be managed by Tessy Adeboye will oversee prises bus stop shelters, bring the highest satisfaction to Omorinola Lawal while Anbillboards and LASAA’s speclamp poles etc. consumers at all level of the thony Babaniji will handle ification over them. The small market. After a research and survey, we discovered that the market is in need of another tantalised seasoning that would appeal not only to the people th at the upper echelon of the market but also the mass market, hence the introduction of RAGNET Solutions Lim Royco Seasoning Powder for cation portal. ited has called for the in- on the scene, the process of Stews and soups,” He said: “We have made a stitution of computer-based scholarship administration and Two loyal consumers of the giant stride in scholarship adtesting and e-recruitment in in- matriculation test in the counministration. Before our inter- brand; Mrs. Ogozi Egbochuktry was largely manual and terview processes for recruitvention, different companies wu and Mrs. Rasheedat Abdulment by companies, as it rolls therefore, very cumbersome.”

Continuing, he said, “We particularly in the Oil and Gas Rasaq also spoke glowingly out drums to celebrate five came in with the sole objective industry conducted various as- about the uniqueness of Royco years of existence. among other seasonings in the sessments for applicants. th Speaking at the 5 anniver- of transforming the ineffective Ikazoboh also noted that the market. sary press conference of the processes with the deployment Egbochukwu, who spoke afe-recruitment landscape in the company, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh, of technology in partnership ter the sampling of the product country has been positively Managing Director of the com- with tested global players in the impacted by the company’s pi- at the event, admitted that it business.

Today, the story has pany said the introduction of oneering efforts. “It was indeed was an innovation that would the latest technology of com- changed. Computer-based testa daunting task when we start- add value to the lives of conputer-based testing and online ing has simplified the process, ed out five years ago with a sumers, especially woman. The application system by the com- reduced the margin of human mandate to revolutionise the business woman who claimed errors in the collation and repany will help eliminate the graduate recruitment process in to have been selling the brand problems associated with such lease of examination results.”

On scholarship administra- the country. Remember the for close to two decades disexercises.He said that Dragdays of placing vacancy adverts closed that the demand is alnet which specializes in the de- tion, Ikazoboh said the compain the newspapers and thou- ways encouraging. ny has worked with a lot of comsign, development and impleFor AbdulRasaq, what gladsands of applicants would send mentation of people screening panies, particularly in the Oil dens her heart most is the fact their CVs through post.

The solutions can be deployed in a & Gas sector to design an efthat her husband is always enrecruiter will then spend weeks variety of uses covering both fective system through which or months sifting through the joying whatever she cooks with processes of applying for scholthe workplace and the educaRoyco. pile of applications. tional sector. “Before we came arships are done via an appli-

LASAA reorganizes operations for effectiveness I

Unilever delivers new Royco seasonings to market

Dragnet calls for e-recruitment based int er vie w inter ervie view …Celebrates 5 Anniversary

D

26 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Exterior of the Langham Hotel

LANGHAM HOTEL:

The Palm Court restaurant

140 years old, yet modern—Gore THE Langham Hotel, London has remained focus to the ideal behind its construction as an elegant, glamorous and grand hotel in 1865. It has also not lost the legendary afternoon tea served at the dazzling Palm Court that has remained its signature for over 140 years.

Sitting in midst of some visiting journalists at the dazzling Palm Court , the centre piece of the property recently, Brian Gore, Director of Communication of the hotel, was at his best as he tells JIMOH BABATUNDE, why the hotel has remained the number one for afternoon tea in London. He also disclosed why the hotel has remained number one in terms of services and history. Here is an excerpt.

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N using the history of the hotel to market the product: The hotel has a long history.

When it was built in 1865, at that time it was really the first grand hotel to be built, it was a purpose built hotel. At a time it was the largest building in London, there were other hotels at the time but were smaller, there were guest houses.

So when it was built, it was the first hotel to have lift, it was the first hotel to have bath rooms with the bedrooms; it was the first hotel to have telephones in all the rooms. It was always in the first in the use of other technology.

We use the history to tell the story of the hotel and the afternoon tea as a prime example, because when we opened in

1865, we served afternoon tea on the menu and it cost seven pence at the time, but the afternoon tea was invented here at the hotel.

It was actually started by Duchess of Bedford in 1840s, she was a lady of dignity, she was a member of the high society, she used to get tired in the afternoon and will ask her staff to bring her some of the left over from lunch to eat in her room where she is in the afternoon, and then she will invite her friends to come and join her where they will have tea and pastries and so on. That was where it started.

So, when we opened in 1865 there was no else like this in London, there was no other dinning experience like this in London, we had one of the biggest

dinning rooms in London and we were serving afternoon tea.

We want to say that the real traditional afternoon tea you have today in London actually began here, this palm court in this building.

When we tie history to the hotel, the hotel was built in the Victoria period in London, beautiful Victoria façade in the front of the hotel, which is not normally the case with hotels in London. Some of the hotels are newly built; they dont look as stunning as this hotel is.

Also the location means that we are right in the heart of London, so when the hotel was built, London was kind of growing round the hotel and we are still much at the centre, so we have shop-

ping on our doorsteps, we have parks at our doorsteps, if you want to go the theaters in the evenings, they are at our doorsteps.

So, we are really in the centre and that comes from our history, you can’t build a big hotel like this in a location like this any more , it is never going to happen again. So we have that advantage to us.

On tourist attractions close to the hotel: The museums , British museum is very close by, some of the parks, regent park is close by here , we have the theaters, the shopping streets of London, we have Regent street, Bond street, oxford street, that is the main shopping area for shopping in London is right here in our door steps.

W

e have places like the Buckingham palace which is ten minutes walk from here; the London Eye is very close; the tower bridge is close.

So, we are really in the heart of London, everything is close by.

On the traditional afternoon tea: Afternoon tea is such a tradition , the experience here is very involved, so it is a lovely relax atmosphere when you come in and from the room you can see that it is very calm and you can take your time , take two hours and just relax. People come here for celebrations like birthday, weddings and come here to have fun. I think the experience

here is probably one of the best in London.

The experience you get here is different from any other hotel.

Peaceful lounge, it is luxurious and you can take your time to enjoy live music.

On the restaurant: The Landau restaurant opened last year, we have father and son Albert and Michel Roux Jr as the chef, and they have incredible history in London. They are very famous, the junior is a TV personality, he has a lot of TV shows, he is very well known in this country. His father opened the first restaurant and handed down to the son, he went into semi retirement, but came back after twenty years to work with the son here.

It has been a great success, I think they wanted to come here because of the prestige of the hotel, the location, we have a beautiful dinning room, amazing kitchen set up which is a great asset to have.

We have two main restaurants, the Landau and the Palm Court as well. We served afternoon tea at Palm Court and also served break fast here as well as meal.

The third option is our bar, which also serve bar food as well.

On the rooms We have 380 rooms. One of the unique thing about our rooms are that they are just refurbished, but because we have large number of rooms, we can do lot of different things, so we may take a large group of people coming into London, we have product like inter connecting rooms which are popular with families.

Traditional features The concept behind the rooms’ interior is that we are traditional hotel and we have a great history and the same time try to bring in the contemporary touch to that, to make them modern.

You notice that when you get to the rooms, there are still traditional features, as you will expect in hotel bedrooms, but the unique twist to the furniture , the colours used are quite contemporaries .

On leisure: We are so close to many of the tourist attractions in London, many people come to London for shopping , we are perfectly placed for that as we are right in the centre , but we also have a new spa , we have a gym, we have swimming pool, one of the largest in London . The swimming pool is located in the first bank vault here.

On how to maintain the hotel’s history: It is staying true to the original idea behind the hotel when it was built; you can’t convert the hotel into contemporary hotel or designer hotel, because it will not work. One of our assets is this beautiful building we are in and as I said you will never be able to build this again.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—27

•D’banj

•Davido

•Tiwa Savage

•Mo’ Chaddah

D’banj, Tiwa Savage, others for MVA awards BENJAMIN NJOKU

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igeria’s hip hop heavyweight, D’banj, rising act Davido, Tiwa Savage and Mo’ Chaddah, are among the best of Africa’s music acts who have been nominated for the 9th edition of the annual Music Video Awards organised by the continent’s foremost urban music channel, Channel O. The nominees list was released last weekend, in South Africa.

Spread across 14 categories, this year’s Channel O Music Video Awards is a showcase of Original African music– befitting to the music channel that has steadfastly flown the flag for Africa’s musicians and music for well over a decade.

“We continue to recognise and acknowledge the magnitude of African music

INSIDE

and musicians.

The nominations in this year ’s awards are yet another reflection of how Channel O is celebrating African musical talent. How it keeps growing from strength to strength and striving to stay Original African,” says Leslie

My romance with soccer

Kasumba, Channel O Africa Manager.

Now in its 9 th year, the Channel O Music Video Awards is the only publicvoted annual music video awards show broadcast around the continent that exclusively features African

artists.

T

he annual Channel O Music Video Awards has grown to be the Original African channel’s signature event. This year ’s awards will hold on Saturday, 17 th November at Walter

Sisulu Square in Kliptown, bringing the Channel O Music Video Awards to Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa for the first time.

Continues on page 28

Group sues Flavour over alleged theft

BY OPEOLUWAN OGUNJIMI

H

ighlife singer, Flavour is currently battling to save his hard earned name from being rubbished as he was dragged to court by Ghanian group, Wutah, over alleged intellectual theft.

According to Wutah, Flavour’s new single “Kwarikwa”, was copied from their album “Kotosa” released in 2008. Flavour is also being accused of stealing the chorus, rhythm, and tempo of “Kotasa” without their permission.

A statement by the manager of the defunct group accused the Nigerian musician of truly ‘stealing’ all that pertains to their Kotosa.

I Go Dye denies buying SUV for lover

‘This does not come as a surprise to me, as I already knew point blank that the material put out by Flavour was an outright plagiarized product of Kotosa. I mean, I heard what seemed like Kotosa blasting from the huge speakers in a CD vendor ’s shop when I was driving to a friend’s home when I visited Nigeria last two months.

I was happy and surprised that Kotosa had finally made its way to Nigeria after making hits in Ghana, only to hear Flavour ’s signature hi-life voice on the beat.

I was disappointed to say the least. I shook my head as I passed by, said the manager of the defunct group.

However, all efforts to get Flavour and his manager, Benjamin, to comment on the issue proved abortive.

Burial plans for Ola Vincent unveiled

IT’S NO BIG DEAL NOW….. With StethoCloud, you can diagnose pneumonia on your phone

28—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

D’banj, Tiwa Savage others for MVA awards Continues from page 27 With five nominees in most of the genres as well as regional categories and 10 in the running for the prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year title, Channel O’s viewers can now have their say by voting in one of the biggest publicvoted music awards event in Africa.

Among the leading multiple nominees are Kenyan hip hop hotshots, Camp Mulla, who have matched their Flight of the Fish Eagle – Naturally Supreme Most Gifted Newcomer Video and Most Gifted African East Video nominations for “Party Don’t Stop” (featuring Collo) with a high-profile nomination in the Most Gifted Video of the Year category for the video for “Fresh All Day”.

The latter video also sees

Camp Mulla in contention for the Most Gifted Duo, Group or Featuring Video category where they are up against a powerful pack of artists – South Africans MiCasa (“Heavenly Sent”) and Liquideep (“Still”) as well as Zimbabwe’s Buffalo Souljah ft Cabo Snoop (“Styra Inonyengesa”) and Nigerian superstars, P Square (“Chop My Money” featuring Akon and Mayd).

Another newcomer earning more than one nomination is fiercely indie and genredefying South African artist, Toya Delazy who matches her Flight of the Fish Eagle – Naturally Supreme Most Gifted Newcomer Video nomination for “Pump It On” with one for Most Gifted Video of the Year. Delazy and Camp Mulla are joined on the Flight of the Fish Eagle

Omotola, Ini Edo back in the countr countryy BYAYO ONIKOYI

N

ollywood top acts; Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Ini Edo are both back in the country after weeks of absence.

While Ini Edo has been holidaying around Europe and in the United States, Omotola was busy launching her image into the international market where she was in Kingston, Jamaica to formalise some juicy contracts.

Fans of Omotola who have been tweeting her all along have been joking that when you talk to her, the beautiful mother of four now replies in the ‘I and I’ language, an indication that she could have caught the Jamaican flu.

Omosexy, as she is called is at the final stages of putting on screen her own reality

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•Omotola television show which has her family as a model for the reality show.

Ini Edo on the other hand, is linked up with her fans on ‘In the Cupboard’, a film by Desmond Elliot, currently making tours of cinemas across Africa.

– Naturally Supreme Most Gifted Newcomer Video category by Nigeria’s Davido (for “Dami Duro”), Ghana’s E.L. (“Turn The Lights Down”) and South Africa’s Donald (“I Deserve”).

Two of the most closely watched categories at the annual Channel O Music Video Awards are traditionally Most Gifted Male Video and Most Gifted Female Video and this year is no different.

In 2012, one of the awards’ leading nominees, South Africa’s Khuli Chana is in the running for Most Gifted Male for his video “Tswa Daar” featuring Notshi – a video that has also seen the rapper earn nominations for Most Gifted Hip Hop Video and Most Gifted Video of the Year. Going up against Khuli Chana for Most Gifted Male are Angola’s Big Nelo with “Sente O Beat”, South Africa’s Pro with “Makasana”, Nigeria’s D’Banj with “Oliver Twist” and Tanzania’s Ay for “Speak With Your Body ” featuring Romeo and Lamyia.

Most Gifted Female Video is likely to prove as hotly fought as its male counterpart.

Agbani Darego unveils personal website

odel and ex-Miss World, Agbani Darego has unveiled her contains information about the personal website, Agbani Darego.com model and updates about her which she wants to use to strengthen the activities. There is also a gallery bond between her and her fans as well section which parades her as prospective clients. pictures and the Agbani The site’s homepage shows the section which details her model’s face in a monochromatic biography. black and white.

Darego is the first black ‘Young, Beautiful and Natural Miss World, after wining Agbani Darego is a woman full of the title in December promise and has grown to be •Agbani Darego 2001. She recently versatile and incredibly bagged a degree in expressive’, reads a mini bio on Psychology from the New her homepage.

York University and The main offer is a news section which currently works with Ford Models, New York.

Movie of the week

At last, Heroes and Zeroes comes to town

H

eroes and Zeroes,directed by ace director, Niji Akanni, the brain behind brilliant Nollywood flicks like Aramotu and scores of television series tells the story of the destructive pursuance of Tonia (Nadia Buari)

by Amos Fele (Bimbo Manuel). Amos Fele was a wealthy celebrity director in the Nigerian film industry. Now he lives in a ramshackle flat, doing occasional low-paying TV commercials for nameless products. He’s a daily comic relief on the local soccer practice pitch: though he’s already 45 years old, he nurses a new, insane dream of making it into the dollar-soaked world of international soccer! His frustrated marriage to Tinuke (Tina Mba), a junior banking officer, is crumbling fast, especially after the death of their only child.

A boost to his sagging spirit comes when a big-budget FrenchNigerian film project appoints him as director. Suddenly, the press begins to (re)celebrate him. Top actors and producers begin to call him up. To his wife’s distress, Fele also quickly reestablishes his wane reputation as a first-class womanizer.

Fele becomes obsessed with Tonia, a ravishing beauty and lead actress of the Nigerian-French film project. Ignoring the warnings of his best friend, Nnamdi (Norbert Young), a psychology professor, Fele pursues his obsession with Tonia to its tragic end.

“Heroes and Zeros” employs a multi-narrative technique which saw the movie being narrated from three perspectives. The movie, starring notable actors like Olu Jacobs, Norbert Young, Tina Mba, Bimbo Manuel, Nadia Buari, Gabriel Afolayan, Akin Lewis, Funsho Adeolu and Chervel Bridgette will today, being Friday, September 7, hit the cinemas across the country.

Mo vie Sc hedule August 31 - Sept 6 Movie Schedule SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, LAGOS Step up 4 11:20am, 3:40pm, 6:10pm.

Total Recall 11:30am, 4:00pm, 10:10pm.

That’s My Boy 1;20pm, 8:10pm, 10:30pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS, ABUJA Step up 4 11:50am, 2;00pm, 4;20pm, 6:35pm,8:50pm In the Cupboard 12:40pm, 4:40pm, 8:20pm.

Total Recall 11:30am, 1:50PM, 4:10pm, 6:30pm, 9:00pm.

The Amazing Spider Man 1:10pm,5:50pm.

That’s My Boy 11:40am, 2;10pm, 4:30pm, 6:50pm, 9:10pm Mirror Mirror 11:20am, 4:00pm, 6:10pm Snow White 1:30pm, 8:25pm.

Cocktail ( Bollywood) 8:30pm SILVERBIRD CINEMAS CEDDI PLAZA , ABUJA In the Cupboard 1:00pm, 5:30pm.

Total Recall 11:30am, 1:50PM, 4:10pm, 6:30pm, 8:50pm.

The Amazing Spider Man 2:50pm, 9:10pm.

That’s My Boy 2:10pm, 6:40pm.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT Step Up 4 11:30,1:45pm, 3:50pm,5:50pm,8:10pm In the Cupboard 12:50pm, 2:50pm, 6:40pm.

Total Recall 11:40am, 4:20pm, 9:00pm.

Mirror Mirror 11:00am, 1:20pm,3:40pm, 8:00pm.

That’s My Boy 11:10am, 13;35pm, 4:00pm, 6:25pm, 8:50pm OZONE CINEMAS LAGOS Step Up4 12:30pm, 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 6:55pm In the Cupboard 3:15pm.

Total Recall 12:25pm, 2:45pm, 7:00pm.

The Amazing Spider Man 10:00am.

That’s My Boy 9:00pm Madagascar 10:30am.

GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS ENUGU STEP UP 4 10:00am, 12:05pm, 2:10pm, 4:15pm, 6:20pm,8:50pm In the Cupboard 10:00am, 1:40pm,5:10pm,8:40pm.

Mirror Mirror 3:05pm Think like a Man 7:45pm The Amazing Spider Man 10:00am, 3:05pm Total Recall 12:40pm,5:45pm, 8:20pm GENESIS CINEMAS PORT HARCOURT Step UP 4 10:00am, 2;05pm, 4:05pm, 6:05pm, 8:05pm, In the Cupboard 10:00am, 7:10pm, 11:20pm.

That’s my Boy 10:00am, 4:50pm, 9:00pm.

Total Recall 11:55am, 8:20pm, 11:40pm.

The Amazing Spiderman 12;20pm.

GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS LAGOS STEP UP4 12;30pm, 2:45pm, 5:00pm, 7:15pm, 9:30pm, 11:40pm.

Total Recall 10;20am, 12;50pm, 5:40pm, 8:10pm That’s my Boy 10:20am, 2;35pm, 6:50pm, 9:15pm.

In the Cupboard 10:00am, 2;15pm

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—29

30—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Hi GROOVE

My romance with soccer— Okafor S

tanley Okafor is a N i g e r i a n

philanthropist cum football lover who is based in Japan.

Last Saturday, he generously gave out electronic gadgets ranging from Samsung Galaxy Tab, Black Berry to iPAD to each member of the U-20 Women National Team and officials as part of his own way of appreciating the team’s excellent performance at the on-going FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan. He spoke to Hi Groove concerning the gesture and other issues.

Excerpt

M

y Childhood As a child, I was over-pampered by my parents. But then, I was stubborn. I could recall on several occasions when I disobeyed my mother just to play street soccer. There was a day my mother asked me to wash some of our dirty dishes. I refused to wash them instead, I took to the street

to play soccer. When I got back home, she flogged me mercilessly.

P

assion for football It started right from my childhood. In as much as I did not want to pursue a career in football, I have a strong passion for sports. I could remember during my secondary school days when I used to spend my last money to buy football kits and jerseys. I could also recall when I sought for financial support from my cousin to enable me buy a copy of Complete Football Magazine.

F

alconets, its officials and sponsors I want the team to feel at home in Japan.

I told the coach and the officials when they arrived here that I would do everything possible to ensure that the team make it to the finals of the competition. And I thank God, it is working out as planned . I gave out some items to the team just to encourage them as well as boost their morale.

F

ashion and style

Fashion is good but I don’t have a particular style. I just wear any thing that makes me look good. My dressing will not be complete without an accompanying handbag. The handbag contains my phones, wallet, money and

•Stanley Okafor

,

By KATE OBODO, JAPAN

I have a strong passion for sports. I could remember during my secondary school days when I used to spend my last money to buy football kits and jerseys

other valuables. I also like to wear traditional clothes like Ankara, Guinea Brocade..

I like to wear customized clothes, shoes, belts and quality perfumes.

My mood doesn’t affect the way I dress. I dress according to the occasion. Like here in Japan, the weather condition counts a lot when it comes to

,

dressing.

T

aste for gadgets

I like gadgets a lot. But I like iPAD more than any other gadget. d

S r

moking i n k

i

and n g

I don’t smoke but I drink o c c a s i o n a l l y .

M

e

M

y kind of

and

Woman

I have somebody very close to my heart. Even at that, when it comes to women, I don’t get carried away easily.

I am a strong willed person.

No matter how a woman wants my attention, in as much as I am not interested in her, nothing can make me fall in love with that woman. woman

My idea of an ideal woman is a woman who is submissive.

She must have carriage in addition to looking attractive.

GROOVE Extra I Go Dye denies buying SUV for lover

By Ayo Onikoyi

O

ne of the most viral gist making the rounds in the entertainment industry right now, is the news that ace comedian and humor merchant, Francis Agoda A.K.A I Go Dye, splashed an unimaginable N38 million naira on two exotic auto-mobiles; a 2012 Hybrid Escalade, (Platinum Edition) and a 2012 Range Rover Evoque The news broke, when the widely travelled comedian spoilt himself a little with the Hybrid Escalade to commemorate his 18 th anniversary on stage, while the next day marked the presentation of the Range Rover Evoque to his manager, Sharon to ease I Go Dye official duties of his Seaside Entertainment C o m p a n y .

Controversy, however, emanated after the presentation, as many saw it as a “Greek Gift” with an alarming undertone.

While a close source to the comedian argued that “I Go Dye being a serious person that doesn’t mix business with pleasure, there is absolutely nothing intimate whatsoever going on between him and his manager especially when the said SUV was bought in the company’s name and carries its official plate number; “Seaside”.

The comedian on a phone chat with Weekend Groove, denied having an affair with any woman, and insisted that the lady in question, Sharon, is his Personal Manager.

“First and foremost, I do not have any other lover apart from my beautiful wife who takes care of me and my son. Rather, the said Range Rover Evoque car was acquired for official purpose and it is only natural for the person at the helm of affairs to have more access to it, and that happens to be Sharon, the event manager, ” he explained.

Wyclef, Akon make debut in Nollywood

I

nternational musical acts, Wyclef Jean and Akon will feature in Jeta Amata’s latest movie, “Black November”.

The duo were the cast in the final lap of shooting, which took place in Los Angeles, C a l i f o r n i a .

The movie “Black November ” is about the •Wyclef and Akon Niger Delta. It features Nollywood stars including Fred Amata, Nse Ikpe-Etim, OC Ukeje, and Robert Peters in the big-budget film.

It also has Hollywood actors like Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Sarah Wayne Callies and Anne Heche.

Jeta, from the famous Amata movie clan, is known for his international standard movies including; The Amazing Grace, Inale and Black Gold.

TREEP ready to drop album

G

ospel music is about to w i t n e s s the birth of a unique group of three singers otherwise known as TREEP. As a teaser to their debut album, •TREEP Project Truth, the group is out with two new singles entitled “Bamidele and Champion” produced by Mr Daz and Toba respectively.

TREEP comprises of two female and one male talented singers who are all united by a common passion in music. They are Oluchi Sophia Onwuteaka (LUCH), Innocent Aniedi-Jackson (Aniedii) and Onuoha Judith Obiageli ( J a y d ) .

Meanwhile, plans are underway for an exclusive album launch holding on September 23, at Oceanview Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to Aniedii, “the group was formed in 2010 out of the strong passion to inspire, with the formidable force of our eclectic, soul-lifting songs and lyrics”.

He added, “Our primary goal is to spread God’s word and to speak the love language and positively motivate people all over the world through

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—31

32—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

By AYO ONIKOYI E-mail: sayonikoyi@gmail.com

Nike Osinowo sparks rumour of breakup with hubby

T

HE nation was thrown into another throes of mourning on Monday afternoon when the news of death of Mr Ola Vincent, former Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor hit the airwaves. The former CBN boss and former VicePresident of the African Development Bank (AfDB), gave up the ghost at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos Island, Lagos.

Since his demise, tributes and eulogies have been flowing in from different strata of the society. Topping the bill as chief mourners are the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President, Senator David Mark, Lagos state Governor and a host of others.

However, his Balarabe Musa’s residence in Victoria Island has become a Mecca of sort with several notable Nigerians recording their presence and entering their feelings in the condolence register. Some of those who have expressed their condolences include Otunba Subomi Balogun, Mr. Kofi Duncan, Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, Prof Ade Elebute, Chief Molade Okoya- Thomas, Mr. Pascal Dozie,Oba Otudeko, Chief Segun Osunkeye, and Chief Femi Okunu Others are Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General, Commonwealth, Chief Philip Asiodu, Mr. Akintola Williams and many Chief Joseph Sanusi, former Governor of Central Bank.

The burial rites for the

F

•Ola Vincent

Burial plans for Ola Vincent unveiled late financial icon started yesterday, 6th of September with a Lying-inState at his residence, followed by a funeral service at African Church Cathedral Bethel and interment at the Ikoyi Cemetry. On Sunday, 9th,

Oby Ezekwesili gets philosophical on Twitter

M

RS Oby Ezekwe sili, former World Bank Vice-President, minister of Solid Minerals, and later Education minister, is a woman who is widely respected both at home and abroad. When she quit World Bank, eulogies poured her way like torrents of rain and her reputation is never in question. But the highly revered professional

has found another vocation these days.

That vocation is sharing her wealth of experience on Twitter.

The woman of substance discusses any topic under the sun but she is particularly fond of advising people on issues of life. Recently she tweeted “You got Pur-

there will be a reception of guests at the Havilah House of Events after an outing service at the African Church Cathedral, Lagos.

•Oby Ezekwesili

ORMER Beauty Queen and her hubby of some years have been a hot item on the social scene for sometime. The couple are so good together that it is almost out of place to see one without the other as it has been happening in the past few weeks, sparking speculation that the once happy couple may be calling it quit.

The first indication that something might be amiss between the couple came to fore at Oskar Ibru’s daughter ’s wedding, when the grey-bearded Doctor appeared, alone without his damsel in toe. That would have passed for one of their off-days but the Doctor put in an appearance at Chief Ephraim Faloughi’s daughter’s, alone again!

When rumours were about running wild of possible illhealth as one of the many reasons why the ex Beauty Queen has not been seen lately with her hubby, she popped up, livelier than ever in Marbella, Spain at the Danjuma’s lavish shindig.

Curiously enough, she was said not be alone. She was found in the warm embrace of old time lover, Prince Tokubo Sijuade, the son of revered monarchOoni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Nike and Prince Sijuade were said to have hugged and kissed all night long.

Slain Captain Itima buried in home-town Captain Romeo Itima, Managing Director, Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited who died after sea pirates attack was laid to rest amidst tears and wailing weekend at his Kunukunuma Community of

APTAIN Romeo Itima, Managing Director, Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited, who died after he was attacked by sea pirates, was laid to rest amidst tears and wailing weekend at his Kunukunuma Community of Gbarama-

tu Kingdom, Warri SouthWest Area of Delta .

Many important dignitaries from various walks of life graced the burial.

Amongst those in attendance were Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, Mr. Felix Bob-Nabena, Senator Emma Difa, Mr. Kestin

•JNike Oshinowo

Adama Indimi sparks romance tale with D’Banj

T

he name, Adama Idimi isn’t one that would cause a stir. But at the mention of her father ’s name, Maiduguri based billionaire, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, who happens to be former President Ibrahim Babangida’s associate and in-law, pose? Then never ever bother yourself with those purposeless ones projecting their insecurity into your space.

•D’Banj Slain Captain Itima buried in home-town

C

Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Area of Delta .

Many important dignitaries from various walks of life graced the burial.

Amongst those in attendance were Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, Mr. Felix Bob-Nabena, Senator Emma Difa, Mr. Kestin Pondi, GM, Oil Facility Surveillance Limited, Barr.

Chibuzo Obi (Right), Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabbotage Services, Chief Joshua Fumudoh, former INC President and a host of others.

Captain Itima was Managing Director of Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, an oil bunkering surveillance company owned by ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

Pondi, GM, Oil Facility Surveillance Limited, Barr. Chibuzo Obi (Right), Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabbotage Services, Chief Joshua Fumudoh, former INC President and a host of others.

•Adama Indimi and D'Banj

things may start happening. The beautiful lady is in the news because of an alleged romance with the Kokomaster, D’Banj.

Since the twosome got a little too close for comfort at a D’Banj’s concert in London recently, gist has gone viral that the daughter of a Northern billionaire and a top Southern musician are involved in a hot, sizzling romance. “So close were Adama and D’Banj throughout the concert- it is impossible not to think there is something going on between the two” said a source.

Adama’s sister, Rahama in 2004 got married to Mohammed Babangida, son of former President Ibrahim Babangida at a superlative wedding which drew only the elites of the country. Former Presidents, Governors, Senators, royal fathers and captains of industry graced the occasion.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—33 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com

Nokia Lumia 920 comes to town N

•StethoCloud

IT’S NO BIG DEAL NOW…..

With StethoCloud, you can diagnose pneumonia on your phone

A

ccording to WHO reports, one of the major causes of death in children worldwide, is pneumonia.

It is estimated that the disease kills an up to 1.4 million children under the age of five every year.

This is more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

But since technology has been found to solve major issues around the world, a team of scientists at the University of Melbourne, Australia decided to take a foray into technological world and the result is the creation of StethoCloud, a cloud-based app for smartphones that can help diagnose conditions like pneumonia without the need for a doctor.

The StethoCloud app guides the user through the proper method for listening to a patient’s breathing when the “stethomic” attachment, a small microphone that plugs into the smartphone’s audio input, is placed on the patient’s body. When the app has recorded enough information, the phone transmits it to a server to filter out noise and analyze the data.

Once the server has examined this information, the results are sent back to the phone with recommendations for treatment.

Many of the deaths from pneumonia come from developing countries like Nigeria, where stethoscopes and the medical professionals needed to accurately diagnose the disease are in short supply. Pneumoniarelated symptoms often present as indications of other less harmful conditions, discouraging people from seeking immediate help. In most cases, by the time pneumonia is diagnosed these

symptoms have often reached a lifethreatening stage.

P

ortable Doctor Since this device can eliminate the geographical problems associated with people receiving medical help, it can essentially be described as a portable doctor.

The stethomic attachment is expected to cost only around US$20, which is far cheaper than digital stethoscopes on the market.

According to the StethoCloud website “It is now possible for people in the developing world to make their own devices based on our

design.

A local technician with access to sufficient training and the right materials can produce our digital stethoscopes thereby e m p o w e r i n g communities to be selfreliant.”

Team StethoCloud, the group of young doctors and computer science majors that created the application and stethoscope attachment, first came to lime light in the 2012 Microsoft Imagine Cup technology competition.

The team said they were currently working with the Royal Children’s Hospital in Australia to develop research protocols for field-testing.

okia has not given up on the battle to take back its topmost position in world mobile market. Its activities in recent times, suggests so. Some of its latest devices points clearly to the fact. From PureView 808 with its wonder 41 megapixels camera to Lumia 610, 800, 900 among others are part of the wonders that would make the expected networked society a magical world.

Yet, the device maker is not satisfied and to prove so, it had just pushed out another flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920. The new device will be powered by Microsoft’s nextgeneration Windows Phone platform, tagged Windows Phone 8.

Windows phone platform.

Nokia, through its EVP of Smart Devices, Jo Harlow, described the Lumia 920, as the most innovative smartphone in the world.

The device spots features including an 8.7megapixel PureView camera. Harlow said the camera was designed to overcome the challenges users face when using the smartphone camera as the only camera.

The camera also spots an improved performance in low-light situations and a 4.5-inch Puremotion HD+, WXGA display, described as better than HD r e s o l u t i o n .

The new device has an updated package of location services, like Maps, Drive and Transport apps. The Lumia 920 also includes integrated wireless charging, using the Qi wireless c h a r g i n g

Nokia Lumia 920 Nokia is saying that the new device will even be accompanied by a midtier sibling, the Lumia 8 2 0 .

Although Samsung just introduced a prototype of its first Windows 8 OS phone which it tagged, Samsung ATIV S, last week, Nokia’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Elop said that at leat Nokia was the first off to introduce the real and active device running on the Microsoft’s amazing

Lumia 820

standard. There are also accessories like charging pillow and music dock.

Meanwhile the accompanying device, Lumia 820 also shares many features with the Lumia 920, but with changes like a smaller, lower-resolution display (4.3-inch WVGA); less capable camera with 8MP autofocus with Carl Ziess optics.

Uhuru for developers, as RIM splashes $10,000 on BB apps A

Blackberry Bold 9900

s a way of revving up the hype for the much awaited Blackberry 10, BB10 platform, Research in Motion, RIM, makers of the Blackberry smartphone is promising to pay application developers up to $10,000 for apps submitted to BlackBerry App World ahead of the BB10

launch.

The phone maker said that the payment has conditions attached, including that an app has to independently earn at least US$1,000, with RIM making up the shortfall to US$10,000.

It also said that developers are only eligible to receive the payments once, as any

app that earns more than US$10,000 will not get a RIM uplift.

R

IM announced the US$10K developer commitment, in an attempt to lure developers to its BlackBerry 10 platform ahead of device launches scheduled for early 2013.

The launch is tied-in with the introduction of the Built for BlackBerry programme later this year, which will see BlackBerry 10 apps receiving a free thirdparty review, with successful titles receiving a quality endorsement which can be used in promotions.

34—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 35

36—V anguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 36—Vanguard,

and the presence also of our Nigeria business partners, and India Universities alumni, including other Nigeria associates is an indication that Indians are progressing in Nigeria,” Malick who was overwhelmed with excitement declared.

Also in a statement, India president Pranab Mukherjee during the people adequate celebration, sued for information about peace among Indians how to go about • Mrs Rani Malick giving her opening remarks during both at home and in the their normal activIndia's 66th Independence anniversary in Lagos Diaspora for a new ecoities successfully nomic surge which would without breaking and also gives me hope that we the law or becoming victims of are already there. Their presence eliminate the competitive causes of violence. any sort of violence.

In addition, Malick disclosed that all consular services are extended to them when necessary adding that they are usually encouraged to seek the assistance T was a moment of come prepared to work with a of the Commission whenever the joy for the United States' Am- team of dedicated consular officneed arises, particularly when bassador, Terrence P Macaulay, as ers in a manner that is expected they are in trouble.

“I am a career diplomat, I have well as staff of the embassy as they to leave Nigeria applicants smilbeen in Nigeria for years and I ushered in their new Consul Gen- ing all the way from the consulove the country, I love its peo- eral to take up the mantle of lead- late, provided they have the reple. Nigeria is a very good and ership in overseeing visa matters quired documents for visa issuance. vibrant country and I particularly for Nigerian applicants.

The new consul general, Mr. Mr. Hawkins also expressed feel very glad to celebrate my country, with my countrymen Jeffrey Hawkins, who was ho- his commitment to ensuring that along side Nigerians. Having the noured with a pleasurable wel- every intending Nigeria applipresence of these young school come reception at his residence, cant, gets the best of consular serchildren here to celebrate the In- and with a display of indisputable vices, adding that, “I am particudependence gladdens my heart affection, disclosed that he has lar happy to come down to this

Indian embassy's strategy for citizens' protection is working — Rani Malick

By VERA SAMUEL ANYAGAFU & PRISCA SAMDURU

T

HE head Lagos office of the India High Commission, Mrs. Rani Malick, has disclosed that some of the strategies which the High Commission adopted for the security of lives and property of Indians in Nigeria have so far not failed especially with those that heeded the instructions on arrival in Nigeria.

Mrs. Malick who was speaking during the commemoration of India 66th independence anniversary held in Lagos, made known the commission’s unalloyed services to its citizens in Nigeria, noting that “Although Nigeria is safe and progressive, the Commission has always instructed citizens to inform the embassy as soon as they arrive Nigeria”, stressing that this enables the Commission make proper documentation and give the

Condemning the violence in Assam state, Mukherjee said: “it is particularly painful for me to witness the violence in Assam, our minorities need solace, understanding and protection from aggression. Violence is not an option, rather it is an invitation to greater violence.”

He also stated that concrete attempts have been made to heal the wounds of Assam including the Assam accord which was conceived by former Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi that advocated a revisit of the peace accord and the adoption of the conditions presented so as to install justice and national interest.

US Consul general assures Nigerians of good consular services

I

Jeffrey Hawkins

friendly country for this special assignment, and I feel already committed having the presence of this number of Nigerians here in my honour.”

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—37

Praise be to Allah “ Who created life and death to test which of us is best in conduct.” And Who “ made the world for both the living and the dead” among us. May the Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon Muhammad, the last of the Prophets.

Tel: 08098097290 email: isholaism@yahoo.co.uk

T

Inevitability of death This has actually had me thinking a lot about life and death once again. But how many have reasoned in their brooding that it could have happened to them?

How many of those we saw a moment ago, interacted with and are pronounced dead in the next minutes? D-e-a-t-h, the five letter word is inevitable, everything except the Almighty God of course, will die. And no one knows exactly when it will come.

We most times get carried away with the frivolities of this life, and when death comes, we are for a moment, numbed to the reality of being a stranger in this world.

Every soul shall have a taste of death: For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception. (Quran 3:185) According to an old allegory, a man made an unusual agreement with the angel of death, Izraeel.

He told Izraeel that he would be

About life and death willing to go with him (as though he had a choice) only if Izraeel would give him a notice well in advance before snuffing life out of him. The agreement was made.

Weeks became months and the months into years. One bitterly cold night, as the man sat alone thinking of his success in life, his exploits, and next stage of his dream, Izraeel tapped on his

,

HIS week has been a difficult week for us at Vanguard. We have had to deal with the tragedy of losing a great colleague. On Wednesday evening, August 29, at the peak of production, a few minutes after he was driven to the hospital, the shocking news came and it shook the whole premises more than the tsunamic episode. The Group Entertainment editor, Ogbonnaya Amadi is dead. The whole Vanguard family is still mourning the passsage of a master in entertainment reporting.

I always remember his overtures of prayers at meetings. He would say ‘Alfa, pray for us.’ He actually initiated the observance of prayers before and after meetings. I equally understand that he muted some prayers before his final breath. But at this point, we succumbed to the will of Allah from Whom we all came and to Him we shall all return. Ina lillahi wa ina ilaihi rajihun.

Pleasantries of this world. An Islamic poet once brink of a deep well. Fortunately, of this world said: - “Do not give your heart to this world, for its example is like an unfaithful bride who has never loved you, even for a night.”

The Prophet (s.a.w) has advised us to reflect upon death as a means of staying focused on our journey to Allah (SWT). In one hadith, he said: Frequently

The death of a peer is nothing but a wake-up call for all of us to get prepared for the final abode.

This way, we will be able to avoid the bewilderment and reduce the shock of the so-called untimely death

shoulder, saying: “I am here to take you away.” The man said: “No! You are here too soon, you sent no message or notice, I thought we had an agreement!”

Izraeel whispered, “The time given by your lord is now, I am sorry that you are not ready for me but the order of Almighty God cannot be averted!”

T

he death of a peer is nothing but a wake-up call for all of us to get prepared for the final abode. This way, we will be able to avoid the bewilderment and reduce the shock of the so-called untimely death. Yes! We all pray for long life, but no one knows when exactly it will come and how it will come. Of course, those who died untimely would have prayed for long life. Only Allah knows the appointed time for everyone.

Unfortunately, as human beings, we give our hearts to the pleasure

began stinging him, but he remained oblivious of all the troubles, kept savouring the sweetness of the honey. A short time after, the mice succeeded in cutting the plant down and he fell in the mouth of the big snake.

We are that man; this world is that well; the plant in midway is our life; which is being washed away by every passing day and night - the black and white mice; death is the snake waiting to devour us.

,

remember death, the destroyer of pleasures.

The Muslim is supposed to realise that death is simply a passage from this life to the next, better life. We will be tested. We may suffer a bit, but we know that as long as we believe and live a good life, we will get al-janah and experieince it forever. This is the promise of Allah.

We obviously don’t have time on our side. None of us knows when, where or how we will die, all we know is that we will die, and after that, we will be judged and questioned about what we were able to do in life. We must assure ourselves that we have done all that we can to make this life a success for ourselves, our family and for humanity.

Before I end today’s sermon, let us consider another metaphor on life and death.

A man slipped down into the

Chief Imam, Ajah Okun Central Mosque, Alhaji Muhammed Nurudeen Lawal (front), leading the Muslim faithful in prayer after the end of the 30-day Ramadan fasting at the Olumegbon Palace praying ground, along Lekki Epe Expressway, Ajah, Lagos recently. With them is the Olumegbon of Lagos, Ajah & Okun Ajah, Chief Abdulfatai Abiodun Olumegbon (2nd right).

a plant had grown in the wall of the well and while falling, his hands clutched a branch of that plant. After the initial shock, he began looking up and down.

What he saw, was enough to make him scared. A huge snake, in the depth of the well, waiting to devour him.

Desperately, he decided to remain where he was and then saw, to his horror, that two mice one black, another white - were busy cutting the root of that plant.

He lost his hope. Then he looked up, and his heart was full of hope.

He was not very far from the rimedge of the well.

He thought that by a little judicious effort, he could reach to safety very easily. Then suddenly, he saw a beehive in that plant, and forgetting his tragic position, he began to eat the honey. Of course, the bees did not like it and

The honey represents the pleasantries of this world, which we struggle for while the bees represent some of the minor encumberances while enjoying the pleasures of this world.

It is imperative that the reflection of death should be ever present in the minds of men. However prolonged this worldly life may be, it is ephemeral and must end and however great may be your possessions in this world, one day, you will leave them behind. It is sure!

One who reminds himself of death frequently will have his heart come alive as to the whole essence of life.

Allahumma inna na’oozu bika min fitnatil mahyaya wal mamaat. Rabbana aatina fid dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah, wa qina azaban-naar.

Preparing for Hajj

By HARUN RASAQ

H

AJJ is Muslim pilgrimage to the holy land of Makkah and other places in Saudi Arabia during the month of Hajj with specific conditions. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam which requires early and adequate preparation. The importance of Hajj cannot be over-emphasized in Islam. This is because the Qur’an, Sunnah and consensus of the Muslim from the period of the salaf till now support it. Hajj is so important in Islam that any Muslim that met its condition and refused to answer the call is regarded as kafir. Unfortunately, many Muslims today in Nigeria have refused to carry out this divine injunctions inspite of the fact that they are qualified. They give unacceptable excuses of time, building of houses or other flimsy excuses. Contrastively, many of those who are not qualify embark on the journey yearly and thus turn the holy status of Alhaji to another thing entirely. Therefore before Hajj can be beneficial, the Hujaj, an intending pilgrim must meet certain conditions and some steps must be taken before embarking on the journey.

Some of the conditions for Hajj are: (1) the intending pilgrim must be a practising Muslim with sound ‘Aqidah (doctrine); must be a true Muslim must not involve in any act that nullifies iman-belief). The ten most common ones are (i) associating partner with Allah, (ii) Setting up intermediary between oneself and Allah (iii) not considering Mushrikin to be unbelievers, (iv) believing that some guidance is better than what the prophet’s (s.a.w) came with, (v) hating something that the Messenger (s.a.w) came with, (vi) mocking something of the faith, (vii) practising sorcery,(viii) Supporting the polytheists against the Muslims, (ix) believing that some people are permitted to deviate from the Shariah, (x) turning away from the religion of Allah. Faith is a condition of the validity of the deeds and its approval.

(2) Must have attained adulthood; (3) Must be of a sound state of mind and in full control of his mental faculties; (4) Ability: this include the following: Must be healthy and physically fit, to undergo the rigours of the journey and rites; Must be sure that the way to the holy land is safe; Must be financially sound enough to be able to bear all of the expenses for Hajj, also to provide adequately for his dependants before leaving home.

38 — Vanguard, FRIDAY,

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Nestle tackles malnutrition with vitamin fortified Golden Morn

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & CHIOMA OBINNA

W

ITH malnutrition remaining a ma jor public health in Nigeria as it accounts for more than 50 per cent of under five deaths in the country. Statistics have also shown that one million Nigerians suffering severe malnutrition. Unfortunately, the situation has assumed public health proportion and this has also been linked to poor academic performance among many Nigerian children.

In recognition of these challenges, Nestle Nigeria Plc, last week introduced new Golden Morn, fortified with Vitamin A and Iron into the Nigerian market to ensure Nigerians meet the daily recommended dietary allowance for Vitamin A and Iron, particularly children and pregnant women.

According to experts, Vitamin A and Iron are essential micronutrients that are necessary for the survival, growth and development of every individual while their deficiencies in the body result into severe health conditions and diseases.

The enriched Golden Morn in addition to its current nutrients like calcium and protein, now has the 30 percent daily Recommended Dietary Allowance, RDA for Vitamin A and 55 percent daily RDA for iron.

Presenting the product to participants, the Managing Director/CEO, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Martin Woolnough, noted that Nestle decided to introduce Vitamin A and iron fortified Golden Morn to address the problem of micronutrient deficiencies in the country through food fortification.

Woolnough added that the motive was also to improve the availability of afforda-

ble micronutrient-fortified commonly consumed stable foods in Nigeria such as flour, sugar, edible oil, salt among others.

Studies have shown that food fortification help to improve the deficiency status of the population and at the same time not requiring changes in dietary habits.

Worldwide, through micronutrient fortification of food products, Nestle provided 53 billion servings of iron, 102 billion servings of iodine, 35 billion servings of Vitamin A and 14 billion servings of zinc in 2011. Speaking, Category Business Manager, Diary, Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Adewale Arikawe, said Golden Morn which has been a household cereal in Nigeria in the last 26 years was made from best quality maize and soya grains which are sourced locally with highest standards.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, Global prevalence on Vitamin A deficiency estimates that 29.5percent of pre-school age children suffer Vitamin A deficiency in Nigeria, whilst 7.7 percent of pregnant women suffer night blindness, hence the need for fortified foods with Vitamin A and iron.

• L-R: Dr. J.O. Awobusuyi, Consultant Nephrologist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Professor Olusola Fasubaa, Hon. Commissioner for Health, Ekiti State, Dr. P.T. Adegun, Chief Medical Director, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Mr. Abasi-Ekong Udobang, Health Portfolio Manager,MTNF, Dr. Deji Ajayi, CMAC, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, at the MTNF Community Screeninig Exer

Oral healthcare: Chyk dental floss toothpick debuts

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

T

O ensure better oral health care as well as reduce the risk of heart diseases among Nigerians, Nedis Company Limited has introduced into the Nigerian market, Chyk Dental Floss Toothpick.

Dental floss is a plastic ribbon or thin nylon filaments bundle, used to remove plaque formation and food from the teeth.

According to experts, a good hygiene involves brushing and flossing to prevent gum problems such as irritation and pain

caused by bacterial growth on the gum line and also due to the stuck food particles. It also helps to remove them and make an individual comfortable and prevent inflammation and swelling of gums and ultimately prevents swelling of neck lymph nodes as well as the jaw.

Presenting the product at a media launch in Lagos, Managing Director of Nedis Co. Limited, Joe Brown said the Chyk Dental Floss Toothpick was aesthetically and hygienically designed, manufactured and packaged to help men and women

"maintain an impeccably sound oral hygiene and thus halt the alarming increase in dental diseases."

Brown said dental floss is a disposable device used by hygiene-conscious men and women all over the world to maintain their oral health.

“While the use of ordinary tooth pick could cause gum inflammation or gingivitis, dental floss pick would prevent that.

You will never realise how important your mouth is until it gets infected.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

M

ENTOR I love her, but she is HIV positive. Should I still marry her? Thanks – Greg Dear Greg, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. It all depends on you and what you can handle. I can’t tell you not to marry her simply because she is HIV positive. That will be discrimination on the basis of one’s health condition and cruel to those who are positive.

Besides, being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence because of the drugs available today. Who knows, there could even be a cure tomorrow.

This woman may also turn out to be the love of your life and the best thing that ever happened to you. But there are also consequences to this marriage that you must be able to deal with before you can go ahead.

For example, each time you have sex, you will be worrying about contacting this virus even when using a condom because condoms do break sometimes.

Each time you kiss her you panic. HIV can also be contacted through kissing where one or more partners have bleeding gums. Can you handle this pressure? Marrying her will also mean going for hospital tests every three to six months.

And what if you eventually contact the virus from her after being so careful? Will you be okay with that? Are you still going to love her no matter what? These are just some of the questions you have to answer before making such a big decision. If you can handle the consequences, then you can marry her. I wish you luck – Uche Dear Mr Uche, how are you? I am 39 years old and I am on antidepressants drugs. At times during sex, my erection just goes soft, which makes penetration difficult. It also takes me up to 2 hours to get a second erection. I have learned that drugs such as Sex Voltz and Libigrow are good for people with erection problems.

I also hear Cockrings like Purrfect Pet a n d Dual Studded Cockring are helpful. What do you suggest? Mike Dear Mike, some prescription drugs like anti-depressants do affect a man’s erection. Erection supplements such as Sex Voltz, Libigrow and Xzen 1200 can help strengthen your erections and enable you have second and third rounds within minutes of ejaculating. But you must confirm from your doctor that they wouldn’t clash with your medication. Alternatively, you can use a Penis Pump and a Cock Ring to strengthen and maintain your erections – Uche

Please I have small balls that go between my thighs and it is uncomfortable when I am walking. I also have low sperm count – Bolaji Bolaji avoid tight fitting underwear and wear boxer shorts instead. That will get rid of the tightness and discomfort. For low sperm count, start taking Repro Aid for Men. It will boost your fertility and help with conception – Uche Please I need recommendation on lubricating gels that can enhance both male and female sexual enjoyment and climax – Oguchi For men, use a delay cream. Delay Creams help prevent premature ejaculation. I recommend Stay Hard Delay Cream. For women I recommend a vaginal tighten cream for more enjoyable sex such asTighten It UP V-Gel, and an orgasm gel such as Clit Sensitizer Gel to help her Climax – Uche Sir please what does a man of above 22 years who is still virgin need to know and do to satisfy his girl? Edwin Edwin, for your sex education, I recommend the film More of What Women Want and the book Sex Secrets – Uche Thank you sir for Mega Me Organ Enlarger. My penis is long and fat and I last long during sex – Kunle You are welcome Kunle. That’s it for today.

The names of the people featured here have been changed for their privacy. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 08027901621 o r 08051924159or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails tocustserv@zeevirtualmedia.com Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media..

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 39

C M Y K

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Delta assures on socio-economic well being

NOA tasks politicians on mentoring

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-

YOUNG

BY EMEKA MAMAH

D

L

AGOS—THE Direc tor General of National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, has asked politicians in the country to convert their constituency offices to centres for teaching or mentoring young people to become successful leaders or good politicians instead of their present status as centres for sharing rice to the electorate.

Omeri, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Lagos yesterday said: “We are persuading politicians to convert their constituency offices to advisory centres for young people. They should not be recreational centres or centres for sharing rice or money.

Let them be centres for teaching or mentoring young people to become good politicians and successful leaders because, you are not going to be a senator, governor or member of the National Assembly for life. We have to, as individuals build succession plans for the communities we are representing at the moment.”

PRESENTATION: From left: David Smith, winner; Kingsley Okonkwo, formerly of KC Prest group; presenter, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, winner and Emeka John, winner, at the presentation of prizes to winners of Star TV Game Show organised by Nigerian Breweries Plc, in Lagos. Photo by Sylva Eleanya.

Workshop on road safety holds in A-Ibom

BY TONY NYONG

R

Darey Art Alade (2nd left); Comedian Laff Up (2nd right), with the winners of Amstel Malta Showtime talent hunt competition.

Jigawa PDP tells Gov Lamido to contest 2015 presidency

BY TINA AKANNAM

D

UTSE—THE Jigawa State chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has asked the state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, to contest the 2015 presidency, considering his excellent performance in the state. It also said that Governor Lamido was politically more experienced than both President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo to pilot the affairs of the country.

Chairman of the PDP Enlightenment Committee in the state, Mohammed Gagarawa, who stated this in an interview with Vanguard, said the party also considered the call by prominent Nigerians on Governor Lamido to contest the election for the highest political office in the land before putting pressure on him to put his hat in the ring.

He said the nation was

ELTA State Gov ernment said, yesterday, it was irrevocably committed to enhancing the socio-economic well being of the people of the state through sustainable infrastructural development.

Commissioner in charge of the Directorate of Special Infrastructure, Orezi Esievo, who spoke when she appeared before members of the 2013 Budget Defence Panel at the Ministry of Economic Planning, Asaba, said Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration was determined to

leave a legacy of infrastructural development in the state.

She said the directorate was created to fast -track the implementation of designated projects that would impact positively on the lives of the people.

Esievo listed some of the projects to include renovation and rehabilitation of primary and secondary schools across the state, construction of 10 model primary schools, remodeling and rehabilitation of Eku Baptist Hospital and the construction of a 100-bed integrated mother and child care centre at the Central Hospital, Warri and the General Hospital, Ekpan.

currently sitting on a time bomb which could ‘’explode at any time if wisdom is not applied’’ in the choice of the leadership of the nation, adding that "no country can progress when it is faced with insecurity, poverty and massive youth unemployment."

Gagarawa desribed Lamido as a detribalised Nigerian who had experienced poverty and knew how to solve the country’s socio-economic problems using his wealth of experience as a veteran politician.

He said: "We need a detribalized and veteran

politician to pilot the affairs of this great nation.

We need a true people’s leader who listens to the voice of the voiceless, a man who knows what is poverty and wealth to take this nation to a promised land, and Governor Lamido is that man."

NIPR cautions against state police

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

T

HE Nigerian Insti tute of Public Relations, NIPR, has cautioned against the establishment of state police in the country "at a time when relationships across the country are not at their best; intra and inter-communal harmony are all but strained; arms of all hues have found their way into so many hands."

A statement signed on behalf of its President Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi by one of

NIPR’s officials, Alhaji Muktar Sirajo, stated that "a central and unified control of all instruments of maintaining law and order is what Nigeria desires at this time.’’

The NIPR asked the Federal Government not to abandon the idea of negotiating with the leadership of Jama’atu Ahlissunnati Wadda’wati lil Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram sect, noting that dialogue is the needed solution to the current insecurity in the country.

It also called on the leadership of the sect to bring its grievances to the table with a view to bringing to an end the nightmare that the issue had become.

It said: "The Institute urges the government not to relent or be blackmailed into abandoning this quest, even as it also appeals to the leadership of the sect to avail itself of this opportunity to bring its grievances to the table with a view to bringing to an end the nightmare that the issue has become."

UDIMENTS for ef fective traffic regulatory enforcement and road safety management skills in Nigeria, topped the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, sponsored workshop held for no fewer than 100 top road safety and traffic management agencies from the Eastern and Middle Belt regions of the country.

The Managing Director, SPDC/Country Chair Shell Companies in Ni-

geria, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said at the opening session of the workshop in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, that the oil giant would continue to support the federal, state and local governments in ensuring safety and eradication of accidents on the roads.

According to him, road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death by injury, tenth leading cause of all deaths and ninth contributor to disease globally with 90 per cent of the fatalities and highest mortality rate coming from Africa.

GOtv offers affordable premium TV content

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ULT I C H O I C E , the parent company of DStv has partnered with Details Nigeria Limited, providers of GOtv, to give Nigerians premium TV content at an affordable price.

A statement by the General Manager, DStv Mobile West Africa, Mr. Mayo Okunola, said GOtv offers many advantages. He said it is easy to acquire and install, a Do It Yourself device with an optional aerial antennae, noting that it does not require a dish to receive signals, neither does it require special expertise to activate.

Almost all its channels, about 32, are familiar to DStv subscribers. The DVB-T2 superior technology, that GOtv operates on, offers a broader spectrum than the first generation digital video broadcast technology

(DVB -T) popularly known as T1 and is considered more efficient.

While T1 allows for an upload of about 20 channels on a platform, T2 offers a broad range of about three times that size, meaning about 60 channels on its platform given the same bandwidth. T2 also offers crystal clear picture and sound, giving subscribers a feeling of total enjoyment anytime they watch television. Most importantly it is a leapfrog technology; a cost saver for the discerning Nigerian.

With less than N10, 000, anyone can acquire a GOtv decoder, install it by himself (a simple process akin to connecting your DVD to your TV) and instantly begin to enjoy premium content for as little as N8, 000 or N9, 500 for GOtv and GOtv Plus respectively.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 41

Obama stakes re-election on economic growth F

ACED with a sluggish recovering economy in an election year, President Barack Obama made a high stake speech to grow the economy as a closing act of the Democratic National Convention.

It was a hard act to follow as former President Bill Clinton, had ignited the arena when he tackled Mitt Romney and his fellow Republicans in a detailed attack on Wednesday. Obama did not disappoint his audience in his acceptance speech for his party’s presidential nomination which was held in a much smaller venue than planned, the 20,000-seat Time Warner Cable Arena, after the threat of severe weather forced a move from a 74,000-seat outdoor

football stadium. Under pressure to tell Americans how he will create jobs, Obama will lay out his vision for a second White House term in the nationally televised address that will be watched by tens of millions of people.

“The president now has an opportunity to talk about how we lift the country, how we rebuild the middle class, the things we have to do together to achieve the kind of future that people are looking for,” senior adviser David Axelrod said on MSNBC. Vice President Joe Biden also spoke on the final night of a three-day convention that marks the start of the fall campaign season with the two White House contenders locked

Libya questions former spy master

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IBYA is set to question Abdullah al-Senussi, Muammar Gaddafi’s former spy chief, following his extradition from Mauritania. Yesterday’s announcement was met with calls by the United States and international rights groups that Senussi be granted a free and fair trial.

“It will be critical that Libya take all necessary steps to ensure that he’s held securely, treated humanely and tried fairly in full compliance with Libya’s international obligations,” Patrick Ventrell, US state department deputy spokesman, told journalists. Senussi, former head of military intelligence in Libya and one of the most feared men in Gaddafi’s government, is wanted by

the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where he is accused of crimes against humanity. Senussi was extradited from Mauritania on Wednesday, after his March arrest for illegally entering the West African country. Senussi was discovered in Mauritania as he tried to enter the country from Morocco using a Malian passport under a different name..

President Obama and Bill Clinton acknowledging greetings from supporters at the convention in a tight race. Clinton galvanized Democrats on Wednesday with a hearty defense of Obama’s efforts

Clinton canvass support for Obama

F

ORMER President Bill Clinton gave a rousing defense of President Barack Obama’s handling of the weak U.S. economy on Wednesday and launched a detailed attack on Republican Mitt Romney in a speech that electrified the Democratic National Convention.

Folksy, long on detail and showing he is still a master orator nearly 12 years after he left office, Clinton gave a more cogent defense of Obama’s actions as president than perhaps the current resident of the White House himself has given.

Obama, he said, should

ULTIPLE tragedy hit Turkey yesterday after an explosion at a

not be blamed for the poor economy he inherited in 2009 and has set the foundations for strong growth - if voters will give him more time and re-elect him on November 6.

“Listen to me now,” said Clinton. “No president not me, not any of my predecessors - could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years.” The speech was vintage Clinton, and proof that despite a series of heart ailments that have not slowed down the 66year-old, he still relishes the political limelight.

Frequently departing from his prepared remarks,

•Bill Clinton Clinton painted Obama as a reasonable man prevented from creating more jobs and reducing the budget deficit by a Republican Party in the grip of its extreme right wing.

Clinton received roaring applause from thousands of Democrats who jammed the convention hall in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nigeria, S/Africa to fast-track action on tourism

BY ADEKUNLE ADEKOYA

N

IGERIA and South Africa have agreed to fast-track the implementation of the ‘Cooperation in the field of Tourism Agreement’ signed in 2008 to deepen tourism relations

between both countries and in Africa.

This was one of the outcomes of meetings held in Pretoria and Johannesburg last week between South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Mr. Marthinus Van Schalkwyk and his Nigerian counterpart, High

Fighting, accident hit Turkey

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to repair the economic “mess” inflicted by what Clinton said were misguided Republican poli-

cies of deregulation and huge tax cuts for the wealthy. The two men hugged on stage after the speech, as Obama hoped to cash in on the former president’s popularity and benefit from his ability to plainly summarize complicated policy arguments.

Obama and Romney have been running roughly even in polls before the November 6 election as Obama struggles to make his case for re-election amid a tepid economic recovery and persistent high unemployment of 8.3 percent.

military ammunition storage killed 25 soldiers and left another four wounded,

The soldiers’ remains were discovered after the blaze that caused by the explosion was extinguished

while anotner 60 people were believed to have died when a fishing boat carrying Arab migrants sank off the western Turkish coast, Reports said the blast occurred late on Wednesday at a military ammunition depot where hand grenades were stored and the boat carrying about 100 people, mostly women and children, who had been promised refuge in Europe by smugglers.

Dozens of survivors, mostly from Iraq and Syria, were able to swim through the Aegean waters to the shore.

Chief Edem Duke and other officials including Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Sonni Samuel Yusuf.

High Chief Duke, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Ibukun Odusote was on an official four-day visit to South Africa on the invitation of his South African counterpart Mr. Marthinus Van Schalkwyk to witness the launch of the Tourism Month in South Africa. The tourism bilateral agreement between South Africa and Nigeria covers interactions between tourism and travel trade officials; the exchange of tourism research, statistics and human resource development.

It also includes investment, exchange programmes, joint marketing, and establishment of a joint commission, entry formalities and environmental matters between the two

countries. Before proceeding to the Tourism Month launch, both ministers appeared on ‘Morning Live’ a breakfast TV show on SABC-2 television.

Speaking at the launch of Tourism Month which held at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg, High Chief Duke stressed the need “to continue to forge partnerships and working relationships between Nigeria and South Africa to further boost and grow our tourism sectors to provide employment opportunities, as well as to contribute a significant percentage to the economies of our dear nations”.

“Both Nigeria and South Africa have seen a tremendous partnership and significant engagements in areas such as telecommunications, media, tourism and aviation.

This has led to more than US$3 billion in trade volume between South Africa and Nigeria.

BRIEFS Assange: Ecuador accuses Sweden of right violation

I

T was like a scene from a Hollywood movie, where the kidnapper walks up from behind, with a gun protruding from his trench coat pocket. “Keep walking, and don’t say anything,” he warns. Such was the UK government’s threat two weeks ago to Ecuador, that British police could invade the Ecuadorian embassy if necessary to arrest WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange. But Ecuador’s foreign minister didn’t keep walking, and said something, to the great embarrassment of the UK Foreign Office. The Foreign Office tried to say it wasn’t a threat - although it was now available to the world in writing - and then took it back.

Court frees S/African miners

S

OUTH African miners, arrested after the Marikana shooting, have been released by a Pretoria court after key players refused to sign a deal to end a deadly strike. More than a 100 miners were held in a South African jail after being charged last week under an obscure apartheidera security law with murdering their fellow miners, despite video of the incident clearly showing it was police who fired on the strikers. Reports from Marikana, said that the miners were part of 270 that were arrested after police shot 34 miners dead.

“Some of them were released on Monday,” our correspondent said, after prosecutors dropped murder charges against them and released 162.

ECB agrees on bond-buying to save eurozone

T

HE European Central Bank agreed yesterday to launch a new and potentially unlimited bond-buying program to lower struggling euro zone countries’ borrowing costs and draw a line under the debt crisis.

Seeking to back up his July pledge to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro, ECB President Mario Draghi said the new plan, aimed at the secondary market, would address bond market distortions and “unfounded” fears of investors about the survival of the euro.

42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

B

UT for fears by Europe that the United States of America might establish a military base in Bakassi Peninsula to the strategic and socio-political disadvantage of Europe, Nigeria would not have lost Bakassi to Cameroon.

The fear, according to a new book; “Fraud at the Haguei: Why Nigeria’s Bakassi was ceded to Cameroon,” was worsened by the then closeness of Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo to his USA counterpart, President George Bush. Thus “keeping Nigeria out of Bakassi is securing the area against the American military base under the AFRICOM initiative.”

Author of the 138-page book, Mr Adebayo Adeolu, told Vanguard that the October 10, 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice (World Court), The Hague, ceding Bakassi to Cameroon was pre-determined and fraudulent.

Insisting that geographically, historically, linguistically and politically, Bakassi had always been part of Nigeria, he described the ICJ decision as imperialism at its worst.

Ownership of Bakassi

How International conspiracy robbed Nigeria of Bakassi occupation, and this granted ownership to the Efik people who for centuries had formed social and political organizations that were controlled by the leadership of the Obong.”

In spite of the flaws that might have arisen from the legal team representing Nigeria at The Hague, and non-consultation of Bakassi indigenes and security agencies in the prosecution of the legal battle with Cameroon, Adeolu argued that the facts before the court showed that Bakassi Peninsula belonged to Nigeria.

He urged the Federal Government to utilize the remaining 33 days out of the

,

Ordinarily, he argued that there should not be any doubt concerning Nigeria’s ownership of Bakassi because “Nigeria had been in physical control throughout the many centuries as the place is home to the Efik people. Nigeria administered the region. There were hospitals, police stations, post offices – everything you can see in a modern state was provided by Nigeria.

Cameroon never had possession…The 1884 AngloEfik Treaty (which supersedes other treaties) is a binding agreement between Britain on one hand and the Obong, chiefs and people of Calabar on the other. Accordingly, anything done by either party in breach of the terms of that treaty violates not only Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the law of treaties but also the fundamental customary international law principle of pacta sunt servanda.

“During the case concerning Bakassi and Cameroon, in the advisory opinion in relation to Western Sahara case, the International Court of Justice pointed out that in the period of 1884, before, during and after the advent of the colonialists from Europe, neither the Bakassi Peninsula nor any other part of Efik territory was virgin land that belonged to anybody or state.

The Bakassi Peninsula and other parts of Efik territory had long been under effective

France colonized Cameroon and both countries are still bonded socioeconomically and politically. It was the French government that prompted Cameroon into taking the matter to the Hague, where British, French and German judges decided the case

,

10 years window allowed for an appeal to appeal the judgment.

The time allowed for appeal will expire on October 10.

According to the book, the ICJ was presented with a number of treaties, points and

arguments, which led to the final decision of the French Judge, Gilbert Guillaume.

It should be noted that France colonized Cameroon and both countries are still bonded socioeconomically and politically. It

was the French government that prompted Cameroon into taking the matter to the Hague, where British, French and German judges decided. the case.

The treaties and points of arguments include: * The 1884 Anglo-Efik Treaty; * The 1885 Anglo-German Treaty; * The 1913 Anglo-German Treaty * The 1975 Maroua Declaration between Nigeria and Cameroon * The law of treaties * The Vienna Convention, 1969 (Article 26).

The book read in part: “The

Continues on page 45

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—43

Dantong: Intrigues trail jostle for Plateau North Senatorial seat

BY AKANINYENE EZEKIEL

F

Qualified party member There were also some, who believed that any qualified party member should be allowed to contest the seat.

Instructively, Plateau North Senatorial zone comprises of Jos North, Jos South, Jos East, Bassa, Barkin-Ladi and Riyom.

Instructively, Jos South, Barkin-Ladi and Riyom are predominantly Berom communities, while Jos East is the home of the Afizeres.

In addition, Bassa is a combination of various tribes while Jos North is the municipal with diverse tribes.

PDP anointed candidate: Nonetheless, the PDP appears disposed to the candidacy of Gyang Pwajok, the immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Jonah Jang.

Pwajok, who is a Berom seems more favoured than another contender, Mr. Yakubu Pam Jack, who contested the seat with the late Datong in 2011.

In what appeared like a confirmation of speculations that he is the annointed candidate of the PDP, Pwajok recently resigned his appointment as Chief of Staff.

While giving reasons for his resignation, he said, ''it is because of the pressure from my people to occupy the seat.''

For now, Pwajok appears to be his party's sole candidate, given that he reportedly

*Gov Jang submitted his form before the PDP's deadline.

Also , the former Cheif of Staff has reportedly opened his campai gn office, making observers to describe him as the most serious candidate.

Jack, another Berom man from Barkin Ladi on the other hand is yet to submit his form even as his posters are seen in some parts of the zone with ANPP logo.

,

OLLOWING the sudden death of Senator Gyang Dantong, who represented Plateau North Senatorial District in the Senate, various political parties have been engaging in high power intrigues in their bid to occupy the vacant seat.

Accordinly, major parties in the state are particularly divided over the choice of candidate to represent them at the forthcoming bye-election.

As part of the build up to the polls, the Labour Party (LP) reportedly held its primaries in the absence of party bigwigs, while the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) has a sole candidate.

Also, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) are yet to present a candidate.

However, before now many had argued that someone from Dantong’s Riyom Local Government Area should be allowed to occupy the seat, while some suggested that another Berom man should get the seat in order to complete the tenure of the late lawmaker.

*Late Dantong qualified to contest elections on the platform of the party even though he was aware that a candidate had been endorsed by the leadership of the party in the state.

His words: “I have a passion for PDP. I am not like many opportunists who are taking advantage of the unfortunate incident that occurred in the State," adding that he returned to

Before now many had argued that someone from Dantong’s Riyom Local Government Area should be allowed to occupy the seat, while some suggested that another Berom man should get the seat in order to complete the tenure of the late lawmaker

Why I'm running - Jack Speaking on the development, Jack who disassociated himself from the ANPP posters carrying his photograph declared his intention to contest on the platform of the PDP. He maintained that the posters were the work of mischief makers as he had left ANPP and returned to PDP a year ago and based on the PDP constitution he was

,

the party in July last year with the hope of contesting election in 2015.

Notwithstanding the insinuations that the date for submission of nomination form had expired despite the fact that only one candidate had submitted the form, he hopes to get his form as “the leadership of Bamanga Tukur believes in equity and it is solely the responsibility of the national PDP to

conduct election in the p a r t y ” .

For the Labour Party, it is obvious that all is not well with the party because as at Tuesday, a seeming kangaroo primary was conducted and Chief Danladi Atu from Jos East emerged as the candidate for the party.

Delegates unanimously voted him.

The returning officer ,Yusuf Majau, who announced the result stated that Danladi Atu emerged winner with 108 votes while Lumuba Dah Adeh got no vote.

Backbone of the party However, the said primary which had the backbone of the Party in the persons of former Deputy Governor of the State, Dame Pauline Tallen, Senator Joshua Dariye though both are from Southern and Central zones respectively as well as the two contenders absent was said have been cancelled though it could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report.

The DPP has Col. David Dungs, a Berom man from Riyom as its sole candidate and it appears all is well with the Party. Dungs has the backing of some stakeholders, who said, “he has vision, is a Berom man, from Riyom even though

he is tight-fisted”.

The activities of ACN and the ANPP are still kept under wraps as the party offices are not busy and aspirants for the October 6 bye-election are not yet known.

Meanwhile, those who believe the bye-election should be open to all qualified party members decry the attitude of the PDP, which they say is forcing Pwajok on the people, maintaining that Col. Dungs should be supported.

PDP chances: The PDP’s chances in the Berom populated areas are high but the party may face a tough time in Bassa, Jos East and Jos North, which have grudges against it.

For the Labour Party, Danladi Atu may have upper hand at his home in Jos East and part of Jos North as a former Chairman of the Council but there are doubts that Bassa may not vote him because their son, Lumumba Adeh, was betrayed.

But the meagre votes from those areas would not see him occupy the seat.

As it stands, the contest would likely be between the PDP anointed candidate, GNS Pwajok and Col. Dungs of the DPP but everyone hopes that there would be free and fair bye-election which would allow the will of the electorate to prevail.

44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Why Nigeria must champion integration of Africa — Amadi Bethel Amadi, President of the African Parliament and a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, who represents Mbatoli Federal Constituency of Imo State, in this interview with some journalists spoke on various national and continental issues. He also threw more light on the African legislative agenda.Excerpts:

W

HAT areas will you focus on as the arrow head of the African Parliament?

In the next three years, we are going to focus on peace and security in the continent as well as look at youth employment and food security. Gender issues will also take the centre stage in the c o n t i n e n t .

The parliament will also look seriously into issues that concern unity in Africa. As for the colonial hangover you mentioned earlier, yes that has been there but the issue of ethnic cleavages has really died after we became independent nations.

In the primaries conducted in West Africa, I garnered 35 votes against my Francophone opponent, who scored 10 votes confirming that the era of ethnic cleavages and scars of colonialism had drastically reduced. Do not forget that we are just five English speaking countries in West Africa.

At the continental level, my support also cuts across every region. My main opponent on the day of election stepped down and I scored 160 votes as against 20 votes of my opponent.

African Union is considered a bulldog that barks without attempting to bite especially, in Egypt where the body had deliberately refused to play any significant role.

No, that is not true. We made a

categorical statement on that issue. What happened in Egypt which was the revolution was significant because the people chose their own path and I can assure you that there will soon be a full restoration of the constitution in that country.

Remember that for over 50 years there was no democratic structure in Egypt; so we must ensure due process is followed.

What does Nigeria as a country stand to benefit in this new dispensation?

We are set to provide the necessary platform that would

,

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

highest level of migration in the African continent. Some of us are illegal immigrants within our continent; that should not be with a good legal framework that must be domesticated by all African nations. You cannot integrate when you are building walls and particularly when fellow African citizens need visa to visit fellow countries in the same continent. No African should be treated as an alien in Africa.

It is only in Africa that fellow citizens obtain visas to go to other parts and with that development

Nigeria stands to benefit a lot from an integrated Africa; we can already see what we are enjoying in the West African sub-region through the ECOWAS

launch Africa into the global market by coming out with a blueprint that the parliament would submit to the Assembly of Heads of state. We will gather all the vital information required from our people about the problems that are presently confronting them in Africa.

As you are aware, Nigeria is the most populous nation in our continent; if the integration of the continent gains momentum, Nigeria stands to benefit immensely from an economically integrated Africa. We have the

,

you cannot integrate politically and economically. We have plans to build a trans-continental high way from Algiers to Lagos and from Cape Town to Egypt.

Whatever legal frame work put in place in this direction would be subject to individual laws of countries involved. In this direction, the laws would be domesticated to reflect the laws of the nation. Nigeria stands to benefit a lot from an integrated Africa; we can already see what we are enjoying in the West

*Amadi African sub-region through the ECOWAS. The sub-region has a substantial role to play in this whole arrangement. Nigeria being the most populous nation in the continent equally has a vital role to play.

The case of Nigeria in terms of unemployment is alarming going by the survey that was conducted recently which indicates that of every 5 unemployed Africans, three are Nigerians. It is a dangerous situation that needs a quick remedy. There are job opportunities in Africa but they are filled by foreigners from other continents. An economically integrated Africa will enhance intra-continental employment because I have gone to African countries where labour is hired from Asia; I have gone to countries within the continent where there are no skilled teachers and we have more than enough skilled teachers here in Nigeria. Yet we have abandoned them here whereas there are opportunities in fellow African countries. What is obtainable here

is a situation where Nigerians cross the Mediterranean to Europe in search of greener pastures and once their travel documents expire they go to prison.

We have hundreds of thousands of Africans and Nigerians in particular languishing in jails in foreign countries but an economically integrated Africa will nullify all that for good.

There has been trade imbalance between Africa and the rest of the world. How would the parliament go about balancing it?

For now, African trade in the world market stands at 10 percent and an additional two percent trade among Africans will spiral into about $200billion annually’ an amount far higher than what is realised from donors and certain foreign trades. Which do you prefer; trading among ourselves or the other way round? For now, intraEuropean trade stands at 20 percent; at the same time their resources are retained.

KOGI: Why Wada did not hit the ground running — Awoniyi KOGI State Deputy Governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi in this interview regretted that the administration of Governor Idris Wada, was distracted by litigations challenging his election as governor. He also noted that the administration did not allow the legal cases affect its vision for the state. Excerpts:

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

W

HAT is your take on comments that the 21st anniversary of Kogi State was not worth celebrating?

I think 21 years of our existence as a state is worth celebrating.

These past years, we have lived together in peace and harmony without any major threat to our existence as a people. We have had relative peace and I think this alone is worth celebrating.

We have succeeded in laying the foundation blocks for the state

and with the coming of Captain Idris Wada as governor, we are moving from infancy to adulthood. We are consolidating the gains recorded by our predecessors. However, Wada has stressed that in the spirit of the prevailing economic challenges in the country and the state, we should avoid extravagance.

What is your position on the recent Federal High Court ruling upholding the Capt Wada's election?

I can say with every sense of

*Awoniyi humility and with gratitude to God, who saw us through, that all along, we were confident of victory because Capt Wada did

nothing untoward to clinch the party’s ticket and went ahead to win the election.

We are grateful to all those, who called shortly after the victory to congratulate us for surmounting this legal hurdle placed on our path by people who, ordinarily, should be in the same party with us. The process that threw up Captain Wada was foolproof and very authentic and by this judgment, we are vindicated.

Are there plans of extending hands of fellowship to aggrieved party members?

Even those that went to court know that our doors are always open for them to embrace peace.

There was a time the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria summoned stakeholders of PDP in the state to a meeting.

At that meeting the governor led the team on the side of government. At that meeting, the president asked us to sheath our

swords and resolve to work for the good of the state. Ever since, even at the risk of being negatively dubbed, the governor has continued to push for peace and collaboration from all stakeholders. He has not stopped extending his hands of fellowship to everyone. He has consistently called for all hands to be on deck to build the state.

The door is still open.

You should remember that the governor has no ill-feeling against anybody. Being in government is a call to service not personal aggrandisement.

Do you see the judgment being appealed?

I am not in the position to answer that but I only hope that they will allow common sense to prevail. We should not always allow our supporters to rail road us into doing things that are not

Continues from page 46

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 45

S

INCE the return of democracy in 1999, many commentators on Nigerian affairs have been harping on some issues, which need tackling to ensure and enjoy the fruit (dividends) of democracy. It has been observed that the efforts of any government, however genuine, might not be appreciated if the structure of the country is deficient. For example, the generosity of the Federal Government could be misunderstood if the same Federal Government is surrounded by hungry looking states in tattered clothings which like Oliver Twist would always ask for more.

What comes to mind is a reexamination of the states’ structure.

Many analysts have described the 36 states of the Federation as unwieldy, uneconomic and prone to political instability. Some have suggested the restructuring of the 36 states into six political zones. These zones are South West; North West; South East; North East; North Central and South-South.

Sober reflection On sober reflection, it is considered that the six political zones might harbour certain factors of instability. While the South West zone (Yoruba) and the South East zone (Igbo) contain the same ethnic groups and culture, and some Northern zones harbour people who understand the same language Hausa and majority adhere to the same religion, other zones are not all that lucky. For example, the South–South zone which consists of Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers are made up of different nationalities of multiple languages and diverse customs and cultures. There are the Binis,Urhobos/Isokos, Delta Igbos, Ijaws, Efiks, Ogojas, Itsekiris, Ibibios, and the Kalabaris, etc. It looks as if there is a need to reexamine the formation that makes up the

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STATE OF THE NATION:

Some unresolved critical issues South-South zone.

However, the complication mentioned above does not diminish the argument of restructuring the 36 States into a lesser number that will be agreed upon by the people of Nigeria to ensure economic prosperity and political stability. The essence of political development in any nation is the practice of continuous dialogue to address growing problems in a growing nation under the maxim of peaceful co-existence.

An informed and experienced leadership would always welcome any opportunity of dialogue on processes that would lead to peace, progress and stability.

One could recall with painful nostalgia, the advice of Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon (now retired General) during the crisis of 1966 when he addressed the nation in a Press Conference on 8th October 1966 that the Nation should choose between Federal system with a strong Central Government, Federal system with a weak Federal Government and Confederation, an entirely new arrangement that would be peculiar to Nigeria and which has not yet found its way into

any political dictionary.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian political leaders of the 1966 era instead of choosing the constitutional means of settling disputes among the different ethnic groups opted for a civil war that was costly and unnecessary.

The situation today is the picture of a Federal Government with a strong Central Government behaving as if it is operating a unitary system of Government.

Unfortunately, the 1999 Constitution being operated presently is against the spirit of the 1954 constitution, which embraced the concept of true federalism. It is not too late for the Federal Government to reconcile the present practice of federal/unitary system with the spirit and provisions of 1954 Constitution.

This could be done through a set up of a Review Committee of the people by the people of Nigeria. Any arrangement made could be tested in a form of referendum by the people of Nigeria. In the country ‘s political development, there has been a change from the British parliamentary system of government to the American presidential system which is

now proving to be costly for a poor nation. Though the presidential system was enshrined in the 1979 Constitution, no attempt had been made till today to examine its suitability for a poor country like Nigeria for its qualification to be included in the 1999 Constitution. This and other matters fuelled the challenge to the present Federal Government. The President has been criticized to be insensitive to the cries of many for a review of the Constitution and to examine issues like State Police, General Security and Allocation of national resources.

Criticisms about insensitivity To me, criticisms about insensitivity to national issues should not be taken as personal attack on the person of the President. Criticisms by the opposition and the offering of alternative measures are critical to the development of democratic processes.

If I were President Goodluck Jonathan, I would welcome all criticisms fair or unfair, genuine or cynical and I would thank all critics for giving me the chance to re-examine my performance on some of the critical issues. In this sober examination of issues, I would definitely take a firm stance on fundamental issues that trouble the minds of the nation. I believe that some issues are too critical than to be left to the decisions of some committees which might not meet in time

or whose reports might not be looked into. The President and not any committee is the ruler of the nation, and he alone carries the responsibility of his position.

My advice is for President Jonathan to stand up and shame his critics by playing to their rules. Faults finders, they say, will still find faults even when they are being put into paradise. But before paradise, there are opportunities for worldly bliss.

There are many short-term policies that should be taken to ameliorate the poverty problem and promote employment.

Any thinking of long term policy in a moment of despair would be too late.

As Lord Keynes once said, “In the long run, we are all d e a d ” If the truth must be told, there are roads across the country which floods (not by President Jonathan) have wiped out; there was Power whose infrastructures have been ruined (not by President Jonathan); there have been massive irrigation projects whose infrastructures had run down (certainly not by President Jonathan); and I agree that problems of Agriculture and massive farms were not the faults of President Jonathan. In fact, if the problems of infrastructure decay and the evil of corruption are there before, it is the responsibility of an elected leader to tackle them quickly and seriously, too.

As I mentioned last week how President Roosevelt managed through the instrument of Budget Deficit to cure economic depression in the USA in the 1930s, President Jonathan can also use the principle of Budget Deficit to overcome the problems of infrastructural decays. What is he waiting for?

The unspent amount in 2012 budget is there for him to ask the National Assembly allow him to use. The assumption is that the Central Bank would not, in a devious way; mop up excess liquidity necessary for expansion and development.

How International conspiracy robbed Nigeria of Bakassi Continued frompage 42 European superpowers have known for over a century the strategic importance of Bakassi, as a region.

The region is a danger to the nations of the world if any superpower controlled the region with military bases. The region was forbidden for military bases and garrisons because it could be used for intrigue.

It could cause a blockade for commerce and shipping of any kind and could also be used as military outpost for striking other nations around and far away. “The British, French, Belgian and German governments are well aware of this fact. The European

continent as a whole has this information. It was because of the Germans and their expansionist and militaristic stance and approach to its neighbours and other nations that it was barred after the First World War from the region. This was the decision reached by the League of Nations. African military bases would not be tolerated by members of the League of Nations, as it would pose a danger for all Europe and Asia and the world at large.

“The military posture of President George W. Bush in his fight against terrorism, which he promoted globally after the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11,

2011, and his unilateral decision to invade the sovereign state of Iraq without the full approval and support of the United Nations brought about the international conspiracy.

International conspiracy “The European Union had to keep him out of Africa, especially Nigeria, which the Europeans saw and still see as their ‘colony.’ Britain did not want America meddling with its former colonies, especially Nigeria where a wonderful relationship had existed for years and was being rekindled.

“The president of Nigeria at

the time was very close to George Bush. In fact, he was like Bush’s ‘African cousin’ since former President Obasanjo of Nigeria was a regular guest in the United States.

"The Europeans felt that if he gave the nod for a military base to be established, Bakassi could be used. This prompted the judgment against Nigeria from all evidence that was presented and further discussed…

President Obasanjo had consented to prejudgment conditions in a closed-door meeting convened by the French President, Jacques Chirac and this did not imply the collective will of the people of Nigeria.”

46—Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Itsekiri youths petition Penterin over alleged ivasion of community by JTF

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM ENIN CITY— ITSEKIRI youths under the aegis of Ugborodo Youth Development Council, UYDC, yesterday, petitioned the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, over what they described as alleged unwarranted invasion of their communities and intimidation of the indigenes by the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta (JTF).

The youths accused the Delta Sector Command of the security outfit of allegedly perpetrating the act, and appealed to the Army Command to intervene in the matter by calling their men to order with a view to stop raiding their communities forthwith.

They also demanded the release of the youths in the custody of JTF. Their demand was contained in a petition made available to newsmen in Benin City yesterday.

The UYDC, in the petition signed by its President, Julius Atete and Financial Secretary, Mr. Eyengho Besid one, alleged that last Saturday 's invasion of Ajudaibo community and yesterday's attack on Arunton community by the troops of JTF was "premeditated and unwarranted."

Specifically, the group accused the JTF of dabling into local politics. But reacting to newsmen on telephone, the Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Ifeanyi Otu, described the

B

allegations as "unfounded."

"That is not what happened. The only thing I can say is that we acted on a tip off that there were some illegal activities, especially buying of arms and illegal oil refineries going on in the areas.

Hijacked ship: How 20 pirates attacked us— Captain rescued oil tanker Wednesday, got into the vessel, suspecting there could have been an insider connivance.

Also, NN has disclosed that 19 vessels have been arrested for acts of illegality within six months, with some handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,

Former CBN gov, Ola Vincent buried

L

AGOS—IN defern c e to his last wish to be buried within 72 hours after his death, the remains of the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Ola Vincent were interred yesterday at the Ikoyi cemetery, Lagos after a funeral service at the Cathedral of African Church Bethel.

Prominent Nigerians who paid their last respect to the former CBN governor included Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola; former military Head of State, e

BY PETER OKUTU

A

L

AGOS—CAPTAIN of the rescued oil tanker, MT Abu Dhabi Star, that was hijacked in the early hours of Wednesday, Arun Chandran, yesterday, gave a vivid explanation of how 20 heavily-armed pirates invaded their ship.

This is just as the Nigerian Navy, NN, yesterday, said it had begun investigation into unraveling how the pirates that hijacked the

Captain Arun Chandran of the hijacked vessel, ABU BHABI STAR (3rd right); Rajbir Dhankhar, Chief Engineer (4th right), Commodore Henry Babalola (3rd left), Lt. Commander Jerry Omodara (2nd left) and Naval officers, during a visit to the rescued ship at the Lagos habour.

Ebonyi awards contract to build 5 new general hospitals BAKALIKI— EBONYI State Government yesterday, said that it has awarded the contract for the construction of five new general hospitals as well as renovation of the already existing eight others to 68 indigenous contractors at the cost of N2.6 billion.

State Acting Governor, Chief Dave Umahi made this known during the inauguration of the Local Government Area Task Force teams on Immuniza-

BY EVELYN USMAN

tion and Polio Eradication which took place simultanously at the three senatorial zones of the state.

Umahi charged the contractors to ensure qualitative and durable jobs adding that the essence of establishing general hospitals in the 13 local government areas was to ensure adequate and affordable provision of sound health system as well as efficiently tackle outbreak of diseases such as polio among others in various rural communities across the state.

General Yakubu Gowon; former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; foremost chartered accountant, Chief Akintola Williams; Deputy Governor of the CBN Mr Tunde Lemo and Otunba Subomi Balogun among others, In his tribute, General Gowon said: “The whole of Lagos is here and the whole of Nigeria is here not because he was a politician but because he was a man that he was. What I truly admired about him was his love for his country. He would not just complain but he would proffer solutions and even volunteer his time and resources sacrificially.”

First son of late Ola Vincent, Jaye in his tribute said his late father always thought ahead of time, which was a quality that made him discuss his burial plans before he died. According to Jaye, “my father told us before he died that he wanted to be buried within 72 hours after his death”.

At the funeral service, the Bishop of Rivers Diocese of the African Church, Rt. Revd. Isaac Akin Falana, who delivered the homily, described late Vincent as a perfect example of a devoted and good man.

According to him, “He related well with everyone, irrespective of social status. Unfortunately, in churches and mosques, the rich have created a barrier and class around themselves and they are not accessible.”

Revd. Falana urged everyone to imbibe the late Vincent’s outstanding virtues because “everything we have is given

by God for the good of humanity. The last day is fast approaching and when that day comes, what will people say about you? Death is not by age, it can come at any time. Your work will expose you.”

Elder Vincent Ola Kukoyi, in his tribute, described how much the late Vincent hated self_perpetuation in office.

“His tenure as a CBN governor should terminate in June 1982. Six months to the expiration of his tenure, he showed me a draft letter he was sending to the Federal Government. I told him it is not his duty to remind them. He retorted it was better for one to leap in than to allow yourself to be pushed,” he said.

In his own tribute, Otunba Subomi Balogun said “the nation has lost one of its finest professional bankers.

EFCC, and the Police for prosecution.

Chandran said: “ We departed Lagos around 7pm, heading for Savannah, United States. But at 10:40pm, one of my men sighted four boats each with five heavily-armed men. Some minutes later, two of the men came on board, but by then we had run into the citadel, which is a safe room.

“From the safe room we contacted our company and relevant authorities.

From there we watched the pirates ransacking the ship. They were indeed professionals from the manner they operated.

Within 15 minutes after getting on board, they took control of the ship by first switching off the engine and destroyed our communications system.

“They ransacked the cargo room and stole some of our belongings.

“Luckily for us, we were not too far from shore so it was easy for us to use our phones. We sneaked to a high point and called our company who then sent messages to the adequate authorities.”

He revealed that the tack was carrying 50,000 metric tonnes of natural gas.

He said: “But because they could not convey the gas, the valve was left opened, allowing close to 2,000 metric tonnes to escape. From there, some of us called our family members to inform them about the incident.

“We remained in the dark room until we saw a helicopter hovering over the vessel and were happy when we saw the Nigerian Navy. But for the Navy, we don’t know what would have been our fate.”

Western Naval Command Operations Officer, Commodore Henry Babalola, earlier briefed journalists on the current efforts by the Navy in checking the menace of piracy and illegal bunkering on the nation’s waterways as well as a detailed account of how the Singapore-owned oil tanker was rescued with the 23 crew members.

He said the natural gas in the oil tanker belong to the ExxonMobil, stating that it was operating legally.

He said that there was no exchange of fire during the rescue mission, pointing out that it would have amounted to a catastrophe since the hijacked vessel was conveying a combustive substance.

He said: “The act in itself is not as easy as one thinks because if you try anything funny like firing

at them and the tanker is set on fire, you can imagine the effect of the fire where you have fifty metric tonnes of gas, which is about fifty million litres of fuel burning.

“The most important thing was the safety of the vessel, the crew members, the cargo and the environment. Rather, on sighting the Naval ship and the helicopter, the hijackers escaped.”

He added that the rescued ship was at anchorage within the Lagos harbour under Naval protection until investigation was completed.

MT Abu Dhabi oil tanker was reportedly found at 5.2 nautical miles off the Badagry coast with its engine switched off.

There was reportedly fear both on the part of the Nigerian Navy rescue team, led by Captain John Ezekiel, of possible sinking of the tanker. However, when the ships arrived the point, Babalola said they had to convince the crew members to come out of hiding and switch on the vessel before leading the oil tanker to the Lagos harbour, where he said the crew were all in good condition.

Commodore Babalola, however, noted that the ship was not the first to be rescued by the Navy, disclosing that on August 31, 2012, two Naval warships, NWAMBA and ANDONI, went in search of MT Energy Centurion ship that was hijacked by pirates at a position off Lome, where she was at anchorage and rescued it outside the Nigeria Exclusive Economic Zone.

He was, however, quick to clarify that activities of pirates in the Western part of the Gulf of Guinea was different from that elsewhere, stating that “quite unlike what happened in Somalia where these ships are hijacked for ransom, in this part of the Gulf of Guinea, based on records and antecedent, these vessels are hijacked with the intention of siphoning the product to a daughter vessel, after which they abandon the ship.”

In spite of the limited platforms available to the Navy, Babalola disclosed that the it had arrested 19 vessels for various acts of illegality, with some of the vessels handed over to the EFCC for prosecution.

The vessels, according to him, included MT Omne, MT Cupid, Mbarge, MT Ortakoyi, MV Chijioke, among others.

He warned ship owners who connive with criminals to desist from such acts.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 47

48 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 49

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

GEMINI: YOUR best bet today is to seek important co-operation of influential people and that of your spouse/partner. The more legal conscious you are, the better for you.

CANCER: IF others want you to conclude an important financial transactions that can possibly be done today, you’ll need to say no and go ahead as tomorrow may not be as conducive as today.

LEO: IT’S important you don’t take things and people for granted now because they may not be as co-operative tomorrow as they are now. Be more loving.

VIRGO: ALTHOUGH there seem to be an air of understanding within your working arena today, tomorrow’s full-moon may turn the whole thing the other way.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

A

GREAT thinker once wrote that words are the forerunner of our action.

People first hear us talk before they see us act our talk. It is what we say that first captures their attention and ensure that they give us audience.

Talking to people You may be a great actor but if you are not able to market your skill you will have a scanty audience. And if you are a leader, if you can’t communicate your intention,

TERROR MUDA

chances are that you will have a very low followership. This is where ability to speak and communicate appropriately comes in.

It is not enough to know it, the question

in “Never say goodbye”

is can you convince people that you know it?

Talking to people is a skill everyone of us should develop. The leader, the marketer, the politician, the manager etc we all need the skill.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

LIBRA: HERE is an exciting day that will climax tomorrow. After a long time, others will see how passionate you can be even in love. Don’t gamble, please.

SCORPIO: IF your desire is to make money today, you will need to be less emotional and prepare for domestic challenges tomorrow. Enjoy your love life.

SAGITTARIUS: GOOD relationship between the Moon and lucky Jupiter will bring you good opportunities. Be less argumentative.

CAPRICORN: THIS is your day when things will go according to your plans. Financial success indicated but if you wait till tomorrow, opposition’ll bring disappointment.

AQUARIUS: THE moon in your star sign that encourages you to be as assertive are likely to oppose you tomorrow. Try to be more friendly.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

PISCES: HAPPENINGS within your working arena should be taken more seriously now or else, avoidable trouble would start tomorrow. Again, it’s important you are more practical about your health. Be more loving.

ARIES: EVEN, if friends and others are helpful and pledging loyalty today, they may be forced and get on your nerve tomorrow when effects of full-moon’ll come to play.

TAURUS: WHATEVER can lead to avoidable trouble tomorrow, either at home or along your career/business lines, should be well taken care of today. Be very open.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

What,s my immediate future?

Dear Joshua, I am interested in what you are doing. Please tell me what I should expect concerning my immediate future. Would I succeed travelling abroad for business ?

Opara-Lagos, Dear Opara, Few years back you have started a very longer (years) great cycle of success and happiness, and this year you will be moving closer to the peak of the said cycle; meaning that your 40th year on earth will be much more better than all your previous ones on earth.

Visible signs of the positive things will physically manifest during your major first period of the year 2012 that will come between September 10 - October 5, 2012. Then because of transiting lucky Jupiter in Sagittarius – your Solar 9th house of travelling and distant affairs you can be successful at acquiring visa and have a fruitful foreign travels.

However that is not to say that there will not be any challenge during the year. Actually like it happened about six/seven months ago when work and accident related issues were the major challenges, there will be repeat of such when Lunar Eclipse of November, 2012 will hit the position it occurred around October last.

Commen3

by Lawrence Akapa

50—Vanguard , FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

FUNERAL: From left— Mr. Moghalu Kinsley, Deputy Governor, Financial Stability; Mr. Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor Operations, both of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), former Head of State, at the funeral service for late Elder Olatunde Olabode Vincent, former CBN Governor, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTOS: Shola Oyelese

Ex-Newswatch editors launch Verbatim

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

F

ORMER Editors of Newstwatch have concluded plans to float a newsmagazine called Verbatim.

A statement by the Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Tobs Agbaegbu.said the magazine would provide detailed, well-investigated insight into contemporary national and global issues, as they affect Nigeria.

The statement read: “A new magazine called Verbatim, which the publishers have described as a product of the ingenuity

and enterprise of an assembly of many former editors, reporters and managers of Newswatch magazine, will hit the newsstands nationwide on Monday, September 10.

“It will be published as an investigative news magazine every fortnight by Verbatim News Network Limited, with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital.

“Verbatim has Tobs Agbaegbu, former Senior Associate Editor and Newswatch Bureau Chief in Abuja, as Editor-in-Chief.”

Kano shuts 30 schools over tax evasion

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

K

ANO—KANO State Task Force on Private Schools, established by the Government of Rabiu Kwankwaso to check the proliferation of illegal private schools in the state, has sealed up the premises of Nigerian/Turkish International Schools and 29 others educational institutions over alleged failure to pay appropriate taxes to government and sundry offences.

Some other alleged

crimes by the schools included arbitrary increase in schools fees, failure to adhere to government-approved school calendar for 2012/2013 and the absence of administrative block with Principal/Head Teachers’ offices.

Other reasons adduced by the task force were nonstandard school laboratory/ library in the case of secondary schools, non-functional administration and academic records such as log book, admission register, visitor’s books, syllabus and schemes.

RCCG holds prayers

BY OLAYINKA LATONA

P

ASTOR Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has enjoined Nigerians not to be despondent, but to trust in God for the country to fulfill her destiny and assume her rightful position in the world.

He spoke through Pastor Goke Aniyeloye, As-

sistant Pastor of RCCG National Headquarters parish, Ebute Metta, during preparations for a special prayer programme scheduled for Sunday, September 8 tagged Throne of Grace.

He said despite the prevailing security challenges currently facing the nation, God can still revert the irreversible if the indigenes can intensify their prayers.

From right— Mr. Akintola Williams, Mrs Seni Williams and Mr S. Adewusi, at the service.

Gunmen invade NYSC lodge in Taraba G

UNMEN, yesterday, in Jalingo, Taraba State, attacked members of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, at the Family House of the Redeemed Christian Corps Fellowship, RCCF, behind Federal Government Girls College, FGGC, dispossessing them of money and other valuables.

It was gathered that the bandits held the corp members hostage for several hours after robbing them.

The gunmen were said to have gained entrance into the lodge from a toilet in the female wing of the building, carting away three laptops, 24 mobile phones and an undisclosed amount of money.

Feeding allowance gone

One of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We were about 20 corps members in the lodge when it happened. All our phones were taken away.

“Some of us had more than one phones. Our monthly feeding allowance, which we contributed, was also taken away

by the evil men.”

Another said: “We were sleeping when some men came in holding all sorts of dangerous weapons.

We never resisted them.

We obeyed their orders because we were shocked by fear.

‘They threaten to behead us'

“They asked us of our state of origin and religion, threatening to be-

head us if we misbehave.”

Confirming the attack, RCCF President, Banji Omogbehin, said: “The motive of the attack was unknown because the bandits asked us our state of origin, threatened to rape our ladies and behead us.”

Officials of NYSC, who visited the corps members, said the issue would be seriously dealt with, as the scheme

would not tolerate such act on its serving corps members.

Police report

However, Police spokesperson, Amos Olaoye, said it was a case of burglary and stealing.

He said: “I can confirm the attack, but it is not robbery. We have not made any arrest yet but the police are investigating.”

... as floods kill 7, destroy houses, farmlands in Katsina K ATSINA—NO fewer than seven persons died, while thousands of houses and 146 farmlands were destroyed in the recent floods in Katsina State.

Executive Director of the state Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief Agency, RERA, Alhaji Hassan Rawayau, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, yesterday, in Katsina.

Rawayau said that 15 of the 34 local government areas of the state were worst-hit and gave the names of the areas affected as Mai’adua,

Kusada, Kurfi, Batsari, Safana, Jibia, Katsina and Bindawa.

Others were Kankia, Ingawa, Dutsi, Daura, Sandamu, Matazu and Mani local government areas.

According to him, two persons died in Safana, Mani and Daura local government areas, respectively, and one person in Kurfi council area.

He said: “`Thousands of houses were damaged by the floods in all the affected local government areas, while 146 farms were destroyed in Kusada area.”

The director said that the agency had resettled victims in Randawa village of Mani Local Government Area in a primary school compound, adding that efforts were ongoing to send relief materials to the victims.

He also said that millions of naira worth of relief materials donated to the state by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, would soon be distributed to the victims.

Rawayau appealed to the victims to consider the flood disaster as the act of Allah.

NBA upholds member's clearance on former by the false accusa- tion of cases at the comOceanic Bank's crisis Oye tion against him by some mittee and the important

BY INNOCENT ANABA

N

IGERIAN Bar Association, NBA, has upheld the vindication of former president of Abuja Chamber of Commerce, ABUCCIMA, Mr. Dele Oye by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the saga that led to Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s intervention in Oceanic Bank International Plc in 2009.

NBA, in its 2011-2012 Annual Report, reconfirmed Oye’s innocence and professional integrity in the discharge of his professional duty to his clients, in the crisis that rocked the bank at that time, which led to the removal of the then Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru.

The association expressed regrets over the inconveniences caused

senior lawyers.

The association restated its full confidence in the honesty, integrity and dedication of Oye, adding “it will be recalled that in the report to the Annual General Meeting as contained in the 2010-2011 Annual Report of Port Harcourt conference 2011, at pages 88 to 89, NBA highlighted the special sacrifice and total dedication of Oye to the prosecu-

role he plays as a prosecutor before the said committee.”

Oye had been mentioned in a plea bargaining suit between the Federal Government and Cecilia Ibru, having being a legal adviser to the Ibru family prior to the Oceanic Bank crisis.

But EFCC had since investigated and cleared Oye of any form of complicity in the matter.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012—51

Turkish woman who beheaded alleged rapist awaits trial A

WOMAN in Turkey is awaiting trial after beheading a man who she says raped her repeatedly for months and is the father of her unborn child. Her lawyer says the woman killed the man to protect her honour.

Nevin Yildirim, a 26year-old mother of two, lives in a small village in southwestern Turkey. She said the man, Nurettin Gider, began the attacks a few days after her husband left in January for a seasonal job in another town, according to a source close to the case. Yildirim said Gider threatened her with a gun and said he would kill her children, aged two and six, if she made any noise, according to the source. That was the first of repeated rapes over the next eight months, the source said.

At one point, Yildirim said, Gider sneaked into her house while she was asleep and took pictures of her. One of the pictures shows her pregnant body.

Gider threatened to publish the pictures if she didn’t obey him, the source said.

In small villages like hers, honour is held above all else, and women carry the burden of honour for their families. Pictures like those would have been devastating for Yildirim and her family and could have posed a danger. On August 28, at least five months pregnant by a man who she said continued to rape her, Yildirim said she decided she had had enough. Gider was climbing up the back wall of her house. “I knew he was going to rape me again,” she said at her preliminary hearing August 30.

She said she grabbed her father-in-law’s rifle that

was hanging on the wall and shot him. He tried to draw his gun and she fired again. She said: “I chased him. He fell on the ground.

He started cussing. I shot his sexual organ this time.

He became quiet. I knew he was dead. I then cut his head off.”

Witnesses described Yildirim walking into the village square, carrying the man’s head by his hair, blood dripping on the ground. “Don’t talk behind my back, don’t play with my honour,” Yildirim said to the men sitting in the coffee house on the square. “Here is the head of the man who played with my honour.”

She threw Gider’s head to the ground, the witnesses said. Video from Turkish broadcaster DHA, which arrived on the scene before the authorities,

showed Gider’s head on the ground. Witnesses called authorities and Yildirim was arrested.

Gider was 35 and the father of two children, 15 and nine. He was married to an aunt of Yildirim’s husband.

Yildirim told her legal representative she regrets what happened, the source said. “I thought of reporting him to military police and to the district attorney, but this was going to mark me as a scorned woman,” Yildirim said, according to the source. “Since I was going to get a bad reputation I decided to clean my honour and acted on killing him. I thought of suicide a lot but couldn’t do it.”

Yildirim said she was worried people would judge her children because of what happened, the

Nevin Yildirim (right) and beheaded Nurettin Gider who allegedly raped her.

source said.

“Now no one can call my children bastards,” she said, according to the source. “I cleaned my honor.

Everyone will call them the children of the woman who cleaned her honor.”

The source said Yildirim went to a health clinic a while ago seeking an abortion, but health workers told her she was 14 weeks pregnant and abortion was not an option.

Colombia’s ‘Queen of Cocaine’ shot to death

G

RISELDA Blanco, a convicted drug trafficker who was once known as the “godmother ” and the “queen of cocaine,” has been shot to death by an unidentified gunman, police in Colombia said.

Col. Mauricio Cartagena of Medellin’s metropolitan police said that the 69-year-old was killed at a butcher shop in the city on Monday.

be revenge or a settling of accounts.”

Cartagena said a man approached Blanco at the shop and fired before escaping on a motorcycle driven by another man.

She died on her way to the hospital. He said the police hadn’t identified a firm motive for the killing, adding: “We don’t know why they killed her, but the first hypothesis would

Blanco was among the first Colombian women to traffic cocaine to the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. She had been deported back to Colombia in 2004 after serving nearly 20 years behind bars in the United States for drug trafficking and three drug-related killings.

Griselda Blanco

L-r: Bishop Mrs Peace Okonkwo; second position winner Miss Chinaza Okoli; her colleague, both of Vivian Fowler College; her mother, Mrs. Bola Okoli; Mr Tosin Fagbewesa, VP Academics Vivian Fowler College at the 9th edition of Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools with the Theme: Defence Of Nigerian Economy On Crude Oil:Any Alternatives, in Lagos. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

She served three concurrent sentence after pleading no contest in 1998 to second-degree murder charges.

Authorities said Blanco arranged three contract killings in 1982 that took the lives of toddler Johnny Castro and drug dealers Alfredo and Grizel Lorenzo.

The child died when

bullets meant for his father, Jesus Castro, hit the boy instead, police said.

She already had been serving prison time for cocaine trafficking when she entered her plea in the killings.

U.S. authorities have described Blanco as a charter member of the “cocaine cowboys” who engaged in drug

trafficking, contract killings and gangland shootouts in South Florida in the 1980s. She was also once known for her love of shopping and beauty salons.

Blanco was reportedly a fan of the film “The Godfather,” naming one of her sons Michael Corleone, the name of the character played by Al Pacino in the film.

Abducted mother of triplets in Abuja still missing •As kidnappers insist on N25m ransom

A

BUJA-FIVE days into the kidnap of Mrs Justina Ekwu Nwakwe, nee Madu, a mother of triplets in AMAC Estate, Lugbe, off the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja, the family is yet to reunite with her.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers who only made a call to the husband on Wednesday are demanding a ransom of N25million before she could be released.

Speaking with Vanguard on behalf of the family, Tobe Obechina said that Justina Nwakwe was abducted on Monday evening in front of her residence in phase two, AMAC Estate.

According to a source, the kidnappers opened the gate for her to enter

and immediately drove away with her in her Sienna car with number plate DV 426 BWR. Her car was later discovered at a bush in Sabo Lugbe area when it rammed into a Mrs. Justina Nwakwe ditch and could no longer move, forcing the ago, but one of them died, men to drag her out, and leaving with the first leave with her in a hurry child who is three years to an unknown destina- old and the two now. tion. At the end of the day, The woman who hails her GSM handset, shoes from Achi, Orji River loand her handbag all were cal government Area, intact inside the car till the Enugu State works in the next day before the hus- Presidency and married band was called to come to Sir Rowland Nwakwe for the vehicle. Also found from Mgbowo in Awgu in the car were the caps local government area of the kidnappers. also from Enugu state and Mrs Nwakwe who has works with the Federal three children, had a set Ministry of Housing and of triplets nine months Lands.

52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 53

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Vanguard,FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Cole may quit Chelsea over contract can play at this level for club for FREE. bust-up many more years to A club insider said:

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SHLEY COLE is ready to walk out on Chelsea after only being offered a derisory oneyear deal to stay at the club.

The England defender is in the final year of his contract and in January could join another

“Mr Abramovich has a rule that anyone over 30 can only be given a oneyear extension but it’s madness in Ashley ’s case.

“Everyone knows he’s the best left-back in the world.

“He trains hard, really looks after himself and

come. There isn’t a club in the world who wouldn’t want Ashley on a free.”

Cole, 31, famously left Arsenal in 2006 after claiming he almost ‘crashed his car’ when the Gunners only offered him £55,000 per week.

Issues as Eagles leave for Monrovia Continues from B/P away from earlier planned synthetic pitch on another stadium. Logistics were an issue the players hoped would be handled better than past experiences. Another issue was the pitch. Advance team of Nigeria Football Federation informed the technical crew that the pitch was not good for quality play.

And Stephen Keshi, the coach, has told the players to be ready for African football. Emphasis was on Victor Moses who is relatively new to African football. He will experience not only the

poor pitch but also the physical style of the opponents. Liberia are very physical and the Eagles experienced this in their 2-0 victory in a friendly match early this year. Keshi sounded the new Chelsea player out yesterday and Moses confidently said he was ready for the African battle. The other information is that it’s been raining in Liberia of recent and Eagles should, therefore, be ready for rains on match day. One good news is that the match will be by 6 pm when the sun would have set. Europebased players dread the scorching heat of the

tropics. Another good news is Keshi’s observation on the “sharpness of the players in training.”. He said: ”They are ready, very sharp and ready for the g a m e . ” The third good feeling in camp was the morale boosting visit of President Goodluck Jonathan during Wednesday evening training. The visit was being discussed both in the federation and the camp of the players. ”We appreciate the visit of Mr. President. It’s a morale booster and we will not disappoint him and the country,” keshi assured

Continues from B/P ger in strength and enterprise, and we are the happier for it as a world body. “ The Falconets finished second at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany, and now have opportu-

Nigeria’s a powerful force in women’s football nity to take the bronze after losing in the semi final against the USA. They will be very strong against the host nation (Japanese) for the bronze medal match and anything can hap-

pen, ” said Blatter.

The world football supremo was speaking at a FIFA banquet for the teams remaining in the tournament, which took place at the magnificent Conrad Tokyo on Thursday night.

What we want from President Jonathan Continues from B/P pectations in London, where their able-bodied counterparts failed to win a single medal in August. The Paralympians who were the toast of the spectators who graced the London ExCel Centre venue are regarding themselves as super heroes and according to them, they deserve more than just a mention when they come back home.

“I want the President to first of all give us a resounding reception when we get back home.

And after that he should begin to address the issues hindering the development of Paralympics sports in Nigeria.

“We know what we go

through during our training. Imagine our situation in Nigeria when as disabled people we have to struggle to get transportation back home, because we cannot get into the regular buses, we have to take taxis and we spend more money than our other colleagues,” said Grace Anozie, gold medallist in the women +82kg category Veteran, Victoria Nneji who won Nigeria’s only bronze medal minced no words.

“When we were coming here they begged us to spare Nigeria the embarrassment of not winning a medal. They said we must deliver and now we have delivered,

so they must give us the honour that befits our achievements,” Silver medallist, Folasade Oluwafemiayo stated that the government must put more money in Paralympics sports. She submitted that there were a lot of equipment that they need, most especially in other events like track and field.

“There are a lot of people like me who would want to go into sport but they don’t have money.

The President must take interest in our sports. We need to go on coaching courses, we need to train our officials so that we don’t get cheated at international events just like was done to me.”

Vanguard,FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 — 55

Eagles face Liberian fire

Eagles under pressure?

TIME: 7.00PM TOMORROW

By JOHN EGBOKHAN

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IGERIA’s Super Eagles are bracing themselves up for a bruising encouinter when they battle a resurgent Lone Stars of Liberia in a 2013 African Cup of Nations first leg qualifier at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia.

At stake is a ticket to play at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa and after failing to qualify for the last edition jointly-hosted by Equatorial Guinea andGabon, the Nigerians cannot afford another failure.

Coach Stephen Keshi,a former defender and captain of the Nigerian national team, during the best period of the Eagles, knows the importance of a victory in the match. Such is the pressure to win that a draw would be a huge disappointment to many Nigerian football followers.

Even President, Goodluck Jonathan, who visited the team during training on Wednesday, has drummed it into the team’s ear that only a win would be good enough for him, a message that Keshi and his army of players have promised to achieve.

While expecting a physical and tough battle from the Lone Stars, the former Mali and Togo coach said that his wards are charged to get maximum points, to ease the pressure during the reverse fixture in Nigeria.

Keshi played up the strength of the Lone Stars but noted that the buring hunger of his team was going to proplel them over their hosts.

“A country that has produced the likes of George Weah, who became world’s best footballer, cannot be said to be weak in talent, but we must show that we are stronger. I expect a tough, bruising game against Liberia and I trust that all of us will rise to the occasion.

“It is going to be a different ball game when we meet Liberia on Saturday unlike the last time we beat them in a friendly match. Each game has its own spirit, own day and this game against Liberia on Saturday is a different ball game, different spirit, different state of mind and we have to stay 100 percent as regards concentration to get what we want to get out there”, added Keshi.

Despite missing the duo of Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and West Bromw forward, Osaze Odemwingie. Keshi still has a complete complement of his top stars.

•Liberian national team

President’s visit motivates not pressurise, Says Yobo

UCH is the pressure on the Super Eagles to win that a draw in a 2013 AFCON qualifier in Liberia on Saturday would be a huge disappointment.

The country’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, has further raised the stakes with his personal interest in this West African clash.

He first put a call through to coach Stephen Keshi, urging him to lead the team to victory in Monrovia and on Wednesday, he was at the team’s training in Abuja to further stress the importance of this game.

After sensationally failing to reach the 2012 edition of this tournament Nigeria are leaving nothing to chance to ensure they feature at the next competition in South Africa in January.

Moses lays aside personal glory

S

•Yobo Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo, declared on Thursday that Wednesday’s surprise visit by President Goodluck Jonathan, to the training session of the national team at the Abuja National Stadium, was the tonic the team needs to excel in the game against Liberia on Saturday.

Speaking on the historic occasion, Yobo, said rather than the visit putting pressure on the team, it has helped to motivate all the players, some of whom have never had the opportunity of meeting the President or any president for that matter in their entire football career. “We are privileged to have had the rare opportunity of meeting the president and I must specially thank him for the visit and also

•Emenike assure him of the seriousness of the entire squad to excel in not only the qualifiers for the Nations Cup but those of the World Cup and any tournament that we will enter for.

Yobo also seized the opportunity to thank Vice President, Namadu Sambo, the Governor of his home state, Rivers and Chairman of the Governor’s Forum, Hon. Rotimi Chubuike Amaechi and all those who were there when the President visited the national team at training assuring that they will

•Ikechukwu Uche have cause to celebrate the team in the coming days.

“I must say I’m very excited at the visit of top officials and the knowledge the President and his team displayed of the Super Eagles. In fact, Mr President knew almost all the players by name and that means he has been following the team closely. We can only reward by qualifying in style for the SA 2013 Nations Cup and doing vvery well at the tournament proper”.

Keshi hails Eagles spirit C

• Keshi

OACH Stephen Keshiis happy with the spirit of his Eagles ahead tomorrow’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against Liberia in Monrovia “The good thing about the present Super Eagles team is that they all know each other. They have been together so it’s only very little thing that I would bring in to cement them together and make a solid team,” said Keshi during the team’s media parley on Wednesday.

“They know each other, they have played with each other in the

Nigerian league and they have been friends so now it is just to put the chemistry on the field together as well as the commitment level that yes we have to defend our nation.

“With what I saw in camp, the oneness that exists in the team is good. We have stayed together since June which has really manifested. I saw a great atmosphere on the field and in the dining hall when we were eating you could see that they know what we want. It is good”.

UPER Eagles forward Victor Moses has said that he was ready to sacrifice personal glory for the team’s success when Nigeria battle Liberia in tomorrow’s 2013 AFCON qualifier in Monrovia.

With a new move to Champions League champions, Chelsea, Moses is being banked on to score against the Lone Stars but speaking yesterday, the 21year-old said that what was important was a Nigerian win and not who scored.

“The victory is the most important thing and that is what we will be looking to achieve. All the lads are looking forward to the game. It is not about who scores,” he said.

The former Wigan star said that he expects to play on a bad Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium pitch but noted that it would not give the players any reason to give excuses for their performance “From what we have been told, we expect to play in a pitch that may not the best in the world but that’s the situation.

We are ready and there would not be excuses”, said Moses.

•Moses

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Issues as Eagles leave for Monrovia

BY ONOCHIEANIBEZE

T

HERE were issues as the Eagles prepared to leave for Liberia this morning for tomorrow’s Nations Cup qualifier.

They were scheduled to

London 2012 Paralympics:

fly out on a chartered flight at 5 am this morning and that meant that the players would wake up about 3.30 am to begin to prepare for the journey to the airport scheduled for 4 am. It also meant that the players would not have full night rest 48 hours to the game. But this would not be a problem if depar-

What we want from President Jonathan

ture time was not delayed and the players would have enough time to rest on arrival.

That would put them in good stead for training this evening. The match will now be played on a grass pitch after the home Football Federation moved it to their main stadium, Continues on page 54

•Paralympians list demands they expect President FROM London

BEN

EFE,

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FTER raking in an unprecedented six gold medals at the London 2012 Paraympics Games, Nigerian Paralympians have listed a litany of demands, which

Goodluck Jonathan to meet as they await compensation for their heroic efforts at the Games.

The camp of Team Nigeria remained in a jubilant mood as the powerlifters lived up to ex

Continues on page 54

•Keshi

Eaglets vow to wreck Junior Menas

•GOLDEN MOMENT ••• Yakubu Adesokan.

Nigeria’s a powerful force in women’s football — Blatter F

— Page 54 TODAY'S

PUZZLE

IFA President Sepp Blatter yesterday paid glowing tributes to Nigeria’s capacity in women’s football, saying the world’s most populous black nation YESTERDAY'S

has continued to play a leading role in the promotion of the game in the universe.

“Nigeria has not only shown great potential and ability in the men’s

game; she has continued to exert strength and direction in the women’s game. Thanks to Nigeria, women football in Africa is becoming stron

Continues on page 54

G

OLDEN Eaglets’ duo of Alhassan Ibrahim and Kelechi Iheanacho have vowed to get among the goals when Nigeria tackle Niger in their First Round, first leg 2013 African Under-African Youth Championship qualifier in Niamey on Saturday.

ANSWERS ACROSS 4 Increase (5) 7 Request (6) 9 Moist (3) 10 Fuel (3) 12 Leading (5) 13 Enthusiasm (4) 15 Seed (5) 17 Rota (6) 19 Discourteous (4) 20 Bequeath (5) 22 Taxi (3) 24 Well-liked (7) 27 Friend (3) 28 Rule (5) 31 Courage (4) 33 Distress (6) 35 Squander (5) 37 Ensign (4) 38 Mark (5) 39 Consume (3) 41 Entrap (3) 42 Communicate (6) 43 Propeller (5)

DOWN 1 Glare (6) 2 Ascending (6) 3 Crone (3) 4 Support (4) 5 Different (5) 6 Station (8) 8 Final (4) 11 Guess (9) 14 Noose (4) 16 Spoken (4) 18 Exchange (4) 21 Hysterical (8) 23 Poet (4) 25 Go by (4) 26 Shoal (4) 29 Embedded (6) 30 Ingot (6) 32 Thread (5) 34 Trade(4) 36 Afresh (4) 40 Gratuity (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Brow 4, Pip 6, Gram 9, Rum 10, Begrudge 11,Unit 14, Ant 16, Class 19, Hospital 21, Licit 23, Civility 24, Felon 27, Tee 31, Pass 33,Amicable 34, Die 35, Rent 36, Ash 37, Ever.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Reef 3, Warp 4, Pedantic 5, Poem 6, Cruel 7, Run 8, Amiss 12, Chief 13, Usual 14, Ail 15, Tacit 17, Avoid 18, Stays 20, Liverish 22, Tie 25, Evade 26, Onset 28,Gala 29, Jape 30, Else 32, Sin.

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Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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